Water Residence Time in a Typical Tributary Bay of the Three Gorges Reservoir
Tributary bays of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) are suffering from environmental problems, e.g., eutrophication and algae bloom, which could be related to the limited water exchange capacity of the tributary bays. To understand and quantify the water exchange capacity of a tributary bay, this stu...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2019-07-01
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| Series: | Water |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/11/8/1585 |
| _version_ | 1811287878933676032 |
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| author | Yao Cheng Zheng Mu Haiyan Wang Fengxia Zhao Yu Li Lei Lin |
| author_facet | Yao Cheng Zheng Mu Haiyan Wang Fengxia Zhao Yu Li Lei Lin |
| author_sort | Yao Cheng |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Tributary bays of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) are suffering from environmental problems, e.g., eutrophication and algae bloom, which could be related to the limited water exchange capacity of the tributary bays. To understand and quantify the water exchange capacity of a tributary bay, this study investigated the water residence time (RT) in a typical tributary bay of TGR, i.e., the Zhuyi Bay (ZB), using numerical simulation and the adjoint method to obtain the RT. The results show that RT of ZB with an annual mean of 16.7 days increases from the bay mouth to the bay top where the maximum can reach 50 days. There is a significant seasonal variation in RT, with higher RT (average 20 days) in spring and autumn and lower RT (average < 5 days) in the summer. The sensitivity experiments show that the TGR water level regulation has a strong influence on RT. The increase in the water level could increase RT of ZB to some extent. Density currents induced by the temperature difference between the mainstream and tributaries play an important role in the water exchange of ZB, while the impacts of the river discharges and winds on RT are insignificant. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T03:26:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5ad53246006548d5b7d22272e9dc8a4b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4441 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T03:26:12Z |
| publishDate | 2019-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-5ad53246006548d5b7d22272e9dc8a4b2022-12-22T03:04:38ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412019-07-01118158510.3390/w11081585w11081585Water Residence Time in a Typical Tributary Bay of the Three Gorges ReservoirYao Cheng0Zheng Mu1Haiyan Wang2Fengxia Zhao3Yu Li4Lei Lin5School of Water Conservancy and Hydroelectric Power, Hebei University of Engineering, Handan 056002, ChinaSchool of Water Conservancy and Hydroelectric Power, Hebei University of Engineering, Handan 056002, ChinaNational Marine Environmental Forecasting Center, Beijing 100081, ChinaSchool of Water Conservancy and Hydroelectric Power, Hebei University of Engineering, Handan 056002, ChinaSchool of Water Conservancy and Hydroelectric Power, Hebei University of Engineering, Handan 056002, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, ChinaTributary bays of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) are suffering from environmental problems, e.g., eutrophication and algae bloom, which could be related to the limited water exchange capacity of the tributary bays. To understand and quantify the water exchange capacity of a tributary bay, this study investigated the water residence time (RT) in a typical tributary bay of TGR, i.e., the Zhuyi Bay (ZB), using numerical simulation and the adjoint method to obtain the RT. The results show that RT of ZB with an annual mean of 16.7 days increases from the bay mouth to the bay top where the maximum can reach 50 days. There is a significant seasonal variation in RT, with higher RT (average 20 days) in spring and autumn and lower RT (average < 5 days) in the summer. The sensitivity experiments show that the TGR water level regulation has a strong influence on RT. The increase in the water level could increase RT of ZB to some extent. Density currents induced by the temperature difference between the mainstream and tributaries play an important role in the water exchange of ZB, while the impacts of the river discharges and winds on RT are insignificant.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/11/8/1585residence timeThree Gorges Reservoirtributary baydensity currentwater level regulation |
| spellingShingle | Yao Cheng Zheng Mu Haiyan Wang Fengxia Zhao Yu Li Lei Lin Water Residence Time in a Typical Tributary Bay of the Three Gorges Reservoir Water residence time Three Gorges Reservoir tributary bay density current water level regulation |
| title | Water Residence Time in a Typical Tributary Bay of the Three Gorges Reservoir |
| title_full | Water Residence Time in a Typical Tributary Bay of the Three Gorges Reservoir |
| title_fullStr | Water Residence Time in a Typical Tributary Bay of the Three Gorges Reservoir |
| title_full_unstemmed | Water Residence Time in a Typical Tributary Bay of the Three Gorges Reservoir |
| title_short | Water Residence Time in a Typical Tributary Bay of the Three Gorges Reservoir |
| title_sort | water residence time in a typical tributary bay of the three gorges reservoir |
| topic | residence time Three Gorges Reservoir tributary bay density current water level regulation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/11/8/1585 |
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