The change process and influencing factors of channel connectivity in Jingjiang River from 1955-2015

ABSTRACT

Human activities have greatly reduced the sediment load in the Yangtze River Basin and have changed the channel connectivity of the Jingjiang River. In this paper, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is used to establish the assessment model of channel connectivity based on the river function. Then, combined with the flow, sediment and boundary data of the main hydrological stations, we analyze the variation in processes of the channel connectivity of the Jingjiang River from 1955 to 2015. The results show that the change in process of channel connectivity of the Jingjiang River is basically the same in different reaches. The value of the comprehensive function of connectivity increases gradually with time and is greater than 1.0 after 1990, indicating that the channel connectivity has improved. Spatially, the Shashi-Jianli reach has the best connectivity, while the Zhicheng-Shashi reach has the worst connectivity. In addition, reservoir construction and river straightening are the main factors affecting the channel connectivity of the Jingjiang River. The influence of water and soil conservation on channel connectivity is mainly realized by basin erosion, which is the secondary factor. Some research methods and results can be used as reference for studying channel connectivity in other basins.

KEYWORDS:

• Connectivity
• Jingjiang
• river erosion
• reservoir regulation

Acknowledgments

The research is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51679259).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [51679259,51725902].