Changes in environmental flow regimes caused by tropical cyclones in the Western North Pacific

Abstract

Changes in environmental flow regime due to hydraulic construction projects and variability in precipitation patterns due to climate change over the past several years have increased the stress on ecohydrology, and the indiscreet use of water has had a negative impact on the water environment in natural rivers and hydro structures. Previous studies on typhoon precipitation have simply estimated the intensity, duration, frequency, and magnitude of typhoon precipitations, but the study of the effects on water resource and ecosystem operations by separating typhoon precipitations from warm season precipitations was relatively inadequate. Therefore, this study investigated the characteristics of quantitative hydrological changes related to daily flow data of dam inflows considering the effects of the typhoon. According to the peak flow rate and frequency analysis, there is a distinct increase trend in the southern part of the Korean peninsula. Also, during non-typhoon periods, low flow rates are frequent, but low-flow changes due to typhoons are not significant. The results of this study could be used as a useful resource for establishing scientific measures for the preparation and coordination of responses to the changes in water and ecological environment systems in a changing climate.