Synchronism of runoff response to climate change in Kaidu River Basin in Xinjiang, Northwest China

The runoff in alpine river basins where the runoff is formed in nearby mountainous areas is mainly affected by temperature and precipitation.Based on observed annual mean temperature,annual precipitation,and runoff time-series datasets during 1958–2012 within the Kaidu River Basin,the synchronism of runoff response to climate change was analyzed and identified by applying several classic methods,including standardization methods,Kendall's W test,the sequential version of the Mann-Kendall test,wavelet power spectrum analysis,and the rescaled range(R/S) approach.The concordance of the nonlinear trend variations of the annual mean temperature,annual precipitation,and runoff was tested significantly at the 0.05 level by Kendall's W method.The sequential version of the Mann-Kendall test revealed that abrupt changes in annual runoff were synchronous with those of annual mean temperature.The periodic characteristics of annual runoff were mainly consistent with annual precipitation,having synchronous 3-year significant periods and the same 6-year,10-year,and 38-year quasi-periodicities.While the periodic characteristics of annual runoff in the Kaidu River Basin tracked well with those of annual precipitation,the abrupt changes in annual runoff were synchronous with the annual mean temperature,which directly drives glacier-and snow-melt processes.R/S analysis indicated that the annual mean temperature,annual precipitation,and runoff will continue to increase and remain synchronously persistent in the future.This work can improve the understanding of runoff response to regional climate change to provide a viable reference in the management of water resources in the Kaidu River Basin,a regional sustainable socio-economic development.     

Study of temperature and precipitation change in upstream mountain area of the Hexi inland river basin since 1960s

All rivers in the Hexi inland region of Gansu Province, China, originate from the northern slope of the Qilian Mountains. They are located in the southern portion of the region and respectively belong to the three large river systems from east to west, the Shiyang, Heihe and Shule river basins. These rivers are supplied by precipitation, snowmelt and ice-melt runoff from the Qilian Mountain area. Therefore, changes of precipitation and temperature in the upstream watersheds of these rivers have an important effect on changes of mountainous runoff and reasonable utilization of water resources in this region. For this reason, the Qilian Mountain area, upstream watersheds and runoff forming areas of these rivers are chosen as the study area. The change characteristics and variation trend of temperature and precipitation in this area under the backdrop of global warming are analyzed based on observational data of relational weather and hydrologic stations in the area. Results show that temperatures in the upriver mountain areas of these three large river basins have been increasing, although the increasing degree is differentially affected by global warming. The rising extent of annual and seasonal temperatures in the upstream mountain area of the Shule river basin located in the western Qilian Mountains, were all largest over the past 50 years. Precipitation in the upstream mountain areas of Hexi region’ three river basins located respectively in the western, middle and eastern Qilian Mountains have been presenting an increasing trend to varying degrees as a whole for more than 50 years. This means that climate in the upstream mountain areas of Hexi region’ three river basins are becoming increasingly warmer and moister over the past 50 years, which will be very good for the ecological environment and agricultural production in the region.     

Hydrological effects of alpine permafrost in the headwaters of the Urumqi River, Tianshan Mountains

Against the background of climate change, alpine permafrost active layers have shown a gradual thickening trend and the hydrothermal conditions have undergone significant changes in the Tianshan Mountains and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China. At the ice-free cirque basins in the headwaters of the Urumqi River(hereafter referred to as the Ice-Free Cirque) in eastern Tianshan, China, the hydrological effects of the alpine permafrost active layers appear to have also exhibited significant changes recently. The increasing trend of local precipitation is clear in May and June. The onset of winter and spring snowmelt runoff clearly lags behind increases of air temperature, and the runoff peak appears near the beginning of the melting season, which results in the spring runoff increasing. In summer, runoff decreases strongly and the maximum runoff occurs earlier. In our analysis of meteorological and hydrologic data from 1959 to 2010, the runoff and precipitation changes are significantly correlated. In the initial stage of runoff, the runoff-producing process is mainly under the control of the soil water content and soil temperature in the 0–30 cm active layers. Spring precipitation and snowmelt water are mainly involved in the processes of infiltration and evaporation while some melt water infiltrates into the seasonal thawed layer and stays above the frozen layers. During the strong ablation period in summer, the runoff-generating process is mainly controlled by soil water content in the active layers deeper than 60 cm. In the active layer, precipitation and seasonal snowmelt water infiltrates, migrates, collects, and then forms runoff.     

Impact of climate change on the surface water of Kaidu River Basin

To reveal the changing trend and annual distribution of the surface water hydrology and the local climate in the Bayanbuluk alpine-cold wetlands in the past 50 years, we used temperature, precipitation, different rank precipitation days, evaporation, water vapor pressure, relative humidity, dust storm days and snow depth to analyze their temporal variations. We conclude that there were no distinct changes in annual mean temperature, and no obvious changes in the maximum or minimum temperatures. Precipitation in warm season was the main water source in the wetlands of the study area and accounted for 92.0% of the annual total. Precipitation dropped to the lowest in the mid-1980s in the past 50 years and then increased gradually. The runoff of the Kaidu River has increased since 1987 which has a good linear response to the annual precipitation and mean temperature in Bayanbuluk alpine-cold wetland. Climate change also affected ecosystems in this area due to its direct relations to the surface water environment.     

Changes in daily climate extremes in Xinjiang, northwestern China

Based on daily maximum and minimum surface air temperature and precipitation records at 48 meteorological stations in Xinjiang, the spatial and temporal distributions of climate extreme indices have been analyzed during 1961-2008. Twelve temperature extreme indices and six precipitation extreme indices are studied. Temperature extremes are highly correlated to annual mean temperature, which appears to be significantly increasing by 0.08 °C per year, indicating that changes in temperature extremes reflect consistent warming. The warming tendency is clearer at stations in northern Xinjiang as reflected by mean temperature. The frequencies of cold days and nights have both decreased, respectively by 0.86 and 2.45 d/decade, but the frequencies of warm days and nights have both increased, respectively by +1.62 and +4.85 d/decade. Over the same period, the number of frost days shows a statistically significant decreasing trend of 2.54 d/decade. The growing season length and the number of summer days exhibit significant increasing trends at rates of +2.62 and +2.86 d/decade, respectively. The diurnal temperature range has decreased by 0.28 °C/decade. Both annual extreme low and high temperatures exhibit significant increasing trend, with the former clearly larger than the latter. For precipitation indices, regional annual total precipitation shows an increasing trend and most other precipitation indices are strongly correlated with annual total precipitation. Average wet day precipitation, maximum 1-day and 5-day precipitation, and heavy precipitation days show increasing trends, but only the last is statistically significant. A decreasing trend is found for consecutive dry days. For all precipitation indices, stations in northwestern Xinjiang have the largest positive trend magnitudes, while stations in northern Xinjiang have the largest negative magnitudes.     

过去300年大兴安岭北部气候变化特征（英文）

The Greater Khingan Mountains(Daxinganling) are China's important ecological protective screen and also the region most sensitive to climate changes. To gain an in-depth understanding and reveal the climate change characteristic in this high-latitude, cold and data-insufficient region is of great importance to maintaining ecological safety and corresponding to global climate changes. In this article, the annual average temperature, precipitation and sunshine duration series were firstly constructed using tree-ring data and the meteorological observation data. Then, using the climate tendency rate method, moving-t-testing method, Yamamoto method and wavelet analysis method, we have investigated the climate changes in the region during the past 307 years. Results indicate that, since 1707, the annual average temperature increased significantly, the precipitation increased slightly and the sunshine duration decreased, with the tendency rates of 0.06℃/10 a, 0.79 mm/10 a and –5.15 h/10 a, respectively(P≤0.01). Since the 21 st century, the period with the greatest increase of the annual average temperature(also with the greatest increase of precipitation) corresponds to the period with greatest decrease of sunshine duration. Three sudden changes of the annual average temperature and sunshine duration occurred in this period while two sudden changes of precipitation occurred. The strong sudden-change years of precipitation and sunshine duration are basically consistent with the sudden-change years of annual average temperature, suggesting that in the mid-1860 s, the climatic sudden change or transition really existed in this region. In the time domain, the climatic series of this region exhibit obvious local variation characteristics. The annual average temperature and sunshine duration exhibit the periodic variations of 25 years while the precipitation exhibits a periodic variation of 20 years. Based on these periodic characteristics, one can infer that in the period from 2013 to 2030, the temperature will be at a high-temperature stage, the precipitation will be at an abundant-precipitation stage and the sunshine duration will be at an less-sunshine stage. In terms of spatial distribution, the leading distribution type of the annual average temperature in this region shows integrity, i.e., it is easily higher or lower in the whole region; and the second distribution type is more(or less) in the southwest parts and less(or more) in the northeast parts. Precipitation and sunshine duration exhibit complex spatial distribution and include fourspatial distribution types. The present study can provide scientific basis for the security investigation of homeland, ecological and water resources as well as economic development programming in China's northern borders.     

Impacts of climate change and LULC change on runoff in the Jinsha River Basin

The climate change and Land Use/Land Cover(LULC) change both have an important impact on the rainfall-runoff processes. How to quantitatively distinguish and predict the impacts of the above two factors has been a hot spot and frontier issue in the field of hydrology and water resources. In this research, the SWAT(Soil and Water Assessment Tool) model was established for the Jinsha River Basin, and the method of scenarios simulation was used to study the runoff response to climate change and LULC change. Furthermore, the climate variables exported from 7 typical General Circulation Models(GCMs) under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 emission scenarios were bias corrected and input into the SWAT model to predict runoff in 2017–2050. Results showed that:(1) During the past 57 years, the annual average precipitation and temperature in the Jinsha River Basin both increased significantly while the rising trend of runoff was far from obvious.(2) Compared with the significant increase of temperature in the Jinsha River Basin, the LULC change was very small.(3) During the historical period, the LULC change had little effect on the hydrological processes in the basin, and climate change was one of the main factors affecting runoff.(4) In the context of global climate change, the precipitation, temperature and runoff in the Jinsha River Basin will rise in 2017–2050 compared with the historical period. This study provides significant references to the planning and management of large-scale hydroelectric bases at the source of the Yangtze River.     

Quantitatively estimate the components of natural runoff and identify the impacting factors in a snow-fed river basin of China

Snowmelt water is an essential runoff source of some alpine rivers in China. This study selected the Upper Burqin River(UBR), a typical snow-fed river, to quantitatively assess the runoff contributions of different components, as well as the causes of runoff variations under the background of cryosphere change and global warming. Based on the spatial-temporal distributions of snow and glaciers during a year, as well as the altitudinal variations of 0 ℃ isotherm, the high flow hydrographs in UBR was separated into two parts: seasonal snowmelt flood of lower altitudes(3,000 m) and glacier-snow melt flow in high altitudes(3,000-4,296 m). The daily baseflow hydrograph of UBR was separated by the digital filtering technique. It is concluded that the contributions of snowmelt flow, glacier melt flow, and baseflow(includes rainfall runoff component) to total annual flow volumes are 27.2%(±2.7%), 8.5%(±1.7%), and 64.3%(±3.0%), respectively. The speed of air temperature rise in spring may be the controlling factor for monthly snowmelt flow distributions in the snow-fed river. The volume of snowmelt was determined by spring precipitation(SP) and previous winter's precipitation(PWP). The PWP changes can explain 43.7% of snowmelt changes during 1981-2010 in UBR, while snowmelt change in 1957-1980 is more impacted by SP. The determining factor of snowmelt variation was changed from SP to PAP during the recent decades. Precipitation in current year, excluding previous year's rainfall and snowfall, can only explain 32%-70% of the variability in total runoff.     

Climate change on the southern slope of Mt. Qomolangma （Everest） Region in Nepal since 1971

Based on monthly mean, maximum, and minimum air temperature and monthly mean precipitation data from 10 meteorological stations on the southern slope of the Mt. Qomolangma region in Nepal between 1971 and 2009, the spatial and temporal characteristics of climatic change in this region were analyzed using climatic linear trend, Sen＇s Slope Estimates and Mann-Kendall Test analysis methods. This paper focuses only on the southern slope and attempts to compare the results with those from the northern slope to clarify the characteristics and trends of climatic change in the Mt. Qomolangma region. The results showed that： （1） between 1971 and 2009, the annual mean temperature in the study area was 20.0℃, the rising rate of annual mean temperature was 0.25℃/10a, and the temperature increases were highly influenced by the maximum temperature in this region. On the other hand, the temperature increases on the northern slope of Mt. Qomolangma region were highly influenced by the minimum temperature. In 1974 and 1992, the temperature rose noticeably in February and September in the southern region when the increment passed 0.9℃. （2） Precipitation had an asymmetric distribution; between 1971 and 2009, the annual precipitation was 1729.01 mm. In this region, precipitation showed an increasing trend of 4.27 mm/a, but this was not statistically significant. In addition, the increase in rainfall was mainly concentrated in the period from April to October, including the entire monsoon period （from June to September） when precipitation accounts for about 78.9% of the annual total. （3） The influence of altitude on climate warming was not clear in the southern region, whereas the trend of climate warming was obvious on the northern slope of Mt. Qomolangma. The annual mean precipitation in the southern region was much higher than that of the northern slope of the Mt. Qomolangma region. This shows the barrier effect of the Himalayas as a whole and Mt. Qomolangma in particular.     

Temperature and precipitation changes in Extensive Hexi Region,China, 1960–2011

Global climate change has been evident in many places worldwide. This study provides a better understanding of the variability and changes in frequency, intensity, and duration of temperature, precipitation, and climate extremes in the Extensive Hexi Region, based on meteorological data from 26 stations. The analysis of average, maximum, and minimum temperatures revealed that statistically significant warming occurred from 1960 to 2011. All temperature extremes displayed trends consistent with warming, with the exception of coldest-night temperature(TNn) and coldest-day temperature(TXn), which were particularly evident in high-altitude areas and at night. Amount of precipitation and number of rainy days slowly increased with no significant regional trends, mainly occurring in the Qilian Mountains and Hexi Corridor. The significance of changes in precipitation extremes during 1960–2011 was high, but the regional trends of maximum 5-day precipitation(RX5day), the average precipitation on wet days(SDII), and consecutive wet days(CWD) were not significant. The variations in the studied parameters indicate an increase in both the extremity and strength of precipitation events, particularly in higher-altitude regions. Furthermore, the contribution from very wet precipitation(R95) and extremely wet precipitation(R99) to total precipitation also increased between 1960 and 2011. The assessment of these changes in temperature and precipitation may help in developing better management practices for water resources. Future studies in the region should focus on the impact of these changes on runoffs and glaciers.     

西北干旱区山区融雪期气候变化对径流量的影响

利用8 个山区气象站1960-2010 年日平均气温、降水和7 个出山口水文站的年径流数据(1960-2008), 统计分析了山区融雪期开始时间、结束时间、天数、温度和降水的变化趋势及其空间差异性, 并定量评估了年径流量对融雪期温度和降水变化的敏感性。结果表明, 近50年来, 山区融雪期平均提前了15.33 天, 延迟了9.19 天;其中, 天山南部山区融雪期提前时间最长, 为20.01 天, 而延迟时间最短, 仅6.81 天;祁连山北部山区融雪期提前时间最短(10.16天), 而延迟时间最长(10.48 天)。这显示山区融雪期提前时间越长, 延迟时间则越短。山区融雪期平均降水量增加了47.3 mm, 平均温度升高了0.857℃;其中天山南部山区降水增量最大, 达65 mm, 昆仑山北部山区降水和温度增量均最小, 分别为25 mm和0.617℃, 而祁连山北部山区温度增量最高(1.05℃)。河流径流量对融雪期气候变化敏感, 降水变化诱发年径流量变化了7.69%, 温度变化使得年径流量改变了14.15%。     

近 60 a 以来祁连山中部气候变化及其径流响应研究

利用 1960—2017 年水文、气象资料,采用相关分析、Mann-Kendall 和小波分析等方法,研究 了祁连山中部气候和径流量变化特征。结果表明：（1）近 60 a 来祁连山中部气温、降水和径流量总 体呈现出气温上升、降水增加、径流量增大的趋势。年平均气温以 0.39 ℃·（10 a）^-1 的幅度上升,四 季气温升高趋势明显,年平均最低气温和冬季气温的升温幅度最高。降水增加了约 19.2%,降水的 增加主要归因于夏季降水的增多。（2）平均气温在 1993 年出现突变,气温突变时间早于西北其他 地区。气温和降水的主周期分别为 8 a 和 30 a,在径流量周期响应中,短周期（8 a）与平均气温振荡 非常一致,长周期（30 a）与年降水变化较为一致。（3）分析表明,降水和气温都是影响径流量变化 的主要因素,建立的径流量预测模型纳什效率系数为 0.68,能很好的分析和预测径流量,降水和气 温变化分别使径流量增加了 21.1%和 10.9%,降水对径流量的影响作用更大。     

新疆北部的降水量线性变化趋势特征分析

应用新疆北疆地区以及天山山区26个气象站1961-2005年的月降水量资料,分析了新疆北部地区、天山山区、北疆沿天山经济带、北疆平原、北疆北部流域、北疆西部流域6个区域的年、暖季(5-10月)、冷季(11-4月)以及各月的降水量线性趋势特征。结果显示:6个区域及26个气象站的年降水量45a年来均呈线性增加趋势;暖季降水量6个区域均呈线性增加趋势,北疆区、天山山区最显著;冷季降水量6个区域全部呈明显的线性增加趋势;月降水线性趋势变化较显著的月份为1、2、7、11、12月,其它各月没有通过0.10显著性水平检验,12个月中增湿趋势站数明显占优势的月份可占80%左右,3、9月呈下降趋势的站数较多。增湿结果已给新疆带来风吹雪、雪崩、畜牧业雪灾、洪水、融雪性洪水、泥石流、滑坡等灾害。     

气候变化对中亚天山山区水资源影响研究

本文结合资料分析和文献阅读,对全球气候变化背景下的中亚天山山区水文、水资源变化进行了讨论分析。在全球升温滞缓背景下,中亚天山山区在过去的10余年,气温却一直处于高位态波动状态;气候变暖及持续高位态波动加剧了山区冰川和积雪等固态水体的消融,导致山区降雪率降低,天山山区降雪率从1960-1998年的11%~24%降低到2000年以来的9%~21%,有97.52%的冰川表现为退缩状态,水储量呈明显减少趋势,减小幅度约为-3.72 mm/a;气候变暖直接影响区域水循环和水系统的稳定性,引起径流补给方式和水资源数量的改变,加大了水资源时空分布的不确定性。天山山区在短时期内因冰雪融水增多,会出现径流量增加现象。但在未来气候持续变暖、降水条件维持不变的条件下,河川径流量将会出现减少趋势。     

近50年来新疆天山山区水循环要素的变化特征与趋势

天山山区由于其特殊的地理位置与高海拔,成为新疆地表径流的主要产流区域。近几十年来,全球平均气温的持续上升对该区域气温、降水、径流等水循环要素产生重要的影响。根据天山南北坡有关水文气象台站的观测资料,系统地分析了该区域1960年代以来各水循环要素的变化特征与趋势。结果表明,受全球变暖的影响,1980年以来整个天山地区气温和降水均呈明显的上升趋势,其中10 a气温的升幅更为显著;对于降水而言,天山南坡降水增幅大于北坡,而南坡的西段是近10 a降水增幅最大的区域。受气温上升与降水增加的影响,天山地区出山径流总体上呈增加的趋势,其中,近10 a天山南坡中西段河流出山径流量增幅最为显著,平均增幅在30%以上。     

天山北坡春季雪洪形成的气候因子分析

春季融雪洪水是天山北坡积雪水文特征之一，有时形成灾害，造成一定财产损失和人员伤亡。本文根据天山北坡乌鲁木齐附近不同海拔四个气象台站冷季降水、蒸发、积雪和气温等资料，分析了春季融雪洪水规模及其产流的时空分布状况。     

天山山区近40年秋季气候变化特征与南、北疆比较

利用新疆1959~1998年的秋季温度降水资料,分析天山山区近40年来秋季气候变化的基本特征,所得结果如下: (1) 天山山区秋季温度在冷暖变化阶段上与北疆的相似性强于南疆,但其秋季降水在干湿变化阶段上与南、北疆不同。 (2) 秋季温度空间分布的同步变化性以北疆为最好,南疆最差,天山山区居中。秋季降水空间分布的同步变化性以南疆最好,天山山区最差,北疆居中。 (3) 20世纪60~90年代,天山山区表现为波动升温,而南疆和北疆表现为持续增温,均以90年代温度最高,80年代是三大区域秋季降水最多的年代。60,70及90年代,三大区域的秋季降水均低于30年均值。     

新疆夏季0 oC 层高度变化对河流年径流量的影响

按气候特点和河流径流情况把新疆划分为阿尔泰- 塔城、天山山区和昆仑山北坡3 个研究区域。采用1960~2002 年新疆12 个探空站逐日观测资料和34 个水文站的年径流资料, 利用经过5 点平滑处理的曲线趋势对比和线性相关的研究方法, 定性与定量相结合分析了43 年来新疆夏季0 ^oC 层平均高度变化和河流径流变化趋势及空间分布差异, 并建立了二者的定量关系式。研究表明: 新疆夏季0 ^oC层平均高度与河流年径流量变化具有较好的一致性, 尤其是1970 年代以来, 两者的变化趋势更加亦步亦趋。各区变化不尽相同, 阿尔泰- 塔城和天山山区为1990 年代初以来夏季0 ^oC层平均高度为显著升高地区, 昆仑山北坡为下降区。与之相对应, 同期前两个地区的河流径流量也显著增大, 后一个区域的径流量略为减少。就相关 性而言, 新疆全区和分区的天山山区以及昆仑山北坡等地的夏季0 ^oC层高度与河流径流量均有较好的相关性, 均通过了0.01 显著水平的统计检验。表明新疆近年来不仅近地面发生了气候变化, 高空也同样发生了类似的变化, 并直接导致了夏季0 o^oC层高度的升降。气候变暖, 新疆夏季0 ^oC层升高, 山区的冰雪消融加快, 河流径流量相应增多, 进入丰水期。反之, 进入枯水期。夏季0 ^oC层高度的升降直接影响新疆河流径流量, 在新疆气候暖湿化过程中, 高空的增温也是一个较直接的因子。     

The response of annual runoff to the height change of the summertime 0°C level over Xinjiang

According to climate features and river runoff conditions, Xinjiang could be divided into three research areas: The Altay-Tacheng region, the Tianshan Mountain region and the northern slope of the Kunlun Mountains. Utilizing daily observations from 12 sounding stations and the annual runoff dataset from 34 hydrographical stations in Xinjiang for the period 1960–2002, the variance of the summertime 0°C level height and the changing trends of river runoff are analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively, through trend contrast of curves processed by a 5-point smoothing procedure and linear correlation. The variance of the summertime 0°C level height in Xinjiang correlates well with that of the annual river runoff, especially since the early 1990s, but it differs from region to region, with both the average height of the 0°C level and runoff quantity significantly increasing over time in the Altay-Tacheng and Tianshan Mountain regions but decreasing on the northern slope of the Kunlun Mountains. The correlation holds for the whole of Xinjiang as well as the three individual regions, with a 0.01 significance level. This indicates that in recent years, climate change in Xinjiang has affected not only the surface layer but also the upper levels of the atmosphere, and this raising and lowering of the summertime 0°C level has a direct impact on the warming and wetting process in Xinjiang and the amount of river runoff. Warming due to climate change increases the height of the 0°C level, but also speeds up, ice-snow melting in mountain regions, which in turn increases river runoff, leading to a season of plentiful water instead of the more normal low flow period.