Evaluating environmental flow(EF)is pivotal for conserving and restoring riverine ecosystems.Yet,prevalent EF evaluations presume that a river reach's hydraulic conditions are exclusively governed by inflow discha...Evaluating environmental flow(EF)is pivotal for conserving and restoring riverine ecosystems.Yet,prevalent EF evaluations presume that a river reach's hydraulic conditions are exclusively governed by inflow discharge,presupposing a state of equilibrium in the river channel.This presumption narrows the scope of EF evaluations in expansive alluvial rivers like the Middle Yangtze River(MYR),characterized by marked channel alterations.Here we show the profound channel erosion process and its impact on EF requirements for riparian habitats within the MYR.Our research unveils that:(i)pronounced erosion has led to a mean reduction of 1.0-2.7 m in the riverbed across four sub-reaches of the MYR;(ii)notwithstanding a 37-107%increase in minimal discharges post the Three Gorges Project,the lowest river stages at some hydrometric stations diminished owing to bed erosion,signifying a notable transformation in MYR's hydraulic dynamics;(iii)a discernible rightward shift in the correlation curve between the weighted useable area and discharge from 2002 to 2020 in a specific sub-reach of the MYR,instigated by alterations in hydraulic conditions,necessitated an increase of 1500e2600 m^(3)s^(-1)in the required EF for the sub-reach;(iv)it is deduced that macroinvertebrate biomass rapidly decreases as the flow entrains the riverbed substrate,with the maximum survivable velocity for macroinvertebrates being contingent on their entrainment threshold.These findings highlight the importance of incorporating channel morphological changes in devising conservation strategies for the MYR ecosystem.展开更多
The Yellow River Estuary(YRE)alternatively experienced channel aggradation and degradation during the period 1990-2016.To study the variation in flood discharge capacity during the process of river bed evolution,bankf...The Yellow River Estuary(YRE)alternatively experienced channel aggradation and degradation during the period 1990-2016.To study the variation in flood discharge capacity during the process of river bed evolution,bankfull characteristic parameters were investigated on the basis of measured hydrological data and surveyed cross-sectional profiles,which was crucial for comprehending the processes and the key factors to cause these rapid changes.A reach-averaged method was presented in this study in order to calculate the characteristic bankfull parameters in the YRE,and this method integrated the geometric mean using the logarithmic transformation with a weighted mean based on the distance between the two successive sections.The reach-averaged bankfull parameters in the tail reach of the Yellow River Estuary(the Lijin-Xihekou reach)during the period 1990-2016 were then calculated.Calculated results indicated that the adoption of a concept of reach-averaged bankfull discharge was much more representative than the cross-sectional bankfull discharge,and the results also indicated that bankfull discharges decreased during the process of channel aggradation,and increased during the process of channel degradation.Finally,an empirical formula and a delayed response function were established between the reach-averaged bankfull discharge and the previous 4-year average fluvial erosion intensity during flood seasons,and both of them were adopted to reproduce the reach-averaged bankfull discharges,and calculated results showed high correlations(R^(2)>0.8)of these two methods.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.U2040215,51725902,U2240206,52379079)was partly supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province(2021CFA029)+1 种基金the Special Project on Knowledge Innovation of Wuhan Science and Technology Bureau(2022020801020132)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(2042023kf0160).
文摘Evaluating environmental flow(EF)is pivotal for conserving and restoring riverine ecosystems.Yet,prevalent EF evaluations presume that a river reach's hydraulic conditions are exclusively governed by inflow discharge,presupposing a state of equilibrium in the river channel.This presumption narrows the scope of EF evaluations in expansive alluvial rivers like the Middle Yangtze River(MYR),characterized by marked channel alterations.Here we show the profound channel erosion process and its impact on EF requirements for riparian habitats within the MYR.Our research unveils that:(i)pronounced erosion has led to a mean reduction of 1.0-2.7 m in the riverbed across four sub-reaches of the MYR;(ii)notwithstanding a 37-107%increase in minimal discharges post the Three Gorges Project,the lowest river stages at some hydrometric stations diminished owing to bed erosion,signifying a notable transformation in MYR's hydraulic dynamics;(iii)a discernible rightward shift in the correlation curve between the weighted useable area and discharge from 2002 to 2020 in a specific sub-reach of the MYR,instigated by alterations in hydraulic conditions,necessitated an increase of 1500e2600 m^(3)s^(-1)in the required EF for the sub-reach;(iv)it is deduced that macroinvertebrate biomass rapidly decreases as the flow entrains the riverbed substrate,with the maximum survivable velocity for macroinvertebrates being contingent on their entrainment threshold.These findings highlight the importance of incorporating channel morphological changes in devising conservation strategies for the MYR ecosystem.
基金supported by the Program of the National Key Research and Development Plan(No.2017YFC0405501)supported partly by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.51725902,51579186,51809196).
文摘The Yellow River Estuary(YRE)alternatively experienced channel aggradation and degradation during the period 1990-2016.To study the variation in flood discharge capacity during the process of river bed evolution,bankfull characteristic parameters were investigated on the basis of measured hydrological data and surveyed cross-sectional profiles,which was crucial for comprehending the processes and the key factors to cause these rapid changes.A reach-averaged method was presented in this study in order to calculate the characteristic bankfull parameters in the YRE,and this method integrated the geometric mean using the logarithmic transformation with a weighted mean based on the distance between the two successive sections.The reach-averaged bankfull parameters in the tail reach of the Yellow River Estuary(the Lijin-Xihekou reach)during the period 1990-2016 were then calculated.Calculated results indicated that the adoption of a concept of reach-averaged bankfull discharge was much more representative than the cross-sectional bankfull discharge,and the results also indicated that bankfull discharges decreased during the process of channel aggradation,and increased during the process of channel degradation.Finally,an empirical formula and a delayed response function were established between the reach-averaged bankfull discharge and the previous 4-year average fluvial erosion intensity during flood seasons,and both of them were adopted to reproduce the reach-averaged bankfull discharges,and calculated results showed high correlations(R^(2)>0.8)of these two methods.
