Han et al. (2026) Eco-hydrological response to climate and land surface changes based on eco-hydrological regionalization in the source region of the Yellow River

Identification

• Journal: Journal of Hydrology
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-01-05
• Authors: Yuna Han, Depeng Zuo, Zhijin Ma, Jifeng Liu, Guoqing Wang, ZongXue Xu, Karim C. Abbaspour, Hong Yang
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.134923

Research Groups

• College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing Key Laboratory of Urban Hydrological Cycle and Sponge City Technology, Beijing, China
• Yellow River Institute of Hydrology and Water Resources, Zhengzhou, China
• Hydrological Bureau of Yellow River Conservancy Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources, Zhengzhou, China
• The National Key Laboratory of Water Disaster Prevention, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing, China
• Research Center for Climate Change, Ministry of Water Resources, Nanjing, China
• 2w2e Environmental Consulting GmbH, Dübendorf, Zürich, Switzerland

Short Summary

This study developed a comprehensive eco-hydrological regionalization scheme for the source region of the Yellow River to analyze eco-hydrological responses to climate and land surface changes, revealing distinct spatiotemporal variations and quantifying runoff components over 40 years. The research divided the region into three primary and seven secondary eco-hydrological regions, identifying specific trends in climatic and ecological variables and optimizing eco-hydrological simulations through regionalized parameterization.

Objective

• To develop a comprehensive eco-hydrological index system for regionalization in the source region of the Yellow River.
• To identify spatiotemporal variations and interactions between critical climatic, ecological, and hydrological variables within different eco-hydrological regions.
• To quantify eco-hydrological processes and runoff components over the period 1980–2019 using a model combined with a regionalized parameterization scheme.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Source region of the Yellow River, China.
• Temporal Scale: 1980–2019 (40 years).

Methodology and Data

• Models used: A generic eco-hydrological model was used, with its parameterization scheme refined and optimized for different eco-hydrological regions.
• Data sources: Long-term, multi-elements, multi-scales, and multi-source datasets, including critical climatic (e.g., temperature, precipitation, snow depth), ecological (e.g., leaf area index), and hydrological variables.

Main Results

• The source region of the Yellow River was successfully divided into three primary and seven secondary eco-hydrological regions based on a comprehensive index system.
• Temperature and leaf area index (LAI) showed a steady increase throughout the 1980–2019 period.
• Precipitation and snow depth initially decreased, then exhibited a gradual upward trend after 2000.
• Increased temperature and precipitation were found to promote vegetation growth, with a one-month time lag effect of temperature on LAI observed in high elevation fluctuation regions.
• The correlation coefficient between LAI and precipitation reached its maximum value with a one-month time lag in region I and region II-2.
• Eco-hydrological simulation results were optimized by applying refined parameterization schemes specific to the different eco-hydrological regions.
• Precipitation in the source region was primarily lost through evapotranspiration, and the runoff coefficient was generally below 0.2.
• The proportion of snowmelt runoff in the total runoff could exceed 20 % in some specific regions.

Contributions

• Developed a novel and comprehensive eco-hydrological index system for regionalization, effectively reflecting spatial heterogeneity in eco-hydrological processes.
• Provided a detailed spatiotemporal analysis of interactions between climatic, ecological, and hydrological variables across newly defined eco-hydrological regions.
• Quantified runoff components and their characteristics over a 40-year period, offering insights into water balance dynamics.
• Demonstrated the effectiveness of refining model parameterization schemes based on eco-hydrological regionalization for improved simulation accuracy.
• Offered valuable scientific reference for ecological protection and high-quality development strategies within the Yellow River Basin.

Funding

Not explicitly mentioned in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Han2026Ecohydrological,
  author = {Han, Yuna and Zuo, Depeng and Ma, Zhijin and Liu, Jifeng and Wang, Guoqing and Xu, ZongXue and Abbaspour, Karim C. and Yang, Hong},
  title = {Eco-hydrological response to climate and land surface changes based on eco-hydrological regionalization in the source region of the Yellow River},
  journal = {Journal of Hydrology},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.134923},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.134923}
}