Xu et al. (2026) Singapore Water Budget: The Past, the Present, and the Future

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Identification

• Journal: Water Resources Research
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-08-01
• Authors: Yexia Lin Xu, Naika Meili, Mengzhu Chen, J. Ren, Shanti Shwarup Mahto, Stefano Galelli, G. Manoli, A. Paschalis, Simone Fatichi
• DOI: 10.1029/2025wr041411

Research Groups

• Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore
• Institute of Hydrology and Meteorology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

Short Summary

This study uses a distributed mechanistic ecohydrological model to quantify the impact of urbanization and climate change on hydrological budget components in Singapore. The results show that urbanization has significant effects on sensible heat flux, latent heat flux, total transpiration, and runoff.

Objective

• Investigate the joint impacts of urbanization and climate change on hydrological processes in a tropical city like Singapore

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: City-scale (Singapore)
• Temporal Scale: Long-term (projected future climate conditions)

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Distributed mechanistic ecohydrological model adapted for urban environments
• Data sources: Satellite data, observation data, reanalysis data

Main Results

• Urbanization has increased sensible heat flux by ∼5% and decreased latent heat flux by ∼11%.
• Total transpiration is reduced by ∼32%, while runoff increases by ∼16%.
• Climate change scenarios show minimal impact on total evapotranspiration.
• Higher CO2 concentrations reduce stomatal conductance, leading to decreased transpiration rates.

Contributions

• This study demonstrates the significance of urban ecohydrology for assessing water resources in cities like Singapore.
• The results highlight the importance of considering both urbanization and climate change impacts on hydrological processes.

Funding

• National Research Foundation (NRF) Singapore
• German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

Citation

@article{Xu2026Singapore,
  author = {Xu, Yexia Lin and Meili, Naika and Chen, Mengzhu and Ren, J. and Mahto, Shanti Shwarup and Galelli, Stefano and Manoli, G. and Paschalis, A. and Fatichi, Simone},
  title = {Singapore Water Budget: The Past, the Present, and the Future},
  journal = {Water Resources Research},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1029/2025wr041411},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1029/2025wr041411}
}