title: Progress, opportunities, and key fields for groundwater quality research under the impacts of human activities in China with a special focus on western China.
abstract: Groundwater quality research is extremely important for supporting the safety of the water supply and human health in arid and semi-arid areas of China. This review article was constructed to report the latest research progress of groundwater quality in western China where groundwater quality is undergoing fast deterioration because of fast economic development and extensive anthropogenic activities. The opportunities brought by increasing public awareness of groundwater quality protection were also highlighted and discussed. To guide and promote further development of groundwater quality research in China, especially in western China, ten key groundwater quality research fields were proposed. The review shows that the intensification of human activities and the associated impacts on groundwater quality in China, especially in western China, has made groundwater quality research increasingly important, and has caught the attention of local, national, and international agencies and scholars. China has achieved some progress in groundwater quality research in terms of national and regional laws, regulations, and financial supports. The future of groundwater quality research in China, especially in western China, is promising reflected by the opportunities highlighted. The key research fields proposed in this article may also inform groundwater quality protection and management at the national and international level.
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Chang'an University, No. 126 Yanta Road, Xi'an, 710054, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China. lipy2@163.com.|Key Laboratory of Subsurface Hydrology and Ecological Effects in Arid Region of the Ministry of Education, Chang'an University, No. 126 Yanta Road, Xi'an, 710054, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China. lipy2@163.com.|Key Laboratory of Groundwater Science and Engineering, Ministry of Land and Resources, No. 268 Zhonghua Street, Shijiazhuang, 050061, Hebei, People's Republic of China. lipy2@163.com.
authors.forename: Peiyue
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8771-3369
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Chang'an University, No. 126 Yanta Road, Xi'an, 710054, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.|Key Laboratory of Subsurface Hydrology and Ecological Effects in Arid Region of the Ministry of Education, Chang'an University, No. 126 Yanta Road, Xi'an, 710054, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Chang'an University, No. 126 Yanta Road, Xi'an, 710054, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.|Key Laboratory of Subsurface Hydrology and Ecological Effects in Arid Region of the Ministry of Education, Chang'an University, No. 126 Yanta Road, Xi'an, 710054, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Chenyang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Chang'an University, No. 126 Yanta Road, Xi'an, 710054, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.|Key Laboratory of Subsurface Hydrology and Ecological Effects in Arid Region of the Ministry of Education, Chang'an University, No. 126 Yanta Road, Xi'an, 710054, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jianhua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D060587:Groundwater; D006802:Human Activities; D006801:Humans; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Groundwater pollution; Groundwater quality; Health risk; Hydrochemistry; Water quality assessment; Western China