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Geoscience ›› 2018, Vol. 32 ›› Issue (03): 574-583.DOI: 10.19657/j.geoscience.1000-8527.2018.03.15

• Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Influence of Urbanization on Unconfined Groundwater Recharge in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia

WANG Chao(), DONG Shaogang(), LIU Xiaobo, YANG Yang, LI Zhengkui   

  1. College of Ecology and Environment, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia 010021, China
  • Received:2017-07-15 Revised:2017-11-14 Online:2018-06-10 Published:2023-09-22
  • Contact: DONG Shaogang

Abstract:

The impact of urbanization on groundwater recharge has seriously interfered with regional groundwater balance and triggered various ecological and environmental problems. Based on natural geographic and hydrogeological surveys, we study the urban expansion-related changes in the unconfined groundwater recharge of the area around Hohhot, using GIS combined with groundwater budget calculation. The results show that the urban Hohhot had expanded by about 3.58 times from 1986 to 2014. Influenced by factors such as increasing groundwater exploitation, land use change and landscape river renovation, the drainage area of the study area had expanded from 11.44 km2 to 104.76 km2.Lateral recharge, rainfall-infiltration recharge,irrigation-water recharge and river-seepage recharge had reduced for 9,061.15×104 m3, 843.85×104 m3, 279.44×104 m3 and 86.38×104 m3,respectively, whereas urban water supply network leakage infiltration had increased for 1,752×104 m3. Comparing 1986 with 2014, unconfined groundwater recharge of the study area had reduced from 13,225.01×104 m3 to 4,707.03×104 m3(i.e., 64.4%), with the most important factors being lateral recharge and rainfall infiltration recharge. Urbanization has greatly reduced the unconfined groundwater recharge in Hohhot, and properly-planned urban development and groundwater resource exploitation are necessary.

Key words: groundwater, urbanization, GIS, groundwater budget, Hohhot City

CLC Number: