Influence of Three Gorges Dam on streamflow and sediment load of the middle Yangtze River, China |
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| Authors: | Qiang Zhang Vijay P Singh Xiaohong Chen |
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| Institution: | (1) Department of Water Resources and Environment, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China;(2) Key Laboratory of Water Cycle and Water Security in Southern China of Guangdong High Education Institute, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China;(3) Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineeirng and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, 77843-2117, USA |
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| Abstract: | Using updated hydrological datasets from three stations, including Cuntan, Yichang and Hankou, covering the period of January
1992–December 2008, the influence of Three Gorges Dam (TGD) on streamflow and sediment load of the Yangtze River was investigated.
Results indicated that TGD did not seem to exert a significant influence on streamflow occurring at three stations and changes
in streamflow can be mainly attributed to streamflows of tributaries. However, a sharp decrease in the sediment load after
the impoundment of TGD was observed. Clear water after the impoundment caused erosion of riverbed and resulted in more sediment
at the Hankou station than at the Yichang station. No distinct changes in the annual and monthly maximum sediment loads were
observed before and after the impoundment. Therefore, annual and monthly maximum sediment load changes should be subjected
mainly to river hydraulics. This study has practical relevance for understanding the influence of large hydraulic structures
on the hydrological processes of large rivers. |
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