The influence from the shrinking cryosphere and strengthening evopotranspiration on hydrologic process in a cold basin, Qilian Mountains

•Water cycle has accelerated.•Meltwater contributed by 35% to runoff.•Evaporation accounts for 10% to precipitation.•Transpiration accounts for 17% to precipitation.

Under a warming climate, the cryosphere shrinking is accelerating and the evopotranspiration is strengthening, which have caused the spatial and temporal changes of water resources and water cycle in inland river basins. With a vast area of 1.0 × 104 km2 and an annual average evopotranspiration of 515 mm, the influence from recycling moisture to precipitation and the contribution from cryosphere meltwater to runoff have been quantified in source region of Heihe river basin at the central Qilian Mountains, where 365 glaciers locate within an area of 77.22 km2, whiles frozen soil accounts for 80% of the region. Results indicated that frozen soil meltwater and glacier snow meltwater have contributed by 28% and 7%, on average, to the outlet river water in the basin, respectively. It was founded that evaporation and transpiration moisture were responsible for 10% and 17%, on average, of local precipitation, respectively. These findings provide new progresses on isotopic hydrology of cold basin, which will strengthen further understanding on the role of frozen soil meltwater and local moisture recycling in the water cycle for inland river basins.