Unveiling the characteristics of water conservation variations in peatland watershed under climate change with an enhanced SWAT model
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21697005 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Gaolei Zhao (0000-0002-1724-3741, Yellow River Institute of Hydraulic Research), Zhiwei Li (0000-0001-7505-5899, Wuhan University), Shimin Tian (0009-0003-1828-9957, Yellow River Institute of Hydraulic Research, corresponding author), Yang Zhang (0000-0001-6777-3487, Yellow River Institute of Hydraulic Research), Y F Zhang (0000-0002-1096-8870, Yellow River Institute of Hydraulic Research), Wanwan Wang (0000-0002-0981-1382, Yellow River Institute of Hydraulic Research), Rongxu Chen (Yellow River Institute of Hydraulic Research) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 28 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 453-474 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Water Policy (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1366-7017 • E-ISSN: 1996-9759 |
| Publisher | IWA Publishing (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.2166/wp.2026.027 |
| OpenAlex | W7133125056 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 109 |
In the context of global climate change, the ecosystems' water conservation (WC) function has been significantly affected, particularly in peatland watersheds. This study focused on the Zoige peatland, a vital ecological barrier in the source region of the Yellow River (SRYR), to evaluate the dynamic changes in WC under various climate change scenarios. By improving the SCS-CN method in the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and integrating downscaled high-resolution meteorological data, this study quantitatively analyzed the contribution of WC to runoff (CWCR) and its spatiotemporal variation. Results indicated that from 1970 to 2023, the average precipitation, WC, discharge, CWCR, and WCR (WC rate) in the study area were 769.6 mm, 481.6 mm, 0.0049 m3/s, 91.28%, and 0.62, respectively. WC exhibited a strong positive correlation with precipitation (R2 = 0.9498). Under the high radiative forcing scenario (SSP585), the region was projected to experience a hotter and wetter climate, enhancing WC functionality overall. However, the frequent occurrence of extreme weather events and ecosystem degradation will significantly weaken the regulation capacity of the region's WC functions. This study provides technical support for ecological restoration and adaptive management of peatlands
Climate change · Peat · Precipitation · Soil and Water Assessment Tool · Surface runoff · SWAT model · Watershed · Climate change and permafrost · Hydrology and Watershed Management Studies · Peatlands and Wetlands Ecology
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| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |