Effects of Groundwater Table Decline on Vegetation in Groundwater-Dependent Ecosystems
The distribution map of groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs) is generally used for the scientific management of vegetation and groundwater resources, and is instructive for forest resource conservation. The groundwater table in the Loess zone has declined over the past few years, but no study has...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Forests |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/14/12/2326 |
| _version_ | 1797381079470964736 |
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| author | Yunxiao Qiu Dandan Wang Xinxiao Yu Guodong Jia Hanzhi Li |
| author_facet | Yunxiao Qiu Dandan Wang Xinxiao Yu Guodong Jia Hanzhi Li |
| author_sort | Yunxiao Qiu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The distribution map of groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs) is generally used for the scientific management of vegetation and groundwater resources, and is instructive for forest resource conservation. The groundwater table in the Loess zone has declined over the past few years, but no study has yet been conducted to assess the impact of this decline on GDEs. This study used data from the GRACE gravity satellite to delineate groundwater fluctuation periods from 2002 to 2021, to develop a method to identify whether vegetation is potentially associated with groundwater using three criteria, and to verify the accuracy of this method. Study results show that the groundwater changes in the Loess zone can be divided into two periods, 2002–2014 and 2015–2021, with groundwater declines becoming more rapid after 2015. We did not observe the spatial variation pattern of GDEs in the Loess areas, but there was a significant change in the area of GDEs during the two periods studied, with a 13.56% decrease in the very likely GDEs’ group area and an 11.68% increase in the unlikely GDEs’ group area between 2015 and 2021 compared to 2002–2014, with little change in the neutral, likely, and very unlikely group areas. This study provides a reference for exploring the relationship between vegetation and groundwater, as well as for the scientific management of water resources. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T20:46:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d45ac2478f1140f3aa6b9283c17f291f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1999-4907 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T20:46:08Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Forests |
| spelling | doaj.art-d45ac2478f1140f3aa6b9283c17f291f2023-12-22T14:09:25ZengMDPI AGForests1999-49072023-11-011412232610.3390/f14122326Effects of Groundwater Table Decline on Vegetation in Groundwater-Dependent EcosystemsYunxiao Qiu0Dandan Wang1Xinxiao Yu2Guodong Jia3Hanzhi Li4Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Desertification Combating of Ministry of Education, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, ChinaKey Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Desertification Combating of Ministry of Education, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, ChinaKey Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Desertification Combating of Ministry of Education, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, ChinaInstitute of Ecological Conservation and Restoration, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, ChinaThe distribution map of groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs) is generally used for the scientific management of vegetation and groundwater resources, and is instructive for forest resource conservation. The groundwater table in the Loess zone has declined over the past few years, but no study has yet been conducted to assess the impact of this decline on GDEs. This study used data from the GRACE gravity satellite to delineate groundwater fluctuation periods from 2002 to 2021, to develop a method to identify whether vegetation is potentially associated with groundwater using three criteria, and to verify the accuracy of this method. Study results show that the groundwater changes in the Loess zone can be divided into two periods, 2002–2014 and 2015–2021, with groundwater declines becoming more rapid after 2015. We did not observe the spatial variation pattern of GDEs in the Loess areas, but there was a significant change in the area of GDEs during the two periods studied, with a 13.56% decrease in the very likely GDEs’ group area and an 11.68% increase in the unlikely GDEs’ group area between 2015 and 2021 compared to 2002–2014, with little change in the neutral, likely, and very unlikely group areas. This study provides a reference for exploring the relationship between vegetation and groundwater, as well as for the scientific management of water resources.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/14/12/2326groundwater-dependent ecosystemsthe Loess zonegroundwatervegetation |
| spellingShingle | Yunxiao Qiu Dandan Wang Xinxiao Yu Guodong Jia Hanzhi Li Effects of Groundwater Table Decline on Vegetation in Groundwater-Dependent Ecosystems Forests groundwater-dependent ecosystems the Loess zone groundwater vegetation |
| title | Effects of Groundwater Table Decline on Vegetation in Groundwater-Dependent Ecosystems |
| title_full | Effects of Groundwater Table Decline on Vegetation in Groundwater-Dependent Ecosystems |
| title_fullStr | Effects of Groundwater Table Decline on Vegetation in Groundwater-Dependent Ecosystems |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of Groundwater Table Decline on Vegetation in Groundwater-Dependent Ecosystems |
| title_short | Effects of Groundwater Table Decline on Vegetation in Groundwater-Dependent Ecosystems |
| title_sort | effects of groundwater table decline on vegetation in groundwater dependent ecosystems |
| topic | groundwater-dependent ecosystems the Loess zone groundwater vegetation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/14/12/2326 |
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