Bed sediment particle size characteristics and its sources implication in the desert reach of the Yellow River

A 1000-km desert reach of the Yellow River flows through an extensive aeolian desert region. In recent years, the river bed of this reach has shown an aggradational trend, leading to substantial social, economic, and other environmental problems. The desert reach of the Yellow River provides an oppo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental earth sciences 2016-06, Vol.75 (11), p.1, Article 950
Main Authors: Jia, Xiaopeng, Li, Yongshan, Wang, Haibing
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bed load
Biogeosciences
Cores
Deserts
Earth and Environmental Science
Earth Sciences
Environmental Science and Engineering
Geochemistry
Geology
Hydrology/Water Resources
Original Article
Particle size
River banks
River basins
River flow
Rivers
Sand
Sediment samplers
Sediment transport
Terrestrial Pollution
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Summary:A 1000-km desert reach of the Yellow River flows through an extensive aeolian desert region. In recent years, the river bed of this reach has shown an aggradational trend, leading to substantial social, economic, and other environmental problems. The desert reach of the Yellow River provides an opportunity for us to study the sediment particle size characteristics and its sources, transport, and sedimentation processes in a large desert river. To investigate this topic, 111 shallow sediment core samples from the desert reach and some typical surface sediment samples were also systematically collected from the main reach and potential source areas in the upper Yellow River basin for particle size analysis. The analysis of sediment cores in the desert reach indicated that a fine sediment layer had developed over a coarse sediment layer in the 1- to 4-m-thick bed deposits. Aeolian sand, the Ten tributaries, and coarse fraction from the riverbank provide material for the development of the coarse sediment layer in the sediment cores, while the relatively fine sediment (0.05 mm) coming from the Loess Plateau. Our results provide a meaningful reference for the management of desert rivers around the world.
ISSN:1866-6280
1866-6299
DOI:10.1007/s12665-016-5760-9