Characteristics of the Lower Yellow River channel shrinkage and its discriminant parameters

This paper analyzes the changing trends of the Lower Yellow River(LYR) transverse profile parameters and their aberrance points by the time series analysis method.Research results show that there has been a trend of changes in the LYR channel transverse profile parameters since the 1950s.The main river channel has a tendency of shrinkage year by year and the trend will be continued in the future.The main features of the LYR channel shrinkage are remarkable reductions of bankfull dis-charges and bankfull areas,corresponding decreases of bankfull widths,average bankfull water depths and maximal bankfull water depths,as well as increases of bankfull water levels and width-depth ratios accompanied.The discriminant parameters for threshold of the LYR main channel shrinkage were put forward.It indicates that the LYR main channel began to shrink in the 1970s and has entered into a serious phase of channel shrinkage since the 1990s.The incompatible index of discharged water-sediment processes of the Sanmenxia Reservoir was introduced,which revealed that there was a trend of increasing in the incompatibility between water flow and sediment load.Response relations between the LYR main channel shrinkage parameters and discharged water-sediment processes of the Sanmenxia Reservoir were founded,which indicate that the LYR main channel shrinkage can be mitigated and improved through the regulation of discharged water-sediment processes of the reservoir,especially through the regulation of water-sediment incompatible index.The LYR channel for water and sediment transportation can be restored and maintained.