Changes in the eco-flow metrics of the Upper Yangtze River from 1961 to 2008

详细信息	查看全文 | 推荐本文 |

• 作者：Bing Gao ; Dawen Yang ; ^{yangdw@tsinghua.edu.cn} ; Tongtiegang Zhao ; Hanbo Yang
• 关键词：Flow regime ; Ecosurplus ; Ecodeficit ; The Yangtze River ; The Three Gorges Reservoir
• 刊名：Journal of Hydrology
• 出版年：2012
• 期刊代码：68_00221694
• 类别：abs
• 出版时间：2 July, 2012
• 卷：448-449
• 期：Complete
• 页码：30-38
• 文件大小：971 K

摘要

| Figures/TablesFigures/Tables | ReferencesReferences

Summary

Flow regime changes in the Upper Yangtze River were investigated using the eco-flow metrics (ecosurplus and ecodeficit) and the 鈥淚ndicators of Hydrologic Alteration鈥?(IHA) parameters. Results showed that annual streamflow decreased in the period from 1961 to 2008. Autumn streamflow evidently decreased after the 1980s, which resulted from the decrease in precipitation and water storing by reservoirs. Summer flow decreased after the 1980s which was also primarily attributed to the decrease in precipitation. Winter streamflow increased in the two most recent decades, which resulted from the reservoir release. Results also showed that the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) elevated low flow in the dry season and reduced peak flow in summer since 2003. The decrease in autumn precipitation since 1990s, suggests that TGR is facing a serious challenge in maintaining water storage in the reservoir and releasing the water to the downstream ecosystem. Therefore, to mitigate the negative effects on the river ecosystem in the downstream and to maintain its water storage capacity, TGR should start storing water earlier than its designed schedule to meet the requirements for both power generation and ecosystem protection. A comparison between the eco-flow metrics and the IHA metrics demonstrated that combination of the two groups of metrics provided a sufficient measure of the changes in the flow regime.