Water accounting: A case study in the Buir Lake - Khalkh River Basin

Arid and semi-arid regions face increasing shortage of water resources due to climate variability and competing land and water uses, yet reliable information on water availability and consumption remains limited. This study addresses the critical gap in understanding water dynamics in such environme...

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Main Authors: Purevsuren Munkhtur, Batnyam Tseveengerel, Bayanjargal Bumtsend
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Mongolian Academy of Sciences 2025-03-01
Series:Proceedings of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences
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Online Access:https://www.mongoliajol.info/index.php/PMAS/article/view/4204
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author Purevsuren Munkhtur
Batnyam Tseveengerel
Bayanjargal Bumtsend
author_facet Purevsuren Munkhtur
Batnyam Tseveengerel
Bayanjargal Bumtsend
author_sort Purevsuren Munkhtur
collection DOAJ
description Arid and semi-arid regions face increasing shortage of water resources due to climate variability and competing land and water uses, yet reliable information on water availability and consumption remains limited. This study addresses the critical gap in understanding water dynamics in such environments by analyzing the Buir Lake–Khalkh River Basin in Mongolia using the Water Accounting Plus (WA+) framework. The research aims to quantify water balance components and identify how land use and land cover types influenced water availability between 2010 and 2021. Climatic datasets from WorldClim, SSEBop, and GRACE-FO were employed to estimate precipitation (P), evapotranspiration (ET), and water yield (WY). Esimates showed an average annual precipitation of 298.5 mm, with notable peaks of 386.3 mm in 2013 and minimal below 250 mm during dry years. Similarly, ET demonstrates considerable variability, averaging 274.9 mm/year; maximum value was observed in 2013 at 434.8 mm, whereas the lowest value, recorded in 2017, was 200.4 mm. The average annual water yield for the basin is quantified at 23.8 mm, with specific land cover types, such as the steppe, yielding positive values (64.1 mm), while water bodies exhibited a significant deficit of -342 mm. Furthermore, WA+ resource and evapotranspiration sheets were generated for the years 2018 and 2019. In 2018, net inflow was calculated at 8.1 km³/year, of which 4.6 km³/year was attributable to landscape evapotranspiration, resulting in 3.5 km³/year deemed exploitable. In contrast, 2019 recorded a lower inflow of 7.5 km³/year, with 5.4 km³/year lost to ET. This research elucidates the interactions among precipitation, ET, and WY, emphasizing the critical influence of land management classes on water consumption patterns. Additionally, the findings contribute to the formulation of sustainable water management strategies in arid regions and provide a methodological framework for evaluating water resources in similarly stressed basins through the integration of remote sensing and water accounting methodologies.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2310-4716
2312-2994
language English
publishDate 2025-03-01
publisher Mongolian Academy of Sciences
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series Proceedings of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences
spelling doaj-art-627b8abafb894f058ca086e80730e2112025-08-20T03:25:27ZengMongolian Academy of SciencesProceedings of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences2310-47162312-29942025-03-01295110.5564/pmas.v65i01.42044155Water accounting: A case study in the Buir Lake - Khalkh River BasinPurevsuren Munkhtur0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4994-1744Batnyam Tseveengerel1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9634-5243Bayanjargal Bumtsend2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5683-8070Division of Physical Geography, Institute of Geography and Geoecology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaDivision of Physical Geography, Institute of Geography and Geoecology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaDivision of Physical Geography, Institute of Geography and Geoecology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaArid and semi-arid regions face increasing shortage of water resources due to climate variability and competing land and water uses, yet reliable information on water availability and consumption remains limited. This study addresses the critical gap in understanding water dynamics in such environments by analyzing the Buir Lake–Khalkh River Basin in Mongolia using the Water Accounting Plus (WA+) framework. The research aims to quantify water balance components and identify how land use and land cover types influenced water availability between 2010 and 2021. Climatic datasets from WorldClim, SSEBop, and GRACE-FO were employed to estimate precipitation (P), evapotranspiration (ET), and water yield (WY). Esimates showed an average annual precipitation of 298.5 mm, with notable peaks of 386.3 mm in 2013 and minimal below 250 mm during dry years. Similarly, ET demonstrates considerable variability, averaging 274.9 mm/year; maximum value was observed in 2013 at 434.8 mm, whereas the lowest value, recorded in 2017, was 200.4 mm. The average annual water yield for the basin is quantified at 23.8 mm, with specific land cover types, such as the steppe, yielding positive values (64.1 mm), while water bodies exhibited a significant deficit of -342 mm. Furthermore, WA+ resource and evapotranspiration sheets were generated for the years 2018 and 2019. In 2018, net inflow was calculated at 8.1 km³/year, of which 4.6 km³/year was attributable to landscape evapotranspiration, resulting in 3.5 km³/year deemed exploitable. In contrast, 2019 recorded a lower inflow of 7.5 km³/year, with 5.4 km³/year lost to ET. This research elucidates the interactions among precipitation, ET, and WY, emphasizing the critical influence of land management classes on water consumption patterns. Additionally, the findings contribute to the formulation of sustainable water management strategies in arid regions and provide a methodological framework for evaluating water resources in similarly stressed basins through the integration of remote sensing and water accounting methodologies.https://www.mongoliajol.info/index.php/PMAS/article/view/4204water balance components, semi-arid basin hydrologyland use impact on hydrology
spellingShingle Purevsuren Munkhtur
Batnyam Tseveengerel
Bayanjargal Bumtsend
Water accounting: A case study in the Buir Lake - Khalkh River Basin
Proceedings of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences
water balance components
, semi-arid basin hydrology
land use impact on hydrology
title Water accounting: A case study in the Buir Lake - Khalkh River Basin
title_full Water accounting: A case study in the Buir Lake - Khalkh River Basin
title_fullStr Water accounting: A case study in the Buir Lake - Khalkh River Basin
title_full_unstemmed Water accounting: A case study in the Buir Lake - Khalkh River Basin
title_short Water accounting: A case study in the Buir Lake - Khalkh River Basin
title_sort water accounting a case study in the buir lake khalkh river basin
topic water balance components
, semi-arid basin hydrology
land use impact on hydrology
url https://www.mongoliajol.info/index.php/PMAS/article/view/4204
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AT batnyamtseveengerel wateraccountingacasestudyinthebuirlakekhalkhriverbasin
AT bayanjargalbumtsend wateraccountingacasestudyinthebuirlakekhalkhriverbasin