Editorial Type:
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Article Type:
Research Article

Future Changes in Floods and Water Availability across China: Linkage with Changing Climate and Uncertainties

Jianfeng Li Department of Geography and Resource Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Department of Geography, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China, and CSIRO Land and Water, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

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Yongqin David Chen Department of Geography and Resource Management, and Institute of Environment, Energy and Sustainability, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

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Lu Zhang CSIRO Land and Water, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

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Qiang Zhang Department of Water Resources and Environment, and Key Laboratory of Water Cycle and Water Security in Southern China of Guangdong High Education Institute, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, and School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Suzhou University, Anhui, China

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Francis H. S. Chiew CSIRO Land and Water, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

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Print Publication:
01 Apr 2016
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM-D-15-0074.1
Page(s):
1295–1314
Restricted access

Abstract

Future changes in floods and water availability across China under representative concentration pathway 2.6 (RCP2.6) and RCP8.5 are studied by analyzing discharge simulations from the Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project (ISI-MIP) with the consideration of uncertainties among global climate models (GCMs) and hydrologic models. Floods and water availability derived from ISI-MIP simulations are compared against observations. The uncertainties among models are quantified by model agreement. Only model agreement >50% is considered to generate reliable projections of floods and water availability and their relationships with climate change. The results show five major points. First, ISI-MIP simulations have acceptable ability in modeling floods and water availability. The spatial patterns of changes in floods and water availability highly depend on the outputs of GCMs. Uncertainties from GCMs/hydrologic models predominate the uncertainties in the wet/dry areas in eastern/northwestern China. Second, the magnitudes of floods throughout China increase during 2070–99 under RCP8.5 relative to those with the same return periods during 1971–2000. The increase rates of larger floods are higher than those of the smaller ones. Third, water availability decreases/increases in southern/northern China under RCP8.5, but changes negligibly under RCP2.6. Fourth, more severe floods in the future are driven by more intense precipitation extremes over China. The negligible change in mean precipitation and the increase in actual evapotranspiration reduce the water availability in southern China. Fifth, model agreements are higher in simulated floods than water availability because increasing precipitation extremes are more consistent among different GCM outputs compared to mean precipitation.

Corresponding author address: Yongqin David Chen, Department of Geography and Resource Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China. E-mail: ydavidchen@cuhk.edu.hk

Abstract

Future changes in floods and water availability across China under representative concentration pathway 2.6 (RCP2.6) and RCP8.5 are studied by analyzing discharge simulations from the Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project (ISI-MIP) with the consideration of uncertainties among global climate models (GCMs) and hydrologic models. Floods and water availability derived from ISI-MIP simulations are compared against observations. The uncertainties among models are quantified by model agreement. Only model agreement >50% is considered to generate reliable projections of floods and water availability and their relationships with climate change. The results show five major points. First, ISI-MIP simulations have acceptable ability in modeling floods and water availability. The spatial patterns of changes in floods and water availability highly depend on the outputs of GCMs. Uncertainties from GCMs/hydrologic models predominate the uncertainties in the wet/dry areas in eastern/northwestern China. Second, the magnitudes of floods throughout China increase during 2070–99 under RCP8.5 relative to those with the same return periods during 1971–2000. The increase rates of larger floods are higher than those of the smaller ones. Third, water availability decreases/increases in southern/northern China under RCP8.5, but changes negligibly under RCP2.6. Fourth, more severe floods in the future are driven by more intense precipitation extremes over China. The negligible change in mean precipitation and the increase in actual evapotranspiration reduce the water availability in southern China. Fifth, model agreements are higher in simulated floods than water availability because increasing precipitation extremes are more consistent among different GCM outputs compared to mean precipitation.

Corresponding author address: Yongqin David Chen, Department of Geography and Resource Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China. E-mail: ydavidchen@cuhk.edu.hk
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