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DAM-L U.S. scientists predict Three Gorges dam could alter climate (fwd)
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Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 16:59:23 -0400
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Subject: U.S. scientists predict Three Gorges dam could alter climate
THREE GORGES PROBE
April 10, 2001
(1) U.S. scientists predict Three Gorges dam could alter climate
(2) Severe drought threatens power production at China's Ertan dam
(3) 75,000 people to be relocated as part of Longtan Power
Station project
(1) U.S. scientists predict Three Gorges dam could alter climate
Apr. 3, 2001 - The American Meteorological Society (AMS)
recently released a paper stating that major development
and construction planned for China's Yangtze and Yellow
rivers, particularly the Three Gorges dam project, could significantly
alter the salt content of the Sea of Japan, possibly changing
the climate in regions near these ocean waters.
AMS said that rain and fresh water, carried into the oceans
by rivers, float on top of salty oceanic water, providing a
shield which effectively insulates the ocean from the
atmosphere above. When the shield is broken, the lack of an
insulating layer allows heat from the surface of the ocean to
move into the atmosphere above. Without the protective
shield, the water cooled by the atmosphere sinks all the way
to the bottom of the ocean, cooling the deep ocean.
The report said that the construction of the Three Gorges
dam threatens to break the fresh-water shield by obstructing
the flow of river water into the ocean, thereby altering the
salt distribution in the Sea of Japan or Japan/East Sea.
"The construction of the Three Gorges dam on the Yangtze
River -- the largest dam to be constructed on Earth -- will
divert some of the fresh Yangtze River water, which
normally finds its way to the Japan/East Sea, for agricultural
use," said Florida State University (FSU) researcher Doron
Nof. "The lack of fresh and rain water in the Sea of Japan
could break the protective barrier these waters normally
provide."
Presently, the shield in the semi-enclosed Japan/East Sea is
not broken, said Nof. However, the construction of the
Three Gorges dam on the Yangtze River threatens to break
it within a few years after construction is completed in
2010. [Link to AMS report]
(2) Severe drought threatens power production at
China's Ertan dam
Apr. 9, 2001 - China Online reports that a drought that
began in Sichuan province last October has persisted
through the autumn, winter and now spring. This is
reported to be the most severe drought seen in Sichuan
province in the past 30 years.
The extreme lack of water has seriously affected the ability
to generate power. The province has prepared its last
remaining backup coal-fueled generator for service as the
power grid strains to supply electricity.
Water sources drying up
The current water level in the Ertan Reservoir is only 8
meters (26 feet) above the dead water level - the minimum
water level needed to generate power. The power-
generating capacity of the Ertan Power Station, the major
supplier of electricity in Sichuan, will be seriously limited if
the Yalong River does not begin to flow more vigorously
within the next few days, the article said.
If the river fails to rise, power generation at the Ertan
Power Station will most likely come to a complete halt,
which would trigger a power shortfall of between 1,400
kilowatt hours and 1,500 kilowatt hours per day.
Unfortunately, while the drought dries up water and
damages power supplies, the demand for electricity in
Sichuan has surged. Sichuan's electricity-generating
capacity and supply between January and March of this year
increased by 12.61 percent over the same period last year.
The average daily consumption of electricity is nearly 100
million kilowatt hours.
A source at the Sichuan Provincial Electric Power Corp.
said that coal-fueled electric generators played a leading
role in power generation during the winter, organized under
the uniform coordination of provincial power grids.
Currently, all of Sichuan's coal-fueled power generators are
operating at full capacity. A single remaining backup
generator, with a generating capacity of 200,000 kilowatt
hours, will be brought on line soon.
The source indicated that the Sichuan Provincial Power
Corp. would ration electricity consumption if the Ertan
Reservoir "dries out" and, at the same time, the overworked
coal-fueled power generators break down due to mechanical
failure, the story said.
(3) 75,000 people to be relocated as part of Longtan Power
Station project
Apr. 6, 2001 - China Online reports that the Longtan Power
Station, to be built along Guangxi's Hongshui River, will be
second in size to the Three Gorges dam but require far
fewer people to be relocated. [Link to full story]
- END -
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