Numerical Study of the Ice Breaking Resistance of the Icebreaker in the Yellow River Through Smoothed-Particle Hydrodynamics

A ship-ice-water interaction model is established using smoothed-particle hydrodynamics(SPH)to predict the ice breaking resistance of the icebreaker in the Yellow River effectively.This method includes the numerical process of the constitutive equation,yield criterion,and the coupling model in SPH.The ice breaking resistance is determined under different conditions.The numerical results of the ice breaking resistance agree with the empirical formula results.Results show that the prediction accuracy of ice resistance is less than 17.6%compared with the empirical formula in the level ice.The method can also be extended to predict the floe motion and ice breaking resistance in actual river channels.The validation against the empirical formula indicates that the proposed ship-ice-water SPH method can predict the ice breaking resistance of icebreakers in actual rivers effectively.The predicted ice breaking resistance is analyzed under different conditions.The ice breaking resistance increases with increasing bending strength and ice thickness,and the latter is the most important factor influencing ice resistance.

The characteristics of dike-break flood in different scenarios of the lower Yellow River based on numerical simulations

The lower Yellow River still faces the threat of flood due to the unusual precipitation caused by global environmental change, river channel sedimentation, hidden danger in the dike and unfavorable river regime of ＂hanging river＂. According to the characteristics of the dike-break flood of the Yellow River, this paper has simulated, in six different scenarios, the dike-break flood routing by inputting the terrain data, typical historical flood data and land use data of study area to two-dimensional unsteady flow model. The results show that： firstly, the routing process of flood will occupy other rivers on the way and return to the rivers after reaching the lower reaches; secondly, in the same river reach, flood inundating area of north band is bigger than that at corresponding location of south bank under the same historical flood; thirdly, it is different in the degree of flood inundation in different regions due to different geographical locations in flood plain; fourthly, the area of mainstream where flood is deep and flow velocity is quick is relatively smaller, but the area of non-mainstream, where flood is shallow and flow velocity is slow, is relatively big; and finally, the possible influenced area of the dike-break flood is 141,948 km^2.

Natural Disasters of the Lower Reaches of Yellow River during the Longshan Period——The Natural Background of Dayu's Flood Control

It is very important to study the archaeological culture and origin of civilization in ancient China.The changes of the channels in the lower reaches of the Yellow River in the prehistoric period are part of the natural environmental background of the development of the ancient civilization in that area to be explored.This paper presents a series of legends,indications,scientific evidence,and macroscopic geographical background information of the evolution in the lower reaches of the Yellow River during the Longshan period.At first the river flowed from Northern Henan and Hebei to southwestern Shandong Province and Northern Anhui–Jiangsu provinces,and the mainstream of the Yellow River changed from the southeast to return to the north and flowed into the Bohai Sea in the late Longshan Period.During this period,floods were frequent.Various ethnic groups in the northern China plains suffered natural disasters and made great migrations which also contributed to the ethnic exchanges and integration.The people of the Central Plains made more dynamic adjustments in the relationship between mankind and the land by primitively escaping from the water and self–defensively controlling the rivers then to maintaining the local ecological environment by large–scale flood control measures,which promoted the settlement of Shandong,Henan,Jiangsu and Anhui provinces,the urban cultural development,and social evolution.Based on these events,the culture symbol of Dayu's Flood Control could be formed.

Flood Risk Forecasting and Early Warning Technology for Medium and Small Rivers in the Yellow River Basin Induced by Heavy Rain

The Yellow River Basin is one of the important sand-producing and sediment-transporting areas in China,and one of the three most important sand-producing areas in the world.The amount of sand and dust days in the“Three Norths”(Dongbei,Xibei,and Huabei)area has increased,and regional sand and dust storms have occurred frequently.There are generally more serious hidden danger points of debris flow geological disasters in small and medium-sized river basins.The technical achievements of flood risk forecasting and early warning for medium and small rivers in the Yellow River Basin based on rainstorm-induced floods are important technical supports for flood forecasting and early warning for medium and small rivers.Based on this,a case study was carried out on the problems such as the weak forecasting and early warning ability of flood disasters induced by heavy rain and the low accuracy of flood disaster loss assessment in the flood disasters of medium and small rivers,for the reference of relevant personnel.

Evaluation of dynamic characteristics of silt in Yellow River Flood Field after freeze-thaw cycles

Frothing is a main disease of highways in Yellow River Flood Field, due to the loss of dynamic strength of roadbed soils under the couple effects of temperature, salt, and vehicle traffic load. This is strongly linked to the dynamic characteristics of silt in this region. To analyze these couple effects on the dynamic characteristics of silt, a series of tests(i.e., freeze-thaw cycling tests, vibration triaxial tests and ultrasonic wave velocity tests) were conducted and two kinds of silt(i.e., salt-free and 3%-salt silt) were designed. The results indicate that the dynamic shear strength and dynamic modulus decrease with increasing freeze-thaw cycles, while the damping ratio simultaneously increases. Furthermore, compared to salt-free silt, the decrement of dynamic shear strength and dynamic modulus of silt with 3% salt is more significant, but the damping ratio of 3%-salt silt is larger. In ultrasonic wave velocity tests, ultrasonic wave velocity of frozen soil specimens decreases as the number of freeze-thaw cycles increases. Based on the results of ultrasonic wave velocity tests, a preliminary model is proposed to evaluate damage of silt through field measurement ultrasonic data. The study could provide a theoretical basis for the treatment of silty soil highway.

Yellow River Valley flood and drought disaster：spatial－temporal distribution prediction and early－warning

By means of analysing the historical data of flood-drought grade series in the past 2000 years(A.D.0-1900),especially in the last 5000 years (1470-1900) , this paper revealed the spatial-temporaldistribution features of severe flood and drought in Yellow River Valley. Statistical methods of varianceanalysis, probability transition and the principles of scale correspondence were employed tocomprehensively predicate 90's tendency of severe flood and drought in the Yellow River Valley. In addi-tion, this paper pointed out the possible breaching dikes, sectors and the flooding ranges by future's se-vere flood, meanwhile estimating the associated economic losses and impact to environment.

An Estimation of Ground Ice Volumes in Permafrost Layers in North- eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China

The ground ice content in permafrost serves as one of the dominant properties of permafrost for the study of global climate change, ecology, hydrology and engineering construction in cold regions. This paper initially attempts to assess the ground ice volume in permafrost layers on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau by considering landform types, the corresponding lithological composition, and the measured water content in various regions. An approximation demonstrating the existence of many similarities in lithological composition and water content within a unified landform was established during the calculations. Considerable knowledge of the case study area, here called the Source Area of the Yellow(Huanghe) River(SAYR) in the northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, has been accumulated related to permafrost and fresh water resources during the past 40 years. Considering the permafrost distribution, extent, spatial distribution of landform types, the ground ice volume at the depths of 3.0–10.0 m below the ground surface was estimated based on the data of 101 boreholes from field observations and geological surveys in different types of landforms in the permafrost region of the SAYR. The total ground ice volume in permafrost layers at the depths of 3.0–10.0 m was approximately(51.68 ± 18.81) km^3, and the ground ice volume per unit volume was(0.31 ± 0.11) m^3/m^3. In the horizontal direction, the ground ice content was higher in the landforms of lacustrine-marshland plains and alluvial-lacustrine plains, and the lower ground ice content was distributed in the erosional platforms and alluvial-proluvial plains. In the vertical direction, the volume of ground ice was relatively high in the top layers(especially near the permafrost table) and at the depths of 7.0–8.0 m. This calculation method will be used in the other areas when the necessary information is available, including landform type, borehole data, and measured water content.

Use of Topographic Map Evidence to Test a Recently Proposed Regional Geomorphology Paradigm: Wind River-Sweetwater River Drainage Divide Area, Central Wyoming, USA

Topographic map evidence from the Wyoming Wind River-Sweetwater River drainage divide area is used to test a recently proposed regional geomorphology paradigm defined by massive south- and southeast-oriented continental ice sheet melt water floods that flowed across the entire Missouri River drainage basin. The new paradigm forces recognition of an ice sheet created and occupied deep “hole” and is fundamentally different from the commonly accepted paradigm in which a pre-glacial north- and northeast-oriented slope would have prevented continental ice sheet melt water from reaching or crossing the Wind River-Sweetwater River drainage divide. Divide crossings (or low points) are identified as places where water once flowed across the drainage divide. Map evidence is interpreted first from the accepted paradigm perspective and second from the new paradigm perspective to determine the simplest explanation. Both paradigm perspectives suggest south-oriented water crossed the drainage divide, although accepted paradigm interpretations do not satisfactorily explain the large number of observed divide crossings and are complicated by the need to bury the Owl Creek and Bridger Mountains to explain why the Wind River now flows in a north direction through Wind River Canyon. New paradigm interpretations explain the large number of divide crossings as diverging and converging channel evidence (as in flood-formed anastomosing channel complexes), Owl Creek and Bridger Mountain uplift to have occurred as south-oriented floodwaters carved Wind River Canyon, and a major flood flow reversal (caused by ice sheet related crustal warping and the opening up of deep “hole” space by ice sheet melting) as being responsible for the Wind River abrupt turn to the north. While this test only addresses topographic map evidence, Occam’s Razor suggests the new paradigm offers what in science should be the preferred Wind River-Sweetwater River drainage divide origin interpretations.

An Experiment on Releasing Water from Water Tanks by Xu Youzhen during the Ming Dynasty

In 1453,Xu Youzhen,a scholar-bureaucrat and hydrologist in Ming China,was dispatched to Shandong to find a way to harness the Yellow River.He proposed the opening up of multiple channels to diverge the flood waters.An experiment was conducted to compare the efficiency of releasing water using one large opening with the use of a number of small openings.This experiment proved that opening up multiple channels outperformed the construction of only one,thereby convincing the emperor and officials of the efficacy of this method.Xu’s method for water control proved to be successful in averting a flood that occurred in 1456.

Snake River: A Navigation and Spawning Dilemma

The Snake River in northwestern United States is 1735 km long, the largest tributary of the Columbia River and is the 13th longest river in the United States. The Snake River drainage basin includes parts of six U.S. states. The Snake River Plain was created by a volcanic hotspot that lies beneath Yellow-stone National Park. The previous Ice Age carved out canyons, cliffs and waterfalls along the middle and lower Snake River. The Missoula Flood was to the north and Bonneville Flood to the south altered the Snake River and surrounding landscape. The Snake River has a drainage basin of 282,000 km2 in the states of Oregon, Washington, Utah, Nevada and Idaho. The Snake River drops from mountain elevations of 3000 m to its confluence with the Columbia River. The river is one of the most biologically diverse freshwater systems in the United States with trails designed to promote recreational tourism, increase use of the Snake River and create generations of people who care about the river and are willing to protect and provide environmental stewardship of the river watershed resources.

Sediment delivery ratio and its uncertainties on flood event scale:Quantification for the Lower Yellow River

Sediment delivery ratio(SDR)for fluvial rivers was formulated with sediment rating curve.The observed data of SDR on flood event scale of the Lower Yellow River(LYR)were adopted to examine the formulation and to calibrate the model parameters.A regression formula of SDR was then established and its 95%prediction interval was accordingly quantified to represent its overall uncertainties.Three types of factors including diversity of the incoming flow conditions,river self-regulation processes,and human activities were ascribed to the uncertainties.The following were shown:(1)With the incoming sediment coefficient(ISC)being a variable,it was not necessary to adopt the incoming flow discharge as the second variable in the formulation of SDR;and(2)ISC=0.003 and therefore SDR=2 might be a threshold for distinguishing the characteristics of sediment transport within the LYR.These findings would highlight sediment transport characteristics on the scale of flood event and contribute to uncertainty based analysis of water volume required for sediment transport and channel maintenance of the LYR.

Efficiency of sediment transport by flood and its control in the Lower Yellow River

This paper presents the characteristics of sediment transport by flood in the Lower Yellow River with the reach from Huayuankou to Gaocun, which is regarded as a typical braided pattern. The Artificial Neural Network Model on Water Use for Sediment Transport (WUST) by flood was established based on the measured data from 1980 to 1998. Consequently, simulations of controlling process of sediment transport by flood were made in terms of the control theory under different scenarios. According to the situation of sediment transport by flood in the Lower Yellow River, Open-Loop control system and feedback control system were adopted in system design. In the Open-Loop control system, numerical simulations were made to reveal the relationship between average discharge of flood and the WUST with varying sediment concentrations. The results demonstrate that sediment concentration has significant influence on the controlling process of flood flow to WUST. It is practical and efficient to control WUST if sediment concentration is less than 20 kg/m3. In the feedback control system, controlling processes of sediment concentration and flood discharge for sediment transport were simulated respectively under given conditions, and it was found that sediment transport process could be controlled completely by sediment concentration and discharge at the inlet of the reach from Huayuankou to Gaocun. Using the same method, controlling processes of sediment transport by flood in other reaches in the Lower Yellow River were also simulated. For the case of sediment concentration being 20 kg/m3, the optimized controlling discharge ranges from 2390 to 2900 m3/s in the lower reach of Huayuankou. This study is also of significance to flood control and flushing sediment in the Lower Yellow River with proper operation modes of Xiaolangdi Reservoir.

Response of flood discharging capacity to the deterioration of the lower Yellow River

Based on the clarifications of the deterioration characteristics of the lower Yellow River (LYR), the influence of river deterioration on flood discharging capacity is studied through theoretical derivation and analysis of field data. This study indicates that response of flood discharging capacity to river deterioration is nonlinear. Sediment depositions in the main channel cause the reductions of dominant discharge and thus the increase of initial flood stage. Reductions in the channel width result in the increases of the rising rate of flood stage and the decrease of flood discharging capacity.

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.

On the geo-basis of river regulation in the lower reaches of the Yellow River

This paper investigates the important scientific problem of river regulation strategies in the lower reaches of the Yellow River, and discusses the "geo-basis" of river regulation. The concept of a geo-basis to river regulation in the lower Yellow River was discussed in terms of subsidence and sedimentation features of the fiver plain; channel features, erosion characteristics of the Loess Plateau and storm-flood features of the middle and lower reaches. The geographic features of the lower Yellow River have gradually changed since the Holocene but there has been no fundamental change. Based on an analysis of the geo-attributes of the lower reaches of the Yellow River, several conclusions on its river regulation were made. The release of sediment should be the first measure of river regulation because of deposition in the lower reaches. The fiver channels should be provided with adequate space for wandering in the lower reaches. The tail river should be also provided with necessary wandering space because of weak marine dynamics in the estuary area and changes in the delta. Because the erosion environ- ment of the Loess Plateau will not fundamentally change, river harnessing of the middle reaches should focus on improving the plateau morphology, which can be done by reducing the fragmentation of terrain and building a planation surface. Eco- remediation should focus on converting farmland to grassland. There may be extreme floods in the future, as has occurred pre- viously, thus an extreme flood defense system should be considered for the lower reaches. A periodic law for regulation in the Yellow River is discussed. We also discuss how the current use of the lower reaches of the Yellow River is unsustainable and it is urgent to research artificial rechanneling and the creation of new flow paths for the lower reaches.

On the variation of water resource structure in the Lower Yellow River

In view of river functions and the Minimum Water Demand for River Ecosystem (MWDRE), the water resources in the Lower Yellow River is further divided into three portions, i.e. water available for ecosystem (WE), water exploitable for socioeconomic purposes (WS) and excess flood water (WF). Corresponding conceptions and practical significances are expounded in details. The annual amount of the three portions of water resources from 1950 to 2001 is worked out on the basis of the daily hydrologic data, and the division of different portions is discussed. The results indicate that although the essential water demand for river functions is considered preferentially, the amount of the WE has decreased dramatically while its proportion increased gradually since the 1950s, and the shortage to the MWDRE increased markedly; both the amount and the proportion of the WS decreased notably. Since the 1990s, the actual water consumption for socioeconomic purposes in the lower reaches of the river basin has already exceeded the maximum amount of the WS and has to take over the WE which is already insufficient, hence not only the normal river functions are further disturbed and the river course shrinks greatly, but also the proportion and potential danger of the WF show no decreasing tendency in spite of the sharp decrease of upstream runoff.

Variation of alpine lakes from 1986 to 2019 in the Headwater Area of the Yellow River,Tibetan Plateau using Google Earth Engine

To understand the variations in surface water associated with changes in air temperature,precipitation,and permafrost in the Headwater Area of the Yellow River(HAYR),we studied the dynamics of alpine lakes larger than 0.01 km^2 during 1986-2019 using Google Earth Engine(GEE)platform.The surface areas of water bodies in the HAYR were processed using mass remote sensing images consisting of Landsat TM/ETM-H/OLI,Sentinel-2A,and MODIS based on automatic extraction of water indices under GEE.Besides,the lake ice phenology of the Sister Lakes(the Gyaring Lake and the Ngoring Lake)was derived by threshold segmenting of water/ice area ratio.Results demonstrate that the change of surface areas experienced four stages:decreasing during 1986-2004,increasing during 2004-2012,decreasing again during 2012-2017,and increasing again during 2017-2019.Correspondingly,the number of small lakes decreased(-26.5 per year),increased(139.5 per year),again decreased(-109.0 per year),and again increased(433.0 per year).Eight lakes larger than 1 km^2 disappeared in 2004 but restored afterward.The overall trends in the area of small lakes(0.01-1 km^2),large lakes(>1 km^2),and all lakes during 1986-2019 were 0.4,3.1,and 3.4 km^2 per year,respectively.Although the onsets of freezing,freeze-up,breaking and the break-up of the Sister Lakes varied from year to year,there is no obvious trend regarding the lake ice phenology.Tendencies of lake variations in the HAYR are primarily related to the increased net precipitation and the declined aridity,followed by the construction of hydropower station around the outlet of the Ngoring Lake,as well as permafrost degradation.

A MATHEMATICAL MODEL FOR UNSTEADY SEDIMENT TRANSPORT IN NINGXIA REACH OF THE YELLOW RIVER

A one-dimensional mathematical model for unsteady sediment transport in the Ningxia reach of the Yellow River was developed. In the model, the formulas for the sediment carrying capacity and the manning roughness coefficient, which reflect the features of the Yellow River, were adopted. A coefficient of sediment distribution was defined to represent the ratio of the bottom to the average concentration under the equilibrium conditions, which is not constant and is evaluated by using an empirical expression obtained by integrating the sediment concentration along water depth. The concentration distributions and the mean diameter distributions of suspended sediment in the transversal direction were also estimated in this model. A four-point (Preismann type) finite difference scheme and TDMA were employed in the numerical simulation. The amount of sediment deposition during the period of 1993～1999 in the Ningxia reach of the Yellow River from Xiaheyan to Shizuishan with a length of 197.43km were numerically simulated with the model. The computed results, such as the amount of sediment deposition and water stage agree well with the field data. Finally the validated model was used to predict the riverbed deformation during the period of 1999～2019 in the Ningxia reach of the Yellow River.