Variation of alpine lakes from 1986 to 2019 in the Headwater Area of the Yellow River,Tibetan Plateau using Google Earth Engine

To understand the variations in surface water associated with changes in air temperature,precipitation,and permafrost in the Headwater Area of the Yellow River(HAYR),we studied the dynamics of alpine lakes larger than 0.01 km^2 during 1986-2019 using Google Earth Engine(GEE)platform.The surface areas of water bodies in the HAYR were processed using mass remote sensing images consisting of Landsat TM/ETM-H/OLI,Sentinel-2A,and MODIS based on automatic extraction of water indices under GEE.Besides,the lake ice phenology of the Sister Lakes(the Gyaring Lake and the Ngoring Lake)was derived by threshold segmenting of water/ice area ratio.Results demonstrate that the change of surface areas experienced four stages:decreasing during 1986-2004,increasing during 2004-2012,decreasing again during 2012-2017,and increasing again during 2017-2019.Correspondingly,the number of small lakes decreased(-26.5 per year),increased(139.5 per year),again decreased(-109.0 per year),and again increased(433.0 per year).Eight lakes larger than 1 km^2 disappeared in 2004 but restored afterward.The overall trends in the area of small lakes(0.01-1 km^2),large lakes(>1 km^2),and all lakes during 1986-2019 were 0.4,3.1,and 3.4 km^2 per year,respectively.Although the onsets of freezing,freeze-up,breaking and the break-up of the Sister Lakes varied from year to year,there is no obvious trend regarding the lake ice phenology.Tendencies of lake variations in the HAYR are primarily related to the increased net precipitation and the declined aridity,followed by the construction of hydropower station around the outlet of the Ngoring Lake,as well as permafrost degradation.

Improvement Design of Waterfront Landscape—With the Yellow River Scenic Area in Zhengzhou City as a Study Case

From the perspective of "human", this study focuses on the feeling of people in a certain region about the waterfront environment, by combining with theories in landscape architecture, environmental psychology and other interdisciplines, in view of present situation of waterfront landscapes in the Yellow River Scenic Area of Zhengzhou City, tries to find new approaches for waterfront landscape design and development based on landscape design principles and exploration of the human's nature of loving water and the interaction between tourists and waterfront landscapes.

Impacts of degrading permafrost on streamflow in the source area of Yellow River on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,China

Many observations in and model simulations for northern basins have confirmed an increased streamflow from degrading permafrost,while the streamflow has declined in the source area of the Yellow River(SAYR,above the Tanag hydrological station)on the northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,West China.How and to what extent does the degrading permafrost change the flow in the SAYR?According to seasonal regimes of hydrological processes,the SAYR is divided intofour sub-basins with varied permafrost extents to detect impacts of permafrost degradation on the Yellow River streamflow.Results show that permafrost degradation may have released appreciable meltwater for recharging groundwater.The potential release rate of ground-ice melt-water in the Sub-basin 1(the headwater area of the Yellow River(HAYR),above the Huangheyan hydrological station)is the highest(5.6 mm per year),contributing to 14.4%of the annual Yellow River streamflow at Huangheyan.Seasonal/intra-and annual shifts of streamflow,a possible signal for the marked alteration of hydrological processes by permafrost degradation,is observed in the HAYR,but the shifts are minor in other sub-basins in the SAYR.Improved hydraulic connectivity is expected to occur during and after certain degrees of permafrost degradation.Direct impacts of permafrost degradation on the annual Yellow River streamflow in the SAYR at Tanag,i.e.,from the meltwater of ground-ice,is estimated at 4.9%that of the annual Yellow River discharge at Tanag,yet with a high uncertainty,due to neglecting of the improved hydraulic connections from permafrost degradation and the flow generation conditions for the ground-ice meltwater.Enhanced evapotranspiration,substantial weakening of the Southwest China Autumn Rain,and anthropogenic disturbances may largely account for the declined streamflow in the SAYR.

Diversity analysis of soil dematiaceous hyphomycetes from the Yellow River source area:Ⅰ

Twenty-four soil samples of eight ecosystem-types around the Yellow River source area were investigated for the number and specific composition of soil dematiaceous hyphomycetes by dilution plate technique. And then the co-relationship between genus species of soil dematiaceous hyphomycetes and ecosystem-types was analyzed. The results show that the amount and species distribution of soil dematiaceous hyphomycetes had an obvious variability in different ecosystem-types, and that the dominant genus species varied in the eight ecosystem-types studied, with Cladosporium being the dominant genus in seven of the eight ecosystem-types except wetland. The index of species diversity varied in different ecosystem-types. The niche breadth analysis showed that Cladosporium had the highest niche breadth and distributed in all ecosystem-types, while the genera with a narrow niche breadth distributed only in a few ecosystem-types. The results of niche overlap index analysis indicated that Stachybotrys and Torula, Doratomyces and Scolecobasidium, Cladosporium and Chrysosporium had a higher niche overlap, whereas Arthrinium and Gliomastix, Phialophora and Doratomyces, Oidiodendron and Ulocladium had no niche overlap.

Ice-wedge Pseudomorphs Showing Climatic Change Since the Late Pleistocene in the Source Area of the Yellow River, Northeast Tibet

The source area of the Yellow River is located in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, and is a high-elevation region with the annual mean temperature of -3.9℃. The ice-wedge pseudomorphs discovered in this region are recognized as two types. One was found in sandy gravel beds of the second terrace of the Yellow River. This ice-wedge pseudomorph is characterized by higher ratio of breadth/depth, and are 1-1.4 m wide and about 1 m deep. The bottom border of the ice-wedge pseudomorph is round arc in section. Another discovered in the pedestal of the second terrace has lower ratio of width/depth, and is o.3-1.0 m wide and 1-2 m deep. Its bottom border is sharp. Based on the TL dating, the former was formed at the middleHolocene （5.69±0.43 ka BP and 5.43±0.41 ka BP）, that is, the Megathermal, and the latter was formed at the late Last Glacial Maximum （13.49±1.43 ka BP）. Additionally, the thawing-freezing folders discovered in the late Late Pleistocene proluvium are 39.83±3.84 ka BP in age. The study on the ice-wedge pseudomorphs showed that the air temperature was lowered by up to 6-7℃ in the source area of the Yellow River when the ice-wedge pseudomorphs and thawing-freezing folds developed.

Study of the Optimization and Adjustment ofthe IndustrialStructure Subjected to Water Resource in the Drainage Area of the Yellow River

Since the 1990s, the Yellow River stream has been temporarily interrupted for several years, which affects the development of society, the economy and human life, limits the economic potential of the drainage areas, and especially causes great harm to regions on the lower reaches. Based on the analysis of the relationship between the development of society and economy and water scarcity, the author thinks it is necessary to optimize and adjust the industrial structure that has extravagantly consumed enormous amounts of water, and to develop ecological agriculture, industry and tourism which are balanced with the ecological environment. Finally, the author puts forward several pieces of advice and countermeasures about how to build the economic systems by which water can be used economically.

An evaluation of soil moisture from AMSR-E over source area of the Yellow River, China

In this study,in-situ soil moisture measurements are used to evaluate the accuracy of three AMSR-E soil moisture prod ucts from NASA(National Aeronautics and Space Administration),JAXA(Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency)and VUA(Vrije University Amsterdam and NASA)over Maqu County,Source Area of the Yellow River(SAYR),China.Re sults show that the VUA soil moisture product performs the best among the three AMSR-E soil moisture products in the study area,with a minimum RMSE(root mean square error)of 0.08(0.10)m3/m3 and smallest absolute error of 0.07(0.08)m3/m3 at the grassland area with ascending(descending)data.Therefore,the VUA soil moisture product is used to describe the spatial variation of soil moisture during the 2010 growing season over SAYR.The VUA soil moisture product shows that soil moisture presents a declining trend from east south(0.42 m3/m3)to west north(0.23 m3/m3),with good agreement with a general precipitation distribution.The center of SAYR presents extreme wetness(0.60 m3/m3)dur ing the whole study period,especially in July,while the head of SAYR presents a high level soil moisture(0.23 m3/m3)in July,August and September.

Large-scale characteristics of thermokarst lakes across the source area of the Yellow River on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

As significant evidence of permafrost degradation,thermokarst lakes play an important role in the permafrost regions by regulating hydrology,ecology,and biogeochemistry.In the Sources Area of the Yellow River(SAYR),permafrost degradation has accelerated since the 1980s,and numerous thermokarst lakes have been discovered.In this paper,we use Sentinel-2 images to extract thermokarst lake boundaries and perform a regional-scale study on their geometry across the permafrost region in the SAYR.We also explored the spatiotemporal variations and potential drivers from the perspectives of the permafrost,climate,terrain and vegetation conditions.The results showed that there were 47,518 thermokarst lakes in 2021 with a total area of 190.22×106 m^(2),with an average size of 4,003.3 m^(2).The 44,928 ponds(≤10,000 m^(2))predominated the whole lake number(94.1%)but contributed to a small portion of the total lake area(28.8%).With 2,590 features(5.9%),small-sized(10,000 to 100,000 m^(2))and large-sized lakes(>100,000 m^(2))constituted up to 71.2%of the total lake area.Thermokarst lakes developed more significantly in warm permafrost regions than in cold permafrost areas;74.1%of lakes with a total area of 119.6×106 m^(2)(62.9%),were distributed in warm permafrost regions.Most thermokarst lakes were likely to develop within the elevation range of 4,500~4,800 m,on flat terrain(slope<10°),on SE and S aspects and in alpine meadow areas.The thermokarst lakes in the study region experienced significant shrinkage between 1990 and 2021,characterized by obvious lake drainage;the lake numbers decreased by 5418(56.1%),with a decreasing area of 58.63×106 m^(2)(49.0%).This shrinkage of the thermokarst lake area was attributable mainly to the intensified degradation of rich-ice permafrost thawing arising from continued climate warming,despite the wetting climatic trend.

THE RATIONAL UTILIZATION OF WATER RESOURCES IN IRRIGATED AREA OF THE YELLOW RIVER IN NINGXIA

The paper describes the water resources in the irrigated area of Ningxia, China, andthe methods for improving the utilization of the water resources, and puts forward somesuggestions so as to utilize the water resources rationally. The history of irrigation farming in Ningxia can be traced back to more than two thou-

Engineering Geological Study of Regional Tectonic Stability in the Area of the Longyang Gorge Power Station on the Huanghe (Yellow) River

In the stability study of the regional structures in the area of the Longyang Gorge Hydroelectrical Power Station, a model of the current stress-deformation field of the area was constructed based on analyses of available data of regional surveys and historical earthquakes and field investigations of active faults and ancient earthquakes. This model was examined and verified by physical and mathematical simulation experiments, and quantitative relations and data were obtained.

Green Control Measures of Weeds in Wheat Fields in Hetao Irrigation Area along the Yellow River

This study was conducted to solve the problem of green weed control in wheat fields in Hetao irrigation area among the Yellow River.Based on the observation of the competition between wheat and weeds in areas where weeds occurred seriously in wheat fields in Hetao irrigation area among the Yellow River,we measured the effects of green weed control measures and wheat yield using different wheat varieties,planting densities,different organic fertilizers,different ploughing times,and different mulching methods.The results showed that the emergence of weeds in wheat fields dominated by Chenopodiaceae weeds,grain amaranth and barnyard grass was more than 10 d later than wheat.Weeds were mainly distributed between rows(holes),and the number of plants accounted for 66.6%(drill seeding)and 97.6%(hole seeding),respectively.And the growth of weeds in rows(holes)was weaker,and the fresh weight of individual plants was 39.3%-41.9%lower than that between rows(holes).The ecological weed inhibitory effect was significant in the early stage of wheat growth;and among the green weed control measures,except that different varieties and planting densities caused no significant difference in weed control effect,other measures had obvious weed control effects.Comprehensive comparison showed that the control effects of plant number in black film full-covered hole seeding,conventional film-covered hole seeding,increasing ploughing times,and applying organic fertilizer free of weed seed pollution were 82.3%,71.7%,22.0%,and 8.6%,respectively;the fresh weight control effects of black film full-covered hole seeding,conventional film-covered hole seeding,increasing ploughing times,and applying organic fertilizer free of weed seed pollution were 98.0%,97.1%,23.9%,and 9.6%,respectively;and the fresh weight control effects of black film full-covered hole seeding,conventional film-covered hole seeding and increasing ploughing times increased wheat yield by 69.4%,56.4%and 21.1%,respectively.The technologies in this study can realize the purposes of mechanized green weed control in organic wheat production and low-cost,high-yield,large-scale production.

Prediction of Maize Yield and Its Component Factors in Yellow River Irrigation Area of Ningxia under Climate Change

[Objective] The aim was to quantitatively predict the variation trend of maize yield in Yellow River irrigation area of Ningxia under future climate change scenarios.[Method] Based on the data of daily temperature,precipitation and radiation in 25 km × 25 km grid in Ningxia from 2010 to 2100 obtained by regional climate model,maize yield in Yellow River irrigation area of Ningxia in the 21st century was studied by means of corrected CERES-Maize model.[Result] With climate warming,maize yield in Yellow River irrigation area of Ningxia in 2020s and 2050s showed increase trend compared with base years（average in 1961-1990）when current adaptive maize variety and optimum production management measures were adopted,while maize yield went down in 2080s with the further increase of temperature.The grain number per spike and spike grain weight as the yield components of maize also showed the same trend with maize yield.In 2020s and 2050s,the increase of maize yield under B2 scenario was higher than that under A2 scenario,while the decrease of maize yield under B2 scenario was lower than that under A2 scenario in 2080s.[Conclusion] With the increase of temperature,maize yield in Yellow River irrigation area of Ningxia went up firstly and then went down.

Impact of vegetation restoration on hydrological processes in the middle reaches of the Yellow River,China

Sediment discharge from the Yellow River originates mainly from the drainage area between Hekouzhen and Longmen, i.e., the Helong area. Spatial-temporal variations of the vegetation cover in this area during the 1981-2007 period have been investigated using GIMMS and SPOT VGT NDVI data. We have also analyzed the interannual variations in vegetation cover and changes in annual runoff and sediment discharge, the consequences from precipitation change and the Grain for Green Project （GGP）. The results show that vegetation cover of the Helong area has increased during the 1981-2007 period. The northwestern part the Helong area, where the flat sandy lands are covered by grass, has experienced the largest increase. The region where the vegetation cover has declined is largely found in the southern and southeastern Helong area, which is a gullied hilly area or forested. Although precipitation was relatively low during the 1999-2007 period, the vegetation cover showed a significant increase in the Helong area, due to the implementation of the GGP. During this period, the most significant improvement in the vegetation cover occurred mainly in the gullied hilly areas of the Loess Plateau, such as the drainage basins of the Kuyehe and Tuweihe rivers and the middle and lower reaches of the Wudinghe and Yanhe rivers. A comparison of the average annual maximum NDVI between the earlier （1998-2002） stage and the next five years （2003-2007） of the GGP indicates that the areas with increases of 10% and 20% in NDVI account for 72.5% and 36.4% of the total area, respectively. Interannual variation of annual runoff and sediment discharge shows a declining trend, especially since the 1980s, when the decrease became very obvious. Compared with the 1950-1969 period, the average runoff during the 1980-2007 period was reduced by 34.8 × 10^8 m3 and the sediment discharge by 6.4 ×10^8 t, accounting for 49.4% and 64.9% of that in the 1950-1969 period, respectively. There is a positive correlation between the annual maximum NDVI and annual runoff and sediment discharge. This correlation was reversed since the implementation of the GGP in 1999 and vegetation cover in the He- long area has increased, associated with the decrease in runoff and sediment discharge. Less precipitation has been an important fac- tor driving the decrease in runoff and sediment discharge during 1999 2007. However, restoration and improvement of the vegetation cover may also have played a significant role in accelerating the decrease in annual runoff and sediment discharge by enhancing evapotranspiration and alleviating soil erosion.

Long-term ecological compensation policies and practices in China:Insights from the Three Rivers Headwaters Area

Using the Three Rivers Headwaters Area in China as a pilot project, this study has investigated the effectiveness of the ecological compensation policies and practices have implemented in this area over the past decade. Major issues have encountered during the implementation process, including the formidable extent of grassland degradation, the comprehensive nature of measures needed to restore the ecosystem, and the time needed to achieve these goals. These issues are discussed, and remedial measures proposed. They include: drafting regulations giving the Three Rivers Headwaters Area ecological protection, setting aside funds for ecological compensation and establishing a national park, using an ecological assets accounting methodology for financial reporting purposes, designing a science-based approach for conducting the livestock husbandry population migration, enhancing the oversight capacity for all aspects of the ecological compensation process, and making an overall plan to promote the harmonious development of this area together with other regions in Qinghai Province.

Changes in sediment discharge in a sediment-rich region of the Yellow River from 1955 to 2010: implications for further soil erosion control

The well-documented decrease in the discharge of sediment into the Yellow River has attracted considerable attention in recent years. The present study analyzed the spatial and temporal variation of sediment yield based on data from 46 hydrological stations in the sediment-rich region of the Yellow River from 1955 to 2010. The results showed that since 1970 sediment yield in the region has clearly decreased at different rates in the 45 sub-areas controlled by hydrological stations. The decrease in sediment yield was closely related to the intensity and extent of soil erosion control measures and rainstorms that occurred in different periods and sub-areas. The average sediment delivery modulus（SDM） in the study area decreased from 7,767.4 t/（km^2·a） in 1951–1969 to 980.5 t/（km^2·a） in 2000–2010. Our study suggested that 65.5% of the study area with the SDM below 1,000 t/（km^2·a） is still necessary to control soil deterioration caused by erosion, and soil erosion control measures should be further strengthened in the areas with the SDM above 1,000 t/（km^2·a）.

基于River 2D模型的黄河花园口河段生态流量研究

针对目前生态流量研究方法难以充分考虑鱼类栖息地等生境因素的问题,以黄河花园口鲤鱼核心保护区为研究区域,选取黄河鲤鱼为研究物种,基于耦合水动力学模型和栖息地模型的River 2D模型确定黄河鲤鱼的生态流量,将水深和流速作为鱼类生存保护的限定性因子,采用栖息地模型模拟不同流量下对应的黄河鲤鱼的适宜栖息地面积。计算结果表明:花园口河段鲤鱼产卵期的最小生态流量为230 m^(3)/s,生长期的最小生态流量为430 m^(3)/s,越冬期的最小生态流量为150 m^(3)/s。计算结果可以为花园口核心鱼类保护区的鱼类保护以及黄河小浪底水库的生态调度提供参考。

Response of runoff in the headwater region of the Yellow River to climate change and its sensitivity analysis

Response of the runoff in the headwater region of the Yellow River to climate change and its sensibility are analyzed based on the measured data at the four hydrological stations and ten weather stations during the period 1959-2008. The result indicates that change of temperature in the region has an obvious corresponding relationship with global warming and the changes of annual average temperature in each subregion in the region have been presenting a fluctuant and rising state in the past 50 years. However the change of precipitation is more intricate than the change of temperature in the region because of the influences of the different geographical positions and environments in various areas, and the change of annual precipitation in the main runoff-producing area has been presenting a fluctuant and decreasing state in the past 50 years. And there is a remarkable nonlinear correlativity between runoff and precipitation and temperature in the region. The runoff in the region has been decreasing continuously since 1990 because the precipitation in the main run-off-producing area obviously decreases and the annual average temperature continuously rises. As a whole, the runoff in each subregion of the headwater region of the Yellow River is quite sensitive to precipitation change, while the runoff in the subregion above Jimai is more sensitive to temperature change than that in the others in the region, correspondingly.

Evidence for a recent warming and wetting in the source area of the Yellow River （SAYR） and its hydrological impacts

Climate change investigation at a watershed-scale plays a significant role in re- vealing the historical evolution and future trend of the runoff variation in watershed. This study examines the multisource hydrological and meteorological variables over the source area of the Yellow River （SAYR） from 1961 to 2,012 and the future climate scenarios in the region during 2006-2100 based on the CMIP5 projection data. It recognizes the significant charac-teristics of the recent climate change in the SAYR and predicts the change trend of future flow in the region. It is found that （1） The climate in the SAYR has experienced a significant warm-wet change since the early 2000s, which is very different from the antecedent warm-dry trend since the late 1980s; （2） The warm-wet trend in the northwestern SAYR （the headwater area of the Yellow River （HAYR）, is more obvious than that in the whole SAYR; （3） With pre- cipitation increase, the runoff in the region also experienced an increasing process since 2006. The runoff variations in the region are sensitive to the changes of precipitation, PET and maximum air temperature, but not very sensitive to changes in mean and minimum air temperatures; （4） Based on the CMIP5 projection data, the warm-wet climate trend in SAYR are likely to continue until 2049 if considering three different （i.e. RCP2.6, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5） greenhouse gas emission scenarios, and the precipitation in SAYR will not be less than the current level before 2100; however, it is estimated that the recent flow increase in the SAYR is likely to be the decadal change and it will at most continue until the 2020s; （5） The inter-annual variations of the East Asian winter monsoon are found to be closely related to the variations of annual precipitation in the region. Meanwhile, the increased precipitation as well as the increase of potential evapotranspiration （PET） being far less than that of precipitation in the recent period are the main climate causes for the flow increase in the region.

Response of soil heat-water processes to vegetation cover on the typical permafrost and seasonally frozen soil in the headwaters of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers

The response of soil temperature and moisture to vegetative cover in the active layer of permafrost and seasonally frozen soil were assessed and compared. Soil temperature and moisture, under a range of vegetation covers (92%, 65% and 30%) in the permafrost and vegetation covers (95%, 70%―80%, 40%―50% and 10%) in the seasonally frozen soil, were measured on a daily basis. A decline in vege-tation cover led to a decrease in the integral of freezing depth of active permafrost layer, but an increase in seasonally frozen soil. The maximum invasion depth and duration of the negative isotherm during the frozen period and of the positive isotherm during the non-frozen period clearly increased when vegetation cover declined. With a reduction of vegetation cover, the soil moisture in the active layer of the permafrost decreased for depths of 0.20―0.60 m, but increased for depths of 0.60―0.80 m, while for seasonally frozen soil, soil moisture of the entire profile (0.10―1.20 m) increased. Variation in vegetation cover alters soil heat-water processes, but the response to it is different between permafrost and seasonally frozen soil.

Differential changes in precipitation and runoff discharge during 1958–2017 in the headwater region of Yellow River of China

Maintenance of steady streamflow is a critical attribute of the continental river systems for safeguarding downstream ecosystems and agricultural production.Global climate change imposes a potential risk to water supply from the headwater by changing the magnitude and frequency of precipitation and evapotranspiration in the region.To determine if and to what extent the recent climate changes affected streamflow in major river systems,we examined the pattern of temporal variations in precipitation,temperature,evapotranspiration and changes in runoff discharge during 1958–2017 in the headwater region of the Yellow River in northeastern Tibetan Plateau.We identified 1989 as the turning point for a statistically significant 14% reduction in streamflow discharge(P < 0.05) for the period 1989–2017 compared with 1958–1988,approximately coinciding with changes in the monthly distribution but not the interannual variations of precipitation,and detected a mismatch between precipitation and runoff after 2000.Both annual precipitation and runoff discharge displayed fourand eight-year cyclic patterns of changes for the period 1958–1988,and a six-year cyclic pattern of changes for the period 1989–2017,with two intensified two-year cyclic patterns in the changes of precipitation and a three-year cyclic pattern in the change of runoff further detected for the later period.Our results indicate that the temporal changes in runoff are not strictly consistent with the temporal variations of precipitation in the headwater region of Yellow River during the period 1958–2017.In particular,a full recovery in annual precipitation was not reflected in a full recovery in runoff toward the end of the study period.While a review of literature yielded no apparent evidence of raised evapotranspiration in the region due to recent warming,we draw attention to increased local retention of rainwater as a possible explanation of differential changes in precipitation and runoff.