Utilization Of Regional Water Resources Research Articles

Spatial correlation of groundwater level with natural factors using geographically weighted regression model in the Choushui River Alluvial Fan, Taiwan

The groundwater of the Choushui River alluvial fan in Central Taiwan has been overexploited for a long time. It is essential to understand the factors governing changes in groundwater level (GWL) for the use of water resources. In this study, we first conducted a Mann–Kendall test to identify significant trends in the regional GWL and obtained its spatial characteristics using the Moran’s I index in the Choushui River alluvial fan. Furthermore, we established a geographically weighted regression (GWR) model to explore the spatial correlation between natural factors and GWL in dry and wet seasons from 1999 to 2019. The long-term trend analysis shows that the GWL of the Choushui River alluvial fan decline significantly. The Moran’s I index shows that the spatial distribution of GWL had a positive correlation in both dry and wet seasons. GWR model indicate that the GWL are affected by drainage density (Dd), slope (S), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and precipitation (P) during the dry season, while Dd, S, NDVI, and wetness index (WI) have an effect on the GWL during the wet season. These results can not only describe the model applicability for exploring the relationship between natural factors and GWL but also be used as references for future regional water resource utilization and management.

Evolution of Sustainable Water Resource Utilization in Hunan Province, China

The demand for social and economic development has promoted research into water resources. The combined effects of natural conditions and human activities on regional water resource usage are not well understood. The sustainable utilization of water resources was assessed in terms of supply (e.g., precipitation) and demand (e.g., ecological water resources footprint (EFw)) sides in Hunan Province, China, from 2010 to 2019. The results showed that: (1) on the supply side, water resources were increased across Hunan Province. The spatial patterns of total water resources are significantly heterogeneous, with high values in the east and south, which are mainly affected by precipitation; (2) on the demand side, evapotranspiration was great in areas with high vegetation coverage. The EFw was high in relatively developed areas. The mean percentage of agricultural EFw remained dominant at approximately 60% with a steady decreasing trend, while that of eco-environmental EFw increased; and (3) the sustainable utilization of water resources in Hunan Province is generally rational. Moreover, the potential for water resource development and utilization is really significant in eastern and southern Hunan Province. The findings are beneficial in providing an important scientific basis for policymaking relating to the efficient utilization of regional water resources.

Analysis of the Coupling Characteristics of Water Resources and Food Security: The Case of Northwest China

Exploring the coupling characteristics of regional water resources and food security helps to promote the sustainable development of grain production and is of great significance for achieving global food security. From the aspects of regional “water supply”, “water use” and “water demand”, the coupling characteristics of water resources and food security were systematically revealed; the new challenges faced by regional food security from the perspective of water resources were clarified; and effective ways to promote the utilization of regional water resources and the sustainable development of grain production were explored. This paper took Northwest China, which is the most arid region, where water-resource utilization and food security are in contradiction, as the research area. The water-resource load index, the water footprint of grain production and the water-consumption footprint were used to quantify the regional water-resource pressure index, as well as the residential grain-consumption types, population urbanization, the industrial-grain-processing industry and their corresponding water-consumption footprints from 2000 to 2020. The coupling characteristics of water resources and food security were systematically revealed. The results showed the following: (1) In 2000–2020, the water-resource load index increased from 4.0 to 10.7, and the load level increased from III to I. At the same time, agricultural water resources were largely allocated elsewhere. (2) During the period, the food rations showed a significant decreasing trend, and the average annual reduction was 3.4% (p < 0.01). The water footprint of animal products increased, particularly for beef and poultry (the average annual growth rates were 9.9% and 6.3%, respectively). In addition, the water footprint of industrial food consumption increased by 297.1%. (3) With the improvement of the urbanization level, the water-consumption footprint increased by 85.9%. It is expected that the water footprint of grain consumption will increase by 39.4% and 52.3% by 2030 and 2040, respectively. Exploring how to take effective measures to reduce the water footprint to meet food-security needs is imperative. This study proposed measures to improve the utilization efficiency of blue and green water and reduce gray water and the grain-consumption water footprint from the aspects of regional planting-structure optimization potential, water-saving irrigation technology, dietary-structure transformation and virtual water trade; these measures could better relieve the water-resource pressure and promote the sustainable development of grain production and water-resource utilization.

Optimization of Drought Limited Water Level and Operation Benefit Analysis of Large Reservoir

As an important water conservancy engineering project, reservoir regulation plays a crucial role in the insurance of water resources supply and demand balance and sustainable development and utilization, especially during drought seasons. The drought limited water level (DLWL) is the characteristic controlling water level of reservoir regulation operation during dry seasons, and the construction of reliable controlling schemes of DLWL is of great significance for the improvement of regional water resources utilization efficiency. Therefore, basing on the variation analysis of water inflowing series and water resources utilization characteristics among different sectors of Meishan Reservoir in Shihe Irrigation Area of China, firstly, the Hausdorff Dimensional Fractal (HDF) method was applied to divide drought early-warning periods of Meishan reservoir. Then, the initial scheme of DLWL of reservoir was determined through reservoir water inflow and water supply processes analysis during each drought warning periods of different typical hydrological years. And finally, the optimal dynamic controlling scheme of DLWL, described by drought warning water level (DWWL) and drought depleted water level (DDWL) respectively, was eventually proposed in this study based on the establishment of simulation and regulation model of reservoir and irrigation areas system. Moreover, the reliability and effectiveness of the proposed optimal controlling scheme of DLWL was further testified in terms of drought risk analysis of reservoir and irrigation area system under typical consecutive and annual drought scenarios, and meanwhile, the agricultural crop yield loss risk due to drought events corresponding to different controlling schemes of DLWL was also determined. The related research findings of this study could be favorable and beneficial for guiding drought-resistance regulation of reservoir and irrigation area system during drought seasons and providing reasonable decision-making basis of water resources utilization schemes as well.

A new model to evaluate water resource spatial equilibrium based on the game theory coupling weight method and the coupling coordination degree

The positions of human activities that request water and the water natural distributions are usually not spatially consistent, which has restricted regional development and sustainability globally. This spatial mismatch emphasizes the urgent need to examine the water resource spatial equilibrium (WRSE). The WRSE is a metric used to overcome the spatial restriction of water resources for regional sustainable development. Although some studies have investigated the WRSE, the implications and the quantitative evaluations have been poorly explained. In line with this background, a novel comprehensive evaluation model for investigating WRSE was developed in this research. In developing this model, the game theory coupling weight method and the coupling coordination degree are jointly adopted to quantify the WRSE performance. The model also includes in-depth investigation, including type classification and accumulative obstacle index analysis, both of which help to identify regions that urgently need to improve their WRSEs and present indicators that have the greatest restriction effects on WRSE. Empirical study performed on 31 provinces in China during 2004–2019 proved the effectiveness of the new comprehensive evaluation model developed in this research for evaluating the WRSE. The demonstration conducted can help decision-makers formulate tailor-made countermeasures on a regional scale to optimize the WRSE, which also proves that the novel comprehensive evaluation model is applicable and effective in evaluating WRSE. This new model not only provides a theoretical reference for conducting WRSE research, but also provides a novel perspective on the sustainable development and utilization of regional water resources.

Hydrochemical Characteristics and the Relationship between Surface and Groundwater in a Typical ‘Mountain–Oasis’ Ecosystem in Central Asia

Water environment monitoring is an important way to optimize the allocation and sustainable utilization of regional water resources and is beneficial for ensuring the security of regional water resources. In order to explore hydrochemical distributions in a mountain–oasis ecosystem in Central Asia, surface water and groundwater samples from the Kaidu River basin were collected over four seasons. pH values, major ions, total dissolved solids (TDS) and stable isotopes were determined during the period from 2016 to 2017. The results showed: (1) that most water bodies in the study areas were mildly alkaline and that hydrochemical distributions showed significant seasonal and spatial variation; (2) that δD and δ18O in surface water and groundwater showed enrichment in summer and autumn and poverty in spring and winter, with higher δ18O values appearing in the oasis area and lower δ18O values appearing in the mountain area; (3) that most of the water bodies in the study areas were of HCO3−Ca2+ type, with the hydrochemical types of groundwater presenting obvious spatial inconsistency relative to surface water; (4) that rock weathering was the main factor controlling hydrochemical composition in the study areas and that human activities had an influence on the groundwater environment in the oasis area; (5) and that surface water–groundwater interactions also displayed spatial inconsistency, especially in summer. The interaction between river water and groundwater was more obvious in the traditional oasis area, especially in spring and summer. The results will be important for regional water resource management and sustainable water utilization.

A new assessment method of sustainable water resources utilization considering fairness-efficiency-security: A case study of 31 provinces and cities in China

• An evaluation method for SWRU was developed based on water ecological footprint model. • Assessing the performance of SWRU in terms of fairness, efficiency and security. • WSUI was at a relatively unsustainable level in China over the period 2005-2019. • Low water resources efficiency is the most prominent factor limiting SWRU. • Findings can provide scientific reference for improving regional water resources sustainability. Accurate assessment of sustainable water resources utilization (SWRU) is one of the basis for alleviating the growing human-water conflict. However, there are some unavoidable defects in previous research, such as poor holistic considerations, subjectivity in judgment process and limited methodological applicability. Therefore, after determining the triple attributes of SWRU (i.e., fairness, efficiency and security), Gini coefficient, data envelopment analysis (DEA) technique and water ecological footprint (WEF) model were used to establish water resources fairness index (WFI), water resources efficiency index (WEI) and water resources ecological security index (WESI). The three indices were then integrated into water resources sustainable utilization index (WSUI) with Euclidean distance, thus forming the SWRU quantification method system, which can effectively overcome the above shortcomings. Finally, the temporal and spatial characteristics of SWRU during 2005-2019 were diagnosed in 31 provinces and cities of China. Results reveal that: (1) Over half of provinces have a mismatch between population and water distribution, especially in the north, where the contradiction of more people and less water is chronic; (2) The decline in water resources efficiency has not attracted sufficient attention for a long time; (3) WESI in the south was below threshold 1 and water resources ecology is safe, while the northern regions are basically at an insecure level; (4) WSUI multi-year average was within [0.44, 0.51] in China, which has been at relatively unsustainable level, and low water resources efficiency is the most prominent factor limiting SWRU. These findings can provide scientific reference for improving the sustainable utilization of regional water resources.

Estimation of regional farmland irrigation water requirements and water balance in Northeast China.

Agricultural water use has long accounted for more than 70% of water consumption in Northeast China. Estimating farmland irrigation water requirements and water balance is essential to ensure safe agricultural water and promote rational development and utilization of regional water resources. In this study, based on the modified Penman-Monteith equation recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Geographic Information System (GIS) technology, the net crop irrigation water requirements for four main crops in Northeast China were calculated, and the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics were also analyzed. Additionally, regional farmland irrigation water requirements were estimated, water balance in a typical year was determined, and the dominant factors affecting farmland irrigation water requirements in different regions were analyzed. From 1986 to 2020, the net irrigation water requirements for four main crops all showed the temporal trend of no significant increase and the spatial distribution characteristic of being high in the west and low in the east. The farmland irrigation water requirement decreased, and the monthly average farmland irrigation water requirement peaked in July during 2010-2019. Compared with 2010, in 2019, the irrigation water requirement per cultivated land grid cell in 20 cities increased and that in 16 cities decreased. Most cities were facing varying degrees of water shortage. Precipitation had the greatest direct effect on the farmland irrigation water requirement in different regions. These results quantify the farmland irrigation water requirement and water balance in Northeast China, and provide a reference for water resources and related environmental governance.

A new precipitation forecast method based on CEEMD-WTD-GRU

Abstract The simulation of precipitation changes can provide references for the prediction and prevention of flood disasters, and has guiding significance for the comprehensive utilization of regional water resources. Precipitation forecasting is difficult due to the randomness and uncertainty of precipitation events. CEEMD can effectively overcome modal aliasing and white noise interference. The WTD process has obvious denoising effects on the original signal. GRU can effectively solve long-term memory and reflection. Based on the advantages of problems such as gradients in propagation, a CEEMD-WTD-GRU precipitation prediction coupling model is constructed. The second decomposition of CEEMD-WTD-GRU can more effectively extract complex time series information. The time series forecasting provided a new method, which effectively improved the accuracy of the forecast and applied it to the forecast of monthly precipitation in Shanghai. The research results show that the average absolute error of the CEEMD-WTD-GRU model is 3.86, the average relative error is 3.30%, and the Nash efficiency coefficient is 0.99. The prediction accuracy is better than the CEEMD-WTD-GRU model without noise reduction, the CEEMD-LSTM model and GRU model, which shows that it has strong nonlinear and complex process learning ability in hydrological factor simulation, and can be used for regional precipitation prediction.

黄土丘陵区坡耕地与撂荒地土壤水分对降雨的响应特征

为了揭示黄土丘陵区不同土地覆被方式下土壤含水量对不同强度降雨的响应过程，选取山西省冯家沟小流域农耕地和撂荒地为研究对象，基于2019年4-10月降雨和土壤含水量以小时为单位的观测数据，分析了土壤含水量对不同强度降雨的响应规律。结果表明：（1）小雨、中雨、大雨和暴雨对土层的影响深度分别为20、20、60 cm和60 cm，研究区降雨最主要的形式-小雨对土壤水分的补给作用较小。（2）各强度降雨过程中，除0-10 cm土层外，农耕地土壤含水量均大于撂荒地，且大雨条件下农耕地各土层土壤含水量变化较显著，而撂荒地仅0-10 cm和10-20 cm土层土壤含水量有所增加。（3）不同土层土壤含水量对降雨的响应不同，表层响应相对明显而深层相对减弱；农耕地土壤平均含水量最大值出现在50-60 cm土层，而撂荒地出现在30-40 cm土层。（4）本地区农耕地土壤含水量高于撂荒地，表明在该地区适当的作物种植有较好的储存土壤水分的作用。本研究的结果对地区水资源的高效利用和水土流失防控提供了一定的科学依据。;In order to reveal the response process of soil water content to different rainfall intensities under different land cover modes in Loess hilly region. This study selected the cultivated land and abandoned land in Fengjiagou small watershed of Shanxi Province as the research objects. Based on the observation data of rainfall and soil water content in hours from April to October 2019, the response of soil water content to different rainfall intensities was analyzed. The results showed that:(1) The influence depths of light rainfall, moderate rainfall, heavy rainfall and torrential rainfall on soil layer were 20, 20, 60 cm and 60 cm, respectively. The main form of rainfall-light rainfall had little effect on soil moisture in the study area. (2) During each rainfall intensity, except 0-10 cm soil layer, the soil water content of the cultivated land was higher than that of abandoned land, and the soil water content of each soil layer in the cultivated land changed significantly under heavy rainfall conditions, while the soil water content of abandoned land was only increased in 0-10 cm and 10-20 cm soil layers. (3) The content of soil water among soil layers had different response to rainfall, and the response of surface soil moisture was more responsive than that of the deep soil water content. The maximum average soil water content appeared in 50-60 cm soil layer in the cultivated land, while the abandoned land appeared in the 30-40 cm soil layer. (4) The soil water content of the cultivated land was higher than that of the abandoned land, indicating that appropriate crop planting in this region had a better role in storing soil moisture. The results of this study provide a scientific basis for the efficient utilization of regional water resources and the prevention and control of soil erosion.

Comprehensive evaluation of security, equity, and efficiency on regional water resources coordination using a hybrid multi-criteria decision-making method with different hesitant fuzzy linguistic term sets

Regional water resources coordination (RWRC) plays a prominent role in long-term sustainability. In order to achieve harmonious utilization of regional water resources, it is suggested that local governments should focus on balancing three goals - security, equity, and efficiency, resulting in both ecological and socio-economic benefits in a region. Therefore, this paper aims to develop a comprehensive evaluation methodology for assessing the degree of RWRC. First, a security-equity-efficiency (SEE) evaluation indicator system is established. A novel multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach that integrates decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method and VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (in Serbian, known as VIKOR) method considering two different hesitant fuzzy linguistic term sets (HFLTSs) is then proposed. With this approach, a final ranking is obtained for six alternatives for the RWRC of the relevant regions (i.e., Shandong Province, Henan Province, Hebei Province, Anhui Province, Tian City, Jiangsu Province) in North China Plain, and the six relevant regions receive coordination performance ranking of II, III, V, I, VI, IV. Moreover, comparison analysis and sensitivity analysis are conducted to verify the effectiveness and reliability of the proposed method and dig deep into the RWRC conditions in the studied regions. Finally, some managerial suggestions are provided for strengthening the coordination levels in these regions.

Monitoring of Irrigation Area in Chuanhang Irrigation Area Based on MODIS Daily Surface Temperature Range

Monitoring and analysis of irrigated area is of great significance to evaluate irrigation benefit, agricultural drought situation and regional water resources utilization. This article selects MODIS surface temperature products from 2016 to 2020. Using the method of daily difference in surface temperature, eliminating the influence of precipitation, realizing remote sensing monitoring of irrigation intensity and spatial distribution of irrigation area. The results showed that the average number of irrigation times in five years was in the range of 6-8. Due to factors such as rainfall during the irrigation period, the overall irrigation frequency from 2016 to 2018 is less than the overall irrigation frequency in 2019 and 2020. On June 11, 2018, remote sensing images detected irrigation areas of Buzi Town, Longhe Town, Yangbei Town and Chenji Town, which were consistent with the data of irrigation areas.

Research on the impact of environmental regulation on water resources utilization efficiency in China based on the SYS-GMM model

Abstract The paper uses the super-efficiency data envelopment analysis (DEA) model to measure the water resources utilization efficiency of 30 provinces in China, and then uses the system generalized method of moments (GMM) model to analyze the impact of environmental regulations on China's regional water resources utilization efficiency. Conclusions as follows. (1) The overall water utilization efficiency is low, and the regions are very unbalanced. The more efficient areas are concentrated in the east, and the less efficient areas are in the west. (2) There is a ‘U’-shaped relationship between the intensity of environmental regulation and water resource utilization efficiency, that is, weaker environmental regulation intensity is not conducive to the improvement of water resource utilization efficiency, but when the intensity of environmental regulation crosses the ‘inflection point’, it can promote the improvement of water resources utilization efficiency. (3) The level of economic development has a very significant positive effect on water resources utilization efficiency, and the coefficient of scientific and technological progress is positive, but the impact of scientific and technological input on water resources utilization efficiency is limited and not significant; industrial structure and water resource utilization efficiency shows a negative correlation; water use structure and water resources efficiency show a negative correlation.

Response of glacier area variation to climate change in the Kaidu-Kongque river basin, Southern Tianshan Mountains during the last 20 years

Glaciers are crucial water resources for arid inland rivers in Northwest China. In recent decades, glaciers are largely experiencing shrinkage under the climate-warming scenario, thereby exerting tremendous influences on regional water resources. The primary role of understudying watershed scale glacier changes under changing climatic conditions is to ensure sustainable utilization of regional water resources, to prevent and mitigate glacier-related disasters. This study maps the current (2020) distribution of glacier boundaries across the Kaidu-Kongque river basin, south slope of Tianshan Mountains, and monitors the spatial evolution of glaciers over five time periods from 2000–2020 through thresholded band ratios approach, using 25 Landsat images at 30 m resolution. In addition, this study attempts to understand the role of climate characteristics for variable response of glacier area. The results show that the total area of glaciers was 398.21 km2 in 2020. The glaciers retreated by about 1.17 km2/a (0.26%/a) from 2000 to 2020. The glaciers were reducing at a significantly rapid rate between 2000 and 2005, a slow rate from 2005 to 2015, and an accelerated rate during 2015–2020. The meteorological data shows slight increasing trends of mean annual temperature (0.02°C/a) and annual precipitation (2.07 mm/a). The correlation analysis demonstrates that the role of temperature presents more significant correlation with glacier recession than precipitation. There is a temporal hysteresis in the response of glacier change to climate change. Increasing trend of temperature in summer proves to be the driving force behind the Kaidu-Kongque basin glacier recession during the recent 20 years.© 2021 China Geology Editorial Office.

Evaluation of Water Resources Utilization Effectiveness Based on Eco-economics Theory

Chen, Y.; Li, Z.; Li, P.; Gao, H.; Jin, T.; Du, P., and Zhang, Y., 2020. Evaluation of water resources utilization effectiveness based on eco-economics theory. In: Bai, X. and Zhou, H. (eds.), Advances in Water Resources, Environmental Protection, and Sustainable Development. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 115, pp. 148-150. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.Facing the increasingly severe water resources situation, how to manage water resources reasonably and effectively, and improve the utilization efficiency and efficiency of water resources is an inevitable requirement for the overall development of China's economic and social water resources ecological environment system. Based on this, the effect of water resources utilization is evaluated based on the theory of ecological economics. The SVM correlation model algorithm is proposed. The dynamic analysis and simulation evaluation are carried out through SD simulation technology, and the total system flow diagram of regional water resources utilization evaluation is established. Based on the maximum flow algorithm, the incentive degree of water resources ecological compensation mechanism is studied. InVEST model and household survey are used to calculate the new water conservation and land use conversion costs. After considering the risk of water resources ecosystem loss, the welfare cost method is adopted. On the county scale, the potential objects of ecological compensation for water resources in the Weihe River Basin are identified. The results show that there are obvious spatial differences in water resources ecological compensation efficiency coefficients in Gansu section of Weihe River Basin. Weiyuan County with the highest runoff is 1.26, Gangu County with the lowest runoff is 0.46. The efficiency of the project can be increased by 40.54% after spatial screening of regional compensation objects. Through the evaluation of water resources utilization and water resources policy simulation, it provides a reference for the coordinated development of water resources and social economy in China.

Inter- and intra-annual trend analysis of water level and flow in the middle and lower reaches of the Ganjiang River, China

ABSTRACT The Ganjiang River is the largest tributary of Poyang Lake in China, and its hydrological regime variation greatly affects the utilization of regional water resources and the ecological environment of the lake. In this study, a novel trend analysis method, the Moving Average over Shifting Horizon (MASH), was applied to investigate the inter- and intra-annual trends of flow and water level from 1976 to 2016 at the Xiajiang and the Waizhou hydrological stations in the Ganjiang River. The Significant Change Rate Method (SCRM) was proposed to determine the MASH averaging parameters. The trend analysis results show a statistically significant decrease in water level series throughout the year and the relationship of flow and water level have changed greatly at the Waizhou station. The sediment load reduction, large-scale sand mining and water level decrease of Poyang Lake are identified as the main causes for the water level decrease.

Sustainability Assessment of Water Resources in Beijing

A sustainability assessment of water resources is essential for maintaining regional sustainable development. In this study, a comprehensive assessment of changes in the sustainability of the water resource system in Beijing from 2008 to 2018 was conducted on the basis of the driver-pressure-state-impact-response (DPSIR) model. To reflect the impacts of humans on the water consumption and pollution of water resources, the water footprint was considered. In addition, key factors that affect the sustainability of water resources were filtered by the modified entropy method. The results indicated that all drivers, pressures, states, impacts, and responses demonstrated increasing tendencies. As a result, a remarkable improvement in the sustainability of the water system, which was mitigated from an alert state to a good state, was achieved due to the comprehensive effect of the indexes. From these results, we inferred that the sustainability of regional water resources could only be achieved through a comprehensive consideration of regional social, economic, and environmental water systems and climate change. Therefore, formulating medium- and long-term urban, economic, and water development plans and adjusting medium- and short-term water utilization programs could contribute to the sustainable utilization of regional water resources.

Evaluation of natural support capacity of water resources using principal component analysis method: a case study of Fuyang district, China

The natural support capacity (NSC) of water resources is a key aspect of the regional carrying capacity of water resources, and it can reflect the quality and quantity of water resources in a region. This paper aims to evaluate the NSC of water resources using a model based on the principal component analysis (PCA) to benefit the development and utilization of regional water resources. A case study in the Fuyang district, Zhejiang Province, China, was carried out. First, water resources, as dependent variables, were assumed to be linearly influenced by the indicators affecting the NSC of water resources. These indicators were regarded as independent variables for multivariate analysis in this study. Then, the available water resources data for the Fuyang district between 1995 and 2003 were inputted to the model to analyze NSC levels of water resources. The results indicated that the most important parameters influencing the NSC of water resources could be shortlisted to water resources availability, surface water resources, groundwater resources, allowable withdrawal of water resources, and emission intensity of chemical oxygen demanding. Our findings revealed that the NSC of water resources in the Fuyang district fluctuated between 1995 and 1999 and generally declined after 2000, indicating that the issue of water pollution has worsened since 2000. These results are consistent with the field observations and thus shall provide new potential applications of a PCA-based model in evaluating the NSC of water resources and the relevant water resource carrying capacity for similar areas.

Regional hydrology heterogeneity and the response to climate and land surface changes in arid alpine basin, northwest China

Hydrology heterogeneity refers to the different water regimes or hydrological processes in response to heterogeneous in topography, landscapes, land cover, soil properties, geology and meteorology reflecting as the spatial variation of precipitation, evapotranspiration and water yield along with landscape, elevation, terrain and climate variation. However, the hydrology heterogeneity in the alpine region of inland river basin has remained unclear to date, which limits the understanding of the hydrology and landscape interaction mechanism and affects the rational utilization of regional water resources. In this study, we combined the soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) and water-energy coupling framework to detect the hydrology heterogeneity in the arid alpine region of Heihe River Basin (HRB). We applied SWAT model to present the hydrological processes and regimes at different landscapes and elevation bands by using field measured parameters, and investigate the hydrology heterogeneity as well as the response to the changes in recent climate and land surface in the perspective of water-energy coupling framework. The results indicate that SWAT is indeed a robust tool in representing the streamflow process in alpine region with accurate performance. The distribution of landscapes reflect the comprehensive effect of regional water-energy coupling, which highly rely on the altitudinal gradient. The hydrology heterogeneity in high-altitude area is sensitive to energy and in low-altitude area is sensitive to water limitation (drought stress). Climate change is the dominate factor that driving the hydrology heterogeneity shifts in alpine region of HRB, while, the effect of land surface change is gradually strengthening over the past 50 years, reflecting with the contribution of land surface change on hydrology shifts is gradually increasing.

Simulation and Analysis on the Optimal Tax Rate of Water Resources in Yunnan Province

The shortage of water resources has become an increasingly common problem. One of the biggest challenges in China’s current economic development is the prominent contradiction between water supply and demand in some densely populated areas. Although Yunnan Province has abundant water resources, due to factors such as precipitation timing, uneven distribution, regional geological conditions and low water-use efficiency, there are also contradictions in water supply and demand. In order to accelerate the transformation of extensive regional water resources utilization and achieve sustainable regional economy development, this paper establishes a Computable General Equilibrium Model (CGE) incorporating water resources elements of Yunnan Province, and simulates the water price changes. The conclusion is that the reasonable tax rate of water resources in Yunnan Province should be about 13%. Considering the corresponding average water price, the average specific tax rate of water resources should be 0.21 yuan/m3.