Anthropogenic Disturbances and Precipitation Affect Karst Sediment Discharge in the Nandong Underground River System in Yunnan, Southwest China

Yanqing Li, Zhongcheng Jiang, Zhihua Chen, Yang Yu, Funing Lan, Zhijie Shan, Yingjie Sun, Peng Liu, Xiaobo Tang and Jesús Rodrigo-Comino
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Yanqing Li: School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Zhongcheng Jiang: School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Zhihua Chen: School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Yang Yu: Department of Sediment Research, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, China
Funing Lan: Institute of Karst Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Guilin 541004, China
Zhijie Shan: Department of Sediment Research, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, China
Yingjie Sun: Guangxi Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guilin 541006, China
Peng Liu: Institute of Karst Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Guilin 541004, China
Xiaobo Tang: Guilin Meteorological Administration, Guilin 541001, China
Jesús Rodrigo-Comino: Department of Physical Geography, University of Trier, 54296 Trier, Germany

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 7, 1-20

Abstract: In fragile karst environments that have seen past and current human exploitation of agricultural and forest resources, the quantification of underground riverine sediment has been widely used to evaluate subterranean stream basin erosion. These measures are highly influenced by both precipitation and anthropogenic factors; therefore, soil erosion control measures must be urgently designed and applied. In this study, 17 years of sediment discharge across the Nandong underground river system in southwest China was monitored. To achieve this goal, the Mann–Kendal mutation test and proxy indicators were used to estimate the general influence of human activities and precipitation on sediment discharge. The results showed that: (1) Both anthropologic disturbance and rainfall have impacted the sediment discharge, although the influence of the anthropologic factor on sediment discharge was greater (61.53%), and (2) rainfall showed a hysteresis effect on sediment discharge. We obtained three different stages based on the mutation points and variation characteristics of the studied sediment discharge resulting from different driving forces, from 1998 to 2014. Prior to 2004, in the whole basin, the decrease of sediment yield was the result of the Natural Forest Protection Project. During the period from 2004 to 2008, due to continuous droughts, flood disasters, and intensive cultivation practices on the steeper hillslopes, the total sediment discharge of the whole basin increased. After 2009, the sediment discharge decreased due to the development of soil conservation projects and mushrooming reservoirs. These findings are expected to provide insights into watershed management and ecological restoration in fragile karst ecosystems, specifically, in southwestern Chinese river systems. More research must be conducted to monitor, with in situ measurements and observations, possible extreme events that can determine the exact erosion control measures that need to be designed and applied.

Keywords: anthropogenic disturbance; rainfall; sediment discharge; karst environments (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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