Variation in reach‐scale thalweg‐migration intensity in a braided reach of the lower Yellow River in 1986–2015

Thalweg migration of an alluvial river plays a key role in channel evolution, which may influence the effect of existing river training works and biodiversity on floodplains, and cause losses in riparian land and property. The braided reach of the Lower Yellow River underwent continuous channel aggradation during the period from 1986 to 1999, and then remarkable channel degradation in 1999–2015 owing to the state of operation of the Xiaolangdi Reservoir in 1999. Here we quantify associated thalweg migration changes and identify the key influencing factor in the braided reach. Thalweg‐migration distances and intensities at section‐ and reach‐scales were calculated during the past 30 years from 1986 to 2015, in order to investigate the characteristics of thalweg migration in the reach. There was a 47% reduction in the reach‐scale thalweg‐migration distance and a 35% reduction in the corresponding migration intensity after the reservoir operation. It is also revealed that fluvial erosion intensity is a dominant factor in controlling the thalweg migration, based on the investigation into various influencing factors in the study reach. The thalweg‐migration intensity of the braided reach can be expressed as a power function of the previous four‐year average fluvial erosion intensity. The calculated thalweg‐migration intensities in 1986–2015 using the proposed relation generally agree with the observed data. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Spatial and temporal dynamics of nitrogen exchange in an upwelling reach of a groundwater-fed river and potential response to perturbations changing rainfall patterns under UK climate change scenarios

We report the complex spatial and temporal dynamics of hyporheic exchange flows (HEFs) and nitrogen exchange in an upwelling reach of a 200 m groundwater-fed river. We show how research combining hydrological measurement, geophysics and isotopes, together with nutrient speciation techniques provides insight on nitrogen pathways and transformations that could not have been captured otherwise, including a zone of vertical preferential discharge of nitrate from deeper groundwater, and a zone of rapid denitrification linking the floodplain with the riverbed. Nitrate attenuation in the reach is dominated by denitrification but is spatially highly variable. This variability is driven by groundwater flow pathways and landscape setting, which influences hyporheic flow, residence time and nitrate removal. We observed the spatial connectivity of the river to the riparian zone is important because zones of horizontal preferential discharge supply organic matter from the floodplain and create anoxic riverbed conditions with overlapping zones of nitrification potential and denitrification activity that peaked 10–20 cm below the riverbed. Our data also show that temporal variability in water pathways in the reach is driven by changes in stage of the order of tens of centimetres and by strength of water flux, which may influence the depth of delivery of dissolved organic carbon. The temporal variability is sensitive to changes to river flows under UK climate projections that anticipate a 14%–15% increase in regional median winter rainfall and a 14%–19% reduction in summer rainfall. Superimposed on seasonal projections is more intensive storm activity that will likely lead to a more dynamic and inherently complex (hydrologically and biogeochemically) hyporheic zone. We recorded direct evidence of suppression of upwelling groundwater (flow reversal) during rainfall events. Such flow reversal may fuel riverbed sediments whereby delivery of organic carbon to depth, and higher denitrification rates in HEFs might act in concert to make nitrate removal in the riverbed more efficient.     

Invertebrate recolonisation of previously dry channels in the Rakaia River

Recolonisation of previously dry channels by stream invertebrates was studied in the Rakaia River during winter 1981 and summer 1982. The winter experiment continued for 42 days, with stable low flows, whereas the summer experiment was characterised by fluctuating large flows which caused it to be abandoned after 27 days. The fauna was dominated numerically by Chironomidae, a leptophlebiid mayfly (Deleatidium), and oligochaetes during the winter, and by Deleatidium alone during the summer. Recolonisation was considered complete after 33 days in winter and 15 days in summer. Flow fluctuations were the main factor affecting colonisation rates, and it was assumed that drift was the main source of colonising animals. Small freshes during low‐flow periods in winter resulted in a rapid increase in total density of invertebrates and number of taxa present and also affected the population structure of Deleatidium larvae in colonisation baskets. Before these freshes numbers had increased steadily over a 27 day period. In summer large floods during high flow periods initially decreased benthic invertebrate numbers in samples but numbers increased rapidly once the flood had passed. This appears to be the first study of its kind on a large unstable river system.     

三峡水库汛期控制水位及运用条件

随着长江上游梯级水库的陆续建成投运，三峡水库的水文情势和功能需求与设计条件相比发生了显著变化，仍维持固定的汛限水位运行已不能适应新形势需求。本文通过辨析三峡水库设计阶段汛限水位的设置条件，挖掘流域洪水特性和洪水遭遇规律，论证三峡水库汛期运行水位动态控制的可行性。结果表明：① 三峡水库设计推求的汛限水位145 m的适用条件是应对流域性大洪水，而流域性洪水发生概率小且特征明显，可以通过水文水情分析提前预判。② 根据流域洪水类型、洪水分期和遭遇规律，预判发生区域性大洪水时，三峡水库6月初至梅雨期结束汛限水位按145 m设置，从梅雨期结束后逐渐提高水位，8月20日后过渡到155 m。③ 在考虑上游水库群联合调度和气象水文预报的配合下，正常年份三峡水库汛期运行水位可在155 m上下浮动，并考虑提前蓄水。④ 三峡水库汛期运行水位动态控制，不会增加防洪风险和库区淤积风险，对中下游江湖关系和水文情势有利，可显著提高发电、航运、生态保护和供水等综合利用效益。     

青海砂西油田古近系下干柴沟组下部沉积相定量研究

随着油田开发难度的加大，开发中仅仅把储集砂体的沉积相类型确定下来是远远不够的，还要求准确地预测砂体的宽度、长度等定量参数，这就是本文所指的沉积相定量研究。本文根据大量钻井资料，在地层精细划分对比的基础上，对青海砂西油田E31辫状河三角洲平原和曲流河三角洲平原进行了定量研究，确定了分流河道砂体的宽度、宽/厚比等参数。研究表明，本区辫状河三角洲平原的分流河道砂体宽多为 1200-3000m，厚多为5-10m，宽/厚比200-280。曲流河三角洲平原的分流河道砂体宽多为 400-700m，厚多为3-6m，宽/厚比80-110。辫状分流河道砂体比曲流分流河道砂体普遍宽、厚是由于辫状分流河道频繁摆动改道引起砂体的横向拼合和垂向叠置所致。这种河道可称复合河道。利用“厚度中心法”可区分复合河道与单河道。由于不同沉积相的砂体宽度不同，在油田开发中井网部署方案应该不同。     

基于微分对策理论的多沙河流水库调度

水库的排沙问题一直是多沙河流水库调度研究的重点之一。由于大部分多沙河流的来水来沙主要集中于汛期,因此水库汛期的蓄水兴利与泄水排沙的矛盾十分突出,具有典型的博弈关系,该关系可以利用博弈的相关理论进行描述。基于微分对策理论,将多沙河流水库汛期的供水兴利与泄水排沙看作博弈的双方,建立起以排沙和供水的综合效益作为性能指标函数的多沙河流水库汛期调度模型,研究了多沙河流水库汛期的调度问题,并通过陕西黑河某水库的实测资料对该模型进行了验证计算。计算结果表明,建立的调度模型能够较好地反映多沙河流水库汛期调度中的主要矛盾,实现对供水与排沙综合效益的优化。     

Runoff Scaling in Large Rivers of the World

Runoff and precipitation scaling with respect to drainage area is analyzed for large river basins of the world, those with mean annual runoff in excess of 10 k³/yr. The usefulness of the specific runoff (runoff per unit drainage area, m/yr) to categorize runoff scaling laws across the complete spectrum of climatic and hydrologic conditions is evaluated. It is found that (1) runoff scales with drainage are in those river basins with specific runoff in excess of 0.15 m/yr (r² = 0.88); (2) runoff scaling with drainage area shows remarkably high statistical correlation (r²= 0.97) in river basins with specific runoff equal to or larger than 1.0 m/yr; (3) runoff does not Inc.rease with Inc.reasing drainage area in river basins with specific runoff below 0.15 m/yr, where no discernible statistical association was found between runoff and drainage area; and (4) precipitation depth (m/yr) is inversely proportional to drainage area raised to a fractional exponent in river basins with specific runoff in excess of 0.15 m/yr.     

Assessment of sediment transport approaches for sand-bed rivers by means of machine learning

Abstract

The quantification of the sediment carrying capacity of a river is a difficult task that has received much attention. For sand-bed rivers especially, several sediment transport functions have appeared in the literature based on various concepts and approaches; however, since they present a significant discrepancy in their results, none of them has become universally accepted. This paper employs three machine learning techniques, namely artificial neural networks, symbolic regression based on genetic programming and an adaptive-network-based fuzzy inference system, for the derivation of sediment transport formulae for sand-bed rivers from field and laboratory flume data. For the determination of the input parameters, some of the most prominent fundamental approaches that govern the phenomenon, such as shear stress, stream power and unit stream power, are utilized and a comparison of their efficacy is provided. The results obtained from the machine learning techniques are superior to those of the commonly-used sediment transport formulae and it is shown that each of the input combinations tested has its own merit, as they produce similarly good results with respect to the data-driven technique employed.

Editor Z.W. Kundzewicz     

海南岛福山凹陷古近系流沙港组沉积相

古近系流沙港组沉积时期是海南岛福山凹陷的主要成盆期,沉陷幅度较大,地势较陡,由此导致流沙港组深水湖泊沉积和辫状河三角洲沉积相当发育。通过对岩心、测井和地震等资料的综合分析,分别对流沙港组3个岩性段的沉积相进行了研究。单井沉积相和平面沉积相分析表明流沙港组主要发育辫状河三角洲相和湖泊相,并可进一步划分出7种亚相和13种微相。流三段沉积时期辫状河三角洲沉积最为发育,约占研究区总面积的一半,仅在研究区北部为半深湖亚相—深湖亚相分布区。流二段沉积时期是福山凹陷最大湖侵期,深水湖泊相最为发育,研究区北半部几乎全为深湖亚相—半深湖亚相分布区。流二段沉积之后,凹陷周缘发生较大范围隆升,因此,流一段沉积时期的沉积范围比流二段沉积时期小得多,但其沉积相展布格局与流二段沉积时期仍比较相似。通过对ZTR指数(代表锆石、金红石、电气石三种重矿物在透明重矿物中所占的比例)等值线图、砂(砾)岩百分含量等值线图及沉积相展布格局等分析认为,流沙港组沉积时期的物源主要来自南方的海南隆起,东、西方向还存在2个次要物源。     

准噶尔盆地玛湖凹陷八道湾组一段沉积微相特征——以TX1井区为例

通过岩石学、沉积学及测井等方法,对准噶尔盆地TX1井区侏罗系八道湾组一段进行详细研究,认为侏罗系八道湾组一段主要发育复成分砾岩、砾状砂岩及砂岩,煤夹层;沉积构造发育,兼具水上及水下沉积的特点,发育粒序层理、中大型交错层理及冲刷充填、植物枝干印模等沉积构造;测井上具箱型、漏斗型、指状、线性等响应。沉积相纵向上逐渐向盆地边缘退积演化,其中三角洲平原亚相在2~5砂组较为发育,以辫状分流河道及河道间的河漫沼泽沉积为主,前缘亚相在1砂组较为发育,以水下分流河道及支流间湾沉积为主。辫状河三角洲前缘水下分流河道微相是最有利的储集相带,孔渗结构较优,原油含水率低;辫状河三角洲平原分流河道微相次之,其储层非均质性强,原油含水率较高。