Long-term morphodynamic changes of a desert reach of the Yellow River following upstream large reservoirs' operation

Ta, Wanquan; Xiao, Hansong; Dong, Zhibao

doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2007.08.008

Cited by 68 publications

(66 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…1). A recent investigation shows that the windblown sand transport is 0.02 Gt yr −1 (Ta et al, 2008), which is small relative to the estimated erosion rate of 1.7-2.5 Gt yr −1 . Contributions of windblown sand input to the total eroded soils are not significant in comparison with water erosion.…”

Section: Uncertainties Of the Sediment Budgetmentioning

confidence: 79%

Erosion-induced massive organic carbon burial and carbon emission in the Yellow River basin, China

Ran

Xin

2014

Biogeosciences

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Abstract. Soil erosion and terrestrial deposition of soil organic carbon (SOC) can potentially play a significant role in global carbon cycling. Assessing the redistribution of SOC during erosion and subsequent transport and burial is of critical importance. Using hydrological records of soil erosion and sediment load, and compiled organic carbon (OC) data, estimates of the eroded soils and OC induced by water in the Yellow River basin during the period 1950-2010 were assembled. The Yellow River basin has experienced intense soil erosion due to combined impact of natural process and human activity. Over the period, 134.2 ± 24.7 Gt of soils and 1.07 ± 0.15 Gt of OC have been eroded from hillslopes based on a soil erosion rate of 1.7-2.5 Gt yr −1 . Approximately 63 % of the eroded soils were deposited in the river system, while only 37 % were discharged into the ocean. For the OC budget, approximately 0.53 ± 0.21 Gt (49.5 %) was buried in the river system, 0.25 ± 0.14 Gt (23.5 %) was delivered into the ocean, and the remaining 0.289 ± 0.294 Gt (27 %) was decomposed during the erosion and transport processes. This validates the commonly held assumption that 20-40 % of the eroded OC would be oxidized after erosion. Erosion-induced OC redistribution on the landscape likely represented a carbon source, although a large proportion of OC was buried. In addition, about half of the terrestrially redeposited OC (49.4 %) was buried behind dams, revealing the importance of dam trapping in sequestering the eroded OC. Although several uncertainties need to be better constrained, the obtained budgetary results provide a means of assessing the redistribution of the eroded OC within the Yellow River basin. Human activities have significantly altered its redistribution pattern over the past decades.

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Section: Uncertainties Of the Sediment Budgetmentioning

confidence: 79%

Erosion-induced massive organic carbon burial and carbon emission in the Yellow River basin, China

Ran

Xin

2014

Biogeosciences

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“…Under the W and NWdominant strong winds in the region, the strong windblown sand/dust activity transports a large amount of the coarse sands entering the desert channel and causes dunes to move forward. Ta et al (2008) estimated that the coarser sediment (> 0.08 mm) input from the local Ulan Buh desert region is about 0.2 × 10 8 t yr −1 on long-term average. Based on coastal dunes mobile monitoring results, He et al (2012) suggested that the dunes move forward a distance of 8.19 m yr −1 towards the river channel, mainly occurring in March to May.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In nature, some rivers flow across active dune fields and become shifted and braided, developing many channel bars and large-area floodplains (Smith and Smith, 1984;Ta et al, 2008). Smith and Smith (1984) indicated that abrupt addition of aeolian sands to rivers can lead to a 40-fold increase in bed load, a 5-fold increase in width and a 10-fold increase in width / depth ratio in a small desert river (William River, Canada), and is a primary mechanism for the development of such a braided stream channel.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Smith and Smith (1984) indicated that abrupt addition of aeolian sands to rivers can lead to a 40-fold increase in bed load, a 5-fold increase in width and a 10-fold increase in width / depth ratio in a small desert river (William River, Canada), and is a primary mechanism for the development of such a braided stream channel. Actually, large cross-dune rivers are also fed by high rates of upstream suspended sediment supplies (Ta et al, 2008(Ta et al, , 2011. However, it is still less clear how these two aeolian and fluvial sediment supplies can be regulated to influence sediment transport and deposition in such a cross-dune desert river.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Selective deposition response to aeolian–fluvial sediment supply in the desert braided channel of the upper Yellow River, China

Wang

Jia

et al. 2015

Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. Rivers flow across aeolian dunes and develop braided stream channels. Both aeolian and fluvial sediment supplies regulate sediment transport and deposition in such cross-dune braided rivers. Here we show a significant selective deposition in response to both aeolian and fluvial sediment supplies in the Ulan Buh desert braided channel. The Ulan Buh desert is the main coarse sediment source for this desert braided channel, and the mean percentage of the coarser ( > 0.08 mm) grains on the aeolian dunes surface is 95.34 %. The lateral selective deposition process is developed by the interaction between the flows and the aeolian-fluvial sediment supplies, causing the coarser sediments (> 0.08 mm) from aeolian sand supply and bank erosion to accumulate in the channel centre and the finer fluvial sediments (< 0.08 mm) to be deposited on the bar and floodplain surfaces, forming a coarser-grained thalweg bed bounded by finer-grained floodplain surfaces. This lateral selective deposition reduces the downstream sediment transport and is a primary reason for the formation of an "aboveground" river in the braided reach of the upper Yellow River in response to aeolian and fluvial sediment supplies.

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“…Wang et al (2014b) calculated the lateral migration rate of river banks in the Yinchuan Plain reach of the Yellow River using remote sensing images. Besides, other works have studied the causes of channel deposition (e.g., Petts, 1979;Zhao et al, 1999;Yang et al, 2003;Shen et al, 2007;Wang et al, 2012b;Ta et al, 2008), change of hydraulic geometry along the river (Ran et al, 2012), and characteristics of spring flood (Feng et al, 2009). So far, few works have quantitatively studied the change rate of channel shape parameters over a flooding period.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of channel geometry changes in Inner Mongolian reach of the Yellow River before and after joint operation of large upstream reservoirs

Yanguo

Shao

2015

J. Geogr. Sci.

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Abstract:The impact of reservoirs on downstream river channel change has been a scientific issue in fluvial geomorphology during the last few decades. However, it is still a difficult issue as to how to express quantitatively the channel adjustment in the Inner Mongolian reach of the Yellow River induced by the joint operation of upstream reservoirs. Based on the shape parameters of channel cross-sections at four gauging stations in this river reach over a flooding season in two periods, 1978-1982 and 2008-2012, the present work investigated the channel changes in terms of shape parameter change rate under the same controlling water level in each flooding season at the channel cross-sections. Results showed that most of the change rates of the parameters evidently increased over a flooding season in both periods. However, the change rate of each parameter at the cross-sections decreased evidently in the latter period, compared with the former period. At the same time, the distribution pattern of the change rate of the shape parameters along the cross-sections thus changed from a convex curve in the former period to an S-shaped curve in the latter period. The obvious decrease of the change rates is related to the joint operation of the Liujiaxia and Longyangxia reservoirs. The reservoirs stored a large volume of water and decreased the peak discharge and maximum velocity in the flooding season; as a result, the erosion ability of the flood decreased accordingly. With the joint operation of the large reservoirs, the Inner Mongolian channel shrunk markedly. Therefore, the channel will present the possibility of an extreme flood in the future. Consequently, it is reasonable to adjust the function of the reservoirs in future. The total water and sediment discharges and the peak discharge in flooding seasons should be effectively controlled. Continuous shrinkage of the channel can thus be avoided and it can be ready for a potential extreme flood.

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Long-term morphodynamic changes of a desert reach of the Yellow River following upstream large reservoirs' operation

Cited by 68 publications

References 26 publications

Erosion-induced massive organic carbon burial and carbon emission in the Yellow River basin, China

Erosion-induced massive organic carbon burial and carbon emission in the Yellow River basin, China

Selective deposition response to aeolian–fluvial sediment supply in the desert braided channel of the upper Yellow River, China

Comparison of channel geometry changes in Inner Mongolian reach of the Yellow River before and after joint operation of large upstream reservoirs

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