Skip to main content
Log in

Moisture budget variations in the Yangtze River Basin, China, and possible associations with large-scale circulation

Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We analyzed seasonal and annual variations of the whole layer atmospheric moisture budget and precipitation during 1961–2005 and their associations with large-scale circulation in the Yangtze River basin, China. The results indicated increasing moisture budget in summer and winter, but decreasing moisture budget in spring and autumn. Positive correlations between moisture budget and precipitation illustrate tremendous impacts the moisture budget has on the precipitation changes across the Yangtze River basin. In terms of seasonal variations, significant correlations were observed between precipitation and moisture budget in spring and autumn in the upper Yangtze River basin. Besides, we also analyzed changes of geopotential height. The positive trends of the geopotential height (850 hPa) were observed in the East Asia and the negative trends in the middle and west Pacific Ocean, indicating increasing geopotential height from south to north in east Asia which largely limited the moisture propagation to north China. While decreasing meridional geopotential height from west to east along the Yangtze River basin caused more moisture propagation from the west to the east parts of the study region, which may benefit more precipitation in the middle and lower Yangtze River basin.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9

References

  • Allen M, Ingram WJ (2002) Constraints on future changes in climate and the hydrologic cycle. Nature 419:224–232

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Changjiang Water Resource Commission, Ministry of Water Resources (CWRC) (2002) Floods and droughts in the Yangtze River catchment. Water Conservancy and Water Electricity Publication House, Beijing (in Chinese)

  • Jiang T, Su BD, Heike H (2007) Temporal and spatial trends of precipitation and river flow in the Yangtze River Basin, 1961–2000. Geomorphology 85(3–4):143–154

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu GW (1997) The atmospheric process of the hydrological cycle. Science Press, Beijing, pp 181–182 (in Chinese)

  • Miao QJ, Xu XD, Zhang SY (2005) Whole layer water vapor budget of Yangtze River valley and moisture flux components transform in the key areas of the plateau. Acta Meteorol Sin 63:93–99

    Google Scholar 

  • Prueger JH, Kustas WP, Hipps LE, Hatfield JL (2004) Aerodynamic parameters and sensible heat flux estimates for a semi-arid ecosystem. J Arid Environ 57:87–100

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Qin J, Wang PX, Gong Y (2005) Impacts of antarctic oscillation on summer moisture transport and precipitation in eastern China. Chin Geogr Sci 15(1):22–28

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu G (1990) Atmospheric transports and budgets of water vapor and their impacts on subtropical drought. Sci Atmos Sin 14(1):53–63 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Xu C-Y (2001) Statistical analysis of a conceptual water balance model, methodology and case study. Water Resour Manage 15:75–92

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xu XD, Tao SY, Wang JZh et al (2002) The relationship between water vapor transport features of Tibetan Plateau—monsoon “large triangle” affecting region and drought-flood abnormality of China. Acta Meteorol Sin 60(3):257–266 (in Chinese)

  • Xu XD, Miao QJ, Wang ZJ et al (2003) The water vapor transport model at the regional boundary during the Meiyu period. Adv Atmos Sci 20(3):333–342

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xu C-Y, Gong L, Jiang T et al (2006) Analysis of spatial distribution and temporal trend of reference evapotranspiration in Changjiang (Yangtze River) catchment. J Hydrol 327:81–93

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xu XD, Shi XY, Wang YQ et al (2008) Data analysis and numerical simulation of moisture source and transport associated with summer precipitation in the Yangtze River Valley over China. Meteorol Atmos Phys 100:217–231

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang RH (2001) Relations of water vapor transport from Indian Monsoon with that over East Asia and the summer rainfall in China. Adv Atmos Sci 18(5):1005–1017

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Q, Jiang T, Marco G, Stefan B (2005) Precipitation, temperature and runoff analysis from 1950 to 2002 in the Yangtze basin, China. Hydrol Sci 50(1):65–80

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Q, Liu C-L, Xu C-Y, Xu YP, Jiang T (2006a) Observed trends of annual maximum water level and streamflow during past 130 years in the Yangtze River basin, China. J Hydrol 324:255–265

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Q, Xu C-Y, Becker S, Jiang T (2006b) Sediment and runoff changes in the Yangtze River basin during past 50 years. J Hydrol 331:511–523

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Q, Xu C-Y, Jiang T, Wu YJ (2007) Possible influence of ENSO on annual maximum streamflow of Yangtze River, China. J Hydrol 333:265–274

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Q, Xu C-Y, Zhang ZX et al (2008a) Spatial and temporal variability of precipitation maxima during 1960–2005 in the Yangtze River basin and possible association with large-scale circulation. J Hydrol 353:215–227

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang ZX, Zhang Q, Xu C-Y et al (2008b) Atmospheric moisture budget and floods in the Yangtze River Basin, China. Theor Appl Climatol. doi:10.1007/s00704-008-0010-z

  • Zhang Q, Xu C-Y, Gemmer M, Chen YD, Liu C-L (2009) Changing properties of precipitation concentration in the Pearl River basin, China. Stoch Environ Res Risk Assess 23:377–385

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao P, Zhu YN, Zhang RH (2007) An Asian–Pacific teleconnection in summer tropospheric temperature and associated Asian climate variability. Clim Dyn 29(2–3):293–303

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou J, Xue YF, Liu XF (1998) The source/sink distribution of water vapor with its transfer in Asian monsoon region in August 1994. J Trop Meteorol 14(1):91–96

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This study is financially supported by the National Basic Research Program (“973 Program”, Grant No. 2006CB403200), the National Forestry Science and Technique Foundation during the 11th Five-Year Plan Period (2006BAD03A1601), and by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No.: 40701015, 40801015). We would like to thank the National Climate Centre in Beijing for providing valuable climate datasets. Cordial thanks should also be extended to the editor-in-chief, Prof. Dr. George Christakos, and the two anonymous reviewers for their invaluable comments which greatly improved the quality of this paper.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zengxin Zhang.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zhang, Z., Tao, H., Zhang, Q. et al. Moisture budget variations in the Yangtze River Basin, China, and possible associations with large-scale circulation. Stoch Environ Res Risk Assess 24, 579–589 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00477-009-0338-7

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00477-009-0338-7

Keywords

Navigation