SIGMA-COORDINATE NUMERICAL MODEL FOR SIDE-DISCHARGE INTO NATURAL RIVERS

Due to large topography slopes in natural rivers, pollutant concentration embodies a property of three-dimensional distribution when wastewater is discharged from effluents along the bank. With the sigma coordinate along the vertical dimension fitted to both the moving free surface and the bed topography, a three-dimensional numerical model was developed in the present work to address pollutant transport processes in the above-mentioned cases. To avoid the reduction in accuracy caused by spurious diffusion in the case of steep bottom slopes, a formula for horizontal diffusion in the sigma coordinate system was derived. A case study for the side discharge into a straight open-channel flow shows that numerical results are verified well by experimental data. Furthermore, the present model is also verified by the simulation of discharging wastewater from Fuling Phosphorus Factory effluent into the Three Gorges Reservoir and the agreement between the numerical simulation results and field observation data is satisfactory. The change of the mixing zone scope in the water surface versus the layers along the vertical dimension was also discussed in detail. The study shows that a more realistic calculation for pollutant discharge has been provided by the present model than by the depth-average model which predicts an unrealistically smaller mixing zone.

AN APPROACH TO THE STUDY OF TRANSVERSE MIXING IN NATURAL RIVERS

A numerical model of transverse mixing in natural rivers has been presented by using the body-fitted coordinate systems,which is capable of describing the complex flow and mixing characteristics of rivers.To study the validity and to illustrate the applicability of this model,field measurement date in the Gan River near Nanchang have been used to compare the numerical results.

EXPERIMENTS ON SELF-PURIFICATION OF HEAVY METALPOLLUTANTS IN NATURAL RIVERS

This paper is concerned with the experiments of simulating self-purification of heavy metal pollutants in natural rivers, such as tributaries polluted by heavy metal polutants joining a main stream, or an uncontaminated tributary with much sediment entering a main stream polluted by heavy metal pollutants, and the experiments on the effect of sediment movement on the adsorption of heavy metal pollutants. Further-more, the effect of turbulence, sediment supply conditions and sediment motion patterns on the adsorption of heavy metal pollutants are studied in a device, in which turbulence is generated by a harmonically vibrating set of grids. The results indicate that sediment motion pattern has no effect on the characteristic parameters in the adsorption isotherm, such as the saturated adsorption content by unit weight of seidment and the constant of adsorption-desorption rate in the Langmuir adsorption isotherm, but it has significant effect on the coefficient of adsorption rate (or the coefficient of desorption rate). When the turbulent intensity of flow is low and all sediment exists as bottom mud, the coefficient of adsorption rate of sediment (or the coefficient of desorption rate of sediment) is very small, thus descending rate of concentration of dissolved heavy metal pollutant concentration is small, and when the turbulent intensity of flow is high, sediment supply condition, that is, whether sediment exists on the bed or not, influences greatly the variation of dissolved heavy metal pollutant concentration. When the sediment on the bed could be lifted up, descending rate of dissolved heavy metal pollutant concentration is large. In other wards, the coefficient of adsorption rate (or the coefficient of desorption rate) by unit weight of suspended sediment is much larger than that by unit weight of bottom mud.

OBSERVATION AND ANALYSIS ON CHARACTERISTIC OF NATURAL RIVERS

Based on the previous study on turbulent structure, field experiments on fluctuation velocity were carried out in section Huanglingmiao of main stream of Yangtze River with a 3-D Doppler velocimeter. And a number of data such as velocity of different discharge and different vertical line were obtained. According to the field experiment data, period, frequency, period function and probability density function of large-scale coherent structure in natural river were prescribed by means of quantitative analysis. And the problem about distribution of time average velocity, turbulent intensity and Reynolds stress along depth were further analyzed and calculated. The results in this paper will deepen the understand of large-scale turbulent structure in natural river and so make the base for applying“turbulence theory” to water conservancy, hydroelectric, environment engineering and so on.

Comprehensive two-dimensional river ice model based on boundary-fitted coordinate transformation method

River ice is a natural phenomenon in cold regions, influenced by meteorology, geomorphology, and hydraulic conditions. River ice processes involve complex interactions between hydrodynamic, mechanical, and thermal processes, and they are also influenced by weather and hydrologic conditions. Because natural rivers are serpentine, with bends, narrows, and straight reaches, the commonly-used one-dimensional river ice models and two-dimensional models based on the rectangular Cartesian coordinates are incapable of simulating the physical phenomena accurately. In order to accurately simulate the complicated river geometry and overcome the difficulties of numerical simulation resulting from both complex boundaries and differences between length and width scales, a two-dimensional river ice numerical model based on a boundary-fitted coordinate transformation method was developed. The presented model considers the influence of the frazil ice accumulation under ice cover and the shape of the leading edge of ice cover during the freezing process. The model is capable of determining the velocity field, the distribution of water temperature, the concentration distribution of frazil ice, the transport of floating ice, the progression, stability, and thawing of ice cover, and the transport, accumulation, and erosion of ice under ice cover. A MacCormack scheme was used to solve the equations numerically. The model was validated with field observations from the Hequ Reach of the Yellow River. Comparison of simulation results with field data indicates that the model is capable of simulating the river ice process with high accuracy.

Habitat suitability change of red-crowned crane in Yellow River Delta Nature Reserve

Habitat loss and fragmentation are mainly associated with population decrease of endangered species and biodiversity loss. The habitat suitability maps of red-crowned crane （Grusjaponensis） in 1992, 1999 and 2006 were produced by using Ecological Niche Suitability Model （ENSM） in Yellow River Delta Nature Reserve （118°33′-119°20′E longitude, 37°35′-38°12′N latitude）, Shandong Province, China. Based on the habitat suitability maps, the causation and change law of habitat loss and fragmentation of red-crowned crane were analyzed by selecting a series of landscape pattern indices. Results showed that due to scarcities of fresh water sources, habitat suitability of red-crowned crane in 1999 was inferior to that in 1992 and 2006 no matter whether human disturbances existed or not. Besides, human disturbance activities, especially road disturbances, increased rapidly during the period of 1992-2006. This worsened the habitat loss and frag- mentation of red-crowned crane, and led to degrading habitat suitability of red-crowned crane in 2006, compared with that in 1992. In conclusion, fresh water sources and human disturbance activities are the two main factors that drive the habitat suitability change of red-crowned crane.

Elevational diversity gradients across seed plant taxonomic levels in the Lancang River Nature Reserve： role of temperature, water and the mid-domain effect

It remains unclear whether the elevational diversity gradients observed in seed plants across different taxonomic levels （family, genus, and species） are driven by the same macro-environmental variables. In this study, seed plant elevational distribution data from the Lancang River Nature Reserve （Yunnan, China） were used to investigate spatial patterns in diversity and their environ- mental correlates, comparing across taxonomic levels. Environmental variables included energy availability, climate seasonality and environmental heterogeneity. All taxonomic levels （family, genus, and species） were found to have strong elevational richness gradients, with the strength of the gradient weakening at higher taxonomic levels. Spatial patterns in richness were explained by a combination of contemporary environmental variables and the mid-domain effect at all taxonomic levels. The independent effects of temperature- and precipitation-related variables were similar in explaining geographical patterns of family, genus and species richness. Energy, seasonality and heterogeneity variables influenced seed plant spatial richness at different taxonomic levels in similar ways.

Impacts of Land-use and Land-cover Changes on River Runoff in Yellow River Basin for Period of 1956–2012

River runoff is affected by many factors, including long-term effects such as climate change that alter rainfall-runoff relationships, and short-term effects related to human intervention(e.g., dam construction, land-use and land-cover change(LUCC)). Discharge from the Yellow River system has been modified in numerous ways over the past century, not only as a result of increased demands for water from agriculture and industry, but also due to hydrological disturbance from LUCC, climate change and the construction of dams. The combined effect of these disturbances may have led to water shortages. Considering that there has been little change in long-term precipitation, dramatic decreases in water discharge may be attributed mainly to human activities, such as water usage, water transportation and dam construction. LUCC may also affect water availability, but the relative contribution of LUCC to changing discharge is unclear. In this study, the impact of LUCC on natural discharge(not including anthropogenic usage) is quantified using an attribution approach based on satellite land cover and discharge data. A retention parameter is used to relate LUCC to changes in discharge. We find that LUCC is the primary factor, and more dominant than climate change, in driving the reduction in discharge during 1956–2012, especially from the mid-1980 s to the end-1990 s. The ratio of each land class to total basin area changed significantly over the study period. Forestland and cropland increased by about 0.58% and 1.41%, respectively, and unused land decreased by 1.16%. Together, these variations resulted in changes in the retention parameter, and runoff generation showed a significant decrease after the mid-1980 s. Our findings highlight the importance of LUCC to runoff generation at the basin scale, and improve our understanding of the influence of LUCC on basin-scale hydrology.

Soil Organic Carbon Contents and Stocks in Coastal Salt Marshes with Spartina alterniflora Following an Invasion Chronosequence in the Yellow River Delta,China

Plant invasion alters the fundamental structure and function of native ecosystems by affecting the biogeochemical pools and fluxes of materials and energy. Native(Suaeda salsa) and invasive(Spartina alterniflora) salt marshes were selected to study the effects of Spartina alterniflora invasion on soil organic carbon(SOC) contents and stocks in the Yellow River Delta. Results showed that the SOC contents(g/kg) and stocks(kg/m^2) were significantly increased(P < 0.05) after Spartina alterniflora invasion of seven years, especially for the surface soil layer(0–20 cm). The SOC contents exhibited an even distribution along the soil profiles in native salt marshes, while the SOC contents were gradually decreased with depth after Spartina alterniflora invasion of seven years. The natural ln response ratios(Ln RR) were applied to identify the effects of short-term Spartina alterniflora invasion on the SOC stocks. We also found that Spartina alterniflora invasion might cause soil organic carbon losses in a short-term phase(2–4 years in this study) due to the negative Ln RR values, especially for 20–60 cm depth. And the SOCD in surface layer(0–20 cm) do not increase linearly with the invasive age. Spearman correlation analysis revealed that silt + clay content was exponentially related with SOC in surface layer(Adjusted R^2 = 0.43, P < 0.001), suggesting that soil texture could play a key role in SOC sequestration of coastal salt marshes.

Yangtze River Delta,The Works of Nature

The Yangtze River Delta or Yangtze Delta.also called Chang Jiang Delta,or the Golden Triangle of the Yangtze,genelallv comprises the triangular-shaped territory of Wu-speaking Shanghai,southern Jiangsu province and northern Zhejiang province of China.The area lies at the heart of the region traditionally called Jiangnan.The Yangtze River drains into the East China Sea.

NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF FLOW FOLD OF A RIVER WITH COMPLICATED BOUNDARIES

The flow field of a river with complicated boundaries is simulated by dividing the calculation domain into several subdomains and using the depth-averaged k-ε turbulence model. The complicated topographic conditions in this paper include bar, confluence, narrow, bay and bend, etc. The lands emerging from the water surface are treated as blocked-off regions. The calculation is achieved at both the low and the high water levels. The velocity profiles along cross-sections are measured at the high water level in physical model. The calculated and measured velocity profiles are in agreement.