Reservoir-Induced Land Deformation: Case Study from the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
The Nile River stretches from south to north throughout the Nile River Basin (NRB) in Northeast Africa. Ethiopia, where the Blue Nile originates, has begun the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which will be used to generate electricity. However, the impact of the GERD on l...
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MDPI AG
2021-02-01
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| Series: | Remote Sensing |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/13/5/874 |
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| author | Yu Chen Mohamed Ahmed Natthachet Tangdamrongsub Dorina Murgulet |
| author_facet | Yu Chen Mohamed Ahmed Natthachet Tangdamrongsub Dorina Murgulet |
| author_sort | Yu Chen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Nile River stretches from south to north throughout the Nile River Basin (NRB) in Northeast Africa. Ethiopia, where the Blue Nile originates, has begun the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which will be used to generate electricity. However, the impact of the GERD on land deformation caused by significant water relocation has not been rigorously considered in the scientific research. In this study, we develop a novel approach for predicting large-scale land deformation induced by the construction of the GERD reservoir. We also investigate the limitations of using the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow On (GRACE-FO) mission to detect GERD-induced land deformation. We simulated three land deformation scenarios related to filling the expected reservoir volume, 70 km<sup>3</sup>, using 5-, 10-, and 15-year filling scenarios. The results indicated: (i) trends in downward vertical displacement estimated at −17.79 ± 0.02, −8.90 ± 0.09, and −5.94 ± 0.05 mm/year, for the 5-, 10-, and 15-year filling scenarios, respectively; (ii) the western (eastern) parts of the GERD reservoir are estimated to move toward the reservoir’s center by +0.98 ± 0.01 (−0.98 ± 0.01), +0.48 ± 0.00 (−0.48 ± 0.00), and +0.33 ± 0.00 (−0.33 ± 0.00) mm/year, under the 5-, 10- and 15-year filling strategies, respectively; (iii) the northern part of the GERD reservoir is moving southward by +1.28 ± 0.02, +0.64 ± 0.01, and +0.43 ± 0.00 mm/year, while the southern part is moving northward by −3.75 ± 0.04, −1.87 ± 0.02, and −1.25 ± 0.01 mm/year, during the three examined scenarios, respectively; and (iv) the GRACE-FO mission can only detect 15% of the large-scale land deformation produced by the GERD reservoir. Methods and results demonstrated in this study provide insights into possible impacts of reservoir impoundment on land surface deformation, which can be adopted into the GERD project or similar future dam construction plans. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T00:31:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b4acdc88081741868c9dcafec5b9d258 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T00:31:45Z |
| publishDate | 2021-02-01 |
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| spelling | doaj.art-b4acdc88081741868c9dcafec5b9d2582023-12-11T18:30:58ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922021-02-0113587410.3390/rs13050874Reservoir-Induced Land Deformation: Case Study from the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance DamYu Chen0Mohamed Ahmed1Natthachet Tangdamrongsub2Dorina Murgulet3Center for Water Supply Studies, Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, 6300 Ocean Drive, Corpus Christi, TX 78412, USACenter for Water Supply Studies, Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, 6300 Ocean Drive, Corpus Christi, TX 78412, USAEarth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20740, USACenter for Water Supply Studies, Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, 6300 Ocean Drive, Corpus Christi, TX 78412, USAThe Nile River stretches from south to north throughout the Nile River Basin (NRB) in Northeast Africa. Ethiopia, where the Blue Nile originates, has begun the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which will be used to generate electricity. However, the impact of the GERD on land deformation caused by significant water relocation has not been rigorously considered in the scientific research. In this study, we develop a novel approach for predicting large-scale land deformation induced by the construction of the GERD reservoir. We also investigate the limitations of using the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow On (GRACE-FO) mission to detect GERD-induced land deformation. We simulated three land deformation scenarios related to filling the expected reservoir volume, 70 km<sup>3</sup>, using 5-, 10-, and 15-year filling scenarios. The results indicated: (i) trends in downward vertical displacement estimated at −17.79 ± 0.02, −8.90 ± 0.09, and −5.94 ± 0.05 mm/year, for the 5-, 10-, and 15-year filling scenarios, respectively; (ii) the western (eastern) parts of the GERD reservoir are estimated to move toward the reservoir’s center by +0.98 ± 0.01 (−0.98 ± 0.01), +0.48 ± 0.00 (−0.48 ± 0.00), and +0.33 ± 0.00 (−0.33 ± 0.00) mm/year, under the 5-, 10- and 15-year filling strategies, respectively; (iii) the northern part of the GERD reservoir is moving southward by +1.28 ± 0.02, +0.64 ± 0.01, and +0.43 ± 0.00 mm/year, while the southern part is moving northward by −3.75 ± 0.04, −1.87 ± 0.02, and −1.25 ± 0.01 mm/year, during the three examined scenarios, respectively; and (iv) the GRACE-FO mission can only detect 15% of the large-scale land deformation produced by the GERD reservoir. Methods and results demonstrated in this study provide insights into possible impacts of reservoir impoundment on land surface deformation, which can be adopted into the GERD project or similar future dam construction plans.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/13/5/874GERD reservoirGRACE-FOvertical displacementnorth displacementeast displacementNile Basin |
| spellingShingle | Yu Chen Mohamed Ahmed Natthachet Tangdamrongsub Dorina Murgulet Reservoir-Induced Land Deformation: Case Study from the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Remote Sensing GERD reservoir GRACE-FO vertical displacement north displacement east displacement Nile Basin |
| title | Reservoir-Induced Land Deformation: Case Study from the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam |
| title_full | Reservoir-Induced Land Deformation: Case Study from the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam |
| title_fullStr | Reservoir-Induced Land Deformation: Case Study from the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam |
| title_full_unstemmed | Reservoir-Induced Land Deformation: Case Study from the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam |
| title_short | Reservoir-Induced Land Deformation: Case Study from the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam |
| title_sort | reservoir induced land deformation case study from the grand ethiopian renaissance dam |
| topic | GERD reservoir GRACE-FO vertical displacement north displacement east displacement Nile Basin |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/13/5/874 |
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