Sediment yield estimation in a small watershed on the northern Loess Plateau, China

•Sediment yield was estimated using check dam sedimentation data and the WATEM/SEDEM model.•In total, 1.65 × 105 t sediment was accumulated behind the check dam during 1958-1972.•The model simulation agreed well with the estimated dam sedimentation rates.•Bare weathered stone in the steep gullies contributed ca. 93% of the sediment yield.

Soil erosion is a major form of land degradation throughout the world and the key environmental problem that threatens the ecosystem of the Chinese Loess Plateau. In this study, we determined the sediment yield from a small dam-controlled watershed in the Huangfuchuan watershed, northern Loess Plateau, with a drainage area of 0.64 km2. The dam infill sediment provided evidence of at least 31 flood couplets, which corresponded to rain storms during 1958-1972. In total, 1.65 × 105 t sediment was accumulated within the whole check dams in this period. The annual sediment yield ranged from null in 1965 to 59,990 t in 1959. We used the modified WATEM/SEDEM model to simulate soil erosion and the sediment yield in the watershed and the sedimentation records were used for model verification. The model produced satisfactory results; the total soil erosion and sediment delivery ratio were estimated to be 1.97 × 105 t and 83.6%, respectively. Bare weathered stone in the steep gullies contributed > 90% of the sediment yield, while the remainder was derived mainly from bare loess slopes and the alluvial plain. This study suggests that analyzing sedimentation behind check dams and applying the WATEM/SEDEM model are useful for the quantitative analysis of sediment dynamics in ungauged basins on the Loess Plateau.