Redistributive effects of unsteady flow regimes downstream of reservoirs

Guoshuai Zhang , Yujiao Liu , Zhijing Li , Chaonan Lv , Zhiming Liang

River ›› 2026, Vol. 5 ›› Issue (2) : 250 -264.

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River ›› 2026, Vol. 5 ›› Issue (2) :250 -264. DOI: 10.1002/rvr2.70053
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Redistributive effects of unsteady flow regimes downstream of reservoirs
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Abstract

Understanding unsteady flow regimes in river channels downstream of a reservoir, is essential for predicting and regulating water level and flow velocity in the lower basin. Using hourly observations of discharge and water level at Xiangjiaba Station from 2018 to 2022, an evaluation indicator was proposed to analyze unsteady flow regimes downstream of Xiangjiaba Reservoir. The redistributive effects were quantified using the governing equations of unsteady flow. A new governing equation for unsteady flow was derived from the conservation of gravitational potential energy flux variation.

Keywords

downstream of a reservoir / hourly discharge observations / redistributive effects / reservoirs / unsteady flow

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Guoshuai Zhang, Yujiao Liu, Zhijing Li, Chaonan Lv, Zhiming Liang. Redistributive effects of unsteady flow regimes downstream of reservoirs. River, 2026, 5 (2) : 250-264 DOI:10.1002/rvr2.70053

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2026 The Author(s). River published by Wiley-VCH GmbH on behalf of China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (IWHR).

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