The Comprehensive Use of Three Gorges Reservoir under the Environmental Change of Yangtze River Basin

The Three Gorges Reservoir is the key project of the development and utilization of water resources in the Yangtze River, which has huge comprehensive benefits such as flood control, power generation, shipping and water supply etc. In recent years, due to the reservoir construction and climate change in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, the hydrological conditions of the main tributaries of the upper basin have changed greatly. At the same time, the Yangtze River shipping guarantee, power grid security, downstream water supply, sediment reduction, ecological protection of the watershed and emergency events put forward higher requirements for the optimal dispatch of the Three Gorges Reservoir. This paper summarizes the influence of the changing conditions of the Yangtze river basin and its new demands in recent period from the aspects of meteorology, hydrology, human activities, environment. also introduces the practical cases of comprehensive operation of the Three Gorges Reservoir in flood control, power grid security, silt reduction, shipping optimization dispatching, and emergency support.