A Hydrochemical Study of Groundwater Salinization in Qinzhou Bay, Guangxi, Southern China

Abstract The salinity of groundwater in Qinzhou Bay has been increasing since 2013. This phenomenon affects livelihoods and the local agricultural economy, specifically in the Longmengang area. In this work, we investigate the causes of water salinization to provide evidence for effectively managing...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Kaiyan Hu, Qinghua Huang, Peng Han, Zhiwei Han, Zhentao Yang, Qiang Luo, Peng Li, Miao Miao, Zhiyi Zeng, Hongyan Chen, Rui Wang, Chunyu Mo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: American Geophysical Union (AGU) 2023-03-01
Series:Earth and Space Science
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1029/2022EA002565
Description
Summary:Abstract The salinity of groundwater in Qinzhou Bay has been increasing since 2013. This phenomenon affects livelihoods and the local agricultural economy, specifically in the Longmengang area. In this work, we investigate the causes of water salinization to provide evidence for effectively managing the local water resources and improving water quality. We collected 110 samples of water from spatially distributed local wells, rivers, reservoirs, and the sea, and conducted a hydrochemical study complemented by numerical modeling. We found that water pumping and mariculture practices are the principal contributors to seawater intrusion into the groundwater table, which leads to increased water salinization.
ISSN:2333-5084