Soil organic carbon of degraded wetlands treated with freshwater in the Yellow River Delta, China

Supplying freshwater is one of the important methods to help restore degraded wetlands. Changes in soil properties and plant community biomass were evaluated by comparing sites with freshwater treatment versus reference sites following freshwater addition to wetlands of the Yellow River Delta for 7 years. The results indicated that soil organic carbon (SOC) was significantly increased in all wetland sites that were treated with freshwater compared to the reference sites. The treatment wetlands had greater total nitrogen (TN), lower pH and electrical conductivity and higher water content in the soil compared to the reference wetlands. In general, the upper soil layer (0-20 cm) had greater SOC than the lower soil layer (20-40 cm). The increase of SOC in the freshwater reintroduction wetlands was higher in the Suaeda salsa plant community (mean ± standard error) (6.89 ± 0.63 g/kg) and Phragmites communis plant community (4.11 ± 0.12 g/kg) than in the Tamarix chinensis plant community (1.40 ± 0.31 g/kg) in the upper soil layer. The differences were especially marked between the treated and reference wetlands for SOC and TN in the P. communis plant communities. The C:N ratio of the soil was significantly greater in the treated compared to the reference wetlands for the S. salsa plant community. Although the C: N ratios increased after treatment, they were all <25 suggesting that N availability was not limiting soil organic matter decomposition. Our results indicate that freshwater addition and the concomitant increase in soil moisture content enhances the accumulation of SOC in the Yellow River Delta.     

Georelational Analysis of Soil Type, Soil Salt Content, Landform, and Land Use in the Yellow River Delta, China

The Yellow River Delta, one of China’s three major river deltas, is becoming a major region for the development of agriculture and fisheries. Protecting the delicate ecology of newly formed aquatic systems as well as the evolution of soils, natural vegetation, and fauna on older upland environments in the delta is a priority in planning for the wise use of the delta’s resources for future agricultural development. In this article, we use a Geographic Information System (GIS) to analyze relationships between land-use/land-cover characteristics in the Dongying municipality, one of the most intensely developed areas of the delta, and spatial variations in soil salinity and landforms. This analysis reveals that soil salt content decreases from regionally high values in isolated depressions to relatively moderate values in embanked former back swamps, with the lowest values occurring in abandoned river courses. Comparing the present land use on this soil salinity–landform pattern shows that it is basically at odds with general concepts of land suitability for agricultural utilization of saline soils. Crop-based agriculture in the region is probably overdeveloped, whereas more appropriate agricultural development, like cattle and forest production, is underrepresented. Future development should focus on converting farmland in embanked former back swamps and abandoned river courses into grasslands and forests. Crop-based agriculture (up to 151,000 ha) could be planned at the low-salinity terrace uplands and flood plains. The article provides guidelines for decision-makers regarding agricultural land use and wetland protection in the Yellow River Delta.     

宁夏灌区不同类型农田土壤氮素累积与迁移特征

在宁夏灌区选择设施菜田（n=4）和水旱轮作大田（n=4）,通过田间多点取样观测和室内分析的方法,研究了2种类型农田土壤氮素累积与分布特点,以及其迁移对浅层地下水的影响。结果表明,设施菜田0~150 cm土壤剖面溶解性总氮（TSN）、硝态氮（NO3--N）和溶解性有机氮（SON）含量都显著高于大田,前者分别是后者的1.5~5.6、1.5~3.4倍和1.6~9.8倍。设施菜田土壤氮素主要累积在0~5 cm和5~20 cm土层,而大田主要在40~100 cm土体。设施菜田和大田土壤溶解性总氮占全氮比例分别在5.4%~11.5%和2.2%~4.9%之间,前者的淋失风险较高。设施菜田各形态氮素累积量表现为SON＆gt;NO3--N＆gt;NH4＋-N,大田为NO3--N＆gt;SON＆gt;NH4＋-N。设施菜田浅层地下水中TSN、NO3--N和SON含量也都显著高于大田,前者平均含量分别是后者的9.5、13.8倍和7.0倍。因此,硝态氮和溶解性有机氮都是2种类型农田氮素累积的主要形态,也是浅层地下水污染的重要来源。     

Vegetative Ecological Characteristics of Restored Reed (Phragmites australis) Wetlands in the Yellow River Delta, China

In this study, we compared ecological characteristics of wetland vegetation in a series of restoration projects that were carried out in the wetlands of Yellow River Delta. The investigated characteristics include plant composition structure, species diversity and community similarity in three kinds of Phragmites australis wetlands, i.e. restored P. australis wetlands (R1, R2, R3 and R4: restored in 2002, 2005, 2007 and 2009, respectively), natural P. australis wetland (N) and degraded P. australis wetland (D) to assess the process of wetlands restoration. The coverage of the R1 was 99%, which was similar to natural wetland. Among all studied wetlands, the highest and lowest stem density was observed in R1 and R2, respectively, Plant height and stem diameter show the same trend as N > R2 > R1 > R3 > D > R4. Species diversity of restored P. australis wetlands became closed to natural wetland. Both species richness and Shannon–Wiener index had similar tendency: increased first and then decreased with restored time. The highest species richness and species diversity were observed in R2, while the lowest values of those parameters were found in natural P. australis wetland. Similarity indexes between restored wetlands and natural wetland increased with the restoration time, but they were still less than 50%. The results indicate that the vegetation of P. australis wetlands has experienced a great improvement after several years’ restoration, and it is feasible to restored degraded P. australis wetlands by pouring fresh water into those wetlands in the Yellow River Delta. However, it is notable that costal degraded P. australis wetland in this region may take years to decades to reach the status of natural wetland.     

黄河三角洲重金属分布状况及分析评价

通过调查监测了解黄河三角洲地区四种主要重金属分布状况，结果表明，目前该地区河水、底质、土壤中基本未受到铜、铅、镉、六价铬的污染，但必须严格控制上游流域工业污染源的“三废”排放，以防止潜在的污染威胁。     

黄河三角洲高效生态经济发展存在的问题与对策研究

国家将黄河三角洲的发展定位为"高效生态",并上升为国家战略,这给黄河三角洲高效生态经济发展提供了重要机遇。从分析高效生态经济内涵出发,着重分析了区域经济结构不合理、对外开放水平不高、体制机制严重不足、生态与环境保护薄弱等问题,并提出了优化产业结构、坚持全方位开放、建立科学制度和坚持生态优先等相应对策,以期对黄河三角洲高效生态经济发展提供借鉴。     

黄河三角洲农业开发与可持续发展研究

本文分析了黄河三角洲农业开发的有利条件、开发现状和存在的主要问题,探讨了农业生产的合理布局,提出了农业可持续发展的对策．     

Probe into the method of regional ecological risk assessment-a case study of wetland in the Yellow River Delta in China

Ecological risk assessment (ERA) is a new field of study for evaluating the risks associated with a possible eco-environmental hazard under uncertainty. Regional ERA is more complex than general ERA, as it requires that risk receptors, risk sources, risk exposure, uncertainty and especially spatial heterogeneity all be taken into account. In this paper, a five-step process of regional ERA is developed and tested through a wetland case study in the Yellow River Delta in China. First, indices and formulas are established for measuring degrees of ecological risk and damage to ecosystems. Using a combination of remote sensing data, historical records and survey data, and with the assistance of GIS techniques, the indices and formulas are then applied to the wetland in the study area. On the basis of the assessment results, we propose a number of countermeasures for the various risk zones in the Yellow River Delta.     

循环经济是黄河三角洲发展的必由之路

从黄河三角洲走新型工业化道路、可持续发展和应对入世挑战三个方面,论述了黄河三角洲发展循环经济的必要性和重要性,并提出了发展循环经济的四项措施和建议.     

栽种沙枣以改善黄河三角洲地区生态环境

胜利油田位于我国黄河三角洲地区，潜水位高，水的矿化度大。生态环境恶劣，对植物尤其对木本植物的生长不利，整个地区生长的多是抗盐碱能力强的草本植物。针对油田的特殊环境条件，综合有关资料，介绍了以沙枣为代表的植物特性，特别强调了其抗盐碱、降低土壤矿化度和潜水位、增加土壤有机质和引起植被变化的特性。指出黄河三角洲也有些土质较好的、适于作物和木本植物生长的地区，改良盐碱地可以以这些地区为基点，放射性地向外逐步试验沙枣的种植，以探索改善生态环境的途径。努力做到边发展经济，边改善环境，达到经济效益、社会效益和环境效益三统一。     

Nitrogen contamination in the Yellow River basin of China

Nitrogen contamination is one of the most serious problems in the Yellow River of China. This study was conducted to analyze monitoring data on nitrogen contamination for the Yellow River basin in the years 1980, 1990, 1997, and 1999. Several significant results have arisen from the study. First, in conjunction with an increase in economic indexes from the Yellow River's upper basin to its lower basin, the nitrogen concentration in the tributaries also showed an increasing trend from the upper to the lower basin, which, in turn, led to an increase in the nitrogen concentration of the mainstream from the upper to the lower reaches. Second, nitrogen in the river water in the mainstream and the tributaries of the Yellow River was attributed mainly to point sources. In spite of the fact that the ratio of point to nonpoint sources decreased from 2.7 in 1990 to 1.8 in 1997 for total inorganic nitrogen in river water at the Tongguan Station in the lower basin, point sources increased more than nonpoint sources. Third, the ammonium nitrogen and total inorganic nitrogen content of the river water increased significantly in the mainstream and the tributaries during the 1980-1999 period, a change caused by an increase in wastewater discharge and nitrogenous fertilizer application in the Yellow River catchment.     

黄河三角洲海洋资源开发及海洋经济发展刍议

本文分析了黄河三角洲海洋资源的开发优势及开发利用现状,提出了该区域发展海洋经济的建设性意见     

辽河三角洲土壤中石油类含量光谱分析初探

石油类物质对土壤的污染在油田区域内是一个普遍存在的问题。全面了解土壤中石油类物质含量是评价土壤石油污染的前提条件。对土壤石油污染评价的传统方法是在野外实地进行大量土壤采样,然后在试验室内分析石油类物质的含量。文中提出了利用少量野外土壤石油类物质样品,并结合野外光谱测量的方法对土壤中石油类物质进行分析的新方法。该方法应用于辽河三角洲,具有快速、省钱、省时、省力的特点,能对土壤中石油类物质含量进行宏观分析。满足了油田开发对土壤及环境污染评价的需要,并能为制定油田开发管理保护对策提供辅助信息。     

Estimated Soil Respiration Rates Decreased with Long-Term Soil Microclimate Changes in Successional Forests in Southern China

The response of soil respiration to short-term environmental factors changes has been well studied, whereas the influences of long-term soil microclimate changes on soil respiration are still highly unclear, especially in tropical ecosystems. We hypothesized that soil carbon accumulation in southern China, especially in mature forest during recent years, partly resulted from reducing soil respiration rates. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed the temporal trends and variations of air temperature, soil temperature and soil water content (hereafter referred to as SWC), and then estimated soil respiration rates in the 1980s and 2000s with soil temperature and SWC by regression model in three subtropical forests which are at early-, mid-, and advanced-successional stages, respectively, in Dinghushan Nature Reserve (hereafter referred to as DNR) in southern China. The annual mean ambient air temperature increased by 1.03 ± 0.15°C in the last 50 years (1954–2007) in DNR. Rainfall amount in the corresponding period did not change significantly, but rainfall pattern changed remarkably in the last three decades (1978–2007). Soil temperature is correlated with ambient air temperature. The average SWC was 36.8 ± 8.4%, 34.7 ± 8.1% and 29.6 ± 8.1% in the 1980s, and then dropped sharply to 23.6 ± 2.9%, 20.5 ± 4.2% and 17.6 ± 3.9% in the 2000s, for the advanced, mid- and early-successional forests, respectively. Concurrent changes of soil temperature and SWC may have a negative effect on soil respiration rates for all three forests, implicated that soil respiration may have a negative feedback to regional climate change and carbon could be sequestered in subtropical forests in southern China.     

黄河三角洲外来入侵物种米草对滩涂昆虫的影响

2005年5,8,10月份对黄河三角洲无棣岔尖、东营市五号桩、小清河口米草分布区与土著植物芦苇分布区的昆虫作了调查,并辅以2003年同期调查资料,结果表明：米草分布区共鉴定出昆虫9种,芦苇分布区鉴定出49种,是米草分布区昆虫种数的5．4倍,米草分布区昆虫种数明显少于芦苇分布区,且优势类群存在很大差异,米草入侵对昆虫的结构、组成与多样性产生了影响。     

Variation in Vegetation Structure and Soil Properties, and the Relation Between Understory Plants and Environmental Variables Under Different Phyllostachys pubescens Forests in Southeastern China

Biodiversity maintenance and soil improvement are key sustainable forestry objectives. Research on the effects of bamboo forest management on plant diversity and soil properties are therefore necessary in bamboo-growing regions, such as southeastern China’s Shunchang County, that have not been studied from this perspective. We analyzed the effects of different Phyllostachys pubescens proportions in managed forests on vegetation structure and soil properties using pure Cunninghamia lanceolata forests as a contrast, and analyzed the relation between understory plants and environmental variables (i.e., topography, stand and soil characteristics) by canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). The forest with 80% P. pubescens and 20% hardwoods (such as Phoebe bournei, Jatropha curcas, Schima superba) maintained the highest plant diversity and best soil properties, with significantly higher plant diversity than the C. lanceolata forest, and better soil physicochemical and biological properties. The distribution of understory plants is highly related to environmental factors. Silvicultural disturbance strongly influenced the ability of different bamboo forests to maintain biodiversity and soil quality under extensive management, and the forest responses to management were consistent with the intermediate-disturbance hypothesis (i.e., diversity and soil properties were best at intermediate disturbance levels). Our results suggest that biodiversity maintenance and soil improvement are important management goals for sustainable bamboo management. To achieve those objectives, managers should balance the inputs and outputs of nutrients and protect understory plants by using appropriate fertilizer (e.g., organic fertilizer), adjusting stand structure, modifying utilization model and the harvest time, and controlling the intensity of culms and shoots harvests.     

Effect of Human Activities on Overall Trend of Sedimentation in the Lower Yellow River,China

The Yellow River has been intensively affected by human activities, particularly in the past 50 years, including soil–water conservation in the upper and middle drainage basin, flood protection in the lower reaches, and flow regulation and water diversion in the whole drainage basin. All these changes may impact sedimentation process of the lower Yellow River in different ways. Assessing these impacts comprehensively is important for more effective environmental management of the drainage basin. Based on the data of annual river flow, sediment load, and channel sedimentation in the lower Yellow River between 1950 and 1997, the purpose of this paper is to analyze the overall trend of channel sedimentation rate at a time scale of 50 years, and its formative cause. It was found in this study that erosion control measures and water diversion have counteractive impacts on sedimentation rate in the lower Yellow River. Although both annual river flow and sediment decreased, there was no change in channel sedimentation rate. A regression analysis indicated that the sedimentation in the lower Yellow River decreased with the sediment input to the lower Yellow River but increased with the river flow input. In the past 30–40 years, the basin-wide practice of erosion and sediment control measures resulted in a decline in sediment supply to the Yellow River; at the same time, the human development of water resources that required river flow regulation and water diversion caused great reduction in river flow. The former may reduce the sedimentation in the lower Yellow River, but the reduction of river flow increased the sedimentation. When their effects counterbalanced each other, the overall trend of channel sedimentation in the lower Yellow River remained unchanged. This fact may help us to better understand the positive and negative effects of human activities in the Yellow River basin and to pay more attention to the negative effect of the development of water resources. The results of this study demonstrate that, if the overuse of river water cannot be controlled, the reduction of channel sedimentation in the lower Yellow River cannot be realized through the practice of erosion and sediment control measures.     

黄河三角洲外来入侵物种米草对滩涂鸟类的影响

2005年5,8,10月份分别对黄河三角洲米草分布区与非米草分布区的无棣岔尖、东营市五号桩、小清河口的鸟类作了调查,并辅以2000年黄河三角洲湿地鸟类调查资料,研究了米草入侵对鸟类的影响。结果表明：米草入侵已导致黄河三角洲调查区鸟类种数减少,多样性降低,群落组成和结构发生变化,主要原因是米草入侵使鸟类觅食、栖息生境减少或丧失。     

Modeling Megacity Drinking Water Security under a DSS Framework in a Tidal River at the North Pearl River Delta,China

A modeling study was undertaken under a decision support system (DSS) for drinking water security in the Foshan section of the Beijiang River, a typical tidal river in the North Pearl River Delta. The DSS included a database layer, application support layer, and an application layer. As an integral part of the DSS application support layer, an integrated modeling system was developed to simulate hydrodynamics. The balance of dissolved oxygen and toxicants was based on an environmental fluid dynamics code and a water quality analysis simulation program (WASP) modeling framework. Model calibration and validation was undertaken using monitoring data in normal hydrological conditions. Four scenarios for the environmental management of water, including current water temp‐spatial feature analysis, control of pollution sources, and emergency response, were designed and analyzed in the DSS. The results indicated that the tide downstream has a distinct influence on hydrodynamics and pollutant diffusion, and the DSS could be used to design effective schemes to reduce pollutant discharges and provide emergency responses for ensuring drinking water security.     

Socio-economic driving forces of land-use change in Kunshan, the Yangtze River Delta economic area of China

This paper analyzes characteristics, major driving forces and alternative management measures of land-use change in Kunshan, Jiangsu province, China. The study used remote sensing (RS) maps and socio-economic data. Based on RS-derived maps, two change matrices were constructed for detecting land-use change between 1987 and 1994, and between 1994 and 2000 through pixel-to-pixel comparisons. The outcomes indicated that paddy fields, dryland, and forested land moderately decreased by 8.2%, 29% and 2.6% from 1987 to 1994, and by 4.1%, 7.6% and 8% from 1994 to 2000, respectively. In contrast, the following increased greatly from 1987 to 1994: artificial ponds by 48%, urban settlements by 87.6%, rural settlements by 41.1%, and construction land by 511.8%. From 1994 to 2000, these land covers increased by 3.6%, 28.1%, 23.4% and 47.1%, respectively. For the whole area, fragmentation of land cover was very significant. In addition, socio-economic data were used to analyze major driving forces triggering land-use change through bivariate analysis. The results indicated that industrialization, urbanization, population growth, and China's economic reform measures are four major driving forces contributing to land-use change in Kunshan. Finally, we introduced some possible management measures such as urban growth boundary (UGB) and incentive-based policies. We pointed out that, given the rapidity of the observed changes, it is critical that additional studies be undertaken to evaluate these suggested policies, focusing on what their effects might be in this region, and how these might be implemented.