Precipitation Changes in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area and the Relationship with Water Level Change

Abstract

As the largest hydroelectric project worldwide, previous studies indicate that the Three Gorges Dam (TGD) affects the local climate because of the changes of hydrological cycle caused by the impounding and draining of the TGD. However, previous studies do not analyze the long-term precipitation changes before and after the impoundment, and the variation characteristics of local precipitation remain elusive. In this study, we use precipitation anomaly data derived from the CN05.1 precipitation dataset between 1988 and 2017 to trace the changes of precipitation before and after the construction of the TGD (i.e., 1988–2002 and 2003–2017), in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area (TGRA). Results showed that the annual and dry season precipitation anomaly in the TGRA presented an increasing trend, and the precipitation anomaly showed a slight decrease during the flood season. After the impoundment of TGD, the precipitation concentration degree in the TGRA decreased, indicating that the precipitation became increasingly uniform, and the precipitation concentration period insignificantly increased. A resonance phenomenon between the monthly average water level and precipitation anomaly occurred in the TGRA after 2011 and showed a positive correlation. Our findings revealed the change of local precipitation characteristics before and after the impoundment of TGD and showed strong evidence that this change had a close relationship with the water level.

A Model of Evapotranspirative Irrigation to Manage the Various Water Levels in the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) and Its Effect on Crop and Water Productivities

“…The biggest challenge in implementing the evapotranspirative irrigation was high rain intensity during one growing season. In hydrology, rainfall is always correlated to the water level as many models have been developed [33,34]; thus, rainfall becomes the most important factor in predicting water level under natural conditions. RMSE values of the CFI regime showed the lowest level, indicating that the CFI plot was the best in controlling water level (Table 2).…”

Association Between Hydrological Conditions and Dengue Fever Incidence in Coastal Southeastern China From 2013 to 2019

“…26 This data set was developed via interpolating data from over 2400 weather stations, with its high-quality performance validated. 27 , 28 The monthly meteorological data for each city was aggregated by computing the mean (temperature) or sum (precipitation) of the grids within the city boundary. The Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) was selected to measure the local hydrological conditions (eMethods in Supplement 1 ).…”

“…For the accuracy and robustness of hydrological indices, we collected the monthly mean, maximum, and minimum temperatures and precipitation during an extended period (1961-2019) from the National Climate Center of China Meteorological Administration at a spatial resolution of 0.25° × 0.25° . This data set was developed via interpolating data from over 2400 weather stations, with its high-quality performance validated . The monthly meteorological data for each city was aggregated by computing the mean (temperature) or sum (precipitation) of the grids within the city boundary.…”

Applying Reconstructed Daily Water Storage and Modified Wetness Index to Flood Monitoring: A Case Study in the Yangtze River Basin

“…Other geophysical signals contained in the GNSS vertical displacements which are not entirely removed or possible common mode errors may contribute to this phenomenon [40,48]. Additionally, the Three Gorges Reservoir usually begins to store water at the end of September, and the water level reaches 175 m at the end of October each year [49]. HBJM station is located near the Three Gorges reservoir area, and its vertical displacement is affected by the water impounding in the Three Gorges reservoir.…”