Shen et al. (2026) Attributing Runoff and Non‐Point Source Pollution Changes to Climate and Human Drivers in the Weihe River Basin, China

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Identification

• Journal: Water Resources Research
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-08-28
• Authors: Xia Shen, Dehong Li, Dengke Qing, Xunian Yuan, Xiaobo Luan, Shikun Sun
• DOI: 10.1029/2026wr043466

Research Groups

• Institute of Hydrology and Water Resources, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan)
• Key Laboratory of Water Cycle and Water Security in Yangtze River Basin, Ministry of Education

Short Summary

This study developed an integrated framework to quantify the relative roles of climate change and human activities on runoff generation and pollutant transport in river basins. The framework was applied to the Wei River Basin, China, revealing pronounced spatial heterogeneity in responses to precipitation changes.

Objective

• Investigate the contributions of climate change and human activities to runoff generation and non-point source pollutant transport in river basins

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Subbasin scale within the Wei River Basin, China
• Temporal Scale: 2001–2020, with a reference period (2001–2009) and an impact period (2010–2020)

Methodology and Data

• Models used:
  • Budyko runoff attribution
  • Soil and Water Assessment Tool hydrological and water-quality simulations
  • Dynamic time warping distance
  • Gray water footprint (GWF) assessment
• Data sources: Satellite, observation, reanalysis data

Main Results

• Runoff changes in WuShan, YangJiaPing, and HeiYuKou were mainly controlled by meteorological drivers.
• HuXian, JingCun, ZhuangTou, and MaDuWang subbasins were more strongly influenced by basin characteristics.
• Multi-year mean NH 3 –N load and GWF increased in most subbasins except ZhuangTou during the impact period.

Contributions

This study provides an integrated framework for quantifying the relative roles of climate change and human activities on runoff generation and pollutant transport, highlighting the need to jointly evaluate water quantity, pollution-source background, and pollutant transport processes.

Funding

• National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51879215)
• Ministry of Education Key Research Project (Grant No. 2017JGZ001)

Citation

@article{Shen2026Attributing,
  author = {Shen, Xia and Li, Dehong and Qing, Dengke and Yuan, Xunian and Luan, Xiaobo and Sun, Shikun},
  title = {Attributing Runoff and Non‐Point Source Pollution Changes to Climate and Human Drivers in the Weihe River Basin, China},
  journal = {Water Resources Research},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1029/2026wr043466},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1029/2026wr043466}
}