Evaluation of Groundwater Monitoring Data in Four Megacities of Korea: Implication for Sustainable Use

The objective of this study was to evaluate groundwater conditions in the four greatest megacities (Seoul, Busan, Daegu, and Incheon) of Korea using 5-year (2006–2010) monitoring data obtained from the Korean National Groundwater Monitoring Stations. With decreasing of groundwater draft, groundwater levels for the 5-year period were not substantially decreasing but they responded differently to outer stress like rainfall according to degree of urbanization or pavement of surrounding areas. However, groundwater and air temperatures were gradually increasing due to the widespread climate change. Coastal groundwaters (Seoul, Busan, and Incheon) have suffered from seawater intrusion, which can be aggravated by sea level rise in the future. Some monitoring stations of the megacities observed a drastic decrease of groundwater level for a specific period and the marked increasing of electrical conductivity; thus, detailed investigations revealing the causes and appropriate mitigation measures are required. Urban groundwater did not uniformly respond to outer anthropogenic and natural stresses because a variety of human interventions are differently involved.