Ecohydrological Effects of River Damming and Adaptive Management
Abstract:
Qiuwen Chen1,2, Wenqin Shi2, Jianyun Zhang1,2
1 Yangtze Institute for Conservation and Development
2 Nanjing Hydraulics Research Institute
There has been a long worldwide debate on the effects of river damming on biogeochemical cycling of nutrients, emission of greenhouse gas from reservoirs, and fish habitat loss. Those issues have caused a bottleneck for sustainable hydropower development, and even jeopardize regional geopolitical cooperation. Here we present some research findings with regard to the changes of phosphorus and nitrogen concentrations and fluxes of green house gas (CO2, CH4 and N2O) emissions from the cascade reservoirs along the upper Mekong River. We also discuss how adaptive management measures can regulate ecological flow and help habitat restoration for fish spawning. Our studies may serve to correct some long-term perception of the effects of hydropower development on nutrient regimes and greenhouse gas emissions in dammed rivers and support the Lancang-Mekong geo-political collaborations and sustainable hydropower development worldwide.
Biography: Prof. Qiuwen Chen has been the director of Center for Eco-Environmental Research of the Nanjing Institute of Hydraulic Research since 2013. He obtained his first degree from Hohai University, M.S. from IHE Delft and Ph.D. jointly from Delft University of Technology and UNESCO-IHE. He has engaged in research on eco-environmental effects of hydropower development for more than 20 years. He has published more than 360 research papers in peer-reviewed journals, including prestigious National Science Review and Nature Reviews. For his outstanding achievements, he was given the 20th IAHR Arthur Thomas Ippen Award and won the 2020 Xplorer Prize. He has also received Distinguished Young Scholar designation for the National Science Foundation of China.