Hydrology
Leyla Babaie; Hirad Abghari; Raoof Mostafazadeh
Abstract
The occurrence of low flow and high flow periods in watersheds is a part of a river's regime. In recent years, changes in river flow and its intensification have impacted the production and utilization of river flows as well as water management, making it an important area of study. Evaluating various ...
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The occurrence of low flow and high flow periods in watersheds is a part of a river's regime. In recent years, changes in river flow and its intensification have impacted the production and utilization of river flows as well as water management, making it an important area of study. Evaluating various characteristics of the flow regime of natural rivers can help understand how river discharge changes due to climatic. In this study, changes in high flow and low flow indices at the Bitas watershed, Mahabad-chai, which monitors a naturally flowing river upstream of Mahabad Dam, were assessed for the period from 1963 to 2020. The results indicated that the Number Spell index was 144 during high flow periods and 253 during low flow periods. The Single Longest index was 1,635 for low flow periods and 163 for high flow periods. The average peak flow and average duration of peak flow indices for high flow periods were 22.6, and for low flow periods, they were 0.33. Additionally, the mean duration was 29.6 for high flow and 54.82 for low flow. According to the results, the total duration index for high flow periods fluctuated between 3 and 163, while the total duration index for low flow was 241. The findings of this study can be used to better understand changes in the natural flow regime, variations in the timing and frequency of low and high flow events, and ultimately to optimize the management of inflow to Mahabad Dam.
Hydrology
Raoof Mostafazadeh; Mostafa Zabihi Silabi; Mohamad Kazemi
Abstract
The increasing human needs and changes in climate patterns have led to the construction of water storage structures to meet the water demand in many regions worldwide, including Iran. Consequently, the hydrological regimes of rivers in various parts of Iran, due to human activities such as dam construction, ...
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The increasing human needs and changes in climate patterns have led to the construction of water storage structures to meet the water demand in many regions worldwide, including Iran. Consequently, the hydrological regimes of rivers in various parts of Iran, due to human activities such as dam construction, have undergone alterations in recent decades. Understanding the effects of dams on river hydrological regimes is essential for river flow management and the preservation of river ecosystems. In this regard, the present study assesses the changes in the health of the Urmia's Shahrchai River flow during three periods: pre-dam construction, dam construction, and dam operation, from 1951 to 2017, through calculating different flow health related indices. The results indicate that the deviation of all hydrological health sub-indices in the post-dam construction period is higher than the pre-dam construction period. Moreover, the deviation of flow regime sub-indicators was predominantly low to moderate until 1998 and varied from low to very high after 1998. Additionally, the highest deviation of studied flow health-related indices occurred during the reference and dam operation periods for flood occurrence and minimum monthly flow, respectively, while during the dam construction period, it pertained to minimum monthly flow. Furthermore, the findings suggest that the hydrologic health of Shahrchai River flow decreased by approximately 16% and 45% during the dam construction/operation periods, respectively, compared to the reference period. The results of this study can be utilized in the understanding of flow alteration and the sustainable regulation of the Shahrchai River flow regime.
