Analysis of Environmental Factors of Geomorphology, Hydrology, Water Quality and Shoreline Soil in Reservoirs of Korea.

Abstract

In order to understand shoreline environment characteristics of Korean reservoirs, the interrelationships between environmental factors of geomorphology, hydrology, water quality and shoreline soil were analyzed, and the reservoir types were classified according to their environmental characteristics in the 35 reservoirs selected by considering the purpose of dam operations and annual water-level fluctuations. Geomorphological and hydrological characteristics of reservoirs were correlated with the altitude and the size scale of reservoirs. The annual range of water level fluctuation showed a wide variation from 1 m to 27 m in the various reservoirs in Korea. The levels of eutrophication of most reservoirs were mesotrophic or eutrophic. From the result of the soil texture analysis, sand contents were high in reservoir shorelines. Range, frequency and duration of water-level fluctuation were distinctive from the primary function of reservoirs. Flood control reservoirs had a wide range with low frequency and waterpower generation reservoirs had a narrow range with high frequency in the water-level fluctuation. According to the result of CART (classification and regression tree) analysis, the water quality of reservoirs was classified by water depth, range of water-level fluctuation and altitude. The result of PCA (principal component analysis) showed that the type of reservoirs was classified by reservoir size, water-level fluctuation, water quality, soil texture and soil organic matter. In conclusion, reservoir size, the water-level fluctuation, water quality and soil characteristics might be major factors in the environment of reservoir shorelines in Korea.