Quantifying the Effects of Near-Bed Concentration on the Sediment Flux after the Operation of the Three Gorges Dam, Yangtze River
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Area and Data
2.2. Equations to Estimate the Effects of Near-Bed Concentration on Sediment Flux
3. Results
3.1. Distinct Non-Uniform Vertical Distribution
3.1.1. Comparing with Vertical-Averaged Concentration
3.1.2. Comparing with Near-Bed Point
3.2. Effects on Sediment Flux
3.2.1. Vertical Sediment Flux
3.2.2. Sectional Sediment Flux
4. Discussion
4.1. Comparing with Data Measured Before Dam Operation
4.1.1. Vertical Profiles of SSC
4.1.2. Sediment Flux
4.2. Contribution of Large Floods
4.3. Connection with Dongting Lake
4.4. Uncertainties
5. Conclusions
- (1)
- In sub-saturated channels, vertical distribution of suspended sediment concentration (SSC) is characterized by a remarkably large concentration in the near-bed zone (within 10% of water depth from the river-bed). The maximum measured concentration may be up to 15 times of vertical average concentration, while the ratio in quasi-equilibrium channels is less than four.
- (2)
- Concentrations normalized with reference concentration at the same height may decrease with increasing values of suspension index (ω/u*). Additionally, concentration near water surface may be larger than concentration in near-bed region when suspension index is smaller than 0.01.
- (3)
- After the dam operation, ignoring the near-bed concentration may cause up to 35% deviation when applied to estimate the sediment flux in the unsaturated flows. Deviations may increase with increasing discharge in flood season, while the maximum value may occur in non-flood season. Deviations in quasi-equilibrium channel may not increase with increasing discharge in flood season, while the maximum value may also occur in non-flood season. Deviations may increase with increasing particle size and suspension index.
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Stations | Measured Year | Groups |
---|---|---|
Zhicheng | 1996, 1998, 2002 | 55 |
Shashi | 1996, 1998, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 | 130 |
Jianli | 1986, 1998, 2002, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 | 180 |
Stations | Type I | Type II | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Flood Season | Non-Flood Season | Flood Season | Non-Flood Season | |||||||||
Amount of Group | Range of (ω/u*) | D50 (mm) | Amount of Group | Range of (ω/u*) | D50 (mm) | Amount of Group | Range of (ω/u*) | D50 (mm) | Amount of Group | Range of (ω/u*) | D50 (mm) | |
Shashi | 33 | 0.16–95.38 | 0.01 | 17 | 2.09–108.89 | 0.06 | 20 | 0.16–1.37 | 0.03 | 25 | 1.84–95.67 | 0.07 |
Jianli | 47 | 0.14–76.15 | 0.06 | 29 | 2.38–61.64 | 0.10 | 10 | 0.13–32.58 | 0.06 | 19 | 1.38–63.92 | 0.10 |
Stations | Type I | Type II | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Flood Season | Non-Flood Season | Flood Season | Non-Flood Season | |
Shashi | 15.67 | 21.28 | 12.51 | 14.10 |
Jianli | 19.57 | 27.70 | 16.94 | 19.61 |
Stations | Total | Flood Season | Non-Flood Season |
---|---|---|---|
Shashi | 10.21 | 14.88 | 4.36 |
Jianli | 17.56 | 13.10 | 24.24 |
Stations | Flood Season | Non-Flood Season | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Amount of Group | Range of (ω/u*) | Amount of Group | Range of (ω/u*) | |
Shashi | 27 | 0.08–0.46 | 9 | 0.23–1.34 |
Jianli | 53 | 0.02–0.78 | 22 | 0.05–12.12 |
Stations | Total | Flood Season | Non-Flood Season |
---|---|---|---|
Zhicheng | 23.50 | 21.04 | 25.86 |
Shashi | 7.43 | 8.81 | 6.04 |
Jianli | 32.95 | 17.96 | 45.93 |
Stations | Flood Volumes 109 m3 | Maximum Peak Flow Discharge | Maximum Flood Stage | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
In 30 Days | In 60 Days | Discharge (m3/s) | Date | Stage (m) | Date | |
Yichang | 137.9 | 254.5 | 63,600 | 16/8 | 54.49 | 16/8 |
Shashi | – | – | 53,700 | 17/8 | 45.22 | 17/8 |
Jianli | – | – | 45,200 | 17/8 | 38.31 | 17/8 |
Luoshan | – | – | 68,600 | 27/7 | 34.95 | 20/8 |
Hankou | 175.4 | 336.5 | 72,300 | 19/8–20/8 | 29.43 | 20/8 |
Jiujiang | – | – | – | – | 23.03 | 2/8 |
Datong | 202.7 | 395.1 | 82,300 | – | 16.32 | 2/8 |
Nanjing | – | – | – | – | 10.14 | 29/7 |
Measuring | Instruments or Methods | Criteria or Error |
---|---|---|
Positioning of instrument | Total station Digital Level | Positioning error: ±0.3 m (vertical), ±1.5 m (vertical lines) |
Vertical lines for measuring velocity | RTK–GNSS (antenna and receiver) | Position errors of antenna: 0.5° RMS (orientation) and 0.5–3 m RMS (position). Position errors of receiver: ±10 mm + 1 ppm (horizontal), ±20 mm + 1 ppm (vertical), where ppm means additional error per km of baseline. |
Velocity | Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCP) | The deviation between each measured discharge and the averaged discharge should be less than ±5%, otherwise, data should be re-measured. |
Water depth | ADCP | Verified with fish lead. Frequency: 600 KHz Sounding range: 0.7–75 m Velocity measurement: ±20 m/s Resolution: 0.1 cm/s |
Sampling Suspended sediment | Bottom-touched automatic-closing sampler | The dropping speed of the sampler is reduced when approaching the riverbed. The sampler may close automatically when it is brought into contact with the riverbed. |
Suspended sediment gradation | Sieving method | Field (2 mm, 5 mm, 10 mm, 25 mm, 50 mm, 75 mm, 100 mm, 150 mm, 200 mm, 250 mm, and 300 mm) Lab (0.002 mm, 0.004 mm, 0.008 mm, 0.016 mm, 0.032 mm, 0.062 mm, 0.125 mm, 0.25 mm, 0.5 mm, 1.0 mm, and 2.0 mm) |
Near-bed concentration | Double-checked after sampling and grain-size analysis | The measured concentration is reliable when the vertical profiles of concentration of particles with d50 < 0.062 mm has no changing point in near-bed region. Otherwise, related measurements should be omitted. |
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He, L. Quantifying the Effects of Near-Bed Concentration on the Sediment Flux after the Operation of the Three Gorges Dam, Yangtze River. Water 2017, 9, 986. https://doi.org/10.3390/w9120986
He L. Quantifying the Effects of Near-Bed Concentration on the Sediment Flux after the Operation of the Three Gorges Dam, Yangtze River. Water. 2017; 9(12):986. https://doi.org/10.3390/w9120986
Chicago/Turabian StyleHe, Li. 2017. "Quantifying the Effects of Near-Bed Concentration on the Sediment Flux after the Operation of the Three Gorges Dam, Yangtze River" Water 9, no. 12: 986. https://doi.org/10.3390/w9120986
APA StyleHe, L. (2017). Quantifying the Effects of Near-Bed Concentration on the Sediment Flux after the Operation of the Three Gorges Dam, Yangtze River. Water, 9(12), 986. https://doi.org/10.3390/w9120986