Abstract
Abstract With the operation of six cascade reservoirs, the flow regime and sediment discharge of the Lancang River have changed greatly. The changes of runoff and suspended load have attracted extensive attention. The hydrological data of Gajiu and Yunjinghong stations in Lancang River from 1964 to 2019 were analyzed by using wavelet analysis, double mass curve and abrupt change analysis. The temporal trends in runoff and suspended load were evaluated. Results revealed that the reduction of suspended load was much more profound than the change of runoff. There was a slight downward trend in annual runoff due to climate change. After the completion of Xiaowan and Nuozhadu reservoirs, the proportion of runoff in flood season decreased by 22.64 and 30.75%, respectively. Wavelet analysis was used to reveal the characteristics of runoff evolution. With the operation of reservoirs, suspended load showed abrupt changes in 1993 and 2008. The amount of suspended load during 2009–2019 decreased by 95.47–98.78% compared with that before the reservoir construction. This paper presents the latest quantitative study on the temporal variation of runoff and suspended load since the completion of Xiaowan and Nuozhadu reservoirs, which is of great importance for guiding the operation of reservoirs and maximizing the value of the whole Lancang-Mekong River basin.
Highlights
Being the largest river in Southeast Asia, the changes of runoff and suspended load in the Lancang-Mekong River have attracted great attention as it is endowed with abundant hydraulic resources (He et al 2005, 2006)
The aim of this paper is to provide an up-to-date quantitative analysis of temporal changes in runoff and suspended load in the Lancang River after the operation of Xiaowan and Nuozhadu reservoirs
As precipitation is dominated by climate change, it can be deduced that the variation of runoff is mainly affected by climate change
Summary
Being the largest river in Southeast Asia, the changes of runoff and suspended load in the Lancang-Mekong River have attracted great attention as it is endowed with abundant hydraulic resources (He et al 2005, 2006). Due to energy demand and economic growth, extensive hydropower development has been imposed on the river basin, resulting in great changes of streamflow and suspended load (Farrokhi et al 2020, 2021; Anaraki et al 2021; Farzin & Anaraki 2021). The changes in hydrological regime and sediment discharge of the Lancang River have become the focus of relevant research (Zhao et al 2013). The impacts of climatic change and reservoir operation are the most studied and the most influential (Keskinen et al 2010). Other factors such as land use change and soil erosion are investigated (Liu et al 2013a, 2013b)
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