Impacts of Climate and Land Use/Land Cover Change on Water Yield Services in Heilongjiang Province

Abstract

The Heilongjiang Province is the region in China with the highest grain production and the most significant ecological security barrier in the northern part of the country. In recent years, the growing necessity for water in human production and life has intensified water resource conflicts. In order to identify a solution to this situation, the InVEST model’s water yield module is employed to simulate the water yield in Heilongjiang Province in 2000, 2010, and 2020. The water yield in Heilongjiang Province from 2000 to 2020 is evaluated, and the scenario simulation method is employed to investigate the impact of climate change and land use type changes on water yield. The results indicate that from 2000 to 2020, the annual precipitation in Heilongjiang Province increased from 490 mm in 2000 to 764 mm in 2020. The spatial distribution shows a west–high and east–low pattern, with Jixi City having the highest average annual precipitation and the Greater Khingan region having the lowest. During the period of 2000–2020, woodland had the highest proportion, followed by arable land, while built-up land had the smallest proportion. The conversion of unused land and woodland represents the primary driver of the expansion in farmland areas, while the conversion of water bodies accounts for the majority of the growth in the area of unused land. The areas of woodland and water bodies exhibited a slight decrease. The order of water yield of land use types, from the greatest to the least, is as follows: built-up land, unused land, farmland, grassland, woodland, and water bodies. The main factor affecting changes in precipitation levels in the province is climate change, which contributed up to 99.58% during the period 2000–2020. In contrast, changes in land use types contributed a mere 0.42%. The sustained expansion of the urban population in Heilongjiang province has resulted in an augmented water yield in select regions.