The Runoff in the Upper Taohe River Basin and Its Responses to Climate Change

Abstract

Climate change has a significant impact on water resources. Forecasts and simulations of climate runoff processes are essential for assessing the impact of global climate change on runoff variations. This study focuses on the upper Taohe River Basin, which is an important watershed in the semi-arid regions of northwest China. To assess the runoff in the upper Taohe River Basin and the responses to climate change, the SWAT hydrological model was used to analyze future climate change scenarios and their effects on water resources. The results indicate that the minimum temperature would increase gradually in the 21st century and that the minimum temperature change would be more significant than the maximum temperature change, which indicates that minimum temperature changes would make an obvious contribution to future regional warming. Under RCP2.6, the average precipitation would decrease; at the same time, under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, the average precipitation would increase. In the future, under different climate scenarios, the runoff will exhibit droughts and flood disasters. These research results provide scientific support for water resource utilization and management in the Taohe River Basin.

Research on the Trade-Offs and Synergies of Ecosystem Services and Their Impact Factors in the Taohe River Basin

“…According to Li et al (2014) [30] and Li et al (2018) [33], the upper, middle, and lower reaches of the basin were divided into the Xiabagou and Haidianxia as control stations based on the sub-basins of the basin and the placement of hydrological stations. The upper reaches (above the section of Xiabagou) are grassland pasture areas with a gentle topography and sizable grassland areas; at the middle reaches (between the section of Xiabagou and the section of Haidianxia) are Taizi-Baishi Mountain montane forest areas with good vegetation cover, and the lower reaches (below the section of Haidianxia) are cropping areas on the Loess Plateau, primarily dry cropland and sparse grassland [30,34,35]. From the upper reaches to the lower reaches, the average annual temperature rises from 1 • C to 9 • C, the average annual precipitation declines from over 600 mm to 350 mm, and the climate gradually shifts from alpine semi-humid to temperate semi-humid and temperate semi-arid [36][37][38].…”

Comprehensive influence of water resources development and utilization on ecological environment in Taohe River basin

“…Cascade development of hydropower station in the basin and inter-basin water transfer of Yintao Project have played a certain role in promoting regional economy and sustainable economic and social development of Gansu province, but large-scale water energy development will inevitably have a certain impact on the ecological environment of the basin. At present, only the changes of runoff and sediment in the Taohe River Basin in recent years have been studied [13] . And there is still a lack of studies considering the comprehensive impact of water resources development and utilization.…”