HAZARD MITIGATION RELATED TO WATER AND SEDIMENT FLUXES IN THE YELLOW RIVER BASIN, CHINA, BASED ON COMPARABLE BASINS OF THE UNITED STATES

W. R. Osterkamp¹ and J. R. Gray²

¹Research  Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Tucson, Arizona

²Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia

ABSTRACT

       The Yellow River, north-central China, and comparative rivers of the western United States, the Rio Grande and the Colorado River, derive much of their flows from melting snow at high elevations, but derive most of their sediment loads from semiarid central parts of the basins.  The three rivers are regulated by large reservoirs that store water and sediment, causing downstream channel scour and, farther downstream, flood hazard owing to re-deposition of sediment.  Potential approaches to reducing continuing bed aggradation and increasing flood hazard along the lower Yellow River include flow augmentation, retirement of irrigation that decreases flows and increases erosion, and re-routing of the middle Yellow River to bypass large sediment inputs of the Loess Plateau.   

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