RESILIENCE AND WEATHERING REGIMES OF GROUNDWATER SYSTEM UNDER CHANGING CLIMATE AND HUMAN PERTURBATION
Groundwater, an invisible but less studied component of earth system sciences, acts as an essential hub among different earth-spheres and human society. Hydrologically, the responses of groundwater systems to external forcings could be either rapid or resilient. These responses are thought to further modulate the weathering processes in the groundwater systems. Understanding the resilience and weathering regimes of groundwater systems under a changing earth system is important, especially under the context of climate change and human interventions (e.g., pumping, water diversion). In this study, we intend to address the following two fundamental questions: 1) Climate resilience of different groundwater systems, with a special focus on bedrock aquifers; 2) How do climate, hydrogeological factors and human intervention jointly shape weathering regimes in groundwater systems. The targets will be fulfilled through in-depth analysis of continental and decadal scale groundwater table, groundwater geochemistry, streamflow, geographical, geomorphological, and meteorological data.
Additional information: Mr. SU Jintao, sudosu@connect.hku.hk