Spatial and temporal variability of water discharge in the Yellow River Basin over the past 60 years

The Yellow River has caused suffering to people with its devastating floods throughout human history. Understanding the occurrence of Yellow River floods and their relationship with climate change is crucial for sustainable water governance in North China. Here we synthesize historical and climatic records in the Yellow River basin to investigate their relationship during the past two millennia. Based on historical archives of river floods and levee breaches, we developed a decadally resolved Yellow River flooding frequency record from 221 BCE to 1949 CE, which provides a rare chance to perceive the river’s long-term flood dynamics. As revealed, the Yellow River flooding can be divided into two distinct stages: an early stage of low-frequency floods from the 220s BCE to the 890s CE; and a late stage of high-frequency floods during the 900s–1940s CE. A substantial increase in flooding frequency around the 10th century fell within the transition period into the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA), during which the Yellow River basin featured warm and wet climate conditions. Coincidentally, human management of the Yellow River intensified as a response to more severe and frequent floods. The intense river management persisted thereafter and resulted in the super-elevation of the riverbed, which made the river more prone to flooding. Consequently, the Yellow River flooding frequency remained high even after entering the Little Ice Age, during which the river basin featured cool temperature and reduced precipitation. Our study suggests that the dramatic transition from a previous cool, dry into a warm, wet climate during the MCA period triggered intense human management of river channels and the establishment of the flood-prone nature of the Yellow River.

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Recent changes of water discharge and sediment load in the Yellow River basin, China

Progress in Physical Geography Earth and Environment ◽

10.1177/0309133310369434 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 34 (4) ◽

pp. 541-561 ◽

Cited By ~ 174

Author(s):

Chiyuan Miao ◽

Jinren Ni ◽

Alistair G.L. Borthwick

Keyword(s):

River Basin ◽

Abrupt Change ◽

Sediment Load ◽

Yellow River ◽

Water Discharge ◽

Kendall Test ◽

Yellow River Basin ◽

Test Method ◽

The Yellow River ◽

The Yellow River Basin

The Yellow River basin contributes approximately 6% of the sediment load from all river systems globally, and the annual runoff directly supports 12% of the Chinese population. As a result, describing and understanding recent variations of water discharge and sediment load under global change scenarios are of considerable importance. The present study considers the annual hydrologic series of the water discharge and sediment load of the Yellow River basin obtained from 15 gauging stations (10 mainstream, 5 tributaries). The Mann-Kendall test method was adopted to detect both gradual and abrupt change of hydrological series since the 1950s. With the exception of the area draining to the Upper Tangnaihai station, results indicate that both water discharge and sediment load have decreased significantly (p<0.05). The declining trend is greater with distance downstream, and drainage area has a significant positive effect on the rate of decline. It is suggested that the abrupt change of the water discharge from the late 1980s to the early 1990s arose from human extraction, and that the abrupt change in sediment load was linked to disturbance from reservoir construction.

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What is the past, present, and future of scientific research on the Yellow River Basin? —A bibliometric analysis

Agricultural Water Management ◽

10.1016/j.agwat.2021.107404 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 262 ◽

pp. 107404

Author(s):

Zhihao He ◽

Kaiyuan Gong ◽

Zhiliang Zhang ◽

Wenbiao Dong ◽

Hao Feng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bibliometric Analysis ◽

River Basin ◽

Yellow River ◽

Scientific Research ◽

Yellow River Basin ◽

The Yellow River ◽

The Past ◽

The Yellow River Basin

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Spatial–Temporal Variability of Hydrothermal Climate Conditions in the Yellow River Basin from 1957 to 2015

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos9110433 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 9 (11) ◽

pp. 433 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Liqun Ma ◽

Haoming Xia ◽

Jiulin Sun ◽

Hao Wang ◽

Gary Feng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

River Basin ◽

Temporal Variability ◽

Yellow River ◽

Yellow River Basin ◽

Maximum Temperature ◽

The Yellow River ◽

Climate Conditions ◽

Temperature And Precipitation ◽

The Yellow River Basin ◽

Maximum Minimum

The Yellow River Basin has been affected by global climate change. Studying the spatial–temporal variability of the hydrothermal climate conditions in the Yellow River Basin is of vital importance for the development of technologies and policies related to ecological, environmental, and agricultural adaptation in this region. This study selected temperature and precipitation data observed from 118 meteorological stations distributed in the Yellow River Basin over the period of 1957–2015, and used the Mann–Kendall, Pettitt, and Hurst indices to investigate the spatial–temporal variability of the hydrothermal climate conditions in this area. The results indicated: (1) the annual maximum, minimum, and average temperatures have increased. The seasonal maximum, minimum, and average temperatures for the spring, summer, autumn, and winter have also increased, and this trend is statistically significant (p < 0.01) between 1957–2015. The rate of increase in the minimum temperature exceeded that of the maximum temperature, and diurnal warming was asymmetric. Annual precipitation and the total spring, summer, and autumn precipitations declined, while the total winter precipitation increased, although the trend was non-significant (p > 0.05). (2) Based on the very restrictive assumption that future changes will be similar to past changes, according to the Hurst index experiment, the future trends of temperature and precipitation in the Yellow River Basin are expected to stay the same as in the past. There will be a long-term correlation between the two trends: the temperature will continue to rise, while the precipitation will continue to decline (except in the winter). However, over the late stage of the study period, the trends slowed down to some extent.

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