Recovery of Sediment Characteristics in Moraine,Headwater Streams of Northern Minnesota After Forest Harvest1

Merten, Eric C., Nathaniel A. Hemstad, Randall K. Kolka, Raymond M. Newman, Elon S. Verry, and Bruce Vondracek, 2010. Recovery of Sediment Characteristics in Moraine, Headwater Streams of Northern Minnesota After Forest Harvest. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 46(4): 733-743. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2010.00445.x Abstract: We investigated the recovery of sediment characteristics in four moraine, headwater streams in north-central Minnesota after forest harvest. We examined changes in fine sediment levels from 1997 (preharvest) to 2007 (10 years postharvest) at study plots with upland clear felling and riparian thinning, using canopy cover, proportion of unstable banks, surficial fine substrates, residual pool depth, and streambed depth of refusal as response variables. Basin-scale year effects were significant (p < 0.001) for all responses when evaluated by repeated-measures ANOVAs. Throughout the study area, unstable banks increased for several years postharvest, coinciding with an increase in windthrow and fine sediment. Increased unstable banks may have been caused by forest harvest equipment, increased windthrow and exposure of rootwads, or increased discharge and bank scour. Fine sediment in the channels did not recover by summer 2007, even though canopy cover and unstable banks had returned to 1997 levels. After several storm events in fall 2007, 10 years after the initial sediment input, fine sediment was flushed from the channels and returned to 1997 levels. Although our study design did not discern the source of the initial sediment inputs (e.g., forest harvest, road crossings, other natural causes), we have shown that moraine, headwater streams can require an extended period (up to 10 years) and enabling event (e.g., high storm flows) to recover from large inputs of fine sediment.     

Prymnesium parvum: The Texas Experience1

Southard, Gregory M., Loraine T. Fries, and Aaron Barkoh, 2010. Prymnesium parvum: The Texas Experience. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 46(1):14-23. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2009.00387.x Abstract: Golden alga Prymnesium parvum was first identified in Texas during a fish kill investigation on the Pecos River in 1985. Since then golden alga kills occurred sporadically in a variety of waters in the western part of the state until 2001 when the alga became endemic in the Brazos, Canadian, Colorado, Red, and Rio Grande river systems, including the water supplies of two public fish hatcheries, the Possum Kingdom and Dundee state fish hatcheries. The increasing area adversely affected by the alga and frequent massive fish kills heightened public and political awareness and concerns regarding the ecological and economic impacts of P. parvum blooms. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), the wildlife conservation agency of the state, responded to these concerns with a program to assess the ecological and economic impacts and to develop management options. To date 33 water bodies have been affected and losses are conservatively estimated at 34 million fish valued at US$13 million. Several sport fisheries, including smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu, striped bass Morone saxatilis, channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus, and blue catfish Ictalurus furcatus, have been severely affected. Additionally, 26 imperiled fish species occur in the affected water basins and some have been adversely affected. Economic losses associated with reduced fishing and other water-based recreational activities appear considerable. The combined economic losses to three counties (Palo Pinto, Stephens, and Young) surrounding Possum Kingdom reservoir for 2001 and 2003 were estimated at US$2.8 million and US$1.1 million, respectively. This paper describes how the TPWD responded to public and political concerns relative to the emergence of golden alga, its harmful effects to fisheries, and its historic and current statewide distribution.     

基于复合生态系统理论的长沙湘江滨水区景观资源评价与优化

近年来,随着我国经济的飞速发展、社会经济的转型,以及人们环境意识的提高,滨水区开发已成为我国城市开发建设的热点。城市滨水区景观规划设计研究对于合理、充分利用城市滨水区景观资源,塑造特色鲜明的城市形象,提高城市生态环境质量,促进城市滨水区开发有着重要意义。从复合生态系统理论的角度,在湘江滨水区景观资源调查、景观资源分类的基础上,运用灰色聚类法对湘江滨水区景观资源进行定量评价,提出景观资源优化思路,探讨滨水区景观规划设计的途径。认为现代城市大规模滨水区更新改造和开发大背景下的城市滨水区景观规划设计,应尊重城市地域性特点、文化内涵和风土人情,并与传统的滨水活动有机结合,保护和突出城市历史格局和风貌特色。     

基于GIS的景观生态功能指标分析

针对当前我国规划及战略环评指标体系中缺乏直接反映生态功能指标的问题,提出可通过系统研究区域景观生态结构与景观功能变化间的关系,由斑块面积指数计算生物生产力、由景观香农多样性指数和景观香农均匀度指数反映生态质量,以此表征景观生态功能。以地理信息系统（GIS）为平台,提出了利用基于斑块面积而得到的景观要素转移矩阵及基于年鉴统计而得到的景观单位面积生物生产力的转移矩阵来计算生物生产力的方法,并在统计若干研究流域景观格局异质性指数文献的基础上发掘了景观多样性指数、景观均匀度指数与生态质量间的关系。最后,以江苏省沿江地区2000、2004年的数据开展了实例分析,结果表明,提出的生物生产力和生态质量这两个指标确实能反映区域景观功能的变化,在今后的规划和战略环评中具有一定的应用前景.     

Stewardship among lifestyle oriented rural landowners

Changes in landownership associated with amenity migration are affecting the demographic, cadastral and ecological conditions of rural landscapes. These changes and concerns about their impacts on natural resource management, including ecological conservation, relate to both the structural consequences of landownership change, land subdivision and to the motivations, management ability and attitudes of lifestyle oriented rural landowners. Based on an Australian case study near Sydney, NSW, this paper examines the motivations and practices of such landowners, assesses potential consequences for vegetation and characterises the landowners according to three stewardship types.     

CLUE-S模型对村镇土地利用变化的模拟与精度评价

利用航片、IKONOS和Quickbird影像得到研究区3期（1991、2001和2009年）土地利用历史数据,运用CLUE S模型,基于1991、2001年的土地利用数据对2009年土地利用格局进行模拟预测,并将模拟结果与2009年真实土地利用数据进行比较。类型水平上,选择ROC曲线统计和偏离度指数分别对各地类的Logistic回归拟合精度和CLUE S模型模拟精度进行评价;景观水平上,采用景观指数和Kappa指数系列方法,从综合预测能力、景观格局、数量和空间位置等方面对CLUE S模型的模拟精度进行全面评估。结果表明:①CLUE S模型对各土地利用类型的模拟精度均较高,各地类的Logistic回归的拟合精度随着模拟分辨率的提高而逐渐增加;②随着模拟时间的缩短,CLUE S模型对整体景观格局的模拟精度提高;③该模型对土地利用数量的模拟精度明显优于其对空间位置的模拟精度。总体而言,CLUE S模型在村镇尺度的模拟效果良好,预测精度较高,但在空间位置和景观格局精度方面还有待提高     

雅砻江流域湿地景观格局变化分析

应用ArcGIS软件,对雅砻江流域湿地1986和2000年遥感数据进行解译、矢量化处理,用Apack软件进行湿地景观格局指数计算,研究了近15 a雅砻江流域景观空间格局特征及其变化。结果表明：（1）近15 a雅砻江流域湿地景观面积减少,减少量为49404 hm2,占2000年湿地总面积的0506%;（2）两个时期内湿地斑块密度保持不变,湿地景观的聚集度都很高,均在099以上,湿地景观集中分布,破碎化水平低;（3）雅砻江流域湿地景观的多样性指数水平和均匀度水平较低,而且两指数在两个个时期内没有发生太大的变化,且各类湿地景观比例差异相对较大,沼泽湿地景观控制的程度较高;（4）雅砻江流域的5类湿地景观分布质心基本上未发生变化,但总体格局分布质心向南偏移001°,再向西偏移023°,整体上向西南方向偏移了2532 km     

林火烈度评价及其空间异质性研究进展

回顾了林火烈度评价的方法,包括单因素评价、综合评价和遥感技术的应用等;综述了林火烈度空间异质性的最新研究进展;展望了林火烈度及其空间异质性研究的未来发展趋势。     

合肥城市绿地系统的景观生态评价

城市绿地作为城市结构中的自然生产力主体,在城市生态系统中起着重要的作用。为科学合理地评价合肥城市绿地系统的景观生态现状,建立较为全面、科学的评价指标体系,运用景观生态学的原理和方法,选取多样性指数、均匀度指数、破碎度指数、分离度指数、分维度指数、连通性指数等8个景观指数对合肥市城市绿地系统的景观格局进行研究和分析。研究结果表明,合肥市城市绿地生态格局总体上较好,绿地率和人均公园绿地面积较高;但也存在绿地分布不均,各种类型相差较大,破碎度较高,多样性程度不高,分形维数指数偏低,绿地景观的自然性和复杂性不够,连通度较低等问题。针对存在的问题,提出了合肥城市绿地景观生态规划的优化建议。研究结果为合肥市城市绿地景观生态系统的规划、设计提供了生态学依据,为“生态园林城市和森林城市”建设提供了理论依据     

Plant communities in relation to flooding and soil contamination in a lowland Rhine River floodplain

Using canonical correspondence analysis (CCA), relationships were investigated between plant species composition and flooding characteristics, heavy metal contamination and soil properties in a lowland floodplain of the Rhine River. Floodplain elevation and yearly average flooding duration turned out to be more important for explaining variation in plant species composition than soil heavy metal contamination. Nevertheless, plant species richness and diversity showed a significant decrease with the level of contamination. As single heavy metal concentrations seemed mostly too low for causing phytotoxic effects in plants, this trend is possibly explained by additive effects of multiple contaminants or by the concomitant influences of contamination and non-chemical stressors like flooding. These results suggest that impacts of soil contamination on plants in floodplains could be larger than expected from mere soil concentrations. In general, these findings emphasize the relevance of analyzing effects of toxic substances in concert with the effects of other relevant stressors.