Analysis and partitioning of terrestrial water storage in the Yellow River source region

Abstract In order to increase the capability to understand and quantify the spatial differences in terrestrial water storage (TWS), and to reflect the unique energy balance processes and soil freeze–thaw mechanisms in the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau (QTP), this study improved the energy balance processes...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Hydrological Processes
Main Authors: Li, Xia, Zhou, Zuhao, Liu, Jiajia, Xu, Chongyu, Xia, Junqiang, Wang, Pengxiang, Wang, Hao, Jia, Yangwen
Other Authors: National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Key Research and Development Program of China, Ministry of Water Resources, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2024
Subjects:
permafrost
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/hyp.15097
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/hyp.15097
Description
Summary:Abstract In order to increase the capability to understand and quantify the spatial differences in terrestrial water storage (TWS), and to reflect the unique energy balance processes and soil freeze–thaw mechanisms in the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau (QTP), this study improved the energy balance processes of the water and energy transfer processes model, including its surface radiation calculations and snowmelt module. By integrating these improvements, a water and energy transfer processes model in Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau (WEP‐QTP) for the Yellow River source region (YRSR) is developed. Using the improved WEP‐QTP model to perform simulations, we assessed the daily changes in snow cover, soil moisture (SM), permafrost (PM), and groundwater storage (GWS) in the YRSR. Our analysis revealed an increase in TWS of 0.24 mm/yr from 1961 to 2020. Snow water equivalent (SWE), SM, PM, and GWS have proportional contributions of 8.33%, 216.67%, −154.17%, and 29.17% to the increased TWS, respectively. SM is the primary component of TWS. Temperature (T), precipitation (P), evapotranspiration (E), and solar radiation (Rs) influence the spatiotemporal variations in TWS, as well as those of its components. The increase in P is the primary cause for the rise in TWS, SWE, and SM, while the increase in T predominantly contributes to the decrease in PM. Furthermore, permafrost degradation and climate‐induced warming and humidification lead to increased infiltration, resulting in elevated GWS.

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