Co-evolution of wetland landscapes,flooding, and human settlement in the Mississippi River Delta Plain

River deltas all over the world are sinking beneath sea-level rise, causing significant threats to natural and social systems. This is due to the combined effects of anthropogenic changes to sediment supply and river flow, subsidence, and sea-level rise, posing an immediate threat to the 500–1,000 million residents, many in megacities that live on deltaic coasts. The Mississippi River Deltaic Plain (MRDP) provides examples for many of the functions and feedbacks, regarding how human river management has impacted source-sink processes in coastal deltaic basins, resulting in human settlements more at risk to coastal storms. The survival of human settlement on the MRDP is arguably coupled to a shifting mass balance between a deltaic landscape occupied by either land built by the Mississippi River or water occupied by the Gulf of Mexico. We developed an approach to compare 50 % L:W isopleths (L:W is ratio of land to water) across the Atchafalaya and Terrebonne Basins to test landscape behavior over the last six decades to measure delta instability in coastal deltaic basins as a function of reduced sediment supply from river flooding. The Atchafalaya Basin, with continued sediment delivery, compared to Terrebonne Basin, with reduced river inputs, allow us to test assumptions of how coastal deltaic basins respond to river management over the last 75 years by analyzing landward migration rate of 50 % L:W isopleths between 1932 and 2010. The average landward migration for Terrebonne Basin was nearly 17,000 m (17 km) compared to only 22 m in Atchafalaya Basin over the last 78 years (p < 0.001), resulting in migration rates of 218 m/year (0.22 km/year) and <0.5 m/year, respectively. In addition, freshwater vegetation expanded in Atchafalaya Basin since 1949 compared to migration of intermediate and brackish marshes landward in the Terrebonne Basin. Changes in salt marsh vegetation patterns were very distinct in these two basins with gain of 25 % in the Terrebonne Basin compared to 90 % decrease in the Atchafalaya Basin since 1949. These shifts in vegetation types as L:W ratio decreases with reduced sediment input and increase in salinity also coincide with an increase in wind fetch in Terrebonne Bay. In the upper Terrebonne Bay, where the largest landward migration of the 50 % L:W ratio isopleth occurred, we estimate that the wave power has increased by 50–100 % from 1932 to 2010, as the bathymetric and topographic conditions changed, and increase in maximum storm-surge height also increased owing to the landward migration of the L:W ratio isopleth. We argue that this balance of land relative to water in this delta provides a much clearer understanding of increased flood risk from tropical cyclones rather than just estimates of areal land loss. We describe how coastal deltaic basins of the MRDP can be used as experimental landscapes to provide insights into how varying degrees of sediment delivery to coastal deltaic floodplains change flooding risks of a sinking delta using landward migrations of 50 % L:W isopleths. The nonlinear response of migrating L:W isopleths as wind fetch increases is a critical feedback effect that should influence human river-management decisions in deltaic coast. Changes in land area alone do not capture how corresponding landscape degradation and increased water area can lead to exponential increase in flood risk to human populations in low-lying coastal regions. Reduced land formation in coastal deltaic basins (measured by changes in the land:water ratio) can contribute significantly to increasing flood risks by removing the negative feedback of wetlands on wave and storm-surge that occur during extreme weather events. Increased flood risks will promote population migration as human risks associated with living in a deltaic landscape increase, as land is submerged and coastal inundation threats rise. These system linkages in dynamic deltaic coasts define a balance of river management and human settlement dependent on a certain level of land area within coastal deltaic basins (L).     

淮河流域可持续发展研究的重点问题

以可持续发展的基本理论为指导 ,本研究选定淮河流域为研究的典型区域 ,试图通过对淮河流域社会、经济、资源、环境的系统分析 ,提出实现大河流域可持续发展战略的基本思路与框架     

Using Local Knowledge as a Research Tool in the Study of River Fish Biology: Experiences from the Mekong

River fisheries are extremely important for food-security among the rural poor in many tropical countries. The growing populations and rapid industrialisation of these countries require that appropriate action should be taken to sustain the resources for future generations. However, an incomplete understanding of river fisheries biology, at the managerial level, often hampers proper planning and management. This is partly due to the difficult access to large parts of such river basins, the complex nature of the fisheries, and in many cases a severe lack of research funds. In contrast, the thousands, or often millions of people who live along the shores of the rivers and rely on the fishery for their daily survival, have a very intimate knowledge of the behaviour and biology of the fish. In this situation, gathering the knowledge of the fishers may provide politicians or planners with baseline knowledge in a relatively quick and cheap way.This paper discusses two years of research using local knowledge in the study of fish migration and spawning in the Lower Mekong Basin. The study involves semi-structured interviews with 355 expert fishermen in four countries along 2,400 km of the Mekong mainstream. By piecing together information from fishermen in different areas, we were able to construct migration maps, and provide rough estimates of the spawning period for 50 fish species. We conclude that river fisheries research can benefit significantly from local knowledge as the basis for future research.     

中国大河流域开发与国家文明发育

水是生命之源。大河流域既是地球淡水资源的关键载体,也是人类文明发育的主要摇篮。作为世界文明古国和现代发展中大国,中国的情况更是如此。长期的实践表明,大河流域的开发具有明显的生态效应极化特征:即在人文生态系统获取快速发育的同时,严重干扰和破坏了流域自然生态的系统发育及其多样化的发展。流域开发的程度越高,这种极化效应的特征也就越明显。论文的实证分析表明,由于缺乏流域开发生态效应的正确认识和过分追求人文发展利益发育最大化,黄河和长江两大流域的资源环境承载能力正在面临着日趋严峻的挑战。例如,河水断流、水质污染、湿地萎缩和水生物种消亡。为国家现代文明的永续发展计,亟需改变目前传统的"重开发、轻保护"大河流域资源环境开发观。     

欧盟跨界流域管理对我国水环境管理的借鉴意义

欧洲联盟在跨界流域管理方面取得了显著的成果,积累了丰富的经验,这对我国的水环境管理,尤其是跨界流域管理工作具有重要的借鉴意义。首先从立法保障、管理机构、运行机制、资金保障和公众参与等5个方面分析了欧盟跨界流域管理的经验和做法;并对我国水环境跨界管理现状进行了解析。在上述基础上,针对我国的水环境管理工作提出了3方面的建议,即：完善法律法规,明确各级政府对流域跨界断面的监管职责,充分利用市场机制,形成保护合力;制定流域综合管理规划,协调专项规划,确保跨界断面水生态保护目标的实现;鼓励公众参与,全方位促进和改善跨界流域管理工作。     

Preliminary assessment of current radiation doses to the population of Brodokalmak from contamination of the Techa River

Significant quantities of liquid radioactive waste were discharged to the Techa River in the southern Urals region of Russia in the early years of operation of the Mayak PA plant (1948–1951). A collaborative project is underway under contract to the European Commission to consider the radiological impact of radioactive contamination in the Southern Urals. Part of this project involves the calculation of radiation doses currently received by the population of Brodokalmak on the Techa river. The assessment made use of local data on the habits of the population and measurements of radionuclide activity concentrations in food and water. Exposure pathways included in the assessment were ingestion of foods and external exposure to gamma radiation from radionuclides deposited on the banks of the river. A range of doses was calculated for different age groups, firstly, assuming that the restrictions in place are retained and, secondly, assuming that there are no restrictions. These restrictions include bans on drinking river water, fishing and bathing in the river and the prohibition of use of the river and surrounding flood plains by humans and cattle. With restrictions the highest dose estimated was 0.56 mSv y⁻¹ for the most exposed adults and without restrictions this increased to 3.4 mSv y⁻¹.     

The inflow of (238)Pu and (239+240)Pu from the Vistula River catchment area to the Baltic Sea

The aim of the work was to estimate plutonium inflow from the Vistula River’s catchments area to the Baltic Sea. There were differences in plutonium activities depending on season and sampling site. The highest activities of ²³⁸Pu and ^239+240Pu were transported from the Vistula River watershed to the Baltic Sea in spring and the lowest in summer. Annually, the southern Baltic Sea is enriched via the Vistula River with 10.3 MBq of ²³⁸Pu and 89.0 MBq of ^239+240Pu. The enhanced concentration of plutonium in water from the Vistula River is the result of its runoff from the Vistula drainage area, mostly from snowmelt, enhanced rainfalls and leached materials from river bed.     

A study of radium bioaccumulation in freshwater mussels, Velesunio angasi, in the Magela Creek catchment, Northern Territory, Australia

Freshwater mussels, Velesunio angasi, along Magela Creek in Australia’s Northern Territory were examined to study radionuclide activities in mussel flesh and to investigate whether the Ranger Uranium mine is contributing to the radium loads in mussels downstream of the mine. Radium loads in mussels of the same age were highest in Bowerbird Billabong, located 20 km upstream of the mine site. Variations in the ratio of [Ra]:[Ca] in filtered water at the sampling sites accounted for the variations found in mussel radium loads with natural increases in calcium (Ca) in surface waters in a downstream gradient along the Magela Creek catchment gradually reducing radium uptake in mussels. At Mudginberri Billabong, 12 km downstream of the mine, concentration factors for radium have not significantly changed over the past 25 years since the mine commenced operations and this, coupled with a gradual decrease of the ²²⁸Ra/²²⁶Ra activity ratios observed along the catchment, indicates that the ²²⁶Ra accumulated in mussels is of natural rather than mine origin. The ²²⁸Th/²²⁸Ra ratio has been used to model radium uptake and a radium biological half-life in mussels of approximately 13 years has been determined. The long biological half-life and the low Ca concentrations in the water account for the high radium concentration factor of 30,000-60,000 measured in mussels from the Magela Creek catchment.     

Towards better water governance in river basins: some lessons learned from the Volga

This article focuses on the problems of water governance at a river basin level, and on the role of institutional coordination, participation and partnerships between multiple stakeholders towards sustainable water management. Its approach presupposes that institutional capacity building, strengthening coordination between government institutions (vertical and horizontal), on the one hand, and broadening participation and consolidating partnerships between public, private and civil society actors, on the other hand, is among effective tools in integrated water resource management in river basins. It explores environmental challenges, problems, emerging trends and recent institutional innovations in the Volga basin in Russia—the largest river basin in Europe. Transfer and adaptation of good practices in good water governance between the EU and Russia are discussed. This article presents some research findings and lessons learned from practice by the EC international project ‘CABRI—Cooperation along a big river: Institutional coordination among stakeholders for environmental risk management in the Volga basin’, which is assessed as one of the selected success stories of the European research.’     

基于排污权的闽江流域跨界生态补偿研究

为建立兼顾公平与效率的流域生态补偿机制,科学合理的测算生态补偿额,从经济学角度构建基于排污权的流域跨界生态补偿模型。以福建省境内的闽江流域为例,分别测算流域各城市2011～2015年理论排污权和排污权损失,核定生态补偿额。结果表明：各城市生态补偿总额存在明显的年际变化,福州作为闽江流域的下游城市,其生态补偿总额根据上游城市南平、泉州、宁德的污染物排放情况而定;南平、三明作为闽江流域中游城市,生态补偿总额根据上游城市以及自身的水污染物排放情况而定;泉州、龙岩、宁德作为闽江流域上游城市,生态补偿总额主要根据自身排放的污染物情况而定。研究结果可为福建省乃至全国跨界流域补偿总量测算的研究实施提供参考借鉴。结合闽江流域生态补偿测算结果,提出了明确生态补偿主客体、兼顾上下游利益、建立流域排污权制度等完善流域生态补偿机制的建议。     

Monitoring and assessment of radionuclide discharges from Temelín Nuclear Power Plant into the Vltava River (Czech Republic)

The paper summarizes impacts of the Temelín Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) on the Vltava and Labe River basins. The study is based on the results of long-term monitoring carried out before the plant operation (1989–2000), and subsequently during the plant operation (2001–2005). In the first period, the main objective was to determine background radionuclide levels remaining in the environment after global fallout and due to the Chernobyl accident. A decrease in the concentrations of ⁹⁰Sr, ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs, which was observed before the plant operation, continued also during the subsequent period. Apart from tritium, the results of the observation did not indicate any impacts of the plant on the concentrations of activation and fission products in the hydrosphere. The annual average tritium concentrations in the Vltava River were in agreement with predicted values. The maximum annual average tritium concentration (13.5 Bq L⁻¹) was observed in 2004 downstream from the wastewater discharge in the Vltava River at Solenice. Estimated radiation doses for adults due to intakes of river water as drinking water contaminated by tritium are below 0.1 μSv y⁻¹.     

Effects of landforms on the erosion rate in a small watershed by the Cs tracing method

It's very important to analyze and evaluate quantitatively the effects of landforms on soil erosion for the prevention and treatment of soil loss in a small watershed. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of landform factors on erosion rate by the ¹³⁷Cs tracing method in a small watershed in the Purple Hilly Area of China. The erosion rates under different slope lengths, slope gradients and slope aspects were estimated in Xiangshuitan watershed in the Purple Hilly Area in Sichuan Basin by the ¹³⁷Cs tracing method. The results showed that the erosion rate decreased exponentially with downslope distance, and it increased with increasing slope gradient during the scope of 5°-16°. The slope aspect had great impact on the erosion rate, and the hillside on the sunny slope had larger erosion rate than that on the shady slope, particularly for the farmland.     

鄱阳湖流域基本特征、面临挑战和关键科学问题

鄱阳湖流域总面积占长江流域面积的9%,占江西省国土面积的939%,鄱阳湖流域的生态健康维系着流域内,特别是长江中下游的生态安全,是区域经济、社会、生态可持续发展的重要保障。在全面认识鄱阳湖流域基本特征和面临挑战的基础上,探讨了鄱阳湖流域面临的五大科学问题：“山 江 湖”的相互关系与流域的生态健康;全球变化背景下流域生态系统的响应;流域生物多样性地理格局与社会经济合理分区;长江流域环境演变对鄱阳湖流域的影响;流域科学管理的理论与实践。为鄱阳湖生态经济区的建设和全流域的综合管理提供科学的建议和对策     

岷江上游水电开发特点及其空间格局分析

研究流域的水电开发类型与空间格局,可为水库群的累积环境影响评价、流域水电优化布局等提供科学参考。在流域分割的基础上,对岷江上游水电站的基本类型、水电站的空间分布格局进行了全面分析,并构建水电开发率、水电开发密度和水电开发强度3个指标对流域水电开发程度作出综合评价。结果表明岷江上游流域水电站类型以高水头低闸坝的引水式小水电为主,高坝大库相对较少。梯级水电开发已拓展至岷江三级支流,汶川—都江堰河段是干流水电开发程度最高的河段,杂谷脑河是水电开发程度最高的一级支流流域。岷江上游流域的水电开发率远高于全国平均水平,梯级水电开发密度大于国内主要河流。农村小水电占水电站总数的82%,梯级农村小水电对生态环境的累积影响是将来值得深入探讨的问题。     

Environmental tritium (³H) and hydrochemical investigations to evaluate groundwater in Varahi and Markandeya river basins, Karnataka, India

The present study aimed at assessing the activity of natural radionuclides (³H) and hydrochemical parameters (viz., pH, EC, F⁻, NO₃⁻, Cl⁻, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺) in the groundwater used for domestic and irrigation purposes in the Varahi and Markandeya river basins to understand the levels of hydrochemical parameters in terms of the relative age(s) of the groundwater contained within the study area. The recorded environmental ³H content in Varahi and Markandeya river basins varied from 1.95 ± 0.25 T.U. to 11.35 ± 0.44 T.U. and 1.49 ± 0.75 T.U. to 9.17 ± 1.13 T.U. respectively. Majority of the samples in Varahi (93.34%) and Markandeya (93.75%) river basins being pre-modern water with modern recharge, significantly influenced by precipitation and river inflowing/sea water intrusion. The EC-Tritium and Tritium-Fluoride plots confirmed the existence of higher total dissolved solids (SEC > 500 μS/cm) and high fluoride (MAC > 1.5 mg/L) in groundwater of Markandeya river basin, attributed to relatively longer residence time of groundwater interacting with rock formations and vice versa in case of Varahi river basin. The tritium-EC and tritium-chloride plots indicated shallow and deep circulating groundwater types in Markandeya river basin and only shallow circulating groundwater type in Varahi river basin. Increasing Mg relative to Ca with decreasing tritium indicated the influence of incongruent dissolution of a dolomite phase. The samples with high nitrate (MAC > 45 mg/L) are waters that are actually mixtures of fresh water (containing very high nitrate, possibly from agricultural fertilizers) and older ‘unpolluted’ waters (containing low nitrate levels), strongly influenced by surface source.     

Groundwater in the Limpopo Basin: occurrence,use and impact

The Limpopo River Basin is underlain by an alluvial aquifer along the main river stem and fractured water-bearing units in tributary catchments. Notwithstanding that development priorities in parts of the basin in South Africa have historically preferred surface water sources for irrigation and domestic supply, water resources auditing suggests that groundwater presents the only viable alternative source of cost-effective supply to meet future requirements. However, while aquifer yields are favourable in places, averaging 16.7 l/s for main-stem alluvium, groundwater is already extensively used. Between 1995 and 2002, total groundwater use in the area rose by almost 40%, increasing from 98 to 136 million m³ per year. In all catchments, groundwater use grew by varying proportions, reaching a rather high 200% in the Mogalakwena catchment. In the particular case of commercial irrigation, over-exploitation of groundwater has been recorded in a number of places, especially in the northwest where drawdowns of more than 50 m have resulted from decades of intense agricultural water use. Although groundwater use for mining is still low at 4% of total usage in the study area, the region is currently witnessing a surge in mining operations, and a significant growth in water requirements is envisaged for mining development. Further, domestic water supply to the predominantly rural dwellers in the area is relatively low, even in terms of meeting the basic need of 25 l/day per person, underscoring the fact that groundwater will remain a critical source of community drinking water in the foreseeable future. Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.     

长江上游洪涝灾害分析及防灾减灾措施

分析了长江上游洪水和渍涝灾害的发生频率、危害程度和演变趋势。在季风环流和山区地形抬升作用下，形成长江上游４个年雨量大于２０００ｍｍ的暴雨中心，使盆周和乌江上游成为雨洪多发区，各大江河汇合口普遍存在洪泛之害。夏季山洪、秋季雨涝、沿江洪水淹没和山区泥石流等水害频繁，且灾害的发生频率和造成的损失有继续增大的趋势，通过对历史灾情的分析，提出了洪涝频率和面积分布。洪涝灾害的危害程度既受天气异常的影响，又与人类活动密切相关。长江上游的防洪抗灾应采取因地制宜、综合治理的方针，即结合大型水库控制、水土保持、农田水利、灾害预警和社会保险等措施消减灾害，其中尤以长江上游防护林和大江河干流水库枢纽作用巨大，可起到削蓄洪水、涵养水源、减少侵蚀和改善生态环境条件的综合功效，是带根本性的流域治理措施。     

Chemical contamination of the East River (Dongjiang) and its implication on sustainable development in the Pearl River Delta

A recent survey reveals that water quality and river sediments of Dongjiang (the East River) have been mildly contaminated by heavy metals and organic chemicals, such as copper, lead, PCBs, PAHs and HCHs. According to photogrammertic surveys, the sources of contamination are closely related to human activities, such as domestic and industrial discharges, agricultural chemical applications and soil erosion due to deforestation. The level of water and sediment contamination is most serious at the mid-river section near the urban of Weizhou. Due to natural dilution and diffusion, the levels of contamination are slightly decreased at the medium low section of the River near Qiaotou and Matan. Nevertheless, the levels of contamination increase again in the lower river section near Shenzhen, which is a highly developed economic zone. Since Dongjiang is the major source of potable water supply for Hong Kong (nearly 80% of potable water of Hong Kong is abstracted from Dongjiang) and the other parts of the Pearl River Delta (PRD), such organic and inorganic pollution merit concern. Ironically, most of the industrial and commercial activities in the watershed of Dongjiang are business investments of Hong Kong citizens. Cross-border environmental efforts should be enhanced with collaboration of different jurisdictions to achieve targets of regional sustainability.     

No Longer “Bullying the Rhine:” Giving Narrative a Place in Flood Management

In this paper we explore whether today multiple sources of reasoning are being considered in the discourse of flood management. We examine whether stakeholders are considered and served as an audience of partners in managing rivers. To this end, we reviewed sources of reasoning that people living in river basins use for handling floods and mitigating flood risk. We focus on texts dealing with lowland flooding, taking as an example the Rhine River in historical times and in the present. Our review of river management documentation revealed that the scheme that guides engineers', policy makers', and administrators' actions toward rivers is shifting from correcting rivers toward accommodating their needs for flood plains—while still controlling the rivers. In current European river management reports we found elements of narrative side by side with formal scientific fact reporting.     

21世纪长江流域农业发展趋势及对策研究

长江流域农业资源丰富,农产品产量大,农产品加工业发达,农业、农村经济水平较高,农业在全国占有重要的地位。８０年代以来,长江流域农业、农村经济结构逐渐优化,农业生现代化装备水平逐步提高,但部分农产品产量（包括商品粮）在全国的地位下降,流域内省际间农村、农业经济差距扩大。据此本文提出长江流域农业发展的主要对策：加大中上游于区的投入力度,进上步调整产业结构,加快名特优产品的产业化开发,加大农业科技投入力