Impact of damming on nutrient transport and transformation in river systems: A review

Large-scale damming has emerged as a prevalent global trend, significantly impacting nutrient transport and transformation, as well as the downstream ecological environment. Nitrogen and phosphorus are fundamental elements of primary productivity in aquatic ecosystems and serve as key limiting facto...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jia-wen Gan, Xun Wang, Qiu-sheng Yuan, Xiao-lei Xing, Sheng Liu, Cheng-gong Du, Yu-ran Zheng, Yun-xin Liu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-06-01
Series:Water Science and Engineering
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674237024001017
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850233944207785984
author Jia-wen Gan
Xun Wang
Qiu-sheng Yuan
Xiao-lei Xing
Sheng Liu
Cheng-gong Du
Yu-ran Zheng
Yun-xin Liu
author_facet Jia-wen Gan
Xun Wang
Qiu-sheng Yuan
Xiao-lei Xing
Sheng Liu
Cheng-gong Du
Yu-ran Zheng
Yun-xin Liu
author_sort Jia-wen Gan
collection DOAJ
description Large-scale damming has emerged as a prevalent global trend, significantly impacting nutrient transport and transformation, as well as the downstream ecological environment. Nitrogen and phosphorus are fundamental elements of primary productivity in aquatic ecosystems and serve as key limiting factors in reservoir eutrophication. This review focuses on the impact of damming on the transport and transformation of nitrogen and phosphorus, regarding changes in nutrient concentrations, fluxes, and proportions. Spatial changes in nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations primarily occur at the inlet and outlet of reservoirs, while temporal changes often exhibit seasonal patterns. At a global scale, phosphorus is preferentially removed from reservoirs compared to nitrogen. The factors influencing the transport and transformation processes of nitrogen and phosphorus in reservoirs include the physicochemical properties of water bodies and human activities. Additionally, nitrogen dynamics are affected by reservoir age, storage capacity, and water storage regulation modes, whereas phosphorus dynamics are also influenced by hydrodynamic conditions. Finally, this review summarizes the impact of damming on the downstream ecological environment and outlines future research directions, providing theoretical support for the management of river–reservoir ecosystems and promoting the green and sustainable development of hydropower in the context of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals.
format Article
id doaj-art-b33b14ed77fc4b9081e14fe1f9b794ef
institution OA Journals
issn 1674-2370
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Water Science and Engineering
spelling doaj-art-b33b14ed77fc4b9081e14fe1f9b794ef2025-08-20T02:02:47ZengElsevierWater Science and Engineering1674-23702025-06-0118220922010.1016/j.wse.2024.11.001Impact of damming on nutrient transport and transformation in river systems: A reviewJia-wen Gan0Xun Wang1Qiu-sheng Yuan2Xiao-lei Xing3Sheng Liu4Cheng-gong Du5Yu-ran Zheng6Yun-xin Liu7Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lakes of Ministry of Education, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China; College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, ChinaKey Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lakes of Ministry of Education, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China; College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China; Corresponding author.Faculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China; Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Carbon Sequestration and Pollution Control in Soils, Kunming 650500, ChinaKey Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lakes of Ministry of Education, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China; College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, ChinaSchool of Civil Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, ChinaSchool of Life Science, Huaiyin Normal University, Huai’an 223300, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Eco-Agricultural Biotechnology Around Hongze Lake, Huai’an 223300, ChinaKey Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lakes of Ministry of Education, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China; College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, ChinaKey Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lakes of Ministry of Education, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China; College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, ChinaLarge-scale damming has emerged as a prevalent global trend, significantly impacting nutrient transport and transformation, as well as the downstream ecological environment. Nitrogen and phosphorus are fundamental elements of primary productivity in aquatic ecosystems and serve as key limiting factors in reservoir eutrophication. This review focuses on the impact of damming on the transport and transformation of nitrogen and phosphorus, regarding changes in nutrient concentrations, fluxes, and proportions. Spatial changes in nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations primarily occur at the inlet and outlet of reservoirs, while temporal changes often exhibit seasonal patterns. At a global scale, phosphorus is preferentially removed from reservoirs compared to nitrogen. The factors influencing the transport and transformation processes of nitrogen and phosphorus in reservoirs include the physicochemical properties of water bodies and human activities. Additionally, nitrogen dynamics are affected by reservoir age, storage capacity, and water storage regulation modes, whereas phosphorus dynamics are also influenced by hydrodynamic conditions. Finally, this review summarizes the impact of damming on the downstream ecological environment and outlines future research directions, providing theoretical support for the management of river–reservoir ecosystems and promoting the green and sustainable development of hydropower in the context of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674237024001017NitrogenPhosphorusTransport and transformationReservoirFactors
spellingShingle Jia-wen Gan
Xun Wang
Qiu-sheng Yuan
Xiao-lei Xing
Sheng Liu
Cheng-gong Du
Yu-ran Zheng
Yun-xin Liu
Impact of damming on nutrient transport and transformation in river systems: A review
Water Science and Engineering
Nitrogen
Phosphorus
Transport and transformation
Reservoir
Factors
title Impact of damming on nutrient transport and transformation in river systems: A review
title_full Impact of damming on nutrient transport and transformation in river systems: A review
title_fullStr Impact of damming on nutrient transport and transformation in river systems: A review
title_full_unstemmed Impact of damming on nutrient transport and transformation in river systems: A review
title_short Impact of damming on nutrient transport and transformation in river systems: A review
title_sort impact of damming on nutrient transport and transformation in river systems a review
topic Nitrogen
Phosphorus
Transport and transformation
Reservoir
Factors
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674237024001017
work_keys_str_mv AT jiawengan impactofdammingonnutrienttransportandtransformationinriversystemsareview
AT xunwang impactofdammingonnutrienttransportandtransformationinriversystemsareview
AT qiushengyuan impactofdammingonnutrienttransportandtransformationinriversystemsareview
AT xiaoleixing impactofdammingonnutrienttransportandtransformationinriversystemsareview
AT shengliu impactofdammingonnutrienttransportandtransformationinriversystemsareview
AT chenggongdu impactofdammingonnutrienttransportandtransformationinriversystemsareview
AT yuranzheng impactofdammingonnutrienttransportandtransformationinriversystemsareview
AT yunxinliu impactofdammingonnutrienttransportandtransformationinriversystemsareview