Impacts of land use/cover change on water balance by using the SWAT model in a typical loess hilly watershed of China

Land use/cover change (LUCC) plays a key role in altering surface hydrology and water balance, finally affecting the security and availability of water resources. However, mechanisms underlying LUCC determination of water-balance processes at the basin scale remain unclear. In this study, the Soil a...

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Main Authors: Zeman Liu, Li Rong, Wei Wei
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2023-03-01
Series:Geography and Sustainability
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666683922000773
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author Zeman Liu
Li Rong
Wei Wei
author_facet Zeman Liu
Li Rong
Wei Wei
author_sort Zeman Liu
collection DOAJ
description Land use/cover change (LUCC) plays a key role in altering surface hydrology and water balance, finally affecting the security and availability of water resources. However, mechanisms underlying LUCC determination of water-balance processes at the basin scale remain unclear. In this study, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model and partial least squares regression were used to detect the effects of LUCC on hydrology and water components in the Zuli River Basin (ZRB), a typical watershed of the Yellow River Basin. In general, three recommended coefficients (R² and Ens greater than 0.5, and Pbias less than 20%) indicated that the output results of the SWAT model were reliable and that the model was effective for the ZRB. Then, several key findings were obtained. First, LUCC in the ZRB was characterized by a significant increase in forest (21.61%) and settlement (23.52%) and a slight reduction in cropland (–1.35%), resulting in a 4.93% increase in evapotranspiration and a clear decline in surface runoff and water yield by 15.68% and 2.95% at the whole basin scale, respectively. Second, at the sub-basin scale, surface runoff and water yield increased by 14.26%–36.15% and 5.13%–15.55%, respectively, mainly due to settlement increases. Last, partial least squares regression indicated that urbanization was the most significant contributor to runoff change, and evapotranspiration change was mainly driven by forest expansion. These conclusions are significant for understanding the relationship between LUCC and water balance, which can provide meaningful information for managing water resources and the long-term sustainability of such watersheds.
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spelling doaj.art-5fff4556c5424b3aa01b9377e38c5ce62023-02-15T04:28:53ZengElsevierGeography and Sustainability2666-68392023-03-01411928Impacts of land use/cover change on water balance by using the SWAT model in a typical loess hilly watershed of ChinaZeman Liu0Li Rong1Wei Wei2State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; Institute of International Rivers and Eco-Security, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, ChinaInstitute of International Rivers and Eco-Security, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; School of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Corresponding author.Land use/cover change (LUCC) plays a key role in altering surface hydrology and water balance, finally affecting the security and availability of water resources. However, mechanisms underlying LUCC determination of water-balance processes at the basin scale remain unclear. In this study, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model and partial least squares regression were used to detect the effects of LUCC on hydrology and water components in the Zuli River Basin (ZRB), a typical watershed of the Yellow River Basin. In general, three recommended coefficients (R² and Ens greater than 0.5, and Pbias less than 20%) indicated that the output results of the SWAT model were reliable and that the model was effective for the ZRB. Then, several key findings were obtained. First, LUCC in the ZRB was characterized by a significant increase in forest (21.61%) and settlement (23.52%) and a slight reduction in cropland (–1.35%), resulting in a 4.93% increase in evapotranspiration and a clear decline in surface runoff and water yield by 15.68% and 2.95% at the whole basin scale, respectively. Second, at the sub-basin scale, surface runoff and water yield increased by 14.26%–36.15% and 5.13%–15.55%, respectively, mainly due to settlement increases. Last, partial least squares regression indicated that urbanization was the most significant contributor to runoff change, and evapotranspiration change was mainly driven by forest expansion. These conclusions are significant for understanding the relationship between LUCC and water balance, which can provide meaningful information for managing water resources and the long-term sustainability of such watersheds.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666683922000773Surface runoffEvapotranspirationSWAT modelLand use changeYellow River
spellingShingle Zeman Liu
Li Rong
Wei Wei
Impacts of land use/cover change on water balance by using the SWAT model in a typical loess hilly watershed of China
Geography and Sustainability
Surface runoff
Evapotranspiration
SWAT model
Land use change
Yellow River
title Impacts of land use/cover change on water balance by using the SWAT model in a typical loess hilly watershed of China
title_full Impacts of land use/cover change on water balance by using the SWAT model in a typical loess hilly watershed of China
title_fullStr Impacts of land use/cover change on water balance by using the SWAT model in a typical loess hilly watershed of China
title_full_unstemmed Impacts of land use/cover change on water balance by using the SWAT model in a typical loess hilly watershed of China
title_short Impacts of land use/cover change on water balance by using the SWAT model in a typical loess hilly watershed of China
title_sort impacts of land use cover change on water balance by using the swat model in a typical loess hilly watershed of china
topic Surface runoff
Evapotranspiration
SWAT model
Land use change
Yellow River
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666683922000773
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