Abstract
Abstract. As one of the most developed regions in China, hydrological process of Taihu basin was influenced under rapid development of urbanization. Based on original gauge data and water stage correction data from Bureau of Hydrology, variability in precipitation and water stage was investigated by Mann–Kendall test. The results demonstrated that: (1) The highest water stage (HWS), lowest water stage (LWS), average water stage (AWS) of all months had increasing trends, especially significantly in non-flood season. The LWS also increased significantly in May, July, September, and November, while the AWS increased significantly in September and November. (2) Water diversion from Yangtze River to Taihu Basin and supplying to the downstream, had strong effects on water stage increase of Taihu Lake. Finally, recommendations based on the correlation between precipitation and water stage was proposed to protect effective utilization of water resources from the impacts of rapid urbanization.
Highlights
The influences of urbanization on river systems have been widely recognized as the most significant among all human activities (Dudgeon, 2006; Shi et al, 2010)
There are 68 sluices along the Yangtze River to defend flood and meet water demand of water resources, 230 rivers with 186 sluices around the Taihu Lake, and 9 sluices along the Hangzhou Bay to solve the drainage of the flood (Yin et al, 2009)
Deng et al (2015) investigated the temporal and spatial change of river system in the Taihu region in conjunction with urbanization, and the results demonstrated that the changes in river density, the water surface ratio and main river area length ratio in rapid urbanization period were much greater than those in the slow urbanization period
Summary
The influences of urbanization on river systems have been widely recognized as the most significant among all human activities (Dudgeon, 2006; Shi et al, 2010). Under the circumstance of urban occupation, tributaries have been narrowed gradually and even disappeared, while the impervious surface area has been increased significantly, leading to the increase in runoff volume of main rivers (Gregory, 2006; Elmore and Kaushal, 2008; Yuan et al, 2006). The flow regimes in Taihu basin are facing the effects of the changing climate, and intense urbanization process (Zhou et al, 2013; Liu and Xu, 2015). By the end of 2015, the population of Taihu Basin reached to 59.97 million and the GDP is 6688 billion Yuan, representing about 4.4 % and 9.9 % of the nation’s totals, respectively
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
