Coupling Effects of Precipitation and Vegetation on Sediment Yield from the Perspective of Spatiotemporal Heterogeneity across the Qingshui River Basin of the Upper Yellow River, China

Interactions between precipitation, vegetation, and erosion are crucial not fully solved issues in the area of earth surface processes. The Qingshui River Basin (QRB), as main sediment source tributary upper reaches Yellow River, is characterized by spatial heterogeneity rainfall, soil erosion. In this study, we investigated spatiotemporal variations yields within QRB further identified coupling effects precipitation vegetation on We collected annual (1955 to 2016) daily (2006 hydrological series from six stations, which subdivided whole basin into different sub-basins with climate landscape. Variations parameter a rating curves among continuously declined, showing increasing effect coverage reducing unique combination relationships characteristics patterns these resulted precipitation–vegetation–erosion sub-basins. Sediment yield followed bell-shaped clear critical threshold at normalized difference index (NDVI) = 0.36/precipitation 100 mm monthly scale. Based thresholds, non-linear were also explained. found that time lags follows may be effective suppressing yield. These findings could provide quantitative approach estimating potential changes associated proposed ecological rehabilitation schemes region.