Hydrological connectivity is crucial for understanding water-ecosystem dynamics, as it serves as a key link between different landscape units. However, the variability of hydrological connectivity in Central Asia remains unexplored, which poses challenges to a comprehensive understanding of ecohydrological processes. This study investigates the spatiotemporal patterns and driving mechanisms of hydrological connectivity in the Tarim River Basin (TRB), Central Asia, from 1990 to 2020, employing a novel approach that integrates remote sensing and reanalysis data. The results indicate an increasing trend in the hydrological connectivity index (HCI), with approximately 60% of the TRB exhibiting significant increases. Climate change exerts the greatest direct (0.59) and total (0.64) effects on HCI, with potential evapotranspiration (19.2%) and temperature (12.6%) being the dominant factors. In mountainous regions, climate change (0.65) is the primary driver, while human activities have a greater impact in the plains (−0.27). These findings offer a new framework for studying ecohydrological processes in arid regions.

水文连通性对于理解水生态系统动态至关重要，因为它是不同景观单元之间的关键纽带。然而，中亚水文连通性的可变性仍未得到探索，这给全面理解生态水文过程带来了挑战。本研究调查了 1990 年至 2020 年中亚塔里木河流域 （TRB） 水文连通性的时空模式和驱动机制，采用了一种整合遥感和再分析数据的新方法。结果表明，水文连通性指数 （HCI） 呈上升趋势，大约 60% 的 TRB 表现出显着增加。气候变化对 HCI 的直接 （0.59） 和总 （0.64） 影响最大，潜在蒸散 （19.2%） 和温度 （12.6%） 是主导因素。在山区，气候变化 （0.65） 是主要驱动因素，而人类活动在平原地区的影响更大 （-0.27）。这些发现为研究干旱地区的生态水文过程提供了一个新的框架。