Research On Groundwater Environment Under Human Interferences

Groundwater is an important component of water resources, playing a pivotal role inmaintaining human survival and industrial production in the arid and semi-arid regions. Withthe changing of global climate and increased human activities, such as urbanization andindustrilization, groundwater is imposed on more environmental and resource pressures.Groundwater over-exploitation, groundwater pollution, saltwater intrusion, soil salinizationand other environmental problems have been reported in many parts of the world, seriouslyrestricting the sustainable development of local economy and the stability of human society.The releasing of "National Groundwater Pollution Prevention Plan (2011-2020)" and"Environmental Impact Assessment Technical Guidelines: Groundwater Environment"indicate that China has intended to pay more efforts to groundwater pollution control, and theresearch on the prevention and treatment of contaminated groundwater has been promoted toa national strategic level. This dissertation, taking Weining Plain as a case study, carried outresearch on groundwater environment under human interference. This research is helpful forresearchers to gain a deep understanding of groundwater systems change under severe humanactivities, and is helpful to promote the work of environmental protection and pollutioncontrol under the influence of human activities in similar regions. It is also conducive topromote the development of groundwater and environmental sciences and other relateddisciplines.Based on extensve literature review, supported by National Natural Science Foundationof China, Special Funds for Environmental Protection in Ningxia andDoctoral PostgraduateTechnical Project of Chang’an University, The author carried out field investigation,performed field and labrotory tests, statistical modeling and theoretical derivation. Thefollowing innovative findings were found.(1) A more comprehensive and complete definition of groundwater environment is given.The term, groundwater environment, is a prodfessional terminology possessing both naturaland social properties. All natural and social aspects directly and indirectly related togroundwater should be included into the scope of the research on groundwater environment.Human impacts on the water environment can be grouped into three aspects and two types. The three aspects are1) excessive exploitation of groundwater,2) excessive groundwaterrecharge and3) groundwater contamination. The two types are direct and indirect effects.Various influencing factors intertwine, which further increase the complexity of groundwaterenvironmental research under the impacts of human activities. Groundwater environmentalresearch under the impacts of human activities is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary andcomplex research field, and a variety of research methods and multidisciplinary theories arerequired for such a research.(2) Aimed at Weining Plain, a complete theoretical system for groundwater environmentstudy under human interferences was established based on a regulatory frameworkcomprising Survey, Evaluation, Testing, Forecasting, Monitoring and Management. The mainmethods and tools for groundwater environmental research under human interferences werealso introduced by emphasizing the importance of groundwater monitoring and management,which is helpful to promote the development of groundwater protection and management.(3) The research of tracer test in a radially convergent flow field was deepened, and thetheory was innovatively applied in Weining Plain. The tracer test in a radially convergentflow field can be used to determine simutaneously the hydrogeological parameters anddispersivity. It is advantageous in high success rate, preventing aquifers from anthropogenicpollution during the test, and low cost, thus deserves promotion in similar groundwaterenvironmental research.(4) A systematic research regarding groundwater hydrogeochemistry, isotopes,numerical modeling and monitoring were conducted for the first time in Weining Plain.Muliple advanced techniques and methods were used, highlighting the interdisciplinarity ofthe research on groundwater environment under human interferences.(5) The challenges and opportunities faced by groundwater environmental researchunder the impact of human activities were addressed. Groundwater environmental researchunder the impacts of human activities is a task associated with both opportunities andchallenges, characterized by complexity, protractiveness and uncertainty. It calls for apromotion to the ability of professional and technical personnels, a transition of collaborationand data sharing mechanisms and a further development of advanced techniques. It benefitsthe development of interdisciplinary, the theoretical research of groundwater and groundwater environment, and the education of groundwater science.