Assessment of ecological water scarcity in China
The increasing water use for human activities is threatening the health of ecosystems. Most previous studies on water scarcity mainly centered on human society. In this study, we developed a new indicator, ecological water scarcity (WS _eco ), that considers water quantity, water quality, and enviro...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
IOP Publishing
2022-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research Letters |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac95b0 |
| _version_ | 1827869757737533440 |
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| author | Kewei Liu Wenfang Cao Dandan Zhao Shuman Liu Junguo Liu |
| author_facet | Kewei Liu Wenfang Cao Dandan Zhao Shuman Liu Junguo Liu |
| author_sort | Kewei Liu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The increasing water use for human activities is threatening the health of ecosystems. Most previous studies on water scarcity mainly centered on human society. In this study, we developed a new indicator, ecological water scarcity (WS _eco ), that considers water quantity, water quality, and environmental flow requirements. WS _eco was assessed at the provincial level in China. The results show that northern China suffered more severe WS _eco than southern China. In addition, the WS _eco level decreased in 65% of provinces from 2016 to 2019, implying the great achievement of China’s effort in saving water and reducing pollution. The main driving factor of WS _eco in most provinces was pollution rather than human water use. The findings of this study demonstrate the spatial distribution, temporal dynamics, and driving factors of WS _eco in China. The results can be used to guide efforts for ecological restoration and sustainable water management in different regions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:48:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-22af51438eab4835a055f5852d8e3246 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1748-9326 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:48:38Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-22af51438eab4835a055f5852d8e32462023-08-09T15:17:55ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Letters1748-93262022-01-01171010405610.1088/1748-9326/ac95b0Assessment of ecological water scarcity in ChinaKewei Liu0Wenfang Cao1Dandan Zhao2Shuman Liu3Junguo Liu4School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology , Shenzhen, People’s Republic of ChinaSchool of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology , Shenzhen, People’s Republic of ChinaSchool of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology , Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China; Water & Development Research Group, Department of Built Environment, Aalto University , PO Box 15200, Espoo 00076, FinlandSchool of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology , Shenzhen, People’s Republic of ChinaSchool of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology , Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China; School of Water Conservancy, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power , Zhengzhou 450046, People’s Republic of ChinaThe increasing water use for human activities is threatening the health of ecosystems. Most previous studies on water scarcity mainly centered on human society. In this study, we developed a new indicator, ecological water scarcity (WS _eco ), that considers water quantity, water quality, and environmental flow requirements. WS _eco was assessed at the provincial level in China. The results show that northern China suffered more severe WS _eco than southern China. In addition, the WS _eco level decreased in 65% of provinces from 2016 to 2019, implying the great achievement of China’s effort in saving water and reducing pollution. The main driving factor of WS _eco in most provinces was pollution rather than human water use. The findings of this study demonstrate the spatial distribution, temporal dynamics, and driving factors of WS _eco in China. The results can be used to guide efforts for ecological restoration and sustainable water management in different regions.https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac95b0ecological water scarcitywater scarcity indicatorswater footprintssustainable water managementecological restoration |
| spellingShingle | Kewei Liu Wenfang Cao Dandan Zhao Shuman Liu Junguo Liu Assessment of ecological water scarcity in China Environmental Research Letters ecological water scarcity water scarcity indicators water footprints sustainable water management ecological restoration |
| title | Assessment of ecological water scarcity in China |
| title_full | Assessment of ecological water scarcity in China |
| title_fullStr | Assessment of ecological water scarcity in China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessment of ecological water scarcity in China |
| title_short | Assessment of ecological water scarcity in China |
| title_sort | assessment of ecological water scarcity in china |
| topic | ecological water scarcity water scarcity indicators water footprints sustainable water management ecological restoration |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac95b0 |
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