水资源是人类社会生存和发展的物质基础,水资源问题是涉及到包括人口、经济、社会与环境的一个复杂巨系统。在对水资源的概念及其自然、经济和社会等属性综述的基础上,详细论述了水资源与水文循环、水量平衡结构、人口、经济、社会与环境等的相互关系,并以黄河流域水资源问题为例,说明目前阶段的水资源问题与人口、经济发展、社会与环境的联系愈加紧密。在上述分析的基础上,作者认为水资源承载力是刻画水资源与区域人口、经济、社会与环境复杂关系的一个很好的分析途径,并进一步明晰了水资源承载力的概念和研究方向。

Water resources serve as the material base of the existence and development of human beings.It is a huge complicated system involving population,economy,society and environment.Water resources and water cycle are the keys in the system.Based on the summarization of the water resources concept and its attribute of nature,economy and society,this paper discusses the relationships between water resources and water cycle,water-balance structure,population,economy,society and environment in details.The paper also emphasizes the interactions of water cycle and water balance,water resources utilization and evaluation,economic activity,and water resources carrying capacity.Given an example of the Yellow River valley,the paper states that there is a closer relationship between water resources,population,economy,society and environment.The author gives a definite concept and connotation of water resources carrying capacity on the base of summing up the former studies.Summarizing the model system of water resources carrying capacity,the author also points out that it is very essential to use the system to depict the complex relationship between water resources and other four aspects,namely population,economy,society and environment.Considering the problem from the viewpoint of the regional sustainable development and alleviating the benefit conflict of distribution of water resources,we should clarify the following aspects:water demands for ecological environment,including rivers,animals,plants and land;water demands for population and social-economic development;and water environment capacity that can tolerate certain amount of pollutants.So,in order to promote the sustainable development of population,economy,society and environment,it is of great significance to simulate and predict the evolvement of the huge complex system with the combination of remote sensing,GIS and modern math theory,seek a reasonable allocation of water resources carrying capacity,and study the enhanced module of water resources carrying capacity.