Hydrological cycle changes in China’s large river basin: The Yellow River drained dry

Abstract

The Yellow River is one of the most important rivers in China. In the recent years, the hydrological cycle of the basin have changed greatly. Particularly, the main course of the lower reaches has been drying up which has caused a series of ecological, environmental and socioeconomical problems. In this paper, we have tried to explain the reasons for the hydrological cycle changes regarding the physical aspects and human activities. On the basis of the research on the characteristics of hydrological cycle and water resources in the basin, we find that the climate change impact may be one of the reasons. However, the prevailing impacts on the water resources were from human activities associated with land use and land cover change in the river basin. According to the research, some major countermeasures were suggested to enhance water management as the adaptive approach. Finally the authors addressed the highlights of hydrological cycle regarding water resources development and major conclusion remarks.