Water level fluctuation (WLF) in shallow lakes in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River has been a concern of many researchers. This work aims to investigate the effects of climate change and regulation of floodgates and the Three Gorges Dam (TGD) on WLF and lake volume in Huayang Lakes during the past 52 years. The results revealed that precipitation is the dominant factor that leads to seasonal variation of lake levels, whereas regulation of floodgates and TGD are the key drivers of hydrology regime change in the past 20 years. Natural lake regime has higher water level when there is more precipitation and less lake volume. Floodgates and TGD regulations have changed this pattern since 2003, causing less difference in water level in spite of more precipitation and lake recession. Under the combined impacts of floodgates and TGD regulations, Huayang Lakes have experienced a prolonged outflow time since 2003 and the contribution rate caused by the floodgates and TGD regulations has increased by 19.90%. Additionally, the water level of Huayang Lakes decreased by approximately 0.3~0.5 m from September to November, but it showed no alteration from January to March in the past two decades. This indicated that floodgate regulations used for agricultural irrigation and fishery culture dominate the hydrology regime in winter and early spring. This study is beneficial for aquatic ecosystem protection in floodgate-controlled lakes under the circumstance of climate change and vigorous anthropology activities.

Understanding the spatial distribution and pollution characteristics of heavy metals in lake sediment is crucial for studying deposition and migration processes, assessing lake conditions, and determining the extent of remediation dredging. The present work is a case study of heavy metal pollution in Shitang Lake in Anhui province, China. Heavy metal concentrations were determined in sediment at locations across the lake to a depth of 100 cm, and pollution levels were assessed on the basis of the Geoaccumulation Index (Igeo) and Potential Ecological Risk Index (RI). Hg and Cd were the predominant heavy metals in the sediment, and the Igeo and RI indicated high pollution levels in the northern and southern zones of the lake. These findings can be used to guide the prioritization of dredging operations.

Sediment resuspension induces endogenous nutrient release in shallow lakes, which has been demonstrated to be associated with eutrophication. In addition to natural wind-driven resuspension, navigable shallow lakes (such as Lake Taihu, China) also experience resuspension from human activities, such as ship waves. Both processes determine the intensity, frequency, and duration of sediment resuspension, and may consequently affect the pattern of cyanobacteria blooms in the lake. In this study, acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV), Optical Backscatter Sensor (OBS), and temperature wave tide gauge (instrument model :RBR duo TD|wave) were placed in an observation platform in the lake to obtain high-frequency flow velocities, suspended sediment concentration (SSC), and wave parameters before, during, and after a cargo ship passed by. We found that the ship wave disturbance intensity is greatly influenced by the draft depth. The movement generated by ship disturbance is primarily horizontal rather than vertical. Compared with the wind-induced wave, the disturbance caused by the ship waves has a high intensity, short duration, and narrow range of influence. The maximum total shear stress under ship disturbance can reach 9~90 times the critical shear stress under a natural state. Therefore, the effect of ship waves on sediment resuspension near the channel of Lake Taihu is much greater than that of wind-induced waves. These findings represent an important step towards understanding the quantitative relationship between ship wave disturbance and sediment resuspension, and lay the foundation for future research in order to understand and control the eutrophication of shallow lakes.