Climate Change and Human Activities Threaten Ecological Stability of Natural Rivers

Climate change and human activities pose significant threats to the ecological stability of natural rivers, according to a recent study published in the journal Water Resources. The researchers conducted an in-depth analysis of changes in basin hydrological regime and their driving mechanisms, using the cross-wavelet transform method to investigate the nonlinear relationship between runoff and meteorological variables. The study found that the climate-runoff system in the Han River Basin experienced three important resonance cycles from 1975 to 2020, with the hydrological regime undergoing a moderate degree of change in all groups of indicators except for group 3.

Key Takeaways:

• The study used the cross-wavelet transform method to investigate the nonlinear relationship between runoff and meteorological variables in the Han River Basin.
• The researchers found that the climate-runoff system in the Han River Basin experienced three important resonance cycles from 1975 to 2020.
• The driving force contributions showed significant differences in different time scales, with climate factors dominating runoff changes on the annual scale (78.25%) and human activities having a more significant influence in winter on the seasonal scale (62.98%).
• The hydrological regime underwent a moderate degree of change in all groups of indicators except for group 3.
• The study provides a scientific basis for water resource management in the basin and can help inform decision-making for sustainable water resource use.
• The research was supported by the Basic Research Project of Key Scientific Research Projects of Colleges and Universities of Henan Province, Henan Provincial Natural Science Foundation, and Henan Provincial Outstanding Youth Science Foundation.

Statistics:

• 78.25% of runoff changes on the annual scale were attributed to climate factors.
• 62.98% of runoff changes on the seasonal scale were attributed to human activities in winter.
• 1975 to 2020 was the time period analyzed for the three important resonance cycles.
• 52(5):853-870 was the reference number for the publication in the journal Water Resources.

Sources:

• Coupled Impacts of Climate Change and Human Activities On the Hydrological Regime: a Case Study of Han River Basin. Water Resources, 2025;52(5):853-870.
• North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou 450045, People's Republic of China.
• VerticalNews. (2025, October 13). Data on Climate Change Discussed by Researchers at North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power (Coupled Impacts of Climate Change and Human Activities On the Hydrological Regime: a Case Study of Han River Basin). Global Warming Focus.