Analysis and Modelling of Ship Manoeuvring Simulation in Landslide-Generated Waves

The geological conditions of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region are complex and changing, and large- and medium-sized landslides are widely distributed. When a high-speed moving landslide enters the water, the water is significantly disturbed, and a landslide-generated wave will be formed, which will spread along the upstream and downstream of the river, causing significant threats and destruction to the hydraulic structures and the navigation of ships. Based on the typical rock landslide parameters and fracture development, we establish a three-dimensional physics experimental model of the bending section of the landslide-generated wave in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region. This paper primarily studies the variation law of the first wave height of landslide-generated waves with the width, height, and water entry velocity of the landslide body and then provides an empirical formula for the first wave height of landslide-generated waves in the curved section of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region. The ship rolling motion equation in the landslide-generated water area is analysed and established systematically. Additionally, the ship manoeuvring motion model in the landslide-generated water area is built. This paper explains the variation characteristics of ship turning tracks at different sailing speeds and sailing positions and proposes a basis to determine the navigation safety of ships in this area, thus providing new theoretical and technical support for the risk assessment of navigation of ships in the reservoir area.

Characteristics of carbon source greenhouse gas flux in the water–air formation in the middle and upper reaches of the Three Gorges Reservoir

This study selected five points in the middle and upper mainstream of the Three Gorges Reservoir area. Starting from May 2016, the greenhouse gases CO2 and CH4 from the water–air formation at the sampling points have been monitored month by month for 10 months. Using the headspace balance method and the thin boundary layer model estimation method, we obtained the CO2 and CH4 partial pressure ranges and the water–air formation diffusion flux at the mainstream point. It is found that the CH4 partial pressure of water body is significantly positively correlated with water temperature, and significantly negatively correlated with DO; the CH2 partial pressure of water body is positively correlated with water temperature, but negatively correlated with conductivity, DO, pH and wind speed. The diffusion fluxes of CH4 and CO2 at the water–air formation are positively correlated with CH4 partial pressure and water temperature, and negatively correlated with ph, DO and conductivity. It is also found that the reservoir has a certain mitigation effect on the release of CO2 from the river water body, and the CH4 diffusion flux at the water–air formation is roughly equivalent.

Dynamics of Mid-Channel Bar during Different Impoundment Periods of the Three Gorges Reservoir Area in China

The dynamics of the mid-channel bars (MCBs) in the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) were substantially impacted by the large water-level changes due to the impoundments of the TGR. However, it is still not clear how the morphology of the MCBs changed under the influence of water level and hydrological regime changes induced by the impoundments and operation of the TGR. In this work, the MCBs in the TGR were retrieved using Landsat remote sensing images from 1989 to 2019, and the spatio-temporal variations in the number, area, morphology and location of the MCBs during different impoundment periods were investigated. The results showed that the number and area of MCBs changed dramatically with water-level changes, and the changes were dominated by MCBs with an area less than 0.03 km2 and larger than 1 km2. The area of MCBs decreased progressively with the rising water level, and the number generally showed a decreasing trend, with the minimum number occurring at the third stage when the water level reached 139 m, resulting in the maximum average area at this period. The ratio of length to width of the MCBs generally decreased with the changes in hydrological and sediment regimes, leading to a shape adjustment from narrow–long to relatively short–round with the rising of the water level. The water impoundments of the TGR led to the migration of the dominant area from the upper section to the middle section of the TGR and resulted in a more even distribution of MCBs in the TGR. The results improve our understanding of the mechanisms of the development of MCBs in the TGR under the influence of water impoundment coupled with the annually cyclic hydrological regime and longer periods of inundation and exposure.