Study on the Causes of the Decline of the Low Water Levels of Poyang Lake, China

• Main Authors: Guan Jian-Zhao, Zhang Lei, Fang Chun-Ming, Feng Jun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: EDP Sciences 2019-01-01
• Series: E3S Web of Conferences
• Online Access: https://www.e3s-conferences.org/articles/e3sconf/pdf/2019/43/e3sconf_icwree18_00014.pdf

The drastic decline in the water level of Poyang Lake during the dry season has close connection with the water environment and lake ecology. The drastic decline has attracted considerable attention, and has led to intense scientific discussions regarding its cause. However, the importance of the different causes of the low water level decline has not been clearly illustrated. To improve the understanding of the reasons for the decline of low water levels in the Poyang Lake Waterway, this paper investigated the contributions of river channel erosion and sand mining to the water level decline. The results show that sand mining mainly occurred on the beaches of the Waterway, and had a relatively small effect on the change in the shape of the main river channel. It was found that the contribution of sand mining to the decline in the low water level was no more than 30%, while the average contribution by natural erosion was about 85%. This indicates that natural channel erosion of the Waterway has been significant, and plays a dominant role in the declining water levels of the Waterway.