Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Water resource formation and conversion and water security in arid region of Northwest China

  • Published:
Journal of Geographical Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Climate change and water resource issues are global problems of common concern to the international community, and they are major bottlenecks affecting the eco-environment and sustainable socio-economic development in the arid region of Northwest China. On the basis of results from previous studies, this paper points out that the unique landscape of Northwest China increases the complexity and uncertainty of the climate system. This paper analyzes the key constraints on socio-economic development and ecological security in the region, discusses the impact of climate change on water resources in Northwest China, identifies common themes and the main problems present in research on climate change and water resources in the arid northwest region, and finally, based on the importance and urgency of conducting research on the region’s water resources, proposes scientific problems that need to be addressed: first, the impact of climate change on the formation, conversion and future trends of water resources in the region; second, bidirectional coupling of high-resolution regional climate models and water cycle models of arid region land surface patterns; third, the impact of climate change and human activities on water resources of the arid northwest region. Through consideration and discussion of the above, this paper seeks to further clarify specific areas of research on pressing issues related to climate change and water resources in Northwest China, so as to establish a solid scientific basis for significantly enhancing our ability to respond to climate change and water shortages.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Arnell N, Tompkins E, Adger N et al., 2005. Vulnerability to abrupt climate change in Europe. Tyndall Centre Technical Report 34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boone A, Habets F, Noilhan J et al., 2004. The Rhone-Aggregation land surface scheme intercomparison project: An overview. Journal of Climate, 17(1): 187–208.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen Y N, 2014. Water Resources Research in Northwest China. New York: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-94- 017-8017-9.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Chen Y N, Deng H J, Li B F et al., 2014a. Abrupt change of temperature and precipitation extremes in the arid region of Northwest China. Quaternary International, 336(12): 35–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen Y N, Li Z, Fan Y T et al., 2014b. Research progress on the impact of climate change on water resources in the arid region of Northwest China. Acta Geographica Sinica, 69(9): 1295–1304. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen Y N, Li Z, Fan Y T et al., 2015. Progress and prospects of climate change impacts on hydrology in the arid region of Northwest China. Environmental Research, 139: 11–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen Y N, Li Z, Li W H et al., 2016. Water and ecological security: Dealing with hydroclimatic challenges at the heart of China’s Silk Road. Environmental Earth Sciences. doi: 10.1007/s12665-016-5385-z.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crowley T J, 2000. Causes of climate change over the past 1000 years. Science, 289(5477): 270–277.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dai X G, Li W J, Ma Z G et al., 2006. The characteristics of Xinjiang water vapor source in recent years. Progress in Natural Science, 16(12): 1651–1656. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Deng H J, Chen Y N, Wang H J et al., 2015. Climate change with elevation and its potential impact on water resources in the Tianshan Mountains, Central Asia. Global and Planetary Change, 135: 28–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fan Y T, Chen Y N, Liu Y B et al., 2013. Variation of baseflows in the headstreams of the Tarim River Basin during 1960–2007. Journal of Hydrology, 487: 98–108.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fang G H, Yang J, Chen Y N et al., 2015. Comparing bias correction methods in downscaling meteorological variables for a hydrologic impact study in an arid area in China. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 19(6): 2547–2559.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huang W, Feng S, Chen J H et al., 2015. Physical mechanisms of summer precipitation variations in the Tarim Basin in northwestern China. Journal of Climate, 28(9): 3579–3591.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • IPCC, 2007. Climate change 2007: Synthesis report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge, UK and New York, USA: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • IPCC, 2013. Working Group I Contribution to the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report, Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis: Summary for Policymakers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jiang Y, Luo Y, Zhao Z C, 2010. Projection of wind speed changes in China in the 21st century by climate models. Chinese Journal of Atmospheric Sciences, 34(2): 323–336. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ju L X, Wang H J, 2006. Modern climate over East Asia simulated by a regional climate model nested in a global gridpoint general circulation model. Chinese Journal of Geophysics, 49(1): 52–60. (in Chinese)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaldybayev A, Chen Y N, Vilesov E, 2015. Glacier change in the Karatal river basin, Zhetysu (Dzhungar) Alatau, Kazakhstan. Annals of Glaciology, 57: 11–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leary N, Conde C, Kulkarni J et al., 2008. Climate change and vulnerability. Climate and Development, 1(1): 185–187.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li B, Zhou T J, Wu C Q et al., 2009. Relationship between rainfall and sea surface temperature simulated by LASG/ IAP AGCM and CGCM. Chinese Journal of Atmospheric Sciences, 33(5): 1071–1086. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Li B F, Chen Y N, Chen Z S et al., 2016a). Why does precipitation in Northwest China show a significant increasing trend from 1960 to 2010? Atmospheric Research, 167: 275–284.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li B F, Chen Y N, Shi X 2012. Why does the temperature rise faster in the arid region of Northwest China? Journal of Geophysical Research, 117: D16115.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li B F, Chen Y N, Shi X et al., 2013. Temperature and precipitation changes in different environments in the arid region of Northwest China. Theoretical and Applied Climatology, 112(3/4): 589–596.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li B F, Chen Y N, Xiong H G, 2016b. Quantitatively evaluating the effects of climate factors on runoff change for Aksu River in northwestern China. Theoretical and Applied Climatology, 123(1/2): 97–105.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li B F, Chen Z S, Yuan X Z, 2015. The nonlinear variation of drought and its relation to atmospheric circulation in Shandong Province, East China. Peer J, 3: e1289.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li Z, Chen Y N, Li W H et al., 2016. Potential impacts of climate change on vegetation dynamics in Central Asia. Journal of Geophysical Research, 120: 12345–12356.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li Z, Chen Y N, Shen Y J et al., 2013. Analysis of changing pan evaporation in the arid region of Northwest China. Water Resources Research, 49: 2205–2212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li Z, Chen Y N, Yang J et al., 2014. Potential evapotranspiration and its attribution over the past 50 years in the arid region of Northwest China. Hydrological Processes, 28(3): 1025–1031.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lin Z Y, Zheng D, 1992. The tracks of moisture transportation and its vapour geoecological characteristics on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. Arid Zone Research, 9(2): 1–7. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu X R, Shen Y J, Guo Y et al., 2015. Modeling demand/supply of water resources in the arid region of northwestern China during the late 1980s to 2010. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 25(5): 573–591.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ma L J, Zhao J F, Zang H J et al., 2010. Impacts of glacier and snow melting on Bosten Lake under climate change. Arid Land Geography, 33(2): 210–216. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Mahlstein I, R Knutti, 2010. Regional climate change patterns identified by cluster analysis. Climate Dynamics, 35(4): 587–600.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mimikou M, Blatas E, Varanaou E et al., 2000. Regional impacts of climate change on water resources quantity and quality indicators. Journal of Hydrology, 234: 95–109.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Montes-Hugo M, Doney S C, Ducklow H et al., 2009. Recent changes in phytoplankton communities associated with rapid regional climate change along the western Antarctic Peninsula. Science, 323(5920): 1470–1473.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nian Y Y, Li X, Zhou J et al., 2014. Impact of land use change on water resource allocation in the middle reaches of the Heihe River Basin in northwestern China. Journal of Arid Land, 6(3): 273-286.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Patt A, Klein RJT, A dela Vega-Leinert, 2005. Taking the uncertainty in climate-change vulnerability assessment seriously. C R Geoscience, 337(4): 411–424.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Patz J, 2001. Public health risk assessment linked to climatic and ecological change. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal, 7: 1317–1327.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Polsky C, Neff R, Yarna B, 2007. Building comparable global change vulnerability assessments: The vulnerability scoping diagram. Global Environmental Change, 17(3/4): 472–485.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ren G Y, Xu M Z, Chu Z Y et al., 2005. Changes of surface air temperature in China during 1951–2004. Climatic and Environmental Research, 10(4): 717–727. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Roy T, Bopp L, Gehlen M et al., 2011. Regional impacts of climate change and atmospheric CO2 on future ocean carbon uptake: A multimodel linear feedback analysis. Journal of Climate, 24(9): 2300–2318.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sanchez E, Dominguez M, Romera R et al., 2011. Regional modeling of dry spells over the Iberian Peninsula for present climate and climate change conditions. Climatic Change, 107(3/4): 625–634.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shi X L, Wang W, Shi W J, 2016. Progress on quantitative assessment of the impacts of climate change and human activities on cropland change. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 26(3): 339–354.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun C J, Chen Y N, Li X G et al., 2016. Analysis on the streamflow components of the typical inland River, Northwest China. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 2016, 61(5): 970–981.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sun F B, Roderick M L, Farquhar G D et al., 2010. Partitioning the variance between space and time. Geophysical Research Letters, 37: L12704.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sun G L, Chen Y N, Li W H et al., 2014. Intra-annual distribution and decadal change in extreme hydrological events in Xinjiang, northwestern China. Natural Hazards, 70(1): 119–133.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang G P, Li X B, Liu Y H, 2000. Assessment method of vulnerability of water resources under global climate change. Advance in Earth Sciences, 15(3): 313–317 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang P Y, Li Z Q, Huai B J et al., 2015. Spatial variability of glacier changes and their impact on water resources in the Chinese Tianshan Mountains during the last five decades. Journal of Arid Land, 7(6): 717–727.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang S J, Zhang M J, Li Z Q et al., 2011. Glacier area variation and climate change in the Chinese Tianshan Mountains since 1960. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 21(2): 263–273.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xu J H, Chen Y N, Li W H et al., 2014. Integrating wavelet analysis and BPANN to simulate the annual runoff with regional climate change: A case study of Yarkand River, Northwest China. Water Resources Management, 28(9): 2523–2537.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xue J, Gui D W, Lei J Q et al., 2015. Reconstructing meteorological time series to quantify the uncertainties of runoff simulation in the ungauged Qira River Basin using data from multiple stations. Theoretical & Applied Climatology, 1–16. doi: 10.1007/s00704-015-1548-1.

  • Yang J, Castelli F, Chen Y N et al., 2014. Multiobjective sensitivity analysis and optimization of distributed hydrologic model MOBIDIC. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 18(10): 4101–4112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang T, Wang C, Yu Z B et al., 2013. Characterization of spatio-temporal patterns for various GRACE-and GLDAS-born estimates for changes of global terrestrial water storage. Global and Planetary Change, 109: 30–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yin Y, Clinton N, Luo B et al., 2008. Resource system vulnerability to climate stresses in the Heihe river basin of western China. Climate Change and Vulnerability, 2: 88.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang F Y, Ahmad S, Zhang H Q et al., 2016. Simulating low and high streamflow driven by snowmelt in an insufficiently gauged alpine basin. Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment, 30(1): 59–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang H F, Chen H S, 2011. Evaluation of summer circulation simulation over East Asia by 21 climate models. Part I: Climatology. Journal of the Meteorological Sciences, 31(2): 119–128. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang X Q, Sun Y, Mao W F et al., 2010. Regional response of temperature change in the arid regions of China to global warming. Arid Land Geography, 27(4): 592–599.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhou X J, 2002. The suggestion of exploitation and utilization of air water resources in Northwest China. In: 2002 Scientific Development Report. Beijing: Science Press. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, CAS, Urumqi, 830011, China

    Yaning Chen, Baofu Li, Zhi Li & Weihong Li

  2. College of Geography and Tourism, Qufu Normal University, Rizhao, Shandong, 276826, China

    Baofu Li

Authors
  1. Yaning Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Baofu Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Zhi Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Weihong Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yaning Chen.

Additional information

Foundation: National Natural Science Foundation of China, No.41471030, No.41501211

Author: Chen Yaning (1958–), Professor, specialized in studies on water resources and surface processes in arid regions.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Chen, Y., Li, B., Li, Z. et al. Water resource formation and conversion and water security in arid region of Northwest China. J. Geogr. Sci. 26, 939–952 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11442-016-1308-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11442-016-1308-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation