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Dynamic Response of Water and Soil Resources in the Context...
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Dynamic Response of Water and Soil Resources in the Context of Climate Change and Human Activities

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Soil and Water".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 3201

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Yudong Lu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Water and Environment, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710054, China
Interests: land–atmosphere interactions and feedback; hydrometeorological hazard forecasting and early warning; climate change impact on hydrological cycles
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Huanhuan Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Hydraulic Engineering, HeBei University of Water Resources and Electric Engineering, Cangzhou Technology Innovation Center of Remote Sensing and Smart Water, Cangzhou 061001, China
Interests: meteorological drought and hydrological drought coupling; land–atmosphere interactions; hydrological response to extreme precipitation; climate model downscaling and application; integrated water resources management under changing environment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ce Zheng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Water and Environment, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710054, China
Interests: soil water transfer; vapor flow; hydrological cycle; freeze–thaw process; numerical simulation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Water and soil resources are foundational to sustaining ecosystems, agricultural productivity, and human livelihoods. However, these critical resources face unprecedented pressures from climate change and intensified human activities, including urbanization, industrialization, and land-use alterations. Rising global temperatures, shifting precipitation patterns, and extreme weather events are altering hydrological cycles and soil stability, while anthropogenic interventions such as overexploitation, pollution, and unsustainable practices further exacerbate resource degradation. Understanding the dynamic interplay between natural processes and human influences is essential to mitigate risks and ensure the sustainable management of water and soil systems. This Special Issue invites innovative research addressing the integrated responses of water and soil resources to climate variability and anthropogenic stressors. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Impacts of climate change on hydrological regimes and soil health;
  • Human-induced alterations in water availability and soil quality;
  • Modeling and prediction of water–soil interactions under changing environments;
  • Pollution mechanisms and remediation strategies for water and soil systems;
  • Socio-ecological resilience and adaptive management approaches;
  • Technological advances in monitoring and sustainable resource utilization.

By synthesizing multidisciplinary insights, this Special Issue aims to advance scientific understanding and inform policies for balancing resource conservation with developmental needs. Contributions from hydrology, soil science, remote sensing, climatology, ecology, and environmental engineering are encouraged.

Prof. Dr. Yudong Lu
Dr. Huanhuan Li
Dr. Ce Zheng
Guest Editors

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. Water 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 2600 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

  • water and soil resources security
  • water–soil interactions
  • climate change impacts on water and soil
  • anthropogenic stressors to water and soil
  • hydrological modeling
  • soil degradation
  • pollution remediation
  • sustainable agriculture
  • ecosystem resilience
  • land-use change

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

26 pages, 8705 KB  
Article
Hydrochemical Characteristics and Formation Mechanism of Neogene Geothermal Water in the Zhangye–Minle Basin
by Zhen Zhang, Yang Hu, Tao Ren, Xiaodong Han and Xue Wu
Water 2025, 17(17), 2641; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17172641 - 6 Sep 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1097
Abstract
Geothermal resources in arid inland basins are important for clean energy development, yet their circulation and geochemical mechanisms remain insufficiently understood. This study investigates the hydrochemical characteristics and formation mechanisms of geothermal water in the Zhangye–Minle Basin, an arid inland region in northwestern [...] Read more.
Geothermal resources in arid inland basins are important for clean energy development, yet their circulation and geochemical mechanisms remain insufficiently understood. This study investigates the hydrochemical characteristics and formation mechanisms of geothermal water in the Zhangye–Minle Basin, an arid inland region in northwestern China. A total of nine geothermal water samples were analyzed using major ion chemistry, stable isotopes (δ2H, δ18O), tritium (3H), and radiocarbon (14C) to determine recharge sources, flow paths, and geochemical evolution. The waters were predominantly of the Cl–Na and Cl·SO4–Na types, with total dissolved solids ranging from 3432.00 to 5810.00 mg/L. Isotopic data indicated that recharge originated from atmospheric precipitation and snowmelt in the Qilian Mountains, with recharge altitudes between 2497 and 5799 m. Tritium and 14C results suggested that most samples were recharged before 1953, with maximum ages exceeding 40,000 years. Gibbs diagrams and ion ratio plots demonstrated that water–rock interaction was the primary geochemical process, while cation exchange was weak. Na+ was mainly derived from halite, albite, and mirabilite, while SO42− originated largely from gypsum. The calculated reservoir temperatures using cation geothermometers ranged from 57 °C to 148 °C. The deep circulation of geothermal water was closely related to NNW-trending fault zones that facilitated infiltration and heat accumulation. These findings provide new insights into the recharge sources, circulation patterns, and geochemical processes of geothermal systems in fault-controlled basins, offering a scientific basis for their sustainable exploration and development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dynamic Response of Water and Soil Resources in the Context of Climate Change and Human Activities)
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23 pages, 7381 KB  
Article
Evaluation of Groundwater Quality and Health Risk Assessment During the Dry Season in the Xin’an River Basin, China
by Liyuan Zhao, Baili Geng, Mingjie Zhao, Baofei Li, Qingzhuang Miao, Shigao Liu, Zhigang Zhao, Haiyu Wang, Yuyan Li, Wei Jin, Xiao Zhang, Yan Sun, Hao Wu and Junchao Wang
Water 2025, 17(16), 2412; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17162412 - 15 Aug 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 691
Abstract
A total of 162 groundwater samples were collected during November and December 2022 in the Xin’an River Basin during the dry season. In this research, the concentrations of various indicators in most samples did not exceed the prescribed standards. The indicators with the [...] Read more.
A total of 162 groundwater samples were collected during November and December 2022 in the Xin’an River Basin during the dry season. In this research, the concentrations of various indicators in most samples did not exceed the prescribed standards. The indicators with the largest number of exceedances were iodine and manganese, with 22 and 23 samples, respectively. Overall, the groundwater quality in the Xin’an River Basin was generally good, with only 7 samples with the EWQI values greater than 150, which exhibited poor groundwater quality. The primary factors influencing groundwater quality were the concentrations of I, Mn, and Al, which were predominantly affected by water–rock interactions. Groundwater quality in the Xin’an River Basin was mainly influenced by natural factors rather than anthropogenic activities. Both the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks posed by groundwater in the Xin’an River Basin were higher for children than for adults. The long-term chronic cumulative effect was the most important factor contributing to both carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks. Iodine presented the highest non-carcinogenic health risks for both adults and children. In regions where high-iodine groundwater was distributed, it is recommended to enhance the monitoring of iodine concentrations in the groundwater. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dynamic Response of Water and Soil Resources in the Context of Climate Change and Human Activities)
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26 pages, 9639 KB  
Article
Hydrochemical Characteristics and Evolution Laws of Groundwater in Huangshui River Basin, Qinghai
by Ziqi Wang, Ting Lu, Shengnan Li, Kexin Zhou, Yidong Gu, Bihui Wang and Yudong Lu
Water 2025, 17(9), 1349; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17091349 - 30 Apr 2025
Viewed by 620
Abstract
Groundwater plays a leading role in ecological environment protection in semi-arid regions. The Huangshui River Basin is located in the Tibetan Plateau and Loess Plateau transition zone of semi-arid areas. Its ecological environment is relatively fragile, and there is an urgent need for [...] Read more.
Groundwater plays a leading role in ecological environment protection in semi-arid regions. The Huangshui River Basin is located in the Tibetan Plateau and Loess Plateau transition zone of semi-arid areas. Its ecological environment is relatively fragile, and there is an urgent need for systematic study of the basin to develop a groundwater environment and realize the rational and efficient development of water resources. In this study, methodologically, we combined the following: 1. Field sampling (271 groundwater samples across the basin’s hydrogeological units); 2. Comprehensive laboratory analysis of major ions and physicochemical parameters; 3. Multivariate statistical analysis (Pearson correlation, descriptive statistics); 4. Geospatial techniques (ArcGIS kriging interpolation); 5. Hydrochemical modeling (Piper diagrams, Gibbs plots, PHREEQC simulations). Key findings reveal the following: 1. Groundwater is generally weakly alkaline (pH 6.94–8.91) with TDS ranging 155–10,387 mg/L; 2. Clear spatial trends: TDS and major ions (Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Cl−, SO42−) increase along flow paths; 3. Water types evolve from Ca-HCO3-dominant (upper reaches) to complex Ca-SO4/Ca-Cl mixtures (lower reaches); 4. Water–rock interactions dominate hydrochemical evolution, with secondary cation exchange effects; 5. PHREEQC modeling identifies dominant carbonate dissolution (mean SIcalcite = −0.32) with localized evaporite influences (SIgypsum up to 0.12). By combining theoretical calculations and experimental results, this study reveals distinct hydrochemical patterns and evolution mechanisms. The groundwater transitions from Ca-HCO3-type in upstream areas to complex Ca-SO4/Cl mixtures downstream, driven primarily by dissolution of gypsum and carbonate minerals. Total dissolved solids increase dramatically along flow paths (155–10,387 mg/L), with Na+ and SO42− showing the strongest correlation to mineralization (r > 0.9). Cation exchange processes and anthropogenic inputs further modify water chemistry in midstream regions. These findings establish a baseline for sustainable groundwater management in this ecologically vulnerable basin. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dynamic Response of Water and Soil Resources in the Context of Climate Change and Human Activities)
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