RESEARCH ON THE RUNOFF OF ARID DESERT GRASSLANDS UNDER CHANGING ENVIRONMENTS IN CHINA

Reasonable allocation of water resources in dryland pastures plays a decisive role in local ecological protection and economic development. Changes in the local climate and vegetation have a direct impact on the local runoff. With Darhan Muminggan Joint Banner (DM Banner) as the study area in China, we made use of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) hydrological model, calibrated and fitted the parameters into the model according to the local meteorological statistics and data on land utilization, soil texture and runoff. After fitting and calibration, we built a SWAT model for arid desert grasslands to simulate and forecast re-distribution of water resources in the study area under changes in the climate and vegetation. This study is expected to provide technical support for reasonable development and utilization of water resources in dryland pastures as well as ecological recovery in Inner Mongolia of China.