Influence Of Cascade Reservoirs On Spatiotemporal Variations Of Hydrogeochemistry In Jinsha River

River hydrogeochemistry offers necessary guidance for effective water environmental management. However, the influence of cascade reservoirs on river hydrogeochemistry remains unknown. In this study, the Jinsha River, the headwaters of the Yangtze River of China, was selected to investigate the spatiotemporal variations of hydrogeochemistry after the construction of six cascade reservoirs. Major ions, total dissolved solids, electrical conductivity, and pH values of sampled water in the upper natural reaches and lower reservoir-regulated reaches were analyzed in both flood and dry seasons. The results of Piper diagram and Gibbs plots showed that the hydrogeochemistry of the Jinsha River was naturally controlled by both evaporation-crystallization and carbonate weathering processes, but it was also artificially affected by reservoirs. The impoundment of cascade reservoirs affected the hydrodynamic condition of the river. The river flow in the flood season was reduced by approximately 24.5%, altering the proportions of water sources and leading to notable hydrogeochemical alterations in reservoir-regulated reaches. Conversely, river hydrogeochemistry generally remained unchanged in the dry season, owing to the insignificant effect of cascade reservoirs on river flow. In contrast to what has been observed in previous studies of individual reservoirs, the cumulative influence of cascade reservoirs on the Jinsha River flow regime did not cause abrupt hydrogeochemical changes between the upstream and downstream areas of each reservoir. Moreover, the water quality assessments revealed that the impoundment of cascade reservoirs improved downstream irrigational water quality, with lower Na+ ratio values in the flood season. This study provides the earliest evaluation of cascade reservoir influence on the hydrogeochemistry of the Jinsha River. The findings of this study can be used as a reference for scientific guidelines for future environmental management of cascade reservoirs in large rivers. (C) 2021 Hohai University. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.