Attribution Assessment and Prediction of Runoff Change in the Han River Basin, China

Mengru Wei,Jijun Xu,Xin Wen,Mengqi Shi,Zhe Yuan

doi:10.3390/ijerph19042393

Abstract

The ecological environment and water resources of the Han River Basin (HRB) are incredibly susceptible to global warming. Naturally, the analysis of future runoff in HRB is believed to offer a theoretical basis for water resources management and ecological protection in HRB. The purpose of this study is to investigate and forecast the effects of climate change and land use change on runoff in the HRB. This study uses CMIP6 data to simulate three future climate change scenarios (SSP126, SSP245 and SSP585) for changes in precipitation and temperature, a CA-Markov model to simulate future land use change scenarios, and the Budyko framework to predict future runoff changes. The results show that: (1) Between 1974 and 2014, annual runoff (R) and annual precipitation (P) in the HRB decline not so significantly with a rate of 1.3673 mm/a and 1.2709 mm/a, while maximum temperature (Tmax) and minimum temperature (Tmin) and potential evapotranspiration (E0) show a non-significantly increasing trend with 0.0296 °C/a, 0.0204 °C/a and 1.3313 mm/a, respectively. Precipitation is considered as main contributor to the decline in Han River runoff, accounting for 54.1%. (2) In the HRB, overall precipitation and temperature are estimated to rise in the coming years, with all other hydrological variables. The comparison of precipitation rise under each scenario is as follows: SSP126 scenario > SSP585 scenario > SSP245 scenario. The comparison of the temperature increase under each scenario is as follows: SSP585 scenario > SSP245 scenario > SSP126 scenario. (3) In the HRB, farmland and grassland land will continue to decline in the future. The amount of forest acreage is projected to decline but not so significantly. (4) The future runoff of the HRB shows an increasing trend, and the future runoff varies in different scenarios and periods. Under the land use scenarios of maintaining LUCC1992–2014 and LUCC2040 and LUCC2060, the R change rates in 2015–2040 are 8.27–25.47% and −8.04–19.35%, respectively, and the R in 2040–2060 are 2.09–13.66% and 19.35–31.52%. At the same time, it is very likely to overestimate the future runoff of the HRB without considering the changes in the land use data of the underlying surface in the future.

Highlights

IntroductionClimate change and human activities have induced substantial changes in land use/cover (LUCC), precipitation, and temperature, resulting in significant changes in watershed runoff over the years [2–5]
From the linear fit curve analysis, it can be seen that temperature and potential evapotranspiration show a non-significant upward trend, which is generally consistent with the results of the MK trend test, increasing at the rates of 0.0296 ◦ C/a, 0.0204 ◦ C/a and 1.3313 mm/a, respectively
The impact of climate change and land use change on the reduction of runoff in the Han River Basin (HRB) was first analyzed, followed by an attribution analysis of the HRB based on the Budyko runoff elasticity coefficient method and a prediction for future runoff in the HRB

Summary

Introduction

Climate change and human activities have induced substantial changes in land use/cover (LUCC), precipitation, and temperature, resulting in significant changes in watershed runoff over the years [2–5]. These changes may probably cause a wide range of natural, environmental, and economical destruction [6]. The spatial and temporal variability in runoff is an essential component of the hydrological cycle [7,8] It is crucial for regional water resources management and planning to analyze the response of watershed hydrology to LUCC changes caused by climate change and human activities, and to assess the impacts of climate change and land use on runoff and water cycle changes [9–11].

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion