Impacts of Land-use and Land-cover Changes on River Runoff in Yellow River Basin for Period of 1956–2012

River runoff is affected by many factors, including long-term effects such as climate change that alter rainfall-runoff relationships, and short-term effects related to human intervention(e.g., dam construction, land-use and land-cover change(LUCC)). Discharge from the Yellow River system has been modified in numerous ways over the past century, not only as a result of increased demands for water from agriculture and industry, but also due to hydrological disturbance from LUCC, climate change and the construction of dams. The combined effect of these disturbances may have led to water shortages. Considering that there has been little change in long-term precipitation, dramatic decreases in water discharge may be attributed mainly to human activities, such as water usage, water transportation and dam construction. LUCC may also affect water availability, but the relative contribution of LUCC to changing discharge is unclear. In this study, the impact of LUCC on natural discharge(not including anthropogenic usage) is quantified using an attribution approach based on satellite land cover and discharge data. A retention parameter is used to relate LUCC to changes in discharge. We find that LUCC is the primary factor, and more dominant than climate change, in driving the reduction in discharge during 1956–2012, especially from the mid-1980 s to the end-1990 s. The ratio of each land class to total basin area changed significantly over the study period. Forestland and cropland increased by about 0.58% and 1.41%, respectively, and unused land decreased by 1.16%. Together, these variations resulted in changes in the retention parameter, and runoff generation showed a significant decrease after the mid-1980 s. Our findings highlight the importance of LUCC to runoff generation at the basin scale, and improve our understanding of the influence of LUCC on basin-scale hydrology.

Application of SWAT Model to Non-point Source Pollution in Xincai River Basin

[Objective]The study aimed to simulate the production and transportation process of surface runoff,sediment and non-point source pollution in Xincai River basin based on SWAT model.[Method]On the basis of analyzing the principles of SWAT model,the correlative parameters of runoff,sediment and water quality were calibrated,then the spatial and temporal distribution of runoff,sediment and non-point source pollutants in Xincai River basin were studied by using SWAT model.[Result]The results of calibration and validation showed that SWAT model was reasonable and available,and it can be used to simulate the non-point source pollution of Xincai River basin.The simulation results revealed that the load of sediment and various pollutants was the highest in the rainy year,followed by the normal year,while it was the minimum in the dry year,indicating that the production of sediment and non-point source pollutants was closely related to annual runoff.[Conclusion]The research could provide scientific references for the prevention of non-point source pollution in a basin.