Abstract
The Tarim basin is a unique ecosystem. The water from the Tarim River supports both wildlife and humans. To analyze the effects of both land use and climate changes on groundwater, a research site was established at Yingibazar, which is a river oasis along the middle section of the Tarim River. A hydrological survey was performed to assess the general water cycle in this area with special emphasis on groundwater replenishment as well as the impact of agricultural irrigation on the riparian natural vegetation with respect to salt transport and depth of groundwater. Although high-resolution input data is scarce for this region, simulation of water cycle processes was performed using the hydrological model MIKE SHE (DHI). The results of the calibrated model show that natural flooding is the major contributor to groundwater recharge. There is also a close interaction between irrigated agricultural areas and the adjacent natural vegetation for groundwater levels and salinity up to 300 m away from the fields. Furthermore, the source of water used for irrigation (i.e., river and/or groundwater) has a high impact on groundwater levels and salt transportation efficiency. The ongoing expansion of agricultural areas is rapidly destroying natural vegetation, floodplains, and their natural flow paths. Our results show that more unstable annual Tarim floods will occur in the future under the background of climate change. Therefore, integrated hydrological simulations were also performed for 2050 and 2100 using MIKE SHE. The results confirm that after the glaciers melt in the Tian Shan Mountains, serious aquifer depletion and environmental degradation will occur in the area, causing great difficulties for the local people.
Highlights
The Tarim River (Northwest China—Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region), which is one of the longest inland rivers in the world, runs along the northern fringe of the Taklamakan Desert till it reaches its final lake—the Tetema Lake
The complete water cycle of a region along the Tarim River was calculated in detail for the years 2012 and 2013
The sources of groundwater recharge could be differentiated by computing the influence of flooding at the floodplains, irrigation water from agriculture, and seepage losses from the Tarim River
Summary
The Tarim River (Northwest China—Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region), which is one of the longest inland rivers in the world, runs along the northern fringe of the Taklamakan Desert till it reaches its final lake—the Tetema Lake. The Tarim River is mainly fed by mountain precipitation, seasonal snow, and melting glaciers in contrast to the hyper-arid conditions that prevail at the center of the sand desert, which has a mean annual precipitation of approximately 50 mm and potential evapotranspiration of up to 2200 mm per year. To support vegetation and farming in particular, people rely on water either from the Tarim River itself or from the limited local groundwater resources, which are currently used without constraints. The groundwater recharge is highly dependent on the annual massive Tarim floods as water only infiltrates the floodplains and replenishes the subsurface water storage on these occasions [1]. Over the past five decades, the intense exploitation of water resources, mainly through agriculture and embankments at the upper and middle stretches of the Tarim River, has changed the temporal and spatial distribution of water resources, causing serious environmental problems in the. The ecosystems and ecological processes that are more controlled by the natural vegetation have been more impacted by the changing extensions of the floodplains and water diversions for irrigation purposes
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