Surface Water‐Groundwater Interaction in the Guanzhong Section of the Weihe River Basin, China

As a crucial agricultural and economic development zone since the Qin Dynasty (221 to 206 BC), the Guanzhong section of the Weihe River basin is facing serious water resource shortages due to population growth and regional development. Its water resource amount per capita is only 361 m3, about 1/6 of the average in China and less than 1/20 of the average in the world. Surface water and groundwater (SW‐GW) interaction, having a significant influence on the spatiotemporal distribution of water resources, was qualitatively and quantitatively investigated during a wet year based on stable isotopes and hydrochemistry. The results show that the recharge pattern in the north part varies with season, that is, 40% of the surface water recharge comes from groundwater in the dry season, but 93% of the groundwater recharge comes from surface water in the rainy season. In the south part, groundwater is always recharged by surface water, with contributions of 47% and 61% in the rainy and dry seasons, respectively. For the main stream, the recharge pattern is complicated and varies with season and site. This study will provide useful information about SW‐GW interaction at basin scale. Integrated management of groundwater and surface water could improve the efficiency of regional water resources utilization and promote accurate and sustainable water management in the semi‐arid basin. Article impact statement: The surface water‐groundwater interaction in the Guanzhong section of the Weihe River basin was analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively.