Abstract
The impoundment of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) alters the hydrodynamic conditions and sediment movements related to fluvial sedimentation in the upper stream of the Yangtze River. Based on an extensive dataset of the daily discharge, sediment transport rate, and riverbed level collected from 2003 to 2016 in the TGR area, we applied a Mann–Kendall test, the rescaled range (R/S) analysis method, and 2D numerical modeling to investigate the controls of the temporal–spatial reservoir sedimentation process and their changing trends. The results indicate that (1) the decreasing trends of annual runoff in the upstream of the Yangtze River and its main tributaries are insignificant, and a rapid decrease is not likely to occur, (2) the turning points of the temporal variations in the annual runoff–sediment discharge of the TGR were in 1991 and 2002, (3) the response of the channel pattern to the reservoir sedimentation can be a main factor in controlling the spatial distribution of sedimentation, and (4) an adjustment of the reservoir pool-level can directly influence the sediment processing in the TGR. In the future, dam constructions on the main stem of the Yangtze River and its major tributaries will further decrease the sediment discharge and alleviate sedimentation in the TGR.
References
Aleem AA (1972) Effect of river outflow management on marine life. Mar Biol 5:200–208
Batalla RJ, Gomez CM, Kondolf GM (2004) Reservoir-induced hydrological changes in the Ebro River basin(NE Spain). J Hydrol 290:117–136
Cheng JX, Xu L, Wang XL (2018) Assessment of hydrologic alteration induced by the Three Gorges Dam in Dongting Lake, China. River Res Appl 1:1–11
CWRC (2013) Hydrological data of Changjiang River Basin. Annual hydrological report of P.R. China. Changjiang Water Resources Commission, Beijing ,China
CWRC (2001–2016). Bulletin of Changjiang sediment. Changjiang Press, Wuhan, China
Dai ZJ, Liu JT (2013) Impacts of large dams on downstream fluvial sedimentation: a example of the Three Gorges Dam(TGD) on the Changjiang (Yangtze River). J Hydrol 480:10–18
Dai SB, Lu XX (2014) Sediment load change in the Yangtze River ( Changjiang ): a review. Geomorphology 215:60–73
Draut AE, Logan JB, Mastin MC (2011) Channel evolution on the dammed Elwha River, Washington, USA. Geomorphology 56:325–334
Fan J, Morris GL (1992) Reservoir sedimentation, II: Reservoir desiltation and long-term storage capacity. J Hydraul Eng 118:370–384
Gao P, Wang ZY, Donald S (2015) Spatial and temporal sedimentation changes in the Three Gorges Reservoir of China. Lakes Reserv Res Manag 20:232–242
Graf WL (2006) Downstream hydrologic and geomorphic effects of large dams on American rivers. Geomorphology 79:336–360
Guo H, Qi H, Zhang Q, Feng S (2012) Effects of the Three Gorges Dam on Yangtze River flow and river interaction with Poyang lake, China:2003-2008. J Hydrol 416:19–27
Kiss T, Fiala K, Sipos G (2008) Alterations of channel parameters in response to river regulation works since 1840 on the lower Tisza River(Hungary). Geomorphology 98:96–110
Kummu M, Lu XX, Wang JJ, Varis O (2010) Basin-wide sediment trapping efficiency of emerging reservoirs along the Mekong. Geomorphology 119:181–187
Li QF, Yu MX, Lu GB, Cai T (2011) Impacts of the Gezhouba and Three Gorges reservoirs on the sediment regime in the Yangtze River, China. J Hydrol 403:224–233
Lien HC, Hsieh TY, Yang JC, Yeh KC (1999) Bend flow simulation using 2D depth- averaged model. J Hydraul Eng 125(10):1097–1108
Lu X, Jiang T (2009) Larger Asian rivers: climate change, river flow and sediment flux. Quat Int 208:1–3
Marwan AH, Church M, Yan XL, Slaymaker O (2011) Suspended sediment balance for the mainstem of Changjiang (Yangtze River) in the period 1964-1985. Hydrol Process 25:2339–2353
Nilsson C, Reidy CA, Dynesius M, Revenga C (2005) Fragmentation and flow regulation of the world’s large river systems. Science 308:405–408
Sediment-Panel (2016) Study on sediment problems in the Three Gorges Project on the Yangtze River (in Chinese). Construction committee for the Three Gorges Project. State Council of China, Beijing
Sloff CJ (1991) Reservoir sedimentation in reservoirs: literature review, Report No. 91-2, Civil Engineering Department. Delft University of Technology, Delft
Sneyers R(1990) On the statistical analysis of series of observations. Tech Note 143, WMO-No 415 192
Sun ZD, Huang Q, Opp C, Henning T, Marold U (2012) Impacts and implications of major changes caused by the Three Gorges Dam in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, China. Water Resour Manag 26:3367–3378
Wang SJ, Yan YX, Li YX (2012) Spatial and temporal variations of suspended sediment deposition in the alluvial reach of the upper Yellow River from 1952 to 2007. Catena 92:30–37
Wei J, He X, Bao Y (2011) Anthropogenic impacts on suspended sediment load in the Upper Yangtze river. Reg Environ Chang 11:857–868
Wolf A, Bergmann A, Wilken RD, Gao X (2013) Occurrence and distribution of organic trace substances in waters from the Three Gorges Reservoir, China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 20:7124–7139
Xiao Y, Shao XJ, Wang H, Zhou G (2012) Formation process of meandering channel by a 2D numerical simulation. Int J Sediment Res 3:306–322
Xiao Y, Zhou G, Yang SF (2016) 2D numerical modelling of meandering channel formation. J Earth Syst 2(125):251–267
Xiong M, Xu QX, Yuan J (2009) Analysis of multi-factors affecting sediment load in the Three Gorges Reservoir. Quat Int 208:76–84
Xu KH, Milliman JD (2009) Seasonal variations of sediment discharge from the Yangtze River before and after impoundment of the Three Gorges Dam. Geomorphology 104:276–283
Yan QY, Yu YH, Feng WS (2008) Plankton community composition in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region revealed by PCR-DGGE and its relationships with environmental factors. J Environ Sci 20:732–738
Yang ZJ, Liu DF, Ji DB, Xiao SB (2010) Influence of the impounding process of the Three Gorges Reservoir up to water level 172.5 m on water eutrophication in the Xiangxi Bay. Sci China Technol Sci 53:1114–1125
Yang SL, Milliman JD, Li P, Xu K (2011) 50,000 dams later: erosion of the Yangtze River and its delta. Glob Planet Chang 75:14–20
Yue S, Pilon P, Phinney B, Cavadias G (2002) The influence of autocorrelation on the ability to detect trend in hydrological series. Hydrol Process 16:1807–1829
Zhang XB, Wen AB (2004) Current changes of sediment yields in the upper Yangtze River and its two biggest tributaries, China. Glob Planet Chang 41:221–227
Zhang JX, Liu ZJ, Sun XX (2009) Changing landscape in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area of Yangtze River from 1977 to 2005: land use/land cover, vegetation cover changes estimated using multi-source satellite data. Int J Earth Observ 11:403–412
Zhou P, Zhuang WH, Wen AB (2016) Fractal features of soil particle redistribution along sloping landscapes with hedge berm in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region of China. Soil Use Manag 32:594–602
Funding
This research is supported by the advanced and applied project of Chongqing Science and Technology (cstc2018jscx-msybX0316).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Editorial handling: Ozgur Kisi
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Xiao, Y., Li, W. & Yang, S. Changing temporal and spatial patterns of fluvial sedimentation in Three Gorges Reservoir, Yangtze River, China. Arab J Geosci 12, 490 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-019-4638-z
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-019-4638-z