Predicting the Hydrological Impacts of the Poyang Lake Project Using an EFDC Model

Abstract

AbstractDams have great hydrological impacts on the river system. Poyang Lake, the largest freshwater lake in China, has experienced severe drought over the past decade since the operation of the Three Georges Dam. The Jiangxi Province Government proposed to build a 2.8-km-wide dam with sluice gates across the narrowest part of the channel that links Poyang Lake and Yangtze River, called the Poyang Lake Project (PLP), to solve the problem of drought. The proposal caused concerns about the negative effect of increased water level on wintering birds’ habitat and water quality. But so far, little scientific data have been provided to evaluate the hydrological impacts of the PLP. The aim of this study is to investigate the hydrological impacts of the PLP using a two-dimensional Environmental Fluid Dynamics Code (EFDC) model based on the latest regulation scheme, which will be helpful to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the building of PLP. The model was calibrated and verified by comparing model p...