Ecosystem health assessment of Honghu Lake Wetland of China using artificial neural network approach

Honghu Lake, located in the southeast of Hubei Province, China, has suffered a severe disturbance during the past few decades. To restore the ecosystem, the Honghu Lake Wetland Protection and Restoration Demonstration Project (HLWPRDP) has been implemented since 2004. A back propagation (BP) artificial neural network (ANN) approach was applied to evaluatinig the ecosystem health of the Honghu Lake wetland. And the effectiveness of the HLWPRDP was also assessed by comparing the ecosystem health before and after the project. Particularly, 12 ecosystem health indices were used as evaluation parameters to establish a set of three-layer BP ANNs. The output is one layer of ecosystem health index. After training and testing the BP ANNs, an optimal model of BP ANNs was selected to assess the ecosystem health of the Honghu Lake wetland. The result indicates that four stages can be identified based on the change of the ecosystem health from 1990 to 2008 and the ecosystem health index ranges from morbidity before the implementation of HLWPRDP (in 2002) to middle health after the implementation of the HLWPRDP (in 2005). It demonstrates that the HLWPRDP is effective and the BP ANN could be used as a tool for the assessment of ecosystem health.     

Runoff change of Naoli River in Northeast China in 1955–2009 and its influencing factors

Runoff change and trend of the Naoli River Basin were studied through the time series analysis using the data from the hydrological and meteorological stations. Time series of hydrological data were from 1957 to 2009 for Bao′an station, from 1955 to 2009 for Baoqing station, from 1956 to 2009 for Caizuizi station and from 1978 to 2009 for Hongqiling station. The influences of climate change and human activities on runoff change were investigated, and the causes of hydrological regime change were revealed. The seasonal runoff distribution of the Naoli River was extremely uneven, and the annual change was great. Overall, the annual runoff showed a significant decreasing trend. The annual runoff of Bao′an, Baoqing, and Caizuizi stations in 2009 decreased by 64.1%, 76.3%, and 84.3%, respectively, compared with their beginning data recorded. The wet and dry years of the Naoli River have changed in the study period. The frequency of wet year occurrence decreased and lasted longer, whereas that of dry year occurrence increased. The frequency of dry year occurrence increased from 25.0%-27.8% to 83.9%-87.5%. The years before the 1970s were mostly wet, whereas those after the 1970s were mostly dry. Precipitation reduction and land use changes contributed to the decrease in annual runoff. Rising temperature and water project construction have also contributed important effects on the runoff change of the Naoli River.     

Snow cover and snowmelt of an extensive High Arctic wetland: spatial and temporal seasonal patterns

Abstract

This study examined the end-of-winter snow storage, its distribution and the spatial and temporal melt patterns of a large, low gradient wetland at Polar Bear Pass, Bathurst Island, Nunavut, Canada. The project utilized a combination of field observations and a physically-based snowmelt model. Topography and wind were the major controls on snow distribution in the region, and snow was routinely scoured from the hilltop regions and deposited into hillslopes and valleys. Timing and duration of snowmelt at Polar Bear Pass were similar in 2008 and 2009. The snowmelt was initiated by an increase in air temperature and net radiation receipt. Inter-annual variability in spatial snowmelt patterns was evident at Polar Bear Pass and was attributed to a non-uniform snow cover distribution and local microclimate conditions. In situ field studies and modelling remain important in High Arctic regions for assessing wetland water budgets and runoff, in addition to model parameterization and validation of satellite imagery.

Editor Z.W. Kundzewicz

Citation Assini, J. and Young, K.L., 2012. Snow cover and snowmelt of an extensive High Arctic wetland: spatial and temporal seasonal patterns. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 57 (4), 738–755.     

宁夏回族自治区湿地生态旅游可持续开发研究

宁夏回族自治区的湿地类型丰富多样,拥有典型的湿地生态旅游景观和丰富的湿地动植物资源,且大多数湿地主要分布在银川市以及经济较发达的宁夏沿黄城市带,湿地旅游资源的开发具备了良好的基础和前景,但目前湿地面积不断缩小,湿地动植物资源遭到严重破坏,科学地和可持续地开发宁夏丰富的湿地旅游资源显得尤其紧迫。在调查评价宁夏湿地生态旅游资源的基础上,进行该区湿地生态旅游可持续开发的SWOT分析,提出开发的对策和建议,着重保持生态平衡,改变当地社会经济增长方式,形成人与自然和谐共处的局面,既是防止宁夏现有湿地资源进一步破坏,实现湿地生态旅游资源可持续利用的有效方法,又是加快宁夏旅游业发展的必要措施。     

Calibration of diatoms along a nutrient gradient in Florida Everglades Water Conservation Area-2A, USA

The relationship between diatom taxa preserved in surface soils and environmental variables at 31 sites in Water Conservation Area 2A (WCA-2A) of the Florida Everglades was explored using multivariate analyses. Surface soils were collected along a phosphorus (P) gradient and analyzed for diatoms, total P, % nitrogen (N), %carbon (C), calcium (Ca), and biogenic silica (BSi). Phosphorus varied from 315-1781 g g^-1, and was not found to be correlated with the other geochemical variables. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was used to examine which environmental variables correlated most closely with the distributions in diatom taxa. Canonical correspondence analysis with forward selection, constrained and partial CCA, and Monte Carlo permutation tests of significance show the most significant changes in diatom assemblages along the P gradient (p < 0.01), with additional species differences correlated with soil C, N, Ca, and BSi.Weighted-averaging (WA) regression and calibration models of diatom assemblages to P and BSi were developed. The diatom-based inference model for soil [P] had a high apparent r² (0.86) with RMSE_boot = 218 g g^-1. Indicator diatom species identified by assessing species WA optima and WA tolerance to [P], such as Nitzschia amphibia and N. palea for high [P] (~1300-1400 g^-1) and Achnanthes minutissima var. scotica and Mastogloia smithii for low [P] (~400-600 g g^-1), may be useful as monitoring tools for eutrophication in WCA-2A as well as other areas of the Everglades. Diatom assemblages analyzed by cluster analysis were related to location within WCA-2A, and dominant taxa within clusters are discussed in relation to the geochemical variables measured as well as hydrology and pH. Diversity of diatom assemblages and a Disturbance Index based on diatom data are discussed in relation to the historically P-limited Everglades ecosystem. Diatom assemblages should be very useful for reconstructions of [P] through time in the Florida Everglades, provided diatoms are well preserved in soil cores.     

CLOBAL CHARM OF THE CHANGJIANG RIVER DELTA

1SPLENDOROFHISTORICALCULTURE InChina,theChangjiang(Yangtze)RiverDelta①gen-erallymeansanadvancedproductivityandculture,whichaffectsdeeplynotonlythewholeChinabutal-sotheAsian-Pacificregion,evenEuropeandAfrica. 1.1CradlefortheCommunicationandPropagationofCivilization ThedevelopmentcourseoftheChangjiangRiverDelta'scultureisdevious,buttheNeolithicHemuduCultureexcavatedinYuyaoCityofZhejiangProvinceindicatestheadvancedpaddyriceculture;MajiabangCulture5000aB.P.andEastBridgeRuin…     

湿地水文研究进展综述

湿地是地球上一种重要的生态系统,具有巨大的环境功能和环境效益。水文是湿地中最重要的过程,是决定产生和维持湿地典型类型和湿地过程的重要因素。因此,湿地水文过程的研究是湿地研究的核心内容,是当前国内外湿地研究的热点。本文介绍了湿地水文及其对湿地功能等的重要性,综述了当前国内外在湿地水文状态与生态环境的关系、水流运动、水文模型与水文观测等方面的研究进展,并提出了今后我国亟待加强的湿地水文研究领域。     

Hydraulic analysis of cell-network treatment wetlands

When individual cells of a multiple-cell treatment wetland are hydraulically connected, the wetland has a cell-network structure. The hydraulic performance of treatment wetlands is often characterized using tracer residence time distributions (RTDs) measured between the wetland inlet and outlet, such that the wetland is considered as a single hydraulic unit, regardless of the extent of networking between individual internal cells. This work extends the single hydraulic unit approach to enable the specification of moments and RTD parameters for individual cells, or clusters of cells, within the cell-network based on inert tracer tests with injection only at the network inlet. Hydraulic performance is quantified in terms of hydraulic efficiency and travel time dimensionless variance using both the method of moments and RTD modeling. Cell-network analysis was applied to a case study from the Orlando Easterly Wetland (OEW), demonstrating the improvement in hydraulic performance of individual wetland cells following wetland restoration activities. Furthermore, cell-network analysis indicated that the location of water quality sampling station locations within the cell network can significantly affect the accuracy of pollutant removal effectiveness estimation when the individual sample station RTD does not represent the hydraulic unit RTD. At the OEW, it was determined that historical nutrient removal effectiveness estimation may be underestimated for one area and overestimated for another, and recommendations were provided for sample station locations to minimize future performance estimation errors.     

Impact of climate change on wetland ecosystems: A critical review of experimental wetlands

Climate change is identified as a major threat to wetlands. Altered hydrology and rising temperature can change the biogeochemistry and function of a wetland to the degree that some important services might be turned into disservices. This means that they will, for example, no longer provide a water purification service and adversely they may start to decompose and release nutrients to the surface water. Moreover, a higher rate of decomposition than primary production (photosynthesis) may lead to a shift of their function from being a sink of carbon to a source. This review paper assesses the potential response of natural wetlands (peatlands) and constructed wetlands to climate change in terms of gas emission and nutrients release. In addition, the impact of key climatic factors such as temperature and water availability on wetlands has been reviewed. The authors identified the methodological gaps and weaknesses in the literature and then introduced a new framework for conducting a comprehensive mesocosm experiment to address the existing gaps in literature to support future climate change research on wetland ecosystems. In the future, higher temperatures resulting in drought might shift the role of both constructed wetland and peatland from a sink to a source of carbon. However, higher temperatures accompanied by more precipitation can promote photosynthesis to a degree that might exceed the respiration and maintain the carbon sink role of the wetland. There might be a critical water level at which the wetland can preserve most of its services. In order to find that level, a study of the key factors of climate change and their interactions using an appropriate experimental method is necessary. Some contradictory results of past experiments can be associated with different methodologies, designs, time periods, climates, and natural variability. Hence a long-term simulation of climate change for wetlands according to the proposed framework is recommended. This framework provides relatively more accurate and realistic simulations, valid comparative results, comprehensive understanding and supports coordination between researchers. This can help to find a sustainable management strategy for wetlands to be resilient to climate change.     

长江—黄河上游源区沼泽湿地遥感动态特征及其成因分析

通过两个时像的对比解译、调查验证和研究,表明长江-黄河上游源区20世纪90年代初至21世纪初的10年中,沼泽湿地总体呈减少趋势。由于自然和人为综合因素的长期作用,使本区沼泽湿地处于萎缩状态。