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Arid Land Geography ›› 2025, Vol. 48 ›› Issue (11): 1951-1960.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000-6060.2024.757

• Hydrology and Water Resoures • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Characteristics and influencing factors of agricultural water consumption in the Tarim River Basin

LIU Wenjun1,2,3(), HU Keke1,2,3, SU Litan1,3(), JIN Lei1,2,3   

  1. 1. State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, Xinjiang, China
    2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
    3. Aksu National Station of Observation and Research for Oasis Agro-ecosystem, Aksu 843017, Xinjiang, China
  • Received:2024-12-10 Revised:2025-02-12 Online:2025-11-25 Published:2025-11-26
  • Contact: SU Litan E-mail:liuwenjun231@mails.ucas.ac.cn;sulitan@ms.xjb.ac.cn

Abstract:

Efficient agricultural water consumption is key to achieving sustainable agricultural development and managing agricultural water resources. This study investigated agricultural water consumption in the Tarim River Basin, Xinjiang, China from 2000 to 2020. Methods, such as imbalance index determination, information entropy theory, and principal component analysis, were used to evaluate structural characteristics, spatiotemporal evolution patterns, and factors influencing agricultural water consumption. The findings revealed that (1) In terms of time, agricultural water consumption in the Tarim River Basin first increased and then decreased, rising from 107.3×108 m3 to 187.8×108 m3, reaching its peak at 203×108 m3 in 2016. Spatially, water consumption was higher in the west and lower in the east, with a higher consumption in the north and lower in the south of the Tarim River Basin. (2) Agricultural water consumption and water resources exhibited low compatibility in the Tarim River Basin. Only the Keriya River Basin and Dina River Basin had compatible water resources and consumption, whereas the rest of the basin faced a mismatch. (3) The information entropy of crop water consumption in the Tarim River Basin increased from 2000 to 2009, decreased from 2010 to 2014, reaching the lowest entropy in the study period in 2014, and then increased again from 2015 to 2020. (4) The primary drivers for changes in agricultural water consumption in the Tarim River Basin were agricultural production conditions and economic factors. This study provides a scientific reference for adjusting the planting structure and managing water resources in the Tarim River Basin.

Key words: agricultural water consumption, spatiotemporal changes, agricultural water resource management, Tarim River Basin