The dual role of meltwater in buffering river runoff in the Yarlung Zangbo Basin, Tibetan Plateau

Feng，Yuqing1,3; Jiang，Ke2; Kuang，Xingxing3; Yao，Yingying4; Liang，Sihai5; Yu，Kaining1; Liu，Junguo3; Zheng，Chunmiao3

2024-08-01

10.1016/j.ejrh.2024.101857

Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies   影响因子和分区

2214-5818

Study region: The Yarlung Zangbo Basin (YZB) on the Tibetan Plateau, the world's highest river basin, features a significant cryosphere with glaciers and seasonal snow cover crucial to its hydrology. The study focuses on the region between the Nuxia and Dexing river gauging stations, where glaciers cover 15.4 % of the area. Study focus: The research quantifies the contributions of snow melt (SM) runoff, glacier melt (GM) runoff, rainfall runoff, and baseflow to the total runoff in the YZB. The Spatial Processes in Hydrology (SPHY) model, enhanced with a cryosphere module, was utilized, calibrated with runoff data from the Nuxia station and evapotranspiration data from 2003 to 2014. New hydrological insights: The study found rainfall runoff to be the primary contributor to annual runoff (66.3 %), followed by snow melt runoff (19.7 %), glacier melt runoff (6.2 %), and baseflow (7.8 %). Snow melt runoff is dominant in early spring, while baseflow prevails in winter. Glacier melt runoff contributes directly to river flow (90.1 %) and replenishes groundwater (9.9 %), which then drains as baseflow. In glacier-rich areas, percolated glacier meltwater significantly recharges groundwater, underscoring its vital role in sustaining river flow in the YZB. This research enhances the understanding of hydrological processes in large alpine river basins and highlights the crucial role of glacier and snow melt in maintaining the Tibetan Plateau's water resources.

Baseflow Glacier melt Snow melt SPHY Yarlung Zangbo Basin

SCI

英语

通讯

2-s2.0-85195373146

Scopus

1.Hebei Center for Ecological and Environmental Geology Research,Hebei GEO University,Shijiazhuang,050031,China
2.School of Engineering,Westlake University,Hangzhou,18 Shilongshan Ave,310000,China
3.School of Environmental Science and Engineering,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,1088 Xueyuan Ave,518055,China
4.Department of Earth and Environmental Science,School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering,Xi'an Jiaotong University,Xi'an,28 West Xianning Road,710049,China
5.School of Water Resources and Environment,China University of Geosciences (Beijing),Beijing,29 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District,100083,China

Feng，Yuqing,Jiang，Ke,Kuang，Xingxing,et al. The dual role of meltwater in buffering river runoff in the Yarlung Zangbo Basin, Tibetan Plateau[J]. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies,2024,54.

Feng，Yuqing.,Jiang，Ke.,Kuang，Xingxing.,Yao，Yingying.,Liang，Sihai.,...&Zheng，Chunmiao.(2024).The dual role of meltwater in buffering river runoff in the Yarlung Zangbo Basin, Tibetan Plateau.Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies,54.

Feng，Yuqing,et al."The dual role of meltwater in buffering river runoff in the Yarlung Zangbo Basin, Tibetan Plateau".Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies 54(2024).