Drought events are the primary cause of the decline in water storage in the Yellow River Basin

Yellow River Basin The water resource patterns in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) have undergone significant changes. This study, based on multi-source data, retrieves and calculates Terrestrial Water Storage Anomalies (TWSA) and Water Scarcity Drought Index (WSDI) data to identify TWSA and hydrological drought events in the YRB,while comprehensively analyzing the natural and anthropogenic factors influencing TWS changes.Finally, the mechanisms leading to irreversible reductions in TWSA during drought periods are explored. Both TWSA and Groundwater Storage anomalies (GWSA) in the YRB continue to decline at rates of −4.70 mm/a and −10.59 mm/a, respectively.Notably, 61.2 % of the water storage loss occurred during drought events.The groundwater overexploitation during droughts creates persistent deficits, leading the basin into long-term hydrological drought.Analysis using different drought indices reveals that hydrological drought has decoupled from meteorological drought since 2016,with human activities becoming the primary driver of hydrological drought.Regarding the factors influencing water storage, the correlation with human activity factors is significantly higher than with climatic factors.Moreover, a distinct ecological restoration paradox has emerged in the YRB: increases in ecological water use and NDVI have paradoxically exacerbated TWS loss.Trade-offs between anthropogenic water use, water resources, and ecology during droughts are crucial for the sustainable development of the YRB. • Yellow River Basin's water storage has decreased significantly (TWSA, −4.70 mm/a; GWSA, −10.59 mm/a). • 61.2 % of the water storage loss in the basin occurred during dry periods. • Since 2016, anthropogenic hydrological drought has decoupled from meteorological drought.