tangqh@iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp [cor1]Corresponding author. Tel.: +81-3-5452-6381; Fax: +81-3-5452-6383.

Abstract:

Analysis of hydro-climatic observations and vegetation data in the Yellow River basin has shown that the Yellow River drying up is due, at least in part, to the less precipitation in the middle reaches during the last four decades. The vegetation improvement in the Qingtongxia-Hetao and lower reach irrigation districts appear to contribute to the drying up of the river. The analysis, using station, satellite metadata and interpolated coverage, indicates that the precipitation decreases in most part of the Yellow River basin, that climatic factors such as temperature and evaporative demand of the atmosphere have large trend in special part of the basin, and that human activities have changed the vegetation condition in the irrigation districts. The Loess Plateau, the Tibetan Plateau and Qingtongxia-Hetao district, and the Qingtongxia-Hetao and lower reach irrigation districts are suggested as precipitation, temperature, and human activities "hot spots" of the Yellow River drying up, respectively.

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