Abstract
This study examined the Chabagou River watershed in the gully region of the Loess Plateau in China’s Shaanxi Province, and was based on measured precipitation and runoff data in the basin over a 52-year period (1959–2010), land-use types, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and other data. Statistical models and distributed hydrological models were used to explore the influences of climate change and human activity on the hydrological response and on the temporal and spatial evolution of the basin. It was found that precipitation and runoff in the gully region presented a downward trend during the 52-year period. Since the 1970s, the hydrological response to human activities has become the main source of regional hydrological evolution. Evapotranspiration from the large silt dam in the study area has increased. The depth of soil water decreased at first, then it increased by amount that exceeded the evaporation increase observed in the second and third change periods. The water and soil conservation measures had a beneficial effect on the ecology of the watershed. These results provide a reference for water resource management and soil and water conservation in the study area.
Highlights
In recent years, climate change and human activities have jointly driven the evolution of the hydrological system of the Loess Plateau in China [1,2]
Studies carried out in regions of the Loess Plateau have used different methods to investigate the trend of runoff changes in river basins and to analyze their source, and they have shown that human activities have gradually become the main driving factor of the evolution of the hydrological system in the most recent 30 years [7,8,9]
According to statistics reported in Mo, more than 500 silt dams had been built in the Chabagou River watershed by 2000 [21]
Summary
Climate change and human activities have jointly driven the evolution of the hydrological system of the Loess Plateau in China [1,2]. Studies carried out in regions of the Loess Plateau have used different methods to investigate the trend of runoff changes in river basins and to analyze their source, and they have shown that human activities have gradually become the main driving factor of the evolution of the hydrological system in the most recent 30 years [7,8,9]. Many search the attribution of runoff changes the Plateau has attracted considerable attenstudiesonhave quantitatively analyzed the in factors driving runoff changes in river basins tion.
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