Arid Zone Research ›› 2025, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (11): 2031-2043.doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2025.11.07

• Land and Water Resources • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Trends and influencing factors of water-sediment variation in the semiarid reaches of the Yellow River’s “Ji Zi Bend”

YANG Yafei1,2(), ZHANG Qiufen2, LYU Xizhi2(), WANG Shuai1,2, NI Yongxin2, WANG Jianwei2, ZHANG Hengshuo2, MA Li2   

  1. 1. College of Water Conservancy and Transportation, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, Henan, China
    2. Yellow River Institute of Hydraulic Research, Henan Key Laboratory of Yellow Basin Ecological Protection and Restoration, Zhengzhou 450003, Henan, China
  • Received:2025-05-15 Revised:2025-07-01 Online:2025-11-15 Published:2025-12-13
  • Contact: LYU Xizhi E-mail:yangyafei1006@163.com;nihulvxizhi@163.com

Abstract:

The Ji Zi Bend of the Yellow River—a critical sediment source area and water-wind erosion ecotone within the Yellow River Basin—exhibits highly complex water-sediment relationships driven by a combination of aeolian activity and extreme precipitation events. Based on hydro-meteorological data from the Maobulakongdui, Xiliugou, and Huangfuchuan watersheds within the bend for the years 1964-2020, scholars have used various methods(e.g., Mann-Kendall test, double mass curve analysis, and cumulative anomaly method) to elucidate patterns in the spatiotemporal variation of runoff and sediment transport and their influencing factors.The results demonstrate (1) significant downward trends in annual runoff and sediment load for the three watersheds. However, decline rates partially deviated from the west-to-east geographical gradient. Notably, the transitional Xiliugou watershed exhibited the lowest decline rates but the highest anthropogenic contributions, which implies that human interventions override natural geographical gradient. (2) Abrupt change years observed in runoff and sediment series closely aligned with the implementation timelines of major ecological projects. Specifically, changes in Maobulakongdui and Xiliugou corresponded with the implementation periods of the Grain for Green Program and Large-scale Check Dam Construction, while the change in Huangfuchuan was strongly associated with the enforcement of a Grazing Exclusion Policy. (3) Human activities predominantly drove the drastic reduction in water and sediment within these typical bend watersheds, which accounted for an average contribution rate of more than 90% to reductions in runoff and sediment load. Furthermore, this regulatory effect has significantly intensified with the ongoing advancement of ecological management projects. These results can provide a scientific basis for differentiated ecological governance strategies in the Yellow River Basin.

Key words: Yellow River’s “Ji Zi Bend”, semiarid basin, water-sediment variation, human activities, climate change