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CR 85:51-67 (2021)  -  DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/cr01667

Spatiotemporal variation of erosive rainfall and its influence on sediment discharge in the Ganjiang River Basin

Li-Ping Guo1,2,#, Xiu-Long Chen3,#, Kai-Tao Liao4, Yi He5, Tai-Hui Zheng3, Xiao-Fei Nie4,6, Bing-Shi Xu1,2, Li-Chao Zhang3,4, Zhi-Jun Luo3,*

1Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Silviculture, College of Forestry, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, PR China
2Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Forest Ecosystem Protection and Restoration of Poyang Lake Watershed, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, Jiangxi, PR China
3College of Land Resources and Environment, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, PR China
4Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Prevention, Jiangxi Institute of Water Resources, Nanchang 330029, PR China
5Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Earth Surface System and Environmental Carrying Capacity, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710127, PR China
6Research Center of Soil and Water Conservation and Ecological Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Education, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR China
*Corresponding author:
#These authors contributed equally to this work

ABSTRACT: Expected increases in extreme rainfall events due to global warming could lead to increased soil erosion in mountainous areas. In order to study this impact on specific areas, the present study identified the spatiotemporal variation of erosive rainfall and the influence of its variation on streamflow and sediment discharge within the Ganjiang River Basin. Daily average rainfall data were obtained from 23 national meteorological observation stations along with streamflow and sediment concentration data collected for 1964-2013 at 6 control stations. The nonparametric Mann-Kendall method and Pettitt test were used for trend analysis and change-point detection, and the modified double mass curve method was used to quantify the effects of both erosive rainfall variation and human activities on hydrological regime shifts. Results showed significant monthly variation in erosive rainfall and significant increases in rainstorms over the entire watershed, particularly in the downstream subzone and northeast corner of the upstream subzone. While moderate rain showed an insignificant decrease in both subzones and the entire watershed, heavy rain showed no significant variation over the entire watershed but did show a significant increase in both the midstream and downstream subzones. The changes in accumulative erosive rainfall had only small effects on reduction in sediment discharge after the change-point year. In contrast, human activities contributed to more than 50% of the changes in sediment discharge in the entire basin. These findings provide a research basis for the study of extreme climate, flood disaster prevention, and soil erosion prediction over the entire watershed.


KEY WORDS: Extreme rainfall · Rainstorm · Main flood season · Mann-Kendall method · Hydrometeorologic elements


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Cite this article as: Guo LP, Chen XL, Liao KT, He Y and others (2021) Spatiotemporal variation of erosive rainfall and its influence on sediment discharge in the Ganjiang River Basin. Clim Res 85:51-67. https://doi.org/10.3354/cr01667

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