Impact of Climate Change on Groundwater: Projections of Future Availability and Sustainable Use
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Water Management".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 600
Special Issue Editor
Interests: hydrology and water resources; water-saving irrigation technology; ecological hydrology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Globally, climate change has become a key factor influencing ecosystems and human life. In recent years, extreme climate events have occurred frequently, glaciers have been melting at an accelerated rate, and sea levels have been continuously rising. These phenomena have profoundly altered the hydrological cycle of the Earth. Groundwater, as an important source of fresh water for humans, accounts for approximately 30% of the total global fresh water. It plays an indispensable role in maintaining ecological balance, ensuring agricultural irrigation, and providing water for residents. However, climate change is quietly altering the recharge, runoff, and discharge conditions of groundwater, posing a potential threat to its future availability. If these changes cannot be scientifically predicted and sustainable utilization strategies cannot be formulated, it may lead to a series of serious problems such as water shortages and land subsidence. Therefore, in-depth research on the impact of climate change on groundwater is extremely urgent.
This Special Issue aims to predict future climate trends through different climate scenarios, such as those based on the RCP simulation series. It analyzes the changes in factors like precipitation and temperature and their impacts on groundwater. It quantifies the available groundwater volume under different scenarios and studies sustainable utilization strategies by integrating recharge and discharge processes. It predicts the dynamic of available groundwater volume in future climate change and provides theoretical and data support for responding to climate change and ensuring the long-term stable supply and scientific utilization of groundwater resources. This research closely adheres to sustainability and focuses on the rational development and utilization of groundwater, an important resource under climate change. It can provide key data and theoretical support for sustainable water resource management and takes into account the coordinated development of humans and the environment, pursuing the sustainable utilization of resources.
In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but is not limited to) the following:
- Assessment of groundwater availability under intense human activities;
- Research on groundwater resource management under climate change conditions;
- Groundwater risk assessment under climate change conditions;
- Assessment of the impact of climate change in different future scenarios;
- Research on the applicability of future climate scenario data;
- The impact of future climate change on groundwater quality;
- Analysis of the available quantity and sustainability of groundwater under future climate change.
I look forward to receiving your contributions.
Prof. Dr. Xinlin He
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- future climate change
- climate scenario prediction
- groundwater
- available quantity
- sustainable utilization
- groundwater risk assessment
- water resources management
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
