Understanding the influencing factors and evolving trends of the Yellow River Water-Sediment Regulation System from a system perspective

Understanding the influencing factors and the evolving trends of the Water-Sediment Regulation System (WSRS) is vital for the protection and management of the Yellow River. Past studies on WSRS have been limited in focus and have not fully addressed the complete engineering control system of the basin. This study takes a holistic view, treating sediment management in the Yellow River as a dynamic and ever-evolving complex system. It merges concepts from system science, information theory, and dissipative structure with practical efforts in sediment engineering control. The key findings of this study are as follows: between 1990 and 2019, the average Yellow River Sediment Regulation Index (YSRI) was 55.99, with the lowest being 50.26 in 1990 and the highest being 61.48 in 2019; the result indicates that the WSRS activity decreased, yet it fluctuated, gradually approaching the critical threshold of a dissipative structure.