Quantifying the impacts of the Three Gorges Reservoir on water temperature in the middle reach of the Yangtze River

2020 ◽  
Vol 582 ◽  
pp. 124476 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuwei Tao ◽  
Yuankun Wang ◽  
Bruce Rhoads ◽  
Dong Wang ◽  
Lingling Ni ◽  
...  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuwei Tao ◽  
Yuankun Wang ◽  
Dong Wang

<p>Water temperature, a crucial environmental factor, has a direct impact on almost all ecological and biogeochemical processes. The hydrological and thermal regimes in the Yangtze River have changed greatly due to the constructions of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR). To quantify the impact of TGR on the water temperature regime, we present a regression-modeling framework to reconstruct the temporal pattern of flow and temperature variation along the middle reach of the river in the absence of the TGR. By comparing reconstructed water temperatures to observed water temperature for the post-impounded period, the influence of impoundment on water temperature was estimated. Results show that TGR has had a greater impact on water temperature than natural changes in air temperature and discharge. The reservoir acts as a source of cold water in spring, summer and autumn and a warm source in winter. The results of this study illustrate the pronounced effect of the TGR on the temperature regime of the Yangtze River. We hope this study could provide a scientific reference for ecological operation of TGR facing biological conservation.</p><p>Note: This study has been published in Journal of Hydrology (Tao, Y., Wang, Y., Rhoads, B., Wang, D., Ni, L. and Wu, J., 2020. Quantifying the impacts of the Three Gorges Reservoir on water temperature in the middle reach of the Yangtze River. Journal of Hydrology. 582.).</p>


2014 ◽  
Vol 501-504 ◽  
pp. 2001-2006
Author(s):  
Ya Liu ◽  
Li Zheng ◽  
Cheng Tao Huang ◽  
Zhao Biao Huang ◽  
Lin Liu

After impoundment of the Three Gorges Reservoir, Jingjiang reach, in the middle of the Yangtze River, has gradually shown a series of atypical fluvial features, adversely affecting the maintenance of waterways. Citing the Laijiapu Waterway, a meandering segment in the lower Jingjiang for example, this paper compared the fluvial features of the channel before and after the impoundment, summed up its navigation-obstructing features, and proposed guarding the point bar on the convex bank and channel bar in the widening section as a key to maintaining the stability of the navigation channels.


2013 ◽  
Vol 779-780 ◽  
pp. 1613-1618 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Hua Yang ◽  
Xiao Qiang Liu ◽  
Hong Qian Zhang

Reservoir regulation and reservoir sedimentation make conditions of flow and sediment under the dam change greatly after impoundment of the Three Gorges Project. This paper analyzes change trend and abrupt change situation of incoming water and sediment and studies characteristics of new flow and sediment of Yichang Station after impoundment of the Three Gorges with Mann-Kendall nonparametric rank test method. The result indicates that operation of the Three Gorges Reservoir has leveled runoff process and shortened dry season and extended median water period. After operation of the Three Gorges Reservoir, annual sediment runoff and monthly sediment runoff of some months changed suddenly and sediment runoff reduced sharply in Yichang Station. Sediment entering the middle and the lower reaches of the Yangtze River decreases substantially and it almost can be regarded as clean water discharge. Intorduction After operation of 175m normal water level of the Three Gorges Reservoir, total storage capacity of the reservoir is about 43 billion m3. Most of incoming sediment in the upstream is intercepted and deposited inside the reservoir and clean water and muddy water containing non-bed sand discharges. Change of water and sediment conditions destroys balance of downstream river and causes bed-rebuilding of downstream channels. And this results in a serious of long-term and long distance changes, such as on-way recovery of sand content, undercutting of bed scour, expansion of bank erosion and decline of water table, etc.[1-. Yichang Station controls a drainage area of 1005501km2 in upstream of the Yangtze River and is a major flood source for the middle and the lower reach of the Yangtze River. Thus, water regime information of Yichang Station is significant to flood control of the middle and the lower reach of the Yangtze River, regulation of the Three Gorges Reservoir, construction of water conservancy project all across the Yangtze River, industrial and agricultural production and shipping, etc. On account of this, this article analyzes data about coming water and sediment of Yichang Station to support characteristics of new flow and sediment of Yichang Station after impoundment of the Three Gorges with Mann-Kendall nonparametric rank test method.


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