Little impact of the Three Gorges Dam on recent decadal lake decline across China's Yangtze Plain

What is it about?

This study provides an overdue explanation of the recent decadal lake area decline across China's Yangtze Plain. The main cause was long speculated to be the Three Gorges Dam (TGD), thus far the largest hydroelectric project in the world. The authors found that the TGD, despite some seasonal impacts, is not responsible for such a decline. Instead, it is mainly caused by variability of the climate system (e.g., the El-Niño Southern Oscillation). Human water consumption (e.g., from irrigation and industry) also contributes a fraction, which is comparable to the TGD impact.

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Why is it important?

In the Anthropocene, understanding large-scale water dynamics under climate change and human interventions is among the top scientific and political priorities. Such priorities are well responded by this article, which may interest a broad readership from hydrologists, water resource managers, to policy-makers. As a direct impact, it provides a timely guidance for the conservation of the Yangtze-Plain lake system which concerns food security and socioeconomic stability for half a billion people.

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