Author(s): Beatrice Wagner; Christoph Hauer; Angelika Schoder; Helmut Habersack
Linked Author(s): Christoph Hauer, Helmut Habersack
Keywords: No Keywords
Abstract: The current and future status of large river basins is strongly related to various human pressures. Especially dams have extensively changed river ecosystems in terms of river fragmentation and flow regulation. These changes are jointly related to an alteration of river morphology and sediment transport, which in turn affect aquatic ecosystems. In this context, dam sedimentation has been recognized as a major ecological and economic challenge for sustainable hydropower development in large river basins. In order to facilitate further research (e. g. as a basis for environmental flow assessments), this article aims to deepen knowledge on dam sedimentation management and sedimentation processes in reservoirs. Moreover, as a part of a holistic ecological impact assessment, it exemplarily applies a simple conceptual approach in the context of dam sedimentation at the Yellow River, which is embedded in the research activities of the World’s Large Rivers Initiative (WLRI) –a scientific initiative aiming to create a global overview of the status of large rivers.
Year: 2018