Assessing the Runoff Response to Vegetation Cover and Climate Change in a Typical Forested Headwater Watershed

Ge Zhang, Jiacong Xue, Wenting Liu, Yuntao Wang (), Guoqiang Wang and Baolin Xue
Additional contact information
Ge Zhang: Beijing Normal University
Jiacong Xue: Beijing Normal University
Wenting Liu: Beijing Normal University
Yuntao Wang: Beijing Normal University
Guoqiang Wang: Beijing Normal University
Baolin Xue: Beijing Normal University

Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), 2025, vol. 39, issue 9, No 4, 4295-4315

Abstract: Abstract River source areas play a critical role in water conservation and hydrological regulation. In recent years, climate change and human activities have significantly altered the runoff in forested headwater watersheds, yet the combined impacts of these environmental changes on ecologically fragile headwater zones remain insufficiently considered. This study employed a segmented calibration approach of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model in the Kuduer River Basin, located in the Greater Khingan Mountains, to evaluate runoff responses to climate change and vegetation cover variations. The results revealed that: (1) From 1985 to 2019, the basin exhibits a warm-dry trend, with a slight reduction in runoff, an increase in forest area, and a decrease in grassland area; these patterns are more pronounced during change periods. (2) Runoff is positively correlated with precipitation and negatively correlated with temperature, showing higher sensitivity to precipitation changes. Forests play a crucial role in regulating water resources, and afforestation tends to reduce runoff volumes. (3) Sub-watershed analyses reveal spatial heterogeneity: upstream areas benefit from more stable runoff due to forest cover, whereas downstream areas display greater variability. Moreover, although both climate change and vegetation cover jointly influence runoff, climate change exerts a stronger effect. Given the high sensitivity of the hydrological response in this watershed, future management measures should take into account the negative impacts of climate change and human activities on water resources.

Keywords: Forest Watershed; River Source Area; Runoff Simulation; Changing Environment; SWAT Model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11269-025-04155-0 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:waterr:v:39:y:2025:i:9:d:10.1007_s11269-025-04155-0

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/economics/journal/11269

DOI: 10.1007/s11269-025-04155-0

Access Statistics for this article

Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA) is currently edited by G. Tsakiris

More articles in Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA) from Springer, European Water Resources Association (EWRA)
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().