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Frontiers of Engineering Management

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Front. Eng    2024, Vol. 11 Issue (3) : 528-541    https://doi.org/10.1007/s42524-024-0304-6
Systems Engineering Theory and Application
Understanding the influencing factors and evolving trends of the Yellow River Water-Sediment Regulation System from a system perspective
Zhiwei CAO1(), Yuansheng ZHANG2, Huanfa CHEN3, Chaoqun LI4, Yuan LUO4
1. Yellow River Engineering Consulting Co Ltd, Zhengzhou 450000, China
2. Yellow River Engineering Consulting Co Ltd, Zhengzhou 450000, China; North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou, China
3. University College London, London, UK
4. Yellow River Engineering Consulting Co Ltd, Zhengzhou 450000, China
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Abstract

Understanding the influencing factors and the evolving trends of the Water-Sediment Regulation System (WSRS) is vital for the protection and management of the Yellow River. Past studies on WSRS have been limited in focus and have not fully addressed the complete engineering control system of the basin. This study takes a holistic view, treating sediment management in the Yellow River as a dynamic and ever-evolving complex system. It merges concepts from system science, information theory, and dissipative structure with practical efforts in sediment engineering control. The key findings of this study are as follows: between 1990 and 2019, the average Yellow River Sediment Regulation Index (YSRI) was 55.99, with the lowest being 50.26 in 1990 and the highest being 61.48 in 2019; the result indicates that the WSRS activity decreased, yet it fluctuated, gradually approaching the critical threshold of a dissipative structure.
Keywords Yellow River      Water-Sediment Regulation System      Yellow River Sediment Regulation Index      system perspective      sustainable management.     
Corresponding Author(s): Zhiwei CAO   
Just Accepted Date: 30 April 2024   Online First Date: 19 June 2024    Issue Date: 26 September 2024
 Cite this article:   
Zhiwei CAO,Yuansheng ZHANG,Huanfa CHEN, et al. Understanding the influencing factors and evolving trends of the Yellow River Water-Sediment Regulation System from a system perspective[J]. Front. Eng, 2024, 11(3): 528-541.
 URL:  
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fem/EN/10.1007/s42524-024-0304-6
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fem/EN/Y2024/V11/I3/528
Fig.1  Lifecycle of the Yellow River sediment.
Fig.2  System perspective of the Yellow River Sediment Regulation Index (YSRI).
No. Subsystem Indicators Unit Data source
Indicator 1 First-subsystem Vegetation coverage on the Loess Plateau % Calculated from China’s annual vegetation index dataset
Indicator 2 Terrace control area km2 Calculated from land use spatial dataset
Indicator 3 Forest and grass control area km2 Calculated from land use spatial dataset
Indicator 4 Growth rate of check dams area in the Loess Plateau km2 Calculated from land use spatial dataset
Indicator 5 Sediment volume of Tongguan Station (sediment inflow into the Yellow River) 109m3 Yellow River Sediment Bulletin
Indicator 6 Second- subsystem Sediment retaining capacity of large reservoirs 109m3 Calculated from reservoirs hydrological data
Indicator 7 Water regulation degree of mainstream reservoir (middle and lower reaches) / Calculated from reservoirs hydrological data
Indicator 8 Sediment regulation degree of main water reservoir (middle and lower reaches) / Calculated from reservoirs hydrological data
Indicator 9 Water and sand coordination of Huayuankou station / Calculated from Yellow River Sediment Bulletin
Indicator 10 Third- subsystem Minimum flat discharge m3/s Calculated from Yellow River Sediment Bulletin
Indicator 11 Swing of wandering river reach km Interpretation based on Landsat satellite remote sensing images
Indicator 12 Total scouring and silting volume of Tiexie-Gaocun section 109m3 Calculated from Cross section hydrological data
Indicator 13 River facies coefficient of Jiahe beach / Calculated from Cross section hydrological data
Indicator 14 Fourth- subsystem Sediment volume at Lijin Station 109m3 Yellow River Sediment Bulletin
Indicator 15 Length of river channel below the west estuary km Interpretation based on Landsat satellite remote sensing images
Indicator 16 Swing of river flow path degree Interpretation based on Landsat satellite remote sensing images
Tab.1  Indicators of the WSRS
Fig.3  The development trend of the Yellow River sediment regulation index (YSRI) from 1990 to 2019. (a) The trend of the YSRI; (b) Principal component analysis (PCA) plot of the YSRI results. Each year is represented by a different symbol, and the color label corresponds to the stage. The proportions of the variance explained by the first (PC1) and second principal components (PC2) are indicated in parentheses. Vectors show the direction of maximum change for variables.
Fig.4  The first subsystem. (a) The entropy development trend of the first subsystem from 1990 to 2019. (b) The distribution of the index weights of the first subsystem over the past 30 years.
Fig.5  The second subsystem. (a) The entropy development trend of the second subsystem from 1990 to 2019. (b) The distribution of index weights of the second subsystem over the past 30 years.
Fig.6  The third subsystem. (a) The entropy development trend of the third subsystem from 1990 to 2019. (b) The distribution of the index weights of the third subsystem over the past 30 years.
Fig.7  The fourth subsystem. (a) The entropy development trend of the fourth subsystem from 1990 to 2019. (b) The distribution of index weights of the fourth subsystem over the past 30 years.
Fig.8  Correlation of the subsystems from 1990 to 2019. (a) Correlation analysis of the four subsystems. (b) Heatmap of the indicator correlation of the subsystems. Dark blue indicates a high correlation, and light blue indicates a low correlation.
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