Abstract
Northeast China is an important food producing area because it contains large areas of organic soil. However, land degradation caused by soil erosion poses a serious threat to the soil conditions in this region. It is therefore crucial to explore the mechanisms behind the soil erosion and transport processes. This study assessed the effects of precipitation and vegetation cover variations on runoff and sediment yield within nine major watersheds in Northeast China, using Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression models. There were significantly positive correlations between annual precipitation, runoff and sediment yield within all watersheds between the 1960s and 2011. In addition, the vegetation index was negatively related to differences within annual water-sediment variables within most of the watersheds from 1982 to the 2010s. Within Songhua River basin, the runoff depth and runoff coefficient had significant positive correlations with NDVI and the proportion of forest. In contrast, the vegetation had negative effects on the runoff within Liao River basin. Spatial analysis of sediment showed that area-specific sediment yield decreased with increasing drainage watershed area, and the correlations between sediment variables and NDVI were stronger within watersheds of the upper reaches and tributaries than large basins in general. The combined effects of precipitation and vegetation influence the erosion and sediment transport processes, and various human activities can influence the routing of sediment to the watershed outlet. If anthropogenic activities such as reservoir and dam construction do not decrease, the protective benefits of vegetation cover may not be realized for a long time, especially along the river mainstream due to the more complex drainage network.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Andréassian, V., Waters and forests: from historical controversy to scientific debate, J. Hydrol., 2004, vol. 291, pp. 1–27.
de Vente, J. and Poesen, J., Predicting soil erosion and sediment yield at the basin scale: scale issues and semi-quantitative models, Earth-Sci. Rev., 2005, vol. 71, pp. 95–125.
de Vente, J., Poesen, J., Arabkhedri, M., and Verstraeten, G., The sediment delivery problem revisited, Progress in Physical Geography, 2007, vol. 31, pp. 155–178.
de Vente, J., Poesen, J., Verstraeten, G., Govers, G., Vanmaercke, M., and Van Rompaey, A., Predicting soil erosion and sediment yield at regional scales: Where do we stand? Earth-Sci. Rev., 2013, vol. 127, pp. 16–29.
Ellison, D., N, M.F., and Bishop, K., On the forest cover–water yield debate: from demand- to supply-side thinking, Glob Change Biol., 2012, vol. 18, pp. 806–820.
Fang, H., Sun, L., Qi, D., and Cai, Q., Using 137 Cs technique to quantify soil erosion and deposition rates in an agricultural catchment in the black soil region, Northeast China, Geomorphology, 2012, vol. 169–170, pp. 142–150.
Fang, H.J., Yang, X.M., Zhang, X.P., and Liang, A.Z., Using 137 Cs tracer technique to evaluate erosion and deposition of black soil in Northeast China, Pedosphere, 2006, vol. 16, pp. 201–209.
Fu, B., Soil erosion and its control in the loess plateau of China, Soil Use Manag., 1989, vol. 5, pp. 76–82.
Holben, B.N., Characteristics of maximum-value composite images from temporal AVHRR data, Intern. J. Remote Sens., 1986, vol. 7, pp. 1417–1434.
Holeman, J.N., The sediment yield of major rivers of the world, Water Resour. Res., 1968, vol. 4, pp. 737–747.
Jiang, C., Zhang, L., Li, D., and Li, F., Water discharge and sediment load changes in China: change patterns, causes, and implications, Water, 2015, vol. 7, pp. 5849–5875.
Jun, D.U., Shi, C.X., and Zhang, C.D., Modeling and analysis of effects of precipitation and vegetation coverage on runoff and sediment yield in Jinsha River Basin, Water Sci. Eng., 2013, vol. 6, pp. 44–58.
Lane, L.J., Hernandez, M., and Nichols, M., Processes controlling sediment yield from watersheds as functions of spatial scale, Environ. Model. Software, 1997, vol. 12, pp. 355–369.
Li, R., Zhu, A., Song, X., and Cui, M., Seasonal Dynamics of runoff-sediment relationship and its controlling factors in black soil region of Northeast China, J. Resour. Ecol., 2010, vol. 1, pp. 345–352.
Li, T., Wang, S., Fu, B., and Feng, X., Frequency analyses of peak discharge and suspended sediment concentration in the United States, J. Soils Sedim., 2019. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-019-02463-8
Li, T., Wang, S., Liu, Y., Fu, B., and Zhao, W., A retrospective analysis on changes in sediment flux in the Mississippi River system: trends, driving forces, and implications, J. Soils Sedim., 2019. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-019-02495-0
Li, T., Zhang, H., Wang, X., Cheng, S., Fang, H., Liu, G., and Yuan, W., Soil erosion affects variations of soil organic carbon and soil respiration along a slope in Northeast China, Ecol. Proc., 2019, vol. 8, p. 28.
Li, W., He, Y., and Yang, L., A summary and perspective of forest vegetation impacts on water yield, J. Nat. Resour., 2001, vol. 16, pp. 398–406. (In Chinese with English abstract)
Liu, J., Zhang, Q., Chen, X., and Gu, X., Quantitative evaluations of human- and climate-induced impacts on hydrological processes of China, Acta Geograp. Sinica, 2016, vol. 71, pp. 1875–1885. (In Chinese with English abstract)
Liu, L., Zhang, K., Zhang, Z., and Qiu, Q., Identifying soil redistribution patterns by magnetic susceptibility on the black soil farmland in Northeast China, Catena, 2015, vol. 129, pp. 103–111.
Liu, W., Cai, T., Fu, G., Zhang, A., Liu, C., and Yu, H., The streamflow trend in Tangwang River basin in northeast China and its difference response to climate and land use change in sub-basins, Environ. Earth Sci., 2013, vol. 69, pp. 51–62.
Liu, X.B., Zhang, X.Y., Wang, Y.X., Sui, Y.Y., Zhang, S.L., and Herbert, S.J., Soil degradation: a problem threatening the sustainable development of agriculture in Northeast China, Plant Soil Environ., 2010, vol. 56, pp. 87–97.
Liu, X.Y., Yang, S.T., Dang, S.Z., Luo, Y., Xiaoyu, L.I., and Zhou, X., Response of sediment yield to vegetation restoration at a large spatial scale in the Loess Plateau, Sci. China: Technol. Sci., 2014, vol. 57, pp. 1482–1489.
Ludwig, W. and Probst, J.L., River sediment discharge to the oceans: present-day controls and global budgets, Am. J. Sci., 1998, vol. 298, pp. 265–295.
Miao, C., Lin, Y., Liu, B., Yang, G., and Li, S., Streamflow changes and its influencing factors in the mainstream of the Songhua River basin, Northeast China over the past 50 years, Environ. Earth Sci., 2011, vol. 63, pp. 489–499.
Milliman, J.D. and Farnsworth, K.L., River Discharge to the Coastal Ocean—A Global Synthesis, Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, 2011.
Mutema, M., Chaplot, V., Jewitt, G., Chivenge, P., and Blöschl, G., Annual water, sediment, nutrient, and organic carbon fluxes in river basins: A global meta-analysis as a function of scale, Water Resour. Res., 2015, vol. 51, pp. 8949–8972.
Pinzon, J. and Tucker, C., A Non-Stationary 1981-2012 AVHRR NDVI3g Time Series, Remote Sens., 2014, vol. 6, pp. 6929–6960.
Shi, P., Kong, F., and Fang, J., Spatio-temporal patterns of China decadal storm rainfall, Sci Geogr Sin, 2014, vol. 34, pp. 1281–1290. (In Chinese with English abstract)
Song, C., Wang, G., Sun, X., Chang, R., and Mao, T., Control factors and scale analysis of annual river water, sediments and carbon transport in China, Sci. Rep., 2016, vol. 6, pp. 25963.
Song, X., Lu, X., Liu, Z., and Sun, Y., Runoff Change of Naoli River in Northeast China in 1955–2009 and Its Influencing Factors, Chinese Geogr. Sci., 2012, vol. 22, pp. 144–153.
Walling, D.E. and Fang, D., Recent trends in the suspended sediment loads of the world’s rivers, Global Planet. Change, 2003, vol. 39, pp. 111–126.
Wei, H., Li, R., and Yang, Q., Research advances of vegetation effect on soil and water conservation in China, Acta Phytoecol. Sin., 2001, vol. 26, pp. 489–496. (in Chinese)
Xu, X., Ma, K., Fu, B., Liu, X., Huang, Y., and Qi, J., Research review of the relationship between vegetation and soil loss, Acta Ecol. Sin., 2006, vol. 26, pp. 3137–3143. (in Chinese)
Yang, S.L., Xu, K.H., Milliman, J.D., Yang, H.F., and Wu, C.S., Decline of Yangtze River water and sediment discharge: Impact from natural and anthropogenic changes, Sci. Rep., 2015, vol. 5, pp. 12581.
Yin, L., Wang, X., Pan, J., and Gassman, P.W., Evaluation of APEX for daily runoff and sediment yield from three plots in the Middle Huaihe River Watershed, China, Trans ASABE, 2009, vol. 52, pp. 1833–1845.
Yu, S., Shang, J., Zhao, J., and Guo, H., Factor analysis and dynamics of water quality of the Songhua River, Northeast China, Water Air Soil Pollut., 2003, vol. 144, pp. 159–169.
Yuan, W., Xu, B., Chen, Z., Xia, J., Xu, W., Chen, Y., Wu, X., and Fu, Y., Validation of China-wide interpolated daily climate variables from 1960 to 2011, Theoret Applied Climatol., 2015, vol. 119, pp. 689–700.
Zhang, A., Zhang, C., Fu, G., Wang, B., Bao, Z., and Zheng, H., Assessments of Impacts of Climate Change and Human Activities on Runoff with SWAT for the Huifa River Basin, Northeast China, Water Resour Manag., 2012, vol. 26, pp. 2199–2217.
Zhang, D., Feng, G., and Hu, J., Trend of extreme precipitation events over China in last 40 years, Chin. Phys. B, 2008, vol. 17, pp. 736–742.
Zhang, Q. and Zhou, X., Influence of forest on runoff discharges in Tangwang River and Hulan River basins of Heilongjiang Province, J. Plant Resour. Environ., 1999, vol. 8, pp. 22–27. (In Chinese with English abstract)
Zhang, Y., Guan, D., Jin, C., Wang, A., Wu, J., and Yuan, F., Analysis of impacts of climate variability and human activity on streamflow for a river basin in northeast China, J. Hydrol., 2011, vol. 410, pp. 239–247.
Zhang, Y., Guan, D., Jin, C., Wang, A., Wu, J., and Yuan, F., Impacts of climate change and land use change on runoff of forest catchment in northeast China, Hydrol. Processes, 2014, vol. 28, pp. 186–196.
Zhang, Y., Wu, Y., Liu, B., Zheng, Q., and Yin, J., Characteristics and factors controlling the development of ephemeral gullies in cultivated catchments of black soil region, Northeast China, Soil Till. Res., 2007, vol. 96, pp. 28–41.
Zhao, W. and Liu, B., Analysis on variation characteristics and influential factors of runoff and sediment of Liaohe River basin, Yangtze River, 2014, vol. 5, pp. 32–35. (in Chinese)
Zheng, M., Cai, Q., and Chen, H., Effect of vegetation on runoff-sediment yield relationship at different spatial scales in hilly areas of the Loess Plateau, North China, Acta Ecol. Sin., 2007, vol. 27, pp. 3572–3581.
Zhou, X., Zhao, H., and Sun, H., Proper assessment for forest hydrological effect, J. Nat. Resour., 2001, vol. 16, pp. 420–426. (In Chinese with English abstract)
Zuazo, V.H.D., Soil-erosion and runoff prevention by plant covers, A review, Agron. Sustainable Dev., 2008, vol. 28, pp. 65–86.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This study was supported by the Funds for International Cooperation and Exchange of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41 761 130 077), Royal Society–Newton Advanced Fellowship, Changjiang Young Scholars Programme of China (Q2016161), National Youth Top-Notch Talent Support Program, and Fok Ying Tung Education Foundation (151 015).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Tong Li, Dong, J. & Yuan, W. Effects of Precipitation and Vegetation Cover on Annual Runoff and Sediment Yield in Northeast China: A Preliminary Analysis. Water Resour 47, 491–505 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0097807820030173
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0097807820030173