Role of Groundwater in the Dryland Ecohydrological System: A Case Study of the Heihe River Basin

Abstract

Key Points Shallow groundwater (<10 m deep) of alluvial plain responds to land surface regimes and dominates seasonal water budget variations Groundwater system in mountainous upstream impacts the evapotranspiration and surface‐groundwater interactions in alluvial plain downstream Groundwater sustains ecosystem by contributing to evapotranspiration of vegetation in the growing season and buffering lateral flow