Environmental Research Journal
ISSN: OnlineISSN: Print 1994-5396
Abstract
Karst aquifers usually form large groundwater reservoirs that play an important role in regional water supply in arid and semi arid regions. Because of their specific physical properties, karst aquifers are vulnerable to pollution, land use and climate changes. In the past 3 decades great changes have taken place in land use patterns in Shanxi province leading to a series of environmental issues and water shortage problems in the region. As a representative of karst springs in the province, the Shentou spring located northwest of the province was selected to study the impact of land use change on groundwater quantity for the period 1976-2000. Linear regression was utilized to analyze the trend in precipitation and spring discharge data series. Land use data were obtained by interpretation of Landsat images of 1976 and 2000, after processing the images using ERDAS IMAGINE and ArcGIS softwares. The relationship between forests, constructed and cultivated land use types and spring discharge was analyzed using regression analysis based on the land use variation data obtained since 1976. The impact of land use change on the basin was a general decrease in the discharge from the spring.
How to cite this article:
Kunda Sikazwe . The Impact of Land Use Change on Karst Groundwater Quantity in Shentou Spring Basin, Shanxi Province, China.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36478/erj.2008.232.237
URL: https://www.makhillpublications.co/view-article/1994-5396/erj.2008.232.237