Gainers and losers of surface and terrestrial water resources in China during 1989\u20132016

Xinxin Wang,Jinwei Dong,Yuanwei Qin,Hui Ye,Michael A Menarguez,Russell B Doughty,Xiangming Xiao,Jun Ma,Qiaoyan Zhong,Junbang Wang,Bo Li,Zhenhua Zou,Bangqian Chen,Bin Zhao

doi:10.1038/s41467-020-17103-w

Abstract

Data and knowledge of the spatial-temporal dynamics of surface water area (SWA) and terrestrial water storage (TWS) in China are critical for sustainable management of water resources but remain very limited. Here we report annual maps of surface water bodies in China during 1989–2016 at 30m spatial resolution. We find that SWA decreases in water-poor northern China but increases in water-rich southern China during 1989–2016. Our results also reveal the spatial-temporal divergence and consistency between TWS and SWA during 2002–2016. In North China, extensive and continued losses of TWS, together with small to moderate changes of SWA, indicate long-term water stress in the region. Approximately 569 million people live in those areas with deceasing SWA or TWS trends in 2015. Our data set and the findings from this study could be used to support the government and the public to address increasing challenges of water resources and security in China.

Highlights

Data and knowledge of the spatial-temporal dynamics of surface water area (SWA) and terrestrial water storage (TWS) in China are critical for sustainable management of water resources but remain very limited
Accurate and updated information on the spatial–temporal dynamics of surface water bodies over the past few decades across different spatial scales are invaluable for better understanding of the roles of surface water bodies in water security in China, but such information has not been well documented to the public and policy-makers, yet
The year-long SWA in 2016 was ∼0.155 × 106 km[2], most of which was in large rivers, lakes, and reserves (Fig. 1a) between 80°–90°E and 110°–120°E longitude and 35°–45°N latitude in China (Supplementary Fig. 2a)

Summary

Introduction

Data and knowledge of the spatial-temporal dynamics of surface water area (SWA) and terrestrial water storage (TWS) in China are critical for sustainable management of water resources but remain very limited. Guangdong Province had the largest population, the highest GDP, and a significantly increasing TWS trend and a non-significant change in SWA (Fig. 5c), which suggests that water resources are unlikely to be a major constraint for Guangdong.

Results

Conclusion