Influence of cascade reservoirs on spatiotemporal variations of hydrogeochemistry in Jinsha River

River hydrogeochemistry offers necessary guidance for effective water environmental management.However,the influence of cascade reservoirs on river hydrogeochemistry remains unknown.In this study,the Jinsha River,the headwaters of the Yangtze River of China,was selected to investigate the spatiotemporal variations of hydrogeochemistry after the construction of six cascade reservoirs.Major ions,total dissolved solids,electrical conductivity,and pH values of sampled water in the upper natural reaches and lower reservoir-regulated reaches were analyzed in both flood and dry seasons.The results of Piper diagram and Gibbs plots showed that the hydrogeochemistry of the Jinsha River was naturally controlled by both evaporation-crystallization and carbonate weathering processes,but it was also artificially affected by reservoirs.The impoundment of cascade reservoirs affected the hydrodynamic condition of the river.The river flow in the flood season was reduced by approximately 24.5%,altering the proportions of water sources and leading to notable hydrogeochemical alterations in reservoir-regulated reaches.Conversely,river hydrogeochemistry generally remained unchanged in the dry season,owing to the insignificant effect of cascade reservoirs on river flow.In contrast to what has been observed in previous studies of individual reservoirs,the cumulative influence of cascade reservoirs on the Jinsha River flow regime did not cause abrupt hydrogeochemical changes between the upstream and downstream areas of each reservoir.Moreover,the water quality assessments revealed that the impoundment of cascade reservoirs improved downstream irrigational water quality,with lower Naþratio values in the flood season.This study provides the earliest evaluation of cascade reservoir influence on the hydrogeochemistry of the Jinsha River.The findings of this study can be used as a reference for scientific guidelines for future environmental management of cascade reservoirs in large rivers.

Optimized operation of cascade reservoirs on Wujiang River during 2009-2010 drought in southwest China

The effects of optimized operation principles implemented at reservoirs on the Wujiang River in southwest China between September 2009 and April 2010 under drought conditions were analyzed based on operational data collected from the Guizhou Wujiang Hydropower Development Co., Ltd. A set of linear regression equations was developed to identify the key factors impacting the electric power generation at reservoirs. A 59% reduction in the inflow discharge at the Hongjiadu Reservoir led to a decrease of only 38% in the total electric power generation at the Hongjiadu, Dongfeng, Suofengying, and Wujiangdu reservoirs on the Wujiang River, indicating that optimized operation can play an important role in drought management. The water level and the amount of other water inputs at the Hongjiadu Reservoir and the outflow discharge at all of the reservoirs except the Wujiangdu Reservoir were key factors affecting the total electric power generation at reservoirs on the Wujiang River under optimized operation.

Identification of terrigenous and autochthonous organic carbon in sediment cores from cascade reservoirs in the upper stream of Pearl River and Wujiang River,southwest China:lignin phenol as a tracer

Organic carbon(OC)source attribution for cascade reservoir sediments has been identified as a critical gap in understanding the effective carbon sink of inland waters.In this study,nine sediment cores were collected from cascade reservoirs in the Wujiang and Pearl Rivers.We analyzed lignin phenol(Λ8),total organic carbon(TOC)content,and stable carbon isotopic composition(δC)of the sediments,focusing on the changes of terrigenous OC,and the variation of OC source in cascade reservoir sediments after damming.Our results showed that theΣ8 and TOC contents decreased from upstream to downstream reservoirs,indicating the significant interception of terrigenous OC by cascade damming.Additionally,theΛ8 content in the Pearl River reservoir sediments was much higher than that in the Wujiang River.From the three-end-member mixing model,we estimated that OC in reservoir sediments mainly comes from soil and plankton.After damming,the proportion of plankton OC in TOC slightly increased in seasonal and annual regulation reservoirs due to the limnetic evolution of the reservoir.These findings suggest that the cascade damming increases the interception capacity of the river to terrigenous OC and nutrients,and that slowing of water velocity caused by damming affected primary productivity and fluvial carbon cycling.

EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF DAM-BREAK FLOW IN CASCADE RESERVOIRS WITH STEEP BOTTOM SLOPE

Dam break can cause a significant disaster in the downstream, especially, in a valley with cascade reservoirs, which would aggravate the disaster extent. The experimental studies of the dam-break flow of cascade reservoirs are few and far between at the present, Most of related studies concern the failure of a single dam.. This article presents an experimental study of the characteristics of an instantly filled dam-break flow of cascade reservoirs in a rectangular glass flume with a steep bottom slope. A new method was used to simulate the sudden collapse of the dam. A series of sensors for automatic water-levels were deployed to record the rapid water depth fluctuation. The experimental results show that, the ratio of the initial water depth of the downstream reservoir to that of the upstream reservoir would greatly affect the flood peak water depth in the downstream reservoir area and in the stream channel behind the downstream dam, while the influence of the dam spacing is insignificant. In addition, the comparison between the single reservoir and the cascade reservoirs shows some difference in the dam-break flow pattern and the stage hydrograph at the corresponding gauging points.

Eutrophication Indexes Used as Fish Production Parameters in the Itaipu Reservoir(Brazil)

The knowledge of liminology can be applied in studies of trophic state indexes and morfoedaphic indexes as factors for determining the inference fish production in reservoirs. This work is based on the hypothesis of the trophic cascade relations, particularly related to bottom-up and top-down effect in Itaipu Reservoir (Brazil). Using the data available by Itaipu, from 1999 to 2004, analyzes of multiple regressions were accomplished to determine the relationships of the dependent and independent variables. We applied the trophic state indices (TSI) based on readings Secchi disk, total phosphorus and chlorophyll-a density for obtaining TSI medium. Morfoedaphic index was calculated based on the reading of the concentration of dissolved solids and the inference of fishing yield, from this index. The average results of the trophic state indices indicate an oligotrophic status for the entire reservoir as well as for the riverine, transition and lacustrine zones separately. The fish was yieldn Estimated by the relation with cyanobacteria concentration, and this was the best variable que explained this prediction. The use of the morfoedaphic index (MEI), with the recorded catch data, predictive models can generate que estimate the fishing yield in the Itaipu Reservoir. The relations of MEI with chlorophyll-a and water transparency que Indicate this index may be a good predicting factor for future fish captures.

Historical Evolution of the Trophic and Limnological Relationships in the Itaipu Reservoir:Top-Down and Bottom-Up Effects upon Fish Production

Many experimental studies have contributed to the development of the theory of trophic chains in lacustrine habitats. They have revealed the important role played by fish, a subject that has been mostly ignored by limnological studies for the past few decades. Most of these studies were developed in Europe and in the United States. The general applicability of this theory has not yet been tested in subtropical and tropical habitats. In spite of controversies, the bottom-up: top-down trophic cascade hypotheses are the most adopted conceptual models. In this context, we examined if these hypotheses may be corroborated by data from the subtropical Itaipu Reservoir. A negative effect was verified between water transparency and total suspended solids. The detritivorous fish exerted a controlling effect on chlorophyll-a concentrations. Bottom-up effects were detected in four trophic levels, and top-down was detected in just one trophic level. The limnological variates influenced the chlorophyll-a concentration, which indicated that the lnTKN plus the effect of the quarter and the reservoir zone (and their interaction) were important.

Ecologically-friendly operation scheme for the Jinping cascaded reservoirs in the Yalongjiang River, China

Ecologically-friendly reservoir operation pro- cedures aim to conserve key ecosystem properties in the rivers, while minimizing the sacrifice of socioeconomic interests. This study focused on the Jinping cascaded reservoirs as a case study. An optimization model was developed to explore a balance between the ecological flow requirement （EFR） of a target fish species （Schizothorax chongi） in the dewatered natural channel section, and annual power production. The EFR for the channel was determined by the Tennant method and a fish habitat model, respectively. The optimization model was solved by using an adaptive real-coded genetic algorithm. Several operation scenarios corresponding to the ecological flow series were evaluated using the optimization model. Through comparisons, an optimal operational scheme, which combines relatively low power production loss with a preferred ecological flow regime in the dewatered channel, is proposed for the cascaded reservoirs. Under the recommended scheme, the discharge into the Dahewan river reach in the dry season ranges from 36 to 50 m3/s. This will enable at least 50% of the target fish habitats in the channel to be conserved, at a cost of only 2.5% annual power production loss. The study demonstrates that the use of EFRs is an efficient approach to the optimization of reservoir operation in an ecologically friendly way. Similar modeling, for other important fish species and ecosystem functions, supplemented by field validation of results, is needed in order to secure the long-term conservation of the affected river ecosystem.

梯级水库蓄水对三峡水库泥沙淤积滞后响应规律的影响

Delayed response behaviour commonly occurs in conjunction with changes in riverbed scouring and sediment deposition and is a key component in understanding the intrinsic behaviour of reservoir siltation.Due to the complexity of the riverbed siltation process,the variability in the factors that influence siltation and the limitations of available research methods,the understanding of the delayed response behaviour of the sedimentation process in the Three Gorges Reservoir(TGR)is currently merely qualitative,and there is a lack of quantitative in-depth understanding.In addition,the effects of changes in water and sediment conditions on sedimentation in the TGR before and after cascade reservoir impoundment have not been quantified,so further studies are needed to provide a reference for better understanding the intrinsic behaviour of sedimentation in the TGR and the implications for the long-term use of the reservoir.Based on measured water and sediment data from 2003 to 2020 and topographic data from 2003 to 2018,a delayed response model for sedimentation in the TGR is constructed and combined with theoretical derivation to analyse the changes in the delayed response behaviour of the TGR before and after the impoundment of the cascade reservoirs and the associated causes.Then,the influence of changes in water and sediment conditions in previous years on sedimentation in the reservoir area is determined.The results show that(1)the improved delayed response model of sedimentation,which considers variations in external water and sediment conditions,reservoir scheduling,and riverbed adjustment rates,can effectively reflect the sedimentation process in the TGR,especially after the impoundment of the cascade reservoirs.Additionally,the typical section elevation delayed response model can simulate the section elevation adjustment process.(2)After the impoundment of the cascade reservoirs,the decreased variation in incoming water and sediment and more concentrated incoming sediment in the flood season increased the adjustment rate of the riverbed,and the delayed response time of TGR sedimentation was shortened from the previous 5 years to the previous 3 years.The impact of the previous water and sediment conditions is not negligible for the sedimentation process in the TGR,and the cumulative proportion of the previous influence reaches more than 60%.(3)The influence of incoming sediment on the sedimentation process and typical section adjustment process in the reservoir area increased after the impoundment of the cascade reservoirs,and the influence of the water level in front of the dam on sedimentation remained the largest.