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The Water Fluxes of the Yellow River to the Sea in the Past 50 Years, in Response to Climate Change and Human Activities

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Abstract

Since the 1970s, the water fluxes to the sea of the Yellow River have declined significantly. Based on data of precipitation, air temperature, the measured and “natural” river flow, the water diversion and consumption, and the areas of erosion and sediment control measures over the drainage basin, water fluxes to the sea of the Yellow River are studied in relation with the influences of changing climate and human activities. The Yellow River basin can be divided into different water source areas; multiple regression indicates that the variation in precipitation over different water source areas has different effect on water fluxes to the sea. In the period between 1970 and 1997, averaged air temperature over the whole Yellow River increased by about 1.0°C, from 16.5°C to 17.5°C, a factor that is negatively correlated with the water yield of the Yellow River. Water diversion and consumption has sharply increased and resulted in a significant decline in the water fluxes to the sea. Since the 1960s, erosion and sediment control measures have been practiced over the drainage basin. This factor, to a lesser degree, is also responsible for the decrease in water fluxes to the sea. A multiple regression equation has been established to estimate the change in water fluxes to the sea caused by the changes in precipitation, air temperature, water diversion and consumption, erosion, and sediment control measures, indicating that the contribution of water diversion and consumption to the variation in annual water flux to the sea is 41.3%, that of precipitation is 40.8%, that of temperature is 11.4%, and that of erosion and sediment control measures is 6.5%.

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Acknowledgments

The financial support from the Knowledge Innovation Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. KZCX2-20705) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Yellow River Water Conservancy Commission (50239080) is gratefully acknowledged. Thanks are expressed to the Water Conservancy Commission of the Yellow River for access to the internally issued data, including river flow, precipitation, water diversion and consumption, and areas of erosion and sediment control measures. Thanks are also expressed to Dr. E. Derbyshire and an anonymous reviewer for their invaluable comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resource Research and Key Laboratory of Water Cycle and Related Land Surface Processes, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101 , Beijing, China

    Xu Jiongxin

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Correspondence to Xu Jiongxin.

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Jiongxin, X. The Water Fluxes of the Yellow River to the Sea in the Past 50 Years, in Response to Climate Change and Human Activities. Environmental Management 35, 620–631 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-004-3094-y

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