Shule River
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it remains largely unverified because it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (November 2010) |
| Shule Changma | |
|---|---|
 Headwaters of the Shule river | |
 Map of the Shule River drainage basin | |
| Native name | 疏勒河 (Shūlè Hé), 昌马河 (Chāngmǎ Hé) |
| Location | |
| Country | China |
| State | Qinghai, Gansu, Xinjiang |
| Cities | Yuanquan, Dunhuang |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | An unnamed glacier |
| • location | Qilian Shan, Qinghai |
| • coordinates | 38°14′39″N 98°51′45″E / 38.24417°N 98.86250°E |
| • elevation | 5,000 m (16,000 ft) |
| Mouth | Lop Nur basin |
• location | Kumtag Desert, Xinjiang |
• coordinates | 40°01′27″N 90°50′52″E / 40.02417°N 90.84778°ECoordinates: 40°01′27″N 90°50′52″E / 40.02417°N 90.84778°E |
• elevation | 789 m (2,589 ft) |
| Length | 770 km (480 mi) |
| Basin size | 102,300 km2 (39,500 sq mi)(Contributing area only about 20,197 km2/7,798 mi2)[1] |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Changma Reservoir[2] |
| • average | 28.8 m3/s (1,020 cu ft/s)[3] |
| • minimum | 0 m3/s (0 cu ft/s) |
| • maximum | 1,620 m3/s (57,000 cu ft/s)[4] |
| Basin features | |
| River system | Taklamakan Desert basin |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Lucao River, Dang River |
The Shule River is a river of the northern Tibetan Plateau and Hexi Corridor of northwestern China. It starts in the Qilian Mountains and flows north then west for about 770 kilometres (480 mi).[5] Historically, the river flowed seasonally into Lop Nur, an intermittent salt lake in the Taklimakan Desert. Due to large irrigation diversions and the gradual desertification of the region, the river dries up about two-thirds of the way along its course in the Kumtag Desert.[6]
Course[]
It rises as glacier melt in a valley on the northern side of the Qilian Mountains or Nan Shan, on the Tibetan Plateau of extreme northern Qinghai province. In its upper third the river flows generally NNW through deep, glacier-carved valleys and precipitous gorges into Gansu Province, and is known as the Changma. It comes out of the mountains in Guazhou County, and spreads onto a massive inland delta or alluvial fan. Now known as the Shule proper, the river turns due west into an agricultural valley, where most of its water is taken away for irrigation and industrial use. North of Dunhuang, the largest city in the river's basin, it disappears into the desert. The dry river channel stretches about 100 kilometres (62 mi) further WSW to the seasonal Lop Nur basin, which comprises intermittent salt flats, playas and marshes.
Watershed[]
Geography[]
The Shule's drainage basin covers about 102,300 km2 (39,500 sq mi) of land, with only 20,197 km2 (7,798 sq mi) contributing significant water flow. There are many other valleys and basins that would drain into the river during extreme floods, but because of the aridity of the region, high flow events are rare. The average precipitation in the watershed is 200 to 300 mm (7.9 to 11.8 in) per year. In the high mountain areas it can be up to 800 mm (31 in), mostly in the form of snow. In the deserts to the north annual precipitation is usually below 100 mm (3.9 in) and in some years, no rain falls at all.
Most of the Shule's water arises from glaciers. There are 347 glaciers in the upstream catchment area of the river encompassing a total area of 29.45 km2 (11.37 sq mi). The annual runoff is approximately 1.083 km3 (878,000 acre⋅ft), ranging from a low of 0.536 km3 (435,000 acre⋅ft) to a high of 1.507 km3 (1,222,000 acre⋅ft).[7] Warming temperatures are reducing the size of glaciers feeding the river and may lead to future reductions in water flow.
River modifications[]
The river valley is intensely cultivated and its flow is regulated by two reservoirs, Changma and Shuangta. There are also more than three additional hydropower/diversion dams on the river. The entire flow of the Shule is diverted directly downstream of the mountains into a canal that runs north-northeast across the delta, supplying farms in the valley to the north. This water is eventually returned to the river, but irrigation usage has caused the river to dry up well before its historic terminus. It is surmised that a few thousand years ago, the region was cooler and wetter, and the river had significantly more flow than it does today.
See also[]
References[]
- ^ 程国栋, 本格森, 雷志栋 (2005). Proceedings of the International Symposium on Sustainable Water Resources Management and Oasis-hydrosphere-desert Interaction in Arid Regions. 清华大学出版社. p. 86. ISBN 7-302-12608-9.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
- ^ Proceedings of the International Symposium on Sustainable Water Resources Management and Oasis-hydrosphere-desert Interaction in Arid Regions, p. 61
- ^ Proceedings of the International Symposium on Sustainable Water Resources Management and Oasis-hydrosphere-desert Interaction in Arid Regions, p. 61
- ^ Zhao, Shougang; Zhang, Jungxia; Qiao, Ruishe (2010). "Analysis of Deformation and Stress-Strain Monitoring for Changma Dam". Applied Mechanics and Materials. 36. pp. 151–156.
- ^ https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Location-map-of-Shule-River-Basin_fig1_331538175
- ^ Zhang, Yushu; Li, Xiangyun; Wang, Lixin; Zhang, Hongqi (2003-07-14). "Impact of environmental factor variation on desertification: an example from the Shule River Area (Proceedings Paper)". Ecosystems Dynamics, Ecosystem-Society Interactions, and Remote Sensing Applications for Semi-Arid and Arid Land.
- ^ Zhou, Jiaxin; Wu, Jinkui; Liu, Shiwei; Zeng, Guoxiong; Qin, Jia; Wang, Xiuna; Zhao, Qiudong (2015). "Hydrograph Separation in the Headwaters of the Shule River Basin: Combining Water Chemistry and Stable Isotopes". Advances in Meteorology. 2015: 1–10. doi:10.1155/2015/830306.
- Rivers of Qinghai
- Rivers of Gansu