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Sustainable Groundwater Management Adapted to the Global Challenges

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Water Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (19 September 2023) | Viewed by 7530

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Qichen Hao

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Guest Editor

Institute of Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Science, Shijiazhuang 050061, China
Interests: groundwater modelling; groundwater artificial recharge; water resources management; water cycle; groundwater flow system

Dr. Yasong Li

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Guest Editor

Institute of Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Science, Shijiazhuang 050061, China
Interests: water resources; water quality; water resources management; hydrogeochemistry; hydrological modeling; environmental geology; hydrochemistry; contaminant transport

Dr. Yong Xiao

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Geosciences and Environmental Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 611756, China
Interests: water circulation; isotope hydrology; hydrogeochemistry; water resource management; thermal groundwater; groundwater flow system
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Groundwater is the hidden part of the hydrologic cycle but remains the largest source of freshwater on Earth. It represents 99% of functioning freshwater resources on our planet and has been used to meet the global water supply demand for thousands of years. Groundwater is also crucial for the existence and development of eco-environments, especially in arid and semiarid regions. Over several years, groundwater resources have struck a balance between the exploitation of human society and eco-environment maintenance in many regions worldwide, while the rapid development of human society across the world has significantly increased water demand and groundwater exploitation. This has resulted in severe groundwater depletion in many aquifers and induced ecological degradation and secondary geological hazards. Furthermore, global climate change is drastically disturbing the water cycle and threating the balance of groundwater resources utilized for human consumption. Thus, the sustainable management of groundwater resources should be conducted to adapt to global challenges induced by human influences and natural ecosystems.

This Special Issue of Sustainability aims to collate the latest research advancements in groundwater management for sustainable development in the challenging world. All types of manuscripts (original research, reviews, short communications) are welcome. Research areas may include (but not limited to) the following:

Modelling of groundwater systems;
Artificial recharge;
Groundwater management;
Groundwater-dependent ecosystem;
Groundwater circulation;
Water contamination;
Groundwater–surface water interaction.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Qichen Hao
Dr. Yasong Li
Dr. Yong Xiao
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. 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

groundwater management
water resource
thermal water
water quality
groundwater modelling
hydrochemistry
isotope

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 4746 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ecological Risks Arising in the Regional Water Resources in Inner Mongolia Due to a Large-Scale Afforestation Project

by Peng Chen, Rong Ma, Jiansheng Shi, Letian Si, Lefan Zhao and Jun Wu

Sustainability 2023, 15(22), 16091; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152216091 - 19 Nov 2023

Viewed by 771

Abstract

In recent years, a large-scale afforestation campaign has been implemented in Inner Mongolia, China, to control desertification and soil erosion. However, the water consumption associated with large-scale afforestation significantly impacts the water resources in Inner Mongolia, resulting in a major ecological risk. This study aimed to evaluate the ecological risk of water resources caused by afforestation in the region. In this study, using land cover data, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data, and meteorological data, we performed trend analysis and used the water balance equation and water security index (WSI) to analyze the ecological risks of water resources caused by afforestation in Inner Mongolia from 2000 to 2020. The results show that (1) the afforestation area in Inner Mongolia was 5.37 × 10⁴ km² in 2000–2020; (2) afforestation in arid and semi-arid areas led to a reduction in water resources; (3) afforestation reduced water resources in the study area by 62 million cubic meters (MCM) per year; and (4) ~76% of afforestation regions faced ecological risks related to water resources. This study provides scientific suggestions for the sustainable development of regional water resources and afforestation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Groundwater Management Adapted to the Global Challenges)

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22 pages, 10839 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A New Socio-Hydrology System Based on System Dynamics and a SWAT-MODFLOW Coupling Model for Solving Water Resource Management in Nanchang City, China

by Zhihui Deng, Qingshan Ma, Jia Zhang, Qingda Feng, Zhaoxuan Niu, Guilin Zhu, Xianpeng Jin, Meijing Chen and Honghan Chen

Sustainability 2023, 15(22), 16079; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152216079 - 18 Nov 2023

Viewed by 806

Abstract

To address the issue of seasonal water resource shortages in Nanchang City, a multi-system coupling socio-hydrology simulation method was proposed. This approach involves dynamically integrating a centralized socio-economic model with a distributed surface water groundwater numerical model to explore the intricate relationships between the socio-economic system, the surface water–groundwater integrated system, and the outcomes related to seasonal water resource shortages. Taking Nanchang City as an example, this study conducted research on the water resource supply and demand balance, as well as the groundwater emergency supply, using the multi-system coupling model. Three scenarios were established: status quo, developing, and water-saving. The results show that with the increasing total water demand of social and economic development, the severity of the water resource shortage will be most pronounced in 2030. The minimum water resources supply and demand ratios for the status quo, developing, and water-saving scenarios are projected to be 0.68, 0.52, and 0.77, respectively. To meet residents’ water needs during drought conditions, emergency groundwater supply efforts are investigated. According to the simulation results, groundwater emergency supply would increase the total population by 24.0 thousand, 49.4 thousand, and 11.2 thousand people, respectively, in the status quo, developing, and water-saving scenarios. In the water-saving scenario, the Youkou and Xiebu water sources can serve as suitable emergency water sources. In the status quo scenario, the Youkou water source is the most viable emergency water source. However, in the developing scenario, relying solely on any single water source for emergency supply could have an irreversible impact on the aquifer. Therefore, considering the simultaneous use of multiple water sources is recommended, as it can fulfill water demands while ensuring the sustainable utilization of groundwater resources. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Groundwater Management Adapted to the Global Challenges)

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17 pages, 3329 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Hydrochemical Characteristics and Controlling Factors of Shallow and Deep Groundwater in the Heilongdong Spring Basin, Northern China

by Ming Gao, Xiangquan Li, Jiazhong Qian, Zhenxing Wang, Xinwei Hou, Chunlei Gui, Zhanxue Bai, Changchang Fu, Jinqiu Li and Xuefeng Zuo

Sustainability 2023, 15(21), 15447; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152115447 - 30 Oct 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 700

Abstract

Heilongdong Spring Basin (HSB) is located in a semi-arid region in northern China. In the past few decades, it has been influenced by anthropogenic activities. Currently, there is a lack of information about the impact on the hydrogeochemistry and groundwater quality of different aquifers. To address this concern, the present study used conventional hydrochemical diagrams, stable isotope analysis and multivariate statistical techniques to analyze hydrochemical characteristics and controlling factors of shallow and deep groundwater in the study area. The results showed that all groundwater samples were weakly alkaline. The shallow groundwater (SGW) was mainly composed of SO₄-Ca and SO₄·HCO₃-Ca·Mg water types with high TDS values. However, the predominant water types of deep groundwater (DGW) were HCO₃-Ca·Mg and HCO₃·SO₄-Ca·Mg types with relatively low TDS. The large majority of shallow groundwater had poor water quality, which was influenced by natural factors and anthropogenic activities, characterized by high concentrations of SO₄²⁻, NO₃⁻, and Cl⁻. In contrast, the overall water quality of deep groundwater was good, mainly controlled by the natural background. Nonetheless, a few karst groundwater samples of DGW in runoff areas exhibited close hydraulic connections with SGW samples and presented contamination to a certain degree. Our research results provide a scientific basis for the utilization and protection of groundwater in different aquifers in northern China. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Groundwater Management Adapted to the Global Challenges)

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18 pages, 4421 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of Ningxia Hui Autonomous District’s Gray Water Footprint from the Perspective of Water Sustainability

by Chen Yue, Yong Qian, Feng Liu, Xiangxiang Cui and Suhua Meng

Sustainability 2023, 15(16), 12638; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151612638 - 21 Aug 2023

Viewed by 730

Abstract

Gray water footprint (GWF) is an effective method to evaluate the degree of water pollution and water quality. It is the amount of freshwater needed to dilute water pollutants to meet ambient water quality standards. Accounting and analyzing the GWF will be significant for promoting an improved water environment and sustainable water ecology in Ningxia Autonomous District. We accounted for the GWF of all cities in Ningxia from 2012 to 2020 and evaluated its spatial-temporal variations by the GWF accounting method proposed by Hoekstra. Then, the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) method was applied to investigate the contributions of four driving factors: the population scale effect, economic development effect, technological effect, and industrial structure effect. And then, the changes in the GWF in the Ningxia region were analyzed. The results showed that the GWF in the Ningxia region changed from 79.21 × 10⁸ to 29.09 × 10⁸ m³/yr during 2012–2020, making a significant decreasing trend. Among all cities, Wuzhong City contributes the most in terms of the GWF. More specifically, economic development and technology structure are the positive and negative drivers of the GWF, respectively. The water pollution levels in Ningxia (0.49–1.3) indicated that the waste assimilation capacity has fallen short of taking up the pollutant load, which had an unfavorable impact on the groundwater according to actual water quality data. NO₃-N and NH₃-N are detected in the groundwater throughout the Ningxia region, with the highest NH₃-N content in the groundwater in Yinchuan, which almost exceeded the groundwater quality standard of category III. Above all, this study reflected the current water pollution situation better by combining the GWF with actual water quality data in Ningxia. The finding of this study is valuable for addressing water quality threats and developing sustainable development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Groundwater Management Adapted to the Global Challenges)

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18 pages, 4744 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Sorption Behaviors of Barium during Reinjection of Gas Field Produced Water into Sandstone Reservoir: An Experimental Water-Rock Interaction Study

by Shugang Yang, Shuangxing Liu, Kunfeng Zhang, Mingyu Cai, Changzhao Chen and Xinglei Zhao

Sustainability 2023, 15(10), 8132; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15108132 - 17 May 2023

Viewed by 836

Abstract

Identifying the fate of contaminants (such as barium) during gas field produced water reinjection could be a feasible method to evaluate the environmental risks of the reinjection project and thus improve its sustainability. To assess the barium sorption behaviors during gas field produced water reinjected into sandstone reservoirs, a series of water–rock interactions experiments were conducted to systematically investigate the effects of brine/rock ratio (5:1~500:1), pH (3~10), temperature (20, 50 and 80 °C), brine salinity (NaCl solution, 0~100 g/L), competitive cations (Sr and Mg, 0.5 g/L), and organic compound (methanol, 0~5 g/L) on the sorption of barium in sandstone. The rock samples were collected from the Triassic formation of the Yanchang Group in the northern Ordos Basin, China. The results indicated that the sorption of barium in sandstone strongly depends on the brine/rock ratio. Under the same brine/rock ratio, the severity of the impact on the barium sorption from high to low was competitive cation, salinity, pH, temperature, and methanol concentration. The sorption process of barium onto the sandstone could be well fitted by a pseudo-second-order kinetics model. The presence of competitive cations would restrain the sorption of barium, while the existence of methanol hardly affects the barium sorption. The chloro-complexation reaction and the reduction of rock surface electrical potential are mainly responsible for the inhibition effects of NaCl salinity on barium sorption, and the corresponding relationship can be characterized by an exponential function. Barium sorption in sandstone decreases with increasing temperature, while it is positively correlated to the initial pH of the solution. The water-rock system is weakly alkaline with a value of 7.7–8.5 when the barium sorption reaches an equilibrium state, regardless of the initial pH of the reactive solution. The results are meaningful in understanding and predicting the fate of barium after the gas field produced water was reinjected into the underground. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Groundwater Management Adapted to the Global Challenges)

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16 pages, 3348 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of Moisture Content and Dry Density on the Compressibility of Disturbed Loess: A Case Study in Yan’an City, China

by Jianhua Wu, Ningning Yang, Peiyue Li and Chunliu Yang

Sustainability 2023, 15(7), 6212; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15076212 - 04 Apr 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1989

Abstract

Loess is a kind of soil that experiences a long period of deposition, and it is relatively stable under natural conditions. However, in the process of engineering construction in loess areas, the original soil structures of the loess are destroyed, inducing changes in the composition and water content in the loess. These changes may cause different environmental and engineering geologic problems. To reveal the engineering properties of disturbed losses in the Chinese Loess Plateau, the physical properties of 135 groups of disturbed loess samples in Yan’an City were analyzed statistically, and the compression properties of loess with different moisture contents and dry densities were studied by high-pressure consolidation experiments. We elucidate the compressive deformation law for perturbed solids at different moisture contents and dry densities. The experimental results show that the water content rate for the best compaction performance of the disturbed loess is 16%. The compressive deformation coefficient generally decreases with increasing dry density and water content. However, when the soil moisture is low, a small amount of water and salt is concentrated in the contact position of the powder, and the soluble salt is condensed into cement. The molecular forces between particles and the bonding forces of bound water and capillary water are larger. The soil forms a porous structure with coarse grains as the main skeleton, and the cement bonding strength is strong at the contact points of the coarse grains. As a result, the loess shows high intensity at low-water content. This results in a compression-deformation coefficient that increases with dryness density in the small load range. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Groundwater Management Adapted to the Global Challenges)

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Review

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21 pages, 3635 KiB

Open AccessReview

Unraveling the Mystery of Water-Induced Loess Disintegration: A Comprehensive Review of Experimental Research

by Yinfu Chen, Peiyue Li, Yuanhang Wang and Jiahui Li

Sustainability 2024, 16(6), 2463; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16062463 - 15 Mar 2024

Viewed by 549

Abstract

Loess disintegration is a significant physicochemical and mechanical dissolution process that occurs when loess comes into contact with water. This phenomenon contributes to geological disasters such as loess cave erosion, landslides, and debris flows. The disintegration of loess can be influenced by both internal and external factors. Research on internal factors of loess disintegration has been widely recorded, but the research progress on external environmental factors that affect loess disintegration is not well summarized. This review summarizes the impacts of external water environmental factors on loess disintegration and reveals that six external water environmental factors, namely the temperature of the aqueous solution, hydrodynamic conditions, solution pH, salt concentration and type in the solution, freeze–thaw cycles, and dry–wet cycles, can significantly impact loess disintegration. Furthermore, this review delves into three key research areas in loess disintegration under the influence of these water environmental factors: experimental research on loess disintegration, the disintegration parameters used in such research and their variations, and the water–soil chemical reactions and microstructural changes during loess disintegration. It concludes that current experimental research on loess disintegration suffers from inadequate studies, with existing research associated with poor comparability and weak representativeness, and a lack of comprehensive, systematic analysis of its regularities of influence and response mechanisms from both microscopic and macroscopic perspectives. This paper can provide valuable insights for the prevention of loess geological disasters and engineering safety construction. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Groundwater Management Adapted to the Global Challenges)

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