Mon Dec 15, F. Flechtner
• Sorted by Date • Sorted by Last Name of First Author •
Zhang, Li, Geng, Yuting, Ma, Jinzhu, Zhao, Hanwen, He, Jiahua, and Chen, Jiping, 2025. Separating Climatic and Anthropogenic Drivers of Groundwater Change in an Arid Inland Basin: Insights from the Shule River Basin, Northwest China. Remote Sensing, 17(18):3188, doi:10.3390/rs17183188.
• from the NASA Astrophysics Data System • by the DOI System •
@ARTICLE{2025RemS...17.3188Z,
author = {{Zhang}, Li and {Geng}, Yuting and {Ma}, Jinzhu and {Zhao}, Hanwen and {He}, Jiahua and {Chen}, Jiping},
title = "{Separating Climatic and Anthropogenic Drivers of Groundwater Change in an Arid Inland Basin: Insights from the Shule River Basin, Northwest China}",
journal = {Remote Sensing},
keywords = {GRACE, groundwater storage, climate change, human activities, Shule River Basin},
year = 2025,
month = sep,
volume = {17},
number = {18},
eid = {3188},
pages = {3188},
abstract = "{What are the main findings? Groundwater in the Shule River Basin
declined persistently from 2003 to 2023 at ‑0.31 cm yr$^{‑1}$,
with the most severe losses in the central and lower reaches.
Natural variability explained most of the early depletion, but
human activities became the dominant driver after 2016, closely
linked to cropland expansion, urban growth and GDP. Groundwater
in the Shule River Basin declined persistently from 2003 to 2023
at ‑0.31 cm yr$^{‑1}$, with the most severe losses in the
central and lower reaches. Natural variability explained most of
the early depletion, but human activities became the dominant
driver after 2016, closely linked to cropland expansion, urban
growth and GDP. What is the implication of the main finding? The
intensifying role of human activities highlights the urgent need
for adaptive water management in arid inland basins. The
integrative framework combining GRACE, land surface models, and
socio-economic data offers transferable insights for groundwater
sustainability in other water-stressed regions. The intensifying
role of human activities highlights the urgent need for adaptive
water management in arid inland basins. The integrative
framework combining GRACE, land surface models, and socio-
economic data offers transferable insights for groundwater
sustainability in other water-stressed regions. Groundwater is a
vital resource in arid regions, where it sustains agriculture,
industry, and livelihoods. In northwestern China's Shule River
Basin, located in the Hexi Corridor, increasing water stress has
raised concerns about the sustainability of groundwater use.
However, the relative contributions of climate variability and
human activities to groundwater depletion in this region remain
poorly quantified. This study investigates long-term groundwater
storage changes in the Shule River Basin from 2003 to 2023 using
GRACE satellite data combined with GLDAS land surface models. A
water balance approach was applied to isolate natural (climatic)
and anthropogenic contributions to groundwater storage anomalies
(GWSAs). In addition, land use transitions and socioeconomic
indicators were incorporated to assess the impact of human
development on subsurface water dynamics. The results show a
persistent downward trend in GWSA, with an average annual loss
rate of ‑0.31 cm{\textperiodcentered}yr$^{‑1}$. Spatially, the
central and lower reaches of the basin exhibit the most
significant depletion, driven by intensive irrigation and urban
growth. Contribution analysis indicates that natural factors
accounted for 61\% of the groundwater loss across the study
period, while anthropogenic drivers became increasingly dominant
over time, particularly after 2016, accounting for over 40\% of
total depletion in recent years. Strong correlations were found
between groundwater decline and the expansion of cropland,
impervious surfaces, and GDP. These findings highlight the
intensifying role of human activities in shaping groundwater
trends in arid inland basins. This study provides a data-driven
framework to support sustainable groundwater management and
offers transferable insights for similar water-stressed regions
globally.}",
doi = {10.3390/rs17183188},
adsurl = {https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2025RemS...17.3188Z},
adsnote = {Provided by the SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System}
}
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