Using sediment rating parameters to evaluate the changes in sediment transport regimes in the middle Yellow River basin, China

Abstract This study analyses the changes in sediment transport regimes in the middle Yellow River basin (MYRB) using sediment rating parameters. Daily streamflow and suspended sediment concentration data were collected at 35 hydrological stations from the 1950s to 2016, which can be divided into three periods based on the type and intensity of human activities: the base stage before 1970, the restraining stage from 1971 to 1989, and the restoration stage after 2002. Data within each period were fitted by log‐linear sediment rating curves and the sediment rating parameters were utilized to analyse the spatial and temporal variations in sediment transport regimes. The results show that sediment rating parameters are indicative of sediment transport regimes. In the base stage and the restraining stage, the hydrological stations can be categorized into four groups based on their locations on the rating parameter plot. The stations with small drainage basins were characterized by the highest sediment transport regime, followed by those located in the coarse‐particle zone, the loess zone, and the mountainous/forest zone. In the restoration stage, the difference in sediment transport regimes between different geomorphic zones became less distinguishable than in previous stages. During the transition from the base stage to the restraining stage, sediment rating parameters showed no significant changes in sediment transport regimes in all four geomorphic groups. During the transition from the restraining stage to the restoration stage, significant changes were observed in the coarse‐particle zone and the mountain/forest zone, indicating that the revegetation programme and large reservoirs imposed a stronger influence on sediment transport regimes in these two zones than in the rest of the MYRB. This study provides theoretical support for evaluating sediment transport regimes with sediment rating parameters.