Zhang, X.; Fang, C.; Wang, Y.; Lou, X.; Su, Y.; Huang, D. Review of Effects of Dam Construction on the Ecosystems of River Estuary and Nearby Marine Areas. Sustainability2022, 14, 5974.
Zhang, X.; Fang, C.; Wang, Y.; Lou, X.; Su, Y.; Huang, D. Review of Effects of Dam Construction on the Ecosystems of River Estuary and Nearby Marine Areas. Sustainability 2022, 14, 5974.
Zhang, X.; Fang, C.; Wang, Y.; Lou, X.; Su, Y.; Huang, D. Review of Effects of Dam Construction on the Ecosystems of River Estuary and Nearby Marine Areas. Sustainability2022, 14, 5974.
Zhang, X.; Fang, C.; Wang, Y.; Lou, X.; Su, Y.; Huang, D. Review of Effects of Dam Construction on the Ecosystems of River Estuary and Nearby Marine Areas. Sustainability 2022, 14, 5974.
Abstract
Dams have made great contributions to human society, facilitating flood control, power generation, shipping, agriculture and industry. However, the construction of dams greatly impacts downstream ecological environments and nearby marine areas. To summarize these impacts, this review used recent research to comprehensively analyze how dam construction has affected river hydrology, geomorphology, and ecosystem of downstream reaches globally. Effects of dams on ecosystems occur through reduced river flow, reduced sediment flux, altered water temperature, changed estuary delta, altered composition and distribution of nutrients, altered structure and distribution of phytoplankton populations, caused habitat fragmentation, and blocked migration routes in river sections and adjacent seas. Besides, exploring new reservoir management strategies (including targeted control of dam storage and flushing sediment operations), banning fishing activities, and removing unnecessary dams (obsolete or small dams) are becoming crucial tools for ecosystem restoration.
Keywords
Dam; River estuary; Ecosystem; Effect
Subject
Environmental and Earth Sciences, Water Science and Technology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
