About four years ago Dr. Gilbert White visited China and sowed the seeds of this project through conversations with Drs. Huang and Gong of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Mr. Long of the Yellow River Conservancy Commission. After some additional rounds of communications by letter, the plan for a workshop evolved and Drs. Wolman and Brush visited with Dr. Sabadell of the Nat_ional Science Foundation to begin the initial planning. In March 1987 Dr. Brush visited China and the details were worked out for the October 1987 workshop. At the outset it was recognized that the 10 American scientists and engineers ltad very Ii ttle knowledge of the Yellow River and none had ever seen it. Therefore, it became important that field trips be scheduled before the workshop to better set the stage for fruitful discussions. It was also acknowledged that the American participants could not present papers about the Yellow River per se so their offerings reflected their general knowledge of rivers using other rivers as examples. On the other hand the Chinese participants were all well into the difficult problems of harnessing the Yellow River and made their presentations accordingly. Despite these differences the subject matter was the unifying thread and cross communication was excellent.

Inhalt

American soil and water conservation policy.- Measuring the benefits of water quality improvement: recent U.S. practice.- Wash load, autosuspensions and hyperconcentrations.- An outline for planning development of river basins: a regional approach.- New research directions in agricultural hydrology and erosion.- Expert systems and river basin management.- Sediment yield variations as a function of incised channel evolution.- Synthesis of data on bed configurations in alluvial channels, and the effect of water temperature and suspended-load concentration.- Erosion control and reservoir deposition.- Flood forecasting and its reliability.- Remarks.- The importance of Yellow River safety and the urgency of research for its control.- Temporal and spatial distribution of heavy rain in the middle and lower reaches of the Huanghe river.- Some problems of flooding and its prevention in the lower Yellow River.- Simulation of flood propagation in channel of the Yellow River by convection-diffusion equation.- A general survey of problems in flood study on the lower reach of the Yellow River.- Fluvial processes of the lower Yellow River and estimation of flood conditions.- The temporal and spatial variation of erosion and sediment yield on the Loess Plateau.- Study of counter measures for the Yellow River regulation and flood prevention.- A story of soil loss and soil degradation on the Loess Plateau in China.- On the strategy of harnessing the Yellow River.- The prospects of flood control measures on the lower Yellow River.- Tentative ideas for controlling the aggradation of the lower Yellow River in the near and remote future.- The proper measures for flood management and water resources exploitation on the Yellow River.- Yellow River sediment problems and synopsis on the strategy of harnessing the river.- Discussion of the lifespan of the present channel of the lower Yellow River.- Study on and assessment of flood prevention measures on the lower Yellow River.- Flood characteristics and design flood for flood protection in lower Yellow River.- Flood forecasting and flood warning system in the lower Yellow River.- Ice floods on the lower reach of the Yellow River and measures for ice flood prevention.- Current utilization and future prospects of water resources of the Yellow River.- Sedimentation in the lower reaches of the Yellow River and its basic laws.- Harnessing and development of the Loess Plateau in the middle reaches of the Yellow River.- Assessment of sediment reduction due to upland water and soil conservation works in the Yellow River.- Evolution of the course of the lower Yellow River in past history.- Review of measures for reducing sedimentation of the lower Yellow River.- Estimate of reduction in deposition in lower Yellow River by warping on floodplains.- Effects and significance of water and sediment regulation by reservoirs in the middle Yellow River.- Effects of river training works on flood control.- Improvement of the mouth of the Yellow River and sediment disposal.- Sediment problems in diverting water-to-water supply in the lower Yellow River.- Synopsis of the west-route project of south-to-north water transfer from the Yangtze to the Yellow River.- Postface.