Bank-collapse disasters in the wide valley desert reach of the upper Yellow River.

Abstract: Bank-collapse, a kind of bank deformation or destruction under hydraulic power and gravitation, could contribute to the invalidation of dams and the rise of the river beds. It occurs frequently in the wide valley desert reach of the upper Yellow River, which leads to the formation of the suspended river and increasing disasters like floods. Recently, a suspended reach has formed, which is a great threat to the local people, even to the stability of the whole society. The Chinese government has been paying a great deal of attention to settling this problem. Research could contribute to these guidelines. This paper took the Ningxia-Inner Mongolia Reach as an example to study the characteristics of bank-collapse disasters. Eight conservation points were established in accordance with bank-morphology. First of all, we analyzed the changing characteristics of channel morphology and hydrological conditions with climate change. Bank-collapses occurring in flood seasons were emphasized on the basis of other''s research achievements. Furthermore, we summarized time-characteristics and spatial-characteristics of bank-collapse, respectively. By this research, the question about how serious bank-collapse disasters are in the wide valley desert reach of the Upper Yellow River can be settled. And some predictions about bank-collapse disasters can be made. In addition, the results can be advantageously used in guiding the design of hydraulic projects for the flood control, dredging and environment protection. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]