Response of sediment yield to vegetation restoration at a large spatial scale in the Loess Plateau

Liu, Xiaoyan; Yang, Shengtian; Dang, Suzhen; Luo, Yiqi; Li, Xiaoyu; Zhou, Xu

doi:10.1007/s11431-014-5605-2

Cited by 35 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…The SWCMs, such as afforestation and engineering measures, were the major interventions in the study area to reduce the runoff-sediment generation from precipitation and to retain streamflow and sediment load within the catchment. Establishing perennial vegetation cover was considered one of the most effective measures to stabilize soils and minimize erosion (Farley et al, 2005;Liu et al, 2014). It was reported that both the runoff coefficient and sediment concentration of catchments in the LP decreased significantly and linearly with the vegetation cover .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatio-temporal patterns of the effects of precipitation variability and land use/cover changes on long-term changes in sediment yield in the Loess Plateau, China

Gao

Zhang

Liu

et al. 2017

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. Within China's Loess Plateau there have been concerted revegetation efforts and engineering measures since the 1950s aimed at reducing soil erosion and land degradation. As a result, annual streamflow, sediment yield, and sediment concentration have all decreased considerably. Humaninduced land use/cover change (LUCC) was the dominant factor, contributing over 70 % of the sediment load reduction, whereas the contribution of precipitation was less than 30 %. In this study, we use 50-year time series data , showing decreasing trends in the annual sediment loads of 15 catchments, to generate spatio-temporal patterns in the effects of LUCC and precipitation variability on sediment yield. The space-time variability of sediment yield was expressed notionally as a product of two factors representing (i) the effect of precipitation and (ii) the fraction of treated land surface area. Under minimal LUCC, the square root of annual sediment yield varied linearly with precipitation, with the precipitation-sediment load relationship showing coherent spatial patterns amongst the catchments. As the LUCC increased and took effect, the changes in sediment yield pattern depended more on engineering measures and vegetation restoration campaign, and the within-year rainfall patterns (especially storm events) also played an important role. The effect of LUCC is expressed in terms of a sediment coefficient, i.e., the ratio of annual sediment yield to annual precipitation. Sediment coefficients showed a steady decrease over the study period, following a linear decreasing function of the fraction of treated land surface area. In this way, the study has brought out the separate roles of precipitation variability and LUCC in controlling spatio-temporal patterns of sediment yield at catchment scale.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatio-temporal patterns of the effects of precipitation variability and land use/cover changes on long-term changes in sediment yield in the Loess Plateau, China

Gao

Zhang

Liu

et al. 2017

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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“…proportion, runoff coefficient, and suspended-sediment concentration were collected from published papers and used to analyse the relationship between sediment production, and water and soil conservation measures 15,17,18,21 .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We assessed the contribution from different human interventions to the observed reduction in river sediment flux using various linear regression analyses. To calculate the contribution of vegetation coverage changes, we used the tributary catchment data of runoff coefficient, suspended-sediment concentration and vegetation coverage collected by Liu and colleagues 17,18 . These data focused on catchments with the least dams, reservoirs and terracing.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Afforestation, terraced farming, and the construction of check dams and reservoirs are the major human interventions in this area that have led to increased precipitation retention (Supplementary Table 3), and the consequent reduction of river sediment flux 3,[10][11][12]16 . One of the most effective methods of stabilizing soils and minimizing erosion is to establish perennial vegetation cover 13,17,18 . Such vegetation cover in the LP has significantly increased as a result of some large-scale vegetation rehabilitation programmes, particular the 'Grain-for-Green' programme (GFGP) launched in 1999 (refs 19,20).…”

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Reduced sediment transport in the Yellow River due to anthropogenic changes

et al. 2015

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The erosion, transport and redeposition of sediments shape the Earth's surface, and a ect the structure and function of ecosystems and society 1,2 . The Yellow River was once the world's largest carrier of fluvial sediment, but its sediment load has decreased by approximately 90% over the past 60 years 3 . The decline in sediment load is due to changes in water discharge and sediment concentration, which are both influenced by regional climate change and human activities. Here we use an attribution approach to analyse 60 years of runo and sediment load observations from the traverse of the Yellow River over China's Loess Plateau -the source of nearly 90% of its sediment load. We find that landscape engineering, terracing and the construction of check dams and reservoirs were the primary factors driving reduction in sediment load from the 1970s to 1990s, but large-scale vegetation restoration projects have also reduced soil erosion from the 1990s onwards. We suggest that, as the ability of existing dams and reservoirs to trap sediments declines in the future, erosion rates on the Loess Plateau will increasingly control the Yellow River's sediment load.Change of soil erosion and the resulting river sediment transport are important components of global change, so understanding the mechanisms behind such change is crucial to developing strategic plans for the sustainable management of catchments 4,5 . In recent decades, significant decreasing trends in river sediment loads have been observed in approximately 50% of the world's rivers 6,7 . The benefits and risks of the change in river sediment load largely depend on the baseline load and the scale of the change 8,9 . Hence, it is important to quantify the change of river sediment loads through time, and to understand the drivers and mechanisms behind them 2,5 .The Huang He, or Yellow River (YR) (Fig. 1), was the most sediment-laden river in the world, but its annual sediment load has continually decreased since the 1950s (refs 10-13). The yearly sediment loads at the main gauging stations along the YR, all show significant decreasing trends (p < 0.01) over the past six decades (Fig. 1b). Sediment load increases most suddenly in the middle reach of the river, when crossing the Loess Plateau (LP), between the Toudaoguai gauging station (TDG) (0.07 Gt yr −1 ) and the Tongguan station (TG) (0.63 Gt yr −1 ), and then gradually declines in the lower reach (Fig. 1b, top right inset). The LP is thus the largest sediment source, nearly 90% (refs 3,11) for the YR, and we therefore focus on this part of the river's catchment. A mass budget over the middle reach of the YR can be obtained from the difference of measured sediment flux and water discharge at TG and TDG (Fig. 1). Both the river discharge and sediment load across the LP show significant decreasing trends (−0.25 km 3 yr −2 , p < 0.001; and −0.02 Gt yr −2 , p < 0.001, respectively) over the past six decades, whereas precipitation decreased slightly (−1.2 mm yr −2 , p = 0.015). As Fig. 2a shows two abrupt falls in sed...

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“…Climate, soil, topography, and vegetation are the natural factors affecting soil loss (Mu et al, 2012;. Inadequate land use, the destruction of forest and grass, unsuitable reclamation and overgrazing, cultivation on steep slopes, mining, road construction, and unreasonable waste soil and residue treatments are the main anthropic factors affecting soil loss (Liu et al, 2014;Lieskovský and Kenderessy 2014;. Based on the USLE/RUSLE equations, the Chinese soil loss equation (CSLE) model (Liu et al, 2002) was selected and applied to quantitatively evaluate soil erosion of the Majiagou River watershed.…”

Section: Dynamic Model Of Erosion and Sediment Yieldmentioning

confidence: 99%

Application of a modified distributed-dynamic erosion and sediment yield model in a typical watershed of a hilly and gully region, Chinese Loess Plateau

Liu

2016

Solid Earth

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Abstract. Soil erosion not only results in the destruction of land resources and the decline of soil fertility, but also contributes to river channel sedimentation. In order to explore the spatiotemporal evolution of erosion and sediment yield before and after returning farmland in a typical watershed of the hilly and gully region (Chinese Loess Plateau), a distributed-dynamic model of sediment yield based on the Chinese Soil Loss Equation (CSLE) was established and modified to assess the effects of hydrological factors and human activities on erosion and sediment yield between 1995 and 2013. Results indicate that (1) the modified model has the characteristics of a simple algorithm, high accuracy, wide practicability and easy expansion, and can be applied to predict erosion and sediment yield in the study area, (2) soil erosion gradations are closely related to the spatial distribution of rainfall erosivity and land use patterns, and the current soil and water conservation measures are not efficient for high rainfall intensities, and (3) the average sediment yield rate before and after model modification in the most recent 5 years (in addition to 2013) is 4574.62 and 1696.1 Mg km −2 , respectively, decreasing by about 35.4 and 78.2 % when compared to the early governance (1995)(1996)(1997)(1998). However, in July 2013 the once-in-a-century storm is the most important reason for maximum sediment yield. Results may provide an effective and scientific basis for soil and water conservation planning and ecological construction of the hilly and gully region, Chinese Loess Plateau.

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Response of sediment yield to vegetation restoration at a large spatial scale in the Loess Plateau

Cited by 35 publications

References 2 publications

Spatio-temporal patterns of the effects of precipitation variability and land use/cover changes on long-term changes in sediment yield in the Loess Plateau, China

Spatio-temporal patterns of the effects of precipitation variability and land use/cover changes on long-term changes in sediment yield in the Loess Plateau, China

Reduced sediment transport in the Yellow River due to anthropogenic changes

Application of a modified distributed-dynamic erosion and sediment yield model in a typical watershed of a hilly and gully region, Chinese Loess Plateau

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