Unprecedented large-scale aquifer recovery through human intervention

Groundwater depletion is a critical global challenge, particularly in intensively cultivated drylands, with few documented cases of successful recovery. Here, we report a striking reversal of long-term groundwater decline in the North China Plain, one of the world’s most severely depleted aquifers. Based on a comprehensive analysis of groundwater levels from over 2000 monitoring wells spanning the past two decades, we show that groundwater levels have risen at an average rate of ~0.7 m year−1 since 2020, surpassing 2005 levels by 2024. This recovery is driven by a combination of large-scale surface water diversion from the humid south and stringent groundwater pumping regulations, further amplified by wet…

• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China

  Awards: 52079065, 52325901
• NK
  National Key Research and Development Program of China

  Award: 2021YFB3900604