Streambank Soil and Phosphorus Losses Under Different Riparian Land‐Uses in Iowa1

Abstract: Phosphorus and sediment are major nonpoint source pollutants that degrade water quality. Streambank erosion can contribute a significant percentage of the phosphorus and sediment load in streams. Riparian land‐uses can heavily influence streambank erosion. The objective of this study was to compare streambank erosion along reaches of row‐cropped fields, continuous, rotational and intensive rotational grazed pastures, pastures where cattle were fenced out of the stream, grass filters and riparian forest buffers, in three physiographic regions of Iowa. Streambank erosion was measured by surveying the extent of severely eroding banks within each riparian land‐use reach and randomly establishing pin plots on subsets of those eroding banks. Based on these measurements, streambank erosion rate, erosion activity, maximum pin plot erosion rate, percentage of streambank length with severely eroding banks, and soil and phosphorus losses per unit length of stream reach were compared among the riparian land‐uses. Riparian forest buffers had the lowest streambank erosion rate (15‐46 mm/year) and contributed the least soil (5‐18 tonne/km/year) and phosphorus (2‐6 kg/km/year) to stream channels. Riparian forest buffers were followed by grass filters (erosion rates 41‐106 mm/year, soil losses 22‐47 tonne/km/year, phosphorus losses 9‐14 kg/km/year) and pastures where cattle were fenced out of the stream (erosion rates 22‐58 mm/year, soil losses 6‐61 tonne/km/year, phosphorus losses 3‐34 kg/km/year). The streambank erosion rates for the continuous, rotational, and intensive rotational pastures were 101‐171, 104‐122, and 94‐170 mm/year, respectively. The soil losses for the continuous, rotational, and intensive rotational pastures were 197‐264, 94‐266, and 124‐153 tonne/km/year, respectively, while the phosphorus losses were 71‐123, 37‐122, and 66 kg/km/year, respectively. The only significant differences for these pasture practices were found among the percentage of severely eroding bank lengths with intensive rotational grazed pastures having the least compared to the continuous and rotational grazed pastures. Row‐cropped fields had the highest streambank erosion rates (239 mm/year) and soil losses (304 tonne/km/year) and very high phosphorus losses (108 kg/km/year).     

三里洞矸石废弃地人工植被群落构建初探

对矸石土样及植被材料进行采样测定,研究分析矸石的供肥能力、微量有毒元素含量、矿区植物中微量有毒元素的含量。研究结果表明:刺槐(Robinia pseudoacacia)对Cu、As元素吸收能力大于其它植物;荠菜(Capsella bursapastrois)对Zn元素的吸收能力较其他植物强;狗尾草(Setaria viridis)对Cr元素具有较强的吸收能力。依据矸石废弃地立地类型特点,矸石废弃地人工植被景观恢复过程中应选择臭椿(Ailanthus altissima)、刺槐(Robinia pseudoacacia)作为先锋树种,宜优先选用刺槐×沙棘×荠菜(Robinia pseudoacacia×Hippophae rhamnoides×Capsella)、刺槐×沙棘×狗尾草(Robinia pseudoacacia×Hippophae rhamnoides×Setariaviridis)、臭椿×沙棘×狗尾草(Ailanthusaltissima×Hippophae rhamnoides×Setaria viridis)群落与刺槐林、臭椿林配植模式。运用生态恢复的方法对矸石废弃地进行人工植被景观恢复与重建,恢复其受损伤的生态系统,这对矸石废弃地植被恢复有一定的理论指导意义。     

岷江上游大沟流域驱动植被退化的人为干扰体研究

研究了岷江上游大沟流域内的人为干扰体,分析了干扰的类型、强度、频率及其时空变化特征,揭示了不同干扰类型及其特性对植被退化的作用、干扰体与人口增长、植被退化等的关系．结果表明：大沟流域人为干扰类型多达８种,但优势的干扰类型是砍伐薪材和牲畜放牧．从近３０ａ的干扰强度变化看,以８０年代初的干扰强度最大,并在近２０ａ内保持很高的干扰强度水平;干扰强度的年内变化表现为春末、夏、秋大而冬、早春小．近４０ａ来的干扰频率愈趋增高,年内表现为春秋季干扰频率最高,夏季中等,而冬季最小．人为干扰的空间差异十分明显,反映出人为干扰的现状及其对植被的破坏强度差异,即由村寨向沟尾和高海拔区、由近及远、由低到高,形成“钟形”干扰格局．认为大沟流域植被的严重退化是所有人为干扰长期共同驱动的结果,与该区人口及其需求迅速增长密切相关．结果还表明,不同性质的干扰对植被的影响作用具协同性,同一干扰体长期连续对植被的影响具累加和放大的作用     

北京市PM5.0可吸入颗粒物反演及其时空分布分析

分析城市可吸入颗粒物的空间特征及影响因素对于制定更为有效的可吸入颗粒物污染控制政策具有重要的现实意义.本研究在实际采样和遥感数据处理基础上,构造差值植被指数(DVI),通过建立TM影像与对应PM5.0颗粒物实测值之间的相关关系模型,对北京市2008~2010年3 a的PM5.0的分布进行了反演计算和精度分析;研究了NDBI和NDMI对PM5.0浓度的影响,进一步揭示了北京五环区域范围内可吸入颗粒物的时空分布特征.结果表明,采用DVI反演PM5.0分布的方法可行,反演精度在可接受范围内;整体上研究区2008年PM5.0颗粒物污染最轻,西南三环和四环以及东南三四环之间为颗粒物污染的高值区,西北五环附近颗粒物污染较轻;NDBI(归一化建筑指数)、NDMI(归一化水汽指数)与PM5.0可吸入颗粒物的分布分别呈现显著的负相关和正相关关系,且二者对PM5.0的影响相近.     

生态环境变化遥感评价指数的应用研究——以敖江流域为例

利用1994年5月12日与2009年6月6日的Landsat TM和2001年5月23日的Landsat ETM＋卫星影像,选用遥感生态指数（RSEI）,结合流域的植被覆盖度状况,定量评价了15年间敖江流域的生态环境变化与植被覆盖度变化情况,并对二者的关系进行了简要分析.结果表明：15年间,敖江流域生态等级为优所占的面积比例从13.48％上升到24.90％,增加了304.29 km2;植被覆盖度等级为极高的面积增加比例为29.31％.总体看来,敖江流域生态环境状况和植被覆盖状况均有明显的提高,两者具有较好的对应关系.     

Structural-functional organization of lower vegetation layers in tree communities of the upper timberline ecotone in the Polar Urals

Typologically identical (dwarf birch-herb-dwarf shrub-moss) open and closed larch forests growing on the same altitudinal transect have proved to differ in the structural-functional organization of lower vegetation layers. Coverage, general species composition, and species richness of the herb-dwarf shrub layer are higher in the open forest than in the closed forest. Correlations between individual species of vascular plants weaken upon transition from the open to the closed forest. Conversely, the coverage of the lichen-moss layer increases in the closed forest, which contributes to its role as a factor of selection of vascular plant species against the background of the prevailing influence of the tree layer.     

Specific features of early stages of progressive succession in an anthropogenic landscape: An example from southeastern Belarus

Specific features of progressive succession in the vegetation of anthropogenically transformed landscapes in southeastern Belarus have been studied in permanent test plots. Using phytoindication scales proposed by Ellenberg (1974) and Tsyganov (1983), trends of changes in ecological conditions in the first years of succession have been revealed.     

Postfire succession in a forest of the cryolithozone: The example of central Yakutia

The results of studies on postfire succession in larch forests of the permafrost zone are discussed. The main directions of successional processes in burned-out areas of different ages are described. It has been shown that secondary pyrogenic successions in larch forests follow the scheme of rapid regeneration without tree species replacement and the model of succession tolerance. Groups of plant species with different life strategies and indicator species characterizing different stages of the overgrowing of burned-out areas have been identified.     

The Vegetation of Wet Meadows in Relation to Their Land-use

Wetland biomonitoring approaches are needed to determine when changes in response to stressors are occurring and to predict the consequences of proposed land-use changes. These approaches require an understanding of shifts in biota that occur in response to land-use, data that are lacking for most kinds of wetlands. Changes in floristic composition corresponding to land-use differences at multiple scales (site to 2500 m radius) were characterized for 40 wet meadows associated with prairie glacial marshes in Minnesota (U.S.A.). In general, guild was more useful than species composition for indicating land-use impacts. Site impacts (stormwater, cultivation) and landscape disturbance (agriculture and urbanization, combined), coincide with a reduction in native graminoid and herbaceous perennial abundance (e.g., Carex lasiocarpa, Calamagrostis canadensis, Spartina pectinata). This vegetation is replaced with annuals (e.g, Bidens cernua, Polygonum pensylvanicum) in recently cultivated sites or introduced perennials (e.g., Phalaris arundinacea, Typha angustifolia) and floating aquatics (lemnids) in stormwater impacted wetlands. Ditches also reduce native perennial importance and increase perennials, but only when they are in highly impacted landscapes.     

Application of Rosgen’s BANCS Model for NE Kansas and the Development of Predictive Streambank Erosion Curves1

Sass, Christopher K. and Tim D. Keane, 2012. Application of Rosgen’s BANCS Model for NE Kansas and the Development of Predictive Streambank Erosion Curves. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 48(4): 774‐787. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2012.00644.x Abstract: Sedimentation of waterways and reservoirs directly related to streambank erosion threatens freshwater supply. This study sought to provide a tool that accurately predicts annual streambank erosion rates in NE Kansas. Rosgen (2001, 2006) methods were employed and 18 study banks were measured and monitored from 2007 through 2010 (May‐June). Bank profiles were overlaid to calculate toe pin area change due to erosional processes. Streambanks experienced varied erosion rates from similar Bank Erosion Hazard Index (BEHI)‐Near Bank Stress (NBS) combinations producing R² values of 0.77 High‐Very High BEHI rating and 0.75 Moderate BEHI rating regarding predictive erosion curves for NE Kansas. Moderate ratings demonstrated higher erosion rates than High‐Very High ratings and BEHI trend lines intersected at lower NBS ratings, suggesting a discrepancy in the fit of the model to conditions in the NE Kansas region. BEHI model factors were evaluated and assessed for additional influences exerted in the region. Woody vegetation adjacent to the stream seemed to provide the most variation in erosion rates. This study’s findings allowed us to calibrate and modify the existing BEHI model according to woody vegetation occurrence levels along streambanks with high clay content. Modifications regarding vegetation occurrence of the BEHI model was completed and the results of these modifications generated new curves resulting in R² values of 0.84 High‐Very High BEHI and 0.88 Moderate BEHI ratings.