###### Abstract  
The objectives of flood control, power generation, water supply and ecology for reservoir operation are neither completely coordinated nor completely opposed, and its optimal operation and decision-making is very complicated. This study proposed a method of multi-objective optimization and multi-attribute decision making for reservoir operation (MODRO). The correlation analysis method was used to analyze the competitive relationship among the extracted objectives, and the multi-objective optimal operation model was constructed. The NSGA-II-SEABODE algorithm was applied to solve the MODRO problem. The objective extraction, model construction, optimization solution and scheme selection were coupled to form a multi-objective optimization and multi-attribute decision making method with the whole process of \"Objective-Modeling-Optimization-Selection\". Huangjinxia Reservoir, which is located in Shaanxi, China, was selected as the case study. The results show that: (1) Quantifying the degree of conflict among objectives makes the construction of the multi-objective optimal operation model more reasonable. (2) The NSGA-II-SEABODE algorithm are used to obtain the decision-making scheme, which provides decision-making basis for managers. (3) For Huangjinxia Reservoir, water diversion is negatively related to power generation and ecology, and power generation is positively related to ecology. The results can promote the efficient utilization of water resources, improve the comprehensive benefits of reservoirs, and provide decision-making support for actual reservoir operation. s +
Footnote †: journal: selected topics in Applied sciences  
1
Footnote †: journal: selected topics in Applied sciences  
1
Footnote 1: [[https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci](https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci)]([https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci](https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci))  
2022126300[[https://doi.org/10.3390/app12136300](https://doi.org/10.3390/app12136300)]([https://doi.org/10.3390/app12136300](https://doi.org/10.3390/app12136300))  
2  
2
Footnotepurpose is to obtain the decision-making scheme and provide decision support for the management department. Therefore, its essence is a multi-objective optimization and decision-making for the reservoir operation (MODRO) problem. At present, multi-objective optimization and decision-making for reservoir operation generally includes three parts: model construction, optimization solution and scheme selection. Among them, model construction is the carrier and framework system for realizing the operation objectives and constraints, which provides mathematical possibilities for seeking multi-objective optimal solutions. In recent years, most studies have focused on two-objective and three-objectives model construction, such as water supply and power generation [4, 5], power generation and ecology [6, 7], flood control and power generation [8, 9], water supply and power generation and ecology [10, 11, 12]. For the MODRO problem, there are often three possible relationships between objectives: negative correlation, positive correlation and uncorrelation. As the number of objectives increases, there may be more conflicts among objectives, and the difficulty of the problem increases. However, the existing research methods are too subjective and arbitrary for the selection of objectives, which cannot objectively reflect the correlation among objectives. For multi-objective optimization problems with three or more objectives, the results are not satisfactory. Optimization solution is a necessary means to complete functions of the model described above. At present, optimization algorithms mainly include traditional optimization algorithms and modern intelligent algorithms. Among them, traditional optimization algorithms include linear programming (LP) [13, 14], nonlinear programming (NP) [15], dynamic programming (DP) [16, 17] and large-scale system decomposition coordination (LSSDC) [18].