| Summary: | High mountains with glacier and snow around the world are known as ‘water towers’ (WTUs) due to their water storage and supply roles in maintaining the downstream eco-environment, human water and socio-economic development, especially in cold and arid regions. However, climate change and socio-economy development will aggravate the existing water shortage. Therefore, a national assessment on the relationship between cryosphere water resources (CWR) and socio-economy and a precise study on the importance and vulnerability of fine-scale WTUs need to be conducted. By analyzing the spatial distribution characteristics of China’s CWR, population and GDP in cryosphere fed areas (CFA) at three-level basins scale and assessing the importance and vulnerability of WTUs in northwestern China, we concluded that (1) CFA covers 7 primary basins, 38 secondary basins and 84 tertiary basins in China. (2) The WTU with largest glacier reserves, permafrost coverage and average snow depth are Tarim River, Central Tibetan Plateau and Songhua River Basin, respectively. (3) In 2015, CFA accounted for 23.1% and 16.5% of the country's population and GDP, mainly distribute in the southeast and north of the boundary of the first and second steps and the north of the third step of topography of China. (4) In northwestern China, the Mid-branch Rivers of the Junggar Basin is the most important WTU, while the Yarkant River Basin is the most vulnerable one. The WTUs such as the Yarkant, Hotan, Kaxgar and the Hei River are important at present and vulnerable under a considerable pressure from future climate change scenarios.
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