Impacts of artificial dams on terrestrial water storage changes and the Earth's elastic load response during 1950-2016: A case study of medium and large reservoirs in Chinese mainland

The construction of dams for intercepting and storing water has altered surface water distributions, landsea water exchanges, and the load response of the solid Earth. The lack of accurate estimation of reservoir properties through the land surface and hydrological models can lead to water storage simulation and extraction errors. This impact is particularly evident in many artificial reservoirs in China. The study aims to comprehensively assess the spatiotemporal distribution and trends of water storage in medium and large reservoirs(MLRs) in Chinese mainland during 1950-2016, and to investigate the gravity,displacement, and strain effects induced by the reservoir mass concentration using the load elasticity theory. In addition, the impoundment contributions of MLRs to the relative sea level changes were assessed using a sea-level equation. The results show impoundment increases in the MLRs during1950-2016, particularly in the Yangtze River(Changjiang) and southern basins, causing significant elastic load effects in the surrounding areas of the reservoirs and increasing the relative sea level in China's offshore. However, long-term groundwater estimation trends are overestimated and underestimated in the Yangtze River and southwestern basins, respectively, due to the neglect of the MLRs impacts or the uncertainty of the hydrological model's output(e.g., soil moisture, etc.). The construction of MLRs may reduce the water mass input from land to the ocean, thus slowing global sea level rise. The results of the impact of human activities on the regional water cycle provide important references and data support for improving the integration of hydrological models, evaluating Earth's viscoelastic responses under longterm reservoir storage, enhancing in-situ and satellite geodetic measurements, and identifying the main factors driving sea level changes.

Ecological and Human Health Risk Assessment of Toxic Metals in Water, Sediment and Fish from Lower Usuma Dam, Abuja, Nigeria

The study assessed the levels of some toxic metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn) with their potential ecological and human health risks in water, African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus), Tilapia (Oreochromis spilurus niger) and sediment samples from the Lower Usuma dam FCT, Nigeria during two major seasons in a year (rainy and dry seasons). Toxic metal concentrations were determined using Atomic Absorption spectrophotometry (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) and Atomic Emission Spectrophotometry (for As and Hg), and the results obtained were compared with national and international standards. The ecological and human health risk indices of the toxic metals present in the samples from the Dam were evaluated and interpreted. Tilapia from the dam posed the highest but medium ecological and human health risk due to Pb concentration of up to 7.11 mg/kg;ecological risk index of 35.55 and hazard quotient of 50.78. Overall ecological and human health risks were low due to the low concentrations of other toxic metals determined. As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni and Zn concentrations were all below WHO limits in the LUD water;Ni and Pb were above limits in the African Catfish and Tilapia samples. The data obtained were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and significant differences accepted at p ≤ 0.05. There was no statistical difference in the concentrations of toxic metals in water but there was significant difference between the concentrations of toxic metals in the fish and sediment samples. Correlation was found to exist between toxic metals in the water, fish and sediment analyzed from the dam. The ecological and human health risks of toxic metals in Lower Usuma dam require regular checks and monitoring hence, it was recommended by the researcher, that this and similar research work be carried out annually by NESREA and also, as research work by other students of Environmental and Analytical chemistry.

Hysteresis of Dam Slope Safety Factor under Water Level Fluctuations Based on the LEM Coupled with FEM Method

Water level variations have caused numerous dam slope collapse disasters around the world,illustrating the large influence of water level fluctuations on dam slopes.The required indoor tests were conducted and a numerical model of an actual earth-filled dam was constructed to investigate the influences of the water level fluctuation rate and the hysteresis of the soil-water characteristic curve(SWCC)on the stability of the upstream dam slope.The results revealed that the free surface in the dam body for the desorption SWCC during water level fluctuations was higher than that for the adsorption SWCC,which would be more evident at higher water levels.The safety factor of the upstream dam slope initially decreased and then increased for the most dangerous water level as the water level rose and fell.The water level fluctuation rate mainly influenced the initial section of the safety factor variation curve,while the SWCC hysteresis mainly affected the minimum safety factor of the water level fluctuations.The desorption SWCC is suggested for engineering design.Furthermore,a quick prediction method is proposed to estimate the safety factor of upstream dam slopes with identical structures.

Flood management of Dongting Lake after operation of Three Gorges Dam

Full operation of the Three Gorges Dam(TGD) reduces flood risk of the middle and lower parts of the Yangtze River Basin. However,Dongting Lake, which is located in the Yangtze River Basin, is still at high risk for potentially severe flooding in the future. The effects of the TGD on flood processes were investigated using a hydrodynamic model. The 1998 and 2010 flood events before and after the operation of the TGD, respectively, were analyzed. The numerical results show that the operation of the TGD changes flood processes, including the timing and magnitude of flood peaks in Dongting Lake. The TGD can effectively reduce the flood level in Dongting Lake, which is mainly caused by the flood water from the upper reach of the Yangtze River. This is not the case, however, for floods mainly induced by flood water from four main rivers in the catchment. In view of this, a comprehensive strategy for flood management in Dongting Lake is required. Non-engineering measures, such as warning systems and combined operation of the TGD and other reservoirs in the catchment, as well as traditional engineering measures, should be further improved. Meanwhile, a sustainable philosophy for flood control, including natural flood management and lake restoration, is recommended to reduce the flood risk.

Monitoring models for base flow effect and daily variation of dam seepage elements considering time lag effect

Affected by external environmental factors and evolution of dam performance, dam seepage behavior shows nonlinear time-varying characteristics. In this study, to predict and evaluate the long-term development trend and short-term fluctuation of the dam seepage behavior, two monitoring models were developed, one for the base flow effect and one for daily variation of dam seepage elements. In the first model, to avoid the influence of the time lag effect on the evaluation of seepage variation with the time effect component of seepage elements, the base values of the seepage element and the reservoir water level were extracted using the wavelet multi-resolution analysis method, and the time effect component was separated by the established base flow effect monitoring model. For the development of the daily variation monitoring model for dam seepage elements, all the previous factors, of which the measured time series prior to the dam seepage element monitoring time may have certain influence on the monitored results, were considered. Those factors that were positively correlated with the analyzed seepage element were initially considered to be the support vector machine(SVM) model input factors, and then the SVM kernel function-based sensitivity analysis was performed to optimize the input factor set and establish the optimized daily variation SVM model. The efficiency and rationality of the two models were verified by case studies of the water level of two piezometric tubes buried under the slope of a concrete gravity dam.Sensitivity analysis of the optimized SVM model shows that the influences of the daily variation of the upstream reservoir water level and rainfall on the daily variation of piezometric tube water level are processes subject to normal distribution.

Reliability analysis of earth dams using direct coupling

Numerical methods are helpful for understanding the behaviors of geotechnical installations.However,the computational cost sometimes may become prohibitive when structural reliability analysis is performed,due to repetitive calls to the deterministic solver.In this paper,we show how accurate and efficient reliability analyses of geotechnical installations can be performed by directly coupling geotechnical software with a reliability solver.An earth dam is used as the study object under different operating conditions.The limit equilibrium method of Morgenstern-Price is used to calculate factors of safety and find the critical slip surface.The conmercial software packages Seep/W and Slope/W are coupled with StRAnD structural reliability software.Reliability indices of critical probabilistic surfaces are evaluated by the first-and second-order structural reliability methods(FORM and SORM),as well as by importance sampling Monte Carlo(ISMC)simulation.By means of sensitivity analysis,the effective friction angle(φ′)is found to be the most relevant uncertain geotechnical parameter for dam equilibrium.The correlations between different geotechnical properties are shown to be relevant in terms of equilibrium reliability indices.Finally,it is shown herein that a critical slip surface,identified in terms of the minimum factor of safety(FS),is not the critical surface in terms of the reliability index.

基于PS-InSAR的小浪底土石坝形变监测与稳定性模拟

探索土石坝形变规律及稳定性分析是全球水利工程所关注的一个重大问题,对保障人民群众生命安全和经济健康发展具有重大意义。采用2017年3月至2021年9月小浪底土石坝55景Sentinel-1A卫星SAR影像,利用PS-InSAR技术,监测到小浪底土石坝近5年从坝顶至坝底呈现“阶梯状”形变趋势,最大形变量达到-86.09 mm;并结合库水位、降雨量等因素,发现坝体整体呈现“夏急冬缓”的季节性形变趋势。进一步采用二维有限元方法,对小浪底土石坝的模拟模型进行渗流、应力分析。在高库水位情况下,相较于低水位情况,坝体渗流量更大、形变速率更大;在应力分析部分,发现坝体的垂直向形变趋势与InSAR监测结果相吻合,亦呈现“阶梯状”形变。研究成果不仅为小浪底土石坝运行稳定性分析及形变历史回溯提供理论基础和决策依据,也说明PS-InSAR技术与二维有限元模型模拟技术在水利工程监测方面具有巨大的应用潜力。

Elevation of basal lacustrine sediments along the mid-lower reaches of the Yangtze River and its implications for the reconstruction of Holocene water levels

The middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River,a primary region for freshwater lakes in China,have undergone significant transformations throughout the Holocene.These changes,driven by factors such as sea-level rise,climate change,and human activities,have led to the progressive elevation of water levels in this area.As a result,a floodplain has emerged,characterized by the formation of numerous shallow lakes along the river course.However,the pattern of water-level changes in the main channel of the Yangtze River during the Holocene remains unclear.This gap in knowledge poses challenges for understanding sediment transport dynamics,the interactions between the river and its adjacent lakes,and the prevention and control of flood disasters in the Yangtze River basin.To shed light on these issues,our study compiled data on the surface elevation and water depth of 81 lakes in the mid-lower reaches of the Yangtze River basin.Additionally,we analyzed historical water-level records from the 1900s to the 1970s at eight gauging stations from Shashi to Jiangyin along the river’s main stream.Our findings reveal that,particularly along the Jingjiang section,the basal elevation of most lakes is lower than the Yangtze River’s water level during the dry season.Conversely,the water level of the main stream exceeds that of both the floodplain and the lakes enclosed by the Jingjiang embankment.In the tidal reach,especially within the Taihu Lake basin,the basal elevation of lakes typically falls below sea level.Meanwhile,lakes located along the section from Chenglingji to Wuhu exhibit basal elevations that correspond with the Yangtze River’s annual average and dry season water levels.Given the widespread presence of lakes along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River,our study introduces a new proxy for reconstructing the mean water level of the mid-lower Yangtze River in the Holocene.By analyzing sediments from Nanyi Lake and Chenyao Lake in the lower Yangtze River,we attempted to reconstruct the water level of the Yangtze River’s main channel since 8 ka BP.

基于多源时序InSAR的三峡坝区形变监测分析

自2003年三峡库区蓄水以来,水位的大幅上升和周期性变化,给三峡大坝及其周边环境的稳定性造成威胁,三峡坝区的形变监测一直备受关注.随着InSAR技术的不断发展,其在基础设施与地质灾害形变监测领域发挥着越来越大的作用.采用时序InSAR技术对获取的2015年-2019年L波段ALOS2 PALSAR2数据集和2015年-2022年C波段Sentinel-1数据集进行处理分析,发现三峡大坝与茅坪溪大坝存在与蓄水相关的周期性形变,振幅约为1.1 mm和3.2 mm,茅坪溪大坝左岸护坡、关门洞地区与银杏沱填埋区分别存在28、40、40 mm/a的显著形变.采用指数衰减模型对银杏沱填埋区形变过程进行拟合,结果表明填埋区可在2040年达到稳定状态。研究表明,InSAR技术有助于加深对地表形变的认识理解,为地质灾害治理与决策提供依据.

Prediction of Impending Drought Scenarios Based on Surface and Subsurface Parameters in a Selected Region of Tropical Queensland, Australia

Droughts occur in all climatic regions around the world costing a large expense to global economies. Reasonably accurate prediction of drought events helps water managers proper planning for utilization of limited water resources and distribution of available waters to different sectors and avoid catastrophic consequences. Therefore, a means to create a simplistic approach for forecasting drought conditions with easily accessible parameters is highly desirable. This study proposes and evaluates newly developed accurate prediction models utilizing various hydrologic, meteorological, and geohydrology parameters along with the use of Artificial Neural Network (ANN) models with various forecast lead times. The present study develops a multitude of forecasting models to predict drought indices such as the Standard Precipitation Index with a lead-time of up to 6 months, and the Soil Moisture Index with a lead-time of 3 months. Furthermore, prediction models with the capability of approximating surface and groundwater storage levels including the Ross River Dam level have been developed with relatively high accuracy with a lead-time of 3 months. The results obtained from these models were compared to current values, revealing that ANN based approach can be used as a simple and effective predictive model that can be utilized for prediction of different aspects of drought scenarios in a typical study area like Townsville, North Queensland, Australia which had suffered severe recent drought conditions for almost six recent years (2014 to early 2019).

A new type of facility to assist ship safely though the Rapids Rubber Dam

Rapids and shoals in the channel have a huge impact on the safety of the ship navigation, Based on the principle of a rubber dam can always adjust the height of the dam and raise upstream water level, This thesis creatively proposed the principle which applied to rapids and shoals in the Channel. In order to achieve the purpose of assisting ship through the channel safely. In this paper, through theoretical calculations verified the rubber dam has characteristics of raising water level, increasing the depth of the shoals, reducing the flow velocity, reducing water surface slope and improving the conditions of navigation. Therefore, this study has a wide range of practical value and application prospects in the project

关于加强水库大坝下游水位监测的认识与建议

下游水位监测是1级~5级水库大坝必设的安全监测项目,但在实际建设过程中常常被忽视或误解,不利于充分发挥监测系统作用。通过设置下游水位监测,可以确定准确完整的坝体浸润线位置,支撑智慧水利建设;定量分析监测断面的防渗效果与渗流安全性态,提高渗流安全监测资料分析深度;为大坝渗流计算提供可靠的重要边界条件参数,提升渗流计算成果可靠性与准确性。下游水位监测对大坝安全监测以及大坝安全管理至关重要,建议有条件的水库补充设置下游水位监测,进一步完善大坝安全监测系统。

万家寨水库排沙效果及影响因素分析

降水冲刷是恢复水库库容的有效手段。2011年以来万家寨水库在排沙期多次开展降水冲刷运用,取得了较好的排沙效果。基于实测资料,分析了2011年以来万家寨水库排沙效果及其影响因素。结果表明:2011—2021年(不含2016年)万家寨水库累计排沙7.173亿t;排沙主要集中在排沙期;2018—2020年来水较丰,水库降水冲刷历时长,3 a累计排沙4.840亿t;水库排沙影响因素众多,长历时大流量洪水过程有利于水库排沙;运用水位降低时,蓄水量减小,沿程冲刷距离长,壅水输沙距离缩短,有利于提高水库的排沙效果。通过回归分析,建立了不同水位下出库输沙率与主要影响因素的关系。

引江补汉工程丹江口下游近坝段枯水期通航水位恢复试验研究

引江补汉工程补水口位于丹江口大坝下游安乐河出口约5 km处,且补水量与调水量基本一致,工程对航道的影响主要体现在减水段,为恢复枯水期通航水位需要开展航道综合治理。利用河工模型试验论证了综合治理方案的效果,并对方案进行了优化及进一步论证。结果表明,减水-补水212 m 3/s方案尾门水位分别为86.47、85.90 m条件下,引航道口—黄家港段水位下降,黄家港以下水位保持不变,其中引航道口水位下降幅度最大,分别下降0.08、0.19 m;综合治理方案1实施后引航道口水位下降均为0.02 m,减水段的水位仍未恢复至调水前的水平,主因是从安乐河口补水的水流并未能进入到左侧主航道内;基于试验研究结果,建议对综合治理方案进行优化,在沧浪洲出水口下沿布置2道护底带;通过试验论证了护底带的4个高程,建议护底带高程为85.5 m,并对护底带高程进一步细化论证;优化后的方案可使引航道口至黄家港段的水位略超过调水前的水平,其中引航道口处最大水位抬高0.06 m。

The relationship between water level change and river channel geometry adjustment in the downstream of the Three Gorges Dam

In this study, data measured from 1955–2016 were analysed to study the relationship between the water level and river channel geometry adjustment in the downstream of the Three Gorges Dam（TGD） after the impoundment of the dam. The results highlight the following facts：（1） for the same flow, the low water level decreased, flood water level changed little, lowest water level increased, and highest water level decreased at the hydrological stations in the downstream of the dam;（2） the distribution of erosion and deposition along the river channel changed from ＂erosion at channels and deposition at bankfulls＂ to ＂erosion at both channels and bankfulls;＂ the ratio of low-water channel erosion to bankfull channel erosion was 95.5% from October 2002 to October 2015, with variations between different impoundment stages;（3） the low water level decrease slowed down during the channel erosion in the Upper Jingjiang reach and reaches upstream but sped up in the Lower Jingjiang reach and reaches downstream; measures should be taken to prevent the decrease in the channel water level;（4） erosion was the basis for channel dimension upscaling in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River; the low water level decrease was smaller than the thalweg decline; both channel water depth and width increased under the combined effects of channel and waterway regulations; and（5） the geometry of the channels above bankfulls did not significantly change; however, the comprehensive channel resistance increased under the combined effects of riverbed coarsening, beach vegetation, and human activities; as a result, the flood water level increased markedly and moderate flood to high water level phenomena occurred, which should be considered. The Three Gorges Reservoir effectively enhances the flood defense capacity of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River; however, the superposition effect of tributary floods cannot be ruled out.

黄河下游灌区引黄涵闸引水能力变化原因分析

黄河下游引黄涵闸受河床下切、河势变化等因素共同影响,引水条件与设计情况相比发生了变化,造成部分河段涵闸引水困难,影响农业适时灌溉和生产。为给应对引黄涵闸引水能力下降问题提供参考,基于黄河下游2000—2016年引黄涵闸引水水位和河道断面实测数据,分析引黄涵闸引水水位变化、河槽冲刷、引黄渠道淤积变化等因素对引黄涵闸引水能力产生的影响。结果表明:1)2016年黄河来水300~900 m^(3)/s时,黄河下游引黄涵闸实际引水能力仅为设计引水能力的13.63%~39.43%,引黄涵闸引水能力明显下降;2)相较2000年,2016年的引黄涵闸设计值对应黄河流量的水位,高村以上河段下降了2.95~3.35 m,高村以下河段下降了1.55~2.95 m;3)从河段河床平均冲刷厚度看,花园口—夹河滩、夹河滩—高村、高村—孙口、孙口—艾山、艾山—泺口、泺口—利津河段的冲刷厚度分别为3.88、3.06、1.84、1.88、1.88、2.02 m,河槽连续冲刷导致同流量水位明显降低,严重影响河南和山东段引黄涵闸正常引水;4)涵闸前后引、输水渠道淤积会导致引黄涵闸引水能力降低。

Effect of Three Gorges Dam on Poyang Lake water level at daily scale based on machine learning

Lake water level is an essential indicator of environmental changes caused by natural and human factors.The water level of Poyang Lake,the largest freshwater lake in China,has exhibited a dramatic variation for the past few years,especially after the completion of the Three Gorges Dam(TGD).However,there is a lack of more accurate assessment of the effect of the TGD on the Poyang Lake water level(PLWL)at finer temporal scales(e.g.,the daily scale).Here,we used three machine learning models,namely,an Artificial Neural Network(ANN),a Nonlinear Autoregressive model with exogenous input(NARX),and a Gated Recurrent Unit(GRU),to simulate the daily lake level during 2003-2016.We found that machine learning models with historical memory(i.e.,the GRU model)are more suitable for simulating the PLWL under the influence of the TGD.The GRU-based results show that the lake level is significantly affected by the TGD regulation in the different operation stages and in different periods.Although the TGD has had a slight but not very significant impact on the yearly decline of the PLWL,the blocking or releasing of water at the TGD at certain moments has caused large changes in the lake level.This machine-learning-based study sheds light on the interactions between Poyang Lake and the Yangtze River regulated by the TGD.

农业耕作和外来植物入侵对金沙江下游库区新生消落带土壤养分和酶活性的影响

金沙江下游梯级水电站新生消落带上农业耕作较为普遍,同时广泛存在外来植物入侵,这可能会对其土壤养分状况产生潜在影响。基于此,以乌东德电站库区新生消落带为研究区域,以淹水后自然形成的狗牙根(Cynodon dactylon)群落为对照,选择典型农作物玉米(Zea mays)与入侵植物银胶菊(Parthenium hysterophorus)为研究对象,通过比较不同群落下0~10 cm和10~20 cm深度土壤养分含量及酶活性差异,探讨农业耕作和外来植物入侵对消落带土壤养分状况的影响。结果表明:①玉米和银胶菊群落下0~10 cm土层有机质、全氮、全磷、速效钾含量显著高于狗牙根群落(P<0.05),增幅为24.58%~136.98%;10~20 cm土层的有机质、氮磷钾养分全量和速效养分含量也较狗牙根群落显著高出16.67%~141.68%(P<0.05)。②相较狗牙根群落,玉米和银胶菊群落下0~10 cm和10~20 cm土层的脲酶、蔗糖酶、碱性磷酸酶、硝酸还原酶活性均显著增加(P<0.05),增幅为5.60%~378.65%。3个群落中,银胶菊群落土壤酶指数最高,较狗牙根群落显著高出23.49%(P<0.05)。③消落带土壤有机质、全氮、全磷、碱解氮、有效磷、速效钾含量均与脲酶、蔗糖酶、硝酸还原酶、碱性磷酸酶活性之间呈显著正相关(P<0.05),表明上述酶活性可作为消落带土壤养分状况变化的有效表征。总的来看,农耕活动和银胶菊入侵促进了落干期金沙江下游新生消落带土壤养分的积累和有效性的增加。因此,应加强消落带农业耕作的管控并尽快开展入侵植物防治,以减少淹水期消落带土壤养分流失风险。

三峡水库运行后汉口—九江河段水位变化特征及成因

大型水库的修建引起坝下游的水位调整,进而对河势、航运、防洪及生态等产生显著影响。为探究汉口—九江河段水位变化特征及成因,采用M-K分析法分析1988—2022年汉口、黄石港和九江站的水位变化趋势,并使用基于距平残差的水位变幅分析方法和一维水动力模型,分析河道冲淤、下游水位和阻力变化对不同特征流量下水位变化的影响。研究结果表明:①三峡成库前,除九江站枯水位呈显著性下降趋势,各级流量下的水位均没有显著性变化趋势。②三峡成库后,九江站的水位变化趋势与建库前相同;汉口站、黄石港站在12000 m^(3)/s和20000 m^(3)/s下的水位呈显著性下降趋势,12000 m^(3)/s时降幅分别为0.072、0.045 m/a,20000 m^(3)/s时降幅分别为0.048、0.027 m/a;水位变化的临界转换流量约为30000 m^(3)/s,在该流量附近水位未出现明显变化;当流量大于30000 m^(3)/s时,水位呈非显著性上升趋势,45000 m^(3)/s下的升幅分别为0.037、0.049 m/a。③临界转换流量以下水位下降的主导作用为河道冲刷,临界流量附近的水位未出现明显变化源于阻力增大作用接近抵消了河道冲刷的影响,临界转换流量以上的水位上升源于阻力增大作用更加明显,个别年份的洪水位上升显著源于下游水位顶托作用明显。