Contribution of soil erosion to the evolution of the plateau-plain-delta system in the Yellow River basin over the past 10,000 years

Abstract

Soil erosion, sediment transport, and delta deposition are of great importance to the evolution of fluvial landforms. In this study, we carry out a quantitative and comprehensive analysis to identify dynamic processes and mechanisms of soil erosion, fluvial plain deposition, and river delta formation in response to Holocene environmental changes over the past 10,000 years. In this investigation, the following results are achieved. First, spatial variations of the monsoon border (400 mm isohyet) resulted in dynamic changes in soil erosion on the Loess Plateau, sediment transportation downstream, and fluvial deposition on the plains and delta during the Holocene. Climate change and human activities played essential roles in variations of the plateau-plain-delta system during different periods. In the early Holocene, the number and scale of Neolithic cultural sites in the Yellow River basin increased. In the past 3000 years, human activities have strongly influenced and dominated environmental evolution in this region. Second, soil erosion was the critical contributor to the construction of the North China Plain. The Yellow River Delta provided the preliminary living environment where historical civilization in the Yellow River basin formed and developed, giving birth to the Yellow River civilization. Sediment discharge in the Loess Plateau was the primary source for river channel development and shaping of the river delta.