Driving forces behind the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of land-use and land-cover change:A case study of the Weihe River Basin,China

The impact of socioeconomic development on land-use and land-cover change(LUCC)in river basins varies spatially and temporally.Exploring the spatiotemporal evolutionary trends and drivers of LUCC under regional disparities is the basis for the sustainable development and management of basins.In this study,the Weihe River Basin(WRB)in China was selected as a typical basin,and the WRB was divided into the upstream of the Weihe River Basin(UWRB),the midstream of the Weihe River Basin(MWRB),the downstream of the Weihe River Basin(DWRB),the Jinghe River Basin(JRB),and the Luohe River Basin(LRB).Based on land-use data(cultivated land,forestland,grassland,built-up land,bare land,and water body)from 1985 to 2020,we analyzed the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of LUCC in the WRB using a land-use transfer matrix and a dynamic change model.The driving forces of LUCC in the WRB in different periods were detected using the GeoDetector,and the selected influencing factors included meteorological factors(precipitation and temperature),natural factors(elevation,slope,soil,and distance to rivers),social factors(distance to national highway,distance to railway,distance to provincial highway,and distance to expressway),and human activity factors(population density and gross domestic product(GDP)).The results indicated that the types and intensities of LUCC conversions showed considerable disparities across different sub-basins,where complex conversions among cultivated land,forestland,and grassland occurred in the LRB,JRB,and UWRB,with higher dynamic change before 2000.The conversion of other land-use types to built-up land was concentrated in the UWRB,MWRB,and DWRB,with substantial increases after 2000.Additionally,the driving effects of the influencing factors on LUCC in each sub-basin also exhibited distinct diversity,with the LRB and JRB being influenced by the meteorological and social factors,and the UWRB,MWRB,and DWRB being driven by human activity factors.Moreover,the interaction of these influencing factors indicated an enhanced effect on LUCC.This study confirmed the spatiotemporal heterogeneity effects of socioeconomic status on LUCC in the WRB under regional differences,contributing to the sustainable development of the whole basin by managing sub-basins according to local conditions.

Analysis on the Variations of Annual Runoff Distribution in the Weihe Basin

With the impact of climate change and the increasing intensity of human activities,the hydrological regime had changed,including annual runoff distribution,which was related with water resources management and ecological construction. Based on the monthly runoff data for more than 40 years of the Beidao,Xianyang,Huaxian station on Weihe Basin,the annual distribution characteristics of runoff were studied. Several indices related to attributes of uneven,concentrate degree and variation amplitude were calculated,and the results showed that there had obvious fresh and drought seasonal changes in 1990s. The annual runoff distribution had changed a lot,mainly because of runoff decrease in the wet season. The Huaxian station,which locates at the upper reaches,had a higher unevenness,concentration and relative variation rate than that of the Beidao and Xianyang station.

Historical drought and water disasters in the Weihe Plain

Through detailed statistics and analysis of drought and water disasters in the Weihe Plain in the historical period, we discovered that in more than 2300 years (from 370 BC to 2000 AD), natural disasters occurred most frequently in two periods. One is from 610 to 850 AD (from the late Sui Dynasty to the late Tang Dynasty) and the other is from 1580 to 2000 AD (after the late Ming Dynasty). Different natural disasters occurred synchronously, that is to say, when the drought occurred frequently, water disasters occurred frequently in the same periods. Frequencies of natural disasters, on the one hand, connected with climate changes and development course of ancient cities, while on the other, related closely to population changes. The excessive exploitation of natural resources and human disturbance and damages to ecological environment are the major reasons for the increased drought and water disasters.

Quantitative Estimation on Contributions of Climate Changes and Human Activities to Decreasing Runoff in Weihe River Basin, China

Human activities and climate changes are deemed to be two primary driving factors influencing the changes of hydrological processes, and quantitatively separating their influences on runoff changes will be of great significance to regional water resources planning and management. In this study, the impact of climate changes and human activities was initially qualitatively distinguished through a coupled water and energy budgets analysis, and then this effect was further separated by means of a quantitative estimation based on hydrological sensitivity analysis. The results show that: 1) precipitation, wind speed, potential evapotranspiration and runoff have a significantly decreasing trend, while temperature has a remarkably increasing tendency in the Weihe River Basin, China; 2) the major driving factor on runoff decrease in the 1970 s and 1990 s in the basin is climate changes compared with that in the baseline 1960 s, while that in the 1980 s and 2000 s is human activities. Compared with the results based on Variable Infiltration Capacity(VIC) model, the contributions calculated in this study have certain reliability. The results are of great significance to local water resources planning and management.

Characteristics of horizontal crustal movement in Weihe basin and adjacent zones by GPS observation

Based on the GPS data provided by CMONOC during 1999~2002 and observed by Seismological Bureau of Shaanxi Province during 2001~2002, we have obtained the crustal movement velocity field in Weihe basin and adjacent regions. The results show that the motion velocity in Weihe basin and adjacent zones is characterized by distinct NE-directional stripped variation. The south border of Ordos block seems to show an discontinuous anti-clockwise rotation on the whole with an average velocity of about 5.7 mma-1 relative to Yulin site on the Ordos block. There is a left-lateral shear belt on both sides of Binxian-Xi'an-Lantian zone in the central Weihe basin, and its northern area has a better corresponding relationship with the dense zone of small earthquakes in Tong-chuan-Jingyang-Lintong-Weinan.

Application of the InVEST model for assessing water yield and its response to precipitation and land use in the Weihe River Basin, China

With realizing the importance of ecosystem services to society, the efforts to evaluate the ecosystem services have increased. As the largest tributary of the Yellow River, the Weihe River has been endowed with many ecological service functions. Among which, water yield can be a measure of local availability of water and an index for evaluating the conservation function of the region. This study aimed to explore the temporal and spatial variation of water yield and its influencing factors in the Weihe River Basin(WRB), and provide basis for formulating reasonable water resources utilization schemes. Based on the InVEST(integrated valuation of ecosystem services and tradeoffs) model, this study simulated the water yield in the WRB from 1985 to 2019, and discussed the impacts of climatic factors and land use change on water yield by spatial autocorrelation analysis and scenario analysis methods. The results showed that there was a slight increasing trend in water yield in the WRB over the study period with the increasing rate of 4.84 mm/10a and an average depth of 83.14 mm. The main water-producing areas were concentrated along the mainstream of the Weihe River and in the southern basin. Changes in water yield were comprehensively affected by climate and underlying surface factors. Precipitation was the main factor affecting water yield, which was consistent with water yield in time. And there existed significant spatial agglomeration between water yield and precipitation. Land use had little impact on the amount of water yield, but had an impact on its spatial distribution. Water yield was higher in areas with wide distribution of construction land and grassland. Water yield of different land use types were different. Unused land showed the largest water yield capacity, whereas grassland and farmland contributed most to the total water yield. The increasing water yield in the basin indicates an enhanced water supply service function of the ecosystem. These results are of great significance to the water resources management of the WRB.

Late Quaternary Activity of the Huashan Piedmont Fault and Associated Hazards in the Southeastern Weihe Graben,Central China

The Weihe Graben is not only an important Cenozoic fault basin in China but also a significant active seismic zone. The Huashan piedmont fault is an important active fault on the southeast side of the Weihe Graben and has been highly active since the Cenozoic. The well–known Great Huaxian County Earthquake of 1556 occurred on the Huashan piedmont fault. This earthquake, which claimed the lives of approximately 830000 people, is one of the few large earthquakes known to have occurred on a high–angle normal fault. The Huashan piedmont fault is a typical active normal fault that can be used to study tectonic activity and the associated hazards. In this study, the types and characteristics of late Quaternary deformation along this fault are discussed from geological investigations, historical research and comprehensive analysis. On the basis of its characteristics and activity, the fault can be divided into three sections, namely eastern, central and western. The eastern and western sections display normal slip. Intense deformation has occurred along the two sections during the Quaternary; however, no deformation has occurred during the Holocene. The central section has experienced significant high–angle normal fault activity during the Quaternary, including the Holocene. Holocene alluvial fans and loess cut by the fault have been identified at the mouths of many stream valleys of the Huashan Mountains along the central section of the Huashan piedmont fault zone. Of the three sections of the Huashan piedmont fault, the central section is the most active and was very active during the late Quaternary. The rate of normal dip–slip was 1.67–2.71±0.11 mm/a in the Holocene and 0.61±0.15 mm/a during the Mid–Late Pleistocene. As is typical of normal faults, the late Quaternary activity of the Huashan piedmont fault has produced a set of disasters, which include frequent earthquakes, collapses, landslides, mudslides and ground fissures. Ground fissures mainly occur on the hanging–wall of the Huashan piedmont fault, with landslides, collapses and mudslides occurring on the footwall.

Spatial-temporal Analysis and Prediction of Precipitation Extremes: A Case Study in the Weihe River Basin, China

Extreme precipitation events bring considerable risks to the natural ecosystem and human life.Investigating the spatial-temporal characteristics of extreme precipitation and predicting it quantitatively are critical for the flood prevention and water resources planning and management.In this study,daily precipitation data(1957–2019)were collected from 24 meteorological stations in the Weihe River Basin(WRB),Northwest China and its surrounding areas.We first analyzed the spatial-temporal change of precipitation extremes in the WRB based on space-time cube(STC),and then predicted precipitation extremes using long short-term memory(LSTM)network,auto-regressive integrated moving average(ARIMA),and hybrid ensemble empirical mode decomposition(EEMD)-LSTM-ARIMA models.The precipitation extremes increased as the spatial variation from northwest to southeast of the WRB.There were two clusters for each extreme precipitation index,which were distributed in the northwestern and southeastern or northern and southern of the WRB.The precipitation extremes in the WRB present a strong clustering pattern.Spatially,the pattern of only high-high cluster and only low-low cluster were primarily located in lower reaches and upper reaches of the WRB,respectively.Hot spots(25.00%–50.00%)were more than cold spots(4.17%–25.00%)in the WRB.Cold spots were mainly concentrated in the northwestern part,while hot spots were mostly located in the eastern and southern parts.For different extreme precipitation indices,the performances of the different models were different.The accuracy ranking was EEMD-LSTM-ARIMA>LSTM>ARIMA in predicting simple daily intensity index(SDII)and consecutive wet days(CWD),while the accuracy ranking was LSTM>EEMD-LSTM-ARIMA>ARIMA in predicting very wet days(R95 P).The hybrid EEMD-LSTM-ARIMA model proposed was generally superior to single models in the prediction of precipitation extremes.

Lateral migration of fault activity in Weihe basin

Lateral migration of fault activity in Weihe basin is a popular phenomenon and its characteristics are also typical. Taking the activity migrations of Wangshun Mountain piedmont fault toward Lishan piedmont fault and Weinan platform front fault, Dabaopi-Niujiaojian fault toward Shenyusi-Xiaojiazhai fault, among a serial of NE-trending faults from Baoji city to Jingyang County as examples, their migration time and process are analyzed and discussed in the present paper. It is useful for further understanding the structure development and physiognomy evolution history of Weihe basin.

Runoff characteristics and its sensitivity to climate factors in the Weihe River Basin from 2006 to 2018

Exploring the current runoff characteristics after the large-scale implementation of the Grain for Green(GFG)project and investigating its sensitivities to potential drivers are crucial for water resource prediction and management.Based on the measured runoff data of 62 hydrological stations in the Weihe River Basin(WRB)from 2006 to 2018,we analyzed the temporal and spatial runoff characteristics in this study.Correlation analysis was used to investigate the relationships between different runoff indicators and climate-related factors.Additionally,an improved Budyko framework was applied to assess the sensitivities of annual runoff to precipitation,potential evaporation,and other factors.The results showed that the daily runoff flow duration curves(FDCs)of all selected hydrological stations fall in three narrow ranges,with the corresponding mean annual runoff spanning approximately 1.50 orders of magnitude,indicating that the runoff of different hydrological stations in the WRB varied greatly.The trend analysis of runoff under different exceedance frequencies showed that the runoff from the south bank of the Weihe River was more affluent and stable than that from the north bank.The runoff was unevenly distributed throughout the year,mainly in the flood season,accounting for more than 50.00%of the annual runoff.However,the trend of annual runoff change was not obvious in most areas.Correlation analysis showed that rare-frequency runoff events were more susceptible to climate factors.In this study,daily runoff under 10%-20%exceeding frequencies,consecutive maximum daily runoff,and low-runoff variability rate had strong correlations with precipitation,aridity index,and average runoff depth on rainy days.In comparison,daily runoff under 50%-99%exceeding frequencies,consecutive minimum daily runoff,and high-runoff variability rate had weak correlations with all selected impact factors.The sensitivity analysis results suggested that the sensitivity of annual runoff to precipitation was always higher than that to potential evaporation.The runoff about 87.10%of the selected hydrological stations were most sensitive to precipitation changes,and 12.90%were most sensitive to other factors.The spatial pattern of the sensitivity analysis indicated that in relatively humid southern areas,runoff was more sensitive to potential evaporation and other factors,and less sensitive to precipitation.

The Lithofacies Paleogeography and Paleoenvironmental evolution of the Cenozoic in the Weihe Basin, China

The Weihe Basin,which is known as a Cenozoic rift Basin,is special for its location where not only enrich oil,gas and water,but also is a"sweet"for environment evolution research.It sits in the transition area between the ordos basin with full of oil and gas resources in the north and the Qinling Orogenic Belt with rich mineral

Major elements in the Holocene loess-paleosol sequence in the upper reaches of the Weihe River valley,China

Palaeohydmlogical investigations were carried out in the Guchuan Basin in the upper reaches of the Weihe River valley, China. A set of palaeoflood slackwater deposits （SWDs） was found interbedded in the Holocene Ioess-paleosol sequence at the Guchuanzhen site （GCZ）. These palaeoflood SWDs were studied by field observations and laboratory analyses including concentrations of chemical elements and optically stimulated luminescence （OSL） dating. The results showed that the palaeoflood SWDs were the result of the secondary separations of the surface soil and weathered soil layers during the process of water transport and deposition, and without obvious weathering during soil development. These extraordinary flood events were dated back to 3,200-3,000 a B.P. with the OSL method and checked by archaeological dating of the human remains retrieved from the profile. These extraordinary flood events were therefore considered as regional expression of known climatic events and demonstrated the climatic instability in the Holocene. This result is important for understanding the effects of global climate change on the dynamics of river systems.

Study of crustal seismic velocity in the Weihe fault depression basin by seismic tomographic imaging

This paper gives a study of 3 D crustal seismic velocity changes in the Weihe fault depression basin, in which the overlapping sphere iterative reconstruction method of tomographic image was used in connection with the two point fast ray tracing technique. By means of theoretical modeling, the monitoring function of the observatory network system of Shaanxi Province was tested. Using the seismic data of the network, seismic tomographic inversion imaging of the crustal seismic velocity in the Weihe fault basin was studied. The results are as follows: In the Tongchuan Yaoxian area to the north of Jingyang, there is a high velocity region extending nearly in NS direction, the highest velocity value is around Tongchuan. To the southwest of Shangxian and Lantian, there is a low velocity zone about 100 km long and about 50 km wide, inside which there are two regions of the lowest velocity 50 km apart. The epicenters of historical strong earthquakes are mainly on the boundary of high velocity regions or in regions of fairly high velocity. In the eastern and western parts of the south margin of the Qinling Mountains, there is an obvious lateral nonhomogeneity of seismic velocity.

The stress change of the major activity faults in the Weihe Graben after the Wenchuan earthquake

The seismicity of small earthquakes in the Weihe Graben has changed after the Wenchuan earthquake.In detail,the seismicity around the Qishan-Mazhao fault in the western Weihe Graben decreased,while the seismicity in Gaoling and Jingyang Counties in the middle portion of the Weihe Graben and that in the area between Hancheng and Yuncheng Cities in eastern Weihe Graben increased.In this paper,the stress loading on the major activity faults in the Weihe Graben induced by the Wenchuan earthquake is discussed based on the Coulomb stress theory.The results show that the Wenchuan earthquake has exerted an unloading effect in the western Weihe Graben and a loading effect in the middle and eastern Weihe Graben.The spatially varied Coulomb stress is consistent with the seismicity distribution,indicating that the seismicity change is closely associated with the stress loading caused by the Wenchuan earthquake.

Evapotranspiration Estimation and Influence on Water Change in the Weihe River Basin,China

As the largest sub-basin of the middle reaches of the Yellow River with an obvious decreasing trend in annual runoff in recent years,the Weihe River basin is a significant region with regard to the protection and improvement of the environment in West China.Evapotranspiration(ET)is the loss of water from the Earth’s surface to the atmosphere and plays an important role in the regional water cycle,especially when considering water resource shortages.In this study,through analyzing the grid precipitation data after interpolation from 39 meteorological stations in and around the Weihe River basin from 1981 to 2011,certain periods during 1987,1993,1999,2001,2002 and 2009 with similar precipitation characteristics had been chosen for estimating the ET in the Weihe River basin.To illustrate ET’s influence on the water budget,these estimations are calculated based on an improved Penman-Monteith equation as well as remote sensing data and meteorological data.The results show that:(1)the annual ET in the Weihe River basin ranged from 350mm to 400mm in 1987,1993,1999,2001,2002 and 2009,accounting for more than 70%of the corresponding annual precipitation.There is a definite increasing trend in different decades that is primarily distributed during the summer.(2)The spatial distribution patterns of the ET in the six years mentioned area unique set,and the years are roughly identical with more than 500mm in the middle and lower reaches of the Weihe River in the southeastern region and less than 400mm in upper reaches of the Jinghe River in the northwestern area.(3)At the single-point scale,the coefficient of determination(R2)is 0.618 compared to the eddy correlation measurements in 2009 at the Changwu site,showing good agreement between the estimated ET and the observed ET.At the basin scale,the model-estimated ET is slightly lower than the actual ET with regard to the surface water budget.Additionally,the estimated ET in 2001,2002 and 2009 is close to the MODIS ET product.(4)For similar precipitation conditions,the regional amount of water shows a decreasing tendency with increasing ET,which may result from the rise in NDVI and improvements in vegetation coverage caused by human activities.This research suggests the influence of ET on water change at the basin level,which can also explain the decreasing runoff and can provide necessary information for improved water resource management.

Drought monitoring and reliability evaluation of the latest TMPA precipitation data in the Weihe River Basin, Northwest China

The high resolution satellite precipitation products bear great potential for large-scale drought monitoring, especially for those regions with sparsely or even without gauge coverage. This study focuses on utilizing the latest Version-7 TRMM Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis （TMPA 3B42V7） data for drought condition monitoring in the Weihe River Basin （0.135×10^6 km2）. The accuracy of the monthly TMPA 3B42V7 satellite precipitation data was firstly evaluated against the ground rain gauge observations. The statistical characteristics between a short period data series （1998-2013） and a long period data series （1961-2013） were then compared. The TMPA 3B42V7-based SPI （Standardized Precipitation Index） sequences were finally validated and analyzed at various temporal scales for assessing the drought conditions. The results indicate that the monthly TMPA 3B42V7 precipitation is in a high agreement with the rain gauge observations and can accurately capture the temporal and spatial characteristics of rainfall within the Weihe River Basin. The short period data can present the characteristics of long period record, and it is thus acceptable to use the short period data series to estimate the cumulative probability function in the SPI calculation. The TMPA 3B42V7-based SPI matches well with that based on the rain gauge observations at multiple time scales （i.e., 1-, 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-month） and can give an acceptable temporal distribution of drought conditions. It suggests that the TMPA 3B42V7 precipitation data can be used for monitoring the occurrence of drought in the Weihe River Basin.

Multi-Fractal Characteristics of Daily Runoff Series of Weihe River Watershed

Application of fractal theory on the evolution of nonlinear study of the hydrological system, which found its internal rules from the complex hydrologic system, could make us more fully understand the hydrodynamic characteristics of the complex motion of this system. Taking Weihe River as study area, this paper analyzes daily runoff series’ multi-fractal character and relative fluctuation feature by using the De-trended Fluctuation Analysis (DFA) method. Result shows that the daily runoff series of main channel and branches of Weihe river all shows multi-fractal characteristics clearly, and the turns of multi-fractal intensity of daily runoff series in Weihe river are: Xianyang station (1.388) > Yingge station (0.697) > Linjiacun station (0.665) > Zhangjiashan station (0.662) > Zhuangtou station (0.635). Rainfall, evaporation, water income and human activity and other factors affect the fluctuation character and multi-fractal intensity of daily runoff series through these factors’ superimposition and pining down mutually. This study could provide a theoretical supply for obtaining the quantitative indicators on multi-fractal characteristics about eco-environment situation of watershed, and for runoff forecasting.

Study on the Effects of Extreme Precipitation for Seven Growth Stages of Winter Wheat in Northern Weihe Loess Plateau, China

The research on the characteristic frequency of precipitation is a great significance for guiding regional agricultural planning, water conservancy project designs, and drought and flood control. Droughts and floods occurred in northern Weihe Loess Plateau, affecting growing and yield of winter wheat in the area. Based on the daily precipitation data of 29 meteorological stations from 1981 to 2012, this study is to address the analysis of three different frequencies of annual precipitation at 5%, 50%, and 95%, and to determine the amount of rainfall excess and water shortage during seven growth stages of winter wheat at 5%, 10%, and 20% frequencies, respectively. Pearson type III curve was selected for this study to analyze the distribution frequency of annual rainfall and rainfall amount following seven growth stages of winter wheat crop in 29 stations of Northern Weihe loess plateau. As a result of our study, annual precipitation is gradually increasing from southwest to northeast of Northern Weihe loess plateau. The highest amount of annual precipitation occurred in the Baoji area and the lowest precipitation covered by the northwest area of Northern Weihe loess plateau. Moreover, the amount of rainfall of seven growth stages indicates that excessive rainfall occurs not only in the first stage (sowing to tillering) and seventh stage (flowering to ripening) but also in second stage (tillering to wintering). In the seventh stage, a large amount of excessive rainfall occurred in Changwu, Bin, Qianyang, Fengxiang, Baojiqu, and Baojixian. Moreover, water shortage is distributed in the third stage (from wintering to greening), the fourth stage (from greening to jointing), the fifth stage (from jointing to heading), and the sixth stage (from heading to flowering). Furthermore, the worst water shortages occurred in Hancheng, Heyang, Chengcheng, Pucheng, Dali, Tongchuan, and Fuping in the fourth stage (greening to jointing stage). Even though we study the crop water requirement under extreme rainfall conditions, the amount of rainwater still supply inadequate in some parts of the winter wheat growth stage. Therefore, this study provides main clues for the next step to study the irrigation water needs of winter wheat crops and to reduce agricultural risks in 29 counties in the northern loess plateau and other regions.

Research of Hydrochemical Properties of Hyporheic Zone along the WeiHe River in Shanxi Segment

By sampling the undercurrent belts of riverfront, shoal and riverbed at Xianyang, Xi’an, Lintong and Huaxian in Weihe basin of Shaanxi province in the summer and winter of 2014 and analyzed the water chemical character through Piper trilinear chart, This thesis has come to the following conclusions: (1) PH in shoal range from 7.42 to 7.98, and in riverfront, the average is 7.58, present alkaline. The TDS in riverfront is higher than that of river water, it range from 506.5 to 824, 616.06 mg?L?1 in average. (2) All of the water at riverfront, shoal and riverbed under the influence of carbonate. The concentration of ionic concentration at shoal is between riverbed and riverfront, by contrast, it close to riverfront. This result means the shoal recharged by both surface and river water, and the groundwater recharge is more conspicuous than surface water. Besides, from upstream to downstream, the two kinds of main ions ( and Ca2+) have little change in the same river, it related to such factors as river evaporation, the exchange interaction of surface and underground water and so on.

Active Features of the Hangingwall on the Listric Normal Fault Along the Southeastern Margin of Weihe Basin

Based on field observations and mechanic analysis,the authors think that synthetic faults,antithetic faults,and hangingwall cross-faults are formed on the piedmont alluvial-pluvial plain under the action of hangingwall blocks sliding downward and rotating along concave fault planes of the listric normal fault on the southeastern margin of Weihe Basin.The characteristics of different movements and expressions on the surface of these structures may be taken as the main marks for listric normal fault segmentation.