Recent lake sedimentation in the middle and lower Yangtze basin inferred from 137Cs and 210Pb measurements

The reduction of water storage capacity in the lakes of the Yangtze basin was an important factor for the disastrous 1998 flooding. This study attempted to quantify sedimentation and its role in the water storage reduction in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze basin using the radionuclide of caesium-137 (Cs-137) and lead-210 (Pb-210) as tracers. Sixteen cores were taken from eight lakes, including the two largest lakes in the region (Poyanghu and Dongtinghu). The two dating techniques were used in combination to quantify recent sediment accumulation rates and their changes over the last few decades. The Cs-137 and Pb-210 measurements indicated higher sedimentation rates for Dongtinghu which were consistent with observed severe reduction of water storage capacity. The inferred sedimentation rates for the remaining lakes were lower and did not reflect the perceived rate of severe soil erosion upstream or the substantial water storage reduction. The low sedimentation rates inferred for most lakes tentatively suggest that sediment deposition was not the primary reason for the observed reduction in water storage capacity. Nevertheless, a clear increasing trend in sedimentation rates has been documented for most of the studied lakes over the past few decades. Sedimentation and its role in water storage reduction require further study due to the many problems associated with its quantification such as the post-depositional redistribution of sediments and water exchanges between the Yangtze river and the studied lakes. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.