Runoff and sediment load change and its influencing factors in the Xiaonanchuan River Basin, China

Abstract

Based on the annual monitoring data of runoff and sediment and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), the water and sediment change and the vegetation coverage dynamics in the Xiaonanchuan (XNC) River basin were analyzed. The main impacts factors of the water and sediment change were further identified by using the Multiple Linear Regression method. It is found that the runoff was increasing and the sediment was reducing in the XNC River basin during 2000 to 2013. Simultaneously, a significant upward trend was shown in NDVI. It indicates that the vegetation coverage was increasing and the natural ecological environment was improved in the basin. The quantitative analysis results show that the vegetation coverage is the dominant influencing factor of the water and sediment change in the XNC River basin. Therefore, under the condition of recent climate change, ecological restoration is one of the most effective way to prevent water and soil loss in arid area.