Rapid glacier retreats due to rising temperatures have been predicted in the Hindukush–Karakoram–Himalaya (HKKH). Recent findings indicate shrinking glaciers in parts of the Himalayas, affecting ice storage and ultimately water availability. Insights on ice storage of the HKKH remain controversial, where glaciers retreat in some parts, while surging in others. In high-altitude areas only few in-situ observations are available, leading to ambiguous closure of the hydrological balance. Objective of this paper is to analyze the closure for the Upper Indus Basin (UIB). A first-order analysis using long-term flow and precipitation records, estimates of evaporation and ice storage is performed. Satellite information, atmospheric reanalyses, in-situ observations and related uncertainty are independently investigated. Trend analysis of 50-year stream flow indicates a statistically insignificant decrease of basin outflow. Analysis of 100-year precipitation data at valley stations shows no significant long-term trend, whereas temperature has increased moderately. Estimates of evaporation and sublimation in the HKKH system are notably few. Findings suggest that a substantial loss of ice in the UIB during the 1999–2009 decade is unlikely. Ice storage is probably at equilibrium or under slight accumulation, as indicated by recent altimetry studies in the Karakoram. In the UIB there is no evidence for intermediate-term risk to water supply as suggested in recent literature.
Accurate forecasting of daily streamflow is essential for water resource planning and management. As a typical non-stationary time series, it is difficult to avoid the effects of noise in the hydrological data. In this study, the wavelet threshold de-noising method was applied to pre-process daily flow data from a small forested basin. The key factors influencing the de-noising results, such as the mother wavelet type, decomposition level, and threshold functions, were examined and determined according to the...
Two software development hurdles to advancing real-world operationalization of satellite datasets for water management are addressed in this study. First, a simple, easy-to-build and open-source web portal connecting to a back-end complex model is developed for resource-constrained developing nations. Second, to enhance the skill of satellite-based predictions, an innovative and dynamic web analytics-based correction system is developed to reduce the uncertainty of satellite estimates. The correction system...
The hydrographic network in the Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB) (south-west Europe) is intensively affected by acid mine drainage (AMD) processes. This represents a unique worldwide scenario of extractive mining activity for more than 4,000 years. In order to be able to achieve possible restorations, it is necessary to reduce the scale of possible actions for future environmental improvements, at the river basin level. Therefore, the delineation of watersheds and subwatersheds in the IPB has been carried out, as well...
Research on the summertime runoff variations and their connections with Asian summer monsoons can give insights for explanation of the hydrological processes and climate change in the Yangtze River basin. Currently, regional studies are focused on the relationships between Asian summer monsoons and meteorological elements. However, research on the runoff variations and their connections to Asian summer monsoons is still scarce. With the help of continuous wavelet transform, cross-wavelet, and wavelet coherence...
This investigation examined effects of climate change, measured as annual, seasonal, and monthly air temperature and precipitation from 1958 to 2010, on water resources (i.e., runoff) in the Bosten Lake Basin. Additionally, teleconnections of hydrological changes to large-scale circulation indices including El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Arctic Oscillation (AO), North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), Tibetan High (XZH), westerly circulation index (WI), and northern hemisphere polar vortex area index (VPA) were...
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