Yellow River's Flooding History
Flooding is the most common hydrological hazard occurring in various regions of the world. For instance, statistics have recorded 3000 such disasters since the beginning of the 20th century. This is attributed to the widespread distribution of rivers, floodplains, and low-lying coastal plains that are extremely attractive for human settlement. Occurrence of this hazard claims approximately twenty thousand lives each year: at least twenty million are displaced across the globe from their homes at the same time. In addition to devastating impacts on humanity, floods are also known to impact negatively on the economy especially for those countries that have invested heavily on disaster management technology (Keith 232). This study focuses on the flooding history of the lower Yellow River, which is a key water body that has served Chinese civilization for ages. The main factors considered are the driving forces of flood frequency, the implication of flooding on the Chinese society throughout its imperial period, and the manner in which human factors have contributed to the frequency of flooding events in the later imperial period.
It is clear from the article that flooding occurs due to the super-elevation of the river belt caused by sediment accumulation in the channel and the increment in the water supply. In the and grazing. As the climate changed, most of the Chinese nomadic people relocated to this region to enjoy the benefits of the river. The migration and relocation caused the area under farmland to be expansive. Because of the intensive farming, soil erosion and sedimentation rate in the lower channel increased substantially thus raising the riverbed. In fact, this river has been previously described to be having sixty-percent silt (Chen 684).
Historically, the establishment of dynasties that settled in the region who converted to both settlement and farming scheme characterized the banks of the Yellow River. The massive felling trees for firewood and construction of palaces led to considerable deforestation. The Sanyangzhuang settlement site on the North China…
Another consequence of the exploitative use of water resources is the destruction of mangrove forests and the fragmentation of the habitats of endangered species. The United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna listed 189 endangered species in China among the 740 in the world. Sand content is quite high in the Yellow River. In the dry season, sand rises and flies up with the
For example, the soil in the Loess Plateau area is notoriously erodable and it is difficult to revegetate the steep slopes with a sufficiently dense cover of plantation and grass. Moreover, rainfall in the area is generally insufficient to support the growth of trees and plants even after their plantation; grazing by animals worsens the situation. Silt retention dams and structures in the silt-carrying gullies and valleys have proven
Architecture through the Ages Mesopotamia Construction in ancient times is second only to agriculture-it reaches back as far as the Stone Age and possibly further (Jackson 4). Before the existence of master builders in design and construction the Code of Hammurabi (1795-1750 B.C.) referred to design and construction as a simple process (Beard, Loulakis and Wundrum (13). Hammurabi was the ruler of Babylon, the world's first metropolis and he codified his
The population in Indonesia is 202,110,000, with people speaking the Javenese language. The religion of Indonesia is Sunni Muslim, and the majority of people there live to be 63 years old, with 1 out of 100 people owning cars. Indonesia is a mixed economy with many socialist institutions and central planning but with a recent emphasis on deregulation and private enterprise. Indonesia has extensive natural wealth, yet, with a large
Ridgewood Reservoir - Introduction The grand and historic location in Highland Park, New York -- that is known as the Ridgewood Reservoir -- sits on a ridge that was formed by the second Pleistocene Period (Wisconsin's ice sheet's terminal moraine) about 12,000 years ago. The site offers scenic views of the Atlantic Ocean, and of several nearby New York cemeteries (East New York, Woodhaven, and the Rockaways). Presently it is what
Environmental Themes in Grapes of Wrath This essay reviews environmental themes from the following five books: Dust Bowl by Donald Worster, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, Everglades: River of Grass by Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Killing Mr. Watson by Peter Matthiessen, and River of Lakes by Bill Belleville. This paper discusses the role that culture has played in environmental issues during the past century. Five sources used. MLA format. Environmental Themes Humans
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now