Runoff evolution characteristics and its response to climate change in the middle and lower reaches of Shule River Basin, Northwest China

Study region: The middle and lower reaches of the Shule River Basin (SRB) in northwestern China Study focus: Under the combined influences of climate change and human activities, runoff evolution in northwestern China's inland river basins has become increasingly complex. This study focuses on...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Dongyuan Sun, Yiru Wang, Lanzhen Wu, Xingfan Wang, Yanqiang Cui, Heping Shu, Yali Ma
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-06-01
Series:Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214581825002617
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849328624574922752
author Dongyuan Sun
Yiru Wang
Lanzhen Wu
Xingfan Wang
Yanqiang Cui
Heping Shu
Yali Ma
author_facet Dongyuan Sun
Yiru Wang
Lanzhen Wu
Xingfan Wang
Yanqiang Cui
Heping Shu
Yali Ma
author_sort Dongyuan Sun
collection DOAJ
description Study region: The middle and lower reaches of the Shule River Basin (SRB) in northwestern China Study focus: Under the combined influences of climate change and human activities, runoff evolution in northwestern China's inland river basins has become increasingly complex. This study focuses on the Shuangtabao Reservoir Station (STBR) and the Danghe Reservoir Station (DHR) in the middle and lower reaches of the SRB. Based on long-term hydrometeorological observations, runoff dynamics were comprehensively analyzed at intra-annual, inter-annual, and seasonal scales. The dominant drivers of runoff variability were quantitatively identified, and hydrological responses under different climate scenarios were further evaluated. New hydrological insight for the region: The results showed significant intra-annual runoff unevenness, with peaks mainly in spring and summer. Inter-annual runoff exhibited an upward trend with strong positive persistence. Abrupt changes occurred in 1998 (STBR) and 2005 (DHR), with average annual runoff increasing by 52.01 % and 38.69 %, respectively, primarily driven by changes in underlying surface conditions. The Random Forest (RF)-Adaptive Boosting (AdaBoost) model outperformed the standalone RF model, showing higher simulation accuracy and generalization ability in arid inland basins. DHR was more sensitive to climate change than STBR. Under a 2.5 °C temperature rise and a 20 % increase in precipitation, simulated runoff increased by 6.61 % at STBR and 8.68 % at DHR. This study provides scientific support for water resource management and climate-adaptive regulation in arid basins.
format Article
id doaj-art-e2d60c4ab6d14514a2d6a546730b1f39
institution Kabale University
issn 2214-5818
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies
spelling doaj-art-e2d60c4ab6d14514a2d6a546730b1f392025-08-20T03:47:32ZengElsevierJournal of Hydrology: Regional Studies2214-58182025-06-015910243610.1016/j.ejrh.2025.102436Runoff evolution characteristics and its response to climate change in the middle and lower reaches of Shule River Basin, Northwest ChinaDongyuan Sun0Yiru Wang1Lanzhen Wu2Xingfan Wang3Yanqiang Cui4Heping Shu5Yali Ma6Correspondence to: College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Gansu Agricultural University, No. 1 Yingmen Village, Anning district, Lanzhou, Gansu 730070, China.; College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, ChinaCollege of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, ChinaCollege of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, ChinaCollege of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, ChinaCollege of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, ChinaCollege of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, ChinaCollege of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, ChinaStudy region: The middle and lower reaches of the Shule River Basin (SRB) in northwestern China Study focus: Under the combined influences of climate change and human activities, runoff evolution in northwestern China's inland river basins has become increasingly complex. This study focuses on the Shuangtabao Reservoir Station (STBR) and the Danghe Reservoir Station (DHR) in the middle and lower reaches of the SRB. Based on long-term hydrometeorological observations, runoff dynamics were comprehensively analyzed at intra-annual, inter-annual, and seasonal scales. The dominant drivers of runoff variability were quantitatively identified, and hydrological responses under different climate scenarios were further evaluated. New hydrological insight for the region: The results showed significant intra-annual runoff unevenness, with peaks mainly in spring and summer. Inter-annual runoff exhibited an upward trend with strong positive persistence. Abrupt changes occurred in 1998 (STBR) and 2005 (DHR), with average annual runoff increasing by 52.01 % and 38.69 %, respectively, primarily driven by changes in underlying surface conditions. The Random Forest (RF)-Adaptive Boosting (AdaBoost) model outperformed the standalone RF model, showing higher simulation accuracy and generalization ability in arid inland basins. DHR was more sensitive to climate change than STBR. Under a 2.5 °C temperature rise and a 20 % increase in precipitation, simulated runoff increased by 6.61 % at STBR and 8.68 % at DHR. This study provides scientific support for water resource management and climate-adaptive regulation in arid basins.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214581825002617Middle and lower reaches of the SRBRunoff evolutionAttribution analysisRF-AdaBoost modelClimate change response
spellingShingle Dongyuan Sun
Yiru Wang
Lanzhen Wu
Xingfan Wang
Yanqiang Cui
Heping Shu
Yali Ma
Runoff evolution characteristics and its response to climate change in the middle and lower reaches of Shule River Basin, Northwest China
Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies
Middle and lower reaches of the SRB
Runoff evolution
Attribution analysis
RF-AdaBoost model
Climate change response
title Runoff evolution characteristics and its response to climate change in the middle and lower reaches of Shule River Basin, Northwest China
title_full Runoff evolution characteristics and its response to climate change in the middle and lower reaches of Shule River Basin, Northwest China
title_fullStr Runoff evolution characteristics and its response to climate change in the middle and lower reaches of Shule River Basin, Northwest China
title_full_unstemmed Runoff evolution characteristics and its response to climate change in the middle and lower reaches of Shule River Basin, Northwest China
title_short Runoff evolution characteristics and its response to climate change in the middle and lower reaches of Shule River Basin, Northwest China
title_sort runoff evolution characteristics and its response to climate change in the middle and lower reaches of shule river basin northwest china
topic Middle and lower reaches of the SRB
Runoff evolution
Attribution analysis
RF-AdaBoost model
Climate change response
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214581825002617
work_keys_str_mv AT dongyuansun runoffevolutioncharacteristicsanditsresponsetoclimatechangeinthemiddleandlowerreachesofshuleriverbasinnorthwestchina
AT yiruwang runoffevolutioncharacteristicsanditsresponsetoclimatechangeinthemiddleandlowerreachesofshuleriverbasinnorthwestchina
AT lanzhenwu runoffevolutioncharacteristicsanditsresponsetoclimatechangeinthemiddleandlowerreachesofshuleriverbasinnorthwestchina
AT xingfanwang runoffevolutioncharacteristicsanditsresponsetoclimatechangeinthemiddleandlowerreachesofshuleriverbasinnorthwestchina
AT yanqiangcui runoffevolutioncharacteristicsanditsresponsetoclimatechangeinthemiddleandlowerreachesofshuleriverbasinnorthwestchina
AT hepingshu runoffevolutioncharacteristicsanditsresponsetoclimatechangeinthemiddleandlowerreachesofshuleriverbasinnorthwestchina
AT yalima runoffevolutioncharacteristicsanditsresponsetoclimatechangeinthemiddleandlowerreachesofshuleriverbasinnorthwestchina