A QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF INTERACTIONS BETWEEN GROUNDWATER AND SURFACE WATER IN THE HAILIUTU RIVER BASIN, ERDOS PLATEAU, CHINA.

Abstract

This study describes the exchange processes, seasonal variability, as well implications for basin water management in the Hailiutu River Basin on the Erdos Plateau, China. It uses numerical water-balance and groundwater-flow models, field observations, hydrochemical and isotopic tracing, and the results of this investigation to provide a quantitative assessment of the interactions between surface water and groundwater in this basin. Over the course of many weeks, scientists in several sub catchments monitored the flow of water via various channels, the amounts of groundwater being pumped, the speeds of groundwater pumping, and the effects of the weather. By simulating actual hydrographs and groundwater levels using a set of calibrated coupled surface-subsurface models. The researcher were able to estimate baseflow fractions, exchange fluxes at the river-aquifer interface, and the effects of human abstraction in both real-world and hypothetical situations. A spatially heterogeneous connection is shown by the results. The upstream headwater reaches are mostly supported by precipitation and have intermittent shallow groundwater, whereas the middle and lower reaches show sustained gaining circumstances driven by shallow unconfined aquifers. Analyses of isotope and hydrograph separation show that groundwater acts as a buffer, contributing significantly to mean yearly streamflow, especially during dry seasons. The main constraints on exchange magnitudes are recharge variability and riverbed hydraulic conductivity. In order to preserve natural flows and ensure long-term water security in the Hailiutu Basin, the research found that coordinated management of surface and groundwater resources was crucial.