Responses of streamflow to changes in climate and land use/cover in the Loess Plateau, China

Abstract

To control the severe soil erosion in the Loess Plateau, China, a great number of soil conservation measures including terracing, afforestation, and construction of sediment‐trapping dams have been implemented since the 1950s. These measures have resulted in large‐scale land use and land cover change. It is important to evaluate the impacts of these soil conservation measures on streamflow as streamflow is an important determinant on catchment sediment yield and obviously is related to water security in the region. In this study, data from 11 catchments in the Loess Plateau were analyzed to investigate the responses of streamflow to the land use/cover changes. The nonparametric Mann‐Kendall test and the Pettitt test were used to identify trends and change points in the streamflow records. All 11 catchments had significant negative trend in annual streamflow of −0.13 to −1.58 mm a−1. Change points in streamflow occurred between 1971 and 1985. A method was employed to evaluate the impacts of climate variability and land use/cover changes on mean annual streamflow on the basis of precipitation and potential evaporation. It was estimated that the land use/cover changes accounted for over 50% of the reduction in mean annual streamflow in 8 out of the 11 catchments. However, climate (i.e., precipitation and potential evaporation) played a more important role in reducing the streamflow in the three remaining catchments. Among the soil conservation measures, construction of sediment‐trapping dams and reservoirs, with associated irrigation water extractions from the latter, appeared to be the main cause of the reduced streamflow.