Spatially explicit assessment of water stress and potential mitigating solutions in a large water-limited basin: the Yellow River basin in China

作者：Weibin Zhang, Xining Zhao, Xuerui Gao, Wei Liang, Junyi Li, Baoqing Zhang · 发表于：Hydrology and earth system sciences · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.5194/hess-29-507-2025 · 被引用次数：9 · 研究领域：Water resources management and optimization、Hydrology and Watershed Management Studies、Water Resources and Sustainability

Abstract. Comprehensive assessment of the long-term evolution of water stress and its driving factors is essential for designing effective water resource management strategies. However, the roles of water withdrawal and water availability components in determining water stress and potential mitigating measures in large water-scarce basins are poorly understood. Here, an integrated analytical framework was applied to the Yellow River basin (YRB), where the water crisis has been a core issue for sustainable development. The analysis suggests that the YRB has experienced unfavorable changes in critical water stress indicators over the past 56 years. Compared to the period from 1965 to 1980, the regional water stress index (WSI) and the frequency and duration of water scarcity increased by 76 %, 100 %, and 92 %, respectively, over the most recent 2 decades. Water withdrawal was the primary driver of the increased WSI before 2000; however, it has since contributed as much as water availability. Meanwhile, local water management and climate change adaptation were shown to be important in determining total water availability at the sub-basin scale. Water demand in the 2030s is predicted to be 6.5 % higher than during 2001–2020 (34.2 km3) based on the trajectory of historical irrigation water use and corrected socio-economic data under different Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs). To meet all sectoral water needs, a surface water deficit of 8.36 km3 is projected. Potential improvem...