Analysis of Water Resources Supply and Demand and Security of Water Resources Development in Irrigation Regions of the Middle Reaches of the Heihe River Basin, Northwest China

Based on the data for meteorology, hydrology, soil, planting, vegetation, and socio-economic development of the irrigation region in the middle reaches of the Heihe River basin, Northwest China, the model of balance of water supply and demand in the region was established, and the security of water resource was assessed, from which the results that the effects of unified management of water resources in the Heihe River basin between Gansu Province and Inner Mongolia on regional hydrology are significant with a decrease in water supply diverted from Heihe River and an increase in groundwater extracted. In addition, it was found that the groundwater level has been steadily decreasing due to over pumping and decrease in recharges. In present year （2003）, the volume of potential groundwater in the irrigation districts is far small because of the groundwater overdraft; even in the particular regions, there is no availability of groundwater resources for use. By 2003, water supply is not sufficient to meet the water demand in the different irrigation districts, the sustainable development and utilization of water resources are not secured, and the water supply crisis occurs in Pingchuan irrigation district. Achieving water security for the sustainable development of society, agriculture, economy, industry, and livelihoods while maintaining or improving the abilities of the management and planning of water resources, determining of the reasonable percentage between water supply and groundwater utilization and water saving in agricultural irrigation are taken into account. If this does not occur, it is feared that the present performance of water development and planning may further aggravate the problem of scarcities of water resources and further damage the fragile ecological system.

Simulation of hydrological processes of mountainous watersheds in inland river basins: taking the Heihe Mainstream River as an example

The hydrological processes of mountainous watersheds in inland river basins are complicated.It is absolutely significant to quantify mountainous runoff for social,economic and ecological purposes.This paper takes the mountainous watershed of the Heihe Mainstream River as a study area to simulate the hydrological processes of mountainous watersheds in inland river basins by using the soil and water assessment tool(SWAT)model.SWAT simulation results show that both the Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency and the determination coefficient values of the calibration period(January 1995 to December 2002)and validation period(January 2002 to December 2009)are higher than 0.90,and the percent bias is controlled within±5%,indicating that the simulation results are satisfactory.According to the SWAT performance,we discussed the yearly and monthly variation trends of the mountainous runoff and the runoff components.The results show that from 1996 to 2009,an indistinctive rising trend was observed for the yearly mountainous runoff,which is mainly recharged by lateral flow,and followed by shallow groundwater runoff and surface runoff.The monthly variation demonstrates that the mountainous runoff decreases slightly from May to July,contrary to other months.The mountainous runoff is mainly recharged by shallow groundwater runoff in January,February,and from October to December,by surface runoff in March and April,and by lateral flow from May to September.

Understanding the impact of mountain landscapes on water balance in the upper Heihe River watershed in northwestern China

Estimating the impact of mountain landscape on hydrology or water balance is essential for the sus- tainable development strategies of water resources. Specifically, understanding how the change of each landscape influences hydrological components will greatly improve the predictability of hydrological responses to mountain landscape changes and thus can help the government make sounder decisions. In the paper, we used the VIC （Variable Infiltration Capacity） model to conduct hydrological modeling in the upper Heihe River watershed, along with a frozen-soil module and a glacier melting module to improve the simulation. The improved model performed satisfactorily. We concluded that there are differences in the runoff generation of mountain landscape both in space and time. About 50% of the total runoff at the catchment outlet were generated in mid-mountain zone （2,900-4,000 m asl）, and water was mainly consumed in low mountain region （1,700-2,900 m asl） because of the higher requirements of trees and grasses. The runoff coefficient was 0.37 in the upper Heihe River watershed. Barren landscape produced the largest runoff yields （52.46% of the total runoff） in the upper Heihe River watershed, fol- lowed by grassland （34.15%）, shrub （9.02%）, glacier （3.57%）, and forest （0.49%）. In order to simulate the impact of landscape change on hydrological components, three landscape change scenarios were designed in the study. Scenario 1, 2 and 3 were to convert all shady slope landscapes at 2,000-3,300 m, 2,000-3,700 m, and 2,000-4,000 m asl respectively to forest lands, with forest coverage rate increased to 12.4%, 28.5% and 42.0%, respectively. The runoff at the catchment outlet correspondingly declined by 3.5%, 13.1% and 24.2% under the three scenarios. The forest landscape is very important in water conservation as it reduced the flood peak and increased the base flow. The mountains as ＂water towers＂ play important roles in water resources generation and the impact of mountain landscapes on hydrology is significant.

Identification and Evolution of Groundwater Chemistry in the Ejin Sub-Basin of the Heihe River, Northwest China

Hydro-chemical characteristics of groundwater and their changes as affected by human activities were studied in the Ejin Sub-Basin of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China, to understand the groundwater evolution, to identify the predominant geochemical processes taking place along the horizontal groundwater flow path, and to characterize anthropogenic factors affecting the groundwater environment based on previous data. The concentrations of major ions and total dissolved solids （TDS） in the groundwater showed a great variation, with 62.5% of the samples being brackish （TDS ≥ 1 000 mg L^-l）. The groundwater system showed a gradual hydro-chemical zonation composed of Na^＋ -HCO3^-, Na^＋ -Mg^2＋ -SO4 ^2 -Cl^-, and Na^＋ -Cl^-. The relationships among the dissolved species allowed identification of the origin of solutes and the processes that generated the observed water compositions. The dissolution of halite, dolomite, and 2- gypsum explained, in part, the presence of Na^＋, K^＋, Cl^-, SO^4 , and Ca^2＋, but other processes, such as mixing, Na^＋ exchange for Ca^2＋ and Mg^2＋, and calcite precipitation also contributed to the composition of water. Human activity, in particular large-scale water resources development associated with dramatic population growth in the last 50 years, has led to tremendous changes in the groundwater regime, which reflected in surface water runoff change, decline of groundwater table and degeneration of surface water and groundwater quality. Solving these largely anthropogenic problems requires concerted, massive and long-term efforts.

Water accounting for conjunctive groundwater and surface water irrigation sources: A case study in the middle Heihe River Basin of arid northwestern China

Oases in arid northwestern China play a significant role in the region＇s economic stability and development. Overex- ploitation of the region＇s water resources has led to serious environmental consequences. In oases, irrigated agriculture is the primary consumer of water, but water shortages resulting from dramatically growing human needs have become a bottleneck for regional sustainable development, making effective management of the limited available water critical. Effective strategies must be formulated to increase agricultural productivity while reducing its environmental impacts. To support the development of such strategies, water use patterns were analyzed during the 2007 and 2008 growing seasons, from May to early October, to identify opportunities for improving water management using the Mold- en-Sakthivadivel water-accounting method, which combines groundwater and surface water into a single domain and can provide a good estimate of the uses, depletion, and productivity of water in a water basin context. The study area lies in Linze County, Gansu Province, China. In the study area, the inflow water resources consist of irrigation, precipita- tion, and soil water, which accounted for 89.3%, 8.9%, and 1.8% of the total in 2007, and 89.3%, 4.8%, and 5.9% in 2008, respectively. The irrigation depends heavily on groundwater, which accounted for 82.1% and 83.6% of the total irrigation water in 2007 and 2008, respectively. In 2007 and 2008, deep percolation accounted for 50.1% and 47.9% of the water outflow, respectively, with corresponding depleted fractions of 0.51 and 0.55, respectively. For the irrigation district as a whole, the water productivity was only 1.37 CNY/m^3. To significantly increase crop water productivity and prevent depletion of the region＇s groundwater aquifer, it will be necessary to reduce the amount of water used for ir- rigation. Several water-saving agricultural practices are discussed and recommended.

An estimation of groundwater storage variations from GRACE gravity satellites in the Heihe River Basin, northwestern China

There are only limited surface water resources available in the Heihe River Basin （HRB）, a typical inland river basin in the arid region of northwestern China, where groundwater overexploitation is a serious problem. Groundwater has become one of main resources of fresh water in the HRB. In this paper, temporal and spatial variations of groundwater in the HRB are estimated by the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment （GRACE） satellites. Our analysis shows that groundwater storage in the HRB reaches its highest in the summer of 2005, and then begins to decline in the following years and reaches steady status in 2008. Spatially, groundwater shows a decline in the upper HRB in the first two years and a slight increase in the following years, while this phenomenon is reversed in the middle HRB where groundwater slightly increases in 2005 and then declines in the following three years. In the lower HRB, GRACE detects a continual increase in the full six-year period. This approach is proven successful when employed in the HRB and thus offers a new insight into monitoring groundwater variations in a river basin with limited or even without any observed data.

Relationship between sand-dust weather and water dynamics of desert areas in the middle reaches of Heihe River

Sand-dust weather has become an international social-environmental issue of common concern, and constitutes a serious threat to human lives and economic development. In order to explore the responses of natural desert sand and dust to the dynamics of water in desertification, we extracted long-term monitoring data related to precipitation, soil water, groundwater, and sand-dust weather. These data originated from the test stations for desertification control in desert areas of the middle reaches of the Heihe River. We used an algorithm of characteristic parameters, correlations, and multiple regression analysis to establish a regression model for the duration of sand-dust weather. The response char-acteristics of the natural desert sand and dust and changes of the water inter-annual and annual variance were also examined. Our results showed： （1） From 2006 to 2014 the frequency, duration, and volatility trends of sand-dust weather obviously increased, but the change amplitudes of precipitation, soil water, and groundwater level grew smaller. （2） In the vegetative growth seasons from March to November, the annual variance rates of the soil moisture content in each of four studied layers of soil samples were similar, and the changes in the frequency and duration of sand-dust weather were similar. （3） Our new regression equation for the duration of sand-dust weather passed the R test, F test, and t test. By this regression model we could predict the duration of sand-dust weather with an accuracy of 42.9%. This study can thus provide technological support and reference data for water resource management and re-search regarding sand-dust weather mechanisms.

The status and protection of the ecological environment in Heihe River water source district

This article discusses the status of the ecological environment in Heihe River water source district, and points out that the decline of the forest coverage, the degradation of the pasture and the shrinking back of the glacier, the increased soil erosion and other phenomena are the main ecological and environmental problems in this area. The main reason is the natural and man-made results. This article proposes the specific measures to protect the ecological environment in Heihe River water source district.

Impact of climate change and variability on water resources in Heihe River Basin

Studies indicate that the climate has experienced a dramatic change in the Heihe River Basin with scope of temperature rise reaching 0.5-1.1 o C in the 1990s compared to the mean value of the period 1960-1990, precipitation increased 18.5 mm in the 1990s compared to the 1950s, and 6.5 mm in the 1990s compared to the mean value of the period 1960-1990, water resources decreased 2.6×10 8 m 3 in the 1990s compared to the 1950s, and 0.4×10 8 m 3 in the 1990s compared to the mean value of the period 1960-1990. These changes have exerted a greater effect on the local environment and socio-economy, and also made the condition worsening in water resources utilizations in the Heihe Rver Basin.

Study on functions and rational allocation of Shule River Basin groundwater resources

Based on Investigation and Assessment on Rational Exploitation and Utilization of Groundwater Resources in Typical Areas of the Hexi Corridor, the thesis studies on groundwater and environmental problems arising from the large-scale agricultural development projects in Shule River Basin. The thesis analyzes problems in exploiting and utilizing water resources, defines the function zoning of groundwater resources in key areas and evaluates them. Finally, the thesis uses three-dimensional unsteady flow simulation and regional social and economic development plan to study on the allocation of groundwater in Shule River Basin. A proposal for rational allocation of Shule River Basin water resources has been put forward.

Integrated hydrologic modeling in the inland Heihe River Basin, Northwest China

As a typical inland river basin in arid Northwest China, having distinct hydrological characteristics and severe and repre- sentative water problems, the Heihe River Basin （HRB） has attracted considerable research interest worldwide and in 2007 became a pilot basin of the G-WADI network of UNESCO/1HR Many research programs have been conducted in the HRB since the 1980s, producing rich knowledge and data about the basin, which will be very helpful to further studies. This paper reviews research efforts related to hydrologic modeling and ongoing model integration studies performed in the HRB in re- cent years. Recently, an observation network covering the whole area and a Web-based data-sharing system have been estab- lished which can greatly improve data acquisition. This paper tabulates modeling activities in past years, including model ap- plications, model modifications and enhancements, and model coupling efforts. Also described is a preliminary modeling in- tegration tool designed to quickly build new models, which has been developed for hydrologic modeling purposes. Challeng- es and issues confronted in current studies are discussed, pointing toward key research directions in the future.

Effect of vegetation on soil water retention and storage in a semi-arid alpine forest catchment

The runoff generated from mountainous regions is recognized as the main water source for inland river basins in arid environments. Thus, the mechanisms by which catchments retain water in soils are to be understood. The water storage capacity of soil depends on its depth and capacity to retain water under gravita- tional drainage and evapotranspiration. The latter can be studied through soil water retention curve （SWRC）, which is closely related to soil properties such as texture, bulk density, porosity, soil organic carbon conteMt, and so on. The present study represented SWRCs using HYDRUS-1D. In the present study, we measured pl^ysical and hydraulic properties of soil samples collected from Sabina przewalskii forest （south-facing slope with highest solar radiation）, shrubs （west-facing slope with medium radiation）, and Picea crassifolia forest （north-facing slope with lowest radiation）, and analyzed the differences in soil water storage capacity of these soil samples. Soil water content of those three vegetation covers were also measured to validate the soil water storage capacity and to analyze the relationship between soil organic matter content and soil water content. Statistical analysis showed that different vegetation covers could lead to different soil bulk densities and differences in soil water retention on the three slope aspects. Sand content, porosity, and organic carbon content of the P. crassifolia forest were rela- tively greater compared with those of the S. przewalskii forest and shrubs. However, silt content and soil bulk density were relatively smaller than those in the S. przewalskii forest and shrubs. In addition, there was a sig- nificant linear positive relationship between averaged soil water content and soil organic matter content （P〈0.0001）. However, this relationship is not significant in the P. crassifolia forest. As depicted in the SWRCs, the water storage capacity of the soil was 39.14% and 37.38% higher in the P. crassifolia forest than in the S. przewalskii forest and shrubs, respectively, at a similar soil depth.

A Modified Groundwater Module in SWAT for Improved Streamflow Simulation in a Large, Arid Endorheic River Watershed in Northwest China

Interactions between surface water and groundwater are dynamic and complex in large endorheic river watersheds in Northwest China due to the influence of both irrigation practices and the local terrain. These interactions interchange numerous times throughout the middle reaches, making streamflow simulation a challenge in endorheic river watersheds. In this study, we modified the linear-reservoir groundwater module in SWAT(Soil and Water Assessment Tools, a widely used hydrological model) with a new nonlinear relationship to better represent groundwater processes; we then applied the original SWAT and modified SWAT to the Heihe River Watershed, the second largest endorheic river watershed in Northwest China, to simulate streamflow. After calibrating both the original SWAT model and the modified SWAT model, we analyzed model performance during two periods: an irrigation period and a non-irrigation period. Our results show that the modified SWAT model with the nonlinear groundwater module performed significantly better during both the irrigation and non-irrigation periods. Moreover, after comparing different runoff components simulated by the two models, the results show that, after the implementation of the new nonlinear groundwater module in SWAT, proportions of runoff components changed-and the groundwater flow had significantly increased, dominating the discharge season. Therefore, SWAT coupled with the non-linear groundwater module represents the complex hydrological process in the study area more realistically. Moreover, the results for various runoff components simulated by the modified SWAT models can be used to describe the hydrological characteristics of lowland areas. This indicates that the modified SWAT model is applicable to simulate complex hydrological process of arid endorheic rivers.

Application of WEAP Simulation Model to Hengshui City Water Planning

Like many river basins in China, water resources in the Fudong Pai River are almost fully allocated. This paper seeks to assess and evaluate water resource problems using water evaluation and planning (WEAP) model via its application to Hengshui Basin of Fudong Pai River. This model allows the simulation and analysis of various water allocation scenarios and, above all, scenarios of users' behavior. Water demand management is one of the options discussed in detail. Simulations are proposed for diverse climatic situations from dry years to normal years and results are discussed. Within the limits of data availability, it appears that most water users are not able to meet all their requirements from the river, and that even the ecological reserve will not be fully met during certain years. But the adoption of water demand management procedures offers opportunities for remedying this situation during normal hydrological years. However, it appears that demand management alone will not suffice during dry years. Nevertheless, the ease of use of the model and its user-friendly interfaces make it particularly useful for discussions and dialogue on water resources management among stakeholders.

Water use strategies of the desert riparian forest plant community in the lower reaches of Heihe River Basin, China

The object of this paper is the different plant communities in the Ejina desert riparian forest. Groundwater depth, soil moisture, plant water potential, relative leaf moisture content and water use efficiency was monitored, and the response of soil moisture and plant ecology to the groundwater depth and the water use efficiency of the different plant communities was analyzed. The results showed that：（1） Along with the groundwater depth increasing, predawn and midday water potential of the plants, with the exception of Reaumuria soongorica, did not decrease significantly, indicating that when the groundwater depth is less than 3 m, the plant communities in the range of 4 km from the river way did not suffer or slightly suffer from water stress;（2） The distribution of higher soil moisture content within 0–3 m soil layer is suitable with the plants’ root system, as indicated in the communities of coexisting overripe Populus euphratica or Taramrix chinensis, both of which can release excessive water into soil for shallow rooted shrubs or herbaceous plants when there is water shortage;（3） R. soongorica can absorb deep soil moisture through deep roots for their own survival;（4） The community consisting of Sophora alopecuroides, Karelinia caspica, T. chinensis, and overripe P. euphratica has the best species combination for restoring the damaged eco-environment in the lower reaches of Heihe River;（5） The order of plants’ relative leaf water contents is K. caspica ＆gt; S. alopecuroides ＆gt; young P. euphratica ＆gt; overripe P. euphratica ＆gt; mature P. euphratica = T. chinensis coexisting with other species ＆gt; single R. soongorica ＆gt; single T. chinensis and the order of WUE is single T. chinensis ＆gt; single R. soongorica ＆gt; T. chinensis living in symbiosis with other species ＆gt; S. alopecuroides = young P. euphratica ＆gt; mature P. euphratica ＆gt; overripe P. euphratica ＆gt; K. caspica. Therefore, with ample soil moisture, the plant community helps rapid growth of T. chinensis, young P. euphratica and R. soongorica plants of less moisture content. Despite this they do not have much water storage capability, but have strong drought resistance, and higher moisture contents of S. alopecuroides and K. caspica, thus leaving them with poor drought resistance. Overall, the desert riparian forest plant community in the lower reaches of Heihe River helps the species of higher WUE live on it.

The influence of water regulation on vegetation in the lower Heihe River

Water regulation has been carried out by the Heihe River Bureau since 2000, which aims to address the existing eco-environmental problems in the lower Heihe River. In the past nine years, great changes in spatial-temporal distribution of water resources took place in the lower Heihe River. In order to objectively evaluate the influence of water regulation on the eco-environment, the changes of groundwater table, typical vegetation, landscape types as well as East Juyan Lake have been analyzed in the lower Heihe River, by means of field surveys and remote sensing. These results indicate that there are obvious effects of water regulation on the eco-environment, which has been improved toward sustainability in the lower Heihe River.

长江水资源调配推演器构建与推演分析

长江水资源调配推演器(CJGWAS)由中国长江三峡集团有限公司、中国水利水电科学研究院联合研发,实现长江流域水库工程“点”、河流及调水工程“线”、地市单元“面”、流域综合“体”的“点—线—面—体”一体化水资源科学模拟与开发利用分析。推演器融合水文模型、配置模型、水库调配模型、需水预测等算法,可对长江流域历史、现状进行复盘,并对未来状况进行推演。研究成果可为长江流域水网规划、重大引调水工程评估、断面生态流量及发电冲击预判等提供支撑。

引江济淮工程(河南段)水资源调配系统设计与开发

为强化引江济淮工程(河南段)水资源统一调配,基于Spring Boot和Vue前后端分离开发的模式,利用天地图API、WebGL、Echarts等技术设计研发引江济淮工程(河南段)水资源调配系统。从设计思路、功能界面、关键技术3个角度论述系统设计思路和实现过程,从而实现地理信息服务、供需水预测、水资源优化配置、水资源优化调度等功能,实现水量分配可视化、运行调度智能化和跨流域调水管控一体化。系统测试结果表明:引江济淮工程(河南段)水资源调配系统的建立提高了受水区水资源精细化管理的水平,解决了引江济淮工程(河南段)跨流域调水的配置难题,为受水区水资源高效利用提供有效的技术支撑。

内陆河流域水污染风险分区安全评价——以黑河流域为例

[目的]对内陆河流域开展水污染风险分区评估,分析内陆河流域水污染风险分布特征,为内陆河其他流域及全国其他流域水污染风险的评估提供参考。[方法]以2021年黑河流域环境统计数据、DEM数据、水质监测断面数据和基础地理数据等为数据基础,以1 km×1 km网格为基本单元,利用GIS空间分析精细化、可视化表征水污染风险程度和分布情况,采用环境风险场评估法对黑河流域开展水污染风险分区评估,分析该流域水污染风险分区分级分布特征。[结果]黑河流域只有极少区域处于高风险水平;污染严重水系主要集中在中下游区域,包括洪水河、讨赖河水系以及山丹瓷窑口到高台黑大板河、黑河干流、梨园河等多条河流,准确识别出了黑河流域水污染高风险“热点”区段19个,污染严重部分主要分布于水系周边的风险源以及沿河公路、跨河桥梁与水系的伴行段重叠交叉区域。整个黑河流域的水污染风险处于低风险水平,在可控范围之内。[结论]该评价指标体系能够从多维度、多空间来表征内陆河流域水污染风险的主要问题,帮助完善内陆河流域水污染风险评价指标体系,提升流域全过程风险管理水平。

黑龙江干流黑河市城区段河床演变研究

黑龙江黑河市城区河段河道受自然及人为因素影响,河床演变复杂。采用Mann-Kendall趋势检验法和双累积曲线法分析了水沙变化趋势。基于实测水文和泥沙资料,对河床稳定性及冲淤变化进行了定量研究。研究结果表明,该河段属于少沙河流,结雅河口以上年径流和输沙量随时间呈减小趋势,结雅河口以下年径流没有明显的趋势性变化,年输沙量呈减小趋势。自然状态下,河段岸线和深泓线位置基本稳定,河床冲淤变化不大,以约10年为一个周期,基本可以达到冲淤平衡。在人类活动及支流汇入影响下,黑河水位站至长发岛段纵向不稳定,预测会引起该段未防护岛屿洲滩的岸线变迁。