Hydrology of the yellow river source zone

Abstract

Under the impact of climate change and human activities, water resources in the source zone of the Yellow River have decreased since the 1990s. At the same time, environmental deterioration, soil erosion, land desertification, shrinkage of wetlands and lakes, glacier ablation, deterioration of grasslands, rodent infestation, degradation of biological diversity and other environmental and ecological problems have arisen. As a result, the regional hydro-ecological system has become more and more vulnerable. Although the mean annual temperature in the region has increased by about 1.5 °C since the 1960s, the average annual precipitation since 2004 has exceeded the long-term average value, and the run-off at all hydrological sections on the main stream of the Yellow River has increased continuously since 2008, exceeding the long-term average. This may partly be due to the establishment of the Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve and the various soil and vegetation recovery programs undertaken since 2000. With the sharp decrease of run-off and sediment to the lower and estuarine reaches of the Yellow River, more effective measures for water and hydro-ecological systems conservation need to be implemented in the source zone.