Wang et al. (2026) Hysteretic response of water temperature and persistent thermal regime shift under extreme hydrological pulses

Identification

• Journal: Journal of Hydrology
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-30
• Authors: Yi Wang, Liqin Zhu, Baoshun Kan, Xiaolin Zhu, Haozhi Wang, Yongtao Zhu, Tao Wei, Xueping Huo, Peng Jiang
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.136506

Research Groups

• College of Agricultural Science and Engineering, Hohai University
• Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center for Agricultural Soil‒Water Efficient Utilization, Carbon Sequestration and Emission Reduction
• Langfang Water Development Group Co., Ltd.
• Hebei Institute of Water Resources Science
• College of Environment, Hohai University
• College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University

Short Summary

This study investigates the impact of extreme floods on river water temperature using a natural experiment approach. The results show that extreme floods can cause abrupt cooling, delayed recovery, and thermal over-recovery in rivers.

Objective

• Investigate the effects of extreme hydrological pulses on river water temperature and identify the underlying mechanisms.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Basin-scale study focusing on the Haihe River Basin and Yongding River Basin.
• Temporal Scale: Long-term records from 2009 to 2022, with a focus on the July 2023 extreme flood event.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Air-temperature baseline regression, lagged partial least-squares regression, thermal recovery ratio (TRR).
• Data sources: Long-term water-temperature and meteorological records, discharge and suspended-sediment data from the Yongding River Basin.

Main Results

• Extreme floods caused marked cooling within 24–48 h, with maximum decreases of 22.22–27.76% and cooling rates of 2.13–4.05 ◦C d−1.
• Discharge-related hydrodynamic changes and thermal inertia explained most anomalous temperature fluctuations.
• Sediment-related contributions increased downstream during the flood event.

Contributions

• This study provides new insights into the impact of extreme floods on river water temperature, highlighting the importance of considering event-scale thermal responses in ecohydrology.

Funding

• This research was funded by [project/program name and reference code]

Citation

@article{Wang2026Hysteretic,
  author = {Wang, Yi and Zhu, Liqin and Kan, Baoshun and Zhu, Xiaolin and Wang, Haozhi and Zhu, Yongtao and Wei, Tao and Huo, Xueping and Jiang, Peng},
  title = {Hysteretic response of water temperature and persistent thermal regime shift under extreme hydrological pulses},
  journal = {Journal of Hydrology},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.136506},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.136506}
}