Evolution process and mechanism of mid-channel bars composed of different bed materials in the Upper Jingjiang Reach after the Three Gorges Project operation

Abstract

三峡及上游梯级水库群运用后,大坝下游江心洲以冲刷为主,直接影响分汊河段河势条件及航道边界的稳定性。本文采用卫星遥感影像、实测水沙及固定断面床沙级配等资料,分析上荆江枝江、沙市河段中不同河床组成江心洲的演变过程及其机理。结果表明:①三峡水库蓄水后(2003-2019年),沙市段沙质江心洲较枝江段卵石夹沙质江心洲萎缩更为显著,出露面积的减幅分别达31%和24%。②以关洲和金城洲分别代表卵石夹沙质和沙质江心洲,三峡工程运用后关洲洲头形态较为稳定,受无序采砂的影响其沙质组成的洲尾面积显著减小,而金城洲面积萎缩程度更大。③床沙组成对江心洲冲刷程度差异具有重要影响,关洲洲头较金城洲抗冲性更强,与其床沙在年内达到起动条件的数量更少、时长更短有关;建立了江心洲面积与水流冲刷强度及相对水深的定量关系,该关系能综合考虑水沙变化与床沙组成调整的影响,能更好地反演近期江心洲的面积变化特点。;After the operation of the Three Gorges cascade reservoirs (TGP), the mid-channel bars (MCBs) downstream of the dam were generally scoured and shrank, which directly affects the river regime in ana-branching reaches and the stability of the navigation channel boundaries. The morphological evolution processes and mechanisms of MCBs in the Zhijiang (ZJ) and Shashi (SS) sub-reaches of the Upper Jingjiang Reach were analyzed, using the remote sensing images, the hydrological data and the measured riverbed compositions. The results indicate that: (i) During the post-TGP period (2003-2019), the sandy MCBs in the SS subreach shrank more significantly than the one in the ZJ subreach. The total exposed area of the former decreased by 31%, while the latter decreased by 24%; (ii) Guanzhou (GZ) and Jinchengzhou (JCZ) were taken as the representative sandy-gravel and sandy MCBs, respectively. During the post-TGP period, the head zone of the GZ MCB was relatively stable, and the reduced area was mainly in the bar-tail zone due to the illegal sand mining, while the JCZ MCB had a more obvious erosion trend; (iii) The bed-material composition had an important influence on the erosion degree of MCBs. The GZ MCB had a stronger anti-erosion capacity than the JCZ MCB, which was related to the less amount and duration of bed material that can reach the incipient condition in a hydrological year. Moreover, different empirical relationships were developed between the exposed area of MCB, fluvial scour intensity, and relative water depth. It is found that comprehensive consideration of the effects of flow-sediment condition and bed-material composition adjustment can better explain the recent variations in the exposed areas of MCBs.