Geomorphic effects of rural-to-urban land use conversion on three streams in the Central Redbed Plains of Oklahoma

This research evaluates the impact of rural-to-urban land use conversion on channel morphology and riparian vegetation for three streams in the Central Redbed Plains geomorphic province (central Great Plains ecoregion) of Oklahoma. The Deep Fork Creek watershed is largely urbanized; the Skeleton Creek watershed is largely rural; and the Stillwater Creek watershed is experiencing a rapid transition from rural to urban land cover. Each channel was divided into reaches based on tributary junctions, sinuosity, and slope. Field surveys were conducted at transects in a total of 90 reaches, including measurements of channel units, channel cross-section at bankfull stage, and riparian vegetation. Historical aerial photographs were available for only Stillwater Creek watershed, which were used to document land cover in this watershed, especially changes in the extent of urban areas (impervious cover).The three streams have very low gradients (< 0.001), width-to-depth ratios < 10, and cohesive channel banks, but have incised into red Permian shales and sandstone. The riparian vegetation is dominated by cottonwoods, ash, and elm trees that provide a dense root mat on stream banks where the riparian vegetation is intact. Channels increased in width and depth in the downstream direction as is normally expected, but the substrate materials and channel units remained unchanged. Statistical analyses demonstrated that urbanization did not explain spatial patterns of changes in any variables. These three channels in the central Redbed Plains are responding as flumes during peak flows, funneling runoff and the wash-load sediment downstream in major runoff events without any effect on channel dimensions. Therefore, local geological conditions (similar bedrock, cohesive substrates and similar riparian vegetation) are mitigating the effects of urbanization.     

Effects of dam operation and land use on stream channel morphology and riparian vegetation

Dams are well known for influencing channel and vegetation dynamics downstream, but little work has focused on distinguishing effects of land use and channel responses to the impoundment. In this paper, we examined interacting effects of a dam and land use on downstream changes in channel morphology and riparian vegetation along an agricultural stream system in northern California. Measurements of planform channel morphology, vegetation area, and land use were mapped along multiple stream segments based on a chronological sequence of historical aerial photographs over a 34-yr period prior to operation of the dam in 1983 and over a 17-yr period after dam operation, and compared to a nearby, undammed reference stream. A two-factor analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to examine the effect of the dam on changes in bankfull area, stream length, and riparian vegetation area while accounting for the effect of land use and distance downstream. The dammed stream's bankfull area contracted 94% after dam operation. Prior to dam operation, bankfull area decreased when land use area increased, but not after operation of the dam. Stream length varied 64% less after dam operation as a consequence of less frequent episodic channel migration and entrenchment. The area of riparian vegetation was decreasing during the pre-dam period, but then increased 72% after operation of the dam. Across time periods, decreases in the area of riparian vegetation were also associated with increases in land use area in both the dammed and reference stream. After operation of the dam, reduced peak discharges and sediment reduction likely lead to channel incision and constrained channel migration, which allowed vegetation to increase 50% on less accessible, abandoned banks. Rating curve and hydraulic exponent analyses based on stream gauge measurements corroborate statistical analyses of the mapped changes. In conclusion, we found that operation of the dam and land use patterns together influenced spatial and temporal changes in channel morphology and riparian vegetation. Use of a nearby undammed reference stream in conjunction with multivariable analysis of spatially and temporally replicated observations provided an effective framework for unraveling interacting effects of dams and land use activities on stream channel and vegetation dynamics.     

Water balance and vegetation change in the Sahel: A case study at the watershed scale with an eco-hydrological model

The Sahel, a semiarid area set in a fragile context, has been undergoing dramatic climate and land-use changes since the middle of the 20th century. The effects of these changes on the water cycle are analyzed using a coupled eco-hydrological model at the scale of a small representative catchment. Three land cover situations, corresponding to the 1950, 1975, and 1992 states, are simulated with two contrasted rain seasons, to produce the respective and combined effects of these two factors on the catchment water balance. The latter is largely dominated by rain-season evapotranspiration, representing some 60–65% of annual rainfall for the wet year in the three land use situations, but over 85% for the dry year. In absolute terms, evapotranspiration appears more sensitive to land-use changes than to the climate, but with variations that remain below 10%. These evapotranspiration figures are corroborated by field observations. Relative runoff sensitivity is much higher, nearly in the same 1.5:1 ratio as the annual rainfall for the climate effect, and with an increase by a factor of about 2.6 for the land-use effect. Confronting long-term runoff and water table dynamics evidences a direct linkage between these two processes.     

The morphology and hydrology of small spring-dominated channels

Small, low order channels located in wet meadows along the Mogollon Rim of northern Arizona that receive the bulk of their flow from spring discharge exhibit a morphology that differs markedly from channels that receive the bulk of their flow from runoff. These small, spring-dominated channels generally have dense vegetation cover, vertical (or near vertical) banks with flat channel beds that are armored with clasts up to 60 mm. Clasts armoring the spring-dominated channels become mobile at 45 to 85% of the bankfull depth. The lack of fine-grained material in the bed of the spring-dominated channels reflects the small drainage size, lack of fine grain input from the spring, and winnowing affect of the consistent discharge. Minor amounts of large woody debris were present in some of the spring-dominated channels, however, unlike previous studies it does not appear to play a role in the spring-dominated channel morphology. Sinuosity values for spring-dominated channels averaged 1.19, while the average sinuosity values for the runoff-dominated channels, 1.08, were significantly lower. Measured width-to-depth ratios averaged 2.4 in the spring-dominated channels, much lower than the average ratio of 11.6 found for the runoff-dominated channels. The standard deviation of width-to-depth ratios was higher for runoff-dominated channels, reflecting a more variable channel profile. A third channel type, here referred to as hybrid channels, receive significant flow from both springs and runoff. These channels have characteristics that fall between spring-dominated and runoff-dominated channels.Elevation, gradient, organic matter content, and sediment grain size distribution of the wet meadows in which the channels are formed do not exhibit significant differences between channel types, suggesting that these factors are not responsible for the observed differences in channel morphologies. The major differences in controls on the channel morphology found between the spring-dominated and runoff-dominated channels are the discharge regime and the sediment input. The hydrology unique to the spring-dominated channels and the lack of fine-grained sediment input combine to create the observed differences.     

Response of bankfull discharge to discharge and sediment load in the Lower Yellow River

This paper presents a study on the response of bankfull discharge to incoming discharge and sediment load based on long-term hydrological and bankfull discharge data measured on the lower reaches of the Yellow River. The analysis indicated that the bankfull discharge was a function of the preceding 5 to 6 years' flow regimes, revealing that bankfull channel dimensions were a result of the accumulative effect of several consecutive years' flow discharge and sediment load conditions. In other words, the mean relaxation time was about 5 to 6 years for channel adjustment. Theoretical methods for the prediction of bankfull discharge were developed, in which the response time or the relaxation time was fully considered. Testing of the methods using data observed at five hydrologic stations in the lower reaches of the Yellow River from 1960 to 2003 showed that the proposed methods can predict the variation of bankfull discharge in response to changes in the incoming discharge and sediment load. The proposed methods hold promise for predicting the magnitude and trend of channel response to other rivers undergoing aggradation or degradation from changes in hydrologic or sediment regime.     

Increases in fire risk due to warmer summer temperatures and wildland urban interface changes do not necessarily lead to more fires

Forest fire frequency in Mediterranean countries is expected to increase with land cover and climate changes as temperatures rise and rainfall patterns are altered. Although the cause of many Mediterranean fires remains poorly defined, most fires are of anthropogenic origin and are located in the wildland urban interface (WUI), so fire ignition risk depends on both weather and land cover characteristics. The objectives of this study were to quantify the overall trends in forest fire risk in the WUI of the Alpes-Maritimes department in SE France over a period of almost 50 years (about 1960–2009) and relate these to changes in land cover and temperature changes. Land cover for two contrasting reference catchments (236 km² and 289 km², respectively) was mapped from available aerial photographs. Changes in fire risk over time were estimated using statistical relationships defined for each type of WUI, where isolated and scattered housing present a greater risk than dense and very dense housing. Summer monthly temperatures and spring and summer precipitation were quantified over the same temporal period as land cover. Finally, trends in fire frequency and burned area were analyzed over a shorter 37 year period (1973–2009) due to the lack of available fire data before 1973. Fire risk associated with WUI expansion increased by about 18%–80% over the 1960–2009 period (depending on the catchment). Similarly, mean summer minimum and maximum monthly temperatures increased by 1.8 °C and 1.4 °C, respectively, over the same period. Summer rainfall appears to decrease over time since about the 1970's but remains highly variable. Land cover and weather changes both suggest an overall increase in fire risk. However, the number of fires and burned area have decreased significantly since about 1990. This paradoxical result is due to a change in fire-fighting strategy which reinforced the systematic extinction of fires in their early stages. Technical support in the form of improved radio communication and helicopters contributed greatly to reducing fire frequency and burned area. Surveillance and legal reforms included the introduction of field patrols and restricted access to forests during high risk periods. Although this has proven highly successful in the short term, the risk of fuel load accumulation over time remains a risk which might contribute to the development of mega-fires in extreme climatic conditions in the future.     

Common features and different trajectories of land cover changes in six Western Mediterranean urban regions

Land use and land cover change (LULCC) dynamics have been particularly strong in the Mediterranean region, due to its historical development and to agro-pedoclimatic conditions favorable to human settlement. This area has undergone in the 1950s and the 1980s intense urbanization processes that has followed different trajectories. Urban expansion commonly occurs at the expense of agricultural land, leading to the fragmentation of natural areas and conflicts over access to land resources. These dynamics mainly concern the fringe between urban and agricultural land, e.g. the peri-urban areas usually included within functional urban regions. Here, to identify common features of LULCC in Western Mediterranean urban regions, we investigated two main features: direct changes due to urbanization and indirect changes affecting non-artificial land uses. We compared LULCC dynamics in 6 case studies from the north and south of the Western Mediterranean region: the urban regions of Montpellier and Avignon (France), Pisa (Italy), Madrid (Spain), Meknes (Morocco), and Constantine (Algeria), using a 30-year multitemporal spatial analysis (1980–2010). Two series of Landsat TM images were acquired for each case study and land cover data were analyzed both for dynamics and for land patterns, using landscape and class metrics. We found no significant north-south differences in LULCC dynamics between the investigated Western Mediterranean urban regions. Differences are more pronounced between small–medium cities and large metropolitan areas in type of urban diffusion, which is more sprawled in small–medium cities and more compact in large metropolitan areas. Rather, differences occur in LULCC not directly affected by urbanization, since in Northern Mediterranean urban regions afforestation and abandonment of agricultural areas are prevalent and closer to the urban areas, whereas transformation of natural areas into agricultural ones occurs mainly in Southern Mediterranean urban regions at a similar distance from urban areas than it happens for afforested or abandoned areas. In attempting for the first time to assess LULCC in these Mediterranean urban regions, we provide a preliminary comprehensive analysis that can contribute to the active LULCC research in the Mediterranean basin and that can be easily applied to other Mediterranean urban regions.     

River channel response to short-term human-induced change in landscape connectivity in Andean ecosystems

The drainage basin of the Deleg River (88 km²), located in the southern Ecuadorian Andes, was studied to assess the geomorphic and hydrologic response of a fluvial system to human-induced environmental change in its contributing area. Historical data on land use, channel morphology and sedimentology were collected, based on a spatial analysis of aerial photographs (1963–1995) and a field survey (2002). Analysis of channel cross-sectional profiles and sedimentological data revealed a major change in morphology and sedimentology of the Deleg River during the past four decades: (i) the active river channel narrowed by over 45%, (ii) the riverbed incised on average by over 1.0 m and (iii) the median grain size of the bed surface decreased from 13.2 cm to 4.7 cm. The spatial pattern of land cover within the Deleg catchment also changed considerably: highly degraded agricultural land in the low-lying areas was abandoned and partially afforested for timber and wood production, whereas secondary upland forest was increasingly cleared for expansion of cropland and pastures. Notwithstanding large changes in the spatial organization of land use within the catchment, the overall land use did not change significantly during the past four decades. This suggests that the response of the Deleg River to land-use change not only depends on the overall land-use change, but also on the spatial pattern of land-use/cover change within the catchment. Although forestation and regeneration of bare gully slopes and floors throughout the catchment only represented a minor part of the total land-use change, these land-use/cover changes had a major impact on the hydrological and sediment connectivity in the landscape.     

Channel width–flow discharge relationships for rills and gullies

Research conducted during the first half of the last century has shown that a strong power relationship exists between channel width and total flow discharge in streams. Recent studies have shown that this power relationship can be theoretically derived for bankfull discharge in channels. The relationship has been extended empirically to rills and gullies, revealing that the discharge exponent for rills and gullies is significantly smaller than that for rivers. However, water flow in rills and gullies is only rarely bankfull, indicating that the theoretical explanation for the power relationship found for rivers does not apply to rills and gullies. In order to investigate the width−discharge relationships for rills and gullies, a new method is proposed based on field measurements of widths of concentrated-flow erosion channels both upstream and downstream of channel junctions. Although the method only allows the determination of the exponent of the power relationship, it is easy and inexpensive to apply. A total of 322 rill and gully channel junctions with various soils and land use types were investigated in Belgium, Italy and Spain. The obtained data confirmed the existence of the power relationship for rills and gullies, with the exponent varying from 0.43 for small rills (about 3 cm in width) to 0.5 for gullies (about 50 to 100 cm in width). The data did not allow deciding whether the exponent varies consistently with channel width or in a step-wise fashion. The exponent values obtained in this study are larger than those reported in previous studies, but this may result from differences in the definition of the discharge that eroded the channel to its current width.     

黄河下游河道泥沙存贮-释放及其临界条件

确定了黄河下游河道处于泥沙存贮-释放临界状态的水沙临界条件。当场次洪水平均含沙量小于31.68 kg/m³,或者来自中游多沙粗沙区场次洪水来沙量小于4 543×10⁴ t,下游河道将由泥沙存贮状态变为泥沙释放状态。当河口镇以上清水区径流占场次洪水总径流量比率大于0.70时,也会由泥沙存贮状态变为泥沙释放状态。场次洪水泥沙输移比随洪水平均流量的增到而增大,流量为4 000 m³/s(相当于平滩流量)时达到峰值,此后有所减少。这表明,平滩流量时泥沙存贮最少,低于平滩流量和高于平滩流量时泥沙存贮均增大。     

Geologically constrained changes to landforms caused by human activities in the 20th century: A case study from Fukuoka Prefecture,Japan

Human activity has been recognized to be an important geomorphic agent, and the resulting changes to landforms and land cover are regarded as a global problem. Although there has been much research into the relationships between geomorphic processes and types of land use such as agriculture, mining, and urbanization, it is important to clarify spatiotemporal human impacts on topography on a regional scale when predicting future changes in land cover.This study examined changes in land use to clarify the distribution and impact of anthropogenic changes to landforms, as well as the influence of geology on the extent of these changes. In a case study from Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, changes in land use over the last century were analyzed using a geographic information system (GIS). The study area, which covers approximately 4930 km², has experienced urban development since 1950 and has a current population of over 5 million. Land use data were prepared using paper-based early editions of topographic maps. Subsequently, the distribution of anthropogenic landforms was evaluated by comparing landforms with regional geological data.GIS analysis using our prepared land use data, landform data, and regional geological data has clarified the following characteristics of the study area. (1) Land uses prior to 1950 were constrained by topographic relief. After 1950, land use was characterized by urban sprawl. Urban areas expanded and contained both higher elevations and steeper slopes at their margins. The relationships between land uses and landforms during this urbanization are unclear. (2) The area of urban land increased in the geological regions with Paleogene sedimentary rocks (PSD) and Mesozoic granitic rocks (GR) during the 20th century. The largest coal mining area in Japan was located in the PSD geological regions, and ancient iron working was common in the GR geological regions, particularly during the 7th century. This result indicates that the land use distribution, especially urban areas in sloping terrain, is related to the regional geology. (3) Deforestation related to land use resulted in steeper terrain in forest land in the PSD and GR geological regions. These changes to landforms in forest areas occurred as a result of rapid urban sprawl and have created many new boundaries between forest areas with steeper slopes and urban areas with gentler slopes. This phenomenon may have caused an increase in the frequency of sediment-related disasters.This case study indicates that predictions of anthropogenic changes to landform, which are important for the assessment of global climate change and natural hazards, must clarify the relationships between land uses, landforms, and regional geology.     

Assessment of land degradation in Mediterranean forests and grazing lands using a landscape unit approach and the normalized difference vegetation index

Land managers need sound, evidence-based information about land degradation patterns and about the effectiveness of their management responses. Obtaining such information is particularly difficult in Mediterranean grazing lands and forests, where a long history of anthropogenic pressure, high topographical and climatic variability, and frequent disturbances combine to create a highly diverse and unstable environment.Our study aimed at designing a methodology to provide land managers in three data-scarce drylands in Spain, Greece, and Cyprus with spatially explicit, up-to-date information on the state of their land, the pressures driving land degradation, and the effectiveness of their management efforts using remotely sensed NDVI data. To translate NDVI values into a land degradation assessment, we analysed the variance of the annual average NDVI within different landscape units, which we identified based on land cover, aspect, and slope steepness parameters. After calibrating and validating the land degradation mapping methodology using field observations, we related the obtained land degradation patterns with spatial information about grazing and wildfire, as well as controlled grazing and afforestation practices.Our methodology proved useful to assess land degradation and management measures in dry, semi-natural ecosystems. It also provided insights into the role of landscape in modulating land degradation. Results indicate that grazing is a significant cause of land degradation even in partially abandoned areas; repeated fires have a negative impact; slope steepness increases the land's sensitivity to grazing; north- and east-facing slopes are less sensitive to fire in the long term than south- and west-facing slopes; and the effectiveness of responses to land degradation is substantially affected by land cover and topography.The methodology presented can be used to overcome the lack of spatially explicit information on the state of the land in drylands of the Mediterranean and beyond, or as a basis for more in-depth studies to plan restoration interventions.     

A geographical approach to post-flood analysis: The extreme flood event of 12 October 2007 in Calpe (Spain)

The study demonstrates the importance, in general, of adopting a geographical (integral) approach and local analysis to determine flood risk in small Mediterranean basins, where normally there is no surface runoff. At the same time, it highlights the possibilities afforded by a post-flood study. More specifically, the study seeks to identify the factors that aggravated the impact of the extreme flood event in the tourist town of Calpe (Alicante, Spain) on 12 October 2007.Our results stress the high volume of discharge that can be generated by small basins in the Mediterranean following intense rainfall events that may exceed 200 mm/day. For the 4.6 km² drainage network studied here, we calculate a maximum discharge of 143 m³/s, for a return period of 500 years. This natural risk (high potential discharge in what are usually dry basins) is exacerbated by the socio-economic transformations that have taken place along the Mediterranean coast. The expansion of urban land use has increased vulnerability to flooding in highly attractive tourist zones that are now at high risk of flooding. The municipal area recognised as presenting a class “2” qualitative vulnerability (on a scale from 1 to 6, where 1 is the most vulnerable) rose from 1% to 34% between 1956 and 2002. Changes to the basins and the traditional drainage systems in endorheic zones have also increased vulnerability to flood events. For example, the area occupied by the mouth of the main basin analysed here has fallen from 2.4 ha in 1956 to just 0.7 ha in 2002.The study’s main conclusions point to the need to introduce hydrological monitoring networks in small drainage systems in ephemeral river basins. It also stresses the importance of implementing structural actions to facilitate surface runoff discharge. In the mid-to-long term we conclude that there should be a declassification of urban land use zones at high risk of flooding. Moreover, detailed (local) studies which adopt an integral approach in their post-flood analyses should be undertaken to identify levels of flood risk and the appropriate land use regulations required.     

In-stream wetlands and their significance for channel filling and the catchment sediment budget, Jugiong Creek, New South Wales

Evidence is presented here of recent and extensive infilling of the incised channel network of the Jugiong Creek catchment, SE Australia. The present channel network resulted from widespread stream and gully incision in the period between 1880 and 1920. Our survey shows that gully floors have been colonised extensively by emergent macrophyte vegetation since before 1944, forming continuous, dense, in-stream wetlands, which now cover 25% of the channel network in the 2175 km² catchment and have so far trapped almost 2,000,000 t of nutrient-enriched, fine sediments. This mass of sediments represents the equivalent of 4.7 years of annual sediment production across the catchment and in some tributaries, more than 20 years of annual yield is stored within in-stream wetlands.Previous work on the late Quaternary stratigraphy of the region has shown that there were repeated phases of channel incision in the past following which the channels quickly stabilised by natural means and then filled with fine-grained sediment to the point of channel extinction, creating unchannelled swampy valley floors. The current formation and spread of in-stream wetlands is interpreted to be the onset of the next infill phase but it is not known whether present conditions will allow complete channel filling and reformation of the pre-existing swampy valley floors. Nevertheless, further spread of in-stream wetlands is likely to increase the sediment trapping capacity and further reduce the discharge of sediments and nutrients into the Murrumbidgee River. The in-stream wetlands may provide a significant capacity to buffer erosion from gullied catchments of considerable size (up to 300 km²) as an adjunct to current riparian management options. They may also assist the recovery of sediment-impacted channels downstream.     

Environmental changes in the central Po Plain (northern Italy) due to fluvial modifications and anthropogenic activities

The fluvial environment of the central Po Plain, the largest plain in Italy, is discussed in this paper. Bounded by the mountain chains of the Alps and the Apennines, this plain is a link between the Mediterranean environment and the cultural and continental influences of both western and eastern Europe. In the past decades, economic development has been responsible for many changes in the fluvial environment of the area.This paper discusses the changes in fluvial dynamics that started from Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene due to distinct climatic changes. The discussion is based on geomorphological, pedological, and archaeological evidences and radiocarbon dating.In the northern foothills, Late Pleistocene palaeochannels indicate several cases of underfit streams among the northern tributaries of the River Po. On the other hand, on the southern side of the Po Plain, no geomorphological evidence of similar discharge reduction has been found. Here, stratigraphic sections, together with archaeological remains buried under the fluvial deposits, show a reduction in the size of fluvial sediments after the 10th millennium BC. During the Holocene, fluvial sedimentation became finer, and was characterised by minor fluctuations in the rate of deposition, probably related to short and less intense climatic fluctuations.Given the high rate of population growth and the development of human activities since the Neolithic Age, human influence on fluvial dynamics, especially since the Roman Age, prevailed over other factors (i.e., climate, tectonics, vegetation, etc.). During the Holocene, the most important changes in the Po Plain were not modifications in water discharge but in sediment. From the 1st to 3rd Century AD, land grants to war veterans caused almost complete deforestation, generalised soil erosion, and maximum progradation of the River Po delta. At present, land abandonment in the mountainous region has led to reafforestation. Artificial channel control in the mountain sector of the basins and in-channel gravel extraction (now illegal but very intense in the 1960s and 1970s) are causing erosion along the rivers and along large sectors of the Adriatic coast. These changes are comparable with those occurring in basins of other Mediterranean rivers.     

Relationships between land-use and forced-pool characteristics in the Colorado Front Range

Land use practices in Colorado during the last two centuries altered the supply of sediment and water to many channels in the upper South Platte Basin. As a result of increased supply of sediment and mobility and reduced peak flows, the characteristics of pools associated with channel constrictions, referred to as forced pools, may have been altered. Increased supply of sediment and reduced transport capacity of high flows could lead to aggradation in forced pools. Channel confined by road corridors could lead to high velocities at normal flows, increased energy dissipation from riprap, or even increased pool frequency resulting from failed riprap. To assess potential alterations, four hypotheses were tested: (1) impacted streams will show significantly different mean volume of pools than a control stream; (2) mean volume of pools on streams where land-use activities increased the supply of sediment will be significantly different from streams solely affected by flow regulation; (3) the strongest change in characteristics of pools of impacted streams will be a reduced volume of pools; (4) streams affected by road corridors will show statistically lower spacing of pools than streams unaffected by roads. The downstream spacing and residual volume of twenty consecutive forced pools were surveyed on five streams in the Colorado Front Range that varied from no contemporary impact to multiple historical and contemporary impacts. ANCOVA with stepwise model selection indicated that degree of land-use (categorical), bankfull spacing of pools, upstream riffle slope and expansion ratio were all significant (α = 0.1) predictors of volume of pools (R² = 0.73). Simple linear regression of mean volume of pools and stream specific variables (gradient, drainage area and discharge) and least square means comparison of mean volume of pools indicated a need to standardize volumes of pools by slope and discharge so that the volumes of pools could be compared among different levels of land-use. Significant correlations between drainage area and volume of pools allowed volume of pools to be standardized by drainage area and thereby discharge. This dimensionless variable was also significantly correlated with channel slope, which permitted the construction of a new variable, PV_QS (volume of pools standardized by discharge and slope). Least square means comparison of mean PV_QS revealed that the control reach was significantly different from road-impacted reaches. Mean volume of pools was significantly larger in the control reach compared to all but one road-impacted stream. This was likely a function of higher wood loading in the control reach and the competence of high flows in the road-impacted reach. Streams affected by road corridors did not have significantly different bankfull spacing of pools from streams not impacted by roads. The multiple interactions among control and response variables explored in this study indicate the need to identify the most constrained and sensitive response variables when attempting to assess channel response to land use.     

伊犁河跨界流域土地利用变化特征分析

土地利用变化引发的水资源问题往往成为跨界流域各国矛盾的焦点,如何充分考虑跨界流域的特殊性和复杂性,对土地利用变化研究提出了新的要求。本文利用 MODIS产品提取了伊犁河流域2001-2009年土地利用数据,划分流域的产水/耗水区,结合流域跨界特点分析其土地利用变化特征。研究时段内,伊犁河流域土地利用以农田和天然植被为主,农田总面积有所下降,天然植被面积基本稳定。其中上中游产水区林地出现萎缩,草地面积增幅较大;中游水库耗水区内农田大幅度转化为天然植被;下游三角洲耗水区土地利用开发受限,人类干预程度下降。产流区内中国农田面积相对境外持续增加,而天然植被面积相对境外则持续缩小。受制度影响,哈萨克斯坦境内土地利用变化波动明显,中国境内土地利用变化幅度相对稳定。     

Lake evolution and its implication for environ-mental changes in China during 1950?2000

Lakes in China have undergone considerable environmental changes during the past 50 years, e.g. lake level, water area changes, as did in the past several thousands years. The enhanced human activities, such as land reclamation, application of chemical fertilizer, land use and cover, irrigation and industrialization in the catchment etc., have played an im-portant role on the recent decades’ changes of these lakes, although constrained to a great extent by the natural impact. Comparative study on variations of lake volume (water level, depth and area) in the eastern and western lake regions of China during 1950–2000 indicated that, lake volume in the eastern region had approximately undergone a two-stage change, i.e. a dramatic decrease from the 1950s to 1970s, and a continuous increase between the 1980s and 1990s; while, in the western region, lake volume had been decreasing nearly all the time. Further studies on some typical lakes concluded that, climatic change was a primary factor for the variations of lake volume during the past 50 years, although human activities showed important effect.     

Framing realistic river rehabilitation targets in light of altered sediment supply and transport relationships: lessons from East Gippsland, Australia

Since European settlement, the Cann River in East Gippsland, Victoria has experienced a 700% increase in channel capacity, a 150-fold increase in the rate of lateral channel migration, a 45-fold increase in bankfull discharge and a 860-fold increase in annual sediment load. Over the last century, and primarily the last 40 years, channel incision has removed the equivalent of around 1500 years of floodplain deposition. A numerical floodplain evolution model is presented which suggests that under a best case scenario, infilling the incised channel trench will take 31,000 years and this is predicated on the full recovery of the immediate riparian vegetation and the in-channel loading of woody debris. The asymmetry in the recovery time following rapid channel change, compared with the original deposition of the material, is explained by a combination of the sediment-starved character of the catchment and the altered hydraulic conditions within the channel, principally associated with the role of woody debris. These factors have major implications for geomorphic recovery potential, constraining what can be realistically achieved in river rehabilitation.     

Influence of vertical channel change associated with wood accumulations on delineating channel migration zones, Washington, USA

We combine hydraulic modeling and field investigations of logjams to evaluate linkages between wood-mediated fluctuations in channel-bed-and water-surface elevations and the potential for lateral channel migration in forest rivers of Washington state. In the eleven unconfined rivers we investigated, logjams were associated with reduced channel gradient and bank height. Detailed river gauging and hydraulic modeling document significant increases in the water-surface elevation upstream of channel-spanning wood accumulations. Logjams initiated lateral channel migration by increasing bed-or water-surface elevations above adjacent banks. Because the potential for a channel to avulse and migrate across its floodplain increases with the size and volume of instream wood, the area of the valley bottom potentially occupied by a channel over a specified timeframe — the channel migration zone (CMZ) — is dependent on the state of riparian forests. The return of riparian forests afforded by current land management practices will increase the volume and caliber of wood entering Washington rivers to a degree unprecedented since widespread clearing of wood from forests and rivers nearly 150 years ago. A greater supply of wood from maturing riparian forests will increase the frequency and spatial extent of channel migration relative to observations from wood-poor channels in the period of post-European settlement. We propose conceptual guidelines for the delineation of the CMZs that include allowances for vertical fluctuations in channel elevation caused by accumulations of large woody debris.