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Quantifying the Impact of Cascade Reservoirs on Streamflow, Drought, and Flood in the Jinsha River Basin

Author

Listed:
  • Keyao Zhang

    (Institute of International Rivers and Eco-Security, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China)

  • Xu Yuan

    (Institute of International Rivers and Eco-Security, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China)

  • Ying Lu

    (Institute of International Rivers and Eco-Security, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China
    Yunnan Key Laboratory of International Rivers and Transboundary Eco-Security, Kunming 650091, China)

  • Zipu Guo

    (Institute of International Rivers and Eco-Security, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China)

  • Jiahong Wang

    (Institute of International Rivers and Eco-Security, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China)

  • Hanmin Luo

    (Institute of International Rivers and Eco-Security, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China)

Abstract

The Jinsha River Basin (JRB) is the largest hydropower base in China, serving as the main source of the Western Route of China’s South-to-North Water Diversion Project. Under the influence of the reservoirs operation and climate change, the general hydrological regime in the JRB has been altered. Although the change process can be determined through a runoff time-series analysis and hydrological simulation, the individual impacts of the reservoirs have not been quantified. This study aimed to clarify the impact of the reservoirs in the JRB on the runoff, flood, and drought processes using a framework coupling long short-term memory (LSTM) and flood drought assessment techniques. The results are as follows: (1) From 1998 to 2020, reservoirs in the JRB changed the average daily runoff at Pingshan Station by −5.64%, +10.95%, and −10.93% at the annual and seasonal (dry and rainy) scales, respectively. (2) The operation of dams reduces the risk of flood disasters effectively. Compared with the natural river flow, the flood frequency decreased by 7.69%, and the total flow over the threshold was reduced by 37.86%. (3) The operation of dams has changed the duration and severity of drought, reducing extreme drought and increasing moderate and severe drought. In conclusion, the reservoirs in the JRB have positive effects on water resource regulation, and their mitigation of floods and extreme drought provides security for the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. This study provides a reference for the LSTM modeling of reservoir basins, quantifying the impact of reservoirs on runoff, flood, and drought in the JRB.

Suggested Citation

  • Keyao Zhang & Xu Yuan & Ying Lu & Zipu Guo & Jiahong Wang & Hanmin Luo, 2023. "Quantifying the Impact of Cascade Reservoirs on Streamflow, Drought, and Flood in the Jinsha River Basin," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-17, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:6:p:4989-:d:1094118
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Yuanan Hu & Hefa Cheng, 2013. "The urgency of assessing the greenhouse gas budgets of hydroelectric reservoirs in China," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 3(8), pages 708-712, August.
    2. Meixiu Yu & Xiaolong Liu & Qiongfang Li, 2019. "Impacts of the Three Gorges Reservoir on its immediate downstream hydrological drought regime during 1950–2016," 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. 96(1), pages 413-430, March.
    3. Robert M. Hirsch & Stacey A. Archfield, 2015. "Not higher but more often," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 5(3), pages 198-199, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Shuaijun Yue & Guangxing Ji & Junchang Huang & Mingyue Cheng & Yulong Guo & Weiqiang Chen, 2023. "Quantitative Assessment of the Contribution of Climate and Underlying Surface Change to Multiscale Runoff Variation in the Jinsha River Basin, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-16, August.

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