PROGRESS IN GEOGRAPHY ›› 2017, Vol. 36 ›› Issue (6): 753-761.doi: 10.18306/dlkxjz.2017.06.010

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Simulation and analysis of the hydrological processes in the Yarkant River Basin based on remote sensing data

Jiao LIU1,2(), Tie LIU1,*(), Yue HUANG1, Anming BAO1   

  1. 1. State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, CAS, Urumqi 83001, China
    2. University of Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100049, China
  • Online:2017-06-20 Published:2017-06-20
  • Contact: Tie LIU E-mail:liujiao1102@aliyun.com;liutie@ms.xjb.ac.cn
  • Supported by:
    the Thousand Youth Talents Plan of China: Xinjiang Projects, No.374231001;Special Institute Research Project of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.Y674122;National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.41301039, No.U1503183

Abstract:

In the desert-oasis ecology system of northwest China, water cycle in the mountain region is very important for the water resources management in downstream regions. To accurately understand the hydrological processes in high altitude and cold mountainous areas, a MIKE SHE model was applied to the Yarkant River Basin based on the remote sensing data of precipitation, temperature, and potential evapotranspiration, and the hydrological processes were analyzed based on the simulated outputs of runoff, snow, and evapotranspiration. The results suggest that the corrected remote sensing data are suitable for hydrological modeling of the Yarkant River Basin. At the Kaqun station, Nash efficiency coefficient and correlation coefficient are 0.71 and 0.85 at the daily scale. The annual mean stream runoff was 146.66 mm, among which base flow was 21.3%. The annual mean snowfall was 231 mm, which accounted for 74% of precipitation; 73.9% of the snowmelt occurred in July to September, and the snow storage is primarily distributed in the elevation zone above 5000 m. The evapotranspiration mainly occurred in the mid-low mountains covered by vegetation in June to September. The satellite data processed by appropriate methods are useful for the hydrological study in high-cold alpine catchments; multiple hydrological components could improve the understanding of water resources’ transition, storage, and distribution, which will contribute to the water resource management in the downstream regions.

Key words: hydrological model, hydrological processes, remote sensing data, Yarkant River Basin