Unveiling the role of environmental variables in regulating surface water availability in the Three-River-Sources region, China
Due to projected global climate change, concerns regarding water resource availability as the difference between precipitation and evapotranspiration (P–ET) are rising, particularly for the Three-River-Sources (TRS) region known as Water Tower of China. However, how the variability in surface P–ET h...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis Group
2025-08-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Digital Earth |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/17538947.2025.2523613 |
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| Summary: | Due to projected global climate change, concerns regarding water resource availability as the difference between precipitation and evapotranspiration (P–ET) are rising, particularly for the Three-River-Sources (TRS) region known as Water Tower of China. However, how the variability in surface P–ET has altered in response to the environmental changes remains unclear. This study examined the long-term spatiotemporal characteristics of surface P–ET across the TRS region from 1982 to 2018 and its relationship with the environmental factors. Divergent seasonal dynamics were revealed, with wet season from May to October and dry season from November to the subsequent April. Spatially, P–ET variability decreased along the southeast–northwest direction. About 29.49% of the region showed significant increases (p < 0.05), while only 1.13% experienced severe decreases (p < 0.05). Ridge regression identified P as the primary wet-season control, while solar radiation (Rs) dominated dry-season variability alongside soil moisture (SM). Absolutely, P positively contributed to wet-season water availability, whereas Rs exerted negative dry-season effects, countered by P and SM. All these findings could enhance our understanding of how environmental variables affect the water availability in alpine regions. |
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| ISSN: | 1753-8947 1753-8955 |