Relationship between Soil Salinization and Groundwater Hydration in Yaoba Oasis, Northwest China
Precipitation is scarce and evaporation is intense in desert areas. Groundwater is used as the main water source to develop agriculture in the oases. However, the effects of using groundwater on the ecological environment elicit widespread public concern. This study investigated the relationship bet...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2019-01-01
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| Series: | Water |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/11/1/175 |
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| author | Guoqing Cui Yudong Lu Ce Zheng Zhiheng Liu Jiamei Sai |
| author_facet | Guoqing Cui Yudong Lu Ce Zheng Zhiheng Liu Jiamei Sai |
| author_sort | Guoqing Cui |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Precipitation is scarce and evaporation is intense in desert areas. Groundwater is used as the main water source to develop agriculture in the oases. However, the effects of using groundwater on the ecological environment elicit widespread public concern. This study investigated the relationship between soil salinity and groundwater characteristics in Yaoba Oasis through in situ experiments. The relationship of the mineral content, pH, and main ion content of groundwater with soil salt was quantitatively evaluated through a gray relational analysis. Four main results were obtained. First, the fresh water area with low total dissolved solid (TDS) was usually HCO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup> or SO<sub>4</sub><sup>2−</sup> type water, and salt water was mostly Cl<sup>−</sup> and SO<sub>4</sub><sup>2−</sup>. The spatial distribution of main ions in groundwater during winter irrigation in November was basically consistent with that during spring irrigation in June. However, the spatial distribution of TDS differed in the two seasons. Second, soil salinization in the study area was severe, and the salinization rate reached 72.7%. In this work, the spatial variability of soil salinization had a relatively large value, and the values in spring were greater than those in autumn. Third, the soil in the irrigated area had a high salt content, and the salt ion content of surface soil was higher than that of subsoil. A piper trilinear diagram revealed that Ca<sup>2+</sup> and K<sup>+</sup> + Na<sup>+</sup> were the main cations. SO<sub>4</sub><sup>2−</sup>, Cl<sup>−</sup>, and HCO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup> were the main anions, and salinization soil mainly contained SO<sub>4</sub><sup>2−</sup>. Fourth, the changes in soil salt and ion contents in the 0⁻10 cm soil layer were approximately similar to those of irrigation water quality, both of which showed an increasing trend. The correlation of surface soil salinity with the salinity of groundwater and its chemical components was high. In summary, this study identified the progress of irrigation water quality in soil salinization and provided a scientific basis for improving the oasis ecosystem, maintaining the healthy development of agriculture, managing oasis water resources, and policy development. Our findings can serve as a reference for other, similar oasis research. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T23:15:30Z |
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| id | doaj.art-9670a6a5e71a45c692411479c741be47 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4441 |
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| spelling | doaj.art-9670a6a5e71a45c692411479c741be472022-12-22T03:57:39ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412019-01-0111117510.3390/w11010175w11010175Relationship between Soil Salinization and Groundwater Hydration in Yaoba Oasis, Northwest ChinaGuoqing Cui0Yudong Lu1Ce Zheng2Zhiheng Liu3Jiamei Sai4Key Laboratory of Subsurface Hydrology and Ecological Effects in Arid Region of Ministry of Education, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710054, ChinaKey Laboratory of Subsurface Hydrology and Ecological Effects in Arid Region of Ministry of Education, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710054, ChinaKey Laboratory of Subsurface Hydrology and Ecological Effects in Arid Region of Ministry of Education, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710054, ChinaSchool of Geological Engineering and Geomatics, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710054, ChinaKey Laboratory of Subsurface Hydrology and Ecological Effects in Arid Region of Ministry of Education, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710054, ChinaPrecipitation is scarce and evaporation is intense in desert areas. Groundwater is used as the main water source to develop agriculture in the oases. However, the effects of using groundwater on the ecological environment elicit widespread public concern. This study investigated the relationship between soil salinity and groundwater characteristics in Yaoba Oasis through in situ experiments. The relationship of the mineral content, pH, and main ion content of groundwater with soil salt was quantitatively evaluated through a gray relational analysis. Four main results were obtained. First, the fresh water area with low total dissolved solid (TDS) was usually HCO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup> or SO<sub>4</sub><sup>2−</sup> type water, and salt water was mostly Cl<sup>−</sup> and SO<sub>4</sub><sup>2−</sup>. The spatial distribution of main ions in groundwater during winter irrigation in November was basically consistent with that during spring irrigation in June. However, the spatial distribution of TDS differed in the two seasons. Second, soil salinization in the study area was severe, and the salinization rate reached 72.7%. In this work, the spatial variability of soil salinization had a relatively large value, and the values in spring were greater than those in autumn. Third, the soil in the irrigated area had a high salt content, and the salt ion content of surface soil was higher than that of subsoil. A piper trilinear diagram revealed that Ca<sup>2+</sup> and K<sup>+</sup> + Na<sup>+</sup> were the main cations. SO<sub>4</sub><sup>2−</sup>, Cl<sup>−</sup>, and HCO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup> were the main anions, and salinization soil mainly contained SO<sub>4</sub><sup>2−</sup>. Fourth, the changes in soil salt and ion contents in the 0⁻10 cm soil layer were approximately similar to those of irrigation water quality, both of which showed an increasing trend. The correlation of surface soil salinity with the salinity of groundwater and its chemical components was high. In summary, this study identified the progress of irrigation water quality in soil salinization and provided a scientific basis for improving the oasis ecosystem, maintaining the healthy development of agriculture, managing oasis water resources, and policy development. Our findings can serve as a reference for other, similar oasis research.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/11/1/175soil salinizationgroundwater hydrationgray correlation analysisYaoba Oasis |
| spellingShingle | Guoqing Cui Yudong Lu Ce Zheng Zhiheng Liu Jiamei Sai Relationship between Soil Salinization and Groundwater Hydration in Yaoba Oasis, Northwest China Water soil salinization groundwater hydration gray correlation analysis Yaoba Oasis |
| title | Relationship between Soil Salinization and Groundwater Hydration in Yaoba Oasis, Northwest China |
| title_full | Relationship between Soil Salinization and Groundwater Hydration in Yaoba Oasis, Northwest China |
| title_fullStr | Relationship between Soil Salinization and Groundwater Hydration in Yaoba Oasis, Northwest China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Relationship between Soil Salinization and Groundwater Hydration in Yaoba Oasis, Northwest China |
| title_short | Relationship between Soil Salinization and Groundwater Hydration in Yaoba Oasis, Northwest China |
| title_sort | relationship between soil salinization and groundwater hydration in yaoba oasis northwest china |
| topic | soil salinization groundwater hydration gray correlation analysis Yaoba Oasis |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/11/1/175 |
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