Analysis demonstrates reduced surface water connectivity and groundwater flow in the Luan River Basin, indicating critical impacts of water conservancy projects.
While water conservancy projects continuously enhance flood control and resource allocation capabilities, the adverse impacts on basin systems, particularly the structural disruption of surface water–groundwater continuity, have become increasingly pronounced. Therefore, establishing quantitative assessment of water system connectivity as a critical foundation for optimizing spatial water distribution, maintaining ecohydrological equilibrium, and enhancing flood–drought regulation efficacy is important. Focusing on the regulated reaches of the Panjiakou, Daheiting, and Taolinkou reservoirs in the Luan River Basin, this study established and integrated a three-dimensional assessment framework that synthesizes hydrological processes, hydraulic structural effects, and human activities as three fundamental drivers, and employed the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to develop a quantitative connectivity evaluation system. Results indicate that water conservancy projects significantly altered basin connectivity: surface water connectivity decreased by 0.40, while groundwater connectivity experienced a minor reduction (0.25) primarily through reservoir seepage. Consequently, the integrated surface–groundwater system declined by 0.39. Critically, project scale governs surface connectivity attenuation intensity, which substantially exceeds impacts on groundwater systems. The comprehensive assessment system developed in this study provides theoretical and methodological support for diagnosing river connectivity, formulating ecological restoration strategies, and protecting basin ecosystems.
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Wang et al. (2025) studied this question.
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