Water scarcity in the Yellow River Basin under future climate change and human activities

Omer, Abubaker; Elagib, Nadir Ahmed; Ma, Zhuguo; Saleem, Farhan; Mohammed, A. Hassan

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141446

Cited by 125 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…Water scarcity, defined as long-term water imbalances occurring when the level of water demand exceeds natural water availability and supply capacity, is expected to pose high risks to both societies and economies in the next decade [1]. According to Mehta [2], water scarcity is both 'real' and 'constructed', in which socio-political and institutional factors are at interplay.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extending Natural Limits to Address Water Scarcity? The Role of Non-Conventional Water Fluxes in Climate Change Adaptation Capacity: A Review

et al. 2021

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Water consumption continues to grow globally, and it is estimated that more than 160% of the total global water volume will be needed to satisfy the water requirements in ten years. In this context, non-conventional water resources are being considered to overcome water scarcity and reduce water conflicts between regions and sectors. A bibliometric analysis and literature review of 81 papers published between 2000 and 2020 focused on south-east Spain were conducted. The aim was to examine and re-think the benefits and concerns, and the inter-connections, of using reclaimed and desalinated water for agricultural and urban-tourist uses to address water scarcity and climate change impacts. Results highlight that: (1) water use, cost, quality, management, and perception are the main topics debated by both reclaimed and desalinated water users; (2) water governance schemes could be improved by including local stakeholders and water users in decision-making; and (3) rainwater is not recognized as a complementary option to increase water supply in semi-arid regions. Furthermore, the strengths–weaknesses–opportunities–threats (SWOT) analysis identifies complementary concerns such as acceptability and investment in reclaimed water, regulation (cost recovery principle), and environmental impacts of desalinated water.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extending Natural Limits to Address Water Scarcity? The Role of Non-Conventional Water Fluxes in Climate Change Adaptation Capacity: A Review

et al. 2021

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“…The pressure on freshwater resources has increased to keep pace with economic development. As a result, a number of river basins are facing severe water scarcity and rising transboundary and intrasectoral conflicts (Hoekstra and Mekonnen 2012; Garg and Azad 2019; Abraham and Ramachandran 2020; Omer et al 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Rainwater Harvesting on Hydrological Processes in a Fragile Watershed of South Asia

et al. 2021

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Agricultural water management (AWM) interventions play an important role in ensuring sustainable food production and mitigating climate risks. This study was carried out in a watershed located in a low rainfall (400-600 mm) region of western India. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool model was calibrated using surface runoff, soil loss, and reservoir storage levels, between the year 2000 and 2006. The investigation indicated that the various AWM interventions increased groundwater recharge from 30 mm/year to 80 mm/year and reduced surface runoff from 250 mm/year to 100 mm/year. The intervention structures were refilled two to three times during the monsoon season depending on rainfall intensity and duration. The interventions have the advantage of building a resilient system by enhancing groundwater availability even in dry years, stimulating crop intensification and protecting the landscape from severe erosion. The results indicate that soil erosion has been reduced by more than 75% compared to the nonintervention situation. Moreover, the AWM interventions led to the cultivation of 100-150 ha of fallow land with high-value crops (horticulture, vegetables, and fodder). Household income increased by several folds compared to the nonintervention situation. The study showed about 50% reduction in downstream water availability, which could be a major concern. However, there are a number of ecosystem trade-offs such as improved base flow to the stream and reduction in soil loss that should be considered. The study is of great importance to stakeholders to decide on the optimal design for AWM interventions to achieve sustainable development goals.

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“…Studies on changes in hydrological sequence and simulation under the changing environment for large size rivers, e.g., the Amazon River (Jahfer et al, 2020), Yangtze River (Sun et al, 2019), Yellow River (Huo et al, 2020 have attracted sufficient attentions from river managers and state authorities. However, regional flooding and water shortage issues have been increasingly serious during the past decades due to global warming and increasing water demand (Wilkinson et al, 2019;Omer et al, 2020), and attention to these issues should be paid as well. The Daqing River is an important tributary of Hai River, and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region in Daqing River basin is the political, cultural and technological center of China, as well as an important engine for the country's economic development (Li et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in and Modelling of Hydrological Process for a Semi-Arid Catchment in the Context of Human Disturbance

et al. 2021

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Hydrological modelling is of critical importance to flood control. However, flood forecasting in semi-arid region is a great challenge to hydrologists, particularly in a changing environment. Taking the Zhulong River catchment located in north China as a case, the performance of GR4J model for hydrological modelling was investigated based on the analysis for changes in hydrological process of three periods defined as natural period (1967–1979), moderate human impact period (1980–1996) and intensive human impact period (1997–2015). Results show that 1) the annual precipitation and temperature of the catchment both presented upward trends, while the annual observed runoff exhibited a significant downward trend in the time span from 1967 to 2015; 2) the correlations between runoff and precipitation were comparatively higher on both monthly and annual scales in natural period than those in human disturbed periods; 3) both annual runoff and daily peak discharge in human disturbed periods decreased relative to those in natural period due to the environmental changes; 4) the GR4J model performed well for runoff simulations in natural period but gradually lost its applicability with the intensification of human activities. It is essential to improve the accuracy of hydrological modelling under a changing environment in further studies.

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Water scarcity in the Yellow River Basin under future climate change and human activities

Cited by 125 publications

References 65 publications

Extending Natural Limits to Address Water Scarcity? The Role of Non-Conventional Water Fluxes in Climate Change Adaptation Capacity: A Review

Extending Natural Limits to Address Water Scarcity? The Role of Non-Conventional Water Fluxes in Climate Change Adaptation Capacity: A Review

Impact of Rainwater Harvesting on Hydrological Processes in a Fragile Watershed of South Asia

Changes in and Modelling of Hydrological Process for a Semi-Arid Catchment in the Context of Human Disturbance

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