Han et al. (2026) A framework for simulating and assessing the spatiotemporal cumulative effects of multi-reservoir operation on streamflow

Identification

• Journal: Journal of Hydrology
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-10-01
• Authors: Yu Han, Ann van Griensven, Yiwen Wang, Xinyuan Qian, Zixin Song, Mengxue Ben, Ping‐an Zhong
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.136521

Research Groups

• College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University (China)
• Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium)
• Water Science & Engineering Department, IHE Delft Institute for Water Education (Netherlands)

Short Summary

This study develops a framework to simulate and assess the spatiotemporal cumulative effects of multi-reservoir operation on streamflow in large-scale regulated basins. The results show that customized parameterized reservoir operation rules improve streamflow simulations and provide insights into the mechanisms governing the cumulative effects.

Objective

• Investigate the impact of multi-reservoir operation on streamflow characteristics in large-scale regulated basins

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Upper Yangtze River Basin, China
• Temporal Scale: Long-term (refill to drawdown period)

Methodology and Data

• Models used: SWAT+ model with customized parameterized reservoir operation rules (CUS)
• Data sources: Satellite data, observation data, reanalysis data

Main Results

• Customized parameterized reservoir operation rules improve streamflow simulations at all control stations during both calibration and validation.
• Multi-reservoir operation shifts streamflow from the refill to the drawdown period, decreases high flows and increases low flows, and makes intra-annual distribution more uniform.
• Spatial cumulative effects become more pronounced from tributaries to the mainstream and from upstream to downstream.
• Temporal cumulative effects generally intensify across most streamflow indicators as the multi-reservoir system expands.

Contributions

• This study advances understanding of the mechanisms governing the cumulative effects of multi-reservoir operation on streamflow in large-scale regulated basins.
• The customized parameterized reservoir operation rules developed in this study can be applied to other large-scale regulated basins with similar characteristics.

Funding

• This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 52179003) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant No. 2021B001).

Citation

@article{Han2026framework,
  author = {Han, Yu and Griensven, Ann van and Wang, Yiwen and Qian, Xinyuan and Song, Zixin and Ben, Mengxue and Zhong, Ping‐an},
  title = {A framework for simulating and assessing the spatiotemporal cumulative effects of multi-reservoir operation on streamflow},
  journal = {Journal of Hydrology},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.136521},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.136521}
}