Importance of artificial high flows in maintaining the ecological integrity of a regulated river.

Artificial high flows attempt to simulate natural flood pulses in flow-regulated rivers with the intent to improve their ecological integrity. The long-term use of such high flow events have shown beneficial ecological effects on various rivers globally. However, such responses are often non-linear and characterized by underlying feedback mechanisms among ecosystem components.

Tributary effects on the ecological responses of a regulated river to experimental floods.

Rivers regulated by dams display several ecosystem alterations due to modified flow and sediment regimes. Downstream from a dam, ecosystem degradation occurs because of reduced disturbance, mostly derived from limitations on flow variability and sediment supply. In the last decade, most flow restoration/dam impact mitigation was oriented towards the development of environmental flows.