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The Interrelationship Between Climate Change, Human Activities and Hydrological Processes, 4th Edition

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water and Climate Change".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2026 | Viewed by 5146

Editors

Prof. Dr. Qianfeng Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Environment & Safety Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China
Interests: climate change; drought; remote sensing; vegetation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Haijun Deng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Geography, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350007, China
Interests: hydrology modeling; climate change; water resources; hydrology cycles
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Jinshi Jian

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Soil and Water Conservation Science and Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China
Interests: soil respiration; soil health; soil erosion; global climate change; soil carbon cycle
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Climate change affects hydrological processes through factors such as temperature, humidity and precipitation and, in the context of climate change, human activities will also cause corresponding hydrological effects. With the increase in social productivity, the increase in land use intensity and the increasingly complex forms of land use, the impact of land use/land cover changes on hydrology and water resources has gradually deepened. The changes in hydrological processes and their impact mechanisms are complex. On the one hand, climate change and human activities affect the hydrological process; on the other hand, changes in hydrological processes will further affect the climate and human activities. This bi-directionality and uncertainty make research more complicated and it is precisely because of this complexity that there have been many related studies. However, the questions of how climate change and human activities affect hydrological processes, and how hydrological processes react to climate change and human activities, still leave many issues to be resolved. Authors from hydrological research communities around the world are welcome to submit appropriate manuscripts. Topics to be addressed include, but are not limited to, the following:

  1. The hydrological effects of climate change and human activities;
  2. The influence of hydrological factors on climate and human activities;
  3. Hydrological processes and hydrological ecology;
  4. Interactions between climate change, human activities and hydrological processes;
  5. Drought or heatwave characteristics caused by climate change or human activities;
  6. Water security issues caused by climate change and human activities;
  7. Changes in the hydrological processes of vegetation, soil and rock caused by climate change and human activities.

Dr. Qianfeng Wang
Dr. Haijun Deng
Dr. Jinshi Jian
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • climate change
  • hydrological processes
  • water resources
  • vegetation
  • soil
  • rock
  • drought
  • heatwaves
  • mutual effects

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Related Special Issues

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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31 pages, 35805 KB  
Article
River–Canal Changes in the Middle Reaches of the Minjiang River (1644–1949): Spatiotemporal Evolution and Driving Mechanisms
by Yixun Yan, Tianhua Han and Qifan Dai
Water 2026, 18(13), 1575; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18131575 - 27 Jun 2026
Viewed by 514
Abstract
The middle reaches of the Minjiang River, shaped by the Dujiangyan irrigation system, provide a typical setting for studying long-term human–water interactions. During the Little Ice Age, the water management system as a whole experienced a full cycle of recovery, expansion, and decline [...] Read more.
The middle reaches of the Minjiang River, shaped by the Dujiangyan irrigation system, provide a typical setting for studying long-term human–water interactions. During the Little Ice Age, the water management system as a whole experienced a full cycle of recovery, expansion, and decline from 1644 to 1949 (Qing to Republican period), although subregions exhibited marked spatial heterogeneity. This heterogeneity makes the area an ideal case for comparative analysis; however, previous studies have neither quantitatively reconstructed river–canal changes nor systematically disentangled the composite natural and anthropogenic drivers across different subregions. Using archival documents, historical maps, remote sensing imagery, and water cultural heritage sites, this study reconstructs the evolution and quantifies two change types: anthropogenic construction, including new construction, reconstruction, and modification, and environmentally driven changes such as rerouting, damage, and maintenance. Correlations were analyzed among the four subregions: Inner River, Outer River, Nanhe River, and the Lower Basin to identify driving mechanisms. Results indicate that anthropogenic construction is constrained by natural conditions and driven by population growth, whereas environmentally driven changes are primarily caused by floods and worsened by canal head maintenance failure. The four spatially differentiated driving patterns are: Inner River—human-dominated intervention type; Outer River—flood stress type; Nanhe River—low-disturbance stable type; and Lower Basin—natural–human composite type. This study offers new insights into long-term human–water interactions in large irrigation districts under climate change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Interrelationship Between Climate Change, Human Activities and Hydrological Processes, 4th Edition)
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21 pages, 3210 KB  
Article
Disentangling Climatic and Anthropogenic Drivers of Vegetation Dynamics in the Upper Indus Basin Using Multi-Source Remote Sensing
by Khalil Ahmad, Shahbaz Ali, Anis Ur Rehman Khalil, Yongwei Liu, Fazli Hameed and Adil Dilawar
Water 2026, 18(12), 1451; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18121451 - 12 Jun 2026
Viewed by 504
Abstract
Vegetation change in cryosphere-affected mountain basins reflects interacting climate and human pressures but their relative influence remains uncertain in the Upper Indus Basin. The novelty of this study is the integration of satellite vegetation, climate variables, human pressure indicators, residual attribution and diagnostic [...] Read more.
Vegetation change in cryosphere-affected mountain basins reflects interacting climate and human pressures but their relative influence remains uncertain in the Upper Indus Basin. The novelty of this study is the integration of satellite vegetation, climate variables, human pressure indicators, residual attribution and diagnostic validation in a data-scarce high-mountain basin. We evaluated growing-season Normalized Difference Vegetation Index dynamics and associated drivers from 2001 to 2023 using trend analysis, correlation, Random Forest diagnostics, Sentinel 2 validation, and residual trend analysis. The results showed widespread greening across 96.59% of the basin, with stronger improvement in the lower and central areas. Significant greening covered 69.94% of the basin, while only 1.55% showed significant browning. Precipitation and temperature were predominantly positive drivers of vegetation change, whereas potential evapotranspiration and solar radiation were mostly negative. Soil moisture played a strong regulatory role along elevation gradients. Residual trend analysis provided approximate and method-dependent estimates of the possible anthropogenic influence on vegetation change at 73.09% and climatic drivers at 26.91% rather than direct causal decomposition. These values are approximate and method-dependent estimates, not direct causal decomposition. The findings highlight human-related greening in lower valleys and climate-controlled vegetation responses in high-mountain areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Interrelationship Between Climate Change, Human Activities and Hydrological Processes, 4th Edition)
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20 pages, 7220 KB  
Article
Comprehensive Analysis of Spatial–Temporal Patterns and Trends of Compound Drought and High Temperature Events from 1982 to 2023 Across China
by Xiyue Zheng, Yu Chen, Changtong Liu, Virgílio A. Bento, Xiaoping Wu, Rongrong Zhang, Junyu Qi and Qianfeng Wang
Water 2026, 18(8), 943; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18080943 - 15 Apr 2026
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 840
Abstract
Due to ongoing global warming, the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events have increased substantially. Compared to individual extremes, compound drought and high temperature (CDHT) events represent a major climate risk in China. However, their spatiotemporal characteristics remain insufficiently understood, particularly at [...] Read more.
Due to ongoing global warming, the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events have increased substantially. Compared to individual extremes, compound drought and high temperature (CDHT) events represent a major climate risk in China. However, their spatiotemporal characteristics remain insufficiently understood, particularly at fine temporal scales. To address this gap, this study systematically investigated CDHT events across China from 1982 to 2023. Methodologically, CDHT events were identified at the raster level by combining an improved daily Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) with daily maximum temperature using a quantile relative dynamic threshold. The results show strong spatial heterogeneity: the longest event durations are primarily observed in Xizang, while higher event severity is concentrated in regions south of 30° N. Trend analysis reveals a widespread increase in the duration, frequency, and severity of CDHT events across most of China, with the most pronounced intensification detected in Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, and Yunnan. Overall, these findings highlight a clear climate-driven intensification of CDHT events, offering new insights into their spatiotemporal dynamics. The results offer a robust scientific basis for improving risk assessment and developing targeted adaptation strategies to mitigate the impacts of compound climate extremes in China. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Interrelationship Between Climate Change, Human Activities and Hydrological Processes, 4th Edition)
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26 pages, 16941 KB  
Article
Study on the Influence Mechanism of Extreme Precipitation on Rice Yield in Hunan from 2000 to 2023 and the Countermeasures of Agricultural Production
by Fengqiuli Zhang, Yuman Zhang, Keding Sheng, Tongde Chen, Jianjun Li, Lingling Wang, Chunjing Zhao, Jiarong Hou and Xingshuai Mei
Water 2026, 18(1), 120; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18010120 - 4 Jan 2026
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 999
Abstract
Hunan Province from 2000 to 2023 is the study area. Based on NOAA precipitation data and county-level rice yield statistics in Hunan Province, the Mann–Kendall test, extreme precipitation indices, and wavelet analysis examine the spatial and temporal evolution characteristics of extreme precipitation and [...] Read more.
Hunan Province from 2000 to 2023 is the study area. Based on NOAA precipitation data and county-level rice yield statistics in Hunan Province, the Mann–Kendall test, extreme precipitation indices, and wavelet analysis examine the spatial and temporal evolution characteristics of extreme precipitation and its multi-scale impact on rice yield. The results show that the extreme precipitation in Hunan Province showed a stable pattern of fluctuation, and the main extreme precipitation indexes had no significant change trend. The spatial distribution showed a pattern of “high value in central-northern Hunan and stable in southern Hunan”, and the precipitation was concentrated in June–August. The rice yield showed the characteristics of “stable increase in the core area, intensified fluctuation in the transition area, and continuous shrinkage in the marginal area”, and the Dongting Lake Plain was a high-yield and stable area. Multi-scale analysis shows significant coupling between extreme precipitation and yield: in the 4–8-year cycle, the peak value of precipitation lags behind the response of 1–2 years, and changes synchronously in a short period. The response of rice to extreme precipitation showed a threshold-type nonlinear characteristic. Moderate wetting was beneficial to stable yield, while the yield decreased significantly when the intensity or continuous precipitation exceeded the threshold. Hunan’s rice system has strong climate resilience but requires a multi-scale climate-adaptive agricultural system via engineering, technology, and policy for long-term stability and sustainable grain production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Interrelationship Between Climate Change, Human Activities and Hydrological Processes, 4th Edition)
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Review

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30 pages, 7997 KB  
Review
A Synthesis of Compound Drought in Africa: Mechanisms, Hotspots, Impacts, and Future Projections
by Oluwafemi E. Adeyeri
Water 2026, 18(9), 1040; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18091040 - 27 Apr 2026
Viewed by 1465
Abstract
Across Africa, drought seldom occurs alone. Rainfall deficits often coincide with heat, rapid soil moisture loss and reduced streamflow, producing compound events whose impacts exceed those of any single driver. This review synthesises station observations, satellite and reanalysis products, and climate model simulations [...] Read more.
Across Africa, drought seldom occurs alone. Rainfall deficits often coincide with heat, rapid soil moisture loss and reduced streamflow, producing compound events whose impacts exceed those of any single driver. This review synthesises station observations, satellite and reanalysis products, and climate model simulations to clarify where such events are most common, how they form, how they affect societies and ecosystems, and how risks are changing. A practical tiered definition tailored to African conditions is outlined and applied to identify five recurrent hotspots: the Sahel, the Greater Horn of Africa, southern Africa, the margins of the Congo Basin and the Guinea Coast. The review sets out a physically consistent sequence that links basin-scale sea surface temperature anomalies to shifts in monsoon circulation, and then to land processes that amplify and prolong heat and dryness through reduced evapotranspiration and soil-moisture memory. Documented impacts include lower crop and pasture productivity, pressure on rivers, reservoirs and groundwater, stress on hydropower and wider consequences for food and energy security. Compound drought frequency across these hotspots has risen by 18–55% since 1980, with the probability of the most severe events roughly doubling at 1.5 °C of global warming and tripling at 3 °C. The review highlights near-term priorities, including compound-aware monitoring, sub-seasonal-to-seasonal early warning and conjunctive water management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Interrelationship Between Climate Change, Human Activities and Hydrological Processes, 4th Edition)
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