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Retrogressive erosion, a widespread phenomenon of sediment transport in reservoirs, often impacts on both the reservoir capacity and the sedimentation in the downstream river channel. Based on field data from the Sanmenxia Reservoir and the Lower Yellow River over the past decades, three courses of retrogressive erosion with distinctive features were analyzed. The results indicate that retrogressive erosion, especially caused by rapid reduction in the water level till the reservoir is empty, often results in the serious siltation of the lower Yellow River and threatens the safety of the flood control in the Lower Yellow River. Unreasonable operation of the reservoir and incoming hyperconcentrated floods accompanied by retrogressive erosion also aggravate the siltation of the main channel of the river. However, a reasonable operation mode of the reservoir so named" storing the clear (low sediment concentration) water in the non-flood season, and sluicing the muddy(high sediment concentration) water in the flood season" was found, which might mitigate the deposition in both the reservoir and the Lower Yellow River. This operation mode provides important experience for the design and operation of large reservoirs in other large rivers carrying huge amounts of sediment. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of International Research and Training Centre on Erosion and Sedimentation/the World Association for Sedimentation and Erosion Research.