Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Contribution of recycled moisture to precipitation and its influencing factors in the subalpine zone of Qilian Mountains

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Environmental Science and Pollution Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Recycled moisture, the part of precipitating vapor that comes from surface evapotranspiration, plays an important role in the hydrological process and the feedback of the land surface-atmosphere system. In this study, we use the δ2H and δ18O data of precipitation, plant water, and surface water systematically collected in the subalpine area of the Qilian Mountains from May to October, 2019, and assess the contribution of recycled moisture to precipitation based on the three-component isotopic mixing model. The results indicated that the main source of precipitating vapor comes from the advected vapor, and its contribution reaches up to 87.8 ± 1.6%. The contribution of local recycled moisture is 12.2 ± 1.6%, in which the proportion of transpiration and evaporation are 8.9 ± 0.6% and 3.3 ± 1.0%, respectively. In terms of the correlation between recycled moisture and its influencing factors, the temperature has a positive effect on evapotranspiration and promotes moisture recycling, while precipitation and humidity have a certain inhibition effect on evapotranspiration and reduce the contribution of recycled moisture.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

Data available on request from the authors. The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

References

  • Araguás-Araguás L, Froehlich K, Rozanski K (2000) Deuterium and oxygen-18 isotope composition of precipitation and atmospheric moisture. Hydrol Process 14(8):1341–1355

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berberan-Santos MN, Bodunov EN, Pogliani L (1997) On the barometric formula. Am J Phys 65(5):404–412

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brubaker KL, Entekhabi D, Eagleson PS (1993) Estimation of continental precipitation recycling. J Clim 6(6):1077–1089

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cao L, Shen J, Nie Z, Meng L, Liu M, Wang Z (2021) Stable isotopic characteristics of precipitation and moisture recycling in the Badain Jaran Desert. Earth Sci 46:2973–2983

    Google Scholar 

  • Craig H, Gordon LI (1965) Deuterium and oxygen 18 variation in the ocean and the marine atmosphere, stable isotopes in oceanographic studies and paleotemperatures. In: Tongiorgi E (ed) CNR-Lab. di Geologia Nucleare, Pisa,  pp 9–130

  • Davie T (2008) Fundamentals of Hydrology. Routledge, New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Dominguez F, Kumar P, Liang XZ, Ting M (2006) Impact of atmospheric moisture storage on precipitation recycling. J Clim 19:1513–1530

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Draxler RHGD (1998) An overview of HYSPLIT_4 modelling system for trajectories, dispersion and deposition. Aust Meteorol Mag 47(0004–9743):295–308

    Google Scholar 

  • Eltahir EAB, Bras RL (1996) Precipitation recycling. Rev Geophys 34(3):367–378

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fiorella RP, Poulsen CJ, Matheny AM (2018) Seasonal patterns of water cycling in a deep, continental mountain valley inferred from stable water vapor isotopes. J Geophys Res Atmos 123(14):7271–7291

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Flanagan LB, Comstock JP, Ehleringer JR (1991) Comparison of modeled and observed environmental influences on the stable oxygen and hydrogen isotope composition of leaf water in Phaseolus vulgaris L. Plant Physiol 96(2):588–596

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Froehlich K, Kralik M, Papesch W, Rank D, Scheifinger H, Stichler W (2008) Deuterium excess in precipitation of Alpine regions - moisture recycling. Isot Environ Health Stud 44(1):61–70

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fu J, Cao G, Guo W (2020) Temporal and spatial variation characteristics of average wind speed and direction in the Qilian Mountains, China. Mt Res 38(4):12

    Google Scholar 

  • Gao Y, Zhao C, Peng S, Ma W, Li W, Yuan Y (2015) Evapotranspiration simultion of the grassland and sensitivitivity analysis in Tianlaochi catchment in the upper reaches of Heihe River. J Desert Res 35(005):1338–1345

    Google Scholar 

  • Gao Y, Zhao C, Ashiq MW, Wang Q, Rong Z, Liu J, Mao Y, Guo Z, Wang W (2019) Actual evapotranspiration of subalpine meadows in the Qilian Mountains, Northwest China. J Arid Land 11(3):371–384

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gat JR (1996) Oxygen and hydrogen isotopes in the hydrologic cycle. Annu Rev Earth Planet Sci 24(1):225–262

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gat JR (2000) Atmospheric water balance—the isotopic perspective. Hydrol Process 14:1357–1369

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gat JR, Bowser CJ, Kendall C (1994) The contribution of evaporation from the Great Lakes to the continental atmosphere: estimate based on stable isotope data. Geophys Res Lett 21(7):557–560

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Genereux D (1998) Quantifying uncertainty in tracer-based hydrograph separations. Water Resour Res 34(4):915–919

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gibson JJ, Reid R (2014) Water balance along a chain of tundra lakes: A 20-year isotopic perspective. J Hydrol 519:2148–2164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2014.10.011

  • Gonfiantini R (1986) Environmental isotopes in lake studies, B. Elsevier, Amsterdam

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Gu W (2011) Isotope hydrology. Science press, China

    Google Scholar 

  • Hartl-Meier C, Dittmar C, Zang C, Rothe A (2014) Mountain forest growth response to climate change in the Northern Limestone Alps. Trees 28(3):819–829

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Horita J, Wesolowski DJ (1994) Liquid-vapor fractionation of oxygen and hydrogen isotopes of water from the freezing to the critical temperature. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 58(16):3425–3437

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jia W, He Y, Wang X, Li Z (2009) Temporal and spatial change of the potential evaporation over Qilian mountains and Hexi corridor from 1960 to 2006. Adv Water Sci 20(02):159–167

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson DG, Jucks KW, Traub WA, Chance KV (2001) Isotopic composition of stratospheric water vapor: Implications for transport. J Geophys Res Atmos 106(D11):12219–12226

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kang H, Gu X, Zhu C, Whitfield P (2004) Precipitation recycling in Southern and Central China. Chin J Atmos Sci 06:892–900

    Google Scholar 

  • Kang H, Gu X, Fu X, Xu X (2005) Precipitation recycling over the northern china. Quart J Appl Meteorol 16(002):139–147

    Google Scholar 

  • Kong Y, Pang Z, Froehlich K (2013) Quantifying recycled moisture fraction in precipitation of an arid region using deuterium excess. Tellus b: Chem Phys Meteorol 65(1):388–402

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li Z, Gui J, Wang X, Feng Q, Zhao T, Ouyang C, Guo X, Zhang B, Shi Y (2019) Water resources in inland regions of central Asia: evidence from stable isotope tracing. J Hydrol 570:1–16

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li X, Lu A, Feng Q, Li Z, Liu W, Wang S, Tripathee L, Wang X, Cao J (2020) Recycled moisture in an enclosed basin, Guanzhong Basin of Northern China, in the summer: Contribution to precipitation based on a stable isotope approach. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 27(22):27926–27936

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu J, Song X, Yuan G, Sun X, Liu X, Chen F, Wang Z, Wang S (2008) Characteristics of δ18O in Precipitation over Northwest China and Its Water Vapor Sources. Acta Geogr Sin 63(1):12–22

    Google Scholar 

  • Obojes N, Meurer A, Newesely C, Tasser E, Oberhuber W, Mayr S, Tappeiner U (2018) Water stress limits transpiration and growth of European larch up to the lower subalpine belt in an inner-alpine dry valley. New Phytol 220(2):460–475

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peng T-R, Liu K-K, Wang C-H, Chuang K-H (2011) A water isotope approach to assessing moisture recycling in the island-based precipitation of Taiwan: A case study in the western Pacific. Water Resour Res 47:W08507. https://doi.org/10.1029/2010WR009890

  • Phillips DL, Gregg JW (2001) Uncertainty in source partitioning using stable isotopes. Oecologia 127(2):171–179

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Qiu L, Zhang L, He Y, Chen Y, Wang W (2020) Spatiotemporal variations of evapotranspiration and influence factors in Qilian Mountain from 2000 to 2018. Res Soil Water Conserv 27(03):210–217

    Google Scholar 

  • Shi Y (2021) Study on the isotope characteristics of different water and their transformation relationship in subalpine shrubland in the eastern of Qilian Mountains master. Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou

    Google Scholar 

  • Skrzypek G, Mydłowski A, Dogramaci S, Hedley P, Gibson JJ, Grierson PF (2015) Estimation of evaporative loss based on the stable isotope composition of water using Hydrocalculator. J Hydrol 523:781–789

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sun C, Chen W, Chen Y, Cai Z (2020) Stable isotopes of atmospheric precipitation and its environmental drivers in the Eastern Chinese Loess Plateau China. J Hydrol 581:124404

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Trenberth KE (1999) Atmospheric moisture recycling: role of advection and local evaporation. J Clim 12(5):1368–1381

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van der Ent RJ, Savenije HHG, Schaefli B, Steele-Dunne SC (2010) Origin and fate of atmospheric moisture over continents. Water Resour Res 46:W09525. https://doi.org/10.1029/2010WR009127

  • van der Ent RJ, Savenije HHG (2011) Length and time scales of atmospheric moisture recycling. Atmos Chem Phys 11(5):1853–1863

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang S, Zhang M, Che Y, Chen F, Qiang F (2016) Contribution of recycled moisture to precipitation in oases of arid central Asia: a stable isotope approach. Water Resour Res 52(4):3246–3257

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams DG, Cable W, Hultine K, Hoedjes J, Yepez EA, Simonneaux V, Er-Raki S, Boulet G, Bruin H, Chehbouni A (2004) Evapotranspiration components determined by stable isotope, sap flow and eddy covariance techniques. Agricult Forest Meteorol 125(3–4):241–258

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zemp DC, Schleussner CF, Barbosa H, Ent R, Rammig A (2014) On the importance of cascading moisture recycling in South America. Atmos Chem Phys 14:17479–17526

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Q, Zhang J, Song G, Di X (2007) Research on atmospheric water-vapor distribution over qilianshan mountains. Acta Meteor Sin 65(4):633–643

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhao L, Liu X, Wang N, Kong Y, Song Y, He Z, Liu Q, Wang L (2019) Contribution of recycled moisture to local precipitation in the inland Heihe River Basin. Agric for Meteorol 271:316–335

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors much thank the colleagues in the Northwest Normal University and Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAREERI, CAS) for their help in fieldwork, laboratory analysis, and data processing.

Funding

This research was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41661005, 41867030, 41971036).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Geography and Environment Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, 730070, China

    Miaomiao Zhang, Wenxiong Jia, Guofeng Zhu, Yang Shi, Zhiyuan Zhang, Hui Xiong, Le Yang & Fuhua Zhang

  2. State Key Laboratory of Cryosphere Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China

    Guofeng Zhu

Authors
  1. Miaomiao Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Wenxiong Jia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Guofeng Zhu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Yang Shi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Zhiyuan Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Hui Xiong
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Le Yang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Fuhua Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

M.Z: conceptualization, writing—original draft, visualization. W.J: supervision, writing—review and editing. G.Z: resources, project administration, funding acquisition. Y.S: data curation, investigation. Z.Z: data curation, investigation. H.X: formal analysis, software. L.Y: formal analysis, validation. F.Z: formal analysis, supervision. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Wenxiong Jia.

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Not applicable.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Communicated by Philippe Garrigues.

Publisher's note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zhang, M., Jia, W., Zhu, G. et al. Contribution of recycled moisture to precipitation and its influencing factors in the subalpine zone of Qilian Mountains. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 45947–45959 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-19107-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-19107-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation