Sediment yield computation of the sandy and gritty area based on the digital watershed model

• Published in: Science China. Technological sciences 2006 (6), p.752-763
• Main Author: LIU Jiahong WANG Guangqian LI Tiejian XUE Hai HE Li
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: and; area; digital; gritty; sandy; sediment; the; watershed; yield
• ISSN: 1674-7321; 1869-1900

The Yellow River is well known as a sediment-laden river, which is the main reason that it cannot be controlled as easily as other rivers. Many researchers, such as Qian Ning et al., have found that the sediment load of the Yellow River comes mainly from the sandy and gritty area of the Loess Plateau. Therefore, it is very important to simulate the sediment yield in this area. This paper proposes a method to compute the sediment production in the sandy and gritty area based on the digital watershed model. The suggested model is calibrated and validated in the Chabagou basin, which is a small catchment in the study area. Finally, the model simulates the sediment yield of the sandy and gritty area in 1967, 1978, 1983, 1994 and 1997, which represents a high water and high sediment year, a mean water and mean sediment year, a high water and low sediment year, a low water and high sediment year, and a low water and low sediment year separately. The simulation results, including the runoff depth and erosion modulus, can well explain the "low water and high sediment" phenomena in the Yellow River basin. The total amount of the sediment production and its distribution generated by the model is very useful for water and soil conservation in the sandy and gritty area of the Loess Plateau.