Abstract
The interaction of surface water (SW) and groundwater (GW) is becoming more and more complex under the effects of climate change and human activity. It is of great significance to fully understand the characteristics of regional SW–GW circulation to reveal the water circulation system and the effect of its evolution mechanism to improve the rational allocation of water resources, especially in arid and semi-arid areas. In this paper, Yinchuan Plain is selected as the study area, where the SW–GW interaction is intensive. Three typical profiles are selected to build two-dimensional hydrogeological structure models, using an integrated approach involving field investigation, numerical simulation, hydrogeochemistry and isotope analysis. The SW–GW transformation characteristics are analyzed with these models, showing that geological structure controls the SW–GW interaction in Yinchuan Plain. The SW–GW flow system presents a multi-level nested system including local, intermediate and regional flow systems. The runoff intensity and renewal rate of different flow systems are evidently different, motivating evolution of the hydro-chemical field; human activities (well mining, agricultural irrigation, ditch drainage, etc.) change the local water flow system with a certain impacting width and depth, resulting in a variation of the hydrological and hydro-chemical fields. This study presents the efficacy of an integrated approach combining numerical simulation, hydrogeochemistry and isotope data, as well as an analysis for the determination of GW-SW interactions in Yinchuan Plain.
Highlights
The surface water (SW)–GW interaction is an important component of the water cycle in a watershed
The simulation results show that the wat‘er level fitting is relatively poor in the upper Yellow River alluvial fan area, their larger errors result from the larger hydraulic gradient of GW and more significant seasonal fluctuation of GW level in the area [56]
The overall error of Profile 3 is calculated by the root mean squared error (RMSE), the RMSE of GW level simulation results is only 0.93 m, so the simulation can reflect the characteristics of GW flow field and can be used to reveal GW flow mode in the modeled hydrogeological profile
Summary
The water balance and material exchange sustain basic functions of the SW–GW ecosystem, which in turn affect the management of water resources and ecological system protection in arid areas [1,2,3]. The SW–GW interaction is controlled by topography, geology, landform conditions, climate condition and human activities, as the dynamic mechanism and ecological effect of this interaction in arid regions is very complex. Wang et al [4] analyzed the typical modes, hydrodynamic process and ecological impacts exerted by interactions between the river and GW in the Junggar Basin, and they concluded that the river–groundwater transformation could be controlled by geological and lithological structures. A lot of recent studies have addressed the impact of climate change and human activities on GW
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