scholarly journals Impacts of the Two Biggest Lakes on Local Temperature and Precipitation in the Yellow River Source Region of the Tibetan Plateau

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lijuan Wen ◽  
Shihua Lv ◽  
Zhaoguo Li ◽  
Lin Zhao ◽  
Nidhi Nagabhatla
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Yellow River ◽  
Source Region ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
The Yellow River ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Lake Area ◽  
Local Climate ◽  
Community Land Model ◽  
Yellow River Source

The Tibetan Plateau harbors thousands of lakes; however few studies focus on impacts of lakes on local climate in the region. To investigate and quantify impacts of the two biggest lakes (Ngoring Lake and Gyaring Lake) of the Yellow River source region in the Tibetan Plateau on local climate, two simulations (with and without the two large lakes) from May 2010 to July 2011 are performed and analyzed using the WRF-CLM model (the weather research and forecasting model coupled with the community land model). Differences between simulated results show that the WRF-CLM model could provide realistic reproduction of surface observations and has better simulation after considering lakes. Lakes mostly reduce the maximum temperature all year round and increase the minimum temperature except in March due to the large heat capacity that makes lakes absorb (release) more energy for the same temperature change compared to land. Lakes increase precipitation over the lake area and in the nearby region, mostly during 02–14 BT (Beijing Time) of July to October when the warm lake surface induces the low level horizontal convergence and updraft over lake and provides energy and vapor to benefit the development of the convection for precipitation.

scholarly journals A first investigation of hydrogeology and hydrogeophysics of the Maqu catchment in the Yellow River source region

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 4727-4757
Author(s):  
Mengna Li ◽  
Yijian Zeng ◽  
Maciek W. Lubczynski ◽  
Jean Roy ◽  
Lianyu Yu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Water Cycle ◽  
Yellow River ◽  
Source Region ◽  
The Yellow River ◽  
Mountainous Area ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Soil Thickness ◽  
Eastern Area ◽  
Yellow River Source

Abstract. The Tibetan Plateau is the source of most of Asia's major rivers and has been called the Asian Water Tower. Detailed knowledge of its hydrogeology is paramount to enable the understanding of groundwater dynamics, which plays a vital role in headwater areas like the Tibetan Plateau. Nevertheless, due to its remoteness and the harsh environment, there is a lack of field survey data to investigate its hydrogeology. In this study, borehole core lithology analysis, soil thickness measurement, an altitude survey, hydrogeological surveys, and hydrogeophysical surveys (e.g. magnetic resonance sounding – MRS, electrical resistivity tomography – ERT, and transient electromagnetic – TEM) were conducted in the Maqu catchment within the Yellow River source region (YRSR). The hydrogeological surveys reveal that groundwater flows from the west to the east, recharging the Yellow River. The hydraulic conductivity ranges from 0.2 to 12.4 m d−1. The MRS sounding results, i.e. water content and hydraulic conductivity, confirmed the presence of an unconfined aquifer in the flat eastern area. Based on TEM results, the depth of the Yellow River deposits was derived at several places in the flat eastern area, ranging from 50 to 208 m. The soil thickness measurements were done in the western mountainous area of the catchment, where hydrogeophysical and hydrogeological surveys were difficult to be carried out. The results indicate that most soil thicknesses, except on the valley floor, are within 1.2 m in the western mountainous area of the catchment, and the soil thickness decreases as the slope increases. These survey data and results can contribute to integrated hydrological modelling and water cycle analysis to improve a full-picture understanding of the water cycle at the Maqu catchment in the YRSR. The raw dataset is freely available at https://doi.org/10.17026/dans-z6t-zpn7 (Li et al., 2020a), and the dataset containing the processed ERT, MRS, and TEM data is also available at the National Tibetan Plateau Data Center with the link https://doi.org/10.11888/Hydro.tpdc.271221 (Li et al., 2020b).

scholarly journals A first investigation of hydrogeology and hydrogeophysics of the Maqu catchment in the Yellow River source region

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mengna Li ◽  
Yijian Zeng ◽  
Maciek W. Lubczynski ◽  
Jean Roy ◽  
Lianyu Yu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Water Cycle ◽  
Yellow River ◽  
Source Region ◽  
The Yellow River ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Soil Thickness ◽  
Eastern Area ◽  
Yellow River Source

Abstract. The Tibetan Plateau is the source of most of Asia's major rivers and has been called the Asian Water Tower. Detailed knowledge of its hydrogeology is paramount to enable the understanding of groundwater dynamics, which plays a vital role in headwater areas like the Tibetan Plateau. Nevertheless, due to its remoteness and the harsh environment, there is a lack of field survey data to investigate its hydrogeology. In this study, borehole core lithology analysis, altitude survey, soil thickness measurement, hydrogeological survey, and hydrogeophysical surveys (e.g., Magnetic Resonance Sounding – MRS, Electrical Resistivity Tomography – ERT, and Transient Electromagnetic – TEM) were conducted in the Maqu catchment within the Yellow River Source Region (YRSR). The soil thickness measurements were done in the western mountainous area of the catchment, where hydrogeophysical surveys were difficult to be carried out. The results indicate soil thicknesses are within 1.2 m in most cases, and the soil thickness decreases as the slope increases. The hydrogeological survey reveals that groundwater flows from the west to the east, recharging the Yellow River. The hydraulic conductivity ranges from 0.2 m/d to 12.4 m/d. The MRS soundings results, i.e., water content and hydraulic conductivity, confirmed the presence of unconfined aquifer in the flat eastern area. The depth of the Yellow River deposits was derived at several places in the flat eastern area based on TEM results. These survey data and results can be used to develop integrated hydrological modeling and water cycle analysis to improve a full–picture understanding of the water cycle at the Maqu catchment in the YRSR. The raw data set is freely available at https://doi.org/10.17026/dans-z6t-zpn7 (Li et al., 2020).

scholarly journals Expected changes in future temperature extremes and their elevation dependency over the Yellow River source region

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 13609-13634
Author(s):  
Y. Hu ◽  
S. Maskey ◽  
S. Uhlenbrook
Keyword(s):  
Interannual Variability ◽  
Yellow River ◽  
Source Region ◽  
Extreme Temperature ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
The Yellow River ◽  
Hot Days ◽  
Yellow River Source ◽  
Temperature Indices ◽  
Ipcc Sres

Abstract. Using the Statistical DownScaling Model (SDSM) and the outputs from two global climate models we investigate possible changes in mean and extreme temperature indices and their elevation dependency over the Yellow River source region for the period 2081–2100 under the IPCC SRES A2, A1B and B1 emission scenarios. Changes in interannual variability of mean and extreme temperature indices are also analyzed. The validation results show that SDSM performs better in reproducing the maximum temperature-related indices than the minimum temperature-related indices. The projections show that by the end of the 21st century all parts of the study region may experience increases in both mean and extreme temperature in all seasons, along with an increase in the frequency of hot days and warm nights and with a decrease in frost days. Interannual variability increases in all seasons for the frequency of hot days and warm nights and in spring for frost days while it decreases for frost days in summer. Autumn demonstrates pronounced elevation-dependent changes in which six out of eight indices show significant increasing changes with elevation.

scholarly journals A comparison of tree-ring records and glacier variations over the past 700 years, northeastern Tibetan Plateau

2006 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
pp. 86-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaohua Gou ◽  
Fahu Chen ◽  
Meixue Yang ◽  
Gordon Jacoby ◽  
Jianfeng Peng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Tree Ring ◽  
Climate Changes ◽  
Yellow River ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
The Yellow River ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
The Past ◽  
Summer Maximum

AbstractThe ecological environment of the headwater area of the Yellow River, west China, is seriously deteriorating because of the harsh natural environment, weakened ecological systems and intensified human activities as well as regional climate changes. Forests and glaciers coexist in this area. Glaciers in the area have retreated over the last decade because of climate change. Most glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) tend to retreat during warm intervals and advance during cold intervals. Tree-ring records provide an important index for examining past climate changes. A total of 139 core samples from 97 living cypresses (Juniperus przewalskii) in the central region of the Yellow River headwater area, the Animaqin mountains, northeastern TP, were sampled from three sites that are close to each other. The chronologies were developed using the ARSTAN program. Analyses indicate that these tree-ring width records reflect the summer maximum temperature of the study area over the past 700 years. The tree-ring records and the glacier advances recorded by terminal moraines are compared. Inferred summer maximum temperatures suggest three cold periods during the Little Ice Age, around AD1500, 1700 and 1850. These cold intervals are consistent with the glacier moraine record from the region.

Assessing soil erosion and control factors by radiometric technique in the source region of the Yellow River, Tibetan Plateau

2014 ◽  
Vol 81 (3) ◽  
pp. 538-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yibo Wang ◽  
Fujun Niu ◽  
Qingbai Wu ◽  
Zeyong Gao
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Yellow River ◽  
Source Region ◽  
The Yellow River ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Main Factors

AbstractMeasurements of 137Cs concentration in soils were made in a representative catchment to quantify erosion rates and identify the main factors involved in the erosion in the source region of the Yellow River in the Tibetan Plateau. In order to estimate erosion rates in terms of the main factors affecting soil loss, samples were collected taking into account the slope and vegetation cover along six selected transects within the Dari County catchment. The reference inventory for the area was established at a stable, well-preserved, site of small thickness (value of 2324 Bq·m− 2). All the sampling sites had been eroded and 137Cs inventories varied widely in the topsoil (14.87–25.56 Bq·kg− 1). The effective soil loss values were also highly variable (11.03–28.35 t·km− 1·yr− 1) in line with the vegetation cover change. The radiometric approach was useful in quantifying soil erosion rates and examining patterns of soil movement.

Impacts of climate change on hydrology in the Yellow River source region, China

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 916-930 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junliang Jin ◽  
Guoqing Wang ◽  
Jianyun Zhang ◽  
Qinli Yang ◽  
Cuishan Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Yellow River ◽  
Source Region ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
Daily Minimum Temperature ◽  
The Yellow River ◽  
Vic Model ◽  
Increasing Trend ◽  
The Future ◽  
Yellow River Source

Abstract Variations of precipitation, temperature, and runoff in the Yellow River source region were analyzed with the Mann–Kendall and Spearman rank correlation tests over the past 60 years. Based on the seven climate scenarios from CMIP5 climate models under RCP2.6, RCP4.5, and RCP8.5, responses of hydrological process to climate change were simulated using the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) model. Variation analysis results indicated that recorded temperature presented significant increasing trend. Daily minimum temperature presented higher increasing trend than daily maximum temperature. Annual gross precipitation presented minor increasing and annual runoff presented minor decreasing. The VIC model performed well on simulating monthly discharge at Tangnaihai station, with NSE of 0.91 and 0.93 in calibration and validation periods, respectively. The projected annual mean temperature would rise (with 25th and 75th percentiles) 1.07–1.32 °C, 1.76–2.33 °C, 3.45–4.29 °C, annual precipitation is expected to increase 3.43%–11.77%, 8.05%–17.27%, 12.84%–27.89%, and runoff would moderately increase with high variability of 0.82%–14.26%, −3.41%–19.14%, 1.43%–38.26% relative to the baseline of 1961–1990 under each RCP in the 2080s, respectively. The inhomogeneity of runoff may increase in the future. Many more droughts and floods under climate change may threaten social development in this region in the future.

scholarly journals Extension of the Upper Yellow River into the Tibet Plateau: Review and New Data

Quaternary ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 14
Author(s):  
Zhengchen Li ◽  
Xianyan Wang ◽  
Jef Vandenberghe ◽  
Huayu Lu
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Yellow River ◽  
Google Earth ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
The Yellow River ◽  
Published Data ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Large Lakes ◽  
River Terraces ◽  
The Tibet Plateau

The Wufo Basin at the margin of the northeastern Tibet Plateau connects the upstream reaches of the Yellow River with the lowland catchment downstream, and the fluvial terrace sequence in this basin provides crucial clues to understand the evolution history of the Yellow River drainage system in relation to the uplift and outgrowth of the Tibetan Plateau. Using field survey and analysis of Digital Elevation Model/Google Earth imagery, we found at least eight Yellow River terraces in this area. The overlying loess of the highest terrace was dated at 1.2 Ma based on paleomagnetic stratigraphy (two normal and two reversal polarities) and the loess-paleosol sequence (12 loess-paleosol cycles). This terrace shows the connections of drainage parts in and outside the Tibetan Plateau through its NE margin. In addition, we review the previously published data on the Yellow River terraces and ancient large lakes in the basins. Based on our new data and previous researches, we conclude that the modern Yellow River, with headwaters in the Tibet Plateau and debouching in the Bohai Sea, should date from at least 1.2 Ma. Ancient large lakes (such as the Hetao and Sanmen Lakes) developed as exorheic systems and flowed through the modern Yellow River at that time.

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