Lateral velocity distribution in open channels with partially flexible submerged vegetation

Environmental Fluid Mechanics - This study implemented three analytical models to investigate the lateral distribution of depth-averaged streamwise velocity in a rectangular channel with lateral,...     

Integrating wetlands and riparian zones in river basin modelling

Wetlands, and in particular riparian wetlands, represent an interface between the catchment area and the aquatic environment. They control the exchange of water and related chemical fluxes from the upper catchment area to surface waters like streams and lakes. Their influence on water and nutrient balances has been investigated mainly at the patch scale. In this study an attempt was made (a) to integrate riparian zones and wetlands into eco-hydrological river basin modelling, and (b) to quantify the impacts of riparian wetland processes on water and nutrient fluxes in a meso-scale catchment located in the northeastern German lowland. The investigation was performed by analysing hydro-chemical field data and applying the eco-hydrological model SWIM (Soil and Water Integrated Model), which was extended to reproduce the relevant water and nutrient flows and retention processes at the catchment scale in general, and in riparian zones and wetlands in particular. The main extensions introduced in the model were: (1) implementation of daily groundwater table dynamics at the hydrotope level, (2) implementation of water and nutrient uptake by plants from groundwater in riparian zones and wetlands, and (3) assessment of nutrient retention in groundwater and interflow. The simulation results indicate that wetlands, though they represent relatively small parts of the total catchment area, may have a significant impact on the overall water and nutrient balances of the catchment. The uncertainty of the simulation results is considerably high, with the main sources of uncertainty being the model parameters representing the geo-hydrology and the input data for land use management.     

Determination of the Manning roughness coefficient influenced by vegetation in the river Aa and Biebrza river

The aim of this study was to investigate the variation of channel bed roughness in two rivers, as important parameter in hydraulic modelling especially with regard to flood control. The universities of Ghent (UG) and Antwerp (UA) are conducting scientific research in the river Aa in Belgium and the Biebrza river in Poland in order to better understand the phenomena involved and to come to a more accurate determination of the different parameters influencing flow. In this paper, the determination of the roughness coefficient ‘n’ from the Manning equation is used. This coefficient is not easy to determine and is varying constantly. It is influenced by the meandering character of the river, the bed material and the average grain size, the channel bed forms, the channel obstructions, the geometry changes between sections and the vegetation in the channel. Furthermore, due to these parameters, the roughness of the channel is not equally distributed over the channel, the banks and the floodplains. So, using literature data does not always lead to satisfactory results, due to the different situation in the field (Werner et al. J Hydrol 314:139–157, 2005). Therefore, measurements are necessary to determine the variation of the Manning coefficient. The Manning coefficient is a function of the discharge, but will also vary over the time due to the mentioned influences. In a multidisciplinary research project on the fundamental exchange processes in river ecosystems, hydraulic measurements were performed on a regular base in the river Aa. During these measurement campaigns, velocity and discharge measurements were carried out in multiple cross-sections. Once a month, the discharge and the water levels were measured at the upstream and the downstream end of the test stretch. On the river Biebrza, similar intensive measurement campaigns took place along a 6 km stretch in the upstream part of the river. An accurate determination of the Manning coefficient according a seasonal variation is an important tool in hydraulic modelling.     

Effects of emergent and submerged rigid vegetation configurations on gravity current dynamics

Environmental Fluid Mechanics - The propagation and hydrodynamic processes of lock-exchange gravity current through vegetation regions were investigated experimentally. Experimental results show...     

Spatio-temporal modelling of ground vegetation development in mountain spruce forests

More complex models of forest ecosystems are required to understand how land-cover changes can impact vegetation dynamics and spatial pattern. In order to document spatio-temporal modelling abilities, the observations conducted in the declined climax mountain Norway spruce forest during the recovery period (1995-2006) are used for simulation and spatial analysis in the GIS environment. The developed spatio-temporal model is used for simulation of forest vegetation dynamics in a mountain spruce forest in the framework of regeneration processes after stress from air pollution. In order to explore the spatial and temporal phenomena of regeneration processes, the spatio-temporal model is based on a large set of ordinary differential equations that solve dynamic processes in sets of microsites arranged in grids for each ground vegetation species and each age group of Norway spruce seedlings. The spatial extent of the explored site is composed of a set of 50 × 50 microsites. Each microsite is represented by a square with dimensions of 1 m × 1 m. The presented simulation studies are mainly focused on seedlings from the seed year 1992, in order to explore the longest monitored time series of survival. It is based on exponential growth models that are related to the environmental conditions for each microsite. The canopy gaps based on estimates of the local crown projected area, the soil type layer, and the dominant grass density are used to provide case simulation studies. The first case study simulates the influence of microsite positions in relation to the local tree crown projections on the survival of spruce seedlings. It is assumed that the density of the trees is the main factor that determines the light and heat supply to the ground level of the Norway spruce seedlings. The second case study extends the previous study to include terms that determine the growth ratio in dependence on the crown projection area. The third case study provides further extensions in order to simulate growth ratio relations to the local soil type. The fourth case study demonstrates the local influence of the dominant grasses, such as Avenella flexuosa and Calamagrostis villosa, on the natural regeneration of Norway spruce. Starting from the conditions at the sites before the recovery period, the case simulation studies are able to project the short-term succession for a regeneration decade and the approximate long-term development. In addition to the standard simulation procedures based on solution of ordinary differential equations, spatio-temporal modelling in the GIS environment is able to provide spatial data management, analysis and visualization of the data.     

Analytical model for vertical velocity profiles in flows with submerged shrub-like vegetation

An analytical solution for the vertical profiles of the horizontal velocity of channel flow with submerged shrub-like vegetation is investigated in this paper. At first, a shape function is proposed to fit the diameter change of different types of shrub-like vegetation. Using the momentum theorem and the mixing-length turbulence model, an analytical solution for the vertical profile of the horizontal velocity within the vegetation is obtained. The velocity distribution of the whole column is determined in tandem with the logarithmic velocity profile above the vegetation. The solution is compared with experimental data in excellent agreement. The results show that the flow above the vegetation has a logarithmic velocity profile while the flow within the vegetation is impacted greatly by the shape and density of vegetation. The flows within shrub-like vegetations are non-uniform and vary inversely with the shrub diameter.     

Numerical modelling of uncongested wood transport in the Rienz river

Environmental Fluid Mechanics - The Eulerian–Lagrangian model ORSA2D_WT is employed for the simulation of uncongested wood transport, with reference to a field experiment that studied the...     

Retaining natural vegetation to safeguard biodiversity and humanity

Global efforts to deliver internationally agreed goals to reduce carbon emissions, halt biodiversity loss, and retain essential ecosystem services have been poorly integrated. These goals rely in part on preserving natural (e.g., native, largely unmodified) and seminatural (e.g., low intensity or sustainable human use) forests, woodlands, and grasslands. To show how to unify these goals, we empirically derived spatially explicit, quantitative, area-based targets for the retention of natural and seminatural (e.g., native) terrestrial vegetation worldwide. We used a 250-m-resolution map of natural and seminatural vegetation cover and, from this, selected areas identified under different international agreements as being important for achieving global biodiversity, carbon, soil, and water targets. At least 67 million km² of Earth's terrestrial vegetation (∼79% of the area of vegetation remaining) required retention to contribute to biodiversity, climate, soil, and freshwater conservation objectives under 4 United Nations’ resolutions. This equates to retaining natural and seminatural vegetation across at least 50% of the total terrestrial (excluding Antarctica) surface of Earth. Retention efforts could contribute to multiple goals simultaneously, especially where natural and seminatural vegetation can be managed to achieve cobenefits for biodiversity, carbon storage, and ecosystem service provision. Such management can and should co-occur and be driven by people who live in and rely on places where natural and sustainably managed vegetation remains in situ and must be complemented by restoration and appropriate management of more human-modified environments if global goals are to be realized.     

黄河三角洲自然湿地植被的特征及演化

在群落样方调查基础上对黄河三角洲自然湿地植被进行了分类、分布及演化研究.研究表明,黄河三角洲滨海湿地的自然湿地植被有2个植被亚型、7个群系、51个群丛,分盐生植被、水生植被和湿生植被3类.盐生植被、水生植被和湿生植被分别包括10、19和22个群丛类型.盐生植被和湿生植被的面积各约23万hmz,各占自然湿地总面积的44.76%,水生植被约7.83万hm2,占自然湿地总面积的10.48%.湿地植被的分布受距海远近、黄河河道摆动和人类活动的制约,盐生植被主要分布在三角洲外缘潮间带滩涂和潮上带外缘的微斜平地,湿生植被、水生植被主要分布在潮上带中上部的微斜平地、黄河入海河道2侧及古河道、决口扇形地间的河间洼地.受三角洲新生湿地不断形成等自然因素的影响,湿地植被发生顺行演替;受海岸侵蚀、黄河断流、风暴潮等自然灾害及人类活动的影响,湿地植被发生逆行演替和次生演替.湿地植被的顺行演替和次生演替使自然湿地的生态环境功能增强,逆行演替使自然湿地的生态环境功能减弱.     

外加碳源及沉水植物对沉积物各形态磷的影响

以原沉积物(处理1)和添加0.4%葡萄糖(碳源,处理2)的沉积物作为底质培养狐尾藻,采用室内模拟实验,研究了外加碳源及沉水植物对沉积物有机和无机磷形态的影响。结果表明:随着培养时间的延续,狐尾藻的生长促进了沉积物中磷的释放,其衰退增加了沉积物中磷的沉积;沉水植物对磷的不同赋存形态的影响并不相同,其中对无机磷形态中的Fe/Al-P和有机形态磷中的活性有机磷有显著的影响(p<0.05),而对其它形态磷的影响没有表现出统计差异;无论有无种植沉水植物,外加碳源可促进了沉积物Fe/Al-P和有机磷释放,增加了Ca-P固定;外加碳源显著提高了有机磷中活性有机磷的质量分数(p<0.05),降低了稳定性有机磷的质量分数,而种植沉水植物可显著降低活性有机磷质量分数。说明碳源和沉水植物对沉积物中磷形态分布有重要影响。     

外加碳源及沉水植物对沉积物各形态磷的影响

以原沉积物（处理1）和添加0.4%葡萄糖（碳源,处理2）的沉积物作为底质培养狐尾藻,采用室内模拟实验,研究了外加碳源及沉水植物对沉积物有机和无机磷形态的影响。结果表明：随着培养时间的延续,狐尾藻的生长促进了沉积物中磷的释放,其衰退增加了沉积物中磷的沉积;沉水植物对磷的不同赋存形态的影响并不相同,其中对无机磷形态中的Fe/Al-P和有机形态磷中的活性有机磷有显著的影响（p〈0.05）,而对其它形态磷的影响没有表现出统计差异;无论有无种植沉水植物,外加碳源可促进了沉积物Fe/Al-P和有机磷释放,增加了Ca-P固定;外加碳源显著提高了有机磷中活性有机磷的质量分数（p〈0.05）,降低了稳定性有机磷的质量分数,而种植沉水植物可显著降低活性有机磷质量分数。说明碳源和沉水植物对沉积物中磷形态分布有重要影响。     

Ecological modelling of nitrate pollution in small river basins by spreadsheets and GIS

With the increasing importance and awareness of water quality in the small basins, the modelling system is developed for monitoring and predictions of surface water pollution. The compartment model deals with basin characteristics extended by land cover attributes. The parameters of the model are estimated by experimental data of water quality together with land cover types that serve as nutrient detention media or transformers. The study examines methodology to determine the potential areas of nitrate pollution from point and non-point sources by remote sensing techniques. Classification of water, agricultural, forest and urban areas is processed with satellite images (LANDSAT 7). Whereas the agricultural and urban areas act as sources of pollution, forest zones operate as sinks. The nitrate levels are decreased downstream, if the proportion of the forest inside contribution zones increases. The modelling system is used to simulate amounts of nitrates in each compartment of the stream during the monitored period of one year. The number of compartments and their lengths are estimated on the basis of morphology of the basin. Simulation of the dynamic model is carried out with the TabSim. Geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing tools are used to manage and estimate nitrate inflows from point and non-point sources of pollution. The article presents the spatial and time variation of the nitrate (NO₃⁻) within the basin of the stream Rakovnický (the west part of Bohemia, the whole area of 368 km²). It is shown that the model approach extended by the GIS and remote sensing can support decision-making process for better management practices in the basins.     

Flow regimes in gaps within stands of flexible vegetation: laboratory flume simulations

Analyses of results from laboratory flume experiments are presented in which flow within gaps in canopies of flexible, submerged aquatic vegetation simulations is investigated. The aims of the work are (a) to identify the different flow regimes that may be found within such gaps, using Morris’ classical definitions of skimming flow, wake interference flow and isolated roughness flow as a template, (b) to determine the parameter space in which those flow regimes are most consistently delineated, and (c) to provide quantitative measurements of the loci of each flow regime within that parameter space for these experiments. The sedimentary and biological implications of each flow regime are also discussed. The results show that five flow regimes may be identified, expanding on Morris’ original set of three. The five are: (i) skimming flow; (ii) recirculation flow; (iii) boundary layer recovery; (iv) canopy through-flow; and (v) isolated roughness flow, the last being assumed to occur in some cases though it is not directly observed in these experiments. A Reynolds number based on the canopy overflow speed and the gap depth, and the gap aspect ratio are found to be the key parameters that determine these flow regimes, though a Froude number is found to be important for determining bed shear stress, and the length of leaves overhanging the gap from the upstream canopy is found to be important in determining the location of flow recirculation cells within the gap.     

Feedbacks of flow and bed morphology from a submerged dense vegetation patch without upstream sediment supply

Environmental Fluid Mechanics - Laboratory experiments were performed to investigate how flow patterns and bed morphology are affected around a submerged vegetation patch in the condition without...     

Integrated modelling of the ecosystem of the Niger river inland delta in Mali

The Niger River inland delta in Mali constitutes a vast 36,000 km² area of wetlands, producing numerous natural resources, exploited by fishermen, pastoralists and farmers. It is also a humid zone protected through the Ramsar convention of 1971. To promote the management of its natural resources, an integrated model has been developed in order to simulate the evolution of this ecosystem in relation to different scenarios of population increase, diminishing natural flooding (climatic droughts, construction of dams), increasing stress on land tenure and access to farming areas, technological advances, current administrative decentralisation policy. Possible applications of the model are illustrated through an analysis of the impact of the construction of dams on the traditional farming systems of the delta (fishing, rice cropping, pastoralism), and through a sensitivity analysis of an evolution in the fishing techniques on the revenues of fishermen. The validity of the results of the modelling is discussed and its use for other studies in the field of integrated natural resources management analysed.     

Assessment of spatial distribution of submerged vegetation in the Orbetello lagoon by means of a mathematical model

Coastal lagoons are characterized by a constant threat of eutrophication and a critical coexistence of differing submerged vegetation forms. This paper investigates the competitive equilibrium of macroalgae and phanerogams in the Orbetello lagoon in relation to physico-chemical and environmental factors, including wind, nutrients in the water column, and sediment characteristics. A mathematical model describing the evolution of the submerged vegetation as a function of the abiotic parameters is used here in conjunction with specific experimental studies to explain the relationship between phanerogams (seagrasses) prairie expansion, water movements, and sediment characteristics. The combination of specific sediment sampling and mathematical modelling shows that water circulation and the state of the upper sediment are both dominant factors in determining the phanerogams distribution in the lagoon and the mutually exclusive growth of these groups in differing parts of the lagoon. Water currents control the distribution of floating macroalgae, resulting in an uneven accumulation of decomposing biomass and phanerogams seed dispersal. The oxygenation provided by the rooted phanerogams affects the sediment characteristics, making them suitable for further prairie expansion. In addition to sediment analysis the use of a mathematical model combining the hydrodynamics and the water quality of the lagoon provides a thorough explanation of the expansion of the rooted vegetation in critical areas. A further result of this research is the validation of the model, originally calibrated with the lagoon central stations’ data, with the newly acquired data from several other parts of the ecosystem. The model predictions are in good agreement with the field observations under a number of environmental conditions and explain the observed expansion trend of phanerogams, which are beneficial for the lagoon ecology, more thoroughly than by relying on the sediment observations alone.     

An integrated river basin-coast-sea modelling scenario for nitrogen management in coastal waters

Linked river basin and coastal water models were applied to analyse the effects of an optimal nitrogen management scenario in the Oder/Odra river basin on water quality in the Oder (Szczecin) Lagoon and the Pomeranian Bay (Baltic Sea). This scenario would reduce nitrogen loads into the coastal waters by about 35%, a level which is similar to the load of the late 1960’s. During summer the primary production and algae biomass in the Oder estuary is limited by nitrogen, which makes a nitrogen management reasonable. The comparison of the late 1960’s and the mid 1990’s shows that an optimal nitrogen management has positive effects on coastal water quality and algae biomass. However, this realistic nitrogen reduction scenario would not ensure a good coastal water quality according to the European Water Framework Directive. A good water quality in the river will not be sufficient to ensure a good water quality in the lagoon. Nitrogen load reductions bear the risk of increased potentially toxic, blue-green algae blooms, especially in the Baltic coastal sea. However, to reach water quality improvements in lagoons and inner coastal waters, nitrogen cuts are necessary. A mere focus on phosphorus is not sufficient.     

东江流域土壤、植被和悬浮物的碳、氮同位素组成

碳、氮同位素值对监测流域植被组成、环境变迁是一种非常有效的指标,为中短时间尺度环境变化研究提供了一条新的途径。以亚热带山区的东江流域为例,以流域内的植被、土壤及水体悬浮物为研究对象,应用其有机质同位素组成（δ13C、δ15N）,揭示流域植被的成分和环境变化的信息。研究发现：东江流域土壤碳同位素、C/N比值差值不大;植被的氮同位素差值明显,C/N比值差异较大。对东江流域悬浮物δ13C值近20年的监测表明：其值在早期逐年升高,近10年来转趋稳定并呈明显下降趋势,变化范围在-17.8‰～-26.1‰之间,反映了该流域植被破坏和恢复的过程以及土壤侵蚀状况的变化趋势。