Zhang et al. (2026) Influence pathways of hydrological processes: Perspectives from the pathway probability in different types of watersheds

Identification

• Journal: Journal of Environmental Management
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-04-01
• Authors: Yajing Zhang, Ruifang HAO, Yunqi Wang, Zhaolei Xue, Yanan Chang, Yijun Lu, Yahui Zhang, Zhengang Wang
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.129521

Research Groups

• School of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
• Yanchi Research Station, School of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
• Jinyun Mountain, Chongqing, Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Chongqing, China

Short Summary

This study investigated the influence pathways and associated probabilities of daily average evapotranspiration and soil moisture content in two distinct watersheds (grassland-dominated and forestland-dominated) in arid and semiarid northern China, revealing different soil–vegetation–hydrology coupling mechanisms.

Objective

• To reveal the influence pathways and associated probability of hydrological elements, including daily average evapotranspiration (EVP) and average soil moisture content (MC), in two different types of watersheds (grassland-dominated and forestland-dominated) in the arid and semiarid regions of northern China.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Xar Moron River watershed (grassland-dominated) and Laoha River watershed (forestland-dominated) in arid and semiarid regions of northern China.
• Temporal Scale: Growing season, daily average for hydrological elements.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Distributed Hydrology Soil Vegetation Model (DHSVM), Boosted Regression Trees, Structural Equation Modeling, Bayesian Belief Networks.
• Data sources: Observed monthly runoff (for model validation).

Main Results

• In the grassland-dominated Xar Moron River watershed:
  • DHSVM performance: Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) values were 0.7004 (calibration) and 0.11 (validation); coefficient of determination (R²) values were 0.8542 (calibration) and 0.8326 (validation).
  • Topsoil sand fraction played a key role in shaping EVP and upper layer MC.
  • The dominant influence pathway was topsoil sand fraction → topsoil texture → EVP/MC.
  • Under sandy soil and grassland conditions, the probability of upper layer MC being very low was 63.16%.
• In the forestland-dominated Laoha River watershed:
  • DHSVM performance: NSE values were 0.5644 (calibration) and 0.7031 (validation); R² values were 0.7526 (calibration) and 0.9112 (validation).
  • Vegetation type was the primary driver for EVP and MC.
  • The dominant influence pathway was vegetation type → EVP/MC.
  • When vegetation type was forest and precipitation was high, the probability of EVP being very low was 70.59%.
• The study revealed distinct soil–vegetation–hydrology coupling mechanisms across different watershed types.

Contributions

• Quantified the influence pathways and associated probabilities of daily average evapotranspiration and soil moisture content in different watershed types.
• Identified distinct soil–vegetation–hydrology coupling mechanisms between grassland-dominated and forestland-dominated watersheds.
• Provided quantitative support for developing differentiated water resource management strategies in arid and semiarid regions.

Funding

• Not specified in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Zhang2026Influence,
  author = {Zhang, Yajing and HAO, Ruifang and Wang, Yunqi and Xue, Zhaolei and Chang, Yanan and Lu, Yijun and Zhang, Yahui and Wang, Zhengang},
  title = {Influence pathways of hydrological processes: Perspectives from the pathway probability in different types of watersheds},
  journal = {Journal of Environmental Management},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.129521},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.129521}
}