Roles of dam and climate change in thermal regime alteration of a large river
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15548749 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Zijun Xiao (0000-0003-2757-2095, Tsinghua University), Jian Sun (0009-0002-5679-3823, Tsinghua University, corresponding author), Bing Yuan (0000-0002-5501-5483, Sun Yat-sen University), Binliang Lin (0000-0001-8622-5822, Tsinghua University), Xiaofeng Zhang (0000-0003-2738-3286, Wuhan University) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue | 9 |
| Pages | 094016-094016 |
| Publication date | 2022-08-15 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Environmental Research Letters (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1748-9326 • E-ISSN: 1748-9326 |
| Publisher | IOP Publishing (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1088/1748-9326/ac899f |
| OpenAlex | W4291914994 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 35 |
Water temperature in the Yangtze River mainstream has been experiencing significant changes due to the climate change and the operation of a series of world-class large dams, i.e. the Three Gorges Dam (TGD) and upstream cascade dams (CDs). However, quantitative effects of these factors are not fully known, which hinders our understanding on the thermal regime alterations and further prediction in ecosystem response. Here, we will simulate the riverine water temperature (RWT) variations by building a physics-based model, and quantify the respective impacts from TGD, CDs and climate change through a model-based framework. In the framework, both the dam-regulated hydro-thermodynamic processes and the spatial heterogeneity of the meteorological condition in this large river-reservoir system are thoroughly considered. The results show a fluvial warming of 0.31 °C–0.56 °C/10a in recent three decades, mainly attributed to climate change (44%–80% for different reaches). The dam has caused a substantial seasonal thermal lag, e.g. ∼40 d near the TGD in the dry season, and accompanying severe alterations in the monthly RWT. A reduction of 10% in seasonal RWT range is identified, which is attributed to both dam and climate change
Climate change · Climatology · Ecosystem · Fluvial · Geomorphology · Hydrology (agriculture · Lag · Structural basin · Three gorges · Environmental Science · Fish Ecology and Management Studies · Hydrology and Sediment Transport Processes · Hydrology and Watershed Management Studies · Ecology · Geology
Mapping the world’s free-flowing rivers
The impacts of climate change on water resources and agriculture in China
Quantifying the impact of the Three Gorges Dam on the thermal dynamics of the Yangtze River
Impact of the Dam Construction on the Downstream Thermal Conditions of the Yangtze River
Global river discharge and water temperature under climate change
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |