Earth Science Frontiers ›› 2025, Vol. 32 ›› Issue (3): 445-461.DOI: 10.13745/j.esf.sf.2025.3.28

Previous Articles    

Current status, challenges, and future directions of research on hydrological processes, water environment, and water resources in the urban Earth’s critical zone

SANG Liyuan1,2(), GUO Wei1,2, ZHANG Jingwen1,2, LIU Yixuan1,2, ZHANG Tongkun1,2, ZHANG Zhuqing1,2, YUE Zhanpeng1,2, LI Danyang1,2, ZHANG Run1,2, ZHANG Xu1,2, TANG Weiping1,2, LIU Zhanhang1,2, DING Hu1,2, LANG Yunchao1,2, Liu Cong-Qiang1,2,*()   

  1. 1. Institute of Surface-Earth System Science, School of Earth System Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
    2. Tianjin Bohai Rim Coastal Earth Critical Zone National Observation and Research Station, Tianjin 300072, China
  • Received:2025-02-09 Revised:2025-02-20 Online:2025-03-25 Published:2025-04-20

RichHTML

1

PDF (PC)

18

Abstract:

Urbanization and urban development are among the most significant human activities impacting the ecological environment. Accompanied by population growth and increased consumption levels, urbanization has triggered a series of complex water resource and water environment issues. Inadequate urban drainage systems, particularly in developing countries, exacerbate the deterioration of water environments and pose a serious threat to urban health and sustainable development goals. Therefore, it is a key scientific issue to explore the complex relationship between the three-dimensional urban subsurface structure, hydrological processes and water resources management from the perspective of earth system science. This study, based on the ‘Earth’s critical zone science’ and ‘social-ecological system science theory’, systematically reviews the coupling mechanisms between urban surface structures, dynamic changes in the water cycle, water quality, and the sustainable utilization of water resources. By integrating physical, chemical, and biological processes, this study reveals the impact mechanisms of impervious surface expansion on the precipitation-runoff-infiltration dynamic balance, pollutant transport, and the supply-demand distribution of water resources. We emphasizes the importance of the coupling between social and natural systems for the optimization of water resource management. In addition, the study combines the linkage between hydrological processes and ecosystem services, analyses the role of hydrological dynamics in regulating the functioning of ecosystem services and human well-being, and initially proposes a framework for the sustainable management of urban water resources based on the social-ecological system theory. This framework provides scientific support for understanding the coupling mechanism of structure-process-function of urban hydrological systems. This review not only helps to understand the complex relationship between urban hydrological dynamics and ecological services, and to break down the barriers between hydrological subdisciplines, but also provides a theoretical basis and practical guidance for managing urban water resources and setting policies.

Key words: urban Earth’s critical zone, hydrological processes, water environment, water resources, urban society-ecosystem

CLC Number: