DRYING UP OF THE YELLOW RIVER &ITS WATER RESOURCE BEARING CAPACITY

The paper analyses the space time characteristics, primary causes and disastrous effects of the drying up of the Yellow River, and proposes the concept of "water resource bearing capacity (WRBC)", which refers to the maximum bearing capacity of a river in meeting human demands for water on the precondition of sound recycling of the ecosystem. The concept encourages cautious human actions to save and conserve water resources.