Controls on the transition from meandering to straight channels in the wetlands of the Okavango Delta,Botswana

Previous studies of alluvial rivers have shown that channel patterns form a continuum controlled by interactions among factors such as gradient, discharge, sediment size, and bank strength. Data from channels in the permanent wetlands of the Okavango Delta add to these ?ndings by focusing on pattern transitions in channels with banks formed by sedges and grasses that are rooted in peat and underlain by unconsolidated sediment. Channels are well de?ned, and transport ?ne–medium sand as bedload between the vertical, vegetation‐lined banks. Water depths, velocities, grain sizes, and bankline vegetation do not vary signi?cantly or systematically downstream, but the permeable banks allow water to leak from the channels, contributing to an overall downstream decrease in discharge and width. In addition, as the Okavango River ?ows from the <12 km wide ‘Panhandle’ and splits into distributaries in the broader ‘Fan’, valley gradient steepens by c. 60 per cent. These downstream changes result in channel pattern adjustments. In the Panhandle, the Okavango River is a relatively wide (c. 30–100 m), actively meandering, sinuous channel (P > 2·0), but further downstream in the Fan, the narrower (<40 m) distributaries follow laterally stable, less sinuous (‘straight’) courses (P < 1·75). Some channel pattern discrimination diagrams based on simple indices of gradient, discharge, sediment size or stream power are inadequate for analysing the meandering–straight transition in the Okavango but Parker's (1976) approach, based on ratios of depth–width and slope–Froude number, accurately characterizes the transition. Our ?eld observations, combined with the results from previous experimental studies, suggest that in relatively wide channels (w/d > 10), thalweg meandering results in scour of the unconsolidated sediment at the bank base, leading to undermining and collapse of the vegetation, and to slow meander migration. However, as channels narrow downstream (w/d < 10) with discharge losses, proportionally increasing sidewall drag exerted by bankline vegetation suppresses thalweg meandering and bank scour, and channels follow stable, less sinuous courses. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

茭草(Zizania latifolia)在不同人工湿地中的生长适应性

茭草是太湖流域河、湖水陆交错带及低洼沼泽中普遍生长的挺水植物,其生长条件在当地挺水植物中具有代表性.根据该流域河道水陆交错带的现状与挺水植物生长特性,针对性地设计了置入式生态滤床、生物氧化池、潜流-表面流复合人工湿地和水平潜流人工湿地4种不同生境条件,研究茭草的生长适应性,为建立与恢复退化的河道水陆交错带植被群落提供科学依据和技术支持.结果表明,茭草能够适应不同生长环境,在沸石基质和水培环境中均能正常生长;不同环境条件下其生长速度和繁茂程度存在差异.     

COMMENTS ON “SPATIAL VARIATION OF HILLSLOPE PROFILES IN THE CUMBERLAND PLATEAU,KENTUCKY” BY EDMUND B. WOOOS

Book Reviewed in this article:

Main Street: Northeastern Oregon: The Founding and Development of Small Towns. Barbara Ruth Bailey.

Food Politics: The Regional Conflict. David N. Balaam and Michael J. Carey, eds.

The International Economy and Industrial Development: Trade and Investment in the Third World. R. Ballance, J. Ansari and H. Singer.

Neighborhoods in Urban America. Ronald H. Bayor, ed.

The English Heartland. By Robert Beckinsale and Monica Beckinsale.

Regional Dimensions of Industrial Policy. Michael E. Bell and Paul S. Lande, eds.

Tension Areas of the World. D. Gordon Bennett, ed.

Latin America: an Introductory Survey. B. W. Blouet and O. M. Blouet, eds.

Integration and Division: Geographical Perspectives on the Northern Ireland Problem. Frederick W. Boal and J. Neville H. Douglas, eds.

Energy and Land Use. Robert W. Burchell and David Listokin, eds.

Slopes and Weathering. Michael Clarke and John Small.

Alaska's Rural Development. Peter G. Cornwall and Gerald McBeath, eds.

The Politics of Park Design: A History of Urban Parks in America. Galen Cranz.

World Congress on Land Policy, 1980, Proceedings. Matthew Cullen and Sharon Woolery, eds.

Oregon Divided: A Regional Geography. Samuel N. Dicken and Emily F. Dicken.

Urban Food Marketing and Third World Rural Development. T. Scarlett Epstein.

South Africa: Spatial Frameworks for Development. T. J. D. Fair.

Institutions and Geographical Patterns. Robin Flowerdew, ed.

Industrialization of U.S. Agriculture, An Interpretive Atlas. Howard F. Gregor.

Planning Theory: Prospects for the 1980s. Patsy Healy, Glen McDougall and Michael J. Thomas, eds.

Neighborhood Mobilization: Redevelopment and Response. Jeffrey R. Henig.

The American Urban System: A Geographical Perspective. R. J. Johnston.

Climate, History and the Modern World. Hubert H. Lamb.

Climate and History: Studies in Past Climates and Their Impact on Man. T. M. L. Wigley, M. J. Ingram and G. Farmer.

China: Railways and Agricultural Development, 1875–1935. Ernest P. Liang.

A Desirable Energy Future—A National Perspective. Robert S. Livingston, T. D. Anderson, T. M. Besmann, M. Olszewski, A. M. Perry, and C. D. West.

Topothesia: Essays Presented to T. S. Ó Máille. B. S. Mac Aodha, ed.

Transportation for the Poor: Research in Rural Mobility. Hal S. Maggied.

Land Uses in American Cities. Harold M. Mayer and Charles R. Haves.

Industrial Organisation and Location. Philip McDermott and Michael Taylor.

Human Adaptability: an Introduction to Ecological Anthropology. Emilio F. Moran.

Regional Analysis and the New International Division of Labor. Frank Moulaert and Patricia W. Salinas, eds.

The Nuclear War Atlas. Victoriaville, Quebec, Canada:

Urbanization and Environmental Quality. Isao Orishimo.

The Garden of Eden: The Botanic Garden and the Re-Creation of Paradise. John Prest.

Earthfire, The Eruption of Mount St. Helens. Charles Rosenfeld and Robert Cooke.

Contest for the South China Sea. Marwyn S. Samuels.

The Future of the Wetlands: Assessing Visual-Cultural Values. Richard C. Smardon, ed.

Tucson: the Life and Times of An American City. C. L. Sonnichsen.

The Geography of Multinationals. Michael Taylor and Nigel Thrift, eds.

Impact of Marine Pollution on Society. Virginia Tippie and Dana Kester.

Reviving the Industrial City: the Politics of Urban Renewal in Lyon and Birmingham. Jerry A. Webman.

Andean Reflections: Letters from Carl O. Sauer While on a South American Trip under a Grant from the Rockefeller Foundation, 1942. Robert C. West, ed.

Cartographic Drawing with Computers. P. Yoeli.     

中国历史时期干旱区湿地及其人─地系统动力学的初步研究

本文用历史观点，初步探讨了我国干旱区湿地与人─地系统动力学机制。研究表明，虽然干旱区气候及其干暖化发展与湿地发生学相悖，但也不乏湿地分布．干旱区湿地一直处在衰退过程之中，其原因总的来说是区域性人—地系统动力学负效应综合作用的结果。     

Postglacial development of a marl and peat complex on the Precambrian Shield of northwestern Ontario

This paper presents the first paleolimnological study of the postglacial development of a marl and peat complex on the Canadian Precambrian Shield. Ring Lake (48° 46 N, 85° 51 W), situated within the carbonate glacial drift area of northwestern Ontario, originated about 9000 BP in a basin exposed by the retreating waters of proglacial Lake Superior. The development of Ring Lake was interpreted from pollen and diatom analysis of one sediment core from the littoral zone and another core from near the lake centre.The sequence of postglacial vegetation development parallels published accounts of forest history in northern Ontario. The predominant diatom throughout the littoral core was the alkaliphilous Cymbella diluviana. The central core was dominated by circumneutral and alkaliphilous species of Achnanthes Navicula, Fragilaria, and Cymbella, except in recent samples where acidophilous species of Anomoeoneis were common.Diatom-inferred (DI) pH shows that the early lake was alkaline because of drainage from base-rich tills. The presence of marl in the littoral core indicates deposition of calcareous materials until the site dried out during the Hypsithermal period. There is evidence that beaver activity around 5000 BP caused a temporary change in lake hydrology. A decline in DI pH over much of the postglacial reflects gradual exhaustion of carbonates in the drainage area. An increase in acidophilous diatoms in samples representing the past 3500 y is consistent with gradual acidification of the system and development of a littoral peatland in a cooler neoglacial climate.     

BOOK REVIEWS

Book Reviewed in this article: Main Street: Northeastern Oregon: The Founding and Development of Small Towns . Barbara Ruth Bailey . Food Politics: The Regional Conflict . David N. Balaam and Michael J. Carey , eds. The International Economy and Industrial Development: Trade and Investment in the Third World . R. Ballance , J. Ansari and H. Singer . Neighborhoods in Urban America . Ronald H. Bayor , ed. The English Heartland . By Robert Beckinsale and Monica Beckinsale . Regional Dimensions of Industrial Policy . Michael E. Bell and Paul S. Lande , eds. Tension Areas of the World . D. Gordon Bennett , ed. Latin America: an Introductory Survey . B. W. Blouet and O. M. Blouet , eds. Integration and Division: Geographical Perspectives on the Northern Ireland Problem . Frederick W. Boal and J. Neville H. Douglas , eds. Energy and Land Use . Robert W. Burchell and David Listokin , eds. Slopes and Weathering . Michael Clarke and John Small . Alaska's Rural Development . Peter G. Cornwall and Gerald Mc Beath , eds. The Politics of Park Design: A History of Urban Parks in America . Galen Cranz . World Congress on Land Policy, 1980, Proceedings . Matthew Cullen and Sharon Woolery , eds. Oregon Divided: A Regional Geography . Samuel N. Dicken and Emily F. Dicken . Urban Food Marketing and Third World Rural Development . T. Scarlett Epstein . South Africa: Spatial Frameworks for Development . T. J. D. Fair . Institutions and Geographical Patterns . Robin Flowerdew , ed. Industrialization of U.S. Agriculture, An Interpretive Atlas . Howard F. Gregor . Planning Theory: Prospects for the 1980s . Patsy Healy , Glen Mc Dougall and Michael J. Thomas , eds. Neighborhood Mobilization: Redevelopment and Response . Jeffrey R. Henig . The American Urban System: A Geographical Perspective . R. J. Johnston . Climate, History and the Modern World . Hubert H. Lamb . Climate and History: Studies in Past Climates and Their Impact on Man . T. M. L. Wigley , M. J. Ingram and G. Farmer . China: Railways and Agricultural Development, 1875–1935 . Ernest P. Liang . A Desirable Energy Future—A National Perspective . Robert S. Livingston , T. D. Anderson , T. M. Besmann , M. Olszewski , A. M. Perry , and C. D. West . Topothesia: Essays Presented to T. S. Ó Máille . B. S. Mac Aodha , ed. Transportation for the Poor: Research in Rural Mobility . Hal S. Maggied . Land Uses in American Cities . Harold M. Mayer and Charles R. Haves . Industrial Organisation and Location . Philip Mc Dermott and Michael Taylor . Human Adaptability: an Introduction to Ecological Anthropology . Emilio F. Moran . Regional Analysis and the New International Division of Labor . Frank Moulaert and Patricia W. Salinas , eds. The Nuclear War Atlas. Victoriaville, Quebec, Canada : Urbanization and Environmental Quality . Isao Orishimo . The Garden of Eden: The Botanic Garden and the Re-Creation of Paradise . John Prest . Earthfire, The Eruption of Mount St. Helens . Charles Rosenfeld and Robert Cooke . Contest for the South China Sea . Marwyn S. Samuels . The Future of the Wetlands: Assessing Visual-Cultural Values . Richard C. Smardon , ed. Tucson: the Life and Times of An American City. C. L. Sonnichsen . The Geography of Multinationals . Michael Taylor and Nigel Thrift , eds. Impact of Marine Pollution on Society . Virginia Tippie and Dana Kester . Reviving the Industrial City: the Politics of Urban Renewal in Lyon and Birmingham . Jerry A. Webman . Andean Reflections: Letters from Carl O. Sauer While on a South American Trip under a Grant from the Rockefeller Foundation, 1942 . Robert C. West , ed. Cartographic Drawing with Computers . P. Yoeli .     

艾比湖湿地土壤活性有机碳及其对厌氧条件下碳分解的影响

揭示土壤活性有机碳的特征及其与碳释放的关系对研究全球气候变化具有重要意义.本研究对艾比湖湿地不同生境土壤活性有机碳及厌氧条件下碳分解过程进行测定与分析.研究结果表明：1）不同生境土壤DOC、MBC和EOC含量分别为43.41～151.30 mg.kg-1、8.23～417.83 mg.kg-1、69.63～2376.0...     

梁子湖湿地保护与产业发展探析

梁子湖湿地丰富的野生动植物资源、水资源和景观资源是社会和经济发展的重要物质基础.长期以来,由于投入资金、管理及开发利用等方面的问题,如湿地保护的管理权分散、湿地产业粗放发展、功能定位不明确、湿地保护和产业开发的技术水平落后等,致使湿地保护与经济发展的矛盾日益突出.在分析梁子湖湿地现状的基础上,从发挥宏观政策作用与建立生...     

长江口滨岸湿地沉积物对上覆水体中无机氮的净化能力估算

Estuarine wetlands serve as a natural barrier to remove the land-generated pollut-ants and attenuate the pollutant load from the land to the sea. As one of the most important estuarine wetlands, the Yangtze estuarine wetlands have attracted particular interests in the biogeochemical studies of nutrients. The objectives of this study were to characterize the seasonal and spatial distribution of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) fluxes across the sediment-water interface; to calculate the total DIN fluxes in a year and different seasons; and to evaluate the DIN removing capability of the sediment in the tidal wetlands of the Yangtze Estuary. The spatial distribution of DIN fluxes shows complicated seasonal variations and spatial differences. The annual DIN fluxes range from -22.22 mmol N m-2 h-1 to 19.54 mmolN m-2 h-1, with an average of -1.48±1.34 mmol N m-2 h-1. The tidal wetlands in the Yangtze Estuary behave as a source of water DIN in spring when DIN is released from sediment into overlying water, and the released amount of DIN is 1.33×104 tons of nitrogen (T N). In sum-mer, autumn and winter, the sediment absorbs the DIN from the overlying water, and the absorbed amounts of DIN are 4.36×104 T N, 6.81×104 T N and 2.24×104 T N, respectively. The average amount of DIN in overlying water of the Yangtze Estuary is 52.6×104 T N yr-1, and the perennial average amount of DIN absorbed from the overlying water by the sediment is 12.1×104 T N yr-1. The annual DIN elimination rate of the tidal wetlands was 23.0%.     

A geostatistical model for estimating edge effects and cumulative human disturbance in wetlands and coastal waters

ABSTRACT

The modification of landscapes for agriculture, residential housing, and other human uses has the potential to alter ecosystem function, reduce native biodiversity, and to diminish the capacity of natural systems to provide essential goods and services. Resultantly, methods aimed at quantifying disturbance intensity at the intersection of anthropogenic and natural lands are important to applied aspects of landscape planning and natural resource management, as well as theoretical facets of spatial ecology. Tools to appraise human disturbance in wetlands and coastal waters are especially needed because the topographic settings of surface waters make them particularly susceptible to pollutant accumulation, hydrologic alteration, and other influences from the surrounding landscape. Assuming a water resources focus, we developed a novel geostatistical method to quantify and visualize edge effects and cumulative human disturbance for all wetlands and coastal waters in the State of Florida (USA). Model validation revealed that estimated disturbance intensity was strongly correlated to species richness, levels of heavy metal contamination, and persistent organic pollutant concentration. The presented modeling framework offers a flexible means to assess human disturbance across spatial scales and could be readily applied to prioritize conservation land acquisition and to anticipate future impacts from the proposed development.