Impact of the three gorges reservoir operation on the hydrological situation of Poyang Lake

The operation of Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) has changed the hydrological situation of Yangtze River and its connected lakes. Based on the hydrodynamic model, the influence of TGR operation from 2009 to 2014 on the Poyang Lake has been evaluated. It is found that TGR impoundment reduced the discharge of the Yangtze River and the water level of Poyang Lake, brought the decreasing of the backflow phenomenon. Especially in October, the discharge and water level of Hukou station (HKS) decreased by 9.6% and 1.09 m respectively, and this effect could be up to the Kangshan area. Meanwhile, TGR operation has also increased the water level of HKS by 0.1 similar to 0.56 m from December to May, which only affected the vicinity of Duchang. In addition, TGR operation also increased the maximum water level of HKS from April to June by 0.1 similar to 0.34 m, and that from July to August decreased by 0.22 similar to 0.4 m which is beneficial to reducing the flood control risk of Poyang Lake. But TGR impoundment changed the water exchange process between Yangtze River and Poyang Lake, and advanced the dry season, which had a certain impact on the water supply and ecological environment of the lake area.