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Overview of karst geo-environments and karst water resources in north and south China

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Abstract

The karst geological system in north China is different from that in the south. Due to differences in basic geological conditions and environment, the karst evolutional pattern and karst water resources, among other things, are also different in the two regions. This paper, based on on-site fieldwork and analysis of an extensive database of karst in China, presents a systematic and contrastive analysis of karst geological environment and karst water resources in north versus south China, highlights the differences between the two regions in basic karst geological conditions, groundwater dynamics and karst water resources, and concludes with the economic, environmental and engineering implications of these differences. These findings will be helpful for the strategic planning and decision-making processes associated with exploitation of karst geological resources and with prevention and control of karst geological hazards.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to sponsorship from the Open Foundation Project of China Water Resources and Hydropower Science Research Institute, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (40672182; 40872184) and the National Key Project of Scientific and Technical Supporting Programs (2006BAB02A01). They are also thankful to Professor Du Rulin and Lecturer Wang Bin of Economic University of Shijiazhuang, China, for their contribution to the investigation and data analysis for this paper.

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Correspondence to He Keqiang.

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Keqiang, H., Jia, Y., Wang, F. et al. Overview of karst geo-environments and karst water resources in north and south China. Environ Earth Sci 64, 1865–1873 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-011-0998-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-011-0998-8

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