Hydrological responses to precipitation variation and diverse human activities in a mountainous tributary of the lower Xijiang, China

Sediment dynamics. Special issue

Auteur(s) et Affiliation(s)



Description :
The Luodingjiang River, a mountainous tributary of the lower Xijiang in South China, was chosen to investigate the hydrological responses to the precipitation variation and diverse human activities (land use change, water diversion, reservoir conduction, and in-channel damming) in this study. Two non-parametric statistical methods, Mann-Kendall and Pettitt test, were employed to detect the long-term changes in the time series of water discharge and sediment load (1959-2002) at the annual, monthly and seasonal scales. The impacts of precipitation variation and human activities on water discharge and sediment load were discerned and quantified using double mass curve and linear regression methods. The operation of reservoirs and hydropower stations is considered to be responsible for the observed increasing trends of water discharge in the dry-season and decreasing trends of sediment load after 1986, and for the latter, reforestation program in the catchment is another contributing factor. The distinct seasonal changing patterns of both water discharge and sediment load in this study highlight the importance of involving monthly or seasonal time series in the change detection in hydrological data.


Type de document :
Article de monographie

Source :
Catena (Giessen), issn : 0341-8162, 2009, vol. 77, n°. 2, p. 130-142, nombre de pages : 13, Références bibliographiques : 45 ref.

Date :
2009

Editeur :
Pays édition : Allemagne, Cremlingen-Destedt, Catena