The Scientific Conceptual Framework for Ecological Quality of the Dryland Ecosystem: Concepts,Indicators, Monitoring and Assessment     

WU Rina  CONG Weiwei  LI Yonghua  LI Siyao  WANG Dongfang  JIA Zhiqing  WANG Feng 《资源与生态学报(英文版)》2019,10(2):196-201

The dryland ecosystem is the dominant component of the global terrestrial ecosystem since arid regions occupy 45% of the earth’s land area and feed 38% of the world's population. The stability and sustainable development of the dryland ecosystem are critical for achieving the millennium development goal (MDG) in the arid and semiarid areas. However, there is still no scientific guideline for measuring and conserving the health and productivity of dryland ecosystems. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to develop the scientific conceptual framework of defining, monitoring and evaluating the ecological quality of dryland ecosystems. The ecological quality of dryland ecosystems is represented by a system of comprehensive indicators that are each extracted from the ecological elements, and structural and functional indices of the ecosystem. These indicators can be monitored by integrating satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles with ground-based sensor networks at the scale of either observational sites or regional scales. Finally, the ecological quality can be evaluated by evaluation models based on the normalized index values and their thresholds. This paper presents a conceptual framework for monitoring and evaluating the ecological quality of drylands, which provides a way of advancing the monitoring, diagnosis, and evaluation of the ecological quality of the dryland ecosystems.  相似文献   

Water quality modeling and sensitivity analysis using Water Quality Analysis Simulation Program (WASP) in the Shenandoah River watershed     

Mbongowo J. Mbuh  Richard Mbih  Comfort Wendi 《自然地理学》2019,40(2):127-148

This study used the Water Quality Analysis Simulation Program (WASP) to simulate nutrients, dissolved oxygen (DO), and chlorophyll-a dynamics in the Shenandoah River basin and performed an uncertainty analysis to examine the complexity of these variables in water quality estimation and their influence on the Shenandoah River. Significant progress has been made; however, nutrient loads emitted into the Shenandoah River from nonpoint sources remain high. Modeling of three points on the Shenandoah River in Virginia and West Virginia provides an ideal case study since the river is classified by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality as being impaired. The results of a sensitivity test show that model error decreases with increasing model complexity and sensitivity. The model predicted DO values that tended to be close to the measured data, while total nitrogen and phosphorus tended to be overemphasized. Our results examine the importance of temperature, stream flow, and velocity in influencing water quality between seasons and levels on the different sections of the watershed.  相似文献   

Trend analysis of nutrient loadings in a large prairie catchment     

Luis Alejandro Morales-Marín  Kwok Pan Chun  Howard Simon Wheater  Karl-Erich Lindenschmidt 《水文科学杂志》2017,62(4):657-679

Nutrient loadings in many river catchments continue to increase due to rapid expansion of agriculture, urban and industrial development, and population growth. Nutrient enrichment of water bodies has intensified eutrophication which degrades water quality and ecosystem health. In this study, we carried out a trend analysis of total phosphorus and total nitrogen loads in the South Saskatchewan River (SSR) catchment using a novel approach to analyse nutrient time series. Seasonal analysis of trends at each of the water quality stations was performed to determine the relationships between annual flow regimes and nutrient loads in the catchment, in particular, the influence of the high spring runoff on nutrient export. Decadal analysis was also performed to determine the long-term relationships of nutrients with anthropogenic changes in the catchment. Although it was found that seasonal and historical variability of nutrient load trends is mainly determined by streamflow regime changes, there is evidence that increases in nitrogen concentration can also be attributed to anthropogenic changes.  相似文献   

Consumption,growth and survival of the endemic stream shredder Limnephilus atlanticus (Trichoptera,Limnephilidae) fed with distinct leaf species     

《Limnologica》2017

Oceanic freshwater communities tend to be species poor but rich in endemism due to their physical isolation. The ecology of endemic freshwater species is, however, poorly known. This study assessed allometric relationships, feeding preferences, growth and survival of larvae of the endemic stream insect Limnephilus atlanticus (Trichoptera, Limnephilidae) exposed to four leaf species differing in their physical and chemical characteristics (Ilex perado, Morella faya, Alnus glutinosa and Clethra arborea), in laboratory trials. All regression models used to estimate L. atlanticus dry mass from body and case dimensions and wet mass were significant, but wet mass and body length were the best predictors. Limnephilus atlanticus consumed all the four leaf species offered, but when given a choice, shredders significantly preferred A. glutinosa over the other three leaf species. Relative larval growth rate was significantly higher when L. atlanticus fed on A. glutinosa and I. perado leaves in comparison with the other leaf species. Survival of 95% was found when individuals fed on A. glutinosa leaves while it decreased to 75% when they fed on the other leaf species. Our results suggest that L. atlanticus can be an active shredder and that it exhibits the same basic patterns of food exploitation as its continental counterparts. The lack of an effect of shredders on litter decomposition in Azorean streams revealed by previous studies may thus be due to low densities or to a preference for food resources other than the low quality native litter species.  相似文献   

Effect of riparian land use on environmental conditions and riparian vegetation in the east African highland streams     

《Limnologica》2017

Agricultural land use is expanding and at an accelerated rate. In Ethiopia, most of this expansion has occurred in highland areas and involve deforestation of natural riparian vegetation. However, the impacts on the water quality of streams are poorly understood, especially with regard to the influence of land use patterns on highland streams. In this study, we investigated the effects of land use modifications on the water quality and riparian condition of highland streams and examined whether the preservation of riparian vegetation would help mitigate the negative impacts of intensive agriculture practices. Our results show significant differences in the water quality of streams with different land use. Several parameters commonly used to indicate water quality, such as the concentrations of orthophosphate, turbidity, and suspended solids were significantly higher in the agricultural streams than in the forest stream. The preservation of riparian vegetation in the surrounding highland streams was associated with overall better riparian condition, floristic quality, and water quality such as lower turbidity, total suspended solids, orthophosphate, and higher dissolved oxygen. We conclude, that increases in vegetation cover improved riparian condition and water quality relative to other non-vegetated areas. Therefore, we strongly recommend the preservation of riparian vegetation in tropical highland streams surrounded by intensive agriculture. More studies on the effects of best management practices in areas dominated by agriculture can greatly improve our capacity to prevent the degradation of water quality in tropical highland streams of Africa.  相似文献   

The role of baseflow in dissolved solids delivery to streams in the Upper Colorado River Basin          下载免费PDF全文

Christine A. Rumsey  Matthew P. Miller  Gregory E. Schwarz  Robert M. Hirsch  David D. Susong 《水文研究》2017,31(26):4705-4718

Salinity has a major effect on water users in the Colorado River Basin, estimated to cause almost $300 million per year in economic damages. The Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program implements and manages projects to reduce salinity loads, investing millions of dollars per year in irrigation upgrades, canal projects, and other mitigation strategies. To inform and improve mitigation efforts, there is a need to better understand sources of salinity to streams and how salinity has changed over time. This study explores salinity in the baseflow fraction of streamflow, assessing whether groundwater is a significant contributor of dissolved solids to streams in the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB). Chemical hydrograph separation was used to estimate baseflow discharge and baseflow dissolved solids loads at stream gages (n = 69) across the UCRB. On average, it is estimated that 89% of dissolved solids loads originate from the baseflow fraction of streamflow, indicating that subsurface transport processes play a dominant role in delivering dissolved solids to streams in the UCRB. A statistical trend analysis using weighted regressions on time, discharge, and season was used to evaluate changes in baseflow dissolved solids loads in streams (n = 27) from 1986 to 2011. Decreasing trends in baseflow dissolved solids loads were observed at 63% of streams. At the three most downstream sites, Green River at Green River, UT, Colorado River at Cisco, UT, and the San Juan River near Bluff, UT, baseflow dissolved solids loads decreased by a combined 823,000 metric tons (mT), which is approximately 69% of projected basin‐scale decreases in total dissolved solids loads as a result of salinity control efforts. Decreasing trends in baseflow dissolved solids loads suggest that salinity mitigation projects, landscape changes, and/or climate are reducing dissolved solids transported to streams through the subsurface. Notably, the pace and extent of decreases in baseflow dissolved solids loads declined during the most recent decade; average decreasing loads during the 2000s (28,200 mT) were only 54% of average decreasing loads in the 1990s (51,700 mT).  相似文献   

Water quality monitoring at a virtual watershed monitoring station using a modified deep extreme learning machine     

Jian Jin  Lei Li  Huan Xu  Guang Lin 《水文科学杂志》2020,65(3):415-426

ABSTRACT

A new deep extreme learning machine (ELM) model is developed to predict water temperature and conductivity at a virtual monitoring station. Based on previous research, a modified ELM auto-encoder is developed to extract more robust invariance among the water quality data. A weighted ELM that takes seasonal variation as the basis of weighting is used to predict the actual value of water quality parameters at sites which only have historical data and no longer generate new data. The performance of the proposed model is validated against the monthly data from eight monitoring stations on the Zengwen River, Taiwan (2002–2017). Based on root mean square error, mean absolute error, mean absolute percentage error and correlation coefficient, the experimental results show that the new model is better than the other classical spatial interpolation methods.  相似文献   

Multivariate adaptive regression splines for estimating riverine constituent concentrations     

Hong Huang  Xiaoliang Ji  Fang Xia  Shuhui Huang  Xu Shang  Han Chen  Minghua Zhang  Randy A. Dahlgren  Kun Mei 《水文研究》2020,34(5):1213-1227

Regression-based methods are commonly used for riverine constituent concentration/flux estimation, which is essential for guiding water quality protection practices and environmental decision making. This paper developed a multivariate adaptive regression splines model for estimating riverine constituent concentrations (MARS-EC). The process, interpretability and flexibility of the MARS-EC modelling approach, was demonstrated for total nitrogen in the Patuxent River, a major river input to Chesapeake Bay. Model accuracy and uncertainty of the MARS-EC approach was further analysed using nitrate plus nitrite datasets from eight tributary rivers to Chesapeake Bay. Results showed that the MARS-EC approach integrated the advantages of both parametric and nonparametric regression methods, and model accuracy was demonstrated to be superior to the traditionally used ESTIMATOR model. MARS-EC is flexible and allows consideration of auxiliary variables; the variables and interactions can be selected automatically. MARS-EC does not constrain concentration-predictor curves to be constant but rather is able to identify shifts in these curves from mathematical expressions and visual graphics. The MARS-EC approach provides an effective and complementary tool along with existing approaches for estimating riverine constituent concentrations.  相似文献   

Water quality data for Fall Creek,New York,USA: 1972–1995     

David R. Bouldin  Niamh O'Leary 《水文研究》2021,35(1):e13968

The 33 086 ha mixed land use Fall Creek watershed in upstate New York is part of the Great Lakes drainage system. Results from more than 3500 water samples are available in a data set that compiles flow data and measurements of various water quality analytes collected between 1972 and 1995 in all seasons and under all flow regimes in Fall Creek and its tributaries. Data is freely accessible at https://ecommons.cornell.edu/handle/1813/8148 and includes measurements of suspended solids, pH, alkalinity, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, chloride, nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N), sulphate sulphur (SO4-S), phosphorus (P) fractions molybdate reactive P (MRP) and total dissolved P (TDP), percent P in sediment, and ammonium nitrogen (NH4-N). Methods, sub-watershed areas, and coordinates for sampling sites are also included. The work represented in this data set has made important scientific contributions to understanding of hydrological and biogeochemical processes that influence loading in mixed use watersheds and that have an impact on algal productivity in receiving water bodies. In addition, the work has been foundational for important regulatory and management decisions in the region.  相似文献   

Compartmentalisation and groundwater–surface water interactions in a prospective shale gas basin: Assessment using variance analysis and multivariate statistics on water quality data     

Miles P. Wilson  Fred Worrall  Sarah A. Clancy  Chris J. Ottley  Alwyn Hart  Richard J. Davies 《水文研究》2020,34(15):3271-3294

An environmental concern with hydraulic fracturing for shale gas is the risk of groundwater and surface water contamination. Assessing this risk partly involves the identification and understanding of groundwater–surface water interactions because potentially contaminating fluids could move from one water body to the other along hydraulic pathways. In this study, we use water quality data from a prospective shale gas basin to determine: if surface water sampling could identify groundwater compartmentalisation by low-permeability faults; and if surface waters interact with groundwater in underlying bedrock formations, thereby indicating hydraulic pathways. Variance analysis showed that bedrock geology was a significant factor influencing surface water quality, indicating regional-scale groundwater–surface water interactions despite the presence of an overlying region-wide layer of superficial deposits averaging 30–40 m thickness. We propose that surface waters interact with a weathered bedrock layer through the complex distribution of glaciofluvial sands and gravels. Principal component analysis showed that surface water compositions were constrained within groundwater end-member compositions. Surface water quality data showed no relationship with groundwater compartmentalisation known to be caused by a major basin fault. Therefore, there was no chemical evidence to suggest that deeper groundwater in this particular area of the prospective basin was reaching the surface in response to compartmentalisation. Consequently, in this case compartmentalisation does not appear to increase the risk of fracking-related contaminants reaching surface waters, although this may differ under different hydrogeological scenarios.  相似文献