Responses of river bed evolution to flow-sediment process changes after Three Gorges Project in middle Yangtze River: A case study of Yaojian reach

The Three Gorges Project(TGP) has changed the flow-sediment process in the middle Yangtze River. For navigation purposes, there is an urgent need to study the changes of the river regime over a long-term period and the shoal-channel evolution over different seasons since the completion of the TGP. Based on analysis of the measured data and the results of a two-dimensional mathematical model, the changes of the river regime and river bed evolution in the Yaojian reach downstream of the TGP were studied. Results show that a high sediment transport flux helps to keep the main flow in the North Branch, while a low sediment transport flux helps to keep the main flow in the South Branch. Thus, the main branch will not change in the near future because of the low sediment transport load. In this study, the flow-sediment process adjusted by the TGP was restored to the conditions before the TGP, and the river bed evolution under the adjusted and non-adjusted flow-sediment conditions was calculated. After the completion of the TGP, the reservoir storage accelerated the flood recession process and decreased the erosion by11.9% under the flow-sediment conditions in 2010, and the deposition in the flood season decreased by 56.4%.     

长江中游武汉-湖口段鹅头洲演化动力学分析

为了探讨长江中游武汉-湖口河段鹅头洲河道的形成及演化规律,运用地球动力学方法进行了河演分析。结果表明,鹅头洲河道弯头上游段微元体所受的弯道离心力与掀斜抬升力和科氏力作用方向相反,相互消减,减弱了河流向左岸的侵蚀作用强度;在弯头下游段,3种力相互叠加,加强了向右岸的侵蚀作用,使鹅头洲河道上游弯道长且宽,下游弯道短,且呈窄的鹅头形状,鹅头顶端始终指向抬升作用一侧。     

Regulated scouring in a sand-bed river for channel habitat maintenance: A Platte River waterfowl case study

The planned Narrows Reservoir on the South Platte River in Colorado is expected to jeopardize the maintenance of scarce instream waterfowl habitat 400 km downstream in Nebraska's Big Bend reach of the mainstem Platte River. Extreme shrinkage of wide, shallow channel habitat for sandhill and endangered whooping cranes in the Central Flyway has resulted from past reservoir development along the North and South Platte Rivers in Wyoming and Colorado. Proposals to counteract further shrinkage caused by streamflow regulation and depletion include controlled annual peak flows designed to scour the banks, sandbars, and emerging vegetation. The criteria for effective channel maintenance by streambed scouring are examined, as well as the principles involved. The feasibility of preserving the remaining habitat by releasing scouring flows from the Narrows Dam is found seriously lacking. Alternative mechanical measures, such as dredging the channel and bulldozing the tree cover, may prove more practical, although possibly unaffordable.     

Channel forms and vegetation adjustment to damming in a Mediterranean gravel‐bed river (Serpis River,Spain)

This paper focuses on the analysis of changes observed in channel morphology in the Serpis River (Alicante, Spain), a gravel‐bed river dammed since 1958. The paper analyses flow series and several aerial images, prior and subsequent to dam construction, to analyse changes in channel morphology and vegetation colonisation using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) techniques. Results show a concatenation of morphological changes throughout an adjustment sequence (60 years), which started with the transformation from wandering to single thread channel pattern, was followed by a slow vegetation encroachment, and culminated with the stabilization of channel migration. The role of vegetation (particularly Salicaceae species) has been critical in controlling floods' effectiveness, reducing river mobility and shifting, and consolidating a channel planform model adapted to the post‐dam flow conditions.     

2D numerical modelling of bed profile changes due to tsunami effects on near shore coasts: Kadikoy case study.

This study was aimed at the investigation of tsunami effects on the seabed profile as these may be important for coastal structures, like sea outfalls or breakwaters. Tsunamis are well known with huge wave heights and destructive effects on the coastal region. A 2D numerical model was set using the software, COSMOS to calculate the cross-shore sediment transport and to evaluate profile changes in the coastal seabed. The study area is Kadikoy region, a densely populated industrial coastal area in South East Istanbul. The model was run for different kinds of tsunami waves. Not only the bed profile changes, but also the wave heights, breaker depths, peak wave bottom orbital velocities, wave set-up and cross-shore sediment transport rates were determined. The results indicated that, at a water depth around 40-50 m, some tsunamis were found to have a wave height of order of 15 m, which became about 5 m at a depth of 10 m. The wave set up near the coast was about 1.5-2 m. The results also implied that tsunami waves, with their destructive nature, could lead to dramatic vertical changes of the seabed.     

河流滨岸带坡面对降雨径流的污染削减效应——以上海市樱桃河为例

选取上海市闵行区樱桃河畔具代表性的滨岸带地域,在模拟降雨过程中,设置不同坡度,不同坡长及植被条件下的对比实验。得出最优方案:坡度约为8°±0.5°,被冬青覆盖的河滨带在宽度为4~5 m时,对降雨径流的污染削减效果最佳。此时模拟地表径流平均入水质状况为,进水水质:ρ(COD)=154.7 mg/L、ρ(TP)=0.55 mg/L、ρ(NH3-N)=1.19 mg/L,出水水质:ρ(COD)=77.38 mg/L、ρ(TP)=0.29 mg/L、ρ(NH3-N)=0.69 mg/L;削减率分别为49.98%,47.27%,41.61%。试验结果为提高城市绿地规划与建设的合理性以及城市降雨径流非点源污染的控制提供参考。     

Planktonic indicators of water quality: A case study in the Amacuzac River Basin (State of Morelos,Mexico)

Planktonic organisms are good indicators of water quality but are rarely used in Mexican riverine studies in spite of the high level of contamination in these lotic waters. In this study, we focused on the plankton of the river Amacuzac in Mexico and a large saline waterbody, Lake Tequisquitengo, which is located in the Amacuzac river basin. We collected samples at three sites in the River Amacuzac and one at Lake Tequisquitengo from May 2015 to March–April of 2016. We analysed the physicochemical variables, coliform bacteria, and biological oxygen demand levels. We also quantified phytoplankton and zooplankton. Our results indicate that the study sites are mesotrophic with high densities of diatoms and cyanobacteria. Among the zooplankton, the dominant organisms were rotifers. The constancy of planktonic taxa was high in the lake but low in the river. The Descy index ranged from 2.9 to 4.5 in the river and from 4.0 to 5.0 in the lake. The saprobic index shows that the system is β‐mesosaprobic. The species diversity was higher in the river than in the lake. Our study shows that plankton can efficiently be used to evaluate the water quality in rivers and lakes.     

Rhetoric and reality in the allocation of water to the environment: a case study of the Goulburn River,Victoria, Australia

In the Goulburn River, located in Victoria (Australia), dams and diversions for irrigation have modified streamflows and water temperature, and contributed to environmental degradation that includes declining native fish populations. With the passage of a new Water Act in 1989, the Victorian Government proposed to address environmental and water allocation issues through the development of tradeable water entitlements. Initially, these had a strong environmental focus and were to be allocated within an adaptive management framework that involved monitoring and evaluation to refine the total allowable diversion to sustainable levels. The actual specification of tradeable water entitlements for the Goulburn River, undertaken in 1995, differed substantially from those early proposals. Entitlements were largely based on historical use with limited and ineffective allocation of water to the environment because water temperature was not considered. A water market has been established but market failure is likely to result in an under‐allocation of water to the environment. Access to the market is restricted except to irrigation authorities and water users, and transaction costs and uncertainties in environmental requirements reinforce the status quo in water allocation which is dominated by production values. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Machine-learning modeling of hourly potential thermal refuge area: A case study from the Sainte-Marguerite River (Quebec,Canada)

To understand the temporal and spatial variability of thermal refuges, this study focused on modeling potential thermal refuge area (PTRA) at a sub-daily time-step in two tributary confluences of the Sainte-Marguerite River (Canada) during the summers of 2020 and 2021. Aquatic ectotherm species, such as Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), seek these refuges to avoid heat stress during high summer river temperatures. To investigate the temporal variability of these PTRA, we employed inverse weighted distance interpolation to delineate the hourly area available at both confluences. We then analyzed the impact of the atypical low flow conditions of summer 2021 on the diel cycle of PTRA extremes using the coefficient of variation and the generalized additive model (GAM). Finally, we used four supervised machine-learning regression models and three to five hydrometeorological predictors to estimate hourly PTRA availability: multivariate adaptive splines regression (MARS), GAM, support vector machine regression (SVM), and random forest regression (RF). The results showed that tree-based and kernel-based regression models, RF and SVM, outperformed GAM and MARS. RF had the highest accuracy at both sites, with a relative root mean square error and Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient (Nash) of 13% and 93%, respectively. Our study discovered that under warm conditions in August 2021, small perennial tributary inflows in combination with low mainstem discharge could create high and constant PTRA at confluences, potentially providing vital thermal refuges for cold-water taxa. These refuges may be especially important at the local level, within a specific stretch or section of the river. Given the decreasing availability of thermal refuges for salmonids, it is crucial to monitor stream temperatures at small spatial and temporal scales using data-driven techniques in order to understand stream temperature heterogeneity at tributary confluences.     

Integrated river basin planning and management: a case study of the Zayandehrud River basin,Iran

This study applies the concept of integrated water resources management (IWRM) to a river basin in Iran, and in so doing, proposes a framework for implementing IWRM principles. Issues such as stakeholder participation, sustainability in several subdomains, scenario analysis, dispute resolution, climate change and well-designed models have been considered. Through a river basin simulation model (RIBASIM) and sustainability criteria, stakeholders made decisions for improving the level of sustainability in the basin. The result of decision making for the future was tested under climate change impacts, and the outputs showed serious challenges, so a strategy is proposed for overcoming these impact effects.     

River basin water quality assessment and management: case study of Tha Chin River Basin,Thailand

The water quality improvement plan for the Tha Chin river basin in central Thailand has been studied by using integrated land-use and water quality modelling. There has been little research on water quality planning in this basin due to the complex and intensive data requirements and also due to modelling difficulties. This research attempts to apply the integrated land-use and water quality modelling to the Tha Chin river basin. Loading reduction scenarios were applied to find out the appropriate loading reduction target and hence the improved water quality in the main stream.     

Channel response to sediment replenishment in a large gravel‐bed river: The case of the Saint‐Sauveur dam in the Buëch River (Southern Alps,France)

The Saint‐Sauveur dam was built in 1992 in the middle section of the Buëch River. Downstream of the dam, a channel incision by several meters was observed. A gravel replenishment operation was planned in order to restore the active channel. An equivalent of two times the mean annual bedload‐transport capacity (43,500 m³) was replenished downstream of the dam in September 2016. The aim of this paper is to quantify morphological change associated with sediment remobilization in order to evaluate the efficiency of the restoration works. The monitoring was based on a combination of (a) change detection using sequential high‐resolution digital elevation models (from airborne LiDAR data), (b) bedload tracing using active ultrahigh‐frequency radio‐frequency identification technology, and (c) complementary field surveys of channel grain‐size distribution and morphology for bedload‐transport computation. Field monitoring allows us to capture a net aggradation along a 2‐km reach after the first post‐replenishment flood. A sediment balance analysis was performed to back‐calculate bedload supply coming from the sluicing operation during the flood. Although the sediment replenishment operation clearly had a positive impact on the morphological conditions of the starved river reach, the effective bedload supply from artificial berms (22,650 m³) was insufficient to initiate substantial channel shifting along the restored reach and a subsequent amplification of the sediment recharge. The combination of high‐resolution topographic resurveys and sediment tracing was successful to evaluate the downstream propagation of sediment replenishment effects.     

When the river does not naturally flow: a case study of unsustainable management in the Tagus River (Spain)

ABSTRACT

This article assesses the main problems facing the Spanish Tagus River basin, and the management that has caused (or allowed) them. It examines the economic, social, environmental and political-institutional dimensions of Tagus River management in terms of sustainable development. We find that the institutions responsible for designing and implementing water policy in the Tagus basin have been unsuccessful in balancing the three classic dimensions of sustainability, resulting in systematic and recurrent failure to comply with the European Water Framework Directive and the principles of sustainable development.     

Riparian vegetation and channel change in response to river regulation: a comparative study of regulated and unregulated streams in the Green River Basin,USA

The effects of river damming on geomorphic processes and riparian vegetation were evaluated through field studies along the regulated Green River and the free‐flowing Yampa River in northwestern Colorado, USA. GIS analysis of historical photographs, hydrologic and sediment records, and measurement of channel planform indicate that fluvial processes and riparian vegetation of the two meandering stream reaches examined were similar prior to regulation which began in 1962. Riparian plant species composition and canopy coverage were measured during 1994 in 36, 0.01 ha plots along each the Green River in Browns Park and the Yampa River in Deerlodge Park. Detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) of the vegetation data indicates distinctive vegetation differences between Browns Park and Deerlodge Park. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) indicates that plant community composition is controlled largely by fluvial processes at Deerlodge Park, but that soil chemical rather than flow related factors play a more important role in structuring plant communities in Browns Park. Vegetation patterns reflect a dichotomy in moisture conditions across the floodplain on the Green River in Browns Park: marshes with anaerobic soils supporting wetland species (Salix exigua, Eleocharis palustris, Schoenoplectus pungens, and Juncus nodosus) and terraces having xeric soil conditions and supporting communities dominated by desert species (Seriphidium tridentatum, Sarcobatus vermiculatus, and Sporobolus airoides). In contrast, vegetation along the Yampa River is characterized by a continuum of species distributed along a gradual environmental gradient from the active channel (ruderal species such as Xanthium struminarium and early successional species such as S. exigua, Populus deltoides subsp. wislizenii, and Tamarix ramossissima) to high floodplain surfaces characterized by Populus forests and meadow communities. GIS analyses indicate that the channel form at Browns Park has undergone a complex series of morphologic changes since regulation began, while the channel at Deerlodge Park has remained in a state of relative quasi‐equilibrium with discharge and sediment regimes. The Green River has undergone three stages of channel change which have involved the transformation of the historically deep, meandering Green River to a shallow, braided channel over the 37 years since construction of Flaming Gorge Dam. The probable long‐term effects of channel and hydrologic changes at Browns Park include the eventual replacement of Populus‐dominated riparian forest by drought tolerant desert shrublands, and the enlargement of in‐channel fluvial marshes. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Re-examining conflict and cooperation in Central Asia: a case study from the Isfara River,Ferghana Valley

While conflict and cooperation in Central Asia are mainly focused on the larger basins (Amu and Syr Darya) and the implementation of the agreement reached directly after independence (1991), here an analysis of the history of water-sharing agreements in the Isfara Basin is presented. The paper reveals that there have been fierce negotiations and renegotiations even during the Soviet Union period between the Central Asian riparian republics; agreement was reached mainly though engineering solutions that brought more water to the basin. The paper highlights that although water-sharing agreements were reached early on, the technical capability of implementing these agreements was lacking. Similarly, even after independence, agreements had been reached but lack of water control hindered their implementation.     

Patterns of channel adjustment to impoundment of the upper River Spey,Scotland (1942–2000)

Over the last 30 years, understanding of how river channel morphology adjusts to upstream impoundment has been improved considerably with clearwater erosion close to the dam and aggradation downstream of unregulated tributary confluences being identified. In a UK context our understanding of channel response to impoundment has been based principally on analysis of a number of regulated rivers using a time–space substitution approach but the temporal pattern of channel change was not fully observed. This paper details channel change over almost six decades following impoundment of the River Spey, Scotland, primarily via the use of cartographic and aerial photographic evidence. Channel change initially involved the formation of tributary confluence bars followed by bench development and vegetation colonization and development on the benches and gravel bars. Sixty years after impoundment, the channel is still adjusting its form at distance from the dam to be in quasi‐ equilibrium with its regulated flow regime; indeed adjustment was most rapid between 1989 to 1995. This accelerated adjustment is due to the occurrence of a greater number of large and geomorphologically significant flood events in this period. Sediment supply limitation from unregulated tributaries will have stemmed the rate of narrowing and bench development prior to 1989. This spatial and temporal pattern of adjustment supports, for the most part, the model advocated by Petts (Progress in Physical Geography, 1979, Vol. 3, pp. 329–362). The wider implications of the channel change for river conservation and management are addressed. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

流域综合管理改革的观点分异研究

流域管理面临种种挑战,而流域综合管理成为了当前研究的热点。为了辨识长江流域综合管理改革中可能出现的问题,以水利部、省主管部门、长江水利委员会3个行政层面为研究对象,着眼改革的内容、策略、方向和方案,采用社会学的调查法,收集3个层面的原始信息,以认知率、满意率、认可率等指标衡量和分析层面间的差异。结果表明：在大多数涉及改革的问题上,行政层面间存在明显的观点分异。该研究方法可丰富改革的决策依据,值得深入探讨。     

河流健康评价指标体系构建及其应用——以浑太河流域为例

依据土地利用指数(land use index)、栖息地质量指数(QHEI)和水质参数构建一个综合指数(ILWHQ),用于浑太河流域参照点的定量筛选。结果表明,太子河流域支流小汤河上游、太子河南支的5个采样点为参照点(ILWHQ≤2;T13,T15,T16,T17,T18)。根据2012年浑太河流域68个采样点的鱼类数据,对35个候选参数进行主成分分析、判别能力、逐步回归分析和Pearson相关性分析,确定了鲤科鱼类种类数(F5)、底栖鱼类个体比例(F12)、杂食性鱼类比例(F14)、耐受性鱼类个体比例(F22)可以作为基本要素构建F-IBI指标体系,即采用比值法统一各生物参数量纲,将各个生物参数分值加和得到F-IBI指数值。利用构建的F-IBI指数开展浑太河流域河流健康状况评价。发现太子河流域41个点位中,5个为健康,11个为亚健康,8个为一般,9个为较差,8个为极差。浑河的23个点位中,5个为亚健康,6个点位为一般,6个为较差,6个为极差。太子河流域较差和极差的点位共占41.5%,浑河流域较差和极差点位共占52.2%,说明相比于太子河流域,浑河流域的健康状况较差。     

山区卵砾石河流的阻力：以龙溪河为例

山区卵砾石河流在西部山区广泛分布，其阻力关系是认识水流泥沙输移规律、模拟山洪演进过程的制约因素。通过在四川龙溪河的现场观测，获得了水力学、泥沙、地貌等要素的数据，分析了阻力系数与卵砾石特征粒径、坡降、流量、河床结构强度等参数的关系，检验了已发表的多个山区河流阻力公式的适用性。结果表明，由于山区卵砾石河流存在不同发育程度的河床结构以及卵砾石的部分可动性，阻力系数与山区河流的流量、坡降、河床结构发育程度参数等有密切关系；Rickenmann (1994)及Ferguson (2007)阻力公式在龙溪河具有较好的适用性。本文仅仅是山区河流阻力的初步成果，今后将进一步开展阻力关系的深入研究。     

Monitoring the channel process of a stream restoration project in an urbanizing watershed: a case study of Kelley Creek,Oregon, USA

Pacific Northwest (PNW) streams in the United States were impacted by the 20th century development, when removal of instream structure and channelization degraded an aquatic habitat. The lower Kelley Creek in southeast Portland, USA was channelized during the 1930's Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects. Stream restoration reintroduced pool‐riffle sequences and heterogeneous substrates to protect salmonids while mitigating impacts from flooding. We investigated whether the restored pool‐riffle morphology changed substantially following effective discharge events. We examined channel forms for four reaches representing three time periods—pre‐development (two reference reaches), development and restoration. We conducted thalweg profiles, cross‐sections and pebble counts along the reaches to examine how channel geometry, residual pool dimensions and particle size distribution changed following effective discharge events. The effective discharge flows altered the restoration reach more substantially than the reference reaches. The restoration reach decreased in median particle size, and its cross‐sectional geometry aggraded near its margins. However, the residual pool morphology remained in equilibrium. Richardson Creek's reference reach degraded at the substrate level, while Kelley Creek's reference reach remained in equilibrium. The restoration reach's aggradation may have resulted from sedimentation along the nearby Johnson Creek. In contrast, Richardson Creek's degradation occurred as upstream land use may have augmented flows. Stream channels with low gradient pool‐riffle morphologies are ideal for salmonid spawning and rearing and should be protected and restored within urban corridors. The findings of our study suggest that the connectivity of streams and the dynamic fluvial geomorphology of stream channels should be considered for stream restoration projects in humid temperate climates. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.