A Cryosphere-Hydrology Observation System in a Small Alpine Watershed in the Qilian Mountains of China and Its Meteorological Gradient

Chen, Rongshi; Song, Yunpeng; Ersi, Kang; Han, Chuntan; Liu, Jianfang; Yang, Yonghui; Qing, Wenwu; Liu, Z. W.

doi:10.1657/1938-4246-46.2.505

Cited by 81 publications

(85 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…The east tributary and the mainstream are stronger than the west tributary in terms of precipitation lapse rate. The spatial precipitation lapse rate distribution is consistent with the findings of Chen and Liu [47,48]. The precipitation lapse rate of the west tributary is lower than that of the east tributary, mainstream and entire basin.…”

Section: Spatial Description Capabilitysupporting

confidence: 89%

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Runoff Simulation by SWAT Model Using High-Resolution Gridded Precipitation in the Upper Heihe River Basin, Northeastern Tibetan Plateau

Ruan

Zou

Yang

et al. 2017

Water

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Abstract:The scarcity and uneven distribution of precipitation stations in the inland river basins of the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau restrict the application of the distributed hydrological model and spatial analysis of water balance component characteristics. This study used the upper Heihe River Basin as a case study, and daily gridded precipitation data with 3 km resolution based on the spatial interpolation of gauged stations and a regional climate model were used to construct a soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) model. The aim was to validate the precision of high-resolution gridded precipitation for hydrological simulation in data-scarce regions; a scale transformation method was proposed by building virtual stations and calculating the lapse rate to overcome the defects of the SWAT model using traditional precipitation station data. The gridded precipitation was upscaled from the grid to the sub-basin scale to accurately represent sub-basin precipitation input data. A satisfactory runoff simulation was achieved, and the spatial variability of water balance components was analysed. Results show that the precipitation lapse rate ranges from 40 mm/km to 235 mm/km and decreases from the southeastern to the northwestern areas. The SWAT model achieves monthly runoff simulation compared with gauged runoff from 2000 to 2014; the determination coefficients are higher than 0.71, the Nash-Sutcliffe efficiencies are higher than 0.76, and the percentage bias is controlled within ±15%. Meadow and sparse vegetation are the major water yield landscapes, and the elevation band from 3500 m to 4500 m is the major water yield area. Precipitation and evapotranspiration present a slightly increasing trend, whereas water yield and soil water content present a slightly decreasing trend. This finding indicates that the high-resolution gridded precipitation data fully depict its spatial heterogeneity, and scale transformation significantly promotes the application of the distributed hydrological model in inland river basins. The spatial variability of water balance components can be quantified to provide references for the integrated assessment and management of basin water resources in data-scarce regions.

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Section: Spatial Description Capabilitysupporting

confidence: 89%

“…Several studies used linear regression models to analyse the precipitation variability with elevation in the upper HRB [47,48]. Linear regression functions were used to calculate the precipitation lapse rate on the sub-basin and mean annual scale.…”

Section: Precipitation Lapse Ratementioning

confidence: 99%

Runoff Simulation by SWAT Model Using High-Resolution Gridded Precipitation in the Upper Heihe River Basin, Northeastern Tibetan Plateau

Ruan

Zou

Yang

et al. 2017

Water

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“…8), which suggests the mix of an isotopically depleted water source when groundwater flowed through the plain. The local rainfall infiltration can be excluded according to the recent research on water balance in the plain, which reported that the thick vadose zone and high transpiration prevented precipitation from entering the aquifer (Chen et al, 2014). From June to September when the stream water was fed by isotopically depleted glacier meltwater and thus had more negative δ 2 H and δ 18 O values, groundwater exhibited the similar depleted trend in 2 H and 18 O, strongly suggesting the recharge from stream infiltration (Figs.…”

Section: Groundwater At the Base Of The Piedmont Sloping Plainmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The sensor for stream water pressure measurement was installed in a stilling well to exclude waves and turbulence. Atmospheric pressure was measured simultaneously using a barometric pressure sensor (S-BPB-CM50; Onset, Bourne, MA, USA), so that differential pressure between water and atmo-spheric pressure could be calculated and then converted to the water (Chen et al, 2014). Data from the station on the sloping plain and the one near cluster WW04 (∼ 200 m away; similar elevation) were collected in this study.…”

Section: Field Measurementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The third source was the suprapermafrost groundwater and surface runoff generated in the bedrock mountains which are connected to the southern top of the piedmont sloping plain. In the bedrock mountains, suprapermafrost groundwater occurred only within the surficial fissures and weathered zones, and the amounts were limited (Cao, 1977), whereas surface runoff was assumed to be abundant due to the steep slopes and low permeability of the area (Chen et al, 2014). Much of this shallow subsurface and surface runoff flowed into streams while a small fraction of it may flow through talus fans at the base of mountains and, finally, into the aquifer at the top of the sloping plain.…”

Section: Groundwater At the Top Of The Piedmont Sloping Plainmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Hydrological connectivity from glaciers to rivers in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau: roles of suprapermafrost and subpermafrost groundwater

Sun

et al. 2017

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. The roles of groundwater flow in the hydrological cycle within the alpine area characterized by permafrost and/or seasonal frost are poorly known. This study explored the role of permafrost in controlling groundwater flow and the hydrological connections between glaciers in high mountains and rivers in the low piedmont plain with respect to hydraulic head, temperature, geochemical and isotopic data, at a representative catchment in the headwater region of the Heihe River, northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The results show that the groundwater in the high mountains mainly occurred as suprapermafrost groundwater, while in the moraine and fluvioglacial deposits on the planation surfaces of higher hills, suprapermafrost, intrapermafrost and subpermafrost groundwater cooccurred. Glacier and snow meltwaters were transported from the high mountains to the plain through stream channels, slope surfaces, and supraand subpermafrost aquifers. Groundwater in the Quaternary aquifer in the piedmont plain was recharged by the lateral inflow from permafrost areas and the stream infiltration and was discharged as baseflow to the stream in the north. Groundwater maintained streamflow over the cold season and significantly contributed to the streamflow during the warm season. Two mechanisms were proposed to contribute to the seasonal variation of aquifer water-conduction capacity: (1) surface drainage through the stream channel during the warm period and (2) subsurface drainage to an artesian aquifer confined by stream icing and seasonal frost during the cold season.

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Effects of Cryospheric Change on Alpine Hydrology: Combining a Model With Observations in the Upper Reaches of the Hei River, China

et al. 2018

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Cryospheric changes have great effects on alpine hydrology, but these effects are still unclear owing to rare observations and suitable models in the western cold regions of China. Based on long‐term field observations in the western cold regions of China, a cryospheric basin hydrological model was proposed to evaluate the cryospheric effects on streamflow in the upper Hei River basin (UHR), and the relationship between the cryosphere and streamflow was further discussed with measured data. The Norwegian Earth System Model outputs were chosen to project future streamflow under scenarios Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP)2.6, RCP4.5, and RCP8.5. The cryospheric basin hydrological model results were well validated by the measured precipitation, streamflow, evapotranspiration, soil temperature, glacier and snow cover area, and the water balance of land cover in the UHR. The moraine‐talus region contributed most of the runoff (60%), even though it made up only about 20% of the area. On average, glacier and snow cover, respectively, contributed 3.5% and 25.4% of the fresh water to the streamflow in the UHR between 1960 and 2013. Because of the increased air temperature (2.9°C/54a) and precipitation (69.2 mm/54a) over the past 54 years, glacial and snowmelt runoff increased by 9.8% and 12.1%, respectively. The increase in air temperature brought forward the snowmelt flood peak and increased the winter flow due to permafrost degradation. Glaciers may disappear in the near future because of their small size, but snowmelt would increase due to increases in snowfall in the higher mountainous areas, and the basin runoff would increase slightly in the future.

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A Cryosphere-Hydrology Observation System in a Small Alpine Watershed in the Qilian Mountains of China and Its Meteorological Gradient

Cited by 81 publications

References 45 publications

Runoff Simulation by SWAT Model Using High-Resolution Gridded Precipitation in the Upper Heihe River Basin, Northeastern Tibetan Plateau

Runoff Simulation by SWAT Model Using High-Resolution Gridded Precipitation in the Upper Heihe River Basin, Northeastern Tibetan Plateau

Hydrological connectivity from glaciers to rivers in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau: roles of suprapermafrost and subpermafrost groundwater

Effects of Cryospheric Change on Alpine Hydrology: Combining a Model With Observations in the Upper Reaches of the Hei River, China

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