Abstract
Under the context of global climate change exacerbating water resource crises in arid and semi‐arid mountainous regions, the scientific assessment and development of cloud water resources (CWR) are of great significance for regional water security and ecological safety. Based on a high‐resolution CWR diagnostic dataset of China from 2000 to 2024, this study quantitatively evaluates the spatiotemporal distribution and development potential of CWR in the Bayinbuluke alpine basin (BAB)—a typical arid zone in Central Asia. The main findings are as follows: (1) Over the past 25 years, the average annual total hydrometeor mass (cloud water) in this region were about 56.89 billion tons (equivalent to a water depth of ~86.4 mm per unit area), of which about 17.32 billion tons (~239.5 mm) formed surface precipitation. The precipitation efficiency of hydrometeors was about 30.5%, with a slow renewal cycle of ~10.8 h; (2) The average annual aerial CWR (i.e., total hydrometeors minus precipitation) in the mountainous area was about 39.56 billion tons, showing significant seasonal variations—most abundant in summer, followed by spring, and least in winter, consistent with the seasonal distribution of precipitation; (3) Considering the demand and technical methods for cloud water resource development, and after excluding days without precipitation and days with heavy precipitation, the developable potential of CWR is estimated to account for 32.8%–50.5% of the total, that is, ~12.98–19.98 billion tons per year (about 179.4–276.2 mm/year). The study recommends implementing regular cold‐cloud seeding (rain/snow enhancement) operations from May to October each year to improve the effective utilization of CWR. This research provides a scientific basis for water resource management in the BAB and serves as a reference for CWR development in similar arid and semi‐arid regions globally.