Climate aridification and intensified human interference undermined water storage in the Lower Yellow River region
Understanding the relationships between human activities and hydrological processes is critical for sustainable water resources management, especially under the threat of increasing climate extremes. China’s Lower Yellow River (LYR) region is one of the world’s most water-scarce and human-impacted a...
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| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Geography and Sustainability |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666683925000422 |
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| author | Xilin Wu Xiaoming Feng Bojie Fu |
| author_facet | Xilin Wu Xiaoming Feng Bojie Fu |
| author_sort | Xilin Wu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Understanding the relationships between human activities and hydrological processes is critical for sustainable water resources management, especially under the threat of increasing climate extremes. China’s Lower Yellow River (LYR) region is one of the world’s most water-scarce and human-impacted areas, yet comprehensive information on its water resources is lacking. This study adopted a water resources system (WRS) analytical framework to investigate the water crisis facing the region. The findings reveal that over the last decade, the system’s resilience has been undermined by the combined impacts of climate aridification and intensified human interference. Specifically, a delicate balance between natural groundwater depletion and irrigation replenishment has been disrupted by a series of drought events since 2012. Increased groundwater extraction during droughts, coupled with an imbalanced allocation of surface water resources, has led to a persistent decline in water storage that has continued even after the droughts have ended. To mitigate future climate risks in the LYR, we recommend implementing more adaptive strategies, such as flexible water regulation policies and combined surface-groundwater management. Lessons from the LYR have important implications for other regions facing water resource challenges. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-40bf16631f64498e927e92b8a2c8affe |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2666-6839 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geography and Sustainability |
| spelling | doaj-art-40bf16631f64498e927e92b8a2c8affe2025-08-20T03:38:43ZengElsevierGeography and Sustainability2666-68392025-08-016410030310.1016/j.geosus.2025.100303Climate aridification and intensified human interference undermined water storage in the Lower Yellow River regionXilin Wu0Xiaoming Feng1Bojie Fu2State Key Laboratory of Regional and Urban Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Regional and Urban Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Corresponding authors.State Key Laboratory of Regional and Urban Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Corresponding authors.Understanding the relationships between human activities and hydrological processes is critical for sustainable water resources management, especially under the threat of increasing climate extremes. China’s Lower Yellow River (LYR) region is one of the world’s most water-scarce and human-impacted areas, yet comprehensive information on its water resources is lacking. This study adopted a water resources system (WRS) analytical framework to investigate the water crisis facing the region. The findings reveal that over the last decade, the system’s resilience has been undermined by the combined impacts of climate aridification and intensified human interference. Specifically, a delicate balance between natural groundwater depletion and irrigation replenishment has been disrupted by a series of drought events since 2012. Increased groundwater extraction during droughts, coupled with an imbalanced allocation of surface water resources, has led to a persistent decline in water storage that has continued even after the droughts have ended. To mitigate future climate risks in the LYR, we recommend implementing more adaptive strategies, such as flexible water regulation policies and combined surface-groundwater management. Lessons from the LYR have important implications for other regions facing water resource challenges.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666683925000422Water resources systemLower Yellow RiverGroundwaterSocio-hydrologySustainable water management |
| spellingShingle | Xilin Wu Xiaoming Feng Bojie Fu Climate aridification and intensified human interference undermined water storage in the Lower Yellow River region Geography and Sustainability Water resources system Lower Yellow River Groundwater Socio-hydrology Sustainable water management |
| title | Climate aridification and intensified human interference undermined water storage in the Lower Yellow River region |
| title_full | Climate aridification and intensified human interference undermined water storage in the Lower Yellow River region |
| title_fullStr | Climate aridification and intensified human interference undermined water storage in the Lower Yellow River region |
| title_full_unstemmed | Climate aridification and intensified human interference undermined water storage in the Lower Yellow River region |
| title_short | Climate aridification and intensified human interference undermined water storage in the Lower Yellow River region |
| title_sort | climate aridification and intensified human interference undermined water storage in the lower yellow river region |
| topic | Water resources system Lower Yellow River Groundwater Socio-hydrology Sustainable water management |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666683925000422 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT xilinwu climatearidificationandintensifiedhumaninterferenceunderminedwaterstorageintheloweryellowriverregion AT xiaomingfeng climatearidificationandintensifiedhumaninterferenceunderminedwaterstorageintheloweryellowriverregion AT bojiefu climatearidificationandintensifiedhumaninterferenceunderminedwaterstorageintheloweryellowriverregion |