Relationship Between Potential Waterway Depth Improvement and River
Evolution: A Case Study on the Jingjiang Reach of the Yangtze River in
China
Abstract
Due to the significance of waterway depths in river development, the
effect of the evolution of bars and troughs on waterway expansion has
always been interesting for river management and water depth
conservation. In this study, the aim is to expand the waterway
dimensions of the Jingjiang Reach, and it is necessary to determine how
river evolution processes relate to its potential for waterway depth
improvement and navigation hindrances. Therefore, the sedimentation,
hydrological, and terrain data of the Jingjiang Reach from 1950 to 2020
were analyzed to elucidate the aforementioned relationships After the
commissioning of the Three Gorges Dam, it was found that the scour of
the low flow channel has accounted for 90.95% of all scour in the
Jinjiang Reach. Furthermore, its central bars and beaches have shrunken
by 9.4% and 24.9%, respectively, and 18.3% as a whole. In view of the
bed scour and waterway regulation projects that occurred in the
Jingjiang Reach, we investigated the continuity of a 4.5 m × 200 m ×
1050 m (depth × width × bend radius) waterway along the Jinjiang Reach,
and found that it is navigationally hindered over 5.3% of its length.
Furthermore, part of the Jingjiang Reach is an important nature reserve,
and there are also many water-related facilities in this area; hence,
these conditions inhibit the implementation of waterway deepening
projects. As a result, the study findings indicate that there are many
challenges with regards to increasing the waterway depths of the
Jingjiang Reach.