Spatial patterns of hydrological responses to land use/cover change in a catchment on the Loess Plateau, China

The Loess Plateau of China has been experiencing great land use and land cover changes under the “Grain for Green” program to control severe soil loss from human activities. Over the past 30 years, annual streamflow and sediment delivery have also reduced in most areas of Loess Plateau. In consequence, a physically based model of Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) has been employed to simulate the responses of surface hydrology to human activities in a typical catchment in the upper reaches of the Beiluo River on China’s Loess Plateau.