Diao, W.; Zhao, Y.; Zhai, J.; He, F.; Wang, Q., and He, G., 2019. Impact of land cover change trajectories on water cycle dynamics in the Jing-Jin-Ji region, China, from 2000 to 2015. In: Yu, T.-S. (ed.), Environmental Sustainability: Water Resources Integrated Management and the Development of Coastal Environments. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 96, pp. 76–83. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.

Terrestrial water cycle refers to the circulation of water on Earth from evapotranspiration (E) to precipitation (P). The water cycle can vary spatially as it is influenced by both climate and human activities. In this study, we examined the effects of different land-use conversion processes on water cycle dynamics in the Jing-Jin-Ji region of China from 2000 to 2015. To isolate the influence of individual factors on water cycle dynamics, we used ΔE+ΔP as an index, where positive values indicated an acceleration of the water cycle, and negative values indicated a deceleration. The contributions of land-cover change were isolated using the trajectory method. There were eight water cycle dynamics patterns—four accelerations and four decelerations—affecting 99.59% of the total study area. Increased evapotranspiration and decreased precipitation were the major water cycle processes, affecting 70.03% of the total study area. Differences in land cover resulted in both positive and negative water cycle dynamics depending on the land transformation over the study period. Urbanization weakened the water cycle, and the earlier that it occurred, the more obvious the weakening effect. For other land-cover conversions, cropland displayed heterogeneity by both weakening and accelerating the water cycle. This study provides insights into water cycle dynamics for water resource managers in varying environments.