Investigations of the sediment budget of a reach of the Yellow River in the Loess Plateau

Using sediment concentration (CS) and discharge (Q) data measured at three gauging stations along the reach of the Yellow River in the Loess Plateau, this article focuses on high C-S levels during flood periods and low C-S levels under ice covered conditions. The results show that the annual maximum C-S is usually less than 30 kg m(-3) during the flood season at the upstream Toudaoguai gauging station (TDGS). However, both maximum CS and Q vary dramatically at the downstream Fugu gauging station (FGGS). The value of C-S under ice cover is very low compared to C-S during flood periods. For the same cumulative percentage undersize, the median grain size of the suspended load under ice cover is much coarser than that under open flow conditions, although Q during the period of ice cover is much less than that under open flow conditions. About 35% of the sediment eroded in the sub-watershed between TDGS and FGGS was produced from the HuangPuChuan watershed, which accounts for only 10% of its drainage area.