Explore the Interactions between Human-induced Groundwater Salt Intrusion and Salt Cedar Invasion in the Upper Arkansas River Corridor in Kansas, U.S

The Arkansas River is one of the most saline rivers in the United States. Substantial water pumping in the Upper Arkansas Corridor region has triggered a chain of hydrological impacts, including significant groundwater decline, the conversion of the Arkansas River from a gaining river to a losing river, and the subsequent accelerated movement of sulfate from surface waters to groundwater. With the aid of the conceptualization groundwater data model, a two-layer transient MODFLOW model has been developed to simulate groundwater flow and sulfate transport in the region from 1959 to 2005. Correlation analysis between the distribution of the invasive salt cedar and the simulated groundwater salt concentration indicates that these hydrogeological changes at least partially account for the invasion of salt cedar, which is usually considered more salt tolerant. The analysis results also illustrate the complexity of the interaction mechanisms between hydrological conditions and salt cedar distribution, and suggest the need for more studies in this field.