Physical and Chemical Connectivity of Streams and Riparian Wetlands to Downstream Waters: A Synthesis

Streams, riparian areas, floodplains, alluvial aquifers, and downstream waters (e.g., large rivers, lakes, and oceans) are interconnected by longitudinal, lateral, and vertical fluxes of water, other materials, and energy. Collectively, these interconnected waters are called fluvial hydrosystems. Physical and chemical connectivity within fluvial hydrosystems is created by the transport of nonliving materials (e.g., water, sediment, nutrients, and contaminants) which either do or do not chemically change (chemical and physical connections, respectively). A substantial body of evidence unequivocally demonstrates physical and chemical connectivity between streams and riparian wetlands and downstream waters. Streams and riparian wetlands are structurally connected to downstream waters through the network of continuous channels and floodplain form that make these systems physically contiguous, and the very existence of these structures provides strong geomorphologic evidence for connectivity. Functional connections between streams and riparian wetlands and their downstream waters vary geographically and over time, based on proximity, relative size, environmental setting, material disparity, and intervening units. Because of the complexity and dynamic nature of connections among fluvial hydrosystem units, a complete accounting of the physical and chemical connections and their consequences to downstream waters should aggregate over multiple years to decades.     

A Power Law Model for River Flow Velocity in Iowa Basins

This study explores power law relationships to estimate water flow velocity as a function of discharge and drainage area across river networks. We test the model using empirical data from 214 United States (U.S.) Geological Survey gauging stations distributed over the state of Iowa in the U.S. The empirical data are the measurements of the mean cross‐sectional velocity and concurrent discharge. The data are used to estimate parameters for a state‐wide model and to test for spatial variability for 15 large river basins contained within the state. Spatial differences among the basins are small but some parameters significantly differ from the state‐wide model. Using individual station data, the authors also explore a simpler power law model that disregards dependence on the drainage area. Overall, the study shows that including drainage area improves the model. Our study provides parameter values that can be directly incorporated into a regional scale routing model, and provides a framework for developing flow velocity models for hydraulically similar rivers in the U.S. and the world.     

Fungal diversity in major oil-shale mines in China

As an insufficiently utilized energy resource,oil shale is conducive to the formation of characteristic microbial communities due to its special geological origins.However,little is known about fungal diversity in oil shale.Polymerase chain reaction cloning was used to construct the fungal ribosomal deoxyribonucleic acid internal transcribed spacer(r DNA ITS)clone libraries of Huadian Mine in Jilin Province,Maoming Mine in Guangdong Province,and Fushun Mine in Liaoning Province.Pure culture and molecular identification were applied for the isolation of cultivable fungi in fresh oil shale of each mine.Results of clone libraries indicated that each mine had over 50% Ascomycota(58.4%–98.9%)and 1.1%–13.5%unidentified fungi.Fushun Mine and Huadian Mine had 5.9% and 28.1% Basidiomycota,respectively.Huadian Mine showed the highest fungal diversity,followed by Fushun Mine and Maoming Mine.Jaccard indexes showed that the similarities between any two of three fungal communities at the genus level were very low,indicating that fungi in each mine developed independently during the long geological adaptation and formed a community composition fitting the environment.In the fresh oil-shale samples of the three mines,cultivable fungal phyla were consistent with the results of clone libraries.Fifteen genera and several unidentified fungi were identified as Ascomycota and Basidiomycota using pure culture.Penicillium was the only genus found in all three mines.These findings contributed to gaining a clear understanding of current fungal resources in major oil-shale mines in China and provided useful information for relevant studies on isolation of indigenous fungi carrying functional genes from oil shale.     

Comparing discriminant analysis, neural networks and logistic regression for predicting species distributions: a case study with a Himalayan river bird

We assessed the occurrence of a common river bird, the Plumbeous Redstart Rhyacornis fuliginosus, along 180 independent streams in the Indian and Nepali Himalaya. We then compared the performance of multiple discrimant analysis (MDA), logistic regression (LR) and artificial neural networks (ANN) in predicting this species’ presence or absence from 32 variables describing stream altitude, slope, habitat structure, chemistry and invertebrate abundance. Using the entire data (=training set) and a threshold for accepting presence in ANN and LR set to P≥0.5, ANN correctly classified marginally more cases (88%) than either LR (83%) or MDA (84%). Model performance was assessed from two methods of data partitioning. In a ‘leave-one-out’ approach, LR correctly predicted more cases (82%) than MDA (73%) or ANN (69%). However, in a holdout procedure, all the methods performed similarly (73–75%). All methods predicted true absence (i.e. specificity in holdout: 81–85%) better than true presence (i.e. sensitivity: 57–60%). These effects reflect species’ prevalence (=frequency of occurrence), but are seldom considered in distribution modelling. Despite occurring at only 36% of the sites, Plumbeous Redstarts are one of the most common Himalayan river birds, and problems will be greater with less common species. Both LR and ANN require an arbitrary threshold probability (often P=0.5) at which to accept species presence from model prediction. Simulations involving varied prevalence revealed that LR was particularly sensitive to threshold effects. ROC plots (received operating characteristic) were therefore used to compare model performance on test data at a range of thresholds; LR always outperformed ANN. This case study supports the need to test species’ distribution models with independent data, and to use a range of criteria in assessing model performance. ANN do not yet have major advantages over conventional multivariate methods for assessing bird distributions. LR and MDA were both more efficient in the use of computer time than ANN, and also more straightforward in providing testable hypotheses about environmental effects on occurrence. However, LR was apparently subject to chance significant effects from explanatory variables, emphasising the well-known risks of models based purely on correlative data.     

Developing an empirical model of phytoplankton primary production: a neural network case study

We describe the development of a neural network model for estimating primary production of phytoplankton. Data from an enriched estuary in the eastern United States, Chesapeake Bay, were used to train, validate and test the model. Two error backpropagation multilayer perceptrons were trained: a simpler one (3-5-1) and a more complex one (12-5-1). Both neural networks outperformed conventional empirical models, even though only the latter, which exploits a larger suite of predictive variables, provided truly accurate outputs. The application of this neural network model is thoroughly discussed and the results of a sensitivity analysis are also presented.     

人工神经网络和专家系统在污水生物处理系统中的应用

对近年来国内外污水生物处理系统中人工神经网络和专家系统的应用进行了简要的回顾。分析了废水生物处理工艺难于控制的原因及人工神经网络和专家系统的结构和特点。结果表明．国外智能控制发展迅速,并且应用领域遍及污水生物处理的各个方面,国内尚处于起步阶段。简要探讨了废水生物处理智能控制今后应深入研究的问题及方向。     

基于复杂网络的城市燃气输配系统失效因素分析

将复杂网络相关理论方法引入城市燃气输配系统失效因素的分析中。选取引起城市燃气输配系统失效的主要影响因素为节点,以它们之间的相互关系为边,建立网络并进行相关分析。发现节点的度分布近似具有幂律的特性,幂指数为1.76;通过节点度的分析,确定出管道附属设备、用户设施失效、第三方影响破坏等因素为引起输配系统失效的主要原因,与引起燃气事故的统计分析资料基本相符合。这为确定城市燃气输配系统关键失效因素提供了一种新的思路。     

矿井通风网络数据可靠性检验

进行矿井通风阻力测定时,由于受环境的温度、湿度、压力传递存在时间差以及测点处标高不准确等因素的影响,根据实测数据,计算所得矿井巷道基础数据存在一定的误差,常用的测量数据检验方法只能对若干条通路进行闭合回路检验,而不能对全矿井通风网络基础参数进行可靠性检验。本文中所介绍的检验方法将风网基础数据输入通风网络解算软件,以实测风量和经过计算所得巷道风阻为基准,实测风量为目标条件,进行计算机通风网络模拟,对全矿井巷道风阻进行连续的优化调整,使通风网络模拟结果与实际测定各巷道风量基本符合,从而实现全矿井风网基础数据的可靠性检验。该方法在某矿进行了实际应用,实践证明此方法科学、准确的获得了全矿巷道风阻参数,为矿井的通风改造奠定了技术基础。     

基于ANN的土壤重金属分布和污染评价研究

农田土壤重金属污染与备受关注的农产品安全问题有密切联系,因此对其进行研究意义重大。以江苏省南通市为研究区,利用采样点实测数据,借助神经网络模型(ANN)并结合3S技术对问题进行研究,从而对土壤重金属的空间动态分布进行描述,并对各个空间位点重金属的污染状况进行评价。结果表明,神经网络模型能够智能地学习各个样点的空间位置与该点各重金属含量之间的映射关系和预先设计好的分类评价模式,并能够稳健地对各个空间插值点处的重金属含量和各个位点的重金属污染状况进行预测和评价。结论显示,南通市大部分农田土壤重金属污染较轻,但也存在局部地区的严重污染。结论与实际情况相符,表明神经网络模型可以为农田土壤重金属的研究提供一个新的思路和方法。     

Exploration of spatial morphometry and socioeconomic variables in modelling urban land use change

The incorporation of land use (LU) data with socioeconomic data is a main issue in modelling. This is as a result of difference in data model and scale. This study proposed and tested the change–pattern approach, which allows the incorporation of these data sets in modelling LU change. Focusing on LU dynamics for a selected part of the Thames Gateway within the City of London, the approach tested two different methods of input selection for the modelling operations. Variables selected from these two methods serve as inputs into several neural networks tested in order to identify the direction of change for each of the LU types within the study area. The result shows that direction of LU change across the study area could be identified when spatial morphology of the area and socioeconomic variables are considered. Some classes of change could be identified fairly accurately using landscape metrics indicating level of fragmentation, extent of LU patches, shape complexity of LU patches in combination with some socioeconomic variables.