Abstract: Abstract: The future trend of runoff and sediment variation is closely related to the governance of the Yellow River. To accurately predict the future runoff and sediment regimes of the Yellow River, the spatial distribution and its variation process of runoff and sedimentation in the main stream of the Yellow River in various periods were systematically analyzed. Specifically, runoff and sediment loads from 4 main stem hydrometric stations and 7 major primary tributaries above Tongguan section on the Yellow River, during the period from 1950 to 2016, were analyzed by using multiple methods such as double cumulative curves. In this paper, we systematically analyze the characteristics of runoff and sediment yield and changes in its main source areas, and the impact of different environmental factors on runoff and sediment changes in the Yellow River were also discussed. The results showed that, 1) The annual runoff and sediment yield at the Lanzhou, Toudaoguai, Longmen, and Tongguan hydrometric stations of the Yellow River showed a significant decrease (P<0.05) in the past 70 years, the annual runoff decreased by 17.93% to 40.79%, and the annual sediment transport decreased by more than 70%. Under the influence of changes in various environmental factors, the runoff and sediment in the Yellow River have reduced mutations in the 1980s and 1990s. 2) The evolution process of average annual runoff in the Lanzhou-Tongguan section changed from an accumulative increase along the distance from the river source to the trend of an accumulative decrease. Although the average annual sediment accumulation amount did not change, the increase rate decreased by 90% more. 3) It is obvious that the transfer characteristics of the main sediment source area of the Yellow River from the Toudaoguai-Longmen section change to the Longmen-Tongguan section, and we argued that soil erosion control in the Longmen-Tongguan section needs to be further strengthened. At last, human activities play a leading role in the sharp decline in runoff and sediment yield in the middle reaches of the Yellow River, with an average contribution rate of 91.52%. The reduction in average annual runoff of Lanzhou is mainly affected by the climate change, and the contribution rate reaches 66.57%. The results can provide a basis for a deep understanding of the temporal and spatial status and causes of runoff and sediment in the Yellow River, and provide a reference for future direction of soil and water conservation.