Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42160442›Full record

ArticleScience advances2026

Paleo-salt water dominates coastal aquifer salinization: A continental-scale study in China.

Tianyuan Zheng, Bo Guo, Qinpeng Chang, Qiguo Sun, Xiaogang Chen, Xilai Zheng, Jichun Wu, Zhihong Zheng, Shaobo Gao, Chunmiao Zheng and 12 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Science advances, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

22 authors.

Tianyuan ZhengCollege of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, P. R. China.ORCID 0000-0002-8948-064X
Bo GuoDepartment of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-8825-7331
Qinpeng ChangCollege of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, P. R. China.ORCID 0000-0002-9655-9233
Qiguo SunSchool of Computer Science and Engineering, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang 212003, P. R. China.ORCID 0000-0002-8480-3075
Xiaogang ChenKey Laboratory of Coastal Environment and Resources of Zhejiang Province, School of Engineering, Westlake University, Hangzhou 310024, P. R. China.ORCID 0000-0003-4329-0530
Xilai ZhengCollege of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, P. R. China.ORCID 0000-0003-4677-6720
Jichun WuSchool of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, P. R. China.
Zhihong ZhengCollege of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, P. R. China.
Shaobo GaoCollege of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, P. R. China.ORCID 0009-0009-7869-4974
Chunmiao ZhengState Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water-Groundwater Pollution Control, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil and Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, P. R. China.ORCID 0000-0001-5839-1305
Junguo LiuState Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water-Groundwater Pollution Control, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil and Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, P. R. China.ORCID 0000-0002-5745-6311
Dong WangCollege of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, P. R. China.ORCID 0000-0002-8524-7541
Tao LiuCollege of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, P. R. China.ORCID 0000-0001-5680-409X
Xiaolei LiuCollege of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, P. R. China.ORCID 0000-0002-2628-4107
Guangquan ChenGuangxi Key Laboratory of Beibu Gulf Marine Resources, Environment and Sustainable Development, Fourth Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Beihai 536015, P. R. China.ORCID 0000-0002-2531-3092
Xingyong XuCollege of Earth Science and Engineering, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266590, P. R. China.
Bo ZhangCollege of Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, P. R. China.ORCID 0009-0002-3541-0950
Lin ZhangCollege of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, P. R. China.ORCID 0000-0002-8564-6614
Yajie WuHelmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Permoserstraße 15, Leipzig 04318, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-4896-9940
Olaf KolditzSchool of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-8098-4905
Jian LuoDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milano 20156, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-7202-996X
Alberto GuadagniniHenan Provincial Key Lab of Hydrosphere and Watershed Water Security, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou 450046, P. R. China.ORCID 0000-0003-3959-9690

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Seawater intrusion poses a major threat to freshwater resources in coastal aquifers worldwide. In China alone, these types of aquifers provide a vital groundwater source for nearly 400 million people. Whereas modern seawater intrusion is often attributed to human activities and climate change, the role of paleo-salt water remains poorly quantified. This continental-scale investigation of seawater intrusion in China reveals that paleo-salt water, not modern seawater, dominates salinity patterns in large sedimentary basins. Analysis of over 2100 water samples shows a strong correlation between intrusion and tectonic subsidence zones, with paleo-salt water affecting 66% of the observed salinized areas. In northern coastal plains, paleo-salt water trapped in confined aquifers is characterized by salinity levels exceeding 144.6 grams per liter, whereas modern seawater intrusion (34%) occurs in hilly regions with thinner sediments. Isotopic signatures (δ

Identifiers

PMID42160442
PMCPMC13189118

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