Modelling crop water footprint and virtual water flow in the Yellow River Basin using the SWAT model

• Published in: Guanʻgai paishui xuebao Vol. 44; no. 2; pp. 19 - 26
• Main Authors: ZI Tiantian, LIU Jing, XUAN Keyang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Chinese
• Published: Science Press 01.02.2025
• Subjects: water footprint; virtual water flow; swat model; yellow river basin; crops
• DOI: 10.13522/j.cnki.ggps.2024311
• ISSN: 1672-3317

【Objective】 The Yellow River Basin, the second largest in China, plays a crucial role in food production in the country. In this paper, we analyze the spatiotemporal variations in agricultural water use efficiency and calculate water resource flow patterns and their optimal allocation at watershed scale in the basin. 【Method】 Using the SWAT model, the basin was divided into sub-basin units to calculate crop water footprints. Virtual water flows were analyzed using social equity principles and the gravitational force method. 【Result】In 2020, the total crop water footprint in the basin was 76.91 billion m3, with green water accounting for 69.7%. The middle reaches contributed the largest to the total water footprint, significantly surpassing upstream and downstream regions. Both blue and green water footprints exhibited seasonal variation, peaking between May and August. The average water footprint for crop production was 0.72 m3/kg, with notable spatial differences: high in the Northern regions and low in the