Groundwater response of loess tableland in northwest China under irrigation conditions

Abstract

Water induced loess landslides are closely related to the rise of the groundwater level. Therefore, research on the response of the groundwater level to irrigation water holds promise for revealing the mechanism of water-induced loess landslide. Taking Heitai, Gansu Province, as the research area, a coupling model o unsaturated-saturated water movement is established using the HYDRUS-MODFLOW software. The parameters of the model are calibrated and verified by the Bayesian parameter inversion method combined with field observations of the groundwater level. Finally, the change in the groundwater level under different irrigation amounts is predicted using the optimized model. It is found that a reasonable reduction of the irrigation amount can effectively slow the rise of the groundwater level. This research provides a scientific reference for the development of reasonable irrigation measures.