Soil salinity evolution and its relationship with dynamics of groundwater in the oasis of inland river basins: case study from the Fubei region of Xinjiang Province, China

Abstract

Soil salinization is an important worldwide environmental problem, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. Knowledge of its temporal and spatial variability is crucial for the management of oasis agriculture. The study area has experienced dramatic change in the shallow groundwater table and soil salinization during the 20th century, especially in the past two decades. Classical statistics, geostatistics and geographic information system (GIS) were applied to estimate the spatial variability of the soil salt content in relation to the shallow groundwater table and land use from 1983 to 2005. Consumption of reservoir water for agricultural irrigation was the main cause of a rise in the shallow groundwater table under intense evapotranspiration conditions, and this led indirectly to soil salinization. The area of soil salt accumulation was greater in irrigated than in non-irrigated landscape types with an increasing of 40.04% from 1983 to 2005 in cropland at approximately 0.43 t ha(-1) year(-1), and an increase at approximately 0.68 t ha(-1) year(-1) in saline alkaline land. Maps of the shallow groundwater table in 1985 and 2000 were used to deduce maps for 1983 and 1999, respectively, and the registration accuracy was 99%.

GIS-mapping spatial distribution of soil salinity for Eco-restoring the Yellow River Delta in combination with Electromagnetic Induction

“…Salt salinity is a common problem around the world, especially in arid and semi-arid areas (Wichelns and Qadir, 2014;Singh et al, 2013;Wang et al, 2008;Li et al, 2015) with low rainfall and high evaporation. Apart from the natural factors resulting in soil salinization, long-term irrigated agriculture with poor drainage system contributes to secondary salinization (Ouni et al, 2013;Qadir and Oster, 2004;Kitamura et al, 2006).…”

Effects of different water levels on cotton growth and water use through drip irrigation in an arid region with saline ground water of Northwest China

“…Moreover, mismanagement of water and fertilizer application can result in salt buildup in the soil-groundwater systems and deterioration of soil quality (Darwish et al, 2005). Wang et al (2008) investigated the Fubei region of Xinjiang and found that the area of soil salt accumulation was greater in irrigated than non-irrigated landscape types. Specifically, they found that soil salt had increased by 40.04% from 1983 to 2005 in cropland at about 0.43 t ha −1 year −1 , and that it occurred concurrently with an increase in the groundwater table of 1 m. Han et al (2011) investigated Karamay in Xinjiang and found that the mean rise in the groundwater table from September 1997 to October 2009 was 6.9 m and the infiltration of irrigation water accounted for over 90% of the total recharge of the groundwater.…”

Effects of salinity and nitrogen on cotton growth in arid environment

“…In these regions, water sources are frequently brackish and high-quality water for agricultural purposes is increasingly scarce due to rising demands from urban areas (Wang et al 2008). As a result, the proportion of crop production under deficit irrigation with poorer quality water is increasing.…”