Responses of runoff and sediment yield to LUCC with SWAT model: A case study in the Xichuan River Basin, China

With the support of geographic information system, Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was calibrated and validated based on sensitive analysis in the Xichuan River basin, a typical loess gullied area in the Loess Plateau, China. The runoff and sediment yield were estimated with the model under different land use/cover change (LUCC) scenarios, and the responses of runoff and sediment yield to LUCC were quantitatively analysed. The results showed that the localized SWAT model can simulate the runoff and sediment yield with good performance; LUCC had a significant effect on runoff and sediment yield in the basin: the runoff, sediment yield decreased with the increase of forest and grass land covering area; the runoff increased and the sediment yield decreased with grass land being changed into forest land. The results would provide local decision makers with scientific references for land use planning and soil and water conservation in the basin. © 2015, Chinese Institute of Environmental Engineering. All rights reserved.