Feng et al. (2026) Evolution of streamflow intensity, regional synergistic patterns, and driving mechanisms of the Yangtze River

Identification

• Journal: Journal of Hydrology
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-01-07
• Authors: Yuqing Feng, Sergio M. Vicente–Serrano, Zhiyong Wu, Hao Yin, Zhenchen Liu, Yangqian Li, Hai He
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.134932

Research Groups

• College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing, China
• Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IPE–CSIC), Zaragoza, Spain
• Yangtze Institute for Conservation and Development, Nanjing, China

Short Summary

This study analyzes daily streamflow data from 11 hydrological stations in the Yangtze River Basin to understand the spatiotemporal evolution of streamflow intensity structure and its driving mechanisms. It reveals significant seasonal and spatial dynamics, with autumn declines and winter increases in streamflow intensity, largely governed by reservoir regulation and climate variability.

Objective

• To analyze the seasonal-scale characteristics of streamflow intensity structure and spatially coherent change patterns in the Yangtze River Basin, and to investigate the underlying mechanisms driving these changes.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Yangtze River Basin, focusing on 11 representative hydrological stations and its mainstem/southeastern lake-connected sub-basins.
• Temporal Scale: Daily streamflow data analyzed for seasonal characteristics.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Equal-quantile method, Principal Component Analysis (PCA).
• Data sources: Daily streamflow data, precipitation, evapotranspiration, reservoir dispatch data.

Main Results

• Autumn and winter exhibit significant and spatially coherent changes in streamflow intensity, characterized by a decline in autumn and an increase in winter.
• Spring and summer show weaker and more spatially heterogeneous streamflow intensity patterns.
• Strong seasonal synergistic variations are identified across the mainstem sub-basins and southeastern lake-connected sub-basins.
• Precipitation and evapotranspiration changes primarily influence the frequency of extreme-class streamflow.
• Basin-wide structural shifts in streamflow are largely governed by reservoir regulation.

Contributions

• Reveals complex seasonal and spatial dynamics of streamflow intensity in the Yangtze River Basin.
• Emphasizes the dual influence of climate variability and human regulation (specifically reservoir operation) on streamflow structure.
• Provides new insights into hydrological change mechanisms for climate-adaptive water resources management in large river basins.

Funding

• Not specified in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Feng2026Evolution,
  author = {Feng, Yuqing and Vicente–Serrano, Sergio M. and Wu, Zhiyong and Yin, Hao and Liu, Zhenchen and Li, Yangqian and He, Hai},
  title = {Evolution of streamflow intensity, regional synergistic patterns, and driving mechanisms of the Yangtze River},
  journal = {Journal of Hydrology},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.134932},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.134932}
}