Mapping groundwater-dependent ecosystems using a high-resolution global groundwater model
<p>Global population growth, economic growth, and climate change have led to a decline in groundwater resources, which are essential for sustaining groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs). To understand their spatial and temporal dependency on groundwater, we developed a framework for mapping...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Hydrology and Earth System Sciences |
| Online Access: | https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/29/2153/2025/hess-29-2153-2025.pdf |
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| Summary: | <p>Global population growth, economic growth, and climate change have led to a decline in groundwater resources, which are essential for sustaining groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs). To understand their spatial and temporal dependency on groundwater, we developed a framework for mapping GDEs at a large scale, using results from a high-resolution global groundwater model. To evaluate the proposed framework, we focus on the Australian continent because of the abundance of groundwater depth observations and the presence of a GDE atlas. We first classify GDEs into three categories: aquatic (focusing on rivers), wetland (inland wetlands), and terrestrial (phreatophyte) GDEs. We then define a set of rules for identifying these different ecosystems based on, among others, groundwater levels and groundwater discharge. We run the groundwater model in both steady-state and transient mode (period of 1979–2019) and apply the set of rules to map the different types of GDEs using model outputs. For the steady-state mode, we map the presence and absence of GDEs, and we evaluate results against the Australian GDE atlas using a critical success index derived from hit rate, false alarm rate, and missing rate. Results show a hit rate and a critical success index (CSI) above 80 % for each of the three GDE types. From transient runs, we analyse the changes in groundwater dependency between two time periods, 1979–1999 and 1999–2019, and observe a decline in the average number of months that GDEs receive groundwater, pointing at an increasing threat to these ecosystems. The proposed framework and methodology provide a first step towards analysing how global climate change and water use may affect GDE extent and health.</p> |
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| ISSN: | 1027-5606 1607-7938 |