Abstract: In view of the severe situation of sand excavation in Jingjiang River reach (middle of the Yangtze River) and Dongting Lake’s river network, we estimate the annual sand excavation quantity of Jingjiang River reach and Dongting Lake’s river network(mainstream of Xiangjiang River, Zijiang River, Yuanjiang River, and Lishui River) using three methods, namely, volumetric formula, conversion of cement production, and sand mining ships based on remote sensing images in this region. We also analyzed the errors of these three methods as well. Results demonstrate that the annual quantity of sand excavation in the Jingjiang River reach is around (2.6-3.0)×10⁷ t in 2015 with slight changes in the last five years; the annual quantity of sand excavation in the Dongting Lake’s river network is around 1.3×10⁸ t in 2015 with slight changes in the last three years. The estimation above is of importance to the evaluation and management of sand excavation in Jingjiang River reach and Dongting Lake region.

Key words: Jingjiang River Reach, Dongting Lake’s river network, sand excavation quantity, remote sensing images, error analysis