Title: Impact of Climate Variabilities and Human Activities on Surface Water Extents in Reservoirs of Yongding River Basin, China, from 1985 to 2016 Based on Landsat Observations and Time Series Analysis

Abstract

Yongding River is the largest river flowing through Beijing, the capital city of China. In recent years, Yongding River Basin (YDRB) has seen increasing human impacts on water resources, posing serious challenges in hydrological and ecological health. In this study, remote sensing techniques and statistical time series approaches for hydrological studies were combined to characterize the dynamics and driving factors of reservoir water extents in YDRB during 1985–2016. First, 107 Landsat 4, 5, 7 and 8 images were used to extract surface water extents in YDRB during 1985–2016 using a combination of water indices and Otsu threshold algorithm. Significant positive correlation was found between water extents and the annual inflow for the two biggest reservoirs, the downstream Guanting and upstream Cetian reservoirs, proving their representativeness of surface water availability in this basin. Then, statistical time series approaches including trend-free pre-whitening Mann-Kendall trend test, Pettit change-point test and double mass curve method, which are frequently used in hydrological studies, were adopted to quantify the trend of reservoir water extents dynamics and the relative contributions of climate variability and human activities. Results showed that the water extents in both reservoirs exhibited significant downward trend with change point occurring in 2001 and 2005more » for Guanting and Cetian, respectively. About 74%~75% of the shrinkage during the post-change period can be attributed to human activities, among which GDP, population, electricity power production, raw coal production, steel and crude iron production, value of agriculture output, and urban area were the major human drivers. Hydrological connectivity between the upstream Cetian and downstream Guanting reservoirs declined during the post-change period. Since 2012, water extents in both reservoirs recovered as a result of various governmental water management policies including the South-to-North Water Diversion Project. The methodology introduced in this study can be used for analyzing the dynamics and driving mechanism of surface water resources, especially for un-gauged or poorly-gauged watersheds.« less

Authors:

Wang, Mingli ^[1]; Du, Longjiang ^[2]; Ke, Yinghai ^[3]; Huang, Maoyi  ^[4];

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Zhang, Jing ^[3]; Zhao, Yong ^[2]; Li, Xiaojuan ^[3]; Gong, Huili ^[3]

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+ Show Author Affiliations

1. Capital Normal Univ., Beijing (China)
2. China Inst. of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing (China)
3. Capital Normal Univ., Beijing (China); Lab. Cultivation Base of Environment Process and Digital Simulation, Beijing (China)
4. Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

Publication Date:

Thu Mar 07 00:00:00 EST 2019

Research Org.:

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:

USDOE Office of Science (SC); National Key Research and Development Program of China; National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)

OSTI Identifier:

1523198

Report Number(s):

PNNL-SA-142043
Journal ID: ISSN 2072-4292

Grant/Contract Number:  

AC05-76RL01830; 5172002; 41401493

Resource Type:

Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:

Remote Sensing

Additional Journal Information:

Journal Volume: 11; Journal Issue: 5; Journal ID: ISSN 2072-4292

Publisher:

MDPI

Country of Publication:

United States

Language:

English

Subject:

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION; 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; Landsat satellite; Streamflow; surface water extent; time series; South-to-North Water Diversion Project