Spatial and temporal variations of water and sediment discharges of the Yangtze River (Changjiang) from 1950 to 2018: Erosion of Lake, Channel, and Delta
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-1-2022
Abstract
Temporal variations in water and sediment discharges in the Yangtze basin have been controlled by various forcings, both climatic (precipitation and evapotranspiration) and anthropogenic (water diversions, dam construction, and lake reclamation). Superimposed on the spatial variations, various temporal changes of both water and sediment discharge have occurred in the Yangtze drainage basin since 1950. As a result of the severe decline in sediment flux relative to water discharge, suspended sediment concentrations (SSCs) in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River have decreased dramatically. While low-runoff rivers seem more vulnerable to climatic and anthropogenic change, high-runoff rivers also can be affected, as shown by the Yangtze in this chapter. The collective erosion of Dongting Lake, the mainstem channel and the Yangtze subaqueous delta have changed the Yangtze sediment dispersal system dramatically.
Publication Source (Journal or Book title)
Large Rivers Geomorphology and Management
First Page
891
Last Page
915
Recommended Citation
Xu, K., Yang, S., Milliman, J., Yang, Z., Yang, H., & Xu, H. (2022). Spatial and temporal variations of water and sediment discharges of the Yangtze River (Changjiang) from 1950 to 2018: Erosion of Lake, Channel, and Delta. Large Rivers Geomorphology and Management, 891-915. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119412632.ch31