Non-equilibrium Evolution of Water Resources and Future Trend Projections in the Xiabuqu River Basin
Runoff in the Xiabuqu River Basin, a first-order tributary of the Yarlung Zangbo River, was reconstructed by combining WEP-L with HMETS and a degree-day glacier-melt module. The coupled scheme yielded an NSE of 0.8158, higher than the performance of the individual runoff models. For 1978–2020, the reconstructed annual water-resource volume averaged 754 million m³, but varied considerably from year to year. Rainfall supplied 94.69% of runoff on average, whereas snowmelt and glacier melt made much smaller contributions. Projections under SSP245 and SSP585 indicate a modest decrease in mean water resources over the next three decades. Meanwhile, interannual and seasonal variability increases, suggesting less stable water availability and a greater likelihood of both wet and dry extremes.
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