Search

Photosynthetically carbon (C) allocation largely determines yield and C sequestration of agroecosystem. However, how C allocation of crops responses to climate change at the long-time scale is poorly defined. Combining thirteen years of eddy covariance and inventory measurements, we comprehensively investigated C allocation mechanism in a winter-wheat and summer-maize double cropping field. Significantly increased gross primary production (GPP) was benefited from CO2 fertilization, and 35% of increased GPP transferred to strengthening C sequestration. However, elevated temperature and drying surface soil moisture stimulated the partitioning of GPP to autotrophic respiration, resulted in conservative net primary production and grain yield. Maize faced a greater risk of C loss and yield reduction than wheat to warming and drying. By synthesizing published long-term data of agroecosystems, we further highlight that the GPP partitioning cannot be simply predicted by allometric theory, particularly for grains, which should be considered in predicting C budget and crop yield.

Evaluation of the nitrate transport process in the deep vadose zone (DVZ) is important for groundwater quality management, especially in intensive agricultural regions, such as the North China Plain (NCP). The NCP produces ~20% of the total food grain in China, owing to timely groundwater irrigation and excessive chemical N fertilizer applications, and faces severe groundwater environmental degradation. This study evaluated the potential impacts of intensive agriculture on groundwater quality by investigating nitrate accumulation and transport in the DVZ of wheat-maize double-cropping field based on sediment sampling (maximum depth of 45.2 m) over three sub-regions of the NCP. The results showed that legacy nitrate‑nitrogen (NO

Nitrate in groundwater is increasing in many aquifers worldwide due to excessive use of fertilizers. However, the behavior of N-based fertilizer as it leaches through thick vadose zones is still poorly understood, and the long-term effects on groundwater quality in such settings may yet to be fully realized. In this study, deep soil cores were taken below experimental plots where N-fertilizer was applied for nearly 20 years under wheat-maize double cropping in the North China Plain (NCP). N-fertilizer application rates of zero, 400, and 600 kg N ha−1 yr−1 were applied to different plots. Water and N balances were quantified to estimate the leaching rate of NO3−-N below the root zone, and NO3−-N loss via denitrification. Transport pathways of nitrate in the vadose zone were identified using stable isotopes of water (δ18O-H2O & δ2H-H2O) and nitrate (δ18O-NO3− & δ15N-NO3−) from the sampled pore-water and groundwater. The average N transport velocity through the vadose zone ranged from 38 to 41 cm yr−1 and was relatively constant regardless of fertilizer application rate. The transport rates are significantly lower than the long-term rate of groundwater level decline (100 cm yr−1), meaning it is unlikely much of the leachate from chemical N-fertilizers (abundantly applied throughout the region since the 1970s) has entered groundwater via matrix flow. Nitrate isotopes appear to indicate that manure and septic waste (not chemical N-fertilizer) are the major sources of nitrate in groundwater to date. However, stable isotopes show that increased nitrate concentrations in groundwater may also result due to preferential flow in sand layers and/or lateral flow from headwater areas. Denitrification (particularly in the upper 4 m depth of soil) appears to have limited the flux of fertilizer-derived nitrate to some degree. However, the large N stock and generally weak denitrification potential in the deep unsaturated zone, pose a major threat to future groundwater quality. The results have major implications for groundwater quality management in the future.

From a critical zone perspective, the present paper aims to present the magnitude of groundwater recharge under different agricultural land-use types, reveal the process of water and solute transport in thick vadose zone, evaluate the “time lag” effect of recharge, and underscore the role of thickening vadose zone in recharge. The results indicated that different agricultural land-use types need to be further considered in recharge rate estimate. Under the typical irrigation condition in the piedmont plain, the recharge rate under flood irrigated winter wheat and summer maize (W/M_F), maize (M), non-cultivation (NC), native vegetation (NV), vegetables (V), and orchards (O) is 206.4, 149.7, 194.1, 46.4, 320.0, and 48.6 mm/yr, respectively. In the central plain, the value under W/M_F, M, NC, V, and cotton (C) is 92.8, 50.8, 85.0, 255.5, and 26.5 mm/yr, respectively. Soil water residence time (several years) and groundwater level response time (several months) should be distinguished to further understand the processes of groundwater recharge, because the soil water displacement velocities range from 0.2 to 2.2 m/yr while the rate of wetting front propagation is approximately 47 m/yr in the piedmont plain. The thickening vadose zone would prolong residence time of soil water and contaminant, which could postpone the time of or alleviate groundwater pollution, but have no significant influence on the magnitude of recharge in a long time scale. Recharge coefficient based on shorter time span (e.g. 2 or 3 years) should be used with caution as a parameter for groundwater resources evaluation, because it varies with total water input and target soil depth. Uncertainties in evapotranspiration and other water balance components should be evaluated in recharge estimation and the impact of land-use types on recharge should be emphasized. The critical zone science would greatly improve the understanding of groundwater recharge processes. The results of the present study will be helpful in sustainable groundwater resources management.

Land use change is an important scientific issue recognized for its potential to alter ecosystem services (ESs), especially water-related ecosystem services (WRESs). Using the integrated valuation of ecosystem services and trade-offs (InVEST) model, this study quantified and mapped spatiotemporal variations in land use and corresponding WRESs in the Bashang area of Hebei Province, China (BAHP) to investigate how land use change impacted WRESs by means of scenario analysis, especially, in which a new evaluation indicator, average ecology effect (AEE) was proposed and well applied. The results indicated that woodland expansion (+602.61 km2) and grassland shrinkage (&minus, 500.57 km2) dominated the land use change in the BAHP in 2000&ndash, 2018, which altered local WRESs, including the moderate declines in water purification and water yield, as well as a significant enhancement in soil conservation. In scenario analysis, compared to baseline levels, riparian woodland buffer and planting trees scenarios slightly decreased water yield but strengthened water purification and soil conservation, reclaiming wasteland and integrated development scenarios significantly enhanced soil conservation but lowered water yield and water purification, fertilizer reduction scenario effectively mitigated water deterioration. According to AEE, the riparian woodland buffer (RWB) scenario performed greater than the planting trees (PT) scenario on variations of WRESs per unit area, which differed completely from the results based on total variations. Overall, a multiple-scale indicator for a comprehensive evaluation of ESs should receive more attention.

The overexploitation of groundwater and the excessive application of nitrogen (N) fertilizer under the intensive double cropping system are responsible for the groundwater level decline and potential contamination in the North China Plain (NCP). Alternative cropping systems have the potential to alleviate current groundwater and N problems in the region, while there are limited studies simultaneously focusing on the impact of a change of cropping systems on crop yields, groundwater consumption, and N leaching. In this study, Field observed experiments of double-cropping system (i.e., winter wheat&ndash, summer maize) and mono-cropping system (early sowing maize) were used to calibrate and validate the Root Zone Water Quality Model (RZWQM2). Then, the validated RZWQM2 model was used to evaluate the long-term crop growth and environmental impact under the local winter wheat&ndash, summer maize rotation system with practical irrigation (WW-SM_pi) and auto-irrigation (WW-SM_ai), and three alternative cropping systems (single early maize, SEM, winter wheat&ndash, summer maize and single early maize, WW-SM-SEM, winter wheat-summer maize and double single early maize, WW-SM-2SEM). The net consumption of groundwater and N leaching under WW-SM_pi were 226.9 mm yr&minus, 1 and 79.7 kg ha&minus, 1 yr&minus, 1, respectively. Under the local rotation system, auto-irrigation could increase crop yields and N leaching. Compared with the WW-SM_ai, the alternative cropping systems, WW-SM-SEM, WW-SM-2SEM, and SEM, significantly decreased the net consumption of groundwater by 49.3%, 63.0%, and 97.8%, respectively (147.5&ndash, 292.9 mm), and N leaching by 53.5%, 67.5%, and 89.6%, respectively (50.0&ndash, 83.7 kg ha&minus, 1). However, the yields of the three alternative cropping systems were reduced by less than 30% (12.2%, 20.1%, and 29.7%, respectively). The simulated results indicated that appropriately decreasing the planting frequency of winter wheat is an effective approach to reduce groundwater overexploitation and N contamination with a relatively limited reduction in grain yields. The results could provide a scientific basis for cropping system adjustment in guaranteeing sustainable regional water and grain policy.

Despite the significance of river leakage to riparian ecosystems in arid/semi-arid regions, a true understanding and the accurate quantification of the leakage processes of ephemeral rivers in these regions remain elusive. In this study, the patterns of river infiltration and the associated controlling factors in an approximately 150-km section of the Donghe River (lower Heihe River, China) were revealed using a combination of field investigations and modelling techniques. The results showed that from 21 April 2010 to 7 September 2012, river water leakage accounted for 33% of the total river runoff in the simulated segments. A sensitivity analysis showed that the simulated infiltration rates were most sensitive to the aquifer hydraulic conductivity and the maximum evapotranspiration (ET) rate. However, the river leakage rate, i.e., the ratio of the leakage volume to the total runoff volume, of a single runoff event relies heavily on the total runoff volume and river flow rate. In addition to the hydraulic parameters of riverbeds, the characteristics of ET parameters are equally important for quantifying the flux exchange between arid ephemeral streams and underlying aquifers. Coupled surface/groundwater models, which aim to estimate river leakage, should consider riparian zones because these areas play a dominant role in the formation of leakage from the river for recharging via ET. The results of this paper can be used as a reference for water resource planning and management in regulated river basins to help maintain riparian ecosystems in arid regions.

Groundwater-fed agriculture has caused water table declines and groundwater quality degradation in the North China Plain. Based on sediment sampling in deep vadose zone (with a maximum depth of 11.0 m), groundwater recharge, seepage velocity, solute inventory and transport under four typical irrigated agricultural land-use types (winter wheat and summer maize, WM; pear orchards, PO; outdoor vegetables, VE; and cotton, CO) were investigated in this study. The results reveal that there are many solutes stored in the vadose zone. Nitrate storage per unit depth in the vadose zone is highest under PO (1703 kg/ha), followed by VE (970 kg/ha), WM (736 kg/ha) and CO (727 kg/ha). However, the amount of annual leached nitrate under the four land-use types results in a different order (VE, 404 kg/ha; WM, 108 kg/ha; PO, 23 kg/ha; CO, 13 kg/ha). The estimated average recharge rates are 180 mm/yr for WM, 27 mm/yr for CO, 320 mm/yr for VE and 49 mm/yr for PO. The seepage velocity under VE (2.22 m/yr) exceeds the values under the other three land-use types (WM, 0.85 m/yr; PO, 0.49 m/yr; CO, 0.09 m/yr). The highest seepage velocity under VE caused significant nitrate contamination in groundwater, whereas the other two land-use types (WM and PO) had no direct influence on groundwater quality. The results of this work could be used for groundwater resources management.

The soil moisture dynamics of the root zone and its hydrological interactions with the vadose zone below in deep groundwater table condition has not been thoroughly elucidated to date, thereby hampering our adaption of irrigation in farmlands with a deep groundwater table. In this study, vadose zone modelling detailing the soil moisture dynamics of the root zone in farmland with a deep groundwater table in the North China Plain, was presented to investigate the regular pattern of the soil hydrological processes during crops growing periods and to examine its implications for adjustment of irrigation applications of wheat and maize. Deep percolation reached over 30% of the total water input while root zone hardly obtain any moisture supplement from the vadose zone below, during the crops growing period, from April to September in 2012 and 2013, both being typical wet years. Corresponding to the seasonal distribution of precipitation, the soil evaporation and deep percolation were concentrated in the growing period of maize, rather than in the growing period of wheat. Additionally, soil water storage in the root zone before irrigation applications in the growing periods of wheat can be 100–120 mm less than it in growing periods of maize. On the basis of these soil hydrology characteristics in the root zone, the current irrigation scheduling for wheat could be adjusted to be more adequate but less frequent, while intensity and frequency of irrigation applications for maize should both be decreased to reduce deep percolation and soil evaporation. An example simulation in the crop growing period of 2012, showed that deep percolation and soil evaporation can be decreased by 36% and 18% respectively, with little impacts on crops transpiration, under the adjusted irrigation practice. This research suggests the direction and potential of adjustment of irrigation scheduling in farmlands with a deep groundwater table from the perspective of soil hydrological processes.

Groundwater irrigation has supported intensive agriculture in the North China Plain during the past four decades, but resulted in continued aquifer depletion. Reduce irrigation amount would be one of the actions to control the groundwater depletion. However, the impacts of reducing irrigation on the soil moisture and deep percolation have not been studied broadly. Therefore, this study employed long-term experiments via two irrigation plots (rainfed and irrigated) to assess the impacts of reducing irrigation on the soil water dynamics and percolation process in the double cropping fields. The following conclusions were reached in this study: (1) Irrigation reducing decreased the soil moisture in the unsaturated zone within the root zone, but increased the variations of soil moisture in the layer deeper than 500 cm below the land surface. Meanwhile, there was a new dried soil layer in the 160–180 cm depth below land surface for the irrigated double cropping field. (2) Irrigation increased mean annual deep percolation (Oct. 2011–Sep. 2015) from 1.3 mm yr−1 to 116 mm yr−1 compared to rainfed. At the same time, the maximum percolation rate for the rainfed crops was 0.03 mm d−1 while the irrigated crops reached to 2.69 mm d−1. The percolation decreased significantly from 140 to 190 mm yr−1 to 40–89 mm yr−1 as a result of water-saved irrigation strategy. (3) Irrigation has increased actual evapotranspiration and accelerated the field water cycle: mean annual evapotranspiration (double cropping system) increased from 454 mm yr−1 beneath rainfed cropland to 671 mm yr−1 beneath irrigated cropland during Oct. 2011–Sep. 2015, but decreased from 752 to 757 mm yr−1 to 565–610 mm yr−1 as a result of water-saved irrigation strategy. Overall, this research presents a multi-year visualization of the dynamics for soil moisture and deep percolation beneath rainfed and irrigated through the deep vadose zone. The assessments of irrigation and water-saved irrigation impacts on soil water profile and percolation are valuable for agricultural water management in these semi-arid regions fed by groundwater irrigation, globally.

Excessive use of groundwater in irrigation (mainly for production of winter wheat) in the North China Plain (NCP) has resulted in markedly decreased groundwater levels. Alternative cropping systems may have potential to reduce groundwater use in the region. The APSIM (Agricultural Production System Simulator) farming systems model was used to simulate long-term (1981–2015) water use, net overdraft and crop yield for eight cropping systems. The wheat-maize double cropping system (WW–SM) in the study area resulted in overdrafts of 258 mm yr − 1 , about 100 mm yr − 1 more than estimated groundwater recharge. Although six of eight simulated systems reduced overdrafts below the estimated recharge value of 150 mm yr − 1 , a triple-cropping system consisting of winter wheat/summer maize followed by fallow and early maize (WW–SM/F–EM) in two years appears to be the most viable alternative. Annual grain yield under the triple cropping system was only 13% less than that under the current WW–SM double cropping system. Groundwater overdrafts under triple-cropping system were about equal to lateral recharge from the mountains, water brought in via the South-North Water Transfer (SNWT) project and water from other water-saving measures (e.g. plastic film mulching) in the region.

Understanding the dynamics and mechanisms of soil water movement and solute transport is essential for accurately estimating recharge rates and evaluating the impacts of agricultural activities on groundwater resources. In a thick vadose zone (0-15 m) under irrigated cropland in the piedmont region of the North China Plain, soil water content, matric potential and solute concentrations were measured. Based on these data, the dynamics of soil water and solutes were analysed to investigate the mechanisms of soil water and solute transport. The study showed that the 0-15 m vadose zone can be divided into three layers: an infiltration and evaporation layer (0-2 m), an unsteady infiltration layer (2-6 m) and a quasi-steady infiltration layer (6-15 m). The chloride, nitrate and sulphate concentrations all showed greater variations in the upper soil layer (0-1 m) compared to values in the deep vadose zone (below 2 m). The average concentrations of these three anions in the deep vadose zone varied insignificantly with depth and approached values of 125, 242 and 116 mg/L. The accumulated chloride, sulphate and nitrate was 2179 ± 113, 1760 ± 383 and 4074 ± 421 kg/ha, respectively. The soil water potential and solute concentrations indicated that uniform flow and preferential flow both occurred in the deep vadose zone, and uniform flow was the dominant mechanism of soil water movement in this study. The piston-like flow velocity of solute transport was 1.14 m/yr, and the average value of calculated leached nitrate nitrogen was 107 kg/ha∙yr below the root zone. The results can be used to better understand recharge processes and improve groundwater resources management. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Groundwater plays a major role in agro-hydrological processes in the North China Plain (NCP). The NCP is facing a water deficit, due to a rapid decline in the water table because of the double cropping system. A two crop (maize and wheat) rotation is required to balance the food supply and demand, which leads to an imbalance between evapotranspiration (ET) and precipitation. Thus, there has been a decline of about 1.35 m yr&minus, 1 of groundwater (Luancheng Agroecosystem Experimental Station (LAES), NCP) during the last 10 years. Lysimeter experiments were conducted under different irrigation treatments (flood, surface drip, and subsurface drip) to account for ET in the selection of a suitable irrigation method. Subsurface drip irrigation reduced ET by 26% compared to flood irrigation, and 15% compared to surface drip irrigation, with significant grain yield and biomass formation due to decreased evaporation losses. Grain yield, yield components, and above ground biomass were similar in subsurface drip and flood irrigation. However, these biomass parameters were lower with surface drip irrigation. Furthermore, subsurface drip irrigation increased the crop water productivity (24.95%) and irrigation water productivity (19.59%) compared to flood irrigation. The subsurface irrigated plants showed an increase in net photosynthesis (~10%), higher intrinsic water use efficiency (~36%), lower transpiration rate (~22%), and saved 80 mm of water compared to flood irrigation. Our findings indicate that subsurface drip irrigation can be adopted in the NCP to increase water use efficiency, optimize grain yield, and minimize water loss in order to address scarcity.

Summary Groundwater recharge can be accurately estimated by understanding the soil water flow process in the deep vadose zone. In this study, soil water content and soil matric potential were measured in situ in the deep vadose zone (∼8 m) under typical irrigated cropland in the piedmont region of the North China Plain and were used to analyze the soil water dynamics and calibrate a transient matric flow model. Using the calibrated model, the long-period average groundwater recharge was estimated, and the influences of the lower boundary depth and time scale (length of study period) on the recharge were assessed. The study showed that the response time of the water table (with a buried depth of 42 m) to water input might be no more than 1 year because the velocity of the wetting front could be as high as 0.13 m/day below the root zone. However, the lag time could be more than 15 years because of the slower velocity of the soil water displacement. The variation in the recharge flux with depth was significant over shorter time scales. Therefore, for more representative estimated recharge with a maximum deviation less than 20% from the 38-year mean value, research should be conducted over a long period (>12 years). However, the average annual recharge showed almost no change with depth at the 38-year scale, and a depth of 2 m below ground surface could be used as an interface for estimating recharge at the 38-year scale. The simulated annual recharge at a depth of 2 m ranged from 59 mm to 635 mm with a mean value of 200 mm. The variation in water input (precipitation and irrigation) was the main reason for the variation in annual recharge at the depth of 2 m. This approach improves our understanding of the recharge process in the deep vadose zone in this region, and the results of this work could aid development of effective groundwater resources management.

Natural environment of mid-latitude deserts of Central Asia is undergoing rapid changes. One of its elements is the relief. What needs to be particularly emphasized is its morphogenesis and landform evolution. In this study, a geomorphological research in the Ejina Basin (Inner Mongolia) is carried out with regard to identifying the main landforms and the contemporary geomorphic processes. We consider ancient and modern landforms as a unit and provide a general explanation for their evolution. Related environmental indications of existing landforms are discussed on the basis of climate geomorphology. Results show that the current basin is under the conditions favorable for the development and dominance of landforms originated from physical processes such as desiccation–deflation and aeolian. The landform system is characterized by its variable structure which is conditioned by specific hydrodynamics processes that existed during glaciations. It is suggested that landform patterns in Ejina are under the strong influence of rapid and/or intensive geomorphic processes. These signatures reflect the regional dynamics of landform evolution as characterized by a very effective integration of tectonic and climate-driven morphogenetic processes. Based on the present day climate data, we infer an obvious linkage of desert gorges and pediments in the basin to ancient humid phases, which provided high energy runoff for the formation of these landforms and were associated with erosional features under more humid and colder climate during the last glacial period. Desert plains and aeolian dunes in the central basin are the related products of contemporary climate. Clear evidences proving the landform inconsistency and landform instability in the Ejina are presented, indicating that the main geomorphic unit is experiencing transformation from alluvial plain to desert plain and then to aeolian dunes. However, the geomorphodiversity in the Ejina should be a compound result of complex surficial processes other than glaciation. Frost weathering, fluvial/alluvial action, desiccation–deflation and aeolian processes as well as climatic changes have played important roles.

Shallow groundwater is primarily discharged via evapotranspiration (ETg) in arid and semi-arid riparian systems; however, the quantification of ETg remains a challenge in regional water resource assessments of such systems. In this study, the diagnostic indicators of groundwater evapotranspiration processes and the principles of applying the water table fluctuation (WTF) method to estimate ETg based on seasonal groundwater level changes were presented. These techniques were then used to investigate groundwater evapotranspiration processes at two sites dominated by phreatophytes (Tamarix ramosissima and Populus euphratica) within hyper-arid desert environments in northwestern China for the period 2010-2012. The results indicate that steady declines in the water table, which are commonly attributed to groundwater evapotranspiration, occurred at both sites during the growing season. Based on the proposed WTF method, the estimated ETg was 0.63-0.73 mm/d at the Tamarix ramosissima site and 1.89-2.33 mm/d at the Populus euphratica site during the summer months (June-August). Numerical simulations using a one-dimensional root water uptake model indicate that the seasonal variations in ETg at both sites were primarily dependent on the potential evaporation rates. Comparisons with previous studies on plant transpiration at similar sites in this area show that these results are reasonable. It is apparent that the WTF method can provide a simple and relatively inexpensive method of estimating ETg on a large scale in arid/semi-arid regions. However, there are significant uncertainties associated with time-dependent lateral flow rates, which creates a challenge when applying this method. In addition, the selection of calculation periods that show steady declines in the groundwater level can be somewhat subjective. To enhance the performance of the WTF method based on seasonal water table declines, further research on the estimation of lateral flow rates should be performed using an effective network of groundwater monitoring. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The spatial and temporal variability of the frequency of extreme precipitation events in China for 19612009 was examined using the high quality rainfall dataset provided by the China Meteorology Administration (CMA) for 599 stations. Extreme events were defined by duration and recurrence interval, the event durations chosen were 1, 5, 10 and 30 days and the event thresholds were those associated with recurrence intervals of 1, 5 and 10 years. The results indicated that temporal variations of extreme precipitation index (EPI) showed interannual and interdecadal variability. Time series of anomalies of the nine regional EPI indices indicated that Northeast China, North China and the Yellow River basin had experienced a decreasing trend of extreme rainfall events during the last 50 years, while other six regions, namely the Yangtze River basin, Southeast Coast, South China, the Inner Mongolia, Northwest China and Tibetan Plateau, had experienced an increasing trend of extreme rainfall events. Seasonal results indicated that 95.6% of 1-day, 1-yr recurrence interval extreme rainfall events occurred from April to September in China. The possible attributions of trend and variability of extreme rainfall events at China include, but are not limited to, El Nino - Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the magnitude of East Asian Monsoon, wind circulations, as well as global warming. Obviously these factors are not independent. For example, it has long been recognized that ENSO can exert an important impact on the East Asian monsoon. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Streambed vertical hydraulic conductivity (K) plays an important role in river water and groundwater interaction. The K at the ten transects (Ts1–Ts10) at the Donghe River (an intermittent river) in the Ejina Basin, northwestern China, was measured to investigate its spatial variation. Based on the sediment characteristics and vertical hydraulic conductivity of the riverbed, the entire riverbed of the Donghe River could be divided arbitrarily into two parts: an upper part (starting at Ts1 and ending at Ts9, without an obvious and continuous clogging layer) and a lower part (the remaining riverbed, with an obvious and continuous clogging layer). In the upper part, although the K varied with depth within the 0–30 cm layer, the variability with depth could be ignored in practice. The arithmetic mean K of the upper part ranged from 12 to 27.6 m/day, three orders of magnitude larger than that of the lower part (0.06 m/day). The change of K along the river cross section was significant, and larger values of K often occurred in the parts of the channels with greater water depth. However, there were no consistent patterns of the variability of K at transects across the river, which was influenced by the variation in streambed characteristics. The results could be useful for the estimation of groundwater recharge from river and groundwater resources evaluation in the Ejina Basin.

The impacts of environmental flow controls on the water table and chemistry of groundwater in the Ejina Delta, an arid inland river basin in northwest China, were investigated with field observations in 2001 and 2009. The results indicate that the shallow groundwater level rose by 0–2 m in the upper reaches of the east tributary of the Heihe River and in the areas of Saihantaolai—Dalaikubu during the period of environmental flow controls. The chemical constituents of the groundwater show a distinct spatial heterogeneity with the total dissolved solids (TDS) in the groundwater increasing from the periphery towards the depocenter of the Ejina Basin. In addition, the rate of groundwater cycling in the south of the Ejina Delta increased, and the mineralization of groundwater declined, while the overall mineralization and salinity increased in the northern regions, especially in the depocenter of the Ejina Basin. Since shallow groundwater is important to the ecology of arid regions, and because understanding the changes in the shallow groundwater environment (groundwater level and hydrochemistry) in response to environmental flow controls is essential for the sustainable improvement of the ecological environment, the results of this paper can be used as a reference for watershed water resources planning and management to help maintain the health and proper function of rivers in arid regions.