Impact of the Xiaolangdi Reservoir Operation on Water–Sediment Transport and Aquatic Organisms in the Lower Yellow River During Flood Events

Xueqin Zhang, Min Zhang (), Chunjin Zhang, Zanying Sun and Binhua Zhao
Additional contact information
Xueqin Zhang: Key Laboratory of Water Cycle and Related Land Surface Processes, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Min Zhang: Yellow River Institute of Hydraulic Research, Yellow River Conservancy Commission, Zhengzhou 450003, China
Chunjin Zhang: Yellow River Institute of Hydraulic Research, Yellow River Conservancy Commission, Zhengzhou 450003, China
Zanying Sun: Yellow River Institute of Hydraulic Research, Yellow River Conservancy Commission, Zhengzhou 450003, China
Binhua Zhao: State Key Laboratory of Water Engineering Ecology and Environment in Arid Area, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an 710048, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 18, 1-27

Abstract: The operation of reservoirs has prompted rivers to transition from natural ecosystems to “natural–artificial” composite ecosystems, which has not only altered the water–sediment processes but has also affected river ecology in the downstream river channels. To reveal the impact of the Xiaolangdi Reservoir (China) on sediment transport and aquatic organisms in the Lower Yellow River (LYR), this article analyzes the changes in the water–sediment processes and sediment transport characteristics prior to and following the reservoir construction, based on measured water–sediment data of 688 floods from 1960 to 2023. It derives a theoretical formulation for the sediment delivery ratio (SDR) of flood events based on the sediment transport rate equation and evaluates the living environment of aquatic organisms in the LYR. The results indicate that after the construction of Xiaolangdi Reservoir, the frequency of floods with an average flow discharge below 1000 m 3 /s increased from 26.08% to 37.42%, and the frequency of floods with an average sediment concentration below 20 kg/m 3 increased from 46.34% to 89.03%. The SDR of flood events significantly correlates positively with the average flow discharge and the water load variation coefficient. Conversely, it negatively correlates with the average sediment concentration and the incoming sediment coefficient. The sediment transport capacity of various river reaches in the LYR gradually increases along the direction of the river channel. The use of Xiaolangdi Reservoir has enhanced sediment transport in the upper LYR reach while decreasing it in the lower reach, aligning the overall sediment transport capacity of the downstream river channel. Additionally, the water–sediment process of the flood events following the completion of the Xiaolangdi Reservoir construction has improved the living environment for aquatic organisms, which is conducive to restoring biodiversity and improving the ecological environment of the river. The research results have enriched the understanding of the impact of reservoir construction on downstream water–sediment transport and aquatic organisms in sandy rivers, providing technical support for the health and sustainable development of rivers.

Keywords: sediment transport; aquatic organisms; reservoir operation; sediment delivery ratio; the Lower Yellow River; river sustainability (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/2071-1050/17/18/8136/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/18/8136/ (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:18:p:8136-:d:1746255

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 ().