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Relationship between potential waterway depth improvement and evolution of the Jingjiang Reach of the Yangtze River in China

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Abstract

Given the importance of waterway depths in river development, the effects of the evolution of bars and troughs on waterway expansion play an important role in river management and water depth conservation. This study aims to expand the waterway dimensions of the Jingjiang Reach of the Yangtze River. To achieve this objective, determining the relationship between river evolution processes and the potential for waterway depth improvement and navigation hindrances is vital. Therefore, the sedimentation, hydrological, and terrain data of the Jingjiang Reach from 1955 to 2020 are analysed to elucidate the above-mentioned relationship. Since the commissioning of the Three Gorges Dam, the scouring of the low-flow channel has accounted for 90%–95% of all scouring in the Jingjiang Reach. Furthermore, the central bars and beaches have shrunk by 9.4% and 24.9%, respectively, and 18.3% overall. Considering the bed scouring and waterway regulation projects in the Jingjiang Reach, we investigated the continuity of a 4.5 m × 200 m × 1050 m (depth × width × bend radius) waterway along the Jingjiang Reach, and find that navigation-hindering channels account for over 5.3% of the waterway length. Furthermore, part of the Jingjiang Reach is an important nature reserve and shelters numerous water-related facilities, which inhibits the implementation of waterway deepening projects. The findings of this study demonstrate that numerous challenges are associated with increasing the waterway depths of the Jingjiang Reach.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tianjin Research Institute for Water Transport Engineering, Ministry of Transport, Tianjin, 300456, China

    Yunping Yang, Wanli Liu & Jie Zhang

  2. Changjiang Waterway Institute of Planning and Design, Wuhan, 430040, China

    Ming Li & Wenjun Yu

  3. Institute of International Rivers and Eco-security, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650000, China

    Yuanfang Chai

Authors
  1. Yunping Yang
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  2. Ming Li
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  3. Wanli Liu
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  4. Yuanfang Chai
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  5. Jie Zhang
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  6. Wenjun Yu
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Correspondence to Yuanfang Chai.

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Author

Yang Yunping (1985-), PhD and Associate Professor, E-mail: yangsan520_521@163.com

Foundation

National Natural Science Foundation of China, No.52279066; Fundamental Research Funds for Central Welfare Research Institutes, No.TKS20190406; Follow-up Scientific Research Project of the Three Gorges Project, No.SXHXGZ-2022-1

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Yang, Y., Li, M., Liu, W. et al. Relationship between potential waterway depth improvement and evolution of the Jingjiang Reach of the Yangtze River in China. J. Geogr. Sci. 33, 547–575 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11442-023-2096-8

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