How Many Check Dams Do We Need To Build on the Loess Plateau?

Jing-bo, Zhao; Cui, Buli; Song, Yi; Shi, Weiyu; Wang, Kaibo; Wang, Yi; Liang, Jing

doi:10.1021/es302835r

Cited by 74 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…The Yellow River is commonly held to be the birthplace of Chinese civilization, and the Yellow River is one of the rivers with the highest sand content in the world. In recent decades, in order to effectively control soil erosion and restore ecosystems, the government has adopted various water-saving measures and policies-such as building silt dams [24,25], reservoirs [26], and terraces [21]-and other ecological measures and the policy of returning farmland to forests [27,28]. These measures have altered the process of sediment supply in natural watersheds and the geomorphology of rivers, thereby affecting the connectivity of runoff, soil erosion, water, and sediment transport and drastically reducing sediment load in the Yellow River watershed [29].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Socio-Economic Factors on Sediment Load: A Case Study of the Yanhe River Watershed

Zhong

Jiang

et al. 2020

Sustainability

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Under the influence of climate change and human activities, sediment load in rivers has changed significantly, which has a profound impact on the stability of ecosystems and the sustainable development of human beings. Taking the Yanhe River watershed as a case, this paper expounds the dynamic relationship among the Grain for Green Project, social and economic development, population migration, and sediment transport. The variability of sediment load was detected by Pettitt test, the double cumulative curve method, and the regression analysis method, and the effects of climate and human activities on sediment load were quantitatively analyzed. The results showed that 1) from 1956 to 2016, the precipitation of Yanhe River watershed rose slightly in the past 10 years, but the sediment load decreased significantly; 1996 was identified as the catastrophic year of the study period, when the contribution of climate change and human activity to reduced sediment load was 14.1% and 85.9%, respectively. 2) The Grain for Green Project increased the vegetation coverage of the study area from 40.6% to 78.5%. 3) The proportion of agricultural GDP in total GDP decreased from 52.26% to 7.3%, and the proportion of agricultural GDP was positively correlated with sediment transport and cultivated land area (p < 0.01). 4) Population migration resulted in the urbanization rate reaching 40.23%, and the urbanization rate is negatively correlated with sediment load and cultivated land area (p < 0.01), while the cultivated land area is positively correlated with sediment load (p < 0.01). The decrease of cultivated land area makes the sediment load gradually decrease. Therefore, socio-economic factors promote the sustainable development of the river basin.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Socio-Economic Factors on Sediment Load: A Case Study of the Yanhe River Watershed

Zhong

Jiang

et al. 2020

Sustainability

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“…By 2005, >120;000 check dams have been built on the Loess Plateau over the past 50 years and approximately 21 billion m 3 of sediments have been captured by these dams. 10 Although considerable studies have been conducted as mentioned above, the locations, storage capacities, and outflow methods have not been inventoried and documented. Thus, further understanding the mechanisms on the hydrological effects of check dams was impossible.…”

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confidence: 99%

Check dam identification using multisource data and their effects on streamflow and sediment load in a Chinese Loess Plateau catchment

Tian

Zhao

et al. 2013

J. Appl. Remote Sens

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Abstract. During the recent six decades, numerous check dams have been constructed for soil erosion control and agricultural production, and have become the key measure for soil and water conservation in the Loess Plateau. Obtaining check dam information is very important for soil erosion control and river basin management. This study utilizes remote-sensing images in conjunction with Google Earth images and field survey to derive the spatial distribution of the check dams in the Huangfuchuan catchment. Multisource data including topographic maps, Landsat images, and images from Google Earth are collected for check dam identification. The results are verified based on a field survey. The water surface area of the check dams derives from in situ measurement and images present good relationship with the high correlation coefficient of 0.96. Furthermore, the area extent and number of check dams derived from the remote sensing images are similar to those from Google Earth images. Historically, an increase in the check dam number, controlled area, and storage capacity indicate their substantial trapping effects on streamflow and sediment load in the Huangfuchuan catchment. This study may be a good reference for proposing an efficient approach to identify the check dams and provide decision supports for soil and water conservation in the Loess Plateau. © The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. Distribution or reproduction of this work in whole or in part requires full attribution of the original publication, including its DOI.

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“…Moreover, the check-dams not only considerably reduced the stream bed slopes but also caused a disruption in the connectivity of the rivers and diminished their capacity to transport sediment (Díaz et al, 2014). Approximately 110 thousand check-dams have been built in the small watersheds of the Loess Plateau over the past 50 years, and approximately 21 billion m 3 of sediments have been captured by these dams (Jin et al, 2012). In the Yanhe watershed, the annual runoff was reduced by less than 14.3% due to the check-dams in the gullies, while up to 85.5% of the sediment was retained during the rainy season (Xu et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation in the sediment deposition behind check‐dams under different soil erosion conditions on the Loess Plateau, China

Wei

Jiao

et al. 2018

Earth Surf Processes Landf

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To maintain a reasonable sediment regulation system in the middle reaches of the Yellow River, it is critical to determine the variation in sediment deposition behind check‐dams for different soil erosion conditions. Sediment samples were collected by using a drilling machine in the Fangta watershed of the loess hilly–gully region and the Manhonggou watershed of the weathered sandstone hilly–gully (pisha) region. On the basis of the check‐dam capacity curves, the soil bulk densities and the couplet thickness in these two small watersheds, the sediment yields were deduced at the watershed scale. The annual average sediment deposition rate in the Manhonggou watershed (702.0 mm/(km2·a)) from 1976 to 2009 was much higher than that in the Fangta watershed (171.6 mm/(km2·a)) from 1975 to 2013. The soil particle size distributions in these two small watersheds were generally centred on the silt and sand fractions, which were 42.4% and 50.7% in the Fangta watershed and 60.6% and 32.9% in the Manhonggou watershed, respectively. The annual sediment deposition yield exhibited a decreasing trend; the transition years were 1991 in the Fangta watershed and 1996 in the Manhonggou watershed (P < 0.05). In contrast, the annual average sediment deposition yield was much higher in the Manhonggou watershed (14011.1 t/(km2·a)) than in the Fangta watershed (3149.6 t/(km2·a)). In addition, the rainfalls that induced sediment deposition at the check‐dams were greater than 30 mm in the Fangta watershed and 20 mm in the Manhonggou watershed. The rainfall was not the main reason for the difference in the sediment yield between the two small watersheds. The conversion of farmland to forestland or grassland was the main reason for the decrease in the soil erosion in the Fangta watershed, while the weathered sandstone and bare land were the main factors driving the high sediment yield in the Manhonggou watershed. Knowledge of the sediment deposition process of check‐dams and the variation in the catchment sediment yield under different soil erosion conditions can serve as a basis for the implementation of improved soil erosion and sediment control strategies, particularly in semi‐arid hilly–gully regions. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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How Many Check Dams Do We Need To Build on the Loess Plateau?

Cited by 74 publications

References 2 publications

The Impact of Socio-Economic Factors on Sediment Load: A Case Study of the Yanhe River Watershed

The Impact of Socio-Economic Factors on Sediment Load: A Case Study of the Yanhe River Watershed

Check dam identification using multisource data and their effects on streamflow and sediment load in a Chinese Loess Plateau catchment

Variation in the sediment deposition behind check‐dams under different soil erosion conditions on the Loess Plateau, China

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