Alterations of Riparian Ecosystems Caused by River Regulation
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2000
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Abstract
A n estimated two-thirds of the fresh water flowing to the oceans is obstructed by approximately 40,000 large dams (defined as more than 15 m in height) and more than 800,000 smaller ones (Petts 1984, McCully 1996).Many additional rivers are constrained by artificial levees or dikes.These hydrological alterations-to ensure water for agricultural, industrial, and domestic purposes; for hydroelectricity; or for flood protection-have changed ecosystem structures and processes in running waters and associated environments the world over.In this article, we discuss the global-scale ecological changes in riparian ecosystems resulting from dam operations.Comparative studies of free-flowing and regulated rivers have increased our understanding of the environmental effects of dams (Rosenberg et al. 1995).The first studies concentrated on large reservoirs; reaches downstream from dams were of subsequent concern.Early work also focused on aquatic systems.By the 1980s rivers were viewed in a larger perspective, as central elements in entire catchment areas (Ward 1997).In this process, the importance of riparian ecosystems successively attracted more attention (Naiman and Décamps 1997).Riparian ecosystems occupy the ecotone between upland and aquatic realms (Figure 1).More precisely, the riparian ecosystem can be defined as the stream channel between the low-and high-water marks plus the terrestrial landscape above the high-water mark (where vegetation may be influenced by elevated water tables or extreme flooding and by the ability of the soils to hold water; Naiman et al. 1993).Natural riparian ecosystems include a variety of community types, including strips of spruce forest on periodically frozen ground with dense moss carpets, floodplain landscapes with deciduous trees and shrubs on heterogeneous substrates, and deltas with distinct plant zonation and well-developed forests having diverse animal communities.Some floodplain landscapes, such as those in South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia, cover tens of thousands of km 2 of land (Welcomme 1979, Petts 1984).Riparian areas are particularly sensitive to variation in the hydrological cycle and serve as good indicators of the environmental change that is caused by dam operations.Moreover, riparian processes have a central ecological role in most landscapes.Riparian ecosystems offer habitats for many species, function as filters between land and water, and serve as pathways for dispersing and migrating organisms (Naiman and Décamps 1997).Riparian ecosystems also have many economic and recreational values.Dams are affecting riparian ecosystems all over the world.Consider the 139 regulated and free-flowing rivers in the United States, Canada, Europe, and former USSR that exceed 350 m 3 /s in mean annual discharge.Eightyfive of them, representing 77% of the total water discharge, were strongly or moderately regulated and fragmented by dams (Dynesius and Nilsson 1994).
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| Authors | Christer Nilsson, Kajsa Berggren |
| Journal | macromolecular bioscience |
| Year | 2000 |
| DOI |
10.1641/0006-3568(2000)050[0783:aorecb]2.0.co;2
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| Keywords | Keywords not found |
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