Impacts of cascade dam construction on riparian vegetation in an alpine region

IF 5.9 1区地球科学 Q1 ENGINEERING, CIVIL

Journal of Hydrology Pub Date : 2025-01-04 DOI:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2025.132665

Yihang Wang, Nan Cong, Yu Zhong, Yongshuo Fu, Nan Wang, Lijian Ouyang, Weiwei Yao

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The Jinsha River (JSR) serves as a crucial ecological corridor in the upper Yangtze River Basin, hosting one of the world’s largest cascade hydropower dam (CHD) developments. However, systematic quantitative research on riparian vegetation (RV) ecosystems along JSR response to CHD construction and climate change is lacking. Using multi-source datasets from 2000 to 2022, we quantified the effects of CHD on key climatic factors (temperature, precipitation, vapor pressure deficit, and soil moisture) and analyzed their contributions to RV dynamics. Results indicate that RV in the JSR exhibited a more pronounced “greening” trend after CHD construction (The NDVI trend is rising from 0.0021 yr−1 to 0.0096 yr−1, by more than four times). CHD operations led to decreased temperature and vapor pressure deficit, while increasing precipitation and soil moisture, significantly improving the growth conditions for RV. Structural equation modeling further revealed that CHD not only directly promoted RV growth but also exerted significant positive indirect effects by regulating the regional microclimate. Importantly, the cumulative effects of CHD resulted in a long-term positive impact on RV growth that outweighed the initial short-term negative impacts during construction. This study underscores the importance of integrating hydropower development into long-term riparian ecosystem monitoring and management, providing valuable insights for sustainable river basin management amid global climate change.

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高寒地区梯级坝建设对河岸植被的影响

金沙江（JSR）是长江上游流域重要的生态走廊，承载着世界上最大的梯级水电站大坝（CHD）开发项目之一。然而，JSR沿河植被生态系统对CHD建设和气候变化的响应尚缺乏系统的定量研究。利用2000 - 2022年多源数据，量化了CHD对关键气候因子（温度、降水、水汽压亏缺和土壤湿度）的影响，并分析了它们对RV动态的贡献。结果表明，在CHD建设后，JSR区RV呈现出更为明显的“绿化率”趋势（NDVI趋势从0.0021 yr - 1上升至0.0096 yr - 1，上升幅度超过4倍）。CHD操作降低了温度和水汽压亏缺，增加了降水和土壤水分，显著改善了RV的生长条件。结构方程模型进一步揭示冠心病不仅直接促进RV生长，还通过调节区域小气候发挥了显著的正向间接作用。重要的是，冠心病的累积效应对RV增长产生了长期的积极影响，超过了施工期间最初的短期负面影响。该研究强调了将水电开发纳入长期河岸生态系统监测和管理的重要性，为全球气候变化背景下的可持续流域管理提供了有价值的见解。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of Hydrology 地学-地球科学综合

CiteScore

11.00

自引率

12.50%

发文量

1309

审稿时长

7.5 months

期刊介绍： The Journal of Hydrology publishes original research papers and comprehensive reviews in all the subfields of the hydrological sciences including water based management and policy issues that impact on economics and society. These comprise, but are not limited to the physical, chemical, biogeochemical, stochastic and systems aspects of surface and groundwater hydrology, hydrometeorology and hydrogeology. Relevant topics incorporating the insights and methodologies of disciplines such as climatology, water resource systems, hydraulics, agrohydrology, geomorphology, soil science, instrumentation and remote sensing, civil and environmental engineering are included. Social science perspectives on hydrological problems such as resource and ecological economics, environmental sociology, psychology and behavioural science, management and policy analysis are also invited. Multi-and interdisciplinary analyses of hydrological problems are within scope. The science published in the Journal of Hydrology is relevant to catchment scales rather than exclusively to a local scale or site.