Abstract
In-depth studies of water and sediment fluxes from rivers into the sea are very important for understanding the interactions between land and sea. This paper is concerned with identifying the changes in the time series of water and sediment fluxes from Feiyun River in Zhejiang Province, China. Inter- and intraannual variability in the water discharge and sediment load of the Feiyun River into the sea are analyzed using the observed data of runoff (1956–2008) and sediment (1957–2008) at Xuekou Station, which is in the main channel. The results show that there is a good peak–valley correlation between the water discharge and sediment load, and there are obvious seasonal variations, with a 65.7% water discharge and 89.2% sediment load during the flooding periods. Water discharge is mainly controlled by natural rainfall, but the construction of the upstream reservoirs in 1997 increased the discharge amount in the dry season and decreased the amount in the flooding season. Sediment loads were reduced after a huge flood in 1990 and construction of upstream reservoirs, while the latter also decreased the sediment load during the typhoon flooding period. Furthermore, the correlation between water discharge and sediment load is also affected by the flood and reservoir construction. There are some differences in the regression equations of sediment load and water discharge for 1957–1989, 1991–1996, and 1997–2008.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Blum, M.D. and Roberts, H.H., Drowning of the Mississippi Delta due to insufficient sediment supply and global sea-level rise, J. Nature, 2009, vol. 2, pp. 488–491.
Carriquiry, J.D. and Sanchez, A., Sedimentation in the Colorado River delta and upper gulf of California after nearly a century of discharge loss, J. Mar. Geol., 1999, vol. 158, pp. 125–145.
Ding, Y.F. and Pan, S.M., Evolutionary characteristics of runoff into the sea of the Huanghe River and their causes in recent 50 years, J. Quaternary Sci., 2007, vol. 27, pp. 709–717.
Dai, S.B., Lu, X.X., Yang, S.L., and Cai, A.M., A preliminary estimate of human and natural contributions to the decline in sediment flux from the Yangtze River to the East China Sea, J. Quaternary Int., 2008, vol. 186, pp. 43–54.
Dai, Z.J. and Liu, J.T., The impact of the Three Gorges Dam on the downstream distribution and texture of sediments along the middle and lower Yangtze River (Changjiang) and its estuary, and subsequent sediment dispersal in the East China Sea, J. Hydrol., 2013, vol. 480, pp. 1–18.
Fanos, A.M., The impact of human activities on the erosion and accretion of the Nile delta coast, J. Coastal Res., 1995, vol. 11, pp. 821–833.
Fan, H., Liu, Y.X., and Huang, H.J., Long-term trend and change point analysis on runoff and sediment fluxes into the sea from the Yellow River during the period of 1950–2007, J. J. Sediment Res., 2009, vol. 5, pp. 9–16.
Fu, N.P. and Yan, Y., Eight Major River Systems in Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou: Zhejiang University Press, 2009.
Feng, W. and Lin, S., Reflections on the work of the comprehensive management of soil and water conservation of Feiyun River in Ruian, J. Soil Water Conservation China, 2011, vol. 7, pp. 39–40.
Li, Q.F., Yu, M.X., Lu, G.B., Cai, T., Bai, X., and Xia, Z.Q., Impacts of the Gezhouba and Three Gorges reservoirs on the sediment regime in the Yangtze River, China, J. Hydrol., 2011, vol. 403, pp. 224–233.
Milliman, J.D. and Syvitski, J.P.M., Geomorphic/tectonic control of sediment discharge to the ocean: the importance of small mountainous rivers, J. Geol., 1992, vol. 100, pp. 525–544.
Mikhailova, M.V., Transformation of the Ebro River Delta under the impact of intense human-induced reduction of sediment and runoff, J. Water Resour., 2003, vol. 30, pp. 370–378.
Mu, X.M., Zhang, X.Q., Gao, P., and Wang, F., Theory of double mass curves and its applications in hydrology and meteorology, J. China Hydrol., 2010, vol. 30, pp. 47–51.
Qian, N. and Zhou, W.H., Morphological Evolution Process in the Lower Yellow River, Beijing: Science Press, 1965.
Shen, H.T., Zhang, C., and Mao, Z.C., Patterns of variations in the water and sediment fluxes from the Changjiang river to the estuary, J. Oceanologia ET Limnologia Sinica, 2000, vol. 31, pp. 288–294.
Syvitski, J.P.M., Vörösmarty, C.J., Kettner, A.J., and Green, P., Impact of humans on the flux of terrestrial sediment to the global coastal ocean, J. Sci., 2005, vol. 308, pp. 376–380.
Schoellhamer, D.H., Mumley, T.E., and Leatherbarrow, J.E., Suspended sediment and sediment-associated contaminants in San Francisco Bay, J. Environ. Resear., 2007, vol. 105, pp. 119–131.
Vörösmarty, C.J., Meybeck, M., Fekete, B., Sharma, K., Green, P., and Syvitski, J.P.M., Anthropogenic sediment retention: Major global impact from registered river impoundments, J. Global Planetary Change, 2003, vol. 39, pp. 169–190.
Wang, H.Y. and Lu, M.H., Hydrology Introduction, Beijing: Peking University Press, 2007.
Wang, H.J., Yang, Z.S., Saito, Y., Liu, P.J., and Sun, X.X., Inter-annual and seasonal variation of the Huanghe water discharge over the past 50 years: Connections to impacts from ENSO events and dams, J. Global Planetary Change, 2006, vol. 50, pp. 212–225.
Wang, H.J., Yang, Z.S, Saito, Y., Liu, P.J., Sun, X.X., and Wang, Y., Stepwise decreases of the Huanghe (Yellow River) sediment load (1950–2005): Impacts of climate change and human activities, J. Global Planetary Change, 2007, vol. 57, pp. 331–354.
Ye, P.R. and Qian, Y.L., Investigation of 9012 typhoon rainstorm flood in Feiyun River Basin, J. Zhejiang Hydrotechnics, 1996, vol. 2, pp. 44–48.
Yang, S.L., Shi, Z., Zhao, H., Li, P., Dai, S., and Gao, A., Effects of human activities on the Yangtze River suspended sediment flux into the estuary in the last century, J. Hydrol. Earth System Sci., 2004, vol. 8, pp. 1210–1216.
Yu, L.N., Hu, B., Cao, M.L., and Huang, X.Q., The characteristics of heavy rain and its analysis of synoptic circumstances during plum flood period in Zhejiang, J. Bull. Sci. Technol., 2010, vol. 26, pp. 782–786.
Yu, Y.G., Shi, X.F., Wang, H.J., Yue, C.K., Chen, S.L., Liu, Y.G., Hu, L.M., and Qiao, S.Q., Effects of dams on water and sediment delivery to the sea by the Huanghe (Yellow River): the special role of water-sediment modulation, J. Anthropocene, 2013, vol. 3, pp. 72–82.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
The article is published in the original.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lu, S.S., Xia, X.M., Pan, X.S. et al. Recent changes of water discharge and sediment load from Feiyun River in Zhejiang Province, China. Water Resour 44, 43–51 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0097807817010092
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0097807817010092