Ren et al. (2026) Exploring Drivers of Hydrological Drought Dynamics Across the Upper Yellow River Basin, China: Insights from the Sub-Basins Contribution, Large Reservoir Regulation, and Teleconnection

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Identification

• Journal: Water
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-08-23
• Authors: Zhongwei Ren, Xin Li, Te Zhang
• DOI: 10.3390/w18172071

Research Groups

Not specified

Short Summary

This study analyzes the spatiotemporal evolution of hydrological droughts in the Upper Yellow River Basin (UYRB), demonstrating that while natural trends show increasing drought severity, reservoir regulation significantly modifies drought intensity, duration, and the influence of large-scale climate drivers.

Objective

• To investigate the spatiotemporal evolution of hydrological droughts in the UYRB and elucidate the underlying mechanisms related to sub-basin contributions, reservoir regulation, and large-scale climate drivers.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Upper Yellow River Basin (UYRB), specifically identifying the headwater region, Tao River Basin, and interval region 2 as key areas.
• Temporal Scale: 1956–2010.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Not explicitly mentioned (analysis based on naturalized streamflow and climate index correlation).
• Data sources: Streamflow data (naturalized and regulated) and large-scale climate indices (PDO, AMO, NAO, and ENSO).

Main Results

• Natural vs. Regulated Trends: Yearly drought severity increased from 1956 to 2010 under natural scenarios, but large reservoirs significantly reduced this severity.
• Seasonal Impacts: Reservoir regulation generally increased monthly drought intensity during summer and autumn, while decreasing it during spring and winter.
• Event Characteristics: For long-duration droughts, reservoirs interrupted continuity, reducing average severity and duration but increasing peak intensity, particularly for extreme events.
• Climate Teleconnections: Cascade reservoir regulation weakened and altered the relationship between hydrological drought and climate indices (PDO, AMO, NAO, and ENSO) at timescales of 8–16 and 32–64 months.

Contributions

• Provides evidence that naturalized streamflow must be used instead of regulated flow to accurately identify teleconnection drivers and implement drought early warning systems.
• Offers new insights into the combined effects of climate variability and human-induced reservoir regulation on hydrological drought mechanisms.

Funding

Not specified

Citation

@article{Ren2026Exploring,
  author = {Ren, Zhongwei and Li, Xin and Zhang, Te},
  title = {Exploring Drivers of Hydrological Drought Dynamics Across the Upper Yellow River Basin, China: Insights from the Sub-Basins Contribution, Large Reservoir Regulation, and Teleconnection},
  journal = {Water},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.3390/w18172071},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/w18172071}
}