Changes in potential evapotranspiration and surface runoff in 1981–2010 and the driving factors in Upper Heihe River Basin in Northwest China

Changes in potential evapotranspiration and surface runoff can have profound implications for hydrological processes in arid and semiarid regions. In this study, we investigated the response of hydrological processes to climate change in Upper Heihe River Basin in Northwest China for the period from 1981 to 2010. We used agronomic, climatic and hydrological data to drive the Soil and Water Assessment Tool model for changes in potential evapotranspiration (ET₀) and surface runoff and the driving factors in the study area. The results showed that increasing autumn temperature increased snow melt, resulting in increased surface runoff, especially in September and October. The spatial distribution of annual runoff was different from that of seasonal runoff, with the highest runoff in Yeniugou River, followed by Babaohe River and then the tributaries in the northern of the basin. There was no evaporation paradox at annual and seasonal time scales, and annual ET₀ was driven mainly by wind speed. ET₀ was driven by relative humidity in spring, sunshine hour duration in autumn and both sunshine hour duration and relative humility in summer. Surface runoff was controlled by temperature in spring and winter and by precipitation in summer (flood season). Although surface runoff increased in autumn with increasing temperature, it depended on rainfall in September and on temperature in October and November. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hydrology and geomorphology of the Upper White Nile lakes and their relevance for water resources management in the Nile basin

Remote sensing data and digital elevation models were utilized to extract the catchment hydrological parameters and to delineate storage areas for the Ugandan Equatorial Lakes region. Available rainfall/discharge data are integrated with these morphometric data to construct a hydrological model that simulates the water balance of the different interconnected basins and enables the impact of potential management options to be examined. The total annual discharges of the basins are generally very low (less than 7% of the total annual rainfall). The basin of the shallow (5 m deep) Lake Kioga makes only a minor hydrological contribution compared with other Equatorial Lakes, because most of the overflow from Lake Victoria basin into Lake Kioga is lost by evaporation and evapotranspiration. The discharge from Lake Kioga could be significantly increased by draining the swamps through dredging and deepening certain channel reaches. Development of hydropower dams on the Equatorial Lakes will have an adverse impact on the annual water discharge downstream, including the occasional reduction of flow required for filling up to designed storage capacities and permanently increasing the surface areas of water that is exposed to evaporation. On the basis of modelling studies, alternative sites are proposed for hydropower development and water storage schemes. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On the relationship between historical land‐use change and water availability: the case of the lower Tarim River region in northwestern China

Natural ecosystems in the region of the lower Tarim River in northwestern China strongly deteriorated since the 1950s due to an expanding desertification. As a result, the downstream Tarim River reaches became permanently dry land. This historical evolution in land‐use change is typically the result of the anthropogenic impact on natural ecosystems. On the basis of a spatially distributed hydrological catchment model bidirectionally linked with a fully hydrodynamic MIKE11 river model, land‐use changes characterized by historical changes in leaf area index (LAI) of vegetation, as well as the evolution of irrigated surface areas, can be causally related to changes in water resources (groundwater storage and surface water resources). An increased surface area of irrigated (agricultural) land, together with a majority of inefficient irrigation methods, did lead to a strong increase of water resources consumption of the farmlands located in the upper Tarim River area. Evidently, this evolution influenced available water resources downstream in the Tarim basin. As a result, farmland has been gradually relocated to the upstream regions. This has led to reduced flows from the upper Tarim stream, which subsequently accelerated the dropping of the groundwater level downstream in the basin. This study moreover demonstrates that land surface biomass changes (cumulative LAI) along the lower Tarim River are strongly related to the changes in groundwater storage. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Upstream “Strong Signals” of the Water Vapor Transport over the Tibetan Plateau during a Heavy Rainfall Event in the Yangtze River Basin

A heavy rainfall event that occurred over the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River Basin(YRB) during July11–13 2000 is explored in this study. The potential/stream function is used to analyze the upstream "strong signals" of the water vapor transport in the Tibetan Plateau(TP). The studied time period covers from 2000 LST 5 July to 2000 LST 15 July(temporal resolution: 6 hours). By analyzing the three-dimensional structure of the water vapor flux, vorticity and divergence prior to and during the heavy rainfall event, the upstream "strong signals" related to this heavy rainfall event are revealed. A strong correlation exists between the heavy rainfall event in the YRB and the convective clouds over the TP. The "convergence zone" of the water vapor transport is also identified, based on correlation analysis of the water vapor flux two days and one day prior to, and on the day of, the heavy rainfall. And this "convergence zone" coincides with the migration of the maximum rainfall over the YRB. This specific coupled structure actually plays a key role in generating heavy rainfall over the YRB. The eastward movement of the coupled system with a divergence/convergence center of the potential function at the upper/lower level resembles the spatiotemporal evolution of the heavy rainfall event over the YRB. These upstream "strong signals" are clearly traced in this study through analyzing the three-dimensional structure of the potential/stream function of upstream water vapor transport.     

Tide,Wind, and River Forcing of the Surface Currents in the Fraser River Plume

A long-term record of surface currents from a high-frequency radar system, along with near-surface hydrographic transects, moored current meter records, and satellite imagery, are analyzed to determine the relative importance of river discharge, wind, and tides in driving the surface flow in the Fraser River plume. The observations show a great deal of oceanographic and instrumental variability. However, averaged quantities yielded robust results. The effect of river flow, which determines buoyancy and inertia near the river mouth, was found by taking a long-term average. The resulting flow field was dominated by a jet with two asymmetric gyres; the anticyclonic gyre to the north had flow speeds consistent with geostrophy. The mean flow speed near the river mouth was 14.3?cm?s^–1, while the flow further afield was 5?cm?s^–1 or less. Wind stress and surface currents were highly coherent in the subtidal frequency band. Northwesterly winds drive a surface flow to the southeast at speeds of nearly 30?cm?s^–1. Southeasterly winds drive a surface flow to the northwest at speeds reaching 20?cm?s^–1; however, there is more spatial variability in speed and direction relative to the northwesterly wind case. A harmonic analysis was used to extract the tidally driven flows. Ellipse parameters for the major tidal constituents varied considerably in both alignment and aspect ratio over the radar domain, in direct contrast to a barotropic model which predicted rectilinear flow along the Strait of Georgia. This is a result of water filling and draining the shallow mud flats north of the Fraser's main channel. The M₂ velocities at the surface were also weaker than their barotropic counterparts. However, the shallow water constituent MK₃ was enhanced at the surface and nearly as strong as the mean flow, implying that non-linear interactions are important to surface dynamics.     

淮河流域夏季降水异常与若干气候因子的关系

基于旋转经验正交函数分解 (REOF) 方法探讨淮河流域1961—2010年夏季降水与厄尔尼诺/南方涛动 (ENSO)、北大西洋涛动 (NAO)、印度洋偶极子 (IOD)、太平洋年代际振荡 (PDO) 之间的关系,并进一步分析各气候因子不同位相单独以及联合对淮河流域夏季降水的影响。结果表明:淮河流域夏季降水与ENSO,PDO,NAO,IOD等气候因子具有较稳定的相关性,其中,PDO和IOD是影响淮河流域夏季降水的关键因子,且PDO与夏季降水呈显著负相关关系;各气候因子的冷暖位相单独及联合对淮河流域夏季降水的影响不同,PDO的冷期以及NAO,IOD冷位相使流域北部的夏季降水量呈显著增加趋势,PDO分别联合ENSO,NAO和IOD的冷、暖位相对流域北部地区和淮河上游地区的夏季降水影响显著。     

天气尺度波列对长江中下游6月梅雨的影响

采用1979—2007年6月NCEP/NCAR2.5°×2.5°逐日再分析资料和中国743站逐日降水资料,利用相关分析、合成分析等方法,分析了天气尺度波列的特征及其对长江中下游6月梅雨的影响。结果表明:当长江中下游6月梅雨较少时,东亚及西太平洋区域存在一个天气尺度波列;该波列的延伸距离较短(从黄河河套地区经过长江中下游至南海、菲律宾海一带),维持时间也很短,且仅仅在500 h Pa以下较强。诊断及个例分析表明,当该波列异常显著时,长江中下游梅雨降水明显减少,而其南部区域降水则增多,说明该波列对预报长江中下游降水具有重要的指示意义。     

2007年夏季江淮强降水过程中10~30d低频变化及其与对流层上层波包活动的联系

利用NCEP/NCAR再分析和全国740站逐日降水资料,运用一点滞后相关等方法,对2007年夏季江淮流域强降水期间低频振荡的波动活动特征及其与降水低频变化的联系进行了分析。结果表明,在2007年夏季降水中,降水低频分量起着重要作用。降水的低频振荡主周期为10~30d,降水距平时间序列与10~30d低频分量具有较好的对应关系。低频扰动在对流层上层和低层都呈现波列状分布,且在降水活跃位相时,低频环流在高、低层具有斜压结构。在对流层上层,低频扰动有缓慢的东移倾向,相速度为每天2~3个经度。西风带中存在多次移动性波列向下游的传播,且在120°E以西以每天14经度的群速度向下游频散能量,表明10~30d低频波动具有明显的下游发展特征。在强降水开始5d前,低频波动与能量可起源于高纬的乌拉尔山附近,沿着西北-东南向的路径向下游传播。下游发展的低频波动为江淮流域带来了能量,为强降水的发生提供了条件。这些结果加深了人们对低频波动在江淮流域强降水过程中所起作用的认识,可为寻找江淮流域强降水过程预报线索提供科学依据。     

长江中下游庐枞火山岩盆地南侧钾质侵入岩带的成因

庐枞火山岩盆地南侧的钾质侵入岩带由正长岩-石英正长岩-正长花岗岩组成,以石英正长岩为主。它们的形成时间介于123"130 Ma之间,峰值约为126 Ma,其中正长岩和石英正长岩的形成时间稍早,而正长花岗岩的形成时间略晚。整个钾质侵入岩带的侵位时间晚于庐枞盆地内的橄榄玄粗质火山作用约4"7 Ma,也是长江中下游地区除最东段的宁镇地区外中生代最晚的岩浆活动产物之一。地球化学上,该钾质侵入岩带以高钾、富碱、富集Rb、Th、U、K等强不相容元素和轻稀土元素、亏损高场强元素Nb、Ta和Ti为特征。它们的母岩浆主要是由富集型上地幔部分熔融形成的,从正长岩经石英正长岩到正长花岗岩的演化主要受矿物的分离结晶作用控制,地壳物质同化所起的影响不大。但与同样来自富集型上地幔部分熔融的庐枞盆地内火山杂岩的母岩浆相比,前者的母岩浆来源深度可能更大些或其中包含了更多来自软流圈地幔的组分。两者的演化路径也完全不同,钾质侵入岩带的母岩浆除经历过高压下的分离结晶作用外,晚期在低压下还经历过长石为主,可能还有黑云母的分离结晶,甚至上地壳物质一定程度的混染作用;而盆地内火山杂岩的母岩浆低压下矿物的分离结晶作用及上地壳物质的混染都不明显。庐枞盆地南缘的富钾侵入岩与盆地内的火山杂岩一样,地球化学上都具有明显的大陆弧的特征,暗示它们的岩浆源区可能形成于俯冲带环境,意味着扬子地块北缘先前(推测为古元古代晚期)曾发生过俯冲作用,上地幔的交代富集可能就与这次的俯冲作用有关。     

清水河流域1978-2010年土地利用变化时空特征

通过对1978年、1998年和2010年3期遥感影像目视解译获得3期土地利用数据,分析清水河流域1978－2010年土地利用变化时空特征。研究表明：清水河流域1978－2010年期间,农用地、难利用地面积持续减少,林地、建设用地面积持续增加,草地面积先有所减少后增多,除林地以外其它土地类型变化幅度后期都较前期大;流域土地利用转移方向主要是农用地转为低、中、高覆盖度草地、林地和建设用地,中覆盖度草地转为低、高覆盖度草地和林地,低覆盖度草地转为中、高覆盖度草地、林地。结果表明,近年来清水河流域水土保持措施效果明显。