Yuanming Wang

• Doctor of Engineering
• Associate Professor at Sichuan University

Swimming is crucial to fish survival and reproduction, and is usually influenced by species, morphology, habitat environment and physiological condition. Understanding the changes in fish swimming ability and identifying the driving factors behind these changes is vital. In this study, seven endemic fish species from the Qingshui River, an importan...

Under the pressure of small hydropower development, the ecological integrity of small- and medium-sized rivers in mountainous regions has deteriorated, hindering the normal functioning of mountain ecosystem processes and diminishing the value of ecosystem services. Government agencies and environmental organizations worldwide have enacted legislati...

During dam discharge, supersaturated total dissolved gas (TDG) is generated in the plunge pool and transported downstream for a long distance. Fish living in supersaturated TDG water may suffer from gas bubble disease and even death. Investigating the transport time of supersaturated TDG helps to predict better the downstream impact range and durat...

The development of cascaded reservoirs significantly alters the thermal regime of river basins, impacting river ecosystems. However, our understanding of the distribution of water temperature in river basins under high-intensity hydropower development conditions remains limited. In this study, we analyzed historical data and monitored the present w...

High dam discharge can lead to total dissolved gas (TDG) supersaturation in downstream rivers, causing fish to suffer from bubble trauma and even mortality. Focusing on the Datengxia hydropower station in the Xijiang River basin, we conducted in-situ experiments to explore the tolerance patterns of economic fish species, including Ctenopharyngodon...

Global climate change (GCC), characterized by warming, affects the hydrological conditions at the basin scale and whether harmful algal blooms (HABs) occur at the scale of river ecological systems. Research on HABs mainly focuses on oceans and lakes, and there is still less research on the effects of GCC on river-type HABs that differ from oceans a...

This study investigates the impact of total dissolved gas supersaturation (TDGS) on the swimming capabilities of migratory fish (S. prenanti), a common issue during high dam discharges in flood seasons. We assessed fish exposed to 130% TDGS for 2 hr, focusing on their swimming performance in a controlled environment. In our experiments, control gro...

Utilizing the thermal stratification of reservoirs to obtain cold water for cooling green data centers (GDCs) is a new mode of energy conservation and emission reduction. However, global warming is expected to alter this phenomenon in deep reservoirs and thus may affect the digitalization process. While the frequency and intensity of extreme climat...

Total dissolved gas (TDG) supersaturation downstream of dams can occur in the Yangtze River basin and is known to cause stress and even death in fish. Consequently, it is important to establish tolerance thresholds of endemic fish to protect local aquatic resources. We conducted experiments to assess survival characteristics and swimming ability of...

The Yarlung Zangbo River is a river with abundant hydropower resources but fragile biodiversity in China. As an important benchmark for both research and ecological management, there is still a lack of knowledge about the swimming ability of fishes in the Yarlung Zangbo River. The induced flow velocity (Uind), critical swimming speed (Ucrit), and b...

Achieving a harmonious alignment between the biological characteristics of fish and hydrodynamics patterns is crucial for ensuring the efficacy of fish passage facilities. In this study, based on the hydrodynamic characteristics of the river and the biological characteristics of fish, we evaluated the internal flow field in the nature-like fishway...

The water quality index (WQI) is an important tool for evaluating the water quality status of lakes. In this study, we used the WQI to evaluate the spatial water quality characteristics of Dianchi Lake. However, the WQI calculation is time-consuming, and machine learning models exhibit significant advantages in terms of timeliness and nonlinear dat...

Discharge of high dams may result in supersaturated total dissolved gas (TDG) in water, which could cause fish that live downstream river to suffer from gas bubble disease. If supersaturated TDG water was taken as a water source for breeding and proliferation stations, farmed fish was confined and may face more severe problems than fish living in t...

Although developing large-scale hydropower cascades in the upper Yangtze River effectively improves the hydropower resource utilization, it produces total dissolved gas (TDG) supersaturation. In the flood season, the high level of TDG supersaturation (TDGS) frequently occurs in the downstream of dams, causing migratory fish to suffer from gas bubbl...

With increasing emphasis on ecological environment conservation, the conservation of fish habitat and the regional carbon balance need to be incorporated into the operation process of reservoirs. In this research, formulas for calculating ecological and environmental objectives in reservoir operation were obtained by fitting the curve of discharge...

The construction of fish passage facilities can mitigate the negative effects of dams and other water engineering construction on river connectivity and have a significant positive effect on the conservation of local fish diversity. To attract target fishes into fish passage facilities effectively, the optimal flow velocity range to attract fish mu...

The growth of fossil global energy consumption is accompanied by greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to global warming. To cope with global climate change, the development of renewable energy is imminent. Solar energy is one of the renewable energy and will be developed widely. Floating photovoltaics (FPV) has many advantages compared with l...

Global climate change (GCC), with global warming as the main characteristic, has become a global issue widely concerned by people. GCC impacts the hydrological regime at the watershed scale and affects the hydrodynamic force and the habitat conditions of freshwater ecosystems at the river scale. The impact of GCC on water resources and the water cy...

The construction of fish passage facilities is a promising approach to balance fish conservation and water resource development by improving river connectivity. To be successful, a fishway must efficiently attract fish to its entrance and have an interior flow field that meets the needs of migrating fish. In this paper, methods were explored to imp...

Confluences are common habitats of ecological significance given their complicated hydraulic structures and mass transportation. In hydropower cascades, dissolved gas supersaturation downstream of a dam becomes a negative environmental impact caused by dam spilling, which may cause fish to suffer from gas bubble disease and even death. A difference...

The proper water chemical composition of aquaculture water is very important for fish farming in reservoirs or fish multiplication stations. Gas bubble disease (GBD) is mainly caused by total dissolved gas supersaturation (TDGS) in water and is a common problem that affects the healthy growth of fish. Extensive measures have been taken to mitigate...

Hydropower development can significantly mitigate climate change and reduce carbon emissions, but it can also have substantial negative impacts on river environments and fish biodiversity. Fish passage facilities are built to ensure sustainable hydropower development and the biodiversity of fish populations. The locations of the entrances to these...

Total dissolved gas (TDG) is suggested to be one possible explanation for the extensive mortality of endemic fish suffered from gas bubble disease (GBD). We investigated the effects of water depth on adult Schitzothorax prenanti susceptibility to GBD in TDG supersaturated water 11.5 km downstream of Dagangshan dam in a two-year (2016–2017) live cag...

Total dissolved gas supersaturation (TDG) is a common issue in hydropower facilities as a result of water conveyance structures that increase the amount of air entrainment from the atmosphere and dissolved into the water. Water with TDG supersaturation can negatively impact fish, aquatic invertebrates and their habitats. This study comprehensively...

The use of environmental flow (e-flow) regimes has been widely implemented to improve fish habitat quality in river restoration efforts. However, e-flow designs focusing only on one key life stage (e.g., spawning) without considering potential bottlenecks in other stages (e.g., hatching) can result in little to no improvement, especially when targe...

During flood discharges of upstream dams in the Yangtze River, the pelagic fish have a stress risk from total dissolved gas (TDG) supersaturation in the river water. This study took the silver carp as the object and systematically evaluated the effects of TDG supersaturation levels and exposure time on their critical swimming speed (Ucrit) at diffe...

The success of river habitat restoration relies on accurate assessment proxies. However, determining how to quantitatively assess the impact of multiple stressors during flood discharge from high dams in riverine ecosystems and where and how to implement more reliable recovery interventions remain challenges. Here, we developed a bottom-up mechanis...

As green energy, the floating photovoltaic (FPV) system has many advantages. Taking Xiangjiaba reservoir as an example, a Ce-qual-W2 model was established to evaluate the potential impact of the FPV system on water temperature and its potential benefits. The result showed that: (1) FPV system could reduce the water temperature, water age, and relat...

The dams in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River are highly concentrated. Dam construction can effectively solve water shortage problems; however, the natural hydrological regimes of rivers have changed to varying degrees under the influence of water conservancy projects. In this study, a comprehensive method is proposed to analyze the hydrologic...

Total dissolved gas in water system is supersaturated when the pressures of atmospheric gases exceed the barometric pressure. Such a situation can occur during water discharge from high dams, air injection into water under huge pressure, thermal increases in water, or due to other natural causes. TDG supersaturation has a negative impact on fish sp...

Total dissolved gas (TDG) supersaturation, which can be caused by flood discharge, results in gas bubble disease (GBD) in fish and threatens their survival downstream of dams. TDG supersaturation has become a serious environmental problem in the Yangtze River. Few studies have evaluated the effect of TDG supersaturation on fish in natural rivers du...

Total dissolved gas (TDG) supersaturation caused by flood discharge water is becoming a serious environmental problem that threatens the survival of fish. The swimming ability of fish may be influenced by TDG supersaturation. To investigate the effects of continuous exposure to TDG supersaturation on fish swimming ability, we measured the critical...

Social and economic development processes require large amounts of natural resources and in some cases seriously deteriorate river water quality. Since the reform and expansion era began, China has vigorously pursued socioeconomic development but neglected environmental protection. However, in recent years, improvements in environmental awareness a...

The urbanization process of the Hanjiang Basin is speeding up and facing many challenges. It is necessary to take active actions to realize the balance between urbanization development and water environment protection. This paper aims to establish a comprehensive evaluation model of urbanization and water environment (UAWE) and explore the developm...

Total dissolved gas (TDG) supersaturation caused by the operation of hydropower stations can threaten the survival and swimming performance of fish species. Different modes of hydropower flood discharges (regular vs. intermittent) from the Dagangshan hydropower station in China were studied in July and September 2017 to study the impact of TDG supe...

As an emerging pollutant, microplastic has been demonstrated to widely cover water and sediments in marine and freshwater environments globally. Due to the differences in the regional functions of cities, the abundance and characteristics of microplastic pollution in rivers are different. Taking the Minjiang River as the research object, which flow...

Total dissolved gas (TDG) supersaturation caused by dam operations can cause fish gas bubble disease (GBD) and even fish kill. Few studies have examined the effects on pelagic species. Here, we examined the tolerance and avoidance characteristics of silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), a pelagic fish widely distributed in the Yangtze River b...

The survival of aquatic biota in different life history stages depends on food availability, water quantity and specific hydrological conditions, and is particularly susceptible in degraded rivers due to the development of hydropower or are sensitive to climate change. Habitats with limited food availability and restricted feeding opportunities can...

For shallow lakes, the water exchange process is a crucial factor that affects lake eutrophication, which can be solved by a water diversion project (WDP). However, the water exchange process in shallow lakes is complex and affected by hydrological characteristics (the water level and inflow stream) and external forcing (the wind field). It is of p...

The construction of large reservoirs results in the formation of tributary bays, and tributary bays are inevitably influenced by backwater jacking and intrusions from the main reservoir. In this paper, a typical tributary bay (Tangxi River) of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) was selected to study the hydrodynamic and environmental characteristics...

Total dissolved gas supersaturation (TDGS) caused by high dam discharge may threaten the survival of fish downstream. This study investigated the TDGS of Dadu River in the first 3 years (2016-2018) after the operation of Dagangshan hydro-power station. The effect of TDGS on endemic fish was also evaluated for the first time in this study. Schizotho...

Several superhigh dams (greater than 200 m in height) and many high dams have been built in the upper Yangtze River basin in recent years, and these dams have made total dissolved gas (TDG) supersaturation a serious environmental problem. A few studies have examined the tolerance and avoidance characteristics of rare and endemic fish in TDG‐supersa...

The swimming abilities of Spinibarbus hollandi, Siniperca chuatsi, Siniperca loona, Odontobutis sinensis and Rhinogobius giurinus were tested in this study, including induced swimming speed (Uind), critical swimming speed (Ucrit) and constant acceleration test speed (UCAT). The results showed that the Uind of the experimental fish in the Huishui Ri...

Abstract. The construction of large reservoirs results in the formation of tributary bays, and tributary bays are inevitably influenced by the backwater jacking and intrusion of the main reservoir. The hydrodynamic conditions and the environmental factors of tributary bays exhibit complex distribution characteristics and eutrophication occur freque...

The cover image is based on the Original Article In situ Study on the Impact of Total Dissolved Gas Supersaturation on Endemic Fish in the Upper Yangtze River by Yuanmig Wang et al., https://doi.org/10.1002/rra.3503.

High total dissolved gas (TDG) levels and excessive suspended sediment (SS) concentrations greatly threaten the survival of fish downstream of dams when flood discharge occurs. However, few studies have investigated the impacts of TDG and SS on fish. To evaluate the effects of TDG and SS on rock carp, juveniles were exposed to 125, 130, 135 and 140...

Two endemic fish in the upper Yangtze River, the Rock Carp (Procypris rabaudi) and Prenant's Schizothoracin (Schizothorax prenanti), were used as research objects in this study to assess the effects of total dissolved gas (TDG) supersaturation on fish of varying sizes. Fish were exposed to TDG-supersaturated water at the levels of 145, 140, 135, 13...

Total dissolved gas (TDG) supersaturation in the upper Yangtze River caused by high spill rates upstream of hydroelectric dams has become a serious environmental problem in recent years. TDG supersaturation downstream of the Xiangjiaba Dam was investigated during flood periods in 2014 and 2015. Alongside this, an in situ study was conducted to eval...

In circumstances where total dissolved gas (TDG) levels are variable, the peak TDG and duration are expected to be the dominant drivers of fish survival. Focusing on the peak TDG and duration in natural rivers, a laboratory experiment and field experiments in the upper Yangtze River were conducted with Prenant's Schizothoracin (Schizothorax prenant...

Spillway water falling from hydroelectric power plant dams in the upper Yangtze River creates a high pressure in plunge pools below the dams allowing gasses to be dissolved at high rates. The resulting supersaturation persists many miles downstream the dam which may elicit mortality in river fishes associated with gas bubble disease (GBD). We have...

This paper aims to disclose the quantitative relationship between benthic diatom biomass in natural rivers and environmental factors. For this purpose, the author selected seven natural rivers in the basin of Minjiang River as the objects. First, the samples of benthic diatoms and the environmental factors were collected from 14 different sampling...

Dam construction changes the nutrient transport of a river system. Phosphorus is an important fundamental material in the global biochemical cycle and is always a limiting factor in the primary productivity of reservoirs. Extending the study of phosphorus in reservoirs is necessary given the dam construction in southwest China. Zipingpu Reservoir w...

Total dissolved gas (TDG) supersaturation has been identified as one of the possible negative environmental effects of the construction of dams in the upper Yangtze River. Juvenile Chinese sucker and Prenant's schizothoracin fish were selected to evaluate the impact of TDG supersaturation on the swimming performance of fish in the Upper Yangtze Riv...

Hydropower development changes the temporal and spatial distribution of water temperature and causes total dissolved gas (TDG) supersaturation downstream of dams. We conducted laboratory experiments to determine the effects of TDG supersaturation on Prenant's Schizothoracin Schizothorax prenanti at varying water temperatures. The fish were exposed...

Total dissolved gas (TDG) supersaturation is becoming an increasingly serious problem in the upper Yangtze River Basin and has been identified as a potentially negative environmental effect of hydropower development and operations. Juvenile Rock Carp Procypris rabaudi and Prenant’s Schizothoracin Schizothorax prenanti dwell in the upper reaches of...

Total dissolved gas (TDG) supersaturation on the upper Yangtze River basin is becoming increasingly serious because of the intense construction of high dams, posing a threat to resident fish. The tolerance and behavior characteristics of Rock Carp Procypris rabaudi preexposed to TDG-supersaturated water were evaluated by placing juveniles (weight 6...

When water is allowed to spill over a hydroelectric dam, the intense aeration and pressure in the deep plunge‐pool produced by the high‐volume discharge generates water supersaturated with total dissolved gases (TDGs) in areas downstream from the dam, which can cause gas bubble disease (GBD) in fish and threaten their survival. Experiments were con...