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Arid Land Geography ›› 2020, Vol. 43 ›› Issue (4): 967-976.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000-6060.2020.04.12

• Climatology and Hydrology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Palaeoflood research in Yunxian section of the upper reaches of Hanjiang River in the Northern Song Dynasty

WANG Guang-peng, ZHA Xiao-chun, HUANG Chun-chang, PANG Jiang-li, ZHANG Guo-fang   

  1. School of Geography and Tourism, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710119,Shaanxi,China
  • Received:2019-07-09 Revised:2020-01-12 Online:2020-07-25 Published:2020-11-18

Abstract: Paleoflood research is a frontier science in the field of global change research. Currently,paleoflood hydrology research focuses on the reconstruction of water level and discharge based on a single sediment profile. However,few simulation studies of paleoflood events were conducted based on multiple sedimentary profiles of long-reach areas. In this study,a paleoflood event that took place during the Northern Song Dynasty was studied based on four sedimentary profiles of the Yunxian reach of Hanjiang River,Hubei Province,China,i.e.,Yanjiapeng (YJP),Shangjiahe (SJH),Guixianhekou (GXHK),and Mituosi (MTS) profiles. In addition,a paleoflood hydrology investigation on the river sections,where the four sedimentary profiles are located,was conducted based on the measured terrain data and hydrological parameters. The water surface profile and peak discharge (Q = 57 500 m3·s-1) of the paleoflood event that occurred during the Northern Song Dynasty were reconstructed. The simulated water-level errors within the four sedimentary profiles were between -0.31 % and 0.34 %,which confirms the water surface simulated with the HEC-RAS model. Furthermore,a paleoflood flow process was designed based on the typical flood process measured in the hydrological station. Subsequently,the paleoflood routing in the Northern Song Dynasty was simulated based on the unsteady flow modeling using the HEC-RAS model. The results indicated that the paleoflood peak from the YJP to the MTS profiles lasted about 1.15 h,and the loss in the flood-peak discharge was less than 1%. The water depth measured upstream was found to be greater than that measured downstream,whereas the flow velocity showed opposite results. Based on the inundation area,it can be concluded that the high-risk areas for flooding in the study reach are mainly located near the banks of the Hanjiang River,which is mainly affected by the bedrock canyon. This study has a considerable scientific significance because it help understand the catastrophic flood movements within the upper reaches of the Hanjiang River,as it provides essential data for flood design,forecasting,and prevention as well as disaster mitigation within the basin.

Key words: palaeoflood research, Northern Song Dynasty, HEC-RAS model, flood prevention and mitigation, upper reaches of Hanjiang River