Discharge regime and simulation for the upstream of major rivers over Tibetan Plateau. Issue 15 (15th August 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zhang, Leilei; Su, Fengge; Yang, Daqing; Hao, Zhenchun; Tong, Kai
• Is Part Of: Journal of geophysical research. Volume 118:Issue 15(2013)
• Page Start: 8500
• Page End: 8518
• Publication Date: 2013-08-15
• Subjects: discharge -- glacier runoff -- Tibetan Plateau -- hydroclimatology -- snow runoff -- rainfall runoff; Atmospheric physics -- Periodicals; Geophysics -- Periodicals; 551.5
• DOI: 10.1002/jgrd.50665
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2169-897X

Abstract

Abstract : [1] The hydrological regimes for the major river basins in the Tibetan Plateau (TP), including the source regions of the Yellow (UYE), Yangtze (UYA), Mekong (UM), Salween (US), Brahmaputra (UB), and Indus (UI) rivers, were investigated through a land surface model and regression analyses between climate variables and runoff data. A hydrologic modeling framework was established across the TP to link the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) land surface hydrology model with a degree‐day glacier‐melt scheme (VIC‐glacier model) at a 1/12° × 1/12°. The model performance was evaluated over the upper basins of the six rivers. The heterogeneity and scarcity of the meteorological stations are the major limitation for hydrological modeling over the TP. The relative contributions to streamflow from rainfall, snowmelt, and glacier melt for the six basins were quantified via the model framework and simulation. The results suggest that monsoon precipitation has a dominant role in sustaining seasonal streamflow over southeastern regions, contributing 65–78% of annual runoff among the UYE, UYA, UM, US, and UB basins. For the UI, the runoff regime is largely controlled by the glacier melt and snow cover in spring and summer. The contribution of glacier runoff is minor for the UYE and UM (less than 2% of total annual flow), and moderate for the UYA and US basins (5–7% of yearly flow), while glacier melt makes up about 12% and 48% of annual flow for the UB and UI basins, respectively. Key Points: The contribution of glacier‐melt water was quantified