Movement Properties of Pipe Flow Along Granite Slope of Three Gorges Area of Yangtze River in China

It is well known that, in most cases, soil water doesn't move in the form of laminar flow as described by Darcy law. Only when Reynolds number ( Re ) is no more than 10, does water movement follow Darcy law. A soil profile with 2 9 m long and 2 13 2 60 m deep was excavated on a lower slope located at Zigui County, Hubei Province, China. Field observation found that soil pipes were mainly distributed in the transient layer between horizon B with higher degree of granite weathering and horizon C with lower degree of granite weathering. At the foot of the slope, about 5 7 soil pipes per meter were observed along the vertical direction of the slope. The observed results, obtained by continuous observation of soil pipes and pipe flow processes at granite slope for many rainfall events, indicate that the relationship between velocity of pipe flow and hydraulic gradient along the pipe is parabolic rather than linear. Based on the investigated data of soil, landform, and land use etc., combined with observed data of pipe flow derived from many rainfall events, a pipe flow model was developed. For velocity V p, discharge Q p of pipe flow and radius r of soil pipe, great similarity was found between simulated and observed values. Particularly, the simulated length of soil pipes reflects the great difference among soil pipes as a result of its different position in the soil profile. The length values of 4 soil pipes were estimated to be 98 1%, 27 6%, 11 0% and 3 0% of the longest distance of the catchment, respectively. As a special case of water movement, soil pipe flow follows Darcy Weisbach law. Discharge of pipe flow is much greater than infiltration discharge in common. Only when the depth of groundwater is more than the diameter of soil pipe and water layer submerges soil pipes during rainfall, may pipe flow occur. Under these circumstances, discharge of pipe flow is directly proportional to the depth of groundwater.

GIS-Based and Data-Driven Bivariate Landslide-Susceptibility Mapping in the Three Gorges Area, China

A detailed landslide-susceptibility map was produced using a data-driven objective bivariate analysis method with datasets developed for a geographic information system （GIS）. Known as one of the most landslide-prone areas in China, the Zhongxian-Shizhu Segment in the Three Gorges Reservoir region of China was selected as a suitable case because of the frequency and distribution of landslides. The site covered an area of 260.93 km^2 with a landslide area of 5.32 km^2. Four data domains were used in this study, including remote sensing products, thematic maps, geological maps, and topographical maps, all with 25 m × 25 m pixels. Statistical relationships for landslide susceptibility were developed using landslide and landslide causative factor databases. All continuous variables were converted to categorical variables according to the percentile divisions of seed cells, and the corresponding class weight values were calculated and summed to create the susceptibility map. According to the map, 3.6% of the study area was identified as high-susceptibility. Extremely low-, very low-, low-, and medium-susceptibility zones covered 19.66%, 31.69%, 27.95%, and 17.1% of the area, respectively. The high- and medium-hazardons zones are along both sides of the Yangtze River, being in agreement with the actual distribution of landslides.

Interpreting sedimentation dynamics at Longxi catchment in the Three Gorges Area,China,using Cs-137 activity,particle size and rainfall erosivity

Reservoir sedimentation dynamics were interpreted using Cs-137 activity, particle size and rainfall erosivity analysis in conjunetion with sediment profile coring. Two sediment cores were retrieved from the Changshou reservoir of Chongqing, which was dammed in 1956 at the outlet of Longxi catchment in the Three Gorges Area using a gravity corer equipped with an aerylie tube with an inner diameter of 6 em. The extracted cores were sectioned at 2 cm intervals. All sediment core samples were dried, sieved （〈2 mm） and weighed. 137Cs activity was measured by y-ray spectrometry. The particle size of the core samples was measured using laser particle size granulometry. Rainfall erosivity was calculated using daily rainfall data from meteorological records and information on soil conservation history was collated to help interpret temporal sedimentation trends. The peak fallout of 137Cs in 1963 appeared at a depth of 84 cm in core A and 56 cm in core B. The peaks of sand contents were related to the peaks of rainfall erosivity which were recorded in 1982, 1989, 1998 and 2005, respectively. Sedimentation rates were calculated according to the sediment profile chronological controls of 1956, 1963, 1982, 1989, 1998 and 2oo5. The highest sedimentation rate was around 2.0 cm·a^-1 between 1982 and 1988 when the Chinese national reform and the Household Responsibility System were implemented, leading to accelerated soil erosion in the Longxi catchment. Since 1990s, and particularly since 2005, sedimentation rates clearly decreased, since a number of soil conservation programs have been carried out in the catchment. The combined use of ^137Cs chronology, particle size and rainfall erosivity provided a simple basis for reconstructing reservoir sedimentation dynamics in the context of both physical processes and soil restoration. Its advantages include avoiding the need for full blown sediment yield reconstruction and the concomitant consideration of core correlation and corrections for autochthonous inputs and reservoir trap efficiency.

Effects of ecological projects on vegetation in the Three Gorges Area of Chongqing, China

The construction of the Three Gorges Reservoir and the resettlement project have caused increasing contradictions between human and land,and led to the deterioration of the ecological environment. In order to ameliorate ecological environment of the Three Gorges Area, the government carried out several ecological restoration projects to improve the vegetation coverage from 1990 s. This paper aims to quantitatively analyze the impact of ecological projects on the vegetation in the Three Gorges Area of Chongqing, China. Landsat and MODIS data from 1992 to 2015 were used to estimate vegetation coverage. In addition, the land cover data of the European Space Agency(ESA) was used to explore the impact of ecological projects on land cover change. The cropland accounted for about 62% and the forestland accounted for about 34% of the total area. There was more than 90% of the study area covered with high or very high vegetation coverage.From 1992 to 2015, a total of 272.7 km;croplands were converted into forestland in the Ecological Migration Project(EMP), 795.6 km;in the Grain for Green Project(GGP), and 13.77 km;in the Ecological Restoration Zone Project(ERZP). Among the three projects, the GGP was the most powerful measure,with a contribution rate of 1.6%. The implementation of the ecological projects improved vegetation coverage, which indicated that the ecological projects measures were effective in ecological restoration.

Gravity inversion of deep-crust and mantle interfaces in the Three Gorges area

To better understand the heterogeneity of deep-crust and mantle interfaces in the region of the Three Gorges, China, we used the Parker-Oldenburg iterative inversion method to invert existing Bouguer gravity data from the Three Gorges area （ 1 ： 500000） , a new gravity map of the Three Gorges Dam （ 1 ： 200000） , and the results of deep seismic soundings. The inversion results show a Moho depth of 42 km be- tween Badong and Zigui and the depth of the B2 lower-crustal interface beneath the Jianghan Plain and sur- rounding areas at 21 -25 km. The morphology of crustal interfaces and the surface geology present an over- pass structure. The mid-crust beneath the Three Gorges Dam is approximately 9 km thick, which is the thin- nest in the Three Gorges area and may be related to the shallow low-density body near the Huangling anti- cline. The upper crust is seismogenic, and there is a close relationship between seismicity and the deep- crust and mantle interfaces. For example, the MS. 1 Zigui earthquake occurred where the gradients of the Moho and the B2 interface are the steepest, showing that deep structure has a very important effect on re- gional seismicity.

APPLICATIONS OF REMOTE SENSING IN ENVIRONMENTAL INVESTIGATION AND CHANGE ANALYSIS IN THE THREE GORGES AREA

1. INTRODUCTION The proposed Three Gorges Project, one of the biggest hydroelectric projects in the world, will dam the middle reaches of the Changjiang (Yangtze) River, the third longest river in the world, and form a large reservoir. Its impacts on environment have attracted wide attention. Entrusted by National Scientific-Technical Commission, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) was in charge of a research project on this issuse from 1984 to 1989. Tho use of remote sensing played an important role in the project considering the study area is mountainous and not convenientlv located, which makes it difficult to conduct the research onlv using conventional means.

^(137)Cs and^(210)Pb_(ex) as Soil Erosion Tracers in the Hilly Sichuan Basin and the Three Gorges Area of China

Accelerated soil erosion and land degradation represent major environmental problems for agricultural lands.Reliable information on the rates of soil loss is urgently needed.The traditional techniques for documenting rates of soil loss may meet this need,but face many limitations.The fallout radionuclides,especially 137 Cs and 210 Pb ex,are increasingly used as effective tracers to quantify soil erosion rates,and they represent a valuable complement to the existing classical methods.This paper aims to introduce the basis for assessing soil erosion rates on cultivated and uncultivated slopes by using 137 Cs and 210 Pb ex measurements,to compare the 137 Cs and 210 Pb ex reference inventories,and to report several case studies undertaken in the hilly area of Sichuan Basin and the Three Gorges area of China.

The Northern End of the Xiannvshan Fault at the Three Gorges Area

The Xiannvshan fault zone, lying along the western margin of the Huangling anticline, is one of the most important fault zones in the Three Gorges reservoir area. The fault experienced strong activity during the Cenozoic Era. The question of whether the fault zone goes through the Yangtze River has been one of the key problems faced in previous studies as it has a significant influence upon the assessment of geological hazards and earthquake stability in the reservoir area. Based on tectonic and geomorphic observations along the fault zone between the Baixianchi village in Changyang county and Huangkou village in Zigui town, together with the comparisons between the geology in Guizhou and Quyuan town in the north bank of the Yangtze River and the Xiannvshan fault zone, it is suggested that the north end of this fault zone is located around Huangkou village and does not go through the Yangtze rivers northward. The evidence is as follows: ① On the basis of field data collection, it is found that the Xiannvshan Fault zone, which stretches 80km, underwent thrust movement in the Cenozoic period, resulting in ravines and fault scarps, topographically. Whereas, on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, faults are rarely found, and most of the faults are developed in the Jurassic strata,without topographical effects. Therefore, the Xiannvshan Fault zone has not stretched to the north bank of the Yangtze River. ② The fault gouge and tectonite zone were found developed on the Xiannvshan Fault zone at Baixianchi village, but only a tectonite zone was found at Zhouping village. There are also some branch faults close to the northern end of the fault zone. So, the activity of the fault zone weakened from south to north in Cenozoic. The fault zone extends northward and dies out at Huangkou. It doesn't stretch forward any longer as indicated by continuous strata, sparse joints, and small folds, etc.

Yiling District,Pearl of the Three Gorges Area

YLING District of Yichang City, Hubei Province, near the Yangtze liver Xiling Gorge, marks the midway spot between the river’s upper and middle reaches. It is site of the Gezhouba Dam and the Three Gorges Project dam, and has consequently been dubbed gate to the Three Gorges. With a territory of 3,424 square kilometers, Yiling is the largest and most populous district of Yichang City.Urban construction-The district has invested one billion yuan in urban construction which has expanded the urban area to 8 square kilometers. The local infrastructure, transportation and environment have also been upgraded.

Projecting Spring Consecutive Rainfall Events in the Three Gorges Reservoir Based on Triple-Nested Dynamical Downscaling

Spring consecutive rainfall events(CREs) are key triggers of geological hazards in the Three Gorges Reservoir area(TGR), China. However, previous projections of CREs based on the direct outputs of global climate models(GCMs) are subject to considerable uncertainties, largely caused by their coarse resolution. This study applies a triple-nested WRF(Weather Research and Forecasting) model dynamical downscaling, driven by a GCM, MIROC6(Model for Interdisciplinary Research on Climate, version 6), to improve the historical simulation and reduce the uncertainties in the future projection of CREs in the TGR. Results indicate that WRF has better performances in reproducing the observed rainfall in terms of the daily probability distribution, monthly evolution and duration of rainfall events, demonstrating the ability of WRF in simulating CREs. Thus, the triple-nested WRF is applied to project the future changes of CREs under the middle-of-the-road and fossil-fueled development scenarios. It is indicated that light and moderate rainfall and the duration of continuous rainfall spells will decrease in the TGR, leading to a decrease in the frequency of CREs. Meanwhile, the duration, rainfall amount, and intensity of CREs is projected to regional increase in the central-west TGR. These results are inconsistent with the raw projection of MIROC6. Observational diagnosis implies that CREs are mainly contributed by the vertical moisture advection. Such a synoptic contribution is captured well by WRF, which is not the case in MIROC6,indicating larger uncertainties in the CREs projected by MIROC6.

SIMS U-Pb Zircon Geochronological and Carbon Isotope Chemostratigraphic Constraints on the Ediacaran-Cambrian Boundary Succession in the Three Gorges Area, South China

The Ediacaran–Cambrian succession in South China records dramatic biological,oceanic and geochemical changes,but it is not well constrained geochronologically.This study reports a new SIMS U-Pb date of 543.4±3.5 Ma(MSWD=1.2)from a tuffaceous layer in the Zhoujiaao Section,and carbonate C-O isotopes in both Zhoujiaao and Sixi sections,Three Gorges area.This tuffaceous layer is present in the Upper Dengying Formation(i.e.,the Baimatuo Member)which is characterized by a stableδ13Ccarb plateau and the beginning of a negativeδ13Ccarb shift near its upper boundary.In accordance with the existing biostratigraphic and chemostratigraphic data,this new date corroborates that the upper boundary of the Dengying Formation in South China is approximately equivalent to the Ediacaran-Cambrian boundary(ca.541 Ma).This age also provides the minimum age of the last appearance of the Shibantan biota in the Three Gorges area,indicating that the terminal Ediacaran index fossils(e.g.,Cloudina,Sinotubulites)are not reliable stratigraphic markers for further subdivision of the uppermost Ediacaran.

Multiple cycles of glacier advance and retreat during the Nantuo （Marinoan） glacial termination in the Three Gorges area

The Snowball Earth hypothesis suggests that the sea water had totally been kept frozen for millions of years in Neoproterozoic glaciation, followed by a rapid and catastrophic deglaciation resulting from the elevated concentration of atmospheric CO〉 However, the sedimen- tary records are not consistent with the Snowball Earth hypothesis. The Nantuo Formation in Three Gorges area is composed of diamictites, sandstones and siltstones. The geochronology and the unconformity with underlying Liantuo Formation indicate that the Nantuo Formation in Three Gorges area may be the partial record （i.e., the final stage） of the Nantuo glaciation. Our studies on sedimentary successions of the Nantuo Formation convince the stepwise transition from the Cryogenia icehouse to the Ediacaran greenhouse, in which multiple glacier advance- retreat cycles rather than a catastrophic termination could be identified.

Climate Characteristics in Three Gorges Reservoir Area after Water Storage and Its Impact on the Production Potential

Based on the meteorological data from 33 stations of Three Gorges Reservoir from 1960 to 2008,climate yield of rice,corn and winter wheat and the changes of climatic potential productivity after water storage in Three Gorges Reservoir were calculated by the dynamic statistic model of crop growth.The results showed that the temperature in Three Gorges Reservoir was fluctuant decreased before late 1980s,and warmed rapidly after the late 1980s.The precipitation had little change before the late 1990s and had a slight decrease after the late 1990s.Sunshine hours were more in 1960s and 1970s,and then it changed little after 1980s.After water storage,the temperature increased in Three Gorges Reservoir as a whole.The precipitation decreased in the south of Three Gorges Reservoir,while it increased in the northwest of Three Gorges Reservoir.The sunshine hours were reduced except that in the vicinity of Dianjiang.After water storage,climatic potential productivity of rice decreased in the northwest and the northeast,while it increased in the south of Three Gorges Reservoir.The climatic potential productivity of corn decreased in the northeast and the southwest,but increased in the rest of Three Gorges Reservoir.The climatic potential productivity of winter wheat increased almost in total.

People Are Leaving The Three Gorges Area

With the Chinese Government deciding to build a reservoir at Ibc Three Gorges in the Changjiang River, which is believed to be one of the best sources of water power in the world, residents living in that area have been asked to move. The orderly migration of local residents is a great concern of the Central Government and is being

Reductions in non-point source pollution through different management practices for an agricultural watershed in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area

Non-point source water pollution generated by agricultural production is considered a major environmental issue in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area （TGRA） of China. The Annualised Agricultural Non-Point Source Pollution （AnnAGNPS） model was selected to assess the impact of the application of various management treats, including seven crops, five fertilizer levels and three-group management practice scenarios, on water quality from Heigou River Watershed in TGRA. The scenario subsets include conservation tillage practice （CTP）, conservation reserve program （CRP） and conversion of cropland into forestland program （CCFP）. Results indicated that tea can not be replaced by other crops because comparatively tea resulted in a higher sediment yield. CTP with no-tillage was more effective to reduce sediment yield, but could increased nutrient loss. CRP reduced sediment yield significantly, but slightly benefited on nutrient loss. CCFP reduced not only sediment yield but also the nutrient loss significantly. The conversion of cropland with a slope greater than 10° into forestland was found to be the best scenario as the sediment yield export is less than 5 tons/ha and nutrient loss is within the permissible limit.

Effect of nitrogen and phosphorus on the water quality in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area during and after its construction

A survey concerning the concentration of the nutrients in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area was carried out. This paper presents the parameters(NO 3 - N, NO 2 - N, Kjeldahl N, non ionic ammonia, P PO 4 and TP) determined at 16 sampling sites from 1997 to 1999 The dominant soluble nitrogen form was NO 3 - N followed by Kjeldahl N, NO 2 - N and non ionic ammonia. Mean values of NO 3 - N, NO 2 - N, Kjeldahl N and non ionic ammonia ranged from 0 50 to 2 37 mg/L, 0 022 to 0 084 mg/L, 0 33 to 0 99 mg/L and 0 007 to 0 092 mg/L respectively. Mean values of P PO 4 at most sampling sites were higher than 0 1 mg/L for subject to eutrophication. The major factors influencing the concentrations of N and P might be agricultural runoff, municipal and industrial effluents. In addition, 6 kinds of soil were sampled at the area where would inundated after the dam completed. Two approaches were adopted to simulate the N and P release from the inundated soils. The results showed that the soils would release nitrogen and phosphorus to the overlying water when the soils were inundated. The characteristics of soil affected the equilibrium concentrations of N and P between the soil and the overlying water.

Spatial-temporal Pattern and Differences of Land Use Changes in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area of China during 1975-2005

Regional land use changes are an important part of global changes.The research on land use changes in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area of China attracts a lot of attention owing to the Three Gorges Dam building.The Three Gorges Reservoir Area becomes one of the important research areas.This study analyzed the transforming processes and traits of each land use type and the regional differences of land use changes during the past 30 years,summarized the distribution of different land use types in different buffer zones and regresses the equation areas and different buffer distances based on buffer analyses and regression analyses,and then analyzed the transforming rules in different buffer distances,got the optimal influence distances.The research results indicate that,(1) cultivated land lies at the northwest of the reservoir and was decreasing,however,the construction land was increasing,especially the urban construction land,a large number of land was flooded because of the reservoir water level rise;(2) urban area was sprawling quickly in developed and neighboring areas,and a great deal of cultivated land and a considerable amount of grassland were occupied;in the earlier time,rural settlements occupied lots of cultivated land and a sum of forestry land in the later time;(3) the optimum influenced distances for cultivated land and forestry land were 10-35 km,and for urban and rural settlements were in 5-20 km.Overall,this research can reflect the spatial-temporal characteristics of land use changes during the 30 years,and it is helpful for urban planning and land use planning in the reservoir area.

Changes in cultivated land patterns and driving forces in the Three Gorges Reservoir area, China, from 1992 to 2015

Changes of cultivated land patterns caused by major water conservation projects are rarely reported. We selected the Three Gorges Reservoir area in China to study the change in area and landscape pattern of the cultivated land in the head,central, and tail areas of the reservoir that took place between 1992 and 2015;we then studied the spatial distribution of the cultivated land in the three parts of the reservoir;finally, we studied the driving forces behind the changes in the cultivated land. The results derived are as follows.(1) During the construction of the Three Gorges Project(TGP, 1992–2015), the area of cultivated land around the reservoir decreased by30.23 million ha. This reduction occurred in phases:the most severe change in cultivated land occurred during the later stage of the project(2002–2010);only 0.62 million ha of cultivated land did not change between 1992 and 2015.(2) Spatial pattern analysis showed that the cultivated land in the three parts of the reservoir changed from a northern distribution to a southern distribution;thus, the area of cultivated land in the north decreased over the time period. The area of cultivated land in the head and tail areas decreased by varying degrees, while it increased in the central area over the 23 years, indicating that the change in cultivated land showed regional differences.(3) The TGP, the policy of reverting farmland to forest,and urbanization were the main driving factors for the change of cultivated land, but there were differences in their impacts at different stages.(4) According to the patch dynamics of the land cover change, the degree of change gradually intensified during the early and later stages of the project and then stabilized during the operational period. Our research provides scientific support for the protection of cultivated land resources and food security in the reservoir area and for the coordination of social and economic development, which is of great significance to sustainable development in the reservoir area.

Assessment of the Ecological Security in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area by Using the Ecological Footprint Method

The ecological footprint concept and its calculation models are useful for the measurement of the sustainable level of social and economic development.The ecological security situation of the Three Gorges Reservoir Area(TGRA) was evaluated using this concept in this study.The construction of the Three Gorges Reservoir has led to the change in the ecology and immigration status of TGRA.The ecological footprint method is an important means to study the regional ecological security.Our results suggested that,by excluding the areas for biodiversity conservation(12% of the total land),the ecological footprint per capita was 0.57895 ha,which exceeded the ecological carrying capacity in TGRA.The total ecological deficit was found to be 11,522,193.34 ha,accounting for 95.02% of the ecological carrying capacity.These findings suggested that the ecological security of TGRA was not good.In order to compensate for the ecological deficit,it was essential to introduce natural resources from other regions.