Numerical modeling of regional groundwater flow in the Heihe River Basin, China： Advances and new insights

• Published in: Science China. Earth sciences 2015-01, Vol.58 (1), p.3-15
• Main Authors: Yao, YingYing, Zheng, ChunMiao, Tian, Yong, Liu, Jie, Zheng, Yi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Arid regions; Arid zones; China; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Ecosystem services; Ecosystems; Flow system; Ground-water flow; Groundwater; Groundwater flow; Hydrology; Mathematical models; Numerical analysis; Regional; Resource management; Review; River basin management; River basins; Rivers; Sustainability management; Water resources management; 中国; 地下水流动系统; 地下水流模型; 数值模型; 数值模拟; 水资源管理; 生态系统服务; 黑河流域
• ISSN: 1674-7313; 1869-1897
• DOI: 10.1007/s11430-014-5033-y

Numerical groundwater modeling is an effective tool to guide water resources management and explore complex groundwa- ter-dependent ecosystems in arid regions. In the Heihe River Basin （HRB）, China＇s second largest inland river basin located in arid northwest China, a series of groundwater flow models have been developed for those purposes over the past 20 years. These models have elucidated the characteristics of groundwater flow systems and provided the scientific basis for a more sus- tainable management of groundwater resources and ecosystem services. The first part of this paper presents an overview of previous groundwater modeling studies and key lessons learned based on seven different groundwater models in the middle and lower HRB at sub-basin scales. The second part reviews the rationale for development of a regional basin-scale ground- water flow model that unifies previous sub-basin models. In addition, this paper discusses the opportunities and challenges in developing a regional groundwater flow model in an arid river basin such as the HRB.