Precipitation and water stage variability under rapid developments of urbanization in Taihu Basin

Abstract. As one of the most developed regions in China, hydrological process of Taihu basin was influenced under rapid development of urbanization. Based on original gauge data and water stage correction data from Bureau of Hydrology, variability in precipitation and water stage was investigated by Mann–Kendall test. The results demonstrated that: (1) The highest water stage (HWS), lowest water stage (LWS), average water stage (AWS) of all months had increasing trends, especially significantly in non-flood season. The LWS also increased significantly in May, July, September, and November, while the AWS increased significantly in September and November. (2) Water diversion from Yangtze River to Taihu Basin and supplying to the downstream, had strong effects on water stage increase of Taihu Lake. Finally, recommendations based on the correlation between precipitation and water stage was proposed to protect effective utilization of water resources from the impacts of rapid urbanization.