Abstract:

As an important river morphology, meandering channels widely exist in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Due to the complex evolution, the regulation of meandering channels had always been a hot and difficult issue for water conservancy and transportation sectors. We made a review on the evolution rules, the theories and regulation technologies of meandering channels in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River before and after the construction of the Three Gorges Reservoir. On this basis, we propose that the regulation of meandering channels should be in line with the evolution rules and trends of river regime, stabilizing favorable river regime while improving unfavorable river regime. Furthermore, we delve into the directions of future regulation: the long-term evolution trend of meandering channels under low sediment concentration and the demand for multi-objective regulation, the risk of bank collapse under the long-term scouring of near-shore riverbed and the monitoring and early warning of river channel, as well as the comprehensive regulation technology for flood control and navigation and the application of new materials for regulation.

Key words: meandering channel, channel evolution, multi-objective, river regulation technologies, middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River