Quantifying evaporation from a large reservoir in the Yellow River Basin: Based on stable isotope methods
- 1Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education; School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China; College of Geography and Environmental Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, Gansu, China; Dongying Institute, Shandong Normal University, Dongying, 257092, Shandong, China
- 2College of Geography and Environmental Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, Gansu, China; Shiyang River Ecological Environment Observation Station, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730070, China; Key Laboratory of Resource Environment and Sustainable Development of Oasis, Gansu Province, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730070, China
Abstract
Study region: Liujiaxia Reservoir, a large and highly regulated reservoir in the upper Yellow River Basin, northwestern China. Study focus: Stable water isotopes in precipitation and reservoir surface water were monitored from August 2021 to July 2023. Local evaporation lines (LELs) were used to characterize evaporative enrichment, and the Craig-Gordon isotope mass-balance framework implemented in Hydrocalculator was used to quantify evaporation over inflow ratios (E/I) and their seasonal variability. New hydrological insights for the region: Reservoir water became progressively enriched in δ¹⁸O and δ²H from the inlet toward the outlet and open water sections, indicating cumulative evaporative fractionation. The LEL slope decreased from 8.79 in winter to 3.46 in summer, while isotope derived E/I ranged from 0.41% to 7.82%, with the largest relative evaporation losses occurring in summer. Variability in inlet and outlet water isotopic composition dominated the propagated uncertainty in E/I, emphasizing the importance of representative isotope sampling for constraining evaporation estimates. Stable isotope mass balance therefore provides a useful means of identifying periods of relatively high evaporation loss in large regulated reservoirs and can complement conventional water balance monitoring, although E/I should be interpreted as a relative evaporation loss indicator rather than an absolute evaporation flux.
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BibTeX
@article{qi2026quantifying,
title = {{Quantifying evaporation from a large reservoir in the Yellow River Basin: Based on stable isotope methods}},
author = {Xiaoyu Qi and Guofeng Zhu and Rui Li and Zhijie Zheng and Ziwen Liu and Enwei Huang and Yuhao Wang and Yinying Jiao and Yani Gun and Jiangwei Yang},
journal = {Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.ejrh.2026.104134},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2026.104134},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Quantifying evaporation from a large reservoir in the Yellow River Basin: Based on stable isotope methods
AU - Xiaoyu Qi
AU - Guofeng Zhu
AU - Rui Li
AU - Zhijie Zheng
AU - Ziwen Liu
AU - Enwei Huang
AU - Yuhao Wang
AU - Yinying Jiao
AU - Yani Gun
AU - Jiangwei Yang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/31
JO - Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies
DO - 10.1016/j.ejrh.2026.104134
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2026.104134
AB - Study region: Liujiaxia Reservoir, a large and highly regulated reservoir in the upper Yellow River Basin, northwestern China. Study focus: Stable water isotopes in precipitation and reservoir surface water were monitored from August 2021 to July 2023. Local evaporation lines (LELs) were used to characterize evaporative enrichment, and the Craig-Gordon isotope mass-balance framework implemented in Hydrocalculator was used to quantify evaporation over inflow ratios (E/I) and their seasonal variability. New hydrological insights for the region: Reservoir water became progressively enriched in δ¹⁸O and δ²H from the inlet toward the outlet and open water sections, indicating cumulative evaporative fractionation. The LEL slope decreased from 8.79 in winter to 3.46 in summer, while isotope derived E/I ranged from 0.41% to 7.82%, with the largest relative evaporation losses occurring in summer. Variability in inlet and outlet water isotopic composition dominated the propagated uncertainty in E/I, emphasizing the importance of representative isotope sampling for constraining evaporation estimates. Stable isotope mass balance therefore provides a useful means of identifying periods of relatively high evaporation loss in large regulated reservoirs and can complement conventional water balance monitoring, although E/I should be interpreted as a relative evaporation loss indicator rather than an absolute evaporation flux.
SN - 2214-5818
ER -