Ecohydrological characteristics and distribution of groundwater dependent ecosystems (GDEs) in Langxi river watershed, North China

Abstract

Groundwater dependent ecosystems (GDEs) must have access to groundwater to maintain their ecological structure and function.The rapid expansion of humans has increased demands on groundwater for consumption, industry and agriculture, these demands alter groundwater regimes of natural GDEs, resulting in the degradation of ecosystem health. In order to improve the conceptual understanding of the role of groundwater in such ecosystems, this study examined key aspects of GDEs (hydrogeology, hydrogeochemistry and biodiversity) in the Langxi river watershed, North China. Results indicate that the karst in Langxi river watershed is well developed. The water chemistry types in the watershed were mostly HCO3-Ca type with different clustering characteristics, which indicate different degrees of interaction between surface water and groundwater, and that the recharge