Spatial Heterogeneity and Temporal Variation of Water Levels in Dongting Lake

Shuai Yuan, Changbo Jiang (), Yuan Ma and Shanshan Li
Additional contact information
Shuai Yuan: School of Hydraulic and Ocean Engineering, Changsha University of Science & Technology, Changsha 410114, China
Changbo Jiang: Key Laboratory of Dongting Lake Aquatic Eco-Environmental Control and Restoration of Hunan Province, Changsha 410114, China
Yuan Ma: Henan Water Conservancy Migration Affairs Center, Zhengzhou 450000, China
Shanshan Li: College of Civil Engineering, Hunan City University, Yiyang 413002, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 17, 1-29

Abstract: To quantify the spatiotemporal patterns of the water-level variations in the study area, we conducted cluster analysis of the temporally varying measurements across multiple hydrological stations. The temporal trends and change points were analyzed, followed by IHA-RVA quantification of the water-level alterations before and after change points. Cluster analysis demonstrated the following. (1) Hydrological stations segregate into two distinct groups at the Euclidean distance threshold d = 5, and into three clusters at d = 4, confirming the pronounced west–east heterogeneity in the lake. (2) The hydrological alteration degrees exhibit considerable variation across the lake’s sub-lakes (Qili, Muping, South Dongting, East Dongting), with marked heterogeneity persisting even among representative monitoring stations within individual sub-lakes. The water-level regimes in Qili Lake can be partitioned into two distinct periods, before and after the change point, exhibiting the highest hydrological alteration degree across the lake. Representative stations of the other sub-lakes fall into three periods. During the first phase of hydrological alteration, Zhouwenmiao, Jinshi, and Chenglingji exhibit moderate alteration. Throughout the second alteration phase, all the representative stations consistently exhibit moderate alteration, although significant heterogeneity emerges across hydrological indicators among the sub-lakes. (3) Downstream of Yangliutan station, the longitudinal profile exhibits terraced morphology, segmented into three distinct levels by two hydraulic knickpoints. This geomorphic configuration primarily controls both the localized stage reductions and the maintenance of elevated upstream water levels during dry seasons. Confronting the persistent dry-season stage declines at Yingtian Station, enhanced monitoring and conservation of terraced transition zones in South Dongting Lake must be prioritized, with implementation of the zoned control principle for water-level governance and lake management. This study establishes a scientific foundation for the protection and governance of Dongting Lake, thereby advancing sustainable utilization of its water resources.

Keywords: cluster analysis; IHA-RVA; hydrological regime; field-measured; ecological responses; zoned management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/17/8080/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/17/8080/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:17:p:8080-:d:1744786

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().