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Geomorphometric Assessment of the Impacts of Dam Construction on River Disconnectivity and Flow Regulation in the Yangtze Basin

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  • Xiankun Yang

    (School of Geographical Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
    Rural Non-Point Source Pollution Comprehensive Management Technology Center of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China)

  • Xixi Lu

    (Geography Department, National University of Singapore, 1 Arts Link, Kent Ridge, Singapore 117570, Singapore)

  • Lishan Ran

    (Department of Geography, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China)

  • Paolo Tarolli

    (Department of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry, University of Padova, Agripolis, viale dell’Università 16, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy)

Abstract

Rivers are under increasing pressure from anthropogenic impacts with incremental dam construction, experiencing global and regional alteration due to river disconnectivity, flow regulation, and sediment reduction. Assessing the cumulative impacts of dams on river disconnectivity in large river basins can help us better understand how humans disintegrate river systems and change the natural flow regimes. Using the Yangtze basin as the study area, this study employed three modified metrics (river connectivity index, RCI; basin disconnectivity index, BDI; and the degree of regulation for each river section, DOR) to evaluate the cumulative impacts on river disconnectivity over the past 50 years. The results indicated that the Yangtze had experienced strong alterations, despite varying degrees and spatial patterns. Among the major tributaries, the greatest impact (lowest RCI value) happened in the Wu tributary basin due to the construction of cascade dams on the main stem of the tributary, while the lowest impact (highest RCI value) happened in the Fu tributary basin, which still has no dams on its main stem. Collectively, rivers in the upper Yangtze reaches experienced more serious disturbances than their counterparts in the middle and lower reaches. The BDI results displayed that a substantial part of the Yangtze River, especially the Wu, Min, Jialing, and Yuan tributaries, only maintain connectivity among one to three representative river systems. No part of the Yangtze connects all the 12 representative river systems. This study also revealed that small dams can also exert significant impacts in flow regulation on regional river systems through their sheer number and density. The study results can help promote more environmentally sustainable river management policies in the Yangtze basin.

Suggested Citation

  • Xiankun Yang & Xixi Lu & Lishan Ran & Paolo Tarolli, 2019. "Geomorphometric Assessment of the Impacts of Dam Construction on River Disconnectivity and Flow Regulation in the Yangtze Basin," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-21, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:12:p:3427-:d:241960
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Huang, Hailun & Yan, Zheng, 2009. "Present situation and future prospect of hydropower in China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 13(6-7), pages 1652-1656, August.
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    1. Hossein Safaei & Mohadeseh Ghanbari Motlagh & Mahmoudreza Khorshidian & Saeed Malmasi, 2022. "Introducing a process to select the appropriate dam compensation option based on ecosystem services," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(11), pages 13011-13034, November.
    2. Yongfei Fu & Yuyu Liu & Shiguo Xu & Zhenghe Xu, 2022. "Assessment of a Multifunctional River Using Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation Model in Xiaoqing River, Eastern China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-18, September.
    3. Xiaowen Ding & Ping Fang, 2019. "Accident Trend Prediction of Heavy Metal Pollution in the Heshangshan Drinking Water Source Area Based on Integrating a Two-Dimensional Water Quality Model and GIS," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(15), pages 1-20, July.
    4. Raveen Fatima & Salman Atif & Monique Fort & Muhammad Azmat, 2025. "Channel morphology of the Indus, and the growing risk of floods related damages in the Indus River basin," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 121(13), pages 15789-15821, July.

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