Groundwater Systems and Eco-hydrological Features in the Main Karst Regions of China

Different karst water features and related water resources are present both in southern and northern China.There are over 3,358 well-developed karst ground river systems with total discharges in the dry season of about 420×108 m3 in the main karst regions in the southern part of China.Exploitation rates are only 8-15%.Over 100 larger karst spring systems in the main karst regions of northern China cover a catchment area from 500 km2 to over 4,000 km2,of which the average discharge appears to be from about 1 m3/s to 13 m3/s and the exploitation rates are 70-80%.Six aspects of the eco-hydrological features of some typical karst regions in China comprising water environment,ecological features,materials and structures between parent rock and soil,bio-geological processes and palynological studies(spore-pollen)are discussed.Qualitative evaluation of eco-geology and rocky desertification in the karst regions should be based on the main karst ecological conditions as well as artificial,i.e.,man-made impacts.