The large river-lake system in the middle and lower Yangtze River, the Asian largest river, has rich biodiversity and provides vital ecological services for hundreds of millions of people there. But, the long-term dynamic balance of this ecosystem has been broken by the Three Gorges Dam constructed at Yichang at the beginning of 2000. The impacts of the dam’s operation attracted great attention and are subjected to numerous investigations. It is clear from these studies that the dam’s operation has significantly altered flows, sediments, nutrients and heat energy to downstream. However, it remains the question on how and to what extent the Three Gorges Dam will change the ecology of the downstream rivers and lakes.
After nearly 20 years of operation, various ecological and environmental consequences on the downstream river-lake system have begun to emerge. It's time to review the hydrological, geomorphological and ecological changes that have taken place, predict future trends and clarify the dam’s impact. This Research Topic is to address the ongoing and profound impacts of the dam on the downstream large river-lake system by integrating the latest multidisciplinary advances based on high-quality data and advanced methods. It also can provide new sights on how a complex river-lake ecosystem responds to the flow and sediment modifications caused by the gigantic dam.
This Research Topic seeks both Original Research and Review articles focusing on the impacts of the Three Gorges Dam on the river-lake system in the middle and lower Yangtze River. It covers a wide range of investigations for understanding how, where and when the dam’s operation affects flow regimes, sediment budget, channel erosions, water quality and temperature, river and floodplain lake ecosystems, etc.
The large river-lake system in the middle and lower Yangtze River, the Asian largest river, has rich biodiversity and provides vital ecological services for hundreds of millions of people there. But, the long-term dynamic balance of this ecosystem has been broken by the Three Gorges Dam constructed at Yichang at the beginning of 2000. The impacts of the dam’s operation attracted great attention and are subjected to numerous investigations. It is clear from these studies that the dam’s operation has significantly altered flows, sediments, nutrients and heat energy to downstream. However, it remains the question on how and to what extent the Three Gorges Dam will change the ecology of the downstream rivers and lakes.
After nearly 20 years of operation, various ecological and environmental consequences on the downstream river-lake system have begun to emerge. It's time to review the hydrological, geomorphological and ecological changes that have taken place, predict future trends and clarify the dam’s impact. This Research Topic is to address the ongoing and profound impacts of the dam on the downstream large river-lake system by integrating the latest multidisciplinary advances based on high-quality data and advanced methods. It also can provide new sights on how a complex river-lake ecosystem responds to the flow and sediment modifications caused by the gigantic dam.
This Research Topic seeks both Original Research and Review articles focusing on the impacts of the Three Gorges Dam on the river-lake system in the middle and lower Yangtze River. It covers a wide range of investigations for understanding how, where and when the dam’s operation affects flow regimes, sediment budget, channel erosions, water quality and temperature, river and floodplain lake ecosystems, etc.
