The study looked at changes in water flow, rainfall, and temperature in the Tao'erhe River Basin from 1961 to 2000. They found that runoff varied over time, with some years having more water than others. Rainfall increased slightly, especially in December. The temperature also rose, especially in the second half of the period. The amount of natural runoff was linked to rainfall and temperature, but this connection weakened over time. Water use reduced the amount of water flowing in the river by about 21.2 mm per year from 1986 to 2000, which was about 37.1% of the average natural runoff over the 40-year period.