Spatial Heterogeneity of Embedded Water Consumption from the Perspective of Virtual Water Surplus and Deficit in the Yellow River Basin, China

Virtual water trade (VWT) provides a new perspective for alleviating water crisis and has thus attracted widespread attention. However, the heterogeneity of virtual water trade inside and outside the river basin and its influencing factors remains further study. In this study, for better investigating the pattern and heterogeneity of virtual water trade inside and outside provincial regions along the Yellow River Basin in 2015 using the input-output model (MRIO), we proposed two new concepts, i.e., virtual water surplus and virtual water deficit, and then used the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) model to identify the inherent mechanism of the imbalance of virtual water trade between provincial regions along the Yellow River Basin and the other four regions in China. The results show that: 1) in provincial regions along the Yellow River Basin, the less developed the economy was, the larger the contribution of the agricultural sector in virtual water trade, while the smaller the contribution of the industrial sector. 2) Due to the large output of agricultural products, the upstream and midstream provincial regions of the Yellow River Basin had a virtual water surplus, with a net outflow of virtual water of 2.7 × 10⁸ m³ and 0.9 × 10⁸ m³, respectively. 3) provincial regions along the Yellow River Basin were in a virtual water deficit with the rest of China, and the decisive factor was the active degree of trade with the outside. This study would be beneficial to illuminate the trade-related water use issues in provincial regions along the Yellow River Basin, which has far-reaching practical significance for alleviating water scarcity.