Groundwater–Surface Water Interactions and Their Role in Sustaining Streamflow: A Case-Based Study Using Secondary Data

Abstract:

Groundwater–surface water interactions (GSI) play a pivotal role in sustaining streamflow, particularly during dry periods when groundwater contributes significantly to river discharge as baseflow. Nevertheless, these exchanges are endangered more and more by human-induced stress, unsustainable groundwater utilisation, and climatic variability. The paper seeks to determine the importance of GSI in streamflow sustainability in an approximate case study of three homes, including the Ganges (India), Murray-Darling (Australia), and the Platte (United States). The study looks at time series data and provides statistical correlations to determine how strong and in which direction all the water-surface exchanges are going through the analysis of long-term collected records of the groundwater levels, stream discharge, and satellite-based water storage, which are publicly available. The analysis shows that although the Ganges experiences robust and declining GSI because of over-extraction, in the Murray-Darling, the river is largely broken because of climatic and disjointed governance limits. Platte Basin, in contrast, proves that artificial recharging of aquifers and planned policies may help in their hydrological reconnection. The study emphasises the need to increase the Water management policy that is integrated to synchronize the groundwater and the surface water, and the capacity of the secondary data to be used to determine water sustainability strategies at basin scales.