XIAO Xufang 1,2 , ZHANG Shuanglong 1,2,GUO Wen 1,2 , WANG Jingfu 1 ,YANG Haiquan1 ,LIAO Peng1
(1. State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences,Guiyang 550081, China;
2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China)
Abstract: The karst region in southwestern China is an important water resource securing the upper reaches of the Yangtze and Pearl River. With the global change and the exploitation of mineral resources, surface water and groundwater pollution in southwestern China has become a growing problem, posing a significant challenge to the sustainable supply of water resources. Here, we systematically summarized the pollution characteristics of surface water and groundwater in southwestern China, including 1) The unique interaction
between surface water and groundwater significantly influencing the water cycling and water resources utilization; 2) The pollutant accumulation, migration and transformation in the aquatic environment modulated by hydrodynamic conditions; 3) Cross contamination of surface water and groundwater caused by bulk solid wastes; 4) Increased risk of secondary pollution triggered by the high endogenous pollution load in the hyporheic zone of lakes and the reservoirs; 5) The extremely vulnerable groundwater environment and the lack of vulnerability assessment methods. The key challenge in the effective control of water pollution is the ill-understanding of the transport of pollutants in the surface water-groundwater system. Future research should aim at water environment protection in southwestern China, including building a surface watergroundwater monitoring network system, revealing the multi-scale transport and transformation dynamics of pollutants, as well as the associated risks to the environment and human health, and developing economic and efficient technologies to prevent and control water pollution. These efforts can support the ecological civilization construction and rural revitalization strategy in southwestern China.
Key words: southwest karst area; surface water-groundwater environment; pollution characteristics; research prospects
EARTH AND ENVIRONMENT： Vol. 51, No. 5, Tot No.355 2023
