THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INLAND LAKES EVOLUTION AND CLIMATIC FLUCTUATION IN ARID ZONE

The evolution of the inland lakes in arid and semi-arid zones is accorded with the climatic fluctuation. The humid climate is in harmony with the higher water level and greater lake water quantity budget while arid climate is in correspondence with the lower water level and little water budget. Based on the analysis of the lake fluctuation and lake budget change, with the aid of the data of geom'orphology, palynology, sedimentology and chronology, It is found that the climate experienced a warm and humid period during 7000-3500 yr. B. P. and showed a drying and warming trend in the last century in the Central Asia.     

Effects of wetland utilization change on spatial distribution of soil nematodes in Heihe River Basin,Northwest China

The first account of the effects of wetland reclamation on soil nematode assemblages were provided, three sites in Heihe River Basin of Northwest China, that is grass wetland(GW), Tamarix chinensis wetland(TW) and crop wetland(CW) treatments, were compared. Results showed that the majority of soil nematodes were presented in the 0–20 cm soil layers in CW treatments, followed by in the 20–40 cm and 40–60 cm layers in GW treatments. Plant-feeding nametodes were the most abundant trophic groups in each treatment, where GW(91.0%) TW(88.1%) CW(53.5%). Generic richness(GR) was lower in the TW(16) than that in GW(23) and CW(25). The combination of enrichment index(EI) and structure index(SI) showed that the soil food web in GW was more structured, and those in TW was stressed, while the enrichment soil food web was presented in the CW treatment. Several ecological indices which reflected soil community structure, diversity, Shannon-Weaver diversity(H′), Evenness(J′), Richness(GR) and modified maturity index(MMI) were found to be effective for assessing the response of soil namatode communities to soil of saline wetland reclamation. Furthermore, saline wetland reclamation also exerted great influence on the soil physical and chemical properties(p H, Electric conductivity(EC), Total organic carbon(TOC), Total nitrogen(Total-N) and Nitrate Nitrogen(N-NO3–)). These results indicated that the wetland reclamation had significantly effects on soil nematode community structure and soil properties in this study.     

SEAWATER INTRUSION TYPES AND REGIONAL DIVISIONS IN THE SOUTHERN COAST OF LAIZHOU BAY

The southern coast of Laizhou Bay, Bohai Sea, is one of the areas in China most seriously impacted by seawater intrusion. Based on the sources of intruding waterbedies, seawater intrusion can be divided into two types: intrusion of saline water derived from modern seawater, and intrusion of subsurface brine and saline water derived from paleo-seawater in shallow Quaternary sediments. There are some distinct differences in their formation, mechanism and damage. The subsurface brine intrusion is a special type, which can cause very serious disaster. The coastal landform and the Quaternary hydrogeological environment are predominant factors in the classification of seawater intrusion types. Various coastal environments in different coastal sections result in three types of intrusion: seawater intrusion, saline groundwater intrusion, and mixed seawater and saline water intrusion, in the southern coast of Laizhou Bay, which can be divided into four areas: the sea-water intrusion area in the northern Laizhou City coast, the mixed seawater and saline groundwater intrusion area in the Baisha River-Jiaolai River mouth plain area, the mixed seawater and saline groundwater intrusion area in the Weihe River mouth plain area northern Changyi county coast, and the saline ground-water intrusion area in the northern Shouguang plains.     

Extracting eco-hydrological information of inland wetland from L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar image in Honghe National Nature Reserve,Northeast China

Taking a typical inland wetland of Honghe National Nature Reserve (HNNR), Northeast China, as the study area, this paper studied the application of L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) image in extracting eco-hydrological information of inland wetland. Landsat-5 TM and ALOS PALSAR HH backscatter images were first fused by using the wavelet-IHS method. Based on the fused image data, the classification method of support vector machines was used to map the wetland in the study area. The overall mapping accuracy is 77.5%. Then, the wet and dry aboveground biomass estimation models, including statistical models and a Rice Cloudy model, were established. Optimal parameters for the Rice Cloudy model were calculated in MATLAB by using the least squares method. Based on the validation results, it was found that the Rice Cloudy model produced higher accuracy for both wet and dry aboveground biomass estimation compared to the statistical models. Finally, subcanopy water boundary information was extracted from the HH backscatter image by threshold method. Compared to the actual water borderline result, the extracted result from L-band SAR image is reliable. In this paper, the HH-HV phase difference was proved to be valueless for extracting subcanopy water boundary information.     

Experiences with constructed wetland systems in Korea

In spite of the low temperature during the winter season and the high land environment, the wetland treatment system is gaining popularity in Korea because of its lower construction cost and simplicity in operation and maintenance. Many different types of wetland treatment systems have been built during the last 10 years, among which the free water surface wetland has been predominant. Most of the large-scale systems are government projects for improving the water quality of the streams flowing into the estuary dikes and reservoirs. The covering plants used in this system are different in different areas but cattails and reeds or their combinations are common. Constructed wetlands in Korea can be characterized by their shallow depths and short hydraulic residence times. There is no established flow pattern and configuration rules for constructing wetlands, but many efforts have been made with a view to improving their ecological function. Flow control is the most difficult problem in designing a riverbed or riparian wetland. There have been scores of flow rate control devices developed for wetlands, but none of them guarantee wetlands＇ safety against flooding. In earlier wetland construction, the building materials were mainly soil. Recently, strong and durable building materials such as rocks, gravel beds, concrete and steel are used at vulnerable places to protect them from erosion. Our investigation indicated that the wetland system would be an appropriate technology because it is not only cheaper to construct, but also requires less maintenance work. However, we suffer from the reduced effectiveness in performance during the winter. We need to evaluate the partial treatment accomplished during 6 to 7 months per year.     

A PREDICTION ABOUT THE EFFECT OF THE BUILDING OF SHUIKOU HYDROPOWER STATION ON THE ECOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT OF THE MIDDLE-LOWER REACHES OF THE MINJIANG RIVER

The building of Shuikou Hydropower Station in the Minjiang River is the largest one in the region of east China. Its install capacity is 1.4 million kw., and its generated energy of planning is 4.95 billion kwh each year. In accordance with a comprehensive survey of the valley of the middle-lower reaches of the Minjiang River and the characteristic of hydrography and in association with the specific type of the hydrography station, we can be sure that no harm will be done to the ecological environment when a hydropower station is built at Shuikou. Not only the deposition of silt within the reservoir must not be very serious, it is also more favorable than before for the irrigation of farmland on plains in the lower reaches of the Minjiang River and inland navigation.In addition, after the completion of the power station, the ecological environment will be the same as before both at the Minjiang River estuary and beyond it.     

Examining Health of Wetlands with Multiple Ecosystem Services as Targets in China's Coastal Regions

Coastal zones are key interconnectors of terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Due to the degradation and fragmentation of coastal wetlands, there is an urgent need to develop assessment methodology to compare the health of wetland ecosystems at different spatial scales. This will help efficiently develop and implement protections using easy-to-access ecosystem health data. This study aims to understand the spatial distribution of coastal and inland wetland health for China's coastal regions. A Wetland Health Index(WHI) was developed to provide a basis for policy and decision making. Four utilization models—Long Term Model, Open Model, Nature Reserve Model, and Protected and Economic Model—were defined in the context of China's coastal regions to specifically examine wetland health. Results show that the average WHI score was 63.6 with the range of 44.8–84.3 for 35 National Nature Reserves(NNRs), and the southern NNRs generally performed better than the northern NNRs. The wetlands in the southern provinces/municipalities are relatively healthier than their northern counterparts. The competent authority has slight influence on WHI scores but duration of conservation establishment does not show a clear correlation. With increasing economic activity, the differences in health conditions(WHI scores) of China's coastal regions also increase. Gross Domestic Product(GDP) or economic intensification does not relate to WHI scores. Appropriate trade-offs between wetland management and economic development could contribute to improve health conditions, conservation and utilization of coastal and inland wetlands.     

APPLICATION OF ANALYTIC HIERARCHY PROCESS TO ASSESSING THE ECOLOGICAL VULNERABILITY OF WETLANDS IN THE JIANGHAN PLAIN

Wetlands in the Jianghan Plain are important components of wetland types in lake area in the middle and lower reaches the Changjiang (Yangtze) River and they fulfill many uses and functions related to hydrology,waste assimilation, ecosystem productivity and biodiversity. Owing to natural factors and human activities, especially excessive reclamation from lakes, the shrinking process of the lakes has been accelerated. Wetland ecosystem has shown the characteristics of vulnerability. According to the analysis of wetland ecological function in the Jianghan Plain, this paper presented an index system related to productivity, stability and environmental capacity. By using the method of Analytic Hierarchy Process, we computed the values of the relative weights of the indexes, and evaluated the vulnerability level of the wetland ecosystem by the method of multi-indexes. The case study showed that the fragile extent of wetland ecosystem in the Jianghan Plain is 5.6. This means that the wetland ecosystem in the Jiang-han Plain is laid to the state of middle vulnerability. Therefore, the wetland conservation and eco-rehabilitation in the JiangJaan Plain should be paid attention to.     

A preliminary study on the distribution and genesis of underground brine in the littoral plain of Laizhou Bay in the Bohai Sea

Quaternary underground brine in the littoral plain region of the Bohai coast is new type littoral facies evaporation ore deposit in liquid state . This model of " littorally- forming brine " is based on study of the distribution, depositional environment, forming / storing process, and genesis of underground brine in the coast of Laizhou Bay . Essential conditions for genesis of brine are arid and semiarid climate , abundant sources of ancient seawater, and geological and geomorphological environment of wide tidal beach along a coast. The process of underground brine genesis may be : seawater/tidal beach-evaporation and concentration-seeping and accumulation- brine/tidal beach - burial (evolution of the sea- land )- underground brine .Underground brine is characterized by high content of chemical elements, shallow burial depth and easy exploitation . The process of extracting salt from underground brine present in the tidal flat is incomparably superior to that of producing salt from seawater, and has b     

Magnetic mineral diagenesis in sediments of saline lake Lop Nur

Saline lakes are useful repositories for paleo-climatic records. In recent years, magnetic properties of saline lake sediments have been widely applied to establish paleo-climatic change. However,the influence factors of magnetic properties in saline lakes have not been fully understood, which complicates the paleoenvironmental interpretation.Here, we present a rock magnetic analyses result of LOP_1 profile(40°26′09″′N, 90°21′23″E) from Lop Nur, a well-known saline lake, located in the eastern Tarim Basin in northwestern China. We combined the particle size, total organic content, and mineral characteristics analysis to assess the influence factors of magnetic properties in Lop Nur and its environmental significance. The results indicate that early diagenesis is the major influence factor on magnetic properties of Lop Nur saline sediments.Authigenic greigite and pyrite are identified within organic-rich sediments, which produce zones with high and low magnetic susceptibilities, respectively.The different authigenic iron sulfide contents in different layers are related to sedimentary environment changes. Sufficient supplies of organic matter and sulphate and low sedimentation rates favour the pyritization process. Moreover, if pyritization was constrained, intermediate greigite formed and was preserved. In oxidizing environments, sediment magnetic properties are consistent with those of source materials from Tarim Basin and are mainly controlled by particle size and hydrodynamic sorting of mainly detrital magnetite is largely unaffected by early diagenesis. Our study demonstrates that magnetic properties can provide a robust approach for studying depositional environment change in saline lake. In addition, the information obtained in this study would also provide insights into the geochemical processes of iron element in saline lakes.     

A Method for Alpine Wetland Delineation and Features of Border: Zoigê Plateau,China

Accurate wetland delineation is the basis of wetland definition and mapping, and is of great importance for wetland management and research. The Zoigê Plateau on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was used as a research site for research on alpine wetland delineation. Several studies have analyzed the spatiotemporal pattern and dynamics of these alpine wetlands, but none have addressed the issues of wetland boundaries. The objective of this work was to discriminate the upper boundaries of alpine wetlands by coupling ecological methods and satellite observations. The combination of Landsat 8 images and supervised classification was an effective method for rapid identification of alpine wetlands in the Zoigê Plateau. Wet meadow was relatively stable compared with hydric soils and wetland hydrology and could be used as a primary indicator for discriminating the upper boundaries of alpine wetlands. A slope of less than 4.5° could be used as the threshold value for wetland delineation. The normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI) in 434 field sites showed that a threshold value of 0.3 could distinguish grasslands from emergent marsh and wet meadow in September. The median normalized difference water index(NDWI) of emergent marsh remained more stable than that of wet meadow and grasslands during the period from September until July of the following year. The index of mean density in wet meadow zones was higher than the emergent and upland zones. Over twice the number of species occurred in the wet meadow zone compared with the emergent zone, and close to the value of upland zone. Alpine wetlands in the three reserves in 2014 covered 1175.19 km2 with a classification accuracy of 75.6%. The combination of ecological methods and remote sensing technology will play an important role in wetland delineation at medium and small scales. The correct differentiation between wet meadow and grasslands is the key to improving the accuracy of future wetland delineation.     

GEOGRAPHICAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ENDEMIC FLUOROSIS IN CHINA

Endemic fluorosis is given rise to by human intake of excess fluorine from environment by way of food chain. In China it is one of the extensively prevalent endemic diseases and its distribution shows clearly regional characteristics. In macroscopic sight, three large fluorosis zones may be divided: (1) The arid and semi-arid plains in the north of China. These regions have a dry climate, making fluorine accumulation in the Quaternary deposits. Thus, the drinking water with high content of fluorine is the main cause of the disease formation. (2) The Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. In the region, rocks and soils rich in fluorine bring about fluorine excess in crop food. This plays an important role in the disease formation. (3) Southeast hills. The hot spring with high content of fluorine leads to fluorosis.The fluorine absorbed by people from the environment is firstly from the drinking water and secondly from the crop food originating from soil. The fluorine in the air can be accumulated in crop leaves to make     

Shrinking and Drying up of Baiyangdian Lake Wetland： A Natural or Human Cause？

1 Introduction The sensitivity of ecosystems to global climate change is one of important issues for research. Many studies have indicated that wetland ecosystem is one of the most vulnerable systems (Brock and Van, 1992; Vourltis and Oechel, 1997; Burkeet, 2000; Lahmer et al., 2001; Zhang et al., 2001; Deng et al., 2003). The shrinking and drying up of wetlands in arid and semiarid areas of China have been widely observed in the recent years (Wang, 1990; Wang and Zhang, 1991; Jin, 1993; …     

THE PROTECTION OF THE ECOLOGIC ENVIRONMENT OF THE GREEN CORRIDOR IN THE LOWER REACHES OF THE TARIM RIVER

The Green Corridor in the lower reaches of the Tarim River is not only a unique natural landscape in desert but also an important passageway. Nowadays, the ecologic environment of the corridor is getting worse and worse due to man's economic activities and the lack of knowledge of the importance of the environment, which is one of is the three environment problems in Xinjiang. The corridor is in great need of planning and managing.     

Rangeland privatization and its impacts on the Zoige wetlands on the Eastern Tibetan Plateau

The high Zoige Basin （Ruoergai Plateau） on the eastern Tibetan Plateau is a fault depression formed during intensive uplifting of the Tibetan Plateau. The wetland is globally important in biodiversity and is composed of marshes, bogs, fens, wet meadows and shallow water interspersed with low hills and sub-alpine meadows. Most of the Zoige wetlands have long been one of the most important grazing lands in China. Recent rangeland policy has allowed grazing, and usable wetland areas have been being legally allocated to individuals or groups of households on a long-term lease basis. Privatizafion of the wetland has impacted the Zoige wetlands in aspects of hydrologic condition, landscape and biodiversity. The uneven spatial distribution of water resources onprivatelands has led to the practice of extracting ground water, which has decreased the perched water table in Zoige. Fencing off the rangelands and grazing on expanding sand dunes have affected landscapes. Variation in the water table has led to the changes in vegetation diversity, resulting in the changes in wildlife and aquatic diversities and ecosystem processes. Making use all year round of the pasture that was previously grazed only in summer has shrunk the daily activity space of wildlife, and the newly erected fences blocked the movement of wild animals looking for food in the snow to lower and open areas. To maintain the favorable conditions of the Zoige wetland ecosystem, the author suggests that, in addition to biophysical research and implementation of conservation practices, there is an immediate need to initiate an integrated management program, increase public awareness of wetland functions and provide better training for the local conservation staff.     

A study on the effects of the surrounding faults on water loss in the Zoige Wetland, China

The Zoige wetland is the biggest alpine wetland in the world,and an important water resource of the Yellow River.Due to natural and human factors,the Zoige wetland has been seriously degraded.Existing studies on the Zoige wetland mainly focus on the macro features of the wetland,while the influence of the surrounding faults on the Zoige wetland degradation is rarely studied.This study uses terrain data to analyze the cover change and the water loss caused by the Wqie-Seji fault based on the distributed hydrological model.The simulated water loss demonstrates that the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index(NDVI) is the most important factor for inducing water loss.The fault is also a factor that cannot be neglected,which has caused 33% of the wetland water loss.Therefore,it is of importance to study the influence of the fault on the wetland degradation.     

Iron Regulation of Wetland Vegetation Performance Through Synchronous Effects on Phosphorus Acquisition Efficiency

Iron-rich groundwater flowing into wetlands is a worldwide environmental pollution phenomenon that is closely associated with the stability of wetland ecosystems. Combined with high phosphorus(P) loading from agricultural runoff, the prediction of the evolution of wetland vegetation affected by compound contamination is particularly urgent. We tested the effects of anaerobic iron-rich groundwater discharge in a freshwater marsh by simulating the effect of three levels of eutrophic water on native plants(Glyceria spiculosa(Fr. Schmidt.) Rosh.). The management of wetland vegetation with 1–20 mg/L Fe input is an efficient method to promote the growth of plants, which showed an optimum response under a 0.10 mg/L P surface water environment. Iron-rich groundwater strongly affects the changes in ecological niches of some wetland plant species and the dominant species. In addition, when the P concentration in a natural body of water is too high, the governance effect of eutrophication might not be as expected. Under iron-rich groundwater conditions, the δ~(13)C values of organs were more depleted, which can partially explain the differences in δ~(13)C in the soil profile. Conversely, the carbon isotope composition of soil organic carbon is indicative of past changes in vegetation. The results of our experiments confirm that iron-rich groundwater discharge has the potential to affect vegetation composition through toxicity modification in eutrophic environments.     

Lignin in marine environment and its analysis—A review

Lignin is a group of phenolic polymers which is abundant in the woody tissues of vascular plants,and is essentially absent from all other living organisms.It has therefore been accepted as a tracer for terrestrial organic carbon(TOC) in marine environment since the 1970s.Lignin polymers are not amenable to direct chemical analysis without prior isolation.This review focused on the methods of chemical decomposition,extraction,derivatization and detection of lignin in marine environment.We described and compared several chemical decomposition methods,including nitrobenzene oxidation,alkaline cupric oxide(CuO) oxidation and thermochemolysis,and detection methods such as gas chromatography(GC),gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS),high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) and so on.Possible improvement of lignin analysis and the application prospects of this tracer were also discussed.     

Impacts of Coastal Reclamation on Natural Wetlands in Large River Deltas in China

Little information is available on the impacts of coastal reclamation on wetland loss in large-river deltas at a regional scale.Using remote sensing data of coastal wetland and reclamation in four deltas in China from 1978 to 2014, we tracked their continuous area changes in four periods: 1978–1990, 1990–2000, 2000–2008, and 2008–2014. The areal relation between wetland loss and reclamation was quantified and used to identify coastal reclamation mode intensity coupled with another three indicators: reclamation rate,accretion rate and land-use intensity of coastal reclamation. The results showed that coastal reclamation driven by economic development reduced, or even reverse the original growth of delta which was determined by the offset between wetland acceleration rate and wetland loss rate. Generally, the area of reclamation showed a positive linear correlation with the area of wetland loss. The findings imply that human activities should control reclamation rate and intensity to alleviate total wetland loss and maintain wetland ’net gain’.Inappropriate coastal reclamation modes can magnify total wetland loss;therefore, coastal reclamation with a slow increment rate and low impervious surface percent is of great importance for sustainable development in future coastal management.     

Impact of the Zhalong Wetland on Neighboring Land Surface Temperature Based on Remote Sensing and GIS

Wetlands play a key role in regulating local climate as well as reducing impacts caused by climate change. Rapid observations of the land surface temperature(LST) are, therefore, valuable for studying the dynamics of wetland systems. With the development of thermal remote sensing technology, LST retrieval with satellite images is a practicable way to detect a wetland and its neighboring area's thermal environment from a non-point visual angle rather than the traditional detection from a point visual angle. The mono-windows(MW) method of retrieving LST was validated. On the basis of estimated LST, we used Geographical Information System(GIS) technology to study the impact of wetland reclamation on local temperatures at a regional scale. Following that, correlations between LST and the wetland were analyzed. The results show that: 1) It is feasible to retrieve the LST from Landsat 8 OLI satellite images with MW model. The model was validated with the land surface temperature observed in four meteorological stations when the satellite scanned the study region. The satellite retrieval error was approximately 1.01°C. 2) The relationship between the spatial distribution of land surface temperatures and the Zhalong wetland was analyzed based on GIS technology. The results show that wetland has an obvious influence on LST, and that this influence decreases with increasing distance from the wetland. When the distance from the wetland was less than 500 m, its influence on LST was significant. Results also illustrated that the effect of the wetland's different land use/land cover's LST distribution varied with different seasons.