Spatiotemporal Characterization and Relationships of Meteorological Factors, River Water Quality and Quantity in the Wei River Basin, China

Abstract

Study regionWeihe River Basin, China.Study focusThe hydrological processes were simulated by the SWAT model. The water yields within the sub-basin to which the water quality section belongs were successfully replenished. This study used Principal Component Analysis and parametric testing to investigate the spatial and temporal variability of indicators describing the natural environment. Redundancy analysis was used to analyze the degree of correlation and influence between different indicators.New hydrological insightsThe results of the temporal study indicate that the range of climate change was more variable in the autumn than in the rest of the season. The results of the distribution of principal component factor 2, which represents non-point source pollution, indicate that non-point source pollution had no significant seasonal effect in the summer and winter seasons. The results of the spatial study show that the water production capacity of the sub-basins belonging to different spatial sections was similar in the same period. The ammonia nitrogen, PH, turbidity, and conductivity demonstrate strong spatial heterogeneity. Precipitation and temperature show a positive correlation on both flow rate and water yields, and precipitation affects flow rate to a greater extent than water yields. It was also found that nitrogen concentration was not related to water quantity. Increases in precipitation, flow rate and temperature all reduce the solubility of oxygen in the water column.

Keywords: Meteorological factors, Water quality, Water quantity, Spatiotemporal characterization, Weihe River Basin