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Transboundary Environmental Effects of Hydropower: Sediment Transport and Geomorphology

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Abstract

Downstream effects of the Lancang cascade of hydropower projects on sediment load, sediment transport, and river channel geomorphology were investigated through a combination of literature review and analysis of suspended sediment data recorded at hydrological stations in the Lancang-Mekong River. For the analysis of sediment transport and channel morphology, it was first important to establish the background necessary to put potential changes due to hydropower projects into perspective. An understanding of sediment transport and channel morphology, and the potential for hydropower projects to affect these processes, is dependent on an understanding of the physical, biological, and anthropogenic factors that affect them. These include sediment yield of the adjacent land base through soil erosion, sediment load and transport within the river system, and key aspects that govern channel morphology. Providing background material on these topics required a thorough literature review and compilation of information relevant to our analysis of transboundary effects.

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Yu, X., He, D., Phousavanh, P. (2019). Transboundary Environmental Effects of Hydropower: Sediment Transport and Geomorphology. In: Balancing River Health and Hydropower Requirements in the Lancang River Basin. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-1565-7_6

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