Abstract
Natural runoff observation fields with different vegetation coverage were established in the Zuomaoxikongqu River basin in the headwater area of the Yangtze River, and in the Natong River basin and the Kuarewaerma River basin in the headwater area of the Yellow River, China. The experiments were conducted using natural precipitation and artificially simulated precipitation between July and August to study the runoff and sediment-producing effects of precipitation under the conditions of the same slope and different alpine meadow land with coverage in the headwater areas. The results show that, in the three small river basins in the headwater areas of the Yangtze and the Yellow Rivers, the surface runoff yield on the 30° slope surface of the alpine meadow land with a vegetation cover of 30% is markedly larger than that of the fields with a vegetation cover of 95, 92, and 68%. Furthermore, the sediment yield is also obviously larger than the latter three; on an average, the sediment yield caused by a single precipitation event is 2–4 times as large as the latter three. Several typical precipitation forms affecting the runoff yield on the slope surface also influence the process. No matter how the surface conditions are; the rainfall is still the main precipitation form causing soil erosion. In some forms of precipitation, such as the greatest snow melting as water runoff, the sediment yield is minimal. Under the condition of the same precipitation amount, snowfall can obviously increase the runoff yield, roughly 2.1–3.5 times as compared to the combined runoff yield of the Sleet or that of rainfall alone; but meanwhile, the sediment yield and soil erosion rate decrease, roughly decreasing by 45.4–80.3%. High vegetation cover can effectively decrease the runoff-induced erosion. This experimental result is consistent in the three river basins in the headwater areas of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
DeFries R, Eshleman KN (2004) Land-use change and hydrologic processes:a major focus for the future. Hydrol Process 18:2183–2186
Ding YJ, Ye Bosheng, Liu SY et al. (2000) The great yardstick of Qinghai–Tibet Plateau frozen soil hydrology is monitored and studied. Sci Bull 45(2):208–214
Eagleson PS (1970) Dynamic hydrology. McGraw-Hill, New York, pp 1–462
Feng Yongzhong, Yang Gaihe, Yang Shiqi et al. (2004) Definition on the source regions of Yangtze River, Yellow River and Lantsang River. J Northwest Sci Tech Univ Agric and For (Nat Sci Ed) 32(1):11–14
Feng JM, Wang T, Qi SZ et al. (2005) Land degradation in the source region of the Yellow River, northeast Qinghai–Xizang plateau: classification and evaluation. Environ Geol 47:459–466
Hao FH, Chen LQ, Liu CM et al. (2004) Impact of land use change on runoff and sediment yield. J Soil Water Conserv 16(3):5–8
Huang MB, Zhang L (2004) Hydrological responses to conservation practices in a catchment of the Loess Plateau, China. Hydrol Process 18:1885–1898
Legesse D, Vallet-Coulomb C, Gasse F (2003) Hydrological response of a catchment to climate and land use changes in tropical Africa: case study south central Ethiopia. J Hydrol 275:67–85
Li XY, Xie ZK, Yan XK (2004) Runoff characteristics of artificial catchment materials for rainwater harvesting in the semiarid regions of China. Agric Water Manage 65(3):15211–15224
Loerup JK, Refsgaard JC, Mazvimavi D (1998) Assessing the effect of land use change on catchment runoff by combined use of statistical tests and hydrological modelling: case studies from Zimbabwe. J Hydrol 205:147–163
Potter KW (1991) Hydrological impacts of changing land management practices in a moderate-sized agricultural catchment. Water Resour Res 27:845–855
Rodriguez-Iturbe I (2000) Ecohydrology: a hydrologic perspective of climate–soil–vegetation dynamics. Water Resour Res 36(1):3–9
Shen YP, Wang GX, Wu QB et al. (2002) The impact of future climate change on ecology and environments in the Changjiang-Yellow Rivers source region. J Glaciol Geocryol 24(3):308–314
Shen J, Wang WY, Shen B (1991) Hydrology experimental study of motive force [M]. Shanxi Scientific And Technological, Xian, pp 1–5
Slaughter C, Hilgert W, Culp EH (1983) Summer streamflow and sediment yield from discontinuous-permafrost headwaters catchments. In: Proceedings of the fourth international conference on permafrost, Fairbanks, Alaska, pp 1172–1177
Tang KL, Zheng FL, Zhang KL, et al. (1993) Research subjects and methods of relationship between soil erosion and eco-environment in the Ziwuling forest area[C]. Memoir of NISWC, Academia Sinica and Ministry of Water Resources(17), Shanxi Scientific And Technological Press, Xian, vol 17, pp 3–10
Wang GX, Cheng GD, Shen YP et al. (2001a) Research on ecological environmental change in Changjiang-Yellow Rivers source regions and their integrated protection[M]. Lanzhou University Press, Lanzhou, pp 1–117
Wang GX, Shen YP, Liu SY (2001b) On the characteristics of response of precipitation and runoff to the ENSO events in the source regions of the Yellow River. J Glaciol Geocryol 23(1):17–21
Wu QiX, Zhao HY, Wang YK (1998) Flow production and sediment production and their processes in Chinese pine woodlands in the loess plateau. Acta Ecol Sin 18(2):151–157
Xu PH, Feng YZ, Yang GH et al. (2004) Study on changes of water environment in source regions of Yangtze River, Yellow River, Lantsang River and its factors. J Northwest Sci Tech Univ Agric For (Nat Sci Ed) 32(3):10–14
Xia J (2002) Non-linear systematic theory of hydrology and method[M]. Wuhan University Press, Wuhan, pp 12–25
Yang WZ, Shao MG, Peng XD et al. (1998) Environmental drought and moisture relation with the loess of Loess Plateau. Sci China Ser D Earth Sci 28(4):357–365
Zhang ZZ (1992) Drainage basin hydrology [M]. Chinese Forestry Press, Beijing, pp 123–156
Zhang L, Dawas WR, Reece PH (2001) Response of mean annual evapotranspiration to vegetation changes at catchment scale. Water Resour Res 37(3):701–708
Zhang QC, Liu BY, Zhai G (2002) Review on relationship between vegetation and soil and water loss. Res Soil Water Conserv 9(4):96–101
Zhang SF, Liu CM, Xia J et al. (2004) The rainfall surface flow course drives the indoor simulation experimental study of the factor. Sci China Ser D Earth Sci 34(3):280–289
Acknowledgments
This work was supported together by a grant from the “973 Project” (No. 2007CB411504) and the Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 40701022, No. 90511003 and 40730634), the “Hundred People” Project of the Chinese Academy of Science to Dr. Wang Genxu, Foundation Project of State Key Laboratory of Frozen Soil Engineering (No. SKLFSE200501), and Foundation Project of State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science (No. SKLCS07-06). The authors also gratefully acknowledge the help of those whose valuable comments improved the manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Yuanshou, L., Genxu, W., Dahe, Q. et al. Study on the runoff and sediment-producing effects of precipitation in headwater areas of the Yangtze River and Yellow River, China. Environ Geol 56, 1–9 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-007-1134-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-007-1134-7