Analysis of channel evolution characteristics in the Hobq Desert reach of the Yellow River (1962-2000)

•There was serious sediment deposition in the Hobq Desert reach of the Yellow River.•The maximum sediment deposition occurred from 1982 to 1991.•Sediment scouring and deposition mainly occurred in the desert section and tributary section respectively.•The 10 tributaries sediment inputs have dominated channel evolution in the tributary section.

A series of problems, resulting from sediment deposition and channel silting, have occurred on the Hetao Plain as a result of changes to the Hobq Desert reach of the Yellow River. Therefore, improved research on channel evolution in this reach is vitally important. Using profile data from 80 channel cross-sections obtained in 1962, 1982, 1991 and 2000 from the Yellow River in the Hobq Desert, we showed that there was serious sediment deposition here (especially for the tributary section in the eastern desert) and that maximum sediment deposition occurred during 1982-1991. As sediment was deposited along the mobile channel, the channel trunk shrank and moved to the north. The characteristics of river channel evolution are dramatically different between the western and the eastern Hobq Desert reaches of the Yellow River, which include desert and the tributary sections, respectively. Erosion mainly occurred in the desert section, whereas sediment deposition occurred in the tributary section, with peak values at the mouths of on Yellow River tributaries. The desert section had a larger average erosion rate and smaller accumulation rate than the tributary section. The influences of tectonic movement and stream gradient on channel evolution in this fluvial reach were minimal. The sediment inputs from ten Yellow River tributaries (especially during flood seasons) have dominated channel evolution in these tributaries. The building of artificial levées has intensified sediment deposition in the channel, whereas the reduction of mainstream discharge (especially in the flood seasons), caused by the operation of reservoirs and water diversion activities (such as for agricultural irrigation), has further intensified the sediment deposition in the river channel.