Reservoir sedimentation profoundly impacts riverbed dynamics and engineering applications, posing a dual challenge by compromising riverbed evolution and critical water storage infrastructure. The escalating loss of reservoir capacity due to sediment accumulation imperils lives, properties, and global water sustainability, undermining the reservoir’s safety role. Using the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) as a case study, we analyze extensive hydrological data from Cuntan, Qingxichang, Wanxian, and Miaohe stations (2002–2020). Our findings reveal: (1) Pre-impoundment, Qingxichang and Wanxian exhibit high sediment carrying capacities, which reduce noticeably during early impoundment. Subsequently, with the changes of pre-dam water levels, an overall decreasing trend of sediment-carrying capacity is observed, characterized by annual fluctuations, while Miaohe consistently maintains a lower level due to its proximity. (2) Wanxian experiences significant sediment carrying capacity reduction during constant water level periods of various operational stage, with up to 99.4% decrease post-impoundment. (3) Sediment carrying capacity varies annually primarily due to changes of reservoir pre-dam water levels, and secondarily, owing to incoming water and sediment fluctuations. Increased influx raises sediment carrying capacity, while reduced influx decreases it. Morphological cross-section configuration emerges as a dominant factor in sediment carrying capacity, outweighing dam proximity. Wide, shallow sections have lower capacity than narrow, deep ones. For narrow, deep sections, dam proximity’s influence exceeds cross-sectional morphology.


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    Title :

    Spatio-temporal Distribution Patterns of Sediment Carrying Capacity in the Three Gorges Reservoir


    Additional title:

    Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering


    Contributors:
    Wang, Weiqiang (editor) / Wang, Chengzhi (editor) / Lu, Yang (editor) / Feng, Le (author) / Jin, Zhongwu (author) / Xu, Quanxi (author) / Liu, Ya (author) / Liu, Yujiao (author)


    Publication date :

    2024-11-08


    Size :

    12 pages





    Type of media :

    Article/Chapter (Book)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English







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