The Minqin Oasis (MO), located in the northeast of the Hexi Corridor in Gansu Province, is an important sandstorm source in China. Groundwater extraction in the MO area is intensive, and groundwater levels therefore fluctuate significantly throughout the year. 

Researchers from the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences analyzed changes in the groundwater recharge process and recharge source contributions in the MO area before and after ecological management. 

The study was published in Hydrological Processes on Dec. 17. 

They found that the groundwater recharge mechanisms of the oasis changed significantly after ecological management. 

The results suggest that the largest contribution to groundwater recharge in the confined shallow aquifer in the MO area before ecological management is overflow water. 

However, surface water has become the main source of groundwater recharge in the MO after more than a decade of ecological management, including ecological water transfer projects, water-saving agricultural practices, and strategies to reduce the number of irrigation wells. 

Through the ecological management measures, surface water can effectively recharge groundwater, which is conducive to the stable recovery of the oasis ecological environment. 

However, the contribution of groundwater irrigation infiltration is relatively high and shows an increasing trend, indicating that it is still necessary to continue to further control the over-exploitation of groundwater. 

In addition, the lateral flow recharge of groundwater does not change much, indicating that the available water resources in the upper and middle reaches of the basin also affect the changes in groundwater levels in the lower reaches. 

This study provides a new understanding of the mechanism of groundwater recharge change in the MO area from the perspective of environmental change, and provides a theoretical basis for further formulation of reasonable and applicable water resource management strategies and realizing the harmonious environmental relationship between human and nature in desert oasis.