Ecological Water Requirement in Upper and Middle Reaches of the Yellow River Based on Flow Components and Hydraulic Index.

Shibao Lu,Farhad Taghizadeh-Hesary,Hongbo Zhang,Yangang Xue,Muhammad Faisal,Wei Shao,Wenting Cai

doi:10.3390/ijerph182010956

Abstract

Deterioration of the ecological environment in the upper and middle reaches of the Yellow River in China substantially impacts the growth and development of aquatic organisms in the drainage basin. This paper builds a conceptual model by applying flow components and fish ecological requirements relation with a relevant object of main fish in the upper and middle reaches of the Yellow River. The paper utilized the flow restoration method by employing the River2D model (two-dimensional model of river hydrodynamics and fish habitat), and a one-dimensional hydrodynamics HEC-RAS (hydrologic engineering center’s-river analysis system). The calculation result showed that the runoff condition required for Silurus lanzhouensis survival is that the monthly lowest flow in a year is 150 m3·s−1, and the lowest flow for suitable flow from April to October is 150 m3·s−1, and 300 m3·s−1 from November to March. The research result is closer to the actual condition and has more outstanding operability. Meanwhile, the results proposed the coupling method of ecological water requirement for the mainstream of the Yellow River. Moreover, the results portrayed the ecological flow process according to the upper envelope of minimum and maximum ecological water requirements of each fracture surface. It is regarded that the ecological flow process is deemed as the initial value of the reservoir regulation model.

Highlights

IntroductionWith the rapid development of industrial civilization, humans significantly impact, occupy, and control water resources on a specific spatial and temporal scale
Four fracture surfaces are selected in the lower reaches of the Yellow River to describe the hydraulic characteristics of the Yellow River’s lower reaches
When managing the ecosystem in the lower reaches of the Yellow River, the intervention and the adjustment of the discharge model must be implemented according to the needs of the different plants at the different life stages

Summary

Introduction

With the rapid development of industrial civilization, humans significantly impact, occupy, and control water resources on a specific spatial and temporal scale. Water resources gradually lose their ecological functions and lead to severe ecological environmental problems [1,2,3,4,5]. The water resource should be detected and regulated scientifically as the ecological system needs to be protected and restored, i.e., the ecological research of the river flow should be foremost conducted. The river flow here refers to the water volume, which is the central part of the ecological structure integrity and biological diversity [6,7,8,9,10]

Objectives

Results

Discussion

Conclusion