Abstract
The Huang-Huai-Hai (3H) Plain is the major crop-producing region in China. Due to the long-term overexploitation of groundwater for irrigation, the groundwater funnel is constantly expanding and the scarcity of water resources is prominent in this region. In this study, Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and hydrological models were used to estimate the spatial-temporal changes of groundwater storage (GWS) and the driving factors of GWS variations were discussed in the 3H Plain. The results showed that GRACE-based GWS was depleted at a rate of −1.14 ± 0.89 cm/y in the 3H Plain during 2003 to 2015. The maximum negative anomaly occurred in spring due to agricultural irrigation activities. Spatially, the loss of GWS in the Haihe River Basin is more serious than that in the Huaihe River Basin, presenting a decreasing trend from south to north. Conversely, the blue water footprint (WFblue) of wheat exhibited an increasing trend from south to north. During the drought years of 2006, 2013, and 2014, more groundwater was extracted to offset the surface water shortage, leading to an accelerated decline in GWS. This study demonstrated that GWS depletion in the 3H Plain is well explained by reduced precipitation and groundwater abstraction due to anthropogenic irrigation activities.
Highlights
Groundwater, as an important body of water on Earth, plays a key role in global hydrological and biogeochemical cycles [1,2]
The monthly TWSA exhibited a decreasing trend from 2003 to 2015, with a decline rate of −1.73 ± 0.20 cm/y, and the SMSA+snow water equivalent storage anomalies (SWESA) decreased at a rate of −0.59 ± 0.12 cm/y
The SMSA+SWESA presented a smaller amplitude than TWSA, while their phases coincided relatively well
Summary
Groundwater, as an important body of water on Earth, plays a key role in global hydrological and biogeochemical cycles [1,2]. With its stable water supply conditions and good water quality, groundwater is an important source of fresh water for agricultural irrigation, industry, and urban living in many parts of the world, especially in semi-arid regions and densely populated countries [3,4]. Over two billion people regard aquifers as their primary source of drinking water [5]. Groundwater is being pumped at a far greater rate than it can be naturally replenished, so that the decrease in water level and the loss of groundwater storage are sustained, which have already caused a groundwater funnel in several regions and some geological environment problems, such as seawater intrusion and land subsidence [5,6].
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