Abstract
Taitema Lake, located in the lower reaches of the Tarim River and the Cherchen River, is one of the most important ecological barriers in Ruoqiang County. The amount of water in Taitema Lake plays an important role in maintaining a healthy cycle within the ecosystem, curbing sandstorms, and improving salinization and desertification. The aim of this study was to reasonably determine the volume of ecological water conveyance by calculating the ecological water demand. We systematically analyzed the spatial and temporal variation characteristics of Taitema Lake during 21 ecological water conveyance processes from 2000 to 2020. The results showed that the area of Taitema Lake increased at a rate of 144% per year because of the Ecological Water Conveyance Project (EWCP). The areas of water in dry, normal, and high flow years were 30.35, 57.76, and 103.5 km2, respectively. The corresponding ecological water demand was 1.58 × 108, 3.09 × 108, and 5.66 × 108 m3, respectively. We calculated that the Cherchen River and the Tarim River carried 0.87 × 108–3.11 × 108 m3 and 0.71 × 108–2.55 × 108 m3 of water, respectively, under different inflow frequencies. This study has significance as a reference for estimates of the ecological water demand of terminal lakes under the condition of artificial water transport in arid inland river basins, and provides the basis for the rational allocation of water resources in the Tarim River Basin.
Highlights
The Tarim River Basin is an important energy replacement area and reserve resource pool in China
Based on Gleick’s theory about the ecological significance of ecological water demand [27,28], we propose a method of hydrological frequency analysis to determine the ecological water area [32]
The Ecological Water Conveyance Project (EWCP) in the lower reaches of the Tarim River was implemented in May 2000
Summary
The Tarim River Basin is an important energy replacement area and reserve resource pool in China. This basin is the strategic bridgehead of the Silk Road Economic Belt opening to the west, and its economic and political status is very important. Due to the unreasonable utilization of water resources in the basin and the extremely fragile ecological environment of the basin itself, Lop Nur and Taitema Lake at the tail end of the Tarim. Since 2000, the Ecological Water Conveyance Project (EWCP) to the lower reaches of the Tarim River has realized intermittent water supply, from Daxihaizi Reservoir, which has improved restoration of the lower reaches of the Tarim River and revived Taitema Lake, which was dried up for decades.
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