Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment

Temporal and spatial variation of thermal structure in Three Gorges Reservoir: A simulation approach

Author(s):

Lingquan Dai ¹, Huichao Dai ^{1, 2}*, Dingguo Jiang ²

Recieved Date: 2012-01-16, Accepted Date: 2012-05-05

Abstract:

The temporal and spatial distribution of thermal structure was surveyed and simulated in a deep temperate reservoir: Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR), a river valley reservoir in the Middle-West China, the great depth (maximum depth 120 m) and wind-sheltered dendritic shape which would cause thermal stratification in late spring and summer. The temperature distribution was simulated by using the 2-dimensional hydrodynamic and water quality model, CE-QUAL-W2 (W2). The model was calibrated and verified with the monitoring data in 2009 during the experimental impoundment, and was found to satisfactorily predict the basic trends of the thermal stratification of the water column. Simulations demonstrate that the TGR has no stable thermal stratification during the whole year, but from April to June, a transient and weak stratification may arise, changes of the temperature processes of water release from the reservoir will take place, resulting in temperature retarding phenomena. The model is useful in the prediction of temperature distribution in reservoirs, therefore, this work could provide helpful supports for ecological environmental evaluation and slowing stratification adverse impact in the TGR and other analogous large-scale reservoirs. 

Keywords:

Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR), temporal and spatial variation, thermal stratification, numerical simulation

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Journal: Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment
Year: 2012
Volume: 10
Issue: 2
Category: Environment
Pages: 1174-1178

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