Река Тарим: История, География и Гидрология

It is the longest inland river in China. The Tarim River originates from the Karakoram Mountains and flows into Lop Nur along the northern edge of the Taklimakan Desert. It has a total length of 2,327 kilometers and a drainage area of 1.02 million square kilometers. Its main tributaries include the Hotan River, the Aksu River, and the Kashgar River. The course of the Tarim River swings from north to south in history, and its migration is uncertain. The last major river change occurred in 1921, when the main stream was diverted to the east and flowed into Lop Nur through the Kongque River. In 1952, a dam was built near Yuli County, separated from the Kongque River, and the river water returned to Taitma Lake and Lop Nur through the old road of Tieganlik.

The Greek geographer Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD called the Tarim River the Oichardes River in his book "Geography". "Shui Jing Zhu" is called the South River. In the Northern dynasties, Sui and Tang dynasties, the Tarim River was called Ji style water, Ji shu water and Ji shou water. The Qing dynasty's "Map of the Western Regions" called it "Erse Gol", which means "flowing water" in Mongolian. According to the "Draft of Qing History", the name of the river Tarim means "horse without reins", which describes the river's frequent diversion. In the 24th year of the reign of Emperor Jiaqing of the Qing dynasty (1819), Xu Song wrote in "The Record of the Waterways of the Western Regions": "The Hui language (Uyghur language) refers to the 'cultivable land' called Tarim, and it is said that the people living in the riverside are farming for their business." The Tarim River Basin belongs to the inland river basin, which originates from the inland rivers in the mountains around the Tarim Basin and flows into the basin, forming a centripetal water system. The river system of the Tarim River Basin is composed of 144 rivers originating from the Tianshan Mountains, the Pamir Plateau, the Karakoram Mountains, the Kunlun Mountains and the Altun Mountains around the Tarim Basin. River system, Weigan river system, Aksu river system, Kashgar river system, Yarkand river system, Hotan river system, Keriya river system, Cheerchen river system. The water source of the Tarim River completely comes from the tributaries originating from the surrounding mountainous areas, and the sediment content is very high. The average annual water volume of the Tarim River at the confluence of the three major sources is 4.299 billion cubic meters, of which the Aksu River is 3.358 billion cubic meters, the Yeerqiang River is 23 million cubic meters, and the Hotan River 918 million cubic meters. In the downstream, 212 million cubic meters are introduced from the Kongque River, and the total water volume of the main stream is 4.511 billion cubic meters. At the same time, the amount of water varies greatly due to seasonal differences. In summer, snow and glaciers melt, which increases the amount of water and decreases in winter. The Tarim River is a naturally dissipative river in history, with an average annual water consumption of 1.669 billion cubic meters in the upper reaches, 2.296 billion cubic meters in the middle reaches, and only 633 million cubic meters of water entering the downstream. The distribution of glacier runoff is uneven throughout the year. The water inflow from June to September accounts for 70% 80% of the annual runoff, and most of them are floods; the irrigation season from March to May only accounts for about 10% of the annual runoff. is likely to cause spring drought. A third river, the Khotan River, comes to the same junction area from the south but it is usually dry at this location, having crossed the Taklamakan Desert to get here. Another river of western Xinjiang is the Kashgar River, which flows into the Yarkand River during the rainy season about upstream from the Yarkand's confluence with the Aksu. It is the Tarim's most important tributary, supplying 70–80 percent of its water volume. Prior to the completion of reservoirs and irrigation works in the mid 20th century, the Tarim's waters eventually reached Lop Nur (now a salt encrusted lake bed). The
river's waters now drain intermittently into Taitema Lake, which is located about southwest of Lop Nur. The Tarim River is frequently diverted, the river has a large sediment content, and the erosion and deposition change frequently. The Tarim River Basin is a corridor like distribution of the largest primitive Populus euphratica forest in the world. There are many sandy plants such as Haloxylon, licorice, tamarisk and camel thorn in the forest. Hundreds of wild animals such as Tarim red deer, wild Bactrian camels, goose throated antelopes, whooper swans and egrets are raised. At present, the Populus euphratica forest belt in the lower reaches is disappearing continuously due to the cut off of the Tarim River and the decrease of water volume. The Tarim River flows through the desert area, and the riverbed is generally silt and sandy loam, which is easily washed away. The upper and middle reaches of the river bed are generally more than 1 km wide, the widest is nearly 4 km, and the downstream river bed is generally 200–300 meters wide. The Tarim River is a primitive river with few dikes along the river, and it is allowed to overflow during flood periods. Wild plants grow densely in the floodplain area, including Populus euphratica, red willows and various pastures. In the middle reaches of the river, the terrain is gentle and there are many depressions, the water flow is scattered, interspersed with each other, the water network is disordered, the meanders are developed, and the water and grass lakes are connected.

Some Chinese originally considered the Tarim to be the upper course of the Yellow River but, by the time of the Former Han dynasty (125 BCE–23 CE), it was known that it drains into Lop Nur, a series of salt lakes.

Baumer, Christoph. 2000. Southern Silk Road: In the Footsteps of Sir Aurel Stein and Sven Hedin. White Orchid Books. Bangkok. Mallory, J. P. and Mair, Victor H. 2000. The Tarim Mummies: Ancient China and the Mystery of the Earliest Peoples from the West. Thames & Hudson. London.