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This volume is a continuation of the author s book Watershed Erosion Processes (Springer, 2021). Expanding on this previous work, author Tongxin Zhu systematically explores the major environmental issues and solutions for achieving sustainable development in China s large, complex Yellow River Basin. The basin, located in northern China, has a drainage area of 290,343 square miles. The Yellow River, the second longest river in China and the sixth longest river in the world, passes through seven provinces and two autonomous regions within which more than 100 million people reside. As the cradle of Chinese civilization, the Yellow River Basin has had a long history of human habitation. Rapid population growth in recent history and fragile environment conditions in the basin have created a range of environmental problems, including soil erosion, sedimentation, desertification, water pollution and shortage, salination, loss of vegetation cover and biodiversity, and so on. Global warming further intensifies snow/glacial melting and permafrost degradation and increases the frequency and magnitude of extreme climatic events (e.g., floods, droughts etc.). In the past few decades, massive efforts have been made to tackle the abovementioned problems through conservation, restoration, and management in the watershed. In this volume, the author tackles many issues related to this watershed, including but not limited to soil conservation, water quality, land use, and the effects of climate change.
List of contents
Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION.- Chapter 2: THE YELLOW RIVER BASIN.- Chapter 3: PALEO- CLIMATES AND ENVIRONMENTS.- Chapter 4: SOIL EROSION: CONTROLLING FACTORS AND PROCESSES.- Chapter 5: SOIL CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABILITY.- Chapter 6: WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT.- Chapter 7: BIOLOGICAL DEPRIVATION AND RESTORATION.- Chapter 8: FLOOD AND PREVENTION.- Chapter 9: DROUGHTS, SALINIZATION AND SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE.- Chapter 10: WETLAND MANAGEMENT.- Chapter 11: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF MINING AND OIL PRODUCTION.- Chapter 12: POLICY-DRIVEN LARGE SCALE ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION PROJECTS.- Chapter 13: CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS AND ADAPTATION.- Chapter 14: SYNTHESES AND CONCLUSIONS.
About the author
Tongxin Zhu is a Professor of Environment, Sustainability, and Geography at the University of Minnesota Duluth. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto in 1998. His research has primarily focused on the geomorphic and hydrologic processes at plot, hillslope, and watershed scales by integrating field and experimental studies with simulation modeling. More recently, his work has broadened to explore environmental degradation and the complex interplay of various environmental problems, along with solutions aimed at restoring them and promoting sustainable development at the watershed scale. He has authored or co-authored two books and more than 60 articles in peer-reviewed journals and book chapters.
Summary
This volume is a continuation of the author’s book Watershed Erosion Processes (Springer, 2021). Expanding on this previous work, author Tongxin Zhu systematically explores the major environmental issues and solutions for achieving sustainable development in China’s large, complex Yellow River Basin. The basin, located in northern China, has a drainage area of 290,343 square miles. The Yellow River, the second longest river in China and the sixth longest river in the world, passes through seven provinces and two autonomous regions within which more than 100 million people reside. As the cradle of Chinese civilization, the Yellow River Basin has had a long history of human habitation. Rapid population growth in recent history and fragile environment conditions in the basin have created a range of environmental problems, including soil erosion, sedimentation, desertification, water pollution and shortage, salination, loss of vegetation cover and biodiversity, and so on. Global warming further intensifies snow/glacial melting and permafrost degradation and increases the frequency and magnitude of extreme climatic events (e.g., floods, droughts etc.). In the past few decades, massive efforts have been made to tackle the abovementioned problems through conservation, restoration, and management in the watershed. In this volume, the author tackles many issues related to this watershed, including but not limited to soil conservation, water quality, land use, and the effects of climate change.
