Adjustment of flood discharge capacity with varying boundary conditions in a braided reach of the Lower Yellow River

It is of necessity to investigate the adjustment of flood discharge capacity in the Lower Yellow River(LYR)because of its profound importance in sediment transport and flood control decision-making,and additionally its magnitude is influenced by the channel and upstream boundary conditions,which have significantly varied with the ongoing implementation of soil and water conservation measures in the Loess Plateau and the operation of the Xiaolangdi Reservoir.The braided reach between two hydrometric stations of Huayuankou and Gaocun in the LYR was selected as the study area.Different parameters in the study reach during the period 1986-2015 were calculated,covering bankfull discharge(the indicator of flood discharge capacity),the pre-flood geomorphic coefficient(the indicator of channel boundary condition),and the previous five-year average fluvial erosion intensity during flood seasons(the indicator of incoming flow and sediment regime).Functional linkages at scales of section and reach were then developed respectively to quantitatively demonstrate the integrated effects of channel and upstream boundary conditions on the flood discharge capacity.Results show that:(1)the reach-scale bankfull discharge in the pre-dam stage(1986-1999)decreased rapidly by 50%,accompanied with severe channel aggradation and main-channel shrinkage.It recovered gradually as the geometry of main channel became narrower and deeper in the post-dam stage,with the geomorphic coefficient continuously reducing to less than 15 m-12.(2)The response of bankfull discharge to the channel and upstream boundary conditions varied at scales of section and reach,and consequently the determination coefficients differed for the comprehensive equations,with a smallest value at the Jiahetan station and a highest value(0.91)at reach scale.Generally,the verified results calculated using the comprehensive equations agreed well with the corresponding measured values in 2014-2015.(3)The effect of channel boundary condition was more prominent than that of upstream boundary condition on the adjustment of bankfull discharge at the Jiahetan station and the braided reach,which was proved by a larger improvement in determination coefficients for the comprehensive equations and a better performance of geomorphic coefficient on the increase of bankfull discharge.

HYBRID SIMULATION OF THE HYDRAULIC CHARACTERISTICS AT RIVER AND LAKE CONFLUENCE

The hydraulic characteristics at the confluence reach of river and lake are influenced by multiple factors such as inflow,topography and vegetation resistance,and are very complicated.In this article,the confluence reach of Yangtze River and Dong-ting Lake is selected as a special example and a hybrid model is built to study the flow at this confluence,with the consideration of the interactions between aquatic vegetation and flow.Validation tests and calculations show that the model is effective and highly accurate.The simulations show that the separation levee at the confluence reach may change the discharge capacity in the flood plain,which would be enhanced in the upper reach of the levee,hardly changed in the middle reach and reduced at the lower place.Moreover,the separation levee also limits the water exchange between the Yangtze River and Dong-ting Lake.