Abstract
Cascade dam has important effects on the magnitude and dynamics of sediment particles, heavy metals, and biogenic elements in reservoirs. However, systematic studies on the interception effect of cascade dam on the various elements that occur in rivers at the watershed scale are lacking. The aims of this study were to (1) assess the interception effect of a cascade dam on heavy metals and biogenic elements and (2) investigate the key factors of these effects of the cascade dam. Surface sediments were collected from 29 sites distributed in the Wujiang River Basin (WRB, a watershed scale in Southwest China), including from tributaries (7 sites), the main stream (13 sites), and cascade reservoirs (9 sites). In addition, the particle sizes, heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cr, Cu, As, Pb, and Cd), and biogenic elements (TOC, TN, and TP) of sediments were analyzed. Compared with the tributaries, D50 (median particle size) was significantly reduced by 56.8% of cascade reservoirs. The proportion of 63–2,000 μm decreased from 13.78 to 1.34%, indicating that more coarse particles were intercepted in the cascade reservoirs. The contents of heavy metals (Fe, Zn, Cu, As, and Cd) declined significantly along the way. On the whole, the contents of TOC, TN, and TP were highest in the midstream and lower in the upstream and downstream. The hydrological condition (reservoir age, HRT, and flow) and the basin area and internal and external inputs of cascade reservoirs are important factors. The findings deepen the current understanding of the mechanisms by which cascade dam affects the river transport of heavy metals and biogenic elements at the watershed scale and provide an important reference for establishing hydropower developments along rivers and developing aquatic environment management strategies.
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The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Funding
This work was supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of CAS [No. XDB40020400], a Chinese NSF Joint Fund Project [No. U1612441], a Chinese NSF project [No. 41773145, 41977296], the Youth Innovation Promotion Association of CAS [No. 2019389], and the CAS Interdisciplinary Innovation Team.
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Conceptualization: Jingfu Wang, Peng Liao; Formal analysis: Kangkang He, Qingqing Sun, Xiaohong Yang, Zuxue Jin; Funding acquisition: Jingan Chen, Jingfu Wang; Investigation: Kangkang He, Xiaohong Yang, Zuxue Jin; Methodology: Jingfu Wang, Peng Liao; Project administration: Jingfu Wang, Jingan Chen; Supervision: Jingfu Wang, Peng Liao, Jingan Chen; Writing—original draft: Kangkang He, Xiaohong Yang; Writing—review and editing: Kangkang He, Jingfu Wang, Peng Liao. All the authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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He, ., Wang, J., Liao, P. et al. Effects of cascade dam on the distribution of heavy metals and biogenic elements in sediments at the watershed scale, Southwest China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 8970–8979 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-16363-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-16363-3