Abstract
Groundwater resources of mountainous basins are particularly important for maintaining the ecological environment and downstream domestic water demands. Quantitative analysis of the groundwater balance in a mountainous area is very important for monitoring and management of groundwater resources. Conventional analysis methods usually require extensive field investigation for estimation of hydrogeological parameters, which can be challenging in a mountainous basin. This study applied a series of methods based on daily streamflow data to estimate the groundwater balance of the Tao’er River Basin in Northeast China and also analyzed the response characteristics of effective groundwater recharge to rainfall. The results showed that groundwater recharge in the Tao’er River Basin occurs mainly through rainfall percolation in summer, and that groundwater is rapidly discharged in the form of baseflow and evapotranspiration. Baseflow discharge accounted for ~ 93% of recharge, whereas evapotranspiration accounted for the remaining ~ 7%. The multi-year average effective groundwater recharge values of the Chaersen, Suolun, Dashizhai and Zhenxi sub-basins were 59.7 mm, 62.4 mm, 19.6 mm and 34.6 mm, respectively. Groundwater recharge showed a slow and weak response to rainfall before the rainiest month (January–July). In general, the recharge peak appeared ~ 4 days after a rainfall event, and the recharge process continued for 13–16 days. However, the response was relatively rapid and obvious after the rainiest month (August to December). The recharge peak appeared ~ 3 days after a rainfall event, and the recharge process continued for 7–9 days.
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Data availability
The data that support the findings of this study are available from Songliao Water Resources Commission, Ministry of Water Resources, China.
Code availability
Not applicable.
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Acknowledgements
We greatly appreciate the provision of streamflow data by Songliao Water Resources Commission, Ministry of Water Resources, China.
Funding
This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41572216), the Provincial School Co-construction Project Special—Leading Technology Guide (SXGJQY2017-6), the China Geological Survey Shenyang Geological Survey Center “Hydrogeological Survey of Songnen Plain” project ([2019]DD20190340-W09), and the Graduate Innovation Fund of Jilin University (101832020CX251).
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Yang, W., **ao, C., Zhang, Z. et al. Estimation of the groundwater balance of a mountainous basin based on long-term streamflow data: a case study of the Tao’er River Basin, China. Environ Earth Sci 80, 689 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-021-09974-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-021-09974-z