Return
Analysis of spatiotemporal evolution and meteorological–hydrological coupling of drought–flood abrupt alternation events in the Yangtze River Basin during 1980–2024
Z
K
J
C
Z
Y
L
G
J
DOI:10.1016/j.accre.2026.08.006.png)
Abstract
En 中文
Drought–flood abrupt alternation (DFAA) events are sequential compound hydroclimatic extremes characterised by rapid transitions between dry and wet conditions and influenced by both climate change and human activities. They pose substantial challenges to water security in large river basins and have therefore attracted increasing scientific attention. However, the mechanism linking meteorological drivers to hydrological responses remains insufficiently understood. This study applied both long- and short-cycle Drought–Flood Abrupt Alternation Indices (DFAIs) to analyse the spatiotemporal evolution and meteorological–hydrological coupling of DFAA events in the Yangtze River Basin during 1980–2024. The results showed that meteorological DFAA events occurred at a high intensity in the middle Yangtze River Basin and high frequency in the lower reaches, averaging 2.98 and 37.04%, respectively. In contrast, hydrological responses showed an almost opposite spatial pattern, with relatively frequent flood-to-drought (FTD) events in the upper reaches and high-intensity but low-frequency FTD events downstream. The long-cycle DFAI generally declined, increasing only at Beibei and Hukou. Instead of a systematic rise in frequency under climate warming, DFAA changes were marked by intensified extremes in individual years, with mean and 90th-percentile intensities increasing by 9.28% and 25.17%, respectively. Danjiangkou station showed the strongest meteorological–hydrological DFAA coupling, with significant positive correlations in both intensity and frequency (r = 0.53–0.63). These findings reveal that DFAA events represent coupled climate–hydrology transition processes in which meteorological anomalies are transformed into hydrological responses through spatially heterogeneous basin processes. As such, the results advance our understanding of how flood–drought transitions evolve across large river basins.
Keywords:
Drought–flood abrupt alternation
Spatiotemporal variation
The Yangtze River Basin
AI Summary
Key information extracted from the uploaded paper, including a brief overview, abstract, background, key highlights, visual analysis, and future outlook.
Journal
IF:
5.2
Papers:
706
Citations:
3.0K
