Although wastewater reuse in agriculture can ease water scarcity, this practice also alters the variation of groundwater recharge and groundwater levels. This study employed a geostatistical method to systematically investigate the spatio-temporal variations and storage fluctuations of groundwater in a wastewater irrigation area in a southeastern suburb of Beijing. Specifically, we generated an optimal geostatistical model for measuring groundwater levels. Furthermore, we proposed that universal kriging is a suitable method for examining groundwater spatial variations, whereas a raster-based model can provide high accuracy for studying groundwater fluctuations; the nugget effect value of groundwater levels increases with increasing exploitation intensity. Our results indicated that groundwater levels increased overall in the early stages of wastewater irrigation development, followed by local increases in some pockets in the middle stages of development, large-scale increases in the late stages and an increasing variation of magnitude over time. The results also showed that groundwater level declined less on farmlands than that in urban areas, suggesting that wastewater irrigation facilitates groundwater conservation by reducing groundwater exploitation and enhancing groundwater recharge. Our results are conducive to developing an effective groundwater management plan and for improving the accuracy of groundwater resource assessments.
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Research Article|
April 01 2017
Geostatistics-based spatial variation characteristics of groundwater levels in a wastewater irrigation area, northern China Available to Purchase
Shiyang Yin;
Shiyang Yin
1School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences (Beijng), Beijing 100083, China
2Beijing Water Science & Technology Institute, Beijing 100048, China
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Xiaomin Gu;
Xiaomin Gu
1School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences (Beijng), Beijing 100083, China
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Yong Xiao;
1School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences (Beijng), Beijing 100083, China
E-mail: [email protected]
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Wenyong Wu;
Wenyong Wu
2Beijing Water Science & Technology Institute, Beijing 100048, China
3State Key Laboratory of Simulation and the Regulation of River Basin Water Cycles, Chinese Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100048, China
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Xingyao Pan;
Xingyao Pan
2Beijing Water Science & Technology Institute, Beijing 100048, China
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Jingli Shao;
Jingli Shao
1School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences (Beijng), Beijing 100083, China
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Qiulan Zhang
Qiulan Zhang
1School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences (Beijng), Beijing 100083, China
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Water Supply (2017) 17 (5): 1479–1489.
Article history
Received:
October 09 2016
Accepted:
March 16 2017
Citation
Shiyang Yin, Xiaomin Gu, Yong Xiao, Wenyong Wu, Xingyao Pan, Jingli Shao, Qiulan Zhang; Geostatistics-based spatial variation characteristics of groundwater levels in a wastewater irrigation area, northern China. Water Supply 1 October 2017; 17 (5): 1479–1489. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/ws.2017.052
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