Changes of total and artificial water bodies in inland China over the past three decades

As an important surface water resource that can be directly used, water bodies (WBs) have a non-negligible impact on human life, production and maintaining ecological balance. Over the past few decades, how many WB have changed to different degrees due to climate change, dam construction and other factors? Using the high-resolution WB mask dataset and dam point data, the study distinguished artificial and natural WBs, calculated their spatiotemporal changes, and quantified climatic and human contributions in 17 basins in inland China during 1987-2020. The results show WBs exhibited a spatial pattern of contraction in the northeast and expansion in the southwest in inland China. The total, artificial and natural area of inland WBs in China increased by 38.8%, 32.3%, 40.8% from 1987 to 2020, respectively. In the western basins of China such as Inland rivers in Northern Tibet (61%), Upper Yellow River (61%), Upper Yangtze River (52%), Inland rivers in Xinjiang (51%), climate change dominates the increase of WBs. While in the eastern basins such as the Middle and Lower Yangtze River (60.84%), Lower Yangtze River (60.53%), and Songhua basins (52.66%), dam construction is the main reason for the area change in WBs. The analysis of the spatiotemporal evolution of WBs in inland China in the past three decades and the quantification of climate and human contributions are of great significance for the rational development and sustainable use of water resources.

Automated summary

This study analyzed the spatiotemporal patterns of water bodies in inland China and quantified the contributions of climate and human activities to their changes. The results showed an overall increase in water body area in inland China, with different regions being affected by different factors.