Hydropeaking indicators for characterization of the Upper-Rhone River in Switzerland

River channelization and the construction of high-head storage schemes have been the basis of agricultural and socio-economic development in many alpine regions. One example is the Upper-Rhone River in Switzerland. The Upper-Rhone’s morphology changed considerably between 1863 and 1960 as a result of two major channelizations and, from 1950 on, the construction of a large number of high-head storage hydropower schemes in the catchment. These modifications have brought large benefits to the local population, at the cost, however, of substantial disturbances in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems in and along the river. A primary factor behind these disturbances is the alteration of the natural flow regime, namely hydropeaking due to the operation of the high-head storage hydropower plants. For sustainable river-restoration projects on regulated rivers, scientists and engineers now widely accept the necessity of integrated management of the river. Different aspects such as river morphology, sediment management, water quality, temperature, and the naturally variable flow regime should be considered simultaneously. Mitigation of non-natural, sub-daily flow fluctuations due to hydropeaking is a crucial step in restoring natural flow regimes, but is especially challenging due to the economic constraints such mitigation places upon hydropower plants. With the goal of addressing this challenge, this paper proposes three indicators to describe the flow regime of rivers in alpine catchments with and without high-head storage hydropower plants. The indicators quantify: (1) the seasonal distribution and transfer of water, (2) sub-daily flow fluctuations, and (3) the intensity and frequency of flow changes. Indicators are evaluated in a case study of the Upper-Rhone River for pre- and post-impact situations, and the benefit of a multipurpose project reducing hydropeaking on hydrologic conditions is quantified. Furthermore, the paper explores the possibility of using these indicators to link aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem well being to their hydrology.     

The impact of environmental factors on the distribution pattern of aquatic plants along the Danube River corridor (Slovakia)

The aim of the study was to evaluate pattern of the aquatic macrophyte species distribution along the Danube fluvial corridor in Slovakia, and to identify the impact of environmental abiotic parameters on macrophyte species diversity. Field sampling was performed in the period 1999–2005 from the boat. Aquatic habitats were divided into 365 survey unit (SU). The survey of aquatic macrophytes and abiotic parameters followed the European standard approach EN 144184 2003. The plant mass estimate (PME – a semi-quantitative estimation of the amount of individual species in a SU, which takes into account three-dimensional development of plant stands) was estimated according to a five-point-scale in each SU; environmental pattern, were assessed over six abiotic parameters (river km, bank type, sediment type, flow velocity class, land-use type, and heavily man-modified water bodies). Altogether, four hydrologic connectivity types of aquatic habitats were distinguished: the Danube River, Open Arms, Separated Arms, and Seepage Water-bodies.

In total, 54 aquatic macrophytes were recorded for the whole data set of the Danube fluvial corridor. The PME data of true aquatic macrophytes and the length of SUs created a basis for numerical derivates, relative plant mass (RPM), mean mass indices (MMT, MMO) and the distribution ratio (d).

The results correspond with comparable studies on this topic: the highest macrophytes species diversity occurred in Separated Arms. On the contrary, macrophytes had the lowest richness in the Danube River main channel, although their diversity was slightly higher in heavily man-modified water bodies (such as the hydropower plant's reservoir and the abandoned main channel of the so-called Old Danube). Our results suggest that the lateral connectivity types of the river water bodies, primarily characterised by different hydrologic dynamics and human impact expressed as land-use types are responsible for the variability of aquatic macrophyte assemblages along the Danube corridor in Slovakia.     

Reflections on the history of research on large wood in rivers

Dynamics and functions of large wood have become integral considerations in the science and management of river systems. Study of large wood in rivers took place as monitoring of fish response to wooden structures placed in rivers in the central United States in the early 20th century, but did not begin in earnest until the 1970s. Research has increased in intensity and thematic scope ever since. A wide range of factors has prompted these research efforts, including basic understanding of stream systems, protection and restoration of aquatic ecosystems, and environmental hazards in mountain environments. Research and management have adopted perspectives from ecology, geomorphology, and engineering, using observational, experimental, and modelling approaches. Important advances have been made where practical information needs converge with institutional and science leadership capacities to undertake multi-pronged research programmes. Case studies include ecosystem research to inform regulations for forest management; storage and transport of large wood as a component in global carbon dynamics; and the role of wood transport in environmental hazards in mountain regions, including areas affected by severe landscape disturbances, such as volcanic eruptions. As the field of research has advanced, influences of large wood on river structures and processes have been merged with understanding of streamflow and sediment regimes, so river form and function are now viewed as involving the tripartite system of water, sediment, and wood. A growing community of researchers and river managers is extending understanding of large wood in rivers to climatic, forest, landform, and social contexts not previously investigated. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sustaining environmental flows in water-deficient rivers via inter-basin hydropower transfer

In water-deficient rivers, environmental flows (e-flows) are usually sustained via inter-basin water transfer projects from water-sufficient rivers, but these projects incur tremendous costs and may lead to many negative ecological effects, such as ecological invasion. This research proposed to transfer hydropower instead of water from water-sufficient rivers, because hydropower could substitute for water to promote economic development and reduce water withdrawal from water-deficient rivers (conserved water). In addition, based on the analysis of eco-hydrological processes, the flow regime alteration plays an important role in restoring riverine ecosystem. With the goal of minimum flow regime alternation, we set up two scenarios to distribute the annual conserved water, and determined the optimal amount of transferred hydropower and the optimal use of conserved water, which could effectively sustain the e-flows. Accordingly, this paper established a computable general equilibrium model to analyse the substitution of hydropower for water in a water-deficient river basin, and determined the water withdrawal volume that could be reduced. We adopted a range-of-variability approach to measure the degree of flow regime alteration, and optimized the flow regime management scheme. The Luanhe River Basin was adopted as a study case. The results showed that: the water-hydropower equivalent decreased as the transferred hydropower into the Luanhe River Basin increased; a transferred hydropower amount of 22.46 kWh/s, equivalent to 18.30 m³/s conserved water, was optimal for the river basin; the conserved water should be distributed to the Luanhe River in the proportions of 0.55:0.1:0.35 during the wet, normal and dry seasons, respectively, which is the optimal scheme to sustain the hydrological processes of the river.     

澜沧江下游补远江大型底栖动物群落结构的时空分布及其影响因素

自然流淌的支流在维持建坝河流水生生物多样性中起着重要作用。补远江是澜沧江下游的重要一级支流,保持了较为天然的河流状态,人类活动干扰相对较少,是流域土著鱼类保护区和水生生物重要栖息地。在澜沧江流域水电开发的背景下,掌握补远江大型底栖动物群落结构的时空分布及其影响因素,对澜沧江乃至西南河流的水生生物多样性保护和恢复具有重要参考意义。于2019年4月(旱季)和2019年10月(雨季)对补远江的大型底栖动物进行了详细调查,共检出大型底栖动物150个分类单元,隶属于5门7纲68科,其中水生昆虫121种,软体动物20种,蛭类3种,寡毛类2种,甲壳类2种,涡虫、线虫各1种。毛翅目和蜉蝣目为全流域优势类群。补远江底栖动物密度和生物量在旱季和雨季均表现为上游大于中下游,物种丰富度和Shannon-Wiener多样性指数在雨季显著高于旱季。功能摄食类群中,滤食者(41.09%)和收集者(31.81%)占绝对优势,其次为刮食者(11.00%)、捕食者(11.21%),撕食者(4.89%)较少。Mantel检验分析表明,河宽(RW)、硝态氮(NO₃^--N)、化学需氧量(COD_Mn)是影响补远江大型底栖动物群落结构的主要环境因子;不同功能摄食类群所受到的环境影响因素不同。生物指数(BI)和生物监测工作组记分(BMWP)系统评价显示,补远江大部分样点处于良好及以上水平,少数样点处于中等及以下水平,总体水生态状况良好。     

澜沧江中下游泥沙微表面电荷特性与磷吸附关系研究

河流泥沙是水生态系统生源要素的重要附着载体,其微形貌及电荷特性直接关系着泥沙对溶解态营养盐或污染物的吸附能力。本研究选取澜沧江中下游干流及主要支流为考察对象,采集28个河流水库断面的悬移质泥沙,采用原子力显微镜测定泥沙微表面电荷量,探究澜沧江泥沙的微表面电荷性质,研究纳米尺度下泥沙的微表面特性。研究结果表明:(1)微观界面,形貌对表面电荷分布影响明显,在纳米尺度下电势图与相位差图均展现出明显非均匀分布特征;(2)在流域分布上,不同区域表面电荷存在较大差异,流域沿程变化对泥沙表面电荷产生重要影响,总体变化呈现先减小后增大的趋势,表面电势值变化范围为-201.47～35.34 mV,表面电荷密度范围为0.07～3.65 mC/m²,不同区域电荷特性差别明显;(3)在梯级水电筑坝影响下,坝上坝下泥沙颗粒电势差与水库库容存在较好的线性相关关系,相关系数为0.8214,且坝下电势普遍高于坝上区域;(4)泥沙表面电势与磷吸附之间具有较强相关性,其相关系数为0.6657,同时表现出较好的线性拟合关系。研究结论对深入理解水电大坝建设对流域内污染物的迁移转化及解释泥沙的表面电性特征...     

生态需水理论与方法研究进展

生态需水研究是近年来国内外广泛关注的热点,涉及生态学、水文学、环境科学等多个学科.本文系统回顾了国内外生态需水的研究进展,较为全面的介绍了生态需水的概念、特征和分类,并在将区域生态需水的定量计算分为河道内和河道外两部分的基础上,总结并介绍了河道内(包括河流、河口、湖泊)和河道外(包括植被、动物、湿地、城市和回补超采地下水)生态需水的各种计算方法.特别是对国内外河流生态需水计算方法的基本思想、优缺点及其适用范围做了重点介绍,并分析了国内外计算方法存在差异的原因.通过对过去生态需水研究的总结与分析认为,我国研究目标多集中在水资源供需矛盾突出以及生态环境相对脆弱和问题严重的干旱、半干旱和季节性干旱的湿润区,且以河流生态系统的需水作为主要研究对象.但由于起步晚,在这方面的研究还不是很成熟,生态需水的概念、内涵和外延均未有统一的定义;同时,在借鉴国外生态需水各种计算方法来进行我国的生态需水研究时,应考虑是否符合我国国情以及气候水文特征,不能机械照搬.再者,笔者认为:①在考虑各种方法联系机制的前提下,对其进行合理耦合,取长补短,并进一步加强3S等新技术的应用;②加强对水资源虽相对丰沛,但由于水污染严重而存在水质性缺水的湿润地区,如华南珠江流域的生态需水研究等,将成为今后的发展方向.     

The effect of vibrations in the Zhigulevskii Hydropower Structure on soils in the nearby territories of Tolyatti City

The Zhigulevskii Hydropower Structure is used as an example to study the vibration impact of a dam on the soils of the coastal zone in the upper and lower pools. The effect of vibration of the hydropower structure on soils composing the shore in the nearby territory was evaluated on the qualitative level. The analysis of seismic monitoring data allowed the authors to conclude that the specific features of the seismic regime of the territory both during spring releases and in dry period are governed by the regime of hydropower structure operation.     

Measuring ecological change of aquatic macrophytes in Mediterranean rivers

A metric was developed for assessing anthropogenic impacts on aquatic macrophyte ecology by scoring macrophyte species along the main gradient of community change. A measure of ecological quality was then calculated by Weighted Averaging (WA) of these species scores at a monitoring site, and comparison to a reference condition score. This metric was used to illustrate the difficulties of developing aquatic macrophyte indices based on indicator species in Mediterranean rivers. The response of the metric to a nutrient gradient was examined within two different river typologies: the national typology designed for the Water Framework Directive and a typology that segregates the environmental variables to produce maximum species similarity within a river type. Both typologies showed the strong north-south climatic divide in Portugal, with southern rivers having long periods without rainfall and often without flowing water in the summer. Overall, the metric responded well to nutrient impacts however it performed poorly in some southern lowland river types. This was thought to be due to low numbers of aquatic macrophytes in temporary rivers. Non-aquatic species that establish in the river channel of temporary rivers may have to be included in indices to improve performance. Also, simple Weighted Averaging (WA) metrics may be insensitive to abundance changes and loss of rarer indicators in lowland Mediterranean rivers. More sophisticated methods of using WA are suggested, as well as further research into developing assessment methods specific to the character of Mediterranean rivers.     

地震科研项目档案管理的实践与思考

随着防震减灾科学技术的日益发展,地震科研项目种类、数量和规模不断增加,对地震科研项目档案的管理提出了更高的要求。本文介绍了建立地震科研项目档案的重要性,地震科研档案的分类办法和归档内容,分析了地震科研项目档案管理工作中存在的问题,提出了如何提高地震科研项目档案管理工作水平的建议。     

湖南江垭水电工程水库诱发地震可能性的初步评价

根据野外实地工作，进行水库诱发地震诱震条件的综合分析，并与其它发震水库进行对比，对江垭水电工程水库诱发地震可能性作出初步评价。认为江垭水库蓄水后，在岩溶发育的峡谷地段存在诱发地震的可能性，并对发震地段，最高震级和烈度进行了估计     

巢湖流域双桥河底泥疏浚对浮游甲壳动物群落结构的影响

为研究河流底泥疏浚工程对富营养化河流水生生态系统的影响,选取巢湖双桥河开展为期一年的河流生态监测与调查,对比分析了巢湖双桥河疏浚前和疏浚后的水质指标、浮游甲壳动物群落结构及生物多样性指数.研究发现：底泥疏浚后双桥河水质得到明显改善,其中氮、磷营养盐分别削减48.09%和19.09%;底泥疏浚对浮游甲壳动物群落结构影响显著,疏浚后浮游甲壳动物生物量从1.86 mg/L下降到0.25 mg/L,下降了86.40%;疏浚后生物多样性指数高于疏浚前,且受季节影响较大;浮游甲壳动物与水环境因子相关性研究发现：pH、温度、铵态氮、硝态氮、可溶性氮、总氮和氮磷比对浮游甲壳动物总生物量均有极显著影响.研究结果表明,河流底泥疏浚工程能显著削减水体中氮、磷营养盐,并从一定程度上改善河流浮游甲壳动物群落结构,促进河流水生生态系统向健康、安全的方向发展.因此,对于双桥河这种受城市外源污染影响较大的城市污染型河流,在削减外源营养盐特别是氮输入的条件下,实施底泥疏浚工程可以促进其水生生态系统的修复.     

From fluvial dynamics to eco-fluvial dynamics

Sediment plays a very important role in the functioning of river ecosystems. It is the basic substance for the survival of benthic animals and aquatic plants. On the other hand, the growth of biofilms and bio-disturbance of benthos affect the sediment transport characteristics. With the increasing attention to protect aquatic ecosystems, the importance of habitats has become increasingly researched. The need to study the interactions among sediment, flow, riverbed deformation, and aquatic ecosystems naturally leads to the proposed discipline of eco-fluvial dynamics. In this paper, the basic concept and main research content of eco-fluvial dynamics is introduced with the Yarlung Tsangpo River as the research example. This case study is an example of an aquatic ecosystem in an ever-changing environment because of the effects of climate change. The results of analysis of eco-fluvial dynamics will provide a scientific basis for decision support for the government.