ASSESSMENT OF THE IMPACT OF THE DNIESTER HYDROPOWER COMPLEX ON HYDROLOGICAL STATE OF THE DNIESTER RIVER
Journal Title: Central European Journal of Geography and Sustainable Development - Year 2022, Vol 4, Issue 2
Abstract
Operation of the Dniester Hydropower Complex (DHC), build on the middle course of the Dniester River in the middle of the '80s of the last century and extended during last decades, on one hand, produces low-cost energy and contributes to local and regional economical development, but on the other hand, leads to modification of river flow and ecosystems in the downstream, creating a series of dilemmas that are difficult to manage and solve by bazinal countries, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. This research aims to assess the changes in flow, phases of the hydrological regime, water temperature and sediments’ regime due to the DHC operation. Main utilized approach was comparative analysis of hydrological time series recorded at the stations situated upstream and downstream of the DHC, for two representative time periods: before and after construction of this hydropower complex. As a result, it was estimated that the mean annual flow downstream the DHC decreased by 9.2%. Seasonal flow changed mainly by significant decrease in February-April (February - 18%, March - 40%, April - 27%), and increase in the autumn months, by 10-14%. Minimum flows upstream of the DHC, increased by 52%, and downstream have doubled, reaching 107 m3/s (compared to 51 m3/s, before the DHC construction). Maximum annual flow, in the upstream part, in the second period, has slightly increased, while towards the downstream part, there is a reduction of this parameter by about 30%. One of the direct impacts of the DHC operation is hydropeaking effect. Intraday level amplitude downstream of the DHC amounts to 52 cm and the length of the sector that is influenced by this effect is over 100 km. Also, a long river sector is subject to water thermal modifications: when upstream the average annual water temperature has risen by 0.8°C, in the downstream it has diminished by 0.44°C. On a monthly scale, there is a decrease in the water temperature in the spring-summer period, and an increase in the autumnwinter period downstream of the DHC. Sediment transport process was also altered significantly. Due to the DHC operation, suspended sediments decreased by 92-98% downstream of it. The significant decrease in sediment volumes is specific to all months of the year. The reduction of sediment transport has increased the transparency of water, which, as a result, influences the development of the aquatic ecosystems.
Authors and Affiliations
Ana Jeleapov
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP720620
- DOI 10.47246/CEJGSD.2022.4.2.2
- Views 69
- Downloads 0
SUPPORTING SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZE ENTERPRISES THROUGH THE COVID-19 CRISIS IN ROMANIA
Since 31 December 2019 and as of 01 June 2020, 6,136,085 cases of COVID-19 (in accordance with the applied case definitions and testing strategies in the affected countries) have been reported, including 371,857 deaths...
TERRITORIAL DISPARITIES OF THE HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX IN THE NORTH DEVELOPMENT REGION OF THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA
Human development is a component part of the development of socio-economic, naturalgeographical systems. Currently, the need for comparative studies of human development appears increasingly imperative, in an attempt to...
SPATIAL DETERMINANTS OF FOREST LANDSCAPE DEGRADATION IN THE KILIMANJARO WORLD HERITAGE SITE, TANZANIA
Forest degradation occurs in natural World Heritage Sites (WHS) in the Global South despite the implementation of various strategic policies and the World Heritage Convention (WHC) on forest protections of the sites and...
POSSIBLE WAYS OF RENEWAL IN A TOURISTIC DESTINATION: A CASE FOR INTEGRATED DESTINATION DEVELOPMENT IN HUNGARY. THE CASE OF ORFŰ
The paper demonstrates the complex issue of the life cycle and renewal of destinations by the example of a destination in Hungary. These days, due to the ever increasing competition among destinations both in domestic...
THE ROMAN ROAD ON THE TELEAJEN VALLEY
Although it is among the oldest vestiges found in northeastern Muntenia region (Romania), the roman road established on the Teleajen Valley was never taken into consideration by recent scholars. This economic, commerci...