Decoupling effects of driving factors on sediment yield in the Chinese Loess Plateau

Investigations of runoff and sediment yield changes and their relationships with potential driving factors provide good insights for understanding the mechanisms of hydrological processes. This study attempted to present a comprehensive investigation on the spatiotemporal variations of sediment yield in the Loess Plateau using continuous observed data at 46 hydrological stations during 1961–2016, and its responses to changes of precipitation, land use/cover and vegetation cover were analyzed by using the Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM). The results indicated that sediment yield reduced pronouncedly during 1961–2016 in the Loess Plateau, and 77.9% of this variation was explained by the combined effects of precipitation, land-use change, vegetation dynamics and runoff reduction. Indirect effects of precipitation, land-use change, and vegetation cover on sediment yield were 0.242, −0.528 and −0.630 (P