Quantifying the potential of cloud water resource exploitation to mitigate water scarcity in Xinjiang

Study region Xinjiang, Northwest China. Study focus Water scarcity severely constrains Xinjiang’s ecological and socio-economic development. While exploiting cloud water is a strategic solution, quantifying its grid-scale impact on the Water Scarcity Index (WSI) is difficult due to complex land-surface feedbacks. This study develops an integrated gridded framework using a novel Supply-Demand Match Index (SDMI) to quantify the spatial alignment between cloud water potential and water scarcity pressure. By coupling reanalysis data with multi-scenario simulations, the framework establishes a quantitative benchmark for evaluating water allocation efficiency in arid regions. New hydrological insights for the region Scarcity peaks in spring and summer, with high-stress zones (WSI > 2) covering ∼45% of Xinjiang, primarily in the south. We identified a 15–20% precipitation enhancement threshold as critical. At this intensity, mitigation efficiency is optimal in northern Xinjiang during spring and summer, where ΔWSI reaches 1.3–1.7, whereas efficiency is lower in the south and during cold seasons. While summer Cloud Water Path (CWP) varies (0.02–0.13 mm), favorable supply-demand matching (SDMI ≥ 0.7) is concentrated in the north. Findings demonstrate that cloud water exploitation significantly alleviates engineering-induced shortages and ecological water competition, supporting climate adaptation and sustainable water management.