Environmental changes promoted vegetation growth and reduced water yield over the temperate semi-arid grassland of China during 1901–2016

Pang, Xinxin; Fatichi, Simone; Lei, Huimin; Cong, Zhen; Yang, Hanbo; Duan, Limin

doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2023.129235

Cited by 6 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…In arid and semi-arid areas where surface water is scarce, groundwater is not only the main source of water for people's production and daily life but also the key to maintaining ecosystem stability [1,2]. At least 30% of all global vegetation communities in dry lands use groundwater as their main source of water [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of the Groundwater Ecological Water Requirement in the Southeast Margin of Otindag Sandy Land Based on Allowable Groundwater Depth Drawdown

Zhang,

Cheng,

Liu

et al. 2023

Water

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Water resources in arid and semi-arid areas are limiting factors for ecosystem health and economic development. Therefore, an accurate and reasonable assessment of ecological water demand is crucial for efficient water resource utilization. In this study, we used vegetation coverage and groundwater depth to assess the state of vegetation growth in the Zhenglanqi, located at the southeastern edge of Otindag Sandy Land. Our results indicate the existence of a statistical power index function between vegetation coverage and groundwater depth scatter plots, where even minor changes in groundwater depth can have a significant impact on vegetation growth. In order to quantitatively assess the impact of subsidence on vegetation ecology, we propose a maximum allowable subsidence level under conditions that maintain normal ecological conditions, based on the initial subsidence depth and ecological guarantee rate. Our findings suggest that regions with shallower initial groundwater depths are more sensitive to changes in their environment than regions with deeper groundwater depths. The total groundwater consumption in the study area was 83 million cubic meters while maintaining an ecological guarantee rate of 80%; thus, while ensuring normal environmental conditions, human exploitation of shallow groundwater accounts for only 16 percent.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%