Regional patterns in recent trends in sediment yields of Eurasian and Siberian rivers

Bobrovitskaya, Nelly N.; Kokorev, A. V.; Lemeshko, N.A.

doi:10.1016/s0921-8181(03)00021-3

Cited by 60 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 1 publication

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…However, in the remaining 50%, the sediment flux essentially remained stable [17]. A study of the sediment load in Russia showed that of the 20 rivers flowing into the Arctic Ocean, 35% showed increasing trends, 60% presented declining trends; only 5% remained stable [18]. Similar research was conducted by Liu [19], Subramainian [20], and Siakeu [21] for major rivers of Asia, India, and Japan, respectively.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 65%

Water Discharge and Sediment Load Changes in China: Change Patterns, Causes, and Implications

Jiang

Zhang

et al. 2015

Water

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract:In this research, monthly hydrological and daily meteorological data were collected across China for the period 1956-2012. Modified Mann-Kendall tests, double mass curve analysis, and correlation statistics were performed to identify the long-term trends and interrelation of the hydrometeorological variables and to examine the influencing factors of streamflow and sediment. The results are as follows: (1) In the last 60 years, the streamflow in northern China has shown different decreasing trends. For the southern rivers, the streamflow presented severe fluctuations, but the declining trend was insignificant. For the streamflow in western China, an increasing trend was shown. (2) In the northern rivers, the streamflow was jointly controlled by the East Asian monsoon and westerlies. In the southern rivers, the runoff was mainly influenced by the Tibet-Qinghai monsoon, the South Asian monsoon, and westerlies. (3) Sediment loads in the LCRB (Lancang River Basin) and YZRB (Yarlung Zangbo River Basin) did not present significant change trends, although other rivers showed different degrees of gradual reduction, particularly in the 2000s. (4) Underlying surface and precipitation changes jointly influenced the streamflow in eastern rivers. The water consumption for industrial and residential purposes, soil and water OPEN ACCESSWater 2015, 7 5850 conservation engineering, hydraulic engineering, and underlying surface changes induced by other factors were the main causes of streamflow and sediment reduction.

show abstract

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 65%

Water Discharge and Sediment Load Changes in China: Change Patterns, Causes, and Implications

Jiang

Zhang

et al. 2015

Water

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The sediment flux of most European rivers has decreased, in some cases sharply, in the past 50 years (Milliman, 2001). In Russia, for example, 12 of the 20 rivers studied by Bobrovitskaya et al (2003) decreased in sediment flux. Human activity, in particular dam construction, has been identified as the main cause of the decreasing trend in riverine sediment load (Vörösmarty et al, 2003;Syvitski et al, 2005;Walling, 2006) in most of the above cases.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The sharp decrease in suspended sediment supply from China's rivers to the sea: anthropogenic and natural causes

Dai

Yang

2009

Hydrological Sciences Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Based on data from river gauging stations, the multi-year variations in suspended sediment flux (SSF) from China's nine major rivers to the sea were examined. The decadal SSF decreased by 70.2%: from 1.81 Gt/year for 1954-1963 to 0.54 Gt/year for 1996-2005. The decrease in SSF was more dramatic in the arid northern region than in the wet southern region; from north to south, the SSF decreased by 84% in the Yellow River, 42% in the Yangtze River, and 22% in the Pearl River. Dam construction was the principal cause for the decrease in SSF. At present, approximately 2 Gt/year of sediment is trapped in the reservoirs within the nine river basins. Reduced precipitation and increased water extraction and sand mining have also played a role in the decrease in SSF. Although water and sediment conservation programmes have not counteracted the influence of deforestation, they have enhanced the decrease in SSF in recent years. It is concluded that human activity has become a governing factor on riverine sediment delivery to the sea in China.Key words river sediment flux; dam; climate; soil erosion; China La diminution marquée de l'exportation sédimentaire des fleuves chinois vers la mer: causes anthropiques et naturelles Résumé Les variations pluriannuelles des flux de sédiments en suspension (FSS) de neuf fleuves chinois majeurs vers la mer ont été étudiées à l'aide de données de stations de jaugeage. Le FSS sur une décennie a diminué de 70.2%; de 1.81 Gt/an en 1954-1963 à 0.54 Gt/an en 1996-2005. La diminution du FSS a été plus intense dans la région aride du nord que dans la région humide du sud; du nord au sud, le FFS a diminué de 84% dans le Fleuve Jaune, 42% dans le Fleuve Yangtze et 22% dans le Fleuve Perle. La construction de barrages est la cause principale de la diminution du FSS. Actuellement, environ 2 Gt/an de sédiments sont retenues dans les réservoirs des neuf bassins versants. La diminution des précipitations et l'augmentation des prélèvements d'eau et des extractions de sable ont également joué un rôle dans la diminution du FSS. Bien que les programmes de conservation des eaux et des sols n'aient pas compensé l'influence de la déforestation, ils ont facilité la diminution du FSS lors de ces dernières années. La conclusion est que les activités humaines sont devenues un facteur de contrôle de l'exportation sédimentaire des fleuves vers la mer en Chine.

show abstract

“…This region has numerous small rivers, but four enormous Russian rivers (Ob, Yenisei, Lena, and Kolyma) discharge thousands of cubic kilometers of freshwater into the Arctic annually from almost 9 million square kilometers of land (Milliman and Farnsworth, 2011); as such, any location on the Russian Arctic coast is likely affected by at least one river plume. Ayon is ∼250 km away from the outlet of the Kolyma River, which has been dammed for hydroelectric power, and has increased sedimentation from gold mining (Bobrovitskaya et al, 2003;Majhi and Yang, 2008). Although it is unclear how severely impacted the watershed is at this stage, we answer "yes" to the third level of the decision tree to be conservative.…”

Section: Applicationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Where Does River Runoff Matter for Coastal Marine Conservation?

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Excess sediment and nutrient runoff from land-based human activities are considered serious threats to coastal and marine ecosystems by most conservation practitioners, resource managers, fishers, and other "downstream" resource users. Deleterious consequences of coastal runoff, including eutrophication and hypoxia, have been observed worldwide. Literature on integrated coastal management offers numerous methods to address land-based activities that generate runoff, but many of these approaches are time-and resource-intensive. Often, high-level conservation managers have few tools to aid in decisions about whether land-based threats that generate runoff are of sufficient concern to warrant further investment in planning and management interventions. To address this decision-making process, we present a decision tree that uses geophysical and ecological characteristics to sort any marine coastal ecosystem into a category of high, moderate, low, or minimal risk from the land-based threats of nutrient and sediment runoff. By identifying situations where runoff could influence biodiversity or ecosystem services, the decision tree assists managers in making informed, and standardized decisions about when and where to invest further efforts in integrated land-sea planning. We ground-truth the decision tree by evaluating it in five very different regions and conclude the tree classifies regions similarly to the existing literature that is available, but based on less information. Recognizing that the decision tree only encompasses environmental variables, we also discuss approaches for interpreting the decision tree's outputs in local social and economic contexts. The tree provides a tool for conservation managers to decide whether the scope of their work should include land-sea planning.

show abstract

Regional patterns in recent trends in sediment yields of Eurasian and Siberian rivers

Cited by 60 publications

References 1 publication

Water Discharge and Sediment Load Changes in China: Change Patterns, Causes, and Implications

Water Discharge and Sediment Load Changes in China: Change Patterns, Causes, and Implications

The sharp decrease in suspended sediment supply from China's rivers to the sea: anthropogenic and natural causes

Where Does River Runoff Matter for Coastal Marine Conservation?

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About