Cao et al. (2026) Hydraulic connectivity regulates the evaporation paradox and salinization in a semi-arid lake–groundwater system

Identification

• Journal: Journal of Hydrology
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-08-15
• Authors: Xu Cao, Jin Hur, Xiangzhen Kong, Xiao Zhang, Chen Du, Bin Xue, Bing Yi, Yutao Guo, Xian-Ge Wang, Wei He
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.136261

Research Groups

• Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Groundwater Circulation and Environmental Evolution, China University of Geosciences (Beijing)
• Department of Environment and Energy, Center for Earth and Environment Research, Sejong University
• State Key Laboratory of Lake and Watershed Science for Water Security, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Short Summary

This study investigates the role of hydraulic connectivity in regulating water and solute exchange between a semi-arid lake and groundwater system. The research reveals that high hydraulic connectivity can limit salinization despite strong evaporative forcing.

Objective

• Investigate the impact of hydraulic connectivity on lake-groundwater interactions and hydrochemical evolution

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Semi-arid lake-groundwater system in China
• Temporal Scale: Wet-season interactions between lake water and groundwater

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Dynamic isotope mass-balance modeling
• Data sources: Hydrochemical analysis, satellite data, and reanalysis datasets

Main Results

• High hydraulic connectivity aquifers preferentially recharge lakes with low solute accumulation
• Groundwater contributions from high hydraulic connectivity aquifers to the lake are lower than those from low hydraulic connectivity aquifers
• The dominant interaction pattern is lacustrine groundwater discharge, with a positive flux of 7.22 × 10^6 m^3 d^-1

Contributions

• This study demonstrates that hydraulic connectivity can decouple evaporative enrichment from salinization and regulate divergent hydrochemical evolution pathways in lake-groundwater systems

Funding

• Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Groundwater Circulation and Environmental Evolution (China)
• National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 42122010)

Citation

@article{Cao2026Hydraulic,
  author = {Cao, Xu and Hur, Jin and Kong, Xiangzhen and Zhang, Xiao and Du, Chen and Xue, Bin and Yi, Bing and Guo, Yutao and Wang, Xian-Ge and He, Wei},
  title = {Hydraulic connectivity regulates the evaporation paradox and salinization in a semi-arid lake–groundwater system},
  journal = {Journal of Hydrology},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.136261},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.136261}
}