Abstract: Kaifeng section in the lower Yellow River exhibits obvious characteristics of a suspended river. The Yellow River lateral seepage and anthropogenic activities have contributed to ambiguous groundwater level trends and complex influencing factors. The 40-year evolution patterns of shallow groundwater levels along the Yellow River in the study area were systematically examined, and intra-annual hydrological dynamics and primary driving mechanisms were analyzed. The results showed that shallow groundwater level along the Yellow River was significantly positively correlated with rainfall before 2010, and the groundwater level decreased significantly from 2010 to 2020, mainly due to a significant increase in extraction. And the shallow groundwater level showed a fluctuating upward trend after 2020, due to the influence of heavy rainfall and groundwater exploitation reduction. The lithology of the vadose zone along the Yellow River is coarse, and rainwater quickly replenishes the groundwater, resulting in a significant rise in shallow groundwater level outside the Yellow River embankment during the rainy season. While shallow groundwater level outside the Yellow River embankment drops significantly by 3 m during the irrigation period. Shallow groundwater level on the inner side of the embankment is mainly affected by the lateral seepage of the Yellow River, and the fluctuation of the groundwater level is generally consistent with the fluctuation of the Yellow River water level. Based on the stable isotopes of δ¹⁸O and δ²H, the lateral seepage of the Yellow River from the river channel to the outer edge of the embankment gradually decreases from more than 80% to less than 50% of the groundwater recharge, and the influence of the lateral seepage of the Yellow River decreases with distance. This paper systematically identifies the evolutionary trend of shallow groundwater level in the lower reaches of the Yellow River, which is helpful to improve the utilization efficiency of groundwater resources, and promote the ecological protection and high-quality development of the lower reaches of the Yellow River.