TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE KARA-ERTIS – URUMQI WATER CANAL: SATELLITE ESTIMATIONS

Abstract

Based on satellite data the River Kara Ertis – Urumqi water canal has been inventoried. This canal of the territorial redistribution of the runoff located in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous rayon (XUAR) of China. It is used for the water transfer from the transboundary River Kara-Ertis to the lake Manas basin, which disposed on the Dzungar plain (the internal dry territory of the XUAR). To solve research tasks were used by 28 satellite images of LANDSAT 5, 7, 8 (resolution 30 m) for the period 1999…2017 years and 50 images about 1 meter resolution (satellites: QuickBird, Ikonos, WorldView) between 2002 and 2017 years. Technical characteristics: the gravity water canal, with 5 tunnel crossings with a total length of 35,8 km; the construction period is about 8 years, from October 1999 to October 2007; length – 591 km; width from 30 to 7 meter, the altitude difference (start – end) is 206 meters, from 632 to 426 meters above sea level [Baltic System]. The canal operates from May to August, the period of maximum load: June-July. The design maximum of water canal discharge, in the transit part through the Dzosotyn Elisun sand, is estimated at 175 m³/s, actually registered at a maximum of 63 m³/s, in the bottom canal part (width is 22 m) the design maximum is reduced to 110 m³/s, actually registered at a maximum of 46 m³/s . The main canal task is watering of agricultural lands in the internal parts of the Dzungar plain. At the moment the channel is not completed, it works in a temporary scheme with a significant under load.