Desert riparian vegetation and groundwater in the lower reaches of the Tarim River basin

The Green Corridor in the lower reaches of Tarim River in northwestern China has an extreme hot and dry climate. Vegetation here, consisting of arbor, shrub and grass, relies on groundwater exceedingly. However, the increasing anthropogenic activities of large-scale agricultural reclamation and unreasonable water utilization in the upper and middle reaches caused the 321-km riverway in the lower reaches to dry up completely in 1972 and resulted in the sharp decline of groundwater, followed by the ruin of desert riparian vegetation on a large scale. The Green Corridor is on the verge of shrinking. Water has a key role in maintaining ecological balance and socioeconomic development. This paper, focused on the relationship between vegetation and groundwater, discusses (1) the change of groundwater table caused by the ecological water delivery carried out in the lower reaches of Tarim River; (2) the appropriate groundwater depth meeting the vegetation’s survival; (3) the minimum ecological flux and ecological water requirement for the growth of natural vegetation. It was shown that (1) based on the analysis of the monitoring data from the groundwater level of ten times water delivery, such an extensive artificial watering takes positive effect on raising the groundwater level along the two sides of the river; (2) a groundwater table depth of 2–4 m is probably the appropriate ecological water table level for the lower reaches of the Tarim River, and 6 m is the threshold for the local vegetation; (3) at the lower Tarim River, 1.157 × 10⁸ m³ of water flow is needed for itself. The longer the duration of water releases, the greater would be the groundwater rise and the larger the range of vegetation influenced. It was found that the duration and volume of water delivery was closely related to restoration of vegetation in the lower reaches of the Tarim River. The goal of this paper is to offer scientific evidences for water delivery in the rigorous areas to maintain an ecological balance.     

黑河干流拟建水利工程对下游生态环境的影响分析

依据典型年份实际调查资料和以往研究成果, 采用地下水均衡方法, 定量对比分析了黑河拟建水利工程对下游地区地下水资源变化趋势, 并利用Visual Modflow三维地下水非稳定流软件系统模型对下游盆地未来20 a(2008—2028年)地下水位及其生态环境变化趋势进行了预测.结果表明: 在拟建工程实施20 a后黑河下游地下水位总体上处于下降趋势, 但下降幅度呈逐年减少状态直至趋于新的动态平衡.金塔-鼎新盆地地下水位下降幅度最大的地段是黑河沿岸为0.51~0.87 m, 但由于人工农业绿洲补充, 故生态环境不会有大的改变.额济纳盆地地下水位下降幅度最大的地段是古日乃及外围, 分别为1.0 m以上和0.5~1.0 m, 将引起植被的衰亡和种群的更替变化; 大部分地段地下水位下降幅度介于0.0~0.50 m之间, 对现有的生态与环境影响不显著; 桃来三达-额济纳旗以北地下水位呈现上升趋势, 上升幅度为0.10~0.87 m, 东居延海一带上升幅度大于0.87 m, 这一地区植被长势趋于良好, 植被覆盖率会有所增加, 将形成围绕海子的天然绿洲.     

Occurrence of soluble salts and moisture in the unsaturated zone and groundwater hydrochemistry along the middle and lower reaches of the Heihe River in northwest China

Deforestation, over-development of water resources and population growth have contributed to degeneration of vegetation in the Heihe River Basin in northwest China. Salts and water contents are the most important factors affecting the growth of vegetation in this arid area. This study was conducted to determine soluble salt levels of soils in the unsaturated zone and the hydrochemistry of groundwater at 14 sites in this region. Concentrations of soluble ions in the soils deceased with depth. Soil ion contents increased at depths below the root system of native plants. Sulfate was the dominant anion in both the unsaturated zone and the groundwater. Total dissolved solids (TDS) in groundwater ranged from less than 1 g/L in the middle reaches of the watershed to about 10 g/L in the arid lower reaches. In the middle and upper reaches of the watershed, salinity in soil and groundwater decreased. Groundwater was highly variable in hydrochemistry. The lower reaches was predominated by SO₄–Na•Mg and SO₄–Mg•Na type water, whereas in the middle reaches groundwater is characterized by lower TDS and HCO₃-dominated type water. Evapotranspiration is responsible for occurrence of the soluble salts in the soil profiles. Dissolution is the dominant chemical process in the middle reaches, whereas evapotranspiration prevails in the lower reaches of the Heihe River.     

Physiological acclimation strategies of riparian plants to environment change in the delta of the Tarim River,China

The occurrence and development of riparian forests, which were mainly dominated by mesophytes species related closely with surface water. Since there was no water discharged to the lower reaches of Tarim River in the past three decade years, the riparian forests degrade severely. The groundwater table, the saline content of the groundwater, as well as the content of free proline, soluble sugars, plant endogenous hormones (abscisic acid (ABA), and cytokinins (CTK)) of the leaves and relative rates of sap flow of the Populus euphratica Oliv. (arbor species), Tamarix ramosissima Ldb. (bush species), and Apocynum venetum L. (herb species) were monitored and analyzed at the lower reaches of the Tarim River in the study area where five positions on a transect were fixed at 100 m intervals along a sampling direction from riverbank to the sand dunes before and after water release. The physiological responses and acclimation strategies of three species to variations in water and salinity stress were discussed. It was found that A. venetum population recovered to groundwater table ranging from −1.73 to −3.56 m, and when exposed to saline content of the groundwater ranging from 36.59 to 93.48 m mol/L; P. euphratica appeared to be more sensitive to the elevation of groundwater table than the A. venetum and T. ramosissima at groundwater table ranging from −5.08 to −5.80 m, and when exposed to saline content of the groundwater ranging from 42.17 to 49.55 m mol/L. T. ramosissima tended to be the best candidate species for reclamation in this hyper-arid area because it responded to groundwater table ranging from −1.73 to −7.05 m, and when exposed to saline content of the groundwater ranging from 36.59 to 93.48 m mol/L. These results explained the distribution patterns of desert vegetation in the lower reaches of the Tarim River. Understanding the relationships among ecological factors variables, physiological response and acclimation strategies of plant individuals could provide guidance to sustainable management, reclamation and development of this and similar regions.     

Impacts of river recharge on groundwater level and hydrochemistry in the lower reaches of Heihe River Watershed, northwestern China

Water resources have been overexploited for agricultural irrigation and industrial production in the upper and middle reaches of the Heihe River, northwestern China. Due to inadequate water resources management, the runoff entering into the lower reaches has been continuously reduced in recent years. The Heihe River is the primary recharge source for the groundwater of the lower reaches, so the decrease in runoff has caused the groundwater level to decline. As a result, a series of ecological and environmental problems has now appeared in the lower reaches, including river-flow interruptions, drying up of associated lakes, degeneration of vegetative cover and so on. In view of these issues, the National Water Diversion Project was put into practice in July 2000. It has significantly increased the quantity and frequency of flows entering into the lower reaches of the Heihe River, and has recharged the groundwater and improved the water quality to some degree along the length of the river. The water deliveries have had obvious influences on the groundwater in the lower reaches. The groundwater level increase and groundwater quality improvement have been of great benefit in restoring the ecological environment that was destroyed in past years.     

Impacts of environmental flow controls on the water table and groundwater chemistry in the Ejina Delta,northwestern China

The impacts of environmental flow controls on the water table and chemistry of groundwater in the Ejina Delta, an arid inland river basin in northwest China, were investigated with field observations in 2001 and 2009. The results indicate that the shallow groundwater level rose by 0–2 m in the upper reaches of the east tributary of the Heihe River and in the areas of Saihantaolai—Dalaikubu during the period of environmental flow controls. The chemical constituents of the groundwater show a distinct spatial heterogeneity with the total dissolved solids (TDS) in the groundwater increasing from the periphery towards the depocenter of the Ejina Basin. In addition, the rate of groundwater cycling in the south of the Ejina Delta increased, and the mineralization of groundwater declined, while the overall mineralization and salinity increased in the northern regions, especially in the depocenter of the Ejina Basin. Since shallow groundwater is important to the ecology of arid regions, and because understanding the changes in the shallow groundwater environment (groundwater level and hydrochemistry) in response to environmental flow controls is essential for the sustainable improvement of the ecological environment, the results of this paper can be used as a reference for watershed water resources planning and management to help maintain the health and proper function of rivers in arid regions.     

The influence of water conveyances on restoration of vegetation to the lower reaches of Tarim River

Because of long-term stream-flow cut off in the lower reaches of Tarim River, environmental degradation has become the most severe and widespread environmental problem in Tarim River basin. Nine ecological water conveyances to the lower reaches of Tarim River made ecological environment change a lot. 3S technology was used to monitor dynamic change of ecology. However, remote sensing area index cannot analyze ecological restoration degree of Tarim River precisely because the time of each water conveyance is short, the change of vegetation area is not obvious, and there exists visual interpretation error. In this paper, remote monitoring datum of high temporal resolution and high spatial resolution were used to research the relationships between normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and the groundwater depth, between NDVI and the surface vegetation coverage, and between the groundwater depth and the surface vegetation coverage. The growth and restoration of the vegetation in different periods were evaluated by investigative analysis of the change trend of NDVI. The conception of relative restoration degree was proposed and the response of vegetation restoration to the water conveyance was evaluated. The evaluation result suggests that: first, the response of vegetation to the water conveyance concentrates within 1,000 m of both riversides, and the range of influence becomes smaller along the lower reaches of Tarim River. Second, influenced by the groundwater recharge, the vegetation coverage shows decreasing trend with the increase of off-river distance. Third, the vegetation coverage shows decreasing trend along the watercourse influenced by the water consumption. Finally, in spatial, original scattered meadow of low coverage transforms to high coverage gradually in research region. Vegetation response to the water conveyance expands to both sides with the watercourse being the axis, and expanding scale increases continuously.     

Response of groundwater chemistry to water deliveries in the lower reaches of Tarim River,Northwest China

In this paper, we analysed the monitored data from nine groundwater-monitoring transects in the lower reaches of Tarim River during the five times of stream water deliveries to the river transect where the stream flow ceased. The results showed that the groundwater depth in the lower reaches of Tarim River rose from −9.30 m before the conveyances to −8.17 and −6.50 m after the first and second conveyances, −5.81 and −6.00 m after the third and fourth the conveyance, and −4.73 m after the fifth. The horizontal extent of groundwater recharge was gradually enlarged along both sides of the channel of conveyance, i.e., from 250 m in width after the first conveyance to 1,050 m away from the channel after the fourth delivery. With the rising groundwater level, the concentrations of major anions Cl⁻, SO₄²⁻ and cations Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺, as well as total dissolved solids (TDS) in groundwater underwent a significant change. The spatial variations in groundwater chemistry indicated that the groundwater chemistry at the transect near Daxihaizi Reservoir changed earlier than that farther from it. In the same transect, the chemical variations were earlier in the monitoring well close to watercourse than that farther away from the stream. In general, the concentration of the major ions and TDS at each monitoring well increased remarkably when the water delivery started, and decreased with the continued water delivery, and then increased once again at the end of the study period. Hence, the whole study period may be divided into three stages: the initial stage, the intermediate stage and the later stage. According to the three stages of groundwater chemistry reaction to water delivery and the relationships between groundwater chemical properties and groundwater depths, we educe that under the situation of water delivery, the optimum groundwater depth in the lower reaches of the Tarim River should be −5 m.     

1985-2013年黑河中游流域地下水位动态变化特征

在气候变化和人类活动的影响下, 黑河流域地表水和地下水的时空分布特征发生了很大变化. 研究水系统演化及其驱动机制对流域水资源可持续管理非常关键. 基于甘肃河西黑河中游流域地下水位动态、水文气象、土地利用和灌溉统计数据, 研究了1985-2013年黑河中游流域地下水位时空变化. 结果表明: 地表水的不合理分配和耕地的扩展导致了地下水的过量开采和地下水位的剧烈变化. 1985-2004年区域地下水位以下降为主; 2005-2013年呈现下降和回升两极发展趋势, 冲洪积扇群带地下水最大下降达17.41 m, 而黑河干流沿岸地下水位最大回升了3.3 m, 地下水埋深普遍增加了1.0~3.0 m. 尽管地下水位在2005-2013年表现出回升趋势, 但干流中游盆地地下水系统处于严重负均衡状态, 制定合理的“生态分水”方案和水资源综合管理规划非常紧迫.     

The research of groundwater flow model in Ejina Basin,Northwestern China

Water resources is a primary controlling factor for economical development and ecological environmental protection in the inland river basins of arid western China. Groundwater, as the important component of total water resources, plays a dominant role in the development of western China. In recent years, with the utilization ratio of surface water raised, the groundwater recharge rate has been reduced by surface water, and groundwater was exploited on a large-scale. This has led to the decline of groundwater levels and the degradation of eco-environments in the lower reaches of Heihe watershed, especially. Therefore, the study on the groundwater-level change in recent years, as well as simulating and predicting groundwater levels changes in the future is very significant to improve the ecological environment of the Heihe River Basin, coordinate the water contradiction, and allocate the water resources. The purpose of this study is to analyze the groundwater-level variations of the Ejina region basin on a large-scale, to develop and evaluate a conceptual groundwater model in Ejina Basin; according to the experimental observation data, to establish the groundwater flow model combining MODFLOW and GIS Software; simulated the regional hydrologic regime in recent 10 years and compared with various delivery scenarios from midstream; determined which one would be the best plan for maintaining and recovering the groundwater levels and increasing the area of Ejina Oasis. Finally, this paper discusses the possible vegetation changes of Ejina Basin in the future.     

黑河流域地下水循环演化规律研究

大量野外调查研究表明，气候变化和人类活动对黑河流域地下水循环和更新演变具有重要影响；平原区浅层地下水主要是现代水补给，35％来自祁连山区基岩裂隙水通过地表径流转化补给，其他是降水和冰雪融水在山前戈壁带入渗补给，具有较强的更新能力；深层承压水主要形成于地质历史时期区域性补给，与现代水循环有联系；中游区人类活动是造成下游区地下水补给能力减弱、地下水水位持续下降和生态环境退化的重要因素。因此强化中游区人类活动的科学调控，是实现黑河流域地下水可持续利用和下游区生态环境有效保护的关键。     

塔里木河下游生态输水及植被恢复遥感监测评价

在干旱区内陆河流域,由于水资源过度开发利用,生态环境退化已成为普遍现象.向断流的河道和生态退化区域实施生态输水,是河流生态系统恢复的基本行为和必然过程.基于向塔里木河下游7次生态输水过程中地表水、地下水、植被恢复等系统监测,并运用卫星遥感技术,对生态输水后植被恢复响应特征指标NDVI(植被指数),进行了系统研究分析,并提出植被相对恢复度的评价方法.     

合理地下水生态水位的估算方法研究——以塔里木河下游为例

从合理地下水生态水位的定义出发,探讨了各类估算合理地下水生态水位的方法。以塔里木河下游为例,分析应急生态输水后,地下水埋深与胡杨样枝生长情况的关系,结果表明,塔里木河下游合理地下水生态水位埋深为4～6m。     

黑河流域中游盆地地下水动态特征及其调蓄能力分析

40 多年来,我国西北地区大规模的地下水开发利用造成了部分地区地下水水位持续下降甚至泉水干涸,部分地区地下水仍能维持动态稳定,判断这类地区水资源开发利用是否具有可持续性是必须解决的重大科学问题。以黑河流域中游盆地作为研究对象,采用MK检验和连续小波分析等方法,分析长时间序列地下水水位数据的变化特点,研究区域地下水动态特征;结合区域水文地质条件,综合划分黑河流域中游盆地地下水补排平衡区与非平衡区;利用克里金插值法估算1990—2020 年盆地含水层对水资源的调节水量,并评价不同动态平衡区的调蓄能力。结果显示,黑河流域中游盆地地下水水位动态类型有:水文型、水文-开采型、开采型和蒸发-开采型4种长周期动态稳定型,过量开采型或上游过度引用地表水型2 种长周期持续下降型。黑河-梨园河倾斜平原、酒泉盆地和黑河中游下段侵蚀堆积平原的大厚度含水层是黑河流域中游盆地的地下水补排平衡区,其在1990—2001 年共输出地下水12.06×108 m3,2001—2020年共储存地下水9.06×108 m3。大厚度含水层为地下水的长周期调蓄提供了充足的空间,在合理控制开采量的前提下,该类含水层的天然调蓄能力可满足生产生活和下游生态用水需要。盆地地下水补排非平衡区,如黑河以东诸河倾斜平原、盐池盆地和榆木山山前诸小河流域等地区,目前的地下水开发利用方式和强度是不可持续的,应适当减少地下水开采量,调节盆地上游的引水量和开采量,抑制地下水资源枯竭。本研究成果可为西北干旱内陆地区水资源管理和持续开发利用提供参考。     

黑河流域地下水同位素年龄及可更新能力研究

通过对黑河流域地下水的放射性同位素如氚(T)和¹⁴C的测定, 对该流域浅层和深层地下水的年龄以及其更新速率进行了估算. 结果表明: 整体上看, 从黑河流域的上游、中游至下游, 浅层和深层地下水年龄逐渐增加, 地下水更新速率也逐渐增大. 其中, 黑河上游浅层和深层地下水平均更新速率分别为1.96%·a^-1和1.76%·a^-1, 可更新能力最强; 中游浅层和深层地下水平均更新速率为1.25%·a^-1和0.68%·a^-1, 可更新能力次之; 下游浅层和深层地下水平均更新速率分别为0.74%·a^-1和0.18%·a^-1, 可更新能力最差. 黑河流域不同地带地下水由于循环条件的不同, 浅层和深层地下水年龄存在较大的差异. 其中, 中游山前平原补给条件较好, 浅层和深层地下水年龄较小; 中、下游远离河道地区浅层和深层地下水补给条件差, 显示了更老的年龄. 黑河流域埋深40 m以上的浅层地下水平均更新速率(1.13%·a^-1)高于埋深40~100 m之间的中层地下水(0.65%·a^-1)以及埋深100 m以下深层地下水(0.55%·a^-1). 因此, 在黑河流域地下水开发过程中要合理开发浅层地下水, 适当缩减开发深层地下水.     

Comprehensive evaluation on the ecological function of groundwater in the Shiyang River watershed

With an arid climate and shortage of water resources, the groundwater dependent ecosystems in the oasis–desert ecotone of the Shiyang River Watershed has been extremely damaged, and the water crisis in the oasis has become a major concern in the social and the scientific community. In this study, the degeneration characteristics of the groundwater ecological function was identified and comprehensive evaluated, based on groundwater depth data, vegetation quadrat and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) from Landsat program. The results showed that (1) the suitable groundwater depth for sustainable ecology in the Shiyang River Watershed is about 2-4 m; (2) the terms of degenerative, qualitative and disastrous stages of the groundwater ecological function are defined with the groundwater depths of about 5 m, 7 m and 10 m; (3) generally, the groundwater ecological function in the oasis-desert ecotone of the lower reaches of Shiyang River Watershed is weak with an area of 1 397.9 km² identified as the severe deterioration region, which accounted 74.7% of the total area. In the meantime, the percentages of the good, mild and moderate deterioration areas of groundwater ecological function are 3.5%, 5.5% and 16.3%, respectively, which were mainly distributed in the Qingtu lake area and the southeastern area of the Shoucheng town; (4) the degradation and shrinkage of natural oasis could be attributed to the dramatic groundwater decline, which is generally caused by irrational use of water and soil resources. This study could provide theoretical basis and scientific support for the decision-making in environmental management and ecological restoration of the Shiyang River Watershed.     

Land use history and status of land desertification in the Heihe River basin

An analysis, over historical times, of the influence of natural factors such as climate, geological activity, existing landforms, and the activity of aeolian sands on the desertification of oases and other lands in the Heihe River basin of northwestern China revealed that desertification occurred more or less quickly according to whether the prevailing climate was cold or warm, respectively. In the 1990s, the area of desertified lands in the lower reaches of the Heihe River (Ejin region) was 29.1% greater than in the mid 1980s. However, the rate of desertification in the middle reaches of the Heihe River basin was relatively slower, only 9.4% from 1949 to 1990 (or 0.27% per year). Since 1990, the rate of desertification has been stable. By 2000, the total area of land desertification in the mid to lower reaches of the Heihe River basin was 13,508.4 km², or 11.8% of the region monitored. Of the total land desertification area, the regions of Linze, Gaotai, Sunan, Jiuquan, Jia Yuguan, and Jinta accounted for 1.70, 1.71, 1.43, 0.85, 0.28, and 9.39%, respectively, whereas the Ejin region’s 11,434.64 km² accounted for 84.65%, indicating that land desertification in the lower Heihe River basin was particularly severe. The causes responsible for the occurrence and development of land desertification in the Heihe River basin were analyzed.     

黑河中游金塔地区生态环境变化遥感监测

利用1990年和2000年的TM遥感资料,在经过定标、几何校正和图像增强等图像处理的基础上对土地覆盖类型进行解译,从而实现黑河中游金塔地区的生态环境遥感动态监测.从监测结果计算出黑河中游金塔地区2000年的生态环境相对于1990年的生态环境变化如下:人工用地增加34.17%,农业用地增加19.47%,水体增加8%,湿地增加6.3%,未利用土地增加了1.73%,自然/半自然植被减少42.78%.并对这些生态环境变化的原因进行了初步探讨。     

黑河流域水资源及现阶段合理开发利用

黑河是我国西部较大的一条内陆河,近30多年来,由于中游地区水资源开发利用程度不断提高,使进入下游额济纳平原的地表水逐渐减少,导致下游生态环境发生恶化.为了拯救下游绿洲,改善生态环境,自1992年起对黑河中、下游用水实行计划调度,1999年开始实施国家定量分水方案.根据近几年的最新调查研究成果,计算评价了黑河流域的总水资源、地表水资源、地下水资源、地表水和地下水的利用现状及开采潜力.在此基础上,提出现阶段中游以加强引输水工程改造、提高地表水资源利用率和推广田间节水灌溉工程,发挥水利用效益;下游以适度开发利用地下水、加强地表水和地下水综合开发利用,改善生态环境.为中、下游科学分配地表水资源和合理开发利用地下水资源提供科学依据.     

The impact of the development of water resources on environment in arid inland river basins of Hexi region, Northwestern China

Water resources use is a key parameter in the hydrological cycle, especially in arid inland of Northwest China, groundwater movement and circulation processes are closely related to the surface water, while recoverable and renewable groundwater mainly comes from the conversion of surface river water, and there is extensive transfer among rainfall, surface water and groundwater. Human activity, in particular, large-scale water resources exploitation and development associated with dramatic population growth in the last decades, has led to tremendous changes in the water regime. There are misuse and wastage of surface water with traditional multi-channel irrigation for most rivers, which in turn leads to over-exploitation of groundwater to augment supplies. This situation has been exacerbated by rapid population growth and socio-economic development, with decreased irrigational systems return to groundwater due to the irrigation system in the middle reaches of rivers in the Hexi region becoming better. The investigations of this study revealed that over the last decades, man-made oases have developed rapidly in various inland river basins. With the increasing human demand for water, the contradiction between water demand and water supply is becoming increasingly acute and the amount of groundwater usage significantly increased. Notwithstanding the annual surface water from mountains is relatively stable in the Hexi region, the recharges of groundwater have been reduced by 11.1%, with a maximum reduction of 50% in the Shiyang River basin. Groundwater abstraction increased by approximately six times, particularly in the Shiyang River basin, groundwater abstraction exceeds recharge by 4.1×10⁸ m³ year⁻¹ in recent decades. Consequently, the groundwater level has declined widely by 3–16 m, with a maximum decline of 45 m in several groundwater observation wells in the Minqin basin on the lower reaches of the Shiyang River basin. These cause serious human activity-induced environmental problems, such as water-quality deterioration, vegetation degradation, soil salinization and land desert desertification, etc. It is suggested that modernized irrigation technology and new regulation to cover water resources management and allocation with the river basins are urgently needed to achieve a sustainable development. The aim of this study is to analyze the impact of the development of water resources on the environment in arid inland river basins in Northwestern China, which were analyzed by comparing the three main river basins (i.e., the Shuilei, the Heihe and the Shiyang River basins) with different water resources development cases.