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Atmosphere
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Regional Hydrological Processes in a Changing Climate
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Regional Hydrological Processes in a Changing Climate

A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Biosphere/Hydrosphere/Land–Atmosphere Interactions".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 October 2023) | Viewed by 11283

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Tianye Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Yellow River Laboratory, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
Interests: hydrological model; evapotranspiration; ecohydrology; dryland; permafrost; climate change
Dr. Hongshi Xu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Yellow River Laboratory, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
Interests: urban flood modelling; urban driange design; compound flood; machine learing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ping Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Interests: hydrology; groundwater‒soil‒plant‒atmosphere continuum; water resources; Arctic; dryland
Dr. Shiqin Xu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Geography and Environmental Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730000, China
Interests: hydrometeorology; ecohydrology; changes in water cycle

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Hydrological processes, including rainfall, evaporation, transpiration, runoff, and other water migration and transformation processes, are both indicators of the climate state and the most critical nexus of the energy and material cycle in the climate system. At the same time, abnormalities in the intrinsic variability of hydrological processes often trigger droughts, floods, and other secondary disasters that affect human development and social welfare.

In the context of climate warming, changes in hydrological processes have been reported in various regions of the world, but there is strong spatial heterogeneity in the direction, intensity, and frequency of changes. For example, some studies suggest that there is a general characteristic of "dry gets drier, wet gets wetter" rainfall variability at the global scale and that the area of arid zones will expand as climate change continues. Although these conclusions are still debatable, with many exceptions at least at the regional scale, it is relatively certain that the frequency and intensity of extreme hydrological events (droughts, floods, hurricanes, etc.) tend to increase. Additionally, for example, changes in the elements of the cryosphere (glaciers, snow, permafrost, etc.) in cold regions are not only directly reflected in changes in local hydrological processes, but also have an impact on the regional and even global climate system. Furthermore, the increase in atmospheric CO2 content, temperature rise, and changes in moisture conditions also significantly affect plant ecohydrological processes, thus changing the dynamic characteristics of vegetation water use efficiency, phenology, and productivity, which have feedback effects on the climate system. These changes in natural processes inevitably affect human social systems, leading to increased heat waves, reduced crop yields, water scarcity, urban flooding, and sea level rise, thereby impacting human health and social development.

Therefore, we have organized this Special Issue to provide a platform for colleagues to exchange knowledge and advance the understanding of the mechanisms of hydrological process response to climate change by collecting research cases about changes in hydrological processes in different regions of the world. We welcome contributions from colleagues to share their latest research findings.

Dr. Tianye Wang
Dr. Hongshi Xu
Dr. Ping Wang
Dr. Shiqin Xu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • hydrology
  • ecohydrology
  • climate change
  • evaporation
  • precipitation
  • transpiration
  • runoff
  • flood
  • drought

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 3120 KiB  
Article
Improving the Model Performance of the Ecosystem Carbon Cycle by Integrating Soil Erosion–Related Processes
by Jinliang Zhang, Chao Zhang, Wensi Ma, Wei Wang and Haofei Li
Atmosphere 2023, 14(12), 1724; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14121724 - 23 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1141
Abstract
Soil erosion is a key factor in soil quality degradation and carbon balance in arid ecosystems. However, many models ignore the soil erosion process in arid regions, which may lead to limits in our understanding of ecosystem processes in arid regions. In this [...] Read more.
Soil erosion is a key factor in soil quality degradation and carbon balance in arid ecosystems. However, many models ignore the soil erosion process in arid regions, which may lead to limits in our understanding of ecosystem processes in arid regions. In this study, we added the soil erosion process according to field observed data of soil hydrothermal regimes and carbon flux. We validated this coupling version of IBIS (Integrated Biosphere Simulator) and RUSLE (RU–IBIS) by examining four different vegetation types and the carbon budget in the arid region on the Loess Plateau (LP). Our results indicated that the coupling model (RU–IBIS) produced more reliable simulations of the soil water content (with the r from 0.23–0.90 to 0.71–0.97) and evaporation (ET) (the average r was 0.76) and significantly improved the simulation of the leaf area index (LAI) (the average r was 0.95) and net primary production (NPP) (the average r was 0.95). We also conducted sensitivity experiments to determine how soil texture and aerodynamic roughness (Z0m) affect the soil water content. Moreover, it was revealed that specific leaf area (SLA) plays a key role in the simulation of NPP and NEE. Our study suggests that the coupled soil erosion process and parameterization can effectively improve the performance of IBIS in arid regions. These results need to be considered in future Earth system models. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regional Hydrological Processes in a Changing Climate)
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23 pages, 4617 KiB  
Article
Human Activities Accelerated Increase in Vegetation in Northwest China over the Three Decades
by Liqin Yang, Hongyan Fu, Chen Zhong, Jiankai Zhou and Libang Ma
Atmosphere 2023, 14(9), 1419; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14091419 - 8 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1705
Abstract
Natural ecosystems are changing more quickly because of human activities, the type and intensity of which are directly correlated with vegetation greenness. To effectively determine how human activities affect trends in vegetation under climate change, we must differentiate between various types of human [...] Read more.
Natural ecosystems are changing more quickly because of human activities, the type and intensity of which are directly correlated with vegetation greenness. To effectively determine how human activities affect trends in vegetation under climate change, we must differentiate between various types of human activities. The GTWR model can study the spatiotemporal non-stationary relationship between the NDVI trend and climate change. The GTWR model was incorporated into multiple climate variables and improved residual analysis to quantify the contributions of climate change and human activities on vegetation change trends in the Hexi region during different periods. This study divides human activities into four groups based on land use change: urbanization, agricultural expansion, desertification, and ecological restoration to further investigate their contribution to vegetation greenness change. The results showed that in 56.9% of the significant vegetation greening trends between 1982 and 2015, climate factors contributed only 7.4%, while human factors contributed a significant 22.7%. Since the ecological restoration project implemented in 2000, the expansion intensity of ecological restoration and urbanization increased significantly, followed by agricultural expansion and desertification. For the considerable greening trends in the Hexi region, the ecological restoration project contributed 26.7%, while agricultural expansion and urbanization contributed 17.5% and 4.6%, respectively. This study aims to provide new insights for more accurate simulation and evaluation of the interaction effects of climate change and human socio-economic development on vegetation growth. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regional Hydrological Processes in a Changing Climate)
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16 pages, 4586 KiB  
Article
Ecological Base Flow Characteristics of Typical Rivers on the North Slope of Kunlun Mountains under Climate Change
by Keke Hu, Wuerken Ailihazi and Sulitan Danierhan
Atmosphere 2023, 14(5), 842; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14050842 - 9 May 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1436
Abstract
Under climate change, river ecological base flow becomes particularly critical for the health and stability of inland river ecosystems in arid regions. Taking three typical seasonal inland rivers, including the Kriya River, the Niya River, and the Qarqan River, all on the northern [...] Read more.
Under climate change, river ecological base flow becomes particularly critical for the health and stability of inland river ecosystems in arid regions. Taking three typical seasonal inland rivers, including the Kriya River, the Niya River, and the Qarqan River, all on the northern slope of the Kunlun Mountains, as research objects, meteorological data from 1958 to 2019 and hydrological data from 1978 to 2014 were selected to analyze the characteristics of ecological base flow under climate change. The results show that in the past 60 years, the temperature in the Kriya River, Niya River, and Qarqan River basins has warmed at rates of 0.235 °C•(10a)−1, 0.223 °C•(10a)−1, and 0.177 °C•(10a)−1, respectively, while the precipitation has increased at the rates of 0.88 mm•(10a)−1, 3.90 mm•(10a)−1, and 7.92 mm•(10a)−1. The Tennant method was determined as the best algorithm for ecological base flow of inland rivers in arid regions. The interannual maximum values of ecological base flow all occurred in 2010, with three rivers increasing by 5.098 m3·s−1, 2.416 m3·s−1, and 11.343 m3·s−1 respectively, and the regional average increasing by 6.286 m3·s−1. The maximum ecological base flow within the year is in July, and the minimum value is in January, with a high proportion of the flood season. The monthly ecological base flow of rivers has a strong correlation with the monthly temperature and precipitation, with the strongest correlation in the Qarqan River basin and the correlation coefficients of 0.876 and 0.917. We propose ecological base flow guarantee objectives for the three rivers during the dry season, and clarify that the flood season is the key point of ecological base flow guarantee. The guarantee objectives are 0.974 m3·s−1, 0.154 m3·s−1, and 2.167 m3·s−1, for the three rivers, respectively. Our research results can provide scientific reference for the management and regulation of water resources and ecological protection of the northern slope of the Kunlun Mountains. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regional Hydrological Processes in a Changing Climate)
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20 pages, 8434 KiB  
Article
Flood Modelling and Risk Analysis of Cinan Feizuo Flood Protection Area, Huaihe River Basin
by Umar Farooq, Abubakr Taha Bakheit Taha, Fuchang Tian, Ximin Yuan, Muhammad Ajmal, Irfan Ullah and Mahmood Ahmad
Atmosphere 2023, 14(4), 678; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14040678 - 3 Apr 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2407
Abstract
This study evaluated multiple aspects of flood risks and effects on the Cinan Feizuo flood protection area in the Huaihe River basin. Flooding remains a leading problem for infrastructure, especially in urban, residential areas of the region. Effective flood modeling for urbanized floodplains [...] Read more.
This study evaluated multiple aspects of flood risks and effects on the Cinan Feizuo flood protection area in the Huaihe River basin. Flooding remains a leading problem for infrastructure, especially in urban, residential areas of the region. Effective flood modeling for urbanized floodplains is challenging, but MIKE (ID-2D) is paramount for analyzing and quantifying the risk in the vulnerable region. The Saint-Venant equation and a one-dimensional (1D) MIKE 11 model were used to understand the flood dynamics in the Huaihe River, and a two-dimensional (2D) MIKE 21 model was applied to assess the risk in the Cinan Feizuo flood protection area. The finite volume method (FVM) was used for discrete grid problems, and the models were coupled through the weir equation to find the flow volume from the 1D domain to the 2D domain to investigate water level changes. Flood inundation maps were generated for the flood protection area. The maximum discharge, velocity, and submerged depth for 50- and 100-year flood events were assessed with flood risk. Chenbei indicated a high flood risk level in 50 to 100 years in which the water level exceeds a high level and inundates the maximum area with minimum time. Conversely, the 100-year flood inundation in the flood protection area was comparatively higher than the 50-year flood, with a lower time step. The risk analysis identified significant damage caused by the flood over the target regions. The findings of this study provide technical support for flood risk analysis and loss assessment within the flood protection area and have important reference values for regional flood control, disaster reduction decision making, and constructive planning. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regional Hydrological Processes in a Changing Climate)
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22 pages, 8083 KiB  
Article
Identification of a Function to Fit the Flow Duration Curve and Parameterization of a Semi-Arid Region in North China
by Lan Ma, Dengfeng Liu, Qiang Huang, Fengnian Guo, Xudong Zheng, Jing Zhao, Jinkai Luan, Jingjing Fan and Guanghui Ming
Atmosphere 2023, 14(1), 116; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14010116 - 5 Jan 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1664
Abstract
The discharge process has undergone major changes in many river basins throughout the world as a result of the simultaneous influences of global climate change and human activity. Flow duration curves (FDCs) are crucial indicators of river basins’ hydrological processes. However, it is [...] Read more.
The discharge process has undergone major changes in many river basins throughout the world as a result of the simultaneous influences of global climate change and human activity. Flow duration curves (FDCs) are crucial indicators of river basins’ hydrological processes. However, it is challenging to compare FDCs in a quantitative way. This study will identify the best function with which to fit the flow duration curve in a semi-arid region of North China, so as to quantify the FDC, and parameterize the function of the FDC of the region in order to describe the FDCs of ungauged basins. In this work, six small- and medium-sized catchments in North China are selected as the study area, and three functions, i.e., log normal, generalized Pareto and H2018 functions, were chosen to fit the FDC at nineteen hydrological stations. The relationship between the parameters of the FDC and the basin characteristics, such as the climatic factors and geographical features, were analyzed. A regression formula of the parameters of the FDC function was established, and its spatial and temporal distributions were examined. Based on the evaluation of four indicators, the Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency, the root mean square relative error, the logarithmic Nash efficiency coefficient and the coefficient of determination, the results demonstrate that the H2018 function can match FDCs the best. Through the annual runoff, annual precipitation, precipitation in summer, potential evapotranspiration, catchment area, mean elevation, length of the main channel and maximum flow frequency, the parameters of a, b, and k in the H2018 function can be formulated. The regression formula constructed in this study can obtain a regional flow duration curve with satisfactory performance, which provides a reference for the validation of remote-sensing-based runoff data in ungauged regions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regional Hydrological Processes in a Changing Climate)
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16 pages, 5008 KiB  
Article
Dry and Wet Changes and Vegetation Time-Delay Responses in Western China
by Jie Chen, Bo Zhang, Rongpeng Yao, Xiaofang Zhang, Yaowen Zhang and Jing Zhou
Atmosphere 2022, 13(12), 2013; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13122013 - 30 Nov 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1326
Abstract
Due to global warming and other climate changes, it is increasingly important to study the response of regional environmental changes and dynamic changes in vegetation to climate change. Based on meteorological data from the last 60 years, this paper calculates the humidity index [...] Read more.
Due to global warming and other climate changes, it is increasingly important to study the response of regional environmental changes and dynamic changes in vegetation to climate change. Based on meteorological data from the last 60 years, this paper calculates the humidity index of western China under a wide range of long time series in different regions and explores the cross-correlation effect between series by offering a comparison with NDVI data, to analyze the cross-correlation between wet and dry changes and changes in vegetation in western China on a spatial scale. The results show that the spatial distribution of the interdecadal humidity index is different between different regions in western China. For example, the semi-arid and the semi-humid zones of the Weihe River region exhibit significant changes, while the Xinjiang and Qinghai–Tibet regions show a trend of constant wetness, on the whole, and the Sichuan and Yunnan–Guizhou regions are relatively humid and the distribution of wetness and dryness is relatively stable. The distribution of high and low values of the humidity index is very obvious and consistent with that of the distribution of desert bare land and precipitation in western China. In common with the distribution in the humidity index, the maximum correlation number between the NDVI and the humidity index in the whole western region is also significantly different in spatial distribution. There is a positive correlation between the NDVI and the humidity index in 99% of the study area. However, the delay in response time of the NDVI to changes in the humidity index in each region is inconsistent. For example, changes in the NDVI lag changes in the humidity index in the Menggan region by generally either 2 months or 5 months, while in the Sichuan region the delay in response time is generally 3 months. The variation and trend in dry and wet areas are closely related to the geographical location, climate zone, and topographic terrain, which may be the reason for the differences in the distribution of vegetation types and the response time to dry and wet changes. There is significant interaction between the humidity index and the vegetation type or precipitation distribution in western China. The positive correlation between the NDVI and the humidity index means that the positive effect is more sensitive, and the response of grassland is the most sensitive in the ecosystem. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regional Hydrological Processes in a Changing Climate)
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