The Runoff Declining Process and Water Quality in Songhuajiang River Catchment,China under Global Climatic Change |
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| Authors: | Xingmin Mu Ying Li Peng Gao Hongbo Shao Fei Wang |
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| Institution: | 1. Northwest A&F University, Yangling, P. R. China;2. Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Yangling, P. R. China;3. The CAS/Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Process, Yantai Institute of Costal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Yantai, P. R. China;4. Institute for Life Sciences, Qingdao University of Science & Technology (QUST), Qingdao, P. R. China |
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| Abstract: | The runoff in Songhuajiang River catchment has experienced a decreasing trend during the second half of the 20th century. Serially complete daily rainfall data of 42 rainfall stations from 1959 to 2002 and daily runoff data of five meteorological stations from 1953 to 2005 were obtained. The Mann–Kendall trend test and the sequential version of Mann–Kendall test were employed in this study to test the monthly and annual trends for both rainfall and runoff, to determine the start point of abrupt runoff declining, and to identify the main driving factors of runoff decline. The results showed an insignificant increasing trend in rainfall but a significant decreasing trend in runoff in the catchment. For the five meteorological stations, abrupt runoff decline occurred during 1957–1963 and the middle 1990s. Through Mann–Kendall comparisons for the area‐rainfall and runoff for the two decreasing periods, human activity, rather than climatic change, is identified as the main driving factor of runoff decline. Analysis of land use/cover shows that farmland is most related with runoff decline among all the land use/cover change in Nenjiang catchment. From 1986 to 1995, the area of farmland increased rapidly from 6.99 to 7.61 million hm2. Hydraulic engineering has a significant influence on the runoff decline in the second Songhuajiang catchment. Many large‐scale reservoirs and hydropower stations have been built in the upstream of the Second Songhuajiang and lead to the runoff decline. Nenjiang and the Second Songhuajiang are the two sources of mainstream of Songhuajiang. Decreased runoff in these two sub‐catchments then results in runoff decrease in mainstream of Songhuajiang catchment. It is, therefore, concluded that high percent agricultural land and hydraulic engineering are the most probable driving factors of runoff decline in Songhuajiang River catchment, China. |
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| Keywords: | Human activity Land use/cover Mann– Kendall trend test Sustainable development Water monitoring |
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