Li et al. (2026) Climate network-based synchronized structural identification of extreme drought and pluvial events in cross-basin regions

Identification

• Journal: Journal of Hydrology
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-07-30
• Authors: Wenyu Li, Jun Xie, Juan Cao, Kaiwen Li, Kai Liu, Ming Wang
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.136133

Research Groups

• Joint International Research Laboratory of Catastrophe Simulation and Systemic Risk Governance, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai, Zhuhai, China
• School of National Safety and Emergency Management, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
• Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
• School of National Security (School of Politics, Law and Public Administration), Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China

Short Summary

This study uses a complex network to identify the synchronous structure of drought, pluvial, and drought–pluvial dipole events in cross-basin regions. The analysis reveals distinct wet-dry co-variability between the Yangtze and Yellow River Basins.

Objective

• Investigate the inverse symbiotic relationship between drought and pluvial events in cross-basin regions

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Cross-basin regions along the western route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project in China
• Temporal Scale: Long-term climate variability, with a focus on extreme hydroclimatic events

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Complex network analysis
• Data sources: Climate data from satellite observations and reanalysis datasets

Main Results

• The study reveals distinct wet-dry co-variability between the Yangtze and Yellow River Basins, with remote coupling zones of drought-pluvial dipole events identified alongside a pronounced spatial asymmetry in cross-basin hydroclimatic behavior.
• Drought and pluvial synchronicity are predominantly characterized by short-to-medium spatial scales, with signal sources anchored in the southwestern portion of the study area.

Contributions

• The study provides valuable insights into adaptive strategies for cross-basin water resource management and pluvial-drought risk assessment.
• The findings elucidate the physical coupling between extreme hydroclimatic events and circulation anomalies, as well as the moisture transport pathways.

Funding

• This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 52179223) and the Joint International Research Laboratory of Catastrophe Simulation and Systemic Risk Governance.

Citation

@article{Li2026Climate,
  author = {Li, Wenyu and Xie, Jun and Cao, Juan and Li, Kaiwen and Liu, Kai and Wang, Ming},
  title = {Climate network-based synchronized structural identification of extreme drought and pluvial events in cross-basin regions},
  journal = {Journal of Hydrology},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.136133},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.136133}
}