Land Use Changes and Spatiotemporal Distribution of Domestic Water Consumption in the Northern Slope of Tianshan Mountains

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Although the article is very interesting and attempts to describe water consumption patterns in a region of China, with the temporal evolution of land-use changes over the last 30 years, simply correlating consumption with the built-up area, I believe much more relevance can be drawn from the article by looking for other factors to correlate, as mentioned in the discussion. These could include industrial development, mining activity (if any), the impact of local climate, the economic level that allows for greater consumption derived from higher housing quality or typology, and access to certain services (restaurants, sports centers) that have high external consumption outside of households. Additionally, the types of crops and livestock activities carried out, etc.

On the other hand, the Sankey diagrams allow us to visualize land transformation, but other diagrams could also be made to show water consumption by use, which might be more explanatory of the observed trends

In short, I believe the article should include more factors capable of explaining the growth profiles of consumption in the region, as well as the use of water for energy needs in the area (which has an extremely contrasting thermal environment, by the way).

If more relevant information regarding population growth, disposable income, etc., is not included, as well as the search for a correlation between consumption and these parameters, I believe the article remains incomplete.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Please revise the text after Table 3, some tables or figures are not correctly referrenced and appear "reference not found". In p. 11, third paragraph, water resources are scarce and uncertain.

Author Response

Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer #1:

Response: thanks for your revision suggestions. We have made the necessary changes according to your suggestions. Here are the specific changes. The changes in the new version are highlighted by red font in main text. Responses to the reviewers’ comments are presented point-by-point below in black.

comments 1

Although the article is very interesting and attempts to describe water consumption patterns in a region of China, with the temporal evolution of land-use changes over the last 30 years, simply correlating consumption with the built-up area, I believe much more relevance can be drawn from the article by looking for other factors to correlate, as mentioned in the discussion. These could include industrial development, mining activity (if any), the impact of local climate, the economic level that allows for greater consumption derived from higher housing quality or typology, and access to certain services (restaurants, sports centers) that have high external consumption outside of households. Additionally, the types of crops and livestock activities carried out, etc.

Response: Thank you for your evaluation and positive comments. We have carefully considered the issues you raised and made significant improvements to our paper. The water resources utilization modes of the Northern Slope of Tianshan Mountains (NSTM) encompass various aspects such as agricultural water consumption, industrial water consumption, domestic water consumption, and ecological water consumption. In this study, we focus on examining the temporal and spatial variations in domestic water consumption and its correlation with land use on the NSTM.

Our research indicated that factors such as industrial development, mining activity, economic level, and other economic and social indicators play a crucial role in influencing domestic water consumption in this region. Previous studies have shown a strong correlation between GDP growth, population increase, and domestic water consumption on the NSTM [1]. Building upon this previous research, our work delved deeper into exploring the influencing factors of domestic water consumption in this area. By analyzing the relationship between spatial and temporal changes in domestic water consumption and land use patterns across different sections (western, middle, eastern) of the NSTM, our work shed light on how land use practices impact domestic water consumption since the development of western regions. This comprehensive analysis provides valuable insights into understanding the dynamics of domestic water consumption in relation to land use patterns on the NSTM. This change can be found on page 3, paragraph 1, and line 1 in the revised manuscript.

“In the past study of domestic water consumption on the NSTM, the relationship between the changes of domestic water consumption and land use patterns in the whole region in the past about 30 years (1990 - 2017) was explored [1]. However, there is a significant variation in water resources across NSTM, leading to diverse domestic water consumption and lifestyles in each region. Currently, there is a lack of research on the relationship between domestic water usage and local social development in these areas. Meanwhile, the current water pattern may not be suitable to sustain NSTM's ongoing economic development [2]. Concurrently, domestic water consumption has witnessed a sharp surge, leading to constraints on water use [3].”

comments 2

On the other hand, the Sankey diagrams allow us to visualize land transformation, but other diagrams could also be made to show water consumption by use, which might be more explanatory of the observed trends

Response: Thank you for your comments. The Sankey diagrams visually illustrate the complex process of grassland and unused land being transformed into construction land, providing a clear understanding of the changes in land use over time. In addition to this, Figures 2 and 3 offer detailed insights into the temporal and spatial variations in water consumption on the Tianshan North Slope. These figures not only highlight the fluctuations in water usage over different periods but also showcase how water consumption varies across different geographical locations.

Furthermore, through a comprehensive discussion, it is evident that there is a strong correlation between the time variation of construction land and domestic water consumption. This finding emphasizes the interconnectedness between urban development and resource utilization, shedding light on the environmental impact of human activities on natural landscapes. By analyzing these patterns, researchers can gain valuable knowledge about sustainable land management practices and efficient water resource allocation strategies for regions experiencing rapid urbanization.

comments 3

In short, I believe the article should include more factors capable of explaining the growth profiles of consumption in the region, as well as the use of water for energy needs in the area (which has an extremely contrasting thermal environment, by the way).

If more relevant information regarding population growth, disposable income, etc., is not included, as well as the search for a correlation between consumption and these parameters, I believe the article remains incomplete.

Response: Thank you for your comments. We agree with your modification and have added the relevant content. The increase in population growth and disposable income on the NSTM will stimulate the growth of consumption, while also promoting the growth of domestic water consumption. Previous research on domestic water consumption on the NSTM showed that before the urban per capita domestic water consumption reaches a certain value, with the growth of GDP, it shows a trend of rapid growth and then slow growth. One of the important reasons is the gradual improvement of people's living standards and the increase of urban water consumption.

To supplement this section on the impact of increasing people's consumption level, we referred to results of Ma and Sun [1] that have shown how changes in lifestyle and consumer behavior can also contribute to increased domestic water consumption. Furthermore, it is important to consider how technological advancements and infrastructure development play a role in influencing domestic water consumption patterns. As cities expand and modernize, there may be an increased demand for household appliances such as washing machines or dishwashers which can further drive up overall water consumption. In our discussion section, we delved deeper into these factors to provide a comprehensive understanding of how GDP growth impacts domestic water consumption on the NSTM. This change can be found on page 11, paragraph 3, and line 2 in the revised manuscript.

“Ma and Sun [1] showed that from 1990 to 2018, domestic water consumption increased year by year on the NSTM, and there was an important relationship between domestic water consumption and land use patterns. At the same time, domestic water consumption varied greatly among counties and districts in NSTM. In this study, the spatial and temporal changes of domestic water consumption in the nstm from 1990 to 2020 are basically consistent with the results of Ma and Sun [1].”

comments 4

Please revise the text after Table 3, some tables or figures are not correctly referenced and appear "reference not found".

Response: Thank you for your comments. We corrected these sections. This change can be found on page 10, paragraph 1, and line 2 in the revised manuscript.

“Between 1990 and 2020, the trends and degrees of land use change in NSTM varied differently among each of the five-year intervals (Table 1, Table 2, Table 3). Within the 30 years, there was a noticeable acceleration in the expansion of construction land and cultivated land, predominantly at the expense of decreased grassland and farmland. Construction land and cultivated land of the western, middle, and eastern sections increased by 567 km² (Table 1), 1113 km² (Table 2), and 576 km² (Table 3), respectively.”

comments 5

In p. 11, third paragraph, water resources are scarce and uncertain.

Response: Thank you for your comments. We corrected these sections. This change can be found on page 11, paragraph 3, and lines 1 in the revised manuscript.

“Water resources in NSTM were scarce and uncertain, with unbalanced distribution in time and space [4,5].”

 

 

References

1. Ma, H.; Sun, J. The influence of LUCC on water demand in the north slope of Tianshan Mountain. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 2020, 560, 012079, doi:10.1088/1755-1315/560/1/012079.
2. Dai, S.; Li, L.; Xu, H. Simulation of water scarcity in a leap-forward developing arid region: a system dynamics model of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Water Policy 2017, 19, 741-757, doi:10.2166/wp.2017.132.
3. Fang, C.; Gao, Q.; Zhang, X.; Cheng, W. Spatiotemporal characteristics of the expansion of an urban agglomeration and its effect on the eco-environment: Case study on the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains. Science China Earth Sciences 2019, 62, 1461-1472, doi:10.1007/s11430-018-9369-x.
4. Xu, J.; Chen, Y.; Li, W.; Liu, Z.; Tang, J.; Wei, C. Understanding temporal and spatial complexity of precipitation distribution in Xinjiang, China. Theoretical and Applied Climatology 2016, 123, 321-333, doi:10.1007/s00704-014-1364-z.
5. Fan, M.; Xu, J.; Chen, Y.; Li, W. Simulating the precipitation in the data-scarce Tianshan Mountains, Northwest China based on the Earth system data products. Arabian Journal of Geosciences 2020, 13, 637, doi:10.1007/s12517-020-05509-1.

 

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Title of Manuscript: 

Land use and spatial and temporal distribution of domestic water consumption in the Northern Slope of Tianshan Mountains

 

Title could be changed as 

Land use changes and spatiotemporal distribution of domestic water consumption in the Northern Slope of Tianshan Mountains

 

Abstract:

Well written. Three small language editing suggested. Please refer to the annotations / comments given in the manuscript.

 

Introduction:

Para 3: Sentence section “Construction land change is the most important component land use change, …” needs to be revised. English editing is needed.

 

Same sentence: “of” or “on”. Please refer to the annotations / comments given in the manuscript.

 

Para 4:  (Kifle Arsiso et al. ……. Is this citation style correct? Please check author guidelines. 

 

Materials and methods:

First letter of Title “m” needs to be corrected as “M”

 

Para 2. “Water resources of China mainly include six …..” This part of the sentence is not clear.  Better to revise.

 

Subheading 2.2. Section 2 is termed as materials and methods. Do you need methodology here? 

 

Line 5 under 2.2.1. Insert “and”. Please refer to the annotations / comments given in the manuscript.

 

Section 2.2.2.

Line 1. Change a to an. Please refer to the annotations / comments given in the manuscript.

 

Line 4. Revise “described” as “describes”. Please refer to the annotations / comments given in the manuscript.

 

Section 2.2.3.

Line 1. Change “Data” to “data”. Please refer to the annotations / comments given in the manuscript.

 

Line 2. Change “bulletin” to “bulletins”. Please refer to the annotations / comments given in the manuscript.

 

How do you accommodate the visiting population? They also contribute to water demand. Do you have a considerable visiting population to study area (as tourists etc.)?

 

Section 2.3.

Line 1. Change “processes” as ”processing” . Please refer to the annotations / comments given in the manuscript.

 

Figure 2: If Figures B,C, D can have same axis range from 0 to 18000, then the three graphs will be visually comparable.

What is the unit of Y axis?

 

Results

Page 5, Para 5. Line 3. Insert “the”. Please refer to the annotations / comments given in the manuscript.

 

Figure 5, 6, 7 captions

Remove “in four time” from all the captions.

 

Page 10, Para 1

Correct (Error! Reference source not found.).

 

Please refer to two annotations / comments given in the manuscript.

 

Discussion

Para 3. Line 1. English editing is needed. Can be "scarce and uncertain". Check. Please refer to the annotations / comments given in the manuscript.

 

Para 4. Lines 3 & 4. Sentence needs revision. “With the economic development of NSTM, the living standards of the people were further improved.” Please refer to the annotations / comments given in the manuscript.

 

Conclusions

Line 4. “and” should be corrected as "land". Please refer to the annotations / comments given in the manuscript.

 

Citations / references

Please refer to the Journal citation style. Do the needful to revise. 

 

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Moderate English editing is needed.

Author Response

Comments 1

Title of Manuscript:

Land use and spatial and temporal distribution of domestic water consumption in the Northern Slope of Tianshan Mountains

Title could be changed as

Land use changes and spatiotemporal distribution of domestic water consumption in the Northern Slope of Tianshan Mountains

Response: Thank you for your comments. We modified the title. This change can be found in the title.

“Land use changes and spatiotemporal distribution of domestic water consumption in the Northern Slope of Tianshan Mountains”

Comments 2

Abstract:

Well written. Three small language editing suggested. Please refer to the annotations / comments given in the manuscript.

Response: Thank you for your revision of the abstract, we have fully adopted your comments. This change can be found on page 1 in the abstract.

“To conserve water resources and protect the ecosystem, understanding temporal and spatial variations of the domestic water consumption, availability and its influencing factors are essential.”

Comments 3

Introduction:

Para 3: Sentence section “Construction land change is the most important component land use change, …” needs to be revised. English editing is needed. Same sentence: “of” or “on”. Please refer to the annotations / comments given in the manuscript.

Response: Thank you for your comments. The sentence has been modified. This change can be found on page 2, paragraph 3, and line 8 in the revised manuscript.

“In the land use change, the change of construction land is the most important factor in the process of Land-Use and Land-Cover Change”

Comments 4

Para 4: (Kifle Arsiso et al. ……. Is this citation style correct? Please check author guidelines.

Response: thank you for your comments. According to the author’s guidelines, we made modifications to the citation style.

Materials and methods:

Comments 5

First letter of Title “m” needs to be corrected as “M”

Response: We made corrections. Main text as follow:

“2. Materials and methods”

Comments 6

Para 2. “Water resources of China mainly include six …..” This part of the sentence is not clear. Better to revise.

Response: We made modifications to the description there. This change can be found on page 3, paragraph 4, and line 2 in the revised manuscript.

“NSTM mainly include six third-order basins: Emin River, Ebinhu Lake system, middle river, east river, Gurbantunggut desert area, and Bai Yi Basin.”

Comments 7

Subheading 2.2. Section 2 is termed as materials and methods. Do you need methodology here?

Response: Thank you for your comments. We changed the title of Section 2.2 to data and methods. Main text as follow:

“2.2. Data and methods”

Comments 8

Line 5 under 2.2.1. Insert “and”. Please refer to the annotations / comments given in the manuscript.

Response: we inserted “and” in 2.2.1.

“The statistical data were from Xinjiang Statistical Yearbook(1990-2020), Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture Water Resources Bulletin(2010-2020), Hui Autono-mous Prefecture of Changji Water Resources Bulletin(2010-2020), Hami Water Re-sources Bulletin(2010-2020), Karamay Water Resources Bulletin(2010-2020), Tacheng prefecture Water Resources Bulletin(2010-2020) and Urumqi Municipality Water Re-sources Bulletin (2010-2020).”

Comments 9

Section 2.2.2.

Line 1. Change a to an. Please refer to the annotations / comments given in the manuscript.

Response: we change a to an in line 1 of section 2.2.2. Main text as follow:

“A Sankey diagram is an efficient tool that visually represents the flow and conversion of different land cover types.”

Comments 10

Line 4. Revise “described” as “describes”. Please refer to the annotations / comments given in the manuscript.

Response: we revised “described” as “describes” in line 4 of section 2.2.2. Main text as follow:

“The land use transition matrix describes changes in the number of land features from the previous year to the later year [1].”

Comments 11

Section 2.2.3.

Line 1. Change “Data” to “data”. Please refer to the annotations / comments given in the manuscript.

Response: we changed “Data” to “data” in line 1 of section 2.2.3. Main text as follow:

“The data of domestic water consumption were mainly obtained from various city and county water resources bulletins in Xinjiang.”

Comments 12

Line 2. Change “bulletin” to “bulletins”. Please refer to the annotations / comments given in the manuscript.

Response: we changed “bulletin” to “bulletins” in line 2 of section 2.2.3. Main text as follow:

“The data of domestic water consumption were mainly obtained from various city and county water resources bulletins in Xinjiang.”

Comments 13

How do you accommodate the visiting population? They also contribute to water demand. Do you have a considerable visiting population to study area (as tourists etc.)?

Response: in this study area, the proportion of the visiting population in the total population is relatively small. And the percentage of visiting population is less than 2%. Therefore, the permanent population is the main factor to be considered.

Comments 14

Section 2.3.

Line 1. Change “processes” as “processing”. Please refer to the annotations / comments given in the manuscript.

Response: we changed “processes” to “processing” in line 1 of section 2.3. Main text as follow:

“All domestic water consumption and ancillary data processing were conducted using SPSS (Version 23.0, SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA).”

Comments 15

Figure 2: If Figures B,C, D can have same axis range from 0 to 18000, then the three graphs will be visually comparable.

What is the unit of Y axis?

Response: thank you for your suggestion. We have taken your advice and made some modifications in Figure 2. Meanwhile, we have also added the unit of Y axis. 

Comments 16

Results

Page 5, Para 5. Line 3. Insert “the”. Please refer to the annotations / comments given in the manuscript.

Response: we insert “the” in line 3 of Para 5 in results. Main text as follow:

“As shown in Fig. 2 (A), (B), and (C), over the three periods, domestic water consumption was the highest in the middle section.”

Comments 17

Figure 5, 6, 7 captions

Remove “in four time” from all the captions.

Response: we remove “in four time” from all the captions. Main text as follow:

“Figure 5. Sankey diagram for comparison of land cover dynamics in western section of NSTM from the years 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020.”

“Figure 6. Sankey diagram for comparison of land cover dynamics in middle section of NSTM from the years 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020.”

“Figure 7. Sankey diagram for comparison of land cover dynamics in middle section of NSTM from the years 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020.”

Comments 18

Page 10, Para 1

Correct (Error! Reference source not found.). Please refer to two annotations / comments given in the manuscript.

Response: we have rectified the error. Main text as follow:

“Between 1990 and 2020, the trends and degrees of land use change in NSTM varied differently among each of the five-year intervals (Table 1, Table 2, Table 3). Within the 30 years, there was a noticeable acceleration in the expansion of construction land and cultivated land, predominantly at the expense of decreased grassland and farmland. Construction land and cultivated land of the western, middle, and eastern sections increased by 567 km² (Table 1), 1113 km² (Table 2), and 576 km² (Table 3), respectively.”

Comments 19

Discussion

Para 3. Line 1. English editing is needed. Can be "scarce and uncertain". Check. Please refer to the annotations / comments given in the manuscript.

Response: thank you for bringing it to our attention, and we have made the necessary corrections in line 1 of para 3. Main text as follow:

“Water resources in NSTM were scarce and uncertain, with unbalanced distribution in time and space [28,29]”

Comments 20

Para 4. Lines 3 & 4. Sentence needs revision. “With the economic development of NSTM, the living standards of the people were further improved.” Please refer to the annotations / comments given in the manuscript.

Response: thank you for your comments. We have rephrased the sentence in lines 3 & 4 in para 4. Main text as follow:

“With the economy development of NSTM, the living standards of the people were further improved.”

Conclusions

Comments 21

Line 4. “and” should be corrected as "land". Please refer to the annotations / comments given in the manuscript. Citations / references

Please refer to the Journal citation style. Do the needful to revise.

Response: we changed “and” to “land” in line 4. Main text as follow:

“The results showed that from 1990 to 2020, urban and rural industrial land use and residential land use increased by 2256 km² corresponding to the population increase of 158.58 × 10⁴.”

References

1. Islam, M.Y.; Nasher, N.M.R.; Karim, K.H.R.; Rashid, K.J. Quantifying forest land-use changes using remote-sensing and CA-ANN model of Madhupur Sal Forests, Bangladesh. Heliyon 2023, 9, e15617, doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15617.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The topic appears intriguing because it addresses a current issue in the Northern Slope of Tianshan Mountains. However, I believe there are numerous issues that require discussion and appropriate modifications prior to the release of this manuscript.

Authors need to address the comments and suggestions that follow:

1. Introduction need to be improved. Authors are suggested to rewrite the whole introduction and focus on these points such as background/overview, what is lacking, how you will add value to the existing literature.

The research focus needs to answer the following questions: How is the research of land use and spatial and temporal distribution of domestic water consumption important (Relevance)? How is it novel and contributes to the state of the art?

2. Especially Citations are very limited and inappropriate paragraphing throughout the paper. Cite some recent papers. Most of the literature is not enough (Most of the literature is from before 2020).

And second problem is that the authors collect the general literature and summarize the literature rather than to do a critical literature review. Therefore, it is suggested to have a critical review and cite some recent papers published in top tier journals.

3. Authors need to explain it in detail for using the methods of data analysis and must better justify the choice of the methods in page 4.

Therefore, it is recommended that the authors add data analysis methods. Just using correlation analysis is not enough. The current analysis is too thin.

4. The discussion in page 11 is more like an influence factor analysis.

Authors need to compare their results with previous studies and tell us why and how the results are different from others?

5. Conclusion and implication section is not enough. Add more details in this part. Also add research limitations and future research directions.

The organization of this section should be the following: (1) what I want to do, how I did it, (2) what I found, (3) what I want the reader to take away for policy, (4) what I want the reader to take away for further research purposes.

Minor changes:

The English quality of the manuscript should be enhanced to better present the work. The authors should call skilled English writers or natives to enhance readability of the work.

“So far, the majority of studies on water demand primarily focus on water resource management, while also considering climate, population, and economic variations. However, few research has focused on long-term analysis of domestic water demands in arid and semi-arid regions.” Logical relationships need to be reorganized.

“(Error! Reference source not found.,” page 10.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

The English quality of the manuscript should be enhanced to better present the work. 

Author Response

Comments 1

The topic appears intriguing because it addresses a current issue in the Northern Slope of Tianshan Mountains. However, I believe there are numerous issues that require discussion and appropriate modifications prior to the release of this manuscript.

Authors need to address the comments and suggestions that follow:

1. Introduction need to be improved. Authors are suggested to rewrite the whole introduction and focus on these points such as background/overview, what is lacking, how you will add value to the existing literature.

The research focus needs to answer the following questions: How is the research of land use and spatial and temporal distribution of domestic water consumption important (Relevance)? How is it novel and contributes to the state of the art?

Response: Thank you for your comments. We made major changes to the introduction. In the modified content, we focus on the relationship between land use and domestic water consumption. At the same time, our study builds on previous research. In the past study of domestic water consumption on the NSTM, the relationship between the changes of domestic water consumption and land use patterns in the whole region in the past about 30 years (1990 - 2017) was explored. However, there is a significant variation in water resources across the NSTM, leading to diverse domestic water consumption and lifestyles in each region. Currently, there is a lack of research on the relationship between domestic water usage and local social development in these areas. Meanwhile, the current water pattern may not be suitable to sustain NSTM's ongoing economic development (Dai et al., 2017).

Therefore, according to the water resources regionalization and its water resources characteristics in NSTM, it was divided into three sections, namely the west section, the middle section and the east section. In addition, this work characterized the temporal and spatial variation of domestic water consumption in NSTM with the focus on the understanding of the influence of urbanization on domestic water consumption from 1990 to 2020 based on three sections. This change can be found on page 2, paragraphs 1 to 2, and paragraphs 4 in the revised manuscript.

“Domestic water consumption varies widely from country to country, with factors such as population size, climate, and infrastructure playing a significant role. In some countries, access to clean and safe drinking water is limited, leading to higher levels of water scarcity and increased pressure on domestic water resources. On the other hand, in more developed countries with advanced water management systems, domestic water consumption may be more efficient and sustainable. At the global scale, domestic water consumption accounts for only a small portion of overall human water usage, estimated to be about 10% [4]. The majority of freshwater resources are used for agriculture and industry. However, it's important to note that even though domestic use represents a smaller percentage of total water consumption, it still plays a crucial role in meeting basic human needs and supporting daily life activities.

Water scarcity has significantly impeded the sustainable socioeconomic development [5]. In many developing countries such as China, India, South Africa and Brazil, domestic water consumption increases rapidly because of population growth and increasing socio-economic activities, which may change the hydrological cycle significantly on local and regional levels, particularly in urban areas with high population density [6]. China's rapid economic development and growing population have led to a significant increase in water demand, resulting in an imbalance between supply and demand at an alarming rate [7]. In Northwestern China, where water shortage prevails owing to the dry climate, water scarcity has emerged as the primary impediment to socioeconomic development [8,9].

The Northern Slope of Tianshan Mountain (NSTM) is a pivotal region for the economic, technological, and social advancement of Xinjiang [15]. It also serves as a significant gateway connecting Central Asia and Europe along the Silk Road. With the rapid economic development, resource exploitation, urbanization, and population growth in recent years, land use structure has transferred significantly in this region [16]. The NSTM had the highest proportion of unused land from 2000 to 2018, which was subsequently transformed into the increase of grassland and cultivated land, and the expansion of construction land. The increase of cultivated land area is closely related to population growth and urbanization, which leads to a significant increase in the demand for water resources, especially for surface water resources [17]. The expansion of construction land directly increases the demand for domestic water, especially the demand for tap water in the newly developed residential and industrial land during the urbanization process. At the same time, the increase of water area may be related to the construction of artificial lakes and reservoirs in the process of urban development, which provides more water regulation and storage bodies for cities, and then may affect the water cycle and water use pattern in a certain range [17]. However, the decrease of woodland and grassland may be related to over-exploitation, which not only affects the ecological balance, but also may reduce the source of surface water resources. In the past study of domestic water consumption on the NSTM, the relationship between the changes of domestic water consumption and land use patterns in the whole region in the past about 30 years (1990 - 2017) was explored [18]. However, there is a significant variation in water resources across NSTM, leading to diverse domestic water consumption and lifestyles in each region. Currently, there is a lack of research on the relationship between domestic water usage and local social development in these areas. Meanwhile, the current water pattern may not be suitable to sustain NSTM's ongoing economic development [19]. Concurrently, domestic water consumption has witnessed a sharp surge, leading to constraints on water use [15].“

Comments 2

2. Especially Citations are very limited and inappropriate paragraphing throughout the paper. Cite some recent papers. Most of the literature is not enough (Most of the literature is from before 2020).

And second problem is that the authors collect the general literature and summarize the literature rather than to do a critical literature review. Therefore, it is suggested to have a critical review and cite some recent papers published in top tier journals.

Response: Thank you for your comments. We have updated the references and included more recent papers. Additionally, we have added a critical review in the introduction.

Comments 3

3. Authors need to explain it in detail for using the methods of data analysis and must better justify the choice of the methods in page 4.

Therefore, it is recommended that the authors add data analysis methods. Just using correlation analysis is not enough. The current analysis is too thin.

Response: Thank you for your comments. In this study, the temporal and spatial changes of domestic water consumption in the eastern, middle and western sections of the NSTM were mainly used to further reveal the evolution pattern of domestic water consumption from 1990 to 2020. Origin and Arcmap were used for data visualization and data analysis. At the same time, on the basis of the previous analysis, one-way ANOVA was added to compare the spatial and temporal differences of domestic water consumption in the western, middle and eastern sections. In addition, the Sankey diagram was used to visualize the rotation of land use in the western, middle and eastern sections of the NSTM, and the relationship between land use patterns and domestic water consumption was determined through correlation analysis with domestic water consumption in the western, middle and eastern sections of the NSTM. This change can be found on page 4, paragraphs 5, and paragraphs 4 in the revised manuscript.

“All domestic water consumption and ancillary data processing were conducted using SPSS (Version 23.0, SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Pearson correlation analysis was then conducted to assess the relationships between domestic water consumption and construction land use. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied to test for differences among groups domestic water consumption in western section, middle section and east section.”

Comments 4

4. The discussion in page 11 is more like an influence factor analysis.

Authors need to compare their results with previous studies and tell us why and how the results are different from others?

Response: Thank you for your comments. In this study, the spatial and temporal changes of domestic water consumption in the Northern Slope of Tianshan Mountains from 1990 to 2020 are basically consistent with the results of Ma and Sun (2020)。

In order to characterize domestic water consumption in NSTM in different periods of the 30 years from 1990 to 2020, this work divided the 30 years into three periods, i.e., 1990 to 2000, 2001 to 2010, and 2010 to 2020 (Fig. 2). The study results indicated a relatively stable trend in domestic water consumption from 1990 to 2000, with only a slight overall increase. With the implementation of the national strategy of Western Development, land development was encouraged from a policy perspective (Li et al., 2012). The rapid urbanization and population growth in these areas have led to a higher demand for domestic water consumption. After 2000, domestic water consumption showed a fluctuating increase in NSTM. This change can be found on page 11, paragraphs 2, and line 2 in the revised manuscript.

“Water resources in NSTM were scarce and uncertain, with unbalanced distribution in time and space [28,29]. Ma and Sun [18] showed that from 1990 to 2018, domestic water consumption increased year by year on the NSTM, and there was an important relationship between domestic water consumption and land use patterns. At the same time, domestic water consumption varied greatly among counties and districts in NSTM. In this study, the spatial and temporal changes of domestic water consumption in NSTM from 1990 to 2020 are basically consistent with the results of Ma and Sun [18]. In order to characterize domestic water consumption in NSTM in different periods of the 30 years from 1990 to 2020, this work divided the 30 years into three periods, i.e., 1990 to 2000, 2001 to 2010, and 2010 to 2020 (Fig. 2). The study results indicated a relatively stable trend in domestic water consumption from 1990 to 2000, with only a slight overall increase. However, specific regions within the area, apart from Wenquan County, Jinghe County, and Jimusar County, showed a significant per capita domestic water consumption increase during this period. Among these regions, Urumqi, Wusu City, Karamay, Shawan County, and Manas County experienced the fastest growth in domestic water consumption. This data emphasized the need for targeted conservation efforts and efficient management of water resources in these rapidly growing areas”

Comments 5

5. Conclusion and implication section is not enough. Add more details in this part. Also add research limitations and future research directions.

The organization of this section should be the following: (1) what I want to do, how I did it, (2) what I found, (3) what I want the reader to take away for policy, (4) what I want the reader to take away for further research purposes.

Response: Thank you for your comments. We made major revisions to the conclusion. In this part, we focused on the variation characteristics of domestic water consumption and its relationship with land use patterns in the eastern, middle and western sections of the NSTM. At the same time, the future water resources management of the NSTM should be considered comprehensively with social development and land use mode to ensure the sustainability of water resources and social development. This change can be found on page 13 in the conclusions of revised manuscript.

“This work characterized the spatial distribution and change of domestic water consumption in NSTM with a focus on the understanding of the influence of urbanization on domestic water consumption. The results showed that from 1990 to 2020, urban and rural industrial land use and residential land use increased by 2256 km2 corresponding to the population increase of 158.58 × 104. Subsequently, the total domestic water consumption increased from 7.55 × 107 m3 in 1990 to 2.60 × 108 m3 in 2020 with a rapid growth of per capita domestic water consumption rate.

The study also revealed interesting patterns in the spatial distribution of domestic water consumption within NSTM. Generally speaking, the eastern section demonstrated steady growth, while the western and middle sections experienced larger fluctuations in domestic water consumption. This suggests that there are regional differences in how urbanization has impacted domestic water usage. Furthermore, it was observed that there were significant increases in domestic water consumption in certain counties and districts within NSTM from 2010 to 2020. For example, Manas County, Changji County, Toutunhe District, Fukang City, Jimushar County, Qitai County, and Mubi Kazakh Autonomous Counties all saw notable rises in their domestic water usage during this period.

Overall, these findings highlight the complex relationship between urbanization and domestic water consumption within NSTM. It is clear that as urban areas continue to expand and populations grow, there will be an increasing demand for domestic water resources which will need to be carefully managed to ensure sustainable usage for future generations.”

Comments 6

Minor changes:

The English quality of the manuscript should be enhanced to better present the work. The authors should call skilled English writers or natives to enhance readability of the work.

Response: Response: Thank you for your advice. The English quality of the manuscript has been enhanced readability by skilled English writers.

Comments 7

“So far, the majority of studies on water demand primarily focus on water resource management, while also considering climate, population, and economic variations. However, few research has focused on long-term analysis of domestic water demands in arid and semi-arid regions.” Logical relationships need to be reorganized.

Response: Thank you for your comments. The introduction was significantly revised. Therefore, the sentence has been deleted.

Comments 8

“(Error! Reference source not found.,” page 10.

Response: Thank you for your comments. This change can be found on page 10, paragraphs 1, line 2 in the revised manuscript.

“Between 1990 and 2020, the trends and degrees of land use change in NSTM varied differently among each of the five-year intervals (Table 1, Table 2, Table 3). Within the 30 years, there was a noticeable acceleration in the expansion of construction land and cultivated land, predominantly at the expense of decreased grassland and farmland. Construction land and cultivated land of the western, middle, and eastern sections increased by 567 km² (Table 1), 1113 km² (Table 2), and 576 km² (Table 3), respectively.”

Comments 9

Comments on the Quality of English Language

The English quality of the manuscript should be enhanced to better present the work.

Response: Thank you for your advice. The English quality of the manuscript has been enhanced readability by skilled English writers.

References

Dai, S., Li, L., Xu, H. Simulation of water scarcity in a leap-forward developing arid region: a system dynamics model of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region[J]. Water Policy. 2017. 19, 741-757.

Li, W., Liu, Y.-j., Yang, Z. Preliminary Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Great Western Development Strategy: Safeguarding Ecological Security for a New Western China[J]. Environmental Management. 2012. 49, 483-501.

Ma, H., Sun, J. The influence of LUCC on water demand in the north slope of Tianshan Mountain[J]. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. 2020. 560, 012079.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

My major concerns related to other studies and patterns related to the water use and comsumption were solved in the reviewed version.

Author Response

Comments 1

My major concerns related to other studies and patterns related to the water use and comsumption were solved in the reviewed version.

Response: Thank you again for your comments, which played an important role in the improvement of the manuscript.

 

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

1. Especially Citations are very limited and inappropriate paragraphing throughout the paper. Cite some recent papers. Most of the literature is not enough (Most of the literature is from before 2020).

And second problem is that the authors collect the general literature and summarize the literature rather than to do a critical literature review. Therefore, it is suggested to have a critical review and cite some recent papers published in top tier journals.

2. Authors need to explain it in detail for using the methods of data analysis and must better justify the choice of the methods in page 4.

Therefore, it is recommended that the authors add data analysis methods. Just using correlation analysis is not enough. The current analysis is too thin.

3. The discussion in page 11 is more like an influence factor analysis.

Authors need to compare their results with previous studies and tell us why and how the results are different from others?

4. Conclusion and implication section is not enough. Add more details in this part. Also add research limitations and future research directions.

The organization of this section should be the following: (1) what I want to do, how I did it, (2) what I found, (3) what I want the reader to take away for policy, (4) what I want the reader to take away for further research purposes.

 

Comments on the Quality of English Language

 Moderate editing of English language required.

Author Response

Reviewer #3-round 2:

Thank you for your comments again. We have revised it one by one according to your comments. Firstly, the references were checked one by one and the references in recent years were updated. At the same time, we added critical reviews in the introduction. Second, we added the description of data analysis methods, land transition matrix method and One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to make the method fuller. Third, in influencing factors analysis in our discussion, we added the contrast between the previous results and our results and carried out the analysis. Fourth, we have rewritten the conclusion section in accordance with the organizational structure of the conclusions you presented. Finally, a language service revised the grammar of the paper to meet publication requirements. The changes in the new version are highlighted by red font in the main text. Responses to the reviewers’ comments are presented point-by-point below in black. Please see the following text for specific details.

Comments 1

1. Especially Citations are very limited and inappropriate paragraphing throughout the paper. Cite some recent papers. Most of the literature is not enough (Most of the literature is from before 2020).

Response: Thank you for your comments. We have updated the references and included more recent papers. This change can be found in references in the revised manuscript.

 “1.  Salem, H.S.; Pudza, M.Y.; Yihdego, Y. Water strategies and water–food Nexus: challenges and opportunities towards sustainable development in various regions of the World. Sustainable Water Resources Management 2022, 8, 114.

2. Hargrove, W.L.; Heyman, J.M.; Mayer, A.; Mirchi, A.; Granados-Olivas, A.; Ganjegunte, G.; Gutzler, D.; Pennington, D.D.; Ward, F.A.; Chavira, L.G.; et al. The future of water in a desert river basin facing climate change and competing demands: A holistic approach to water sustainability in arid and semi-arid regions. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies 2023, 46, 101336.
3. Kumari, U.; Swamy, K.; Gupta, A.; Karri, Rama R.; Meikap, B.C. Chapter8 - Global water challenge and future perspective. In Green Technologies for the Defluoridation of Water, Hadi Dehghani, M., Karri, R., Lima, E., Eds.; Elsevier: 2021; pp. 197-212.
4. Zhai, Y.; Zhang, T.; Ma, X.; Shen, X.; Ji, C.; Bai, Y.; Hong, J. Life cycle water footprint analysis of crop production in China. Agricultural Water Management 2021, 256, 107079.
5. Han, Y.; Jia, S. An Assessment of the Water Resources Carrying Capacity in Xinjiang. Water 2022, 14.
6. Humbal, A.; Chaudhary, N.; Pathak, B. Urbanization Trends, Climate Change, and Environmental Sustainability. In Climate Change and Urban Environment Sustainability, Pathak, B., Dubey, R.S., Eds.; Springer Nature Singapore: Singapore, 2023; 151-166.
7. Javan, K.; Altaee, A.; BaniHashemi, S.; Darestani, M.; Zhou, J.; Pignatta, G. A review of interconnected challenges in the water–energy–food nexus: Urban pollution perspective towards sustainable development. Science of The Total Environment 2024, 912, 169319,
8. Wang, T.; Shen, G.; Liu, B.; Sun, Y.; Wang, Z. Evolution characteristics of spatial and temporal distribution pattern and driving force analysis of reservoirs in the economic zone on the north slope of Tianshan Mountains. Arid Zone Research 2024, 41, 1456-1467,
9. Zongxia, W.; Suxia, L. Estimation and spatiotemporal evolution of groundwater storage on the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains over the past three decades. Acta Geographica Sinica 2023, 78, 1744-1763.
10. Zheng, L.; Xia, Z.; Xu, J.; Chen, Y.; Yang, H.; Li, D. Exploring annual lake dynamics in Xinjiang (China): spatiotemporal features and driving climate factors from 2000 to 2019. Climatic Change 2021, 166, 36.
11. Hai, Y.; Long, A.; Zhang, P.; Deng, X.; Li, J.; Deng, M. Evaluating agricultural water-use efficiency based on water footprint of crop values: a case study in Xinjiang of China. Journal of Arid Land 2020, 12, 580-593.
12. Mu, L.; Fang, L.; Dou, W.; Wang, C.; Qu, X.; Yu, Y. Urbanization-induced spatio-temporal variation of water resources utilization in northwestern China: A spatial panel model based approach. Ecological Indicators 2021, 125, 107457,
13. Ding, Y.; Jia, L.; Wang, C.; Wang, P. Urban sprawl and its effects on water competition between building industry and residents: Evidence from 31 provinces in China. Water-Energy Nexus 2024, 7, 26-38,
14. Tang, Q.; Liu, X.; Zhou, Y.; Wang, P.; Li, Z.; Hao, Z.; Liu, S.; Zhao, G.; Zhu, B.; He, X.; et al. Climate change and water security in the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains. Geography and Sustainability 2022, 3, 246-257,
15. Xu, X.; Tian, H.; Yang, G.; Li, X.; He, X.; Li, Y.; Gao, Y.; Li, F.; Li, P.; Liu, B.; et al. Spatial and temporal changes in land and water resources on the northern slopes of the Tianshan mountains from the perspective of “production-living-ecological space”. Frontiers in Environmental Science 2023, 11,
16. Deng, X.; Liang, L.; Wu, F.; Wang, Z.; He, S. A review of the balance of regional development in China from the perspective of development geography. Journal of Geographical Sciences 2022, 32, 3-22.
17. Boretti, A.; Rosa, L. Reassessing the projections of the World Water Development Report. Nature 2019, 2, 15.
18. Zhi, X.; Anfuding, G.; Yang, G.; Gong, P.; Wang, C.; Li, Y.; Li, X.; Li, P.; Liu, C.; Qiao, C.; et al. Evaluation of the Water Resource Carrying Capacity on the North Slope of the Tianshan Mountains, Northwest China. Sustainability 2022, 14.”

And second problem is that the authors collect the general literature and summarize the literature rather than to do a critical literature review. Therefore, it is suggested to have a critical review and cite some recent papers published in top tier journals.

Response: Thank you for your comments. We have added a critical review in the introduction. This change can be found on page 2, paragraphs 4 lines 10 to 26 in the revised manuscript.

“The expansion of construction land directly increases the demand for domestic water, especially the demand for tap water in the newly developed residential and industrial land during the urbanization process. At the same time, the increase of water area may be related to the construction of artificial lakes and reservoirs in the process of urban development, which provides more water regulation and storage bodies for cities, and then may affect the water cycle and water use pattern in a certain range (Wang et al., 2024). However, the decrease of woodland and grassland may be related to over-exploitation, which not only affects the ecological balance, but also may reduce the source of surface water resources. In the past study of domestic water consumption on the NSTM, the relationship between the changes of domestic water consumption and land use patterns in the whole region in the past about 30 years (1990 - 2017) was explored (Ma and Sun, 2020). However, there is a significant variation in water resources across NSTM, leading to diverse domestic water consumption and lifestyles in each region. Currently, there is a lack of research on the relationship between domestic water usage and local social development in these areas. Meanwhile, the current water pattern may not be suitable to sustain NSTM's ongoing economic development (Dai et al., 2017). Concurrently, domestic water consumption has witnessed a sharp surge, leading to constraints on water use (Fang et al., 2019).”

Comments 2

2. Authors need to explain it in detail for using the methods of data analysis and must better justify the choice of the methods in page 4.

Therefore, it is recommended that the authors add data analysis methods. Just using correlation analysis is not enough. The current analysis is too thin.

Response: Thank you for your comments. In this study, the temporal and spatial changes of domestic water consumption in the eastern, middle and western sections of the NSTM were mainly used to further reveal the evolution pattern of domestic water consumption from 1990 to 2020. Origin and Arcmap were used for data visualization and data analysis. At the same time, on the basis of the previous analysis, one-way ANOVA was added to compare the spatial and temporal differences of domestic water consumption in the western, middle and eastern sections. In addition, the land transition matrix and sankey diagram was used to visualize the rotation of land use in the western, middle and eastern sections of the NSTM. The relationship between land use patterns and domestic water consumption was determined through correlation analysis with domestic water consumption in the western, middle and eastern sections of the NSTM. Thes changes can be found on page 4, 2.2.2 land transition matrix and 2.3 data analysis in the revised manuscript.

“2.2.2. Land transition matrix

The land use data from 1990 to 2020 was processed to extract land use classifications for different temporal intervals within the study area, serving as the basis for constructing the transition matrix. Land use data from various periods was clipped to the boundary of the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains using ArcGIS, followed by the creation of a raster attribute table of land type codes, with an added year field to distinguish time points. Then the data was converted to vector format, and similar land type features were merged. An intersection analysis was conducted on the merged data at five-year intervals to calculate areas, and the results of all land type transitions were aggregated to derive the transition amounts between different land use types over time, resulting in the construction of the transition matrix[21].

This formula is available in word. Please see the attachment.

Each element of the transition matrix  represents the area of land use type i in the initial state that transitioned to land use type j in the final state during the study period. The rows of the matrix represent the land use types in the initial state, while the columns represent the land use types in the final state. This matrix facilitates the quantification of the transition processes between different land use types, revealing the dynamic characteristics of land use changes[22].

2.3. Data analysis

All domestic water consumption and ancillary data processing were conducted using SPSS (Version 23.0, SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Pearson correlation analysis was then conducted to assess the relationships between domestic water consumption and construction land use. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied to test for differences among groups domestic water consumption in western section, middle section and east section. ArcMap (10.2) was used to visualize the spatial variation of domestic water consumption on the NSTM.”

Comments 3

3. The discussion in page 11 is more like an influence factor analysis.

Authors need to compare their results with previous studies and tell us why and how the results are different from others?

Response: Thank you for your comments. We have made modifications according to your specific comments. This chapter mainly discusses the influencing factors of domestic water consumption on the NSTM, thus increasing the comparison between our results and previous studies. These changes can be found on page 11, paragraphs 2 lines 4 to 16 and paragraphs 3 lines 2 to 10 in section 4.1 of the revised manuscript.

“Many scholars have explored the relationship between urbanization and population growth and domestic water consumption. For example, Dawadi and Ahmad [26] developed a system dynamics model for the Las Vegas Valley from 1989 to 2035, found that because of the population growth, the LVV would not be able to meet the water demand in the near future. Arain, et al. [27] discussed the empirical relationship among foreign direct investment, population, energy production and water resources in South Asia. Mu, Fang, Dou, Wang, Qu and Yu [25] used the spatial panel measurement model to explore the spatial impact of urbanization on water use and its driving mechanism in Northwest China. These studies all showed that as urban areas grew and populations rose, the water demands for diverse domestic uses such as drinking, sanitation, and hygiene increased accordingly. In this study, urbanization and population growth continuously promote the growth of domestic water consumption. The specific results are urban and rural industrial land use and residential land use increased by 2256 km² corresponding to the population increase of 158.58 × 10⁴ in NSTM from 1990 to 2020. The total domestic water consumption increased from 7.55 × 10⁷ m³ in 1990 to 2.60 × 10⁸ m³ in 2020. Secondly, urban expansion brought changes in lifestyle and consumption patterns, with increased consumption in personal hygiene, gardening, and other water-intensive activities, further driving up the demands for domestic water use [28]. In this study, the per capita domestic water consumption on the NSTM increased year by year, the per capita domestic water consumption in NSTM has increased from 55.02 L/capd in 1990 to 136 L/capd in 2010 and 155 L/capd in 2020.”

“Ma and Sun [18] showed that from 1990 to 2018, domestic water consumption increased year by year on the NSTM, and there was an important relationship between domestic water consumption and land use patterns. In this study, the spatial and temporal changes of total domestic water consumption in NSTM from 1990 to 2020 are basically consistent with the results of Ma and Sun [18]. At the same time, domestic water consumption varied greatly among counties and districts in NSTM. Our results indicated the eastern section demonstrated steady growth, while the western and middle sections experienced larger fluctuations in domestic water consumption. This suggests that there are regional differences in how urbanization has impacted domestic water usage (Figure 2 and Figure 3).”

Comments 4

4. Conclusion and implication section is not enough. Add more details in this part. Also add research limitations and future research directions.

The organization of this section should be the following: (1) what I want to do, how I did it, (2) what I found, (3) what I want the reader to take away for policy, (4) what I want the reader to take away for further research purposes.

Response: Thank you for your comments. We made major revisions to the conclusion. The organization of this section was the following:

(1) this study was to characterized the spatial distribution and change of domestic water consumption in NSTM and studied the influence of urbanization on domestic water consumption. We collected and calculated the domestic water consumption data of each district and county from 1990 to 2020 and analyzed the spatial-temporal distribution characteristics of domestic water consumption on the NSTM. At the same time, combined with land use data, we analyzed the impact of urbanization on domestic water consumption on the NSTM.

(2) The results showed that from 1990 to 2020, urban and rural industrial land use and residential land use increased by 2256 km2 corresponding to the population increase of 158.58 × 10⁴. Subsequently, the total domestic water consumption increased from 7.55 × 10⁷ m³ in 1990 to 2.60 × 10⁸ m³ in 2020 with a rapid growth of per capita domestic water consumption rate. The study also revealed interesting patterns in the spatial distribution of domestic water consumption within NSTM. Generally speaking, the eastern section demonstrated steady growth, while the western and middle sections experienced larger fluctuations in domestic water consumption. This suggests that there are regional differences in how urbanization has impacted domestic water usage. In addition, due to the western development strategy, the urbanization speed of the NSTM accelerated from 2010 to 2020, and there were significant increases in domestic water consumption within NSTM.

(3) These findings highlight the complex relationship between urbanization and domestic water consumption within NSTM. It is clear that as urban areas continue to expand and populations grow, there will be an increasing demand for domestic water resources which will need to be carefully managed to ensure sustainable usage for future generations.

(4) The prediction of domestic water consumption is crucial for managing water resources in the NSTM in the future. Therefore, the further research should focus on understanding the factors influencing domestic water consumption and developing a prediction model for the NSTM. This will help assess the future trends in water supply and demand, provide a scientific basis for regional sustainable development, and offer policy suggestions to promote coordinated economic and environmental development in the region.

This change can be found on page 13 in the conclusions in revised manuscript.

“This work characterized the spatial distribution and change of domestic water consumption in NSTM with a focus on the understanding of the influence of urbanization on domestic water consumption. We collected and calculated the domestic water consumption data of each district and county from 1990 to 2020 and analyzed the spatial-temporal distribution characteristics of domestic water consumption on the NSTM. At the same time, combined with land use data, we analyzed the impact of urbanization on domestic water consumption on the NSTM. The results showed that from 1990 to 2020, urban and rural industrial land use and residential land use increased by 2256 km² corresponding to the population increase of 158.58 × 10⁴. Subsequently, the total domestic water consumption increased from 7.55 × 10⁷ m³ in 1990 to 2.60 × 10⁸ m³ in 2020 with a rapid growth of per capita domestic water consumption rate.

The study also revealed interesting patterns in the spatial distribution of domestic water consumption within NSTM. Generally speaking, the eastern section demonstrated steady growth, while the western and middle sections experienced larger fluctuations in domestic water consumption. This suggests that there are regional differences in how urbanization has impacted domestic water usage. In addition, due to the western development strategy, the urbanization speed of the NSTM accelerated from 2010 to 2020, and there were significant increases in domestic water consumption within NSTM. For example, Manas County, Changji County, Toutunhe District, Fukang City, Jimushar County, Qitai County, and Mubi Kazakh Autonomous Counties all saw notable rises in their domestic water usage during this period. These findings highlight the complex relationship between urbanization and domestic water consumption within NSTM. It is clear that as urban areas continue to expand and populations grow, there will be an increasing demand for domestic water resources which will need to be carefully managed to ensure sustainable usage for future generations.

The prediction of domestic water consumption is crucial for managing water resources in the NSTM in the future. Therefore, further research need focus on understanding the factors influencing domestic water consumption and developing a prediction model for the NSTM. This will help assess the future trends in water supply and demand, provide a scientific basis for regional sustainable development, and offer policy suggestions to promote coordinated economic and environmental development in the region.”

 

References

Dai, S., Li, L., Xu, H. Simulation of water scarcity in a leap-forward developing arid region: a system dynamics model of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region[J]. Water Policy. 2017. 19, 741-757.

Fan, M., Xu, J., Chen, Y., et al. Simulating the precipitation in the data-scarce Tianshan Mountains, Northwest China based on the Earth system data products[J]. Arabian Journal of Geosciences. 2020. 13, 637.

Fang, C., Gao, Q., Zhang, X., et al. Spatiotemporal characteristics of the expansion of an urban agglomeration and its effect on the eco-environment: Case study on the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains[J]. Science China Earth Sciences. 2019. 62, 1461-1472.

Li, W., Liu, Y.-j., Yang, Z. Preliminary Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Great Western Development Strategy: Safeguarding Ecological Security for a New Western China[J]. Environmental Management. 2012. 49, 483-501.

Ma, H., Sun, J. The influence of LUCC on water demand in the north slope of Tianshan Mountain[J]. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. 2020. 560, 012079.

Wang, T., Shen, G., Liu, B., et al. Evolution characteristics of spatial and temporal distribution pattern and driving force analysis of reservoirs in the economic zone on the north slope of Tianshan Mountains[J]. Arid Zone Research. 2024. 41, 1456-1467.

Xu, J., Chen, Y., Li, W., et al. Understanding temporal and spatial complexity of precipitation distribution in Xinjiang, China[J]. Theoretical and Applied Climatology. 2016. 123, 321-333.

 

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 3

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The authors have incorporated all the comments. Thank you.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

no