LUCC Impact on Sediment Loads in Subtropical Rainy Areas

In this paper, we evaluate the impacts of land-use/cover changes (LUCC) on sediment loads at the outlets of five sub-watersheds of the Poyang Lake watershed by integrating remote sensing and CIS with statistical analysis. The intensively farmed watershed is characterized by a mountainous and hilly topography and a rainy climate. The primary goal of this paper is to help a better understanding of land-use/cover change and its driving forces. We discuss spatiotemporal variations in rainfall and sediment loads and identify factors contributing to those variations, analyze the comprehensive impacts of land-use/cover change on changing climate and human activities, and conclude that the changing rates of forest cover and climate regimes are primary factors for sediment discharges in the Poyang Lake watershed. Our results suggest that the eco-system still have large capacities to support human activities in the area.