Irrigation Suitability and Interaction Between Surface Water and Groundwater Influenced by Agriculture Activities in an Arid Plain of Central Asia

Chenwei Tu, Wanrui Wang (), Weihua Wang (), Farong Huang, Minmin Gao, Yanchun Liu, Peiyao Gong and Yuan Yao
Additional contact information
Chenwei Tu: College of Geography and Remote Sensing Sciences, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830017, China
Wanrui Wang: College of Geography and Remote Sensing Sciences, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830017, China
Weihua Wang: State Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
Farong Huang: State Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
Minmin Gao: College of Geography and Remote Sensing Sciences, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830017, China
Yanchun Liu: College of Geography and Remote Sensing Sciences, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830017, China
Peiyao Gong: College of Geography and Remote Sensing Sciences, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830017, China
Yuan Yao: College of Geography and Remote Sensing Sciences, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830017, China

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 15, 1-19

Abstract: Agricultural activities and dry climatic conditions promote the evaporation and salinization of groundwater in arid areas. Long-term irrigation alters the groundwater circulation and environment in arid plains, as well as its hydraulic connection with surface water. A comprehensive assessment of groundwater irrigation suitability and its interaction with surface water is essential for water–ecology–agriculture security in arid areas. This study evaluates the irrigation water quality and groundwater–surface water interaction influenced by agricultural activities in a typical arid plain region using hydrochemical and stable isotopic data from 51 water samples. The results reveal that the area of cultivated land increases by 658.9 km 2 from 2000 to 2023, predominantly resulting from the conversion of bare land. Groundwater TDS (total dissolved solids) value exhibits significant spatial heterogeneity, ranging from 516 to 2684 mg/L. Cl − , SO 4 2− , and Na + are the dominant ions in groundwater, with a widespread distribution of brackish water. Groundwater δ 18 O values range from −9.4‰ to −5.4‰, with the mean value close to surface water. In total, 86% of the surface water samples are good and suitable for agricultural irrigation, while 60% of shallow groundwater samples are marginally suitable or unsuitable for irrigation at present. Groundwater hydrochemistry is largely controlled by intensive evaporation, water–rock interaction, and agricultural activities (e.g., cultivated land expansion, irrigation, groundwater exploitation, and fertilizers). Agricultural activities could cause shallow groundwater salinization, even confined water deterioration, with an intense and frequent exchange between groundwater and surface water. In order to sustainably manage groundwater and maintain ecosystem stability in arid plain regions, controlling cultivated land area and irrigation water amount, enhancing water utilization efficiency, limiting groundwater exploitation, and fully utilizing floodwater resources would be the viable ways. The findings will help to deepen the understanding of the groundwater quality evolution mechanism in arid irrigated regions and also provide a scientific basis for agricultural water management in the context of extreme climatic events and anthropogenic activities.

Keywords: irrigation water quality; agriculture activities; hydrochemical characteristics; stable water isotopes; groundwater-surface water interaction; Tarim Basin (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/15/1704/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/15/1704/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jagris:v:15:y:2025:i:15:p:1704-:d:1719717

Access Statistics for this article

Agriculture is currently edited by Ms. Leda Xuan

More articles in Agriculture from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().