Water resources in the Three-Rivers Headwater Region (TRHR), ‘China's Water Tower’, have declined in recent years. In particular, the causes and magnitude of declining runoff in the region remain unclear. This study investigated the recent climatic and hydrological trends in the TRHR. We also analyzed the influence of climate change on runoff decline. Meteorological and runoff data on the TRHR since 1961 were used. The results showed that ‘China's Water Tower’ is threatened by climate changes in several ways. The strong warming trend was the main driving factor for runoff decline. Moreover, the earlier thawing of snow and ice on frozen soil led to a significant decline in May runoff. The descending trend of the runoff coefficient suggests that basin storage and the mechanism of runoff generation may have changed appreciably. Climate warming has also caused recent degradation in the alpine wetland ecosystem and a considerable reduction in the runoff coefficient, thereby inducing a decreasing trend in river runoff. A common understanding of runoff decline due to climate change can be used in the planning and management for social, economic and cultural systems in China and surrounding countries.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
Research Article|
May 01 2012
Insight into runoff decline due to climate change in China's Water Tower Available to Purchase
Guangsheng Liu;
Guangsheng Liu
1Key Laboratory of Terrestrial Processes in Mountainous Regions and Ecological Control, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
2Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Search for other works by this author on:
Genxu Wang
1Key Laboratory of Terrestrial Processes in Mountainous Regions and Ecological Control, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
E-mail: [email protected]
Search for other works by this author on:
Water Supply (2012) 12 (3): 352–361.
Article history
Received:
July 18 2011
Accepted:
January 04 2012
Citation
Guangsheng Liu, Genxu Wang; Insight into runoff decline due to climate change in China's Water Tower. Water Supply 1 May 2012; 12 (3): 352–361. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/ws.2012.003
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Client Account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Could not validate captcha. Please try again.
eBook
Pay-Per-View Access
$38.00