Palaeorunoff estimations achieved from palaeoclimatic information for the southwest part of the North China Plain: an attempt to apply a climatological approach to palaeohydrology

Palaeoclimatic scenario projecting annual temperature and annual precipitation is firstly formalized with data available and speculations for the southwest part of the North China Plain (35— 37°N, 115—119°E) during the last 25000 years. Then, with three regression equations relating annual runoff to annual precipitation and derived with data of modern hydrological and meteorological records, values of annual runoff are calculated in terms of the corresponding values of annual precipitation from this palaeoclimatic scenario for this region during this temporal interval. These results indicate that runoff is the most during 8000—3000 a B.P. and the least during 25000—12000 a B.P.; runoff occurring during 12000—8000 a B.P. and during 3000—0 a B.P. is less than the one occurring during 8000—3000 a B.P. and more than the one occurring during 25000—12000 a B.P.; and the runoff occurring during 25000—12000 a B.P., 12000—8000 a B.P., and 3000—0 a B.P. is respectively 43, 46 and 66 percent of the one occurring during 8000—3000 a B.P. Values of bankfull discharge for palaeochannels of the Yellow River flowing in this region during the same interval are calculated from available estimates of slope of stream bed of these palaeochannels with a regression equation relating bankfull discharge to slope of stream bed and ratios of bankfull discharge are further calculated from these values for different groups of palaeochannel formed during different time spans embraced in this interval. To conduct a cross check, these values and ratios of bankfull discharge are compared to the corresponding values and ratios of runoff occurring during roughly the same time spans. The same direction and similar relative magnitude of changes of the surface water occurring in this region during the last 25000 years are indicated by these comparisons.