Baseflow estimation for catchments in the Loess Plateau, China

Junlong Zhang; Jinxi Song; Lei Cheng; Hongxing Zheng; Yetang Wang; Baojuan Huai; Weijun Sun; Shanzhong Qi; Panpan Zhao; Yuqi Wang; Qi Li

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.12.040

Baseflow estimation for catchments in the Loess Plateau, China

J Environ Manage. 2019 Mar 1:233:264-270. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.12.040. Epub 2018 Dec 21.

Authors

Junlong Zhang¹, Jinxi Song², Lei Cheng³, Hongxing Zheng⁴, Yetang Wang¹, Baojuan Huai¹, Weijun Sun¹, Shanzhong Qi¹, Panpan Zhao⁵, Yuqi Wang⁶, Qi Li⁷

Affiliations

¹ College of Geography and Environment, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, 250358, China.
² Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Earth Surface System and Environmental Carrying Capacity, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an 710127, China; State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yangling, 712100, China. Electronic address: jinxisong@nwu.edu.cn.
³ State Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China; Hubei Provincial Collaborative Innovation Center for Water Resources Security, Wuhan, 430072, China.
⁴ CSIRO Land and Water, GPO Box 1666, ACTON 2601, Canberra, Australia.
⁵ Institute of Water Conservancy, North China University of Water Resource and Electric Power, Zhengzhou, 450045, China.
⁶ Fenner School of Environmental and Society, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
⁷ Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Earth Surface System and Environmental Carrying Capacity, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an 710127, China. Electronic address: qili726@nwu.edu.cn.

PMID: 30583100
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.12.040

Abstract

Baseflow is the portion of streamflow that originates from groundwater. It is pivotal to groundwater supply as well as the interactions between groundwater and surface water. In the Loess Plateau of China, the baseflow plays a fundamental role in sustaining the aquatic ecosystem. Rational estimation of baseflow is of critical importance for understanding the functioning of the groundwater system and informing management of regional water resources. In this study, a two-well parameterised digital filter was used to separate baseflow from observed daily total streamflow on the Weihe River Basin. Two parameters (maximum baseflow index (BFI_max) and the recession constant) of this filter were estimated using UKIH and a recession analysis with physical meaning, respectively. The results show that the baseflow index increased from the upstream to downstream (0.27-0.32) of the Weihe River, and the baseflow of the river is summer dominant. In general, the baseflow has been increasing gradually owing to the implementation of soil conservation measures. This study provides an understanding of baseflow response to seasonal variability and water environmental management in basin scale.

Keywords: Baseflow index; Baseflow separation; Digital filter; Drought period; Seasonality ratio.

MeSH terms

China
Ecosystem*
Environmental Monitoring
Rivers
Water Movements*