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It is important to manage water resources of the upper Yellow River basin for the new Silk Road economic belt. In recent decades, under the combined human activities and influence of climate, the hydrologic regime of the upper Yellow River basin shows remarkable variations that have caused many issues. So potential human indicated influence has been drawing increasing attention from hydrologists and local governments. The aim of this study is to determine the changes in the hydrological characteristic parameters and mean annual runoff series of the upper Yellow River basin. This paper took the representative Lanzhou Station in the upstream Yellow River as an example, used the TFPW-MK mutation test and rank sum test to analyze the location of the variation points of hydrological series. By contrasting two different analysis results between natural and measured river runoff series, the impacts of human activities on the long-term hydrological regime were investigated. The variation range of hydrological ecological indexes before and after variation were analyzed by the method of indicators of hydrologic alteration (IHA). The results show: a) the hydrological series of Lanzhou Station is a significant decreasing trend can be observed in the natural stream flow series in 1985 with a high degree of hydrological variability, while human activities play an important role; b) various ecological indicators have changed in different degrees that have caused the deterioration of ecological conditions around 1985; and c) continuous decreasing stream flow in the upper Yellow River basin will trigger serious shortages of fresh water in the future, which may challenge the sustainability and safety of water resource development in the river basin, and should be paid great attention before 2020. Variation analysis and diagnosis of eco-hydrological indexes in the upper reaches of the Yellow River can provide a basis for the development, utilization, and protection of water resources in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Aimed at the problem of water shortage for irrigation while reducing the water transfer from the Yellow River in Yinchuan plain, by using hydrogeological numerical model, this paper proposed a set of solutions of combining well irrigation and channel irrigation to satisfy the water demand of agriculture. The result shows that, when the reduction is less than 400 million m3/a, increasing well irrigation can meet the demand of agriculture, while the reduction is between 400 and 930 million m3/a, increasing well irrigation as well as decreasing the field irritation quota can also work. But as for the reduction is greater than 1 billion m3/a, we cannot meet the demand of agricultural irrigation, and this will have great effect on the social economy and ecological environment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Statistical analyses, a Piper diagram, the saturation index and the correlations of chemical parameters were used to reveal the hydrogeochemistry and hydrogeochemical evolution of shallow groundwater in the southern part of the Zhongwei section of the Yellow River alluvial plain. The water quality for agricultural and domestic uses was also assessed in the study. The results suggest that the shallow groundwater in the study area is fresh to moderately mineralized water. Higher Ca2+ and HCO3- are observed in the less mineralized water, whereas Na+ and SO42- are common ions in the highly mineralized water. The major hydrochemical facies for groundwater with total dissolved solids (TDS) <1 g/L are HCO3-Ca·Mg and HCO3-Ca·Na·Mg, and for groundwater with TDS > 1 g/L, SO4·Cl-Na and SO4·Cl-Na·Mg·Ca are the predominant hydrochemical types. The main reactions in the groundwater system are the dissolution/precipitation of gypsum, fluorite, halite, calcite and dolomite. Cation exchange is also important in controlling the groundwater chemistry. The water samples assessed in the paper are of acceptable quality for agricultural use, but most of them are not fit for direct human consumption (drinking). TDS, total hardness (TH), Cl- and SO42- are the main indices that result in the poor drinking water quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]