Unprecedented large-scale aquifer recovery through human intervention
Abstract Groundwater depletion is a critical global challenge, particularly in intensively cultivated drylands, with few documented cases of successful recovery. Here, we report a striking reversal of long-term groundwater decline in the North China Plain, one of the world’s most severely depleted a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62719-5 |
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| author | Di Long Yuancheng Xu Yingjie Cui Yanhong Cui James J. Butler Liang Dong Longfeng Wang Dongyong Liu Yoshihide Wada Litang Hu Guoying Bai Binghua Li Shufang Wang Xizhi Nong Yang Cai Chunsheng Cheng Yuhan Mu Yu Qiao Jianhua Wang Hao Wang Bridget R. Scanlon |
| author_facet | Di Long Yuancheng Xu Yingjie Cui Yanhong Cui James J. Butler Liang Dong Longfeng Wang Dongyong Liu Yoshihide Wada Litang Hu Guoying Bai Binghua Li Shufang Wang Xizhi Nong Yang Cai Chunsheng Cheng Yuhan Mu Yu Qiao Jianhua Wang Hao Wang Bridget R. Scanlon |
| author_sort | Di Long |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Groundwater depletion is a critical global challenge, particularly in intensively cultivated drylands, with few documented cases of successful recovery. Here, we report a striking reversal of long-term groundwater decline in the North China Plain, one of the world’s most severely depleted aquifers. Based on a comprehensive analysis of groundwater levels from over 2000 monitoring wells spanning the past two decades, we show that groundwater levels have risen at an average rate of ~0.7 m year− 1 since 2020, surpassing 2005 levels by 2024. This recovery is driven by a combination of large-scale surface water diversion from the humid south and stringent groundwater pumping regulations, further amplified by wet years (e.g., 2021). From 2005 to 2023, these policies reduced annual groundwater abstraction by ~12 km3 and increased environmental water allocations to over 7 km3 since 2021, promoting aquifer recharge and restoring environmental flows. Our findings demonstrate that rapid, large-scale groundwater recovery is achievable through integrated water management and targeted policy interventions across extensive regions (~130,000 km2). |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2cf035bb82c645138b2b1960abc363dd |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-2cf035bb82c645138b2b1960abc363dd2025-08-20T03:43:10ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-08-0116111210.1038/s41467-025-62719-5Unprecedented large-scale aquifer recovery through human interventionDi Long0Yuancheng Xu1Yingjie Cui2Yanhong Cui3James J. Butler4Liang Dong5Longfeng Wang6Dongyong Liu7Yoshihide Wada8Litang Hu9Guoying Bai10Binghua Li11Shufang Wang12Xizhi Nong13Yang Cai14Chunsheng Cheng15Yuhan Mu16Yu Qiao17Jianhua Wang18Hao Wang19Bridget R. Scanlon20State Key Laboratory of Hydroscience and Engineering, Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Tsinghua UniversityState Key Laboratory of Hydroscience and Engineering, Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Tsinghua UniversityState Key Laboratory of Hydroscience and Engineering, Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Tsinghua UniversityState Key Laboratory of Hydroscience and Engineering, Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Tsinghua UniversityKansas Geological Survey, University of KansasState Key Laboratory of Hydroscience and Engineering, Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Tsinghua UniversityChina Institute of Geo-Environment MonitoringChina Institute of Geo-Environment MonitoringBiological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and TechnologyCollege of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal UniversityBeijing Hydrology CenterBeijing Water Science and Technology InstituteBeijing Institute of Geological Environment MonitoringState Key Laboratory of Hydroscience and Engineering, Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Tsinghua UniversityInformation Center, Ministry of Water ResourcesInformation Center, Ministry of Water ResourcesInformation Center, Ministry of Water ResourcesChina South-to-North Water Diversion Corporation LimitedState Key Laboratory of Water Cycle and Water Security, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower ResearchState Key Laboratory of Water Cycle and Water Security, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower ResearchBureau of Economic Geology, Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at AustinAbstract Groundwater depletion is a critical global challenge, particularly in intensively cultivated drylands, with few documented cases of successful recovery. Here, we report a striking reversal of long-term groundwater decline in the North China Plain, one of the world’s most severely depleted aquifers. Based on a comprehensive analysis of groundwater levels from over 2000 monitoring wells spanning the past two decades, we show that groundwater levels have risen at an average rate of ~0.7 m year− 1 since 2020, surpassing 2005 levels by 2024. This recovery is driven by a combination of large-scale surface water diversion from the humid south and stringent groundwater pumping regulations, further amplified by wet years (e.g., 2021). From 2005 to 2023, these policies reduced annual groundwater abstraction by ~12 km3 and increased environmental water allocations to over 7 km3 since 2021, promoting aquifer recharge and restoring environmental flows. Our findings demonstrate that rapid, large-scale groundwater recovery is achievable through integrated water management and targeted policy interventions across extensive regions (~130,000 km2).https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62719-5 |
| spellingShingle | Di Long Yuancheng Xu Yingjie Cui Yanhong Cui James J. Butler Liang Dong Longfeng Wang Dongyong Liu Yoshihide Wada Litang Hu Guoying Bai Binghua Li Shufang Wang Xizhi Nong Yang Cai Chunsheng Cheng Yuhan Mu Yu Qiao Jianhua Wang Hao Wang Bridget R. Scanlon Unprecedented large-scale aquifer recovery through human intervention Nature Communications |
| title | Unprecedented large-scale aquifer recovery through human intervention |
| title_full | Unprecedented large-scale aquifer recovery through human intervention |
| title_fullStr | Unprecedented large-scale aquifer recovery through human intervention |
| title_full_unstemmed | Unprecedented large-scale aquifer recovery through human intervention |
| title_short | Unprecedented large-scale aquifer recovery through human intervention |
| title_sort | unprecedented large scale aquifer recovery through human intervention |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62719-5 |
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