Seasonal response of nitrogen exchange fluxes to crab disturbance at sediment-water interface in coastal tidal wetlands

Coastal wetlands are hotspots for nitrogen(N)cycling,and crab burrowing is known to transform N in intertidal marsh soils.However,the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.This study conducted field experiments and used indoor control test devices to investigate the seasonal response of nitrogen to crab disturbance at the sediment-water interface in coastal tidal flat wetlands.The results showed that crab disturbance exhibited significant seasonality with large seasonal differences in cave density and depth.Due to crab disturbance,nitrogen fuxes at the sediment-water interface were much greater in the box with crabs than in the box without crabs.In summer,NH-N showed a positive flux from the sediment to the overlying water,but NO2-N and NOg-N showed positive fluxes from the sediment to the overlying water only in early stages.In winter,NH-N showed a positive flux from the sediment to the overlying water,but NO-N and NO,-N both exhibited positive and negative fluxes.These results indicated that the presence of crab burrows can cause the aerobic layer to move downward by approximately 8-15 cm in summer and directly promote nitrification at the sediment surface.

Regulation effects of water and nitrogen on yield,water,and nitrogen use efficiency of wolfberry

Wolfberry(Lycium barbarum L.)is important for health care and ecological protection.However,it faces problems of low productivity and resource utilization during planting.Exploring reasonable models for water and nitrogen management is important for solving these problems.Based on field trials in 2021 and 2022,this study analyzed the effects of controlling soil water and nitrogen application levels on wolfberry height,stem diameter,crown width,yield,and water(WUE)and nitrogen use efficiency(NUE).The upper and lower limits of soil water were controlled by the percentage of soil water content to field water capacity(θ_(f)),and four water levels,i.e.,adequate irrigation(W0,75%-85%θ_(f)),mild water deficit(W1,65%-75%θ_(f)),moderate water deficit(W2,55%-65%θ_(f)),and severe water deficit(W3,45%-55%θ_(f))were used,and three nitrogen application levels,i.e.,no nitrogen(N0,0 kg/hm^(2)),low nitrogen(N1,150 kg/hm^(2)),medium nitrogen(N2,300 kg/hm^(2)),and high nitrogen(N3,450 kg/hm^(2))were implied.The results showed that irrigation and nitrogen application significantly affected plant height,stem diameter,and crown width of wolfberry at different growth stages(P<0.01),and their maximum values were observed in W1N2,W0N2,and W1N3 treatments.Dry weight per plant and yield of wolfberry first increased and then decreased with increasing nitrogen application under the same water treatment.Dry weight per hundred grains and dry weight percentage increased with increasing nitrogen application under W0 treatment.However,under other water treatments,the values first increased and then decreased with increasing nitrogen application.Yield and its component of wolfberry first increased and then decreased as water deficit increased under the same nitrogen treatment.Irrigation water use efficiency(IWUE,8.46 kg/(hm^(2)·mm)),WUE(6.83 kg/(hm^(2)·mm)),partial factor productivity of nitrogen(PFPN,2.56 kg/kg),and NUE(14.29 kg/kg)reached their highest values in W2N2,W1N2,W1N2,and W1N1 treatments.Results of principal component analysis(PCA)showed that yield,WUE,and NUE were better in W1N2 treatment,making it a suitable water and nitrogen management mode for the irrigation area of the Yellow River in the Gansu Province,China and similar planting areas.

Evaluation index system for positive operation of water conservancy projects

The conditions for the positive operation of water conservancy projects are described in this paper. A scientific and effective evaluation index system was established based on frequency analysis, theoretical analysis, and expert consultation. This evaluation index system can be divided into six first-level indices： the degree to which facilities are intact and functionality standards are reached, the status of operation and management funds, the rationality and degree of advancement of the management team structure, the adaptability and rationality of the water conservancy project management system, the degree of automatization and informationization of the management techniques, and the conduciveness of the exterior environment. The weights for evaluation indices were obtained through the analytic hierarchy process method with consideration of the difference between public welfare and profit-oriented water conservancy projects. This study provides a scientific method for evaluating the positive operation of water conservancy projects.

θ-improved limited tolerance relation model of incomplete information system for evaluation of water conservancy project management modernization

The modernization of water conservancy project management is a complicated engineering system involving a management system, a management method, management personnel, the exertion of social, economic, and ecological effects, and so on. However, indices for evaluating the modernization of water conservancy project management are usually unobtainable in practical applications. Conducting appropriate extension of the classical rough set theory and then applying it to an incomplete information system are the key to the application of the rough set theory Based on analysis of some extended rough set models in incomplete information systems, a rough set model based on the θ-improved limited tolerance relation is put forward. At the same time, upper approximation and lower approximation are defined under this improved relation. According to the evaluation index system and management practices, the threshold for θ is defined. An example study indicates the practicability and maneuverability of the model.

Discrete Numerical Study on Type II Fracture of Partially Detached Concrete Panels in Cold Region

When the upper chord beam of the beam-string structure(BSS)is made of concrete-filled steel tube(CFST),its overall stiffness will change greatly with the construction of concrete placement,which will have an impact on the design of the tensioning plans and selection of control measures for the BSS.In order to accurately obtain the bending stiffness of CFST beam and clarify its impact on the mechanical properties of composite BSS during con-struction,the influence of some factors such as height-width ratio,wall thickness of steel tube,elasticity modulus of concrete,and friction coefficient on the bending stiffness are analyzed parametrically by the numerical simula-tion technology based on an actual project.The calculation formula of the equivalent bending stiffness of CFST is also established through mathematical statistical simulation.Then,the equivalent bending stiffness is introduced into the construction and use stages of the composite BSS,respectively,and the mechanical properties such as prestress-tensioning control value,structural deformation,and internal force of key members are comparatively analyzed when adopting two different construction plans.Moreover,the optimal construction plan of concrete placementfirst and then prestress-tensioning is proposed.

Influence of groundwater level change on vegetation coverage and their spatial variation in arid regions

Sampling and testing are conducted on groundwater depth and vegetation coverage in the 670 km2 of the Sangong River Basin and semi-variance function analysis is made afterwards on the data obtained by the application of geo-statistics. Results showed that the variance curve of the groundwater depth and vegetation coverage displays an exponential model. Analysis of sampling data in 2003 indicates that the groundwater depth and vegetation coverage change similarly in space in this area. The Sangong River Basin is composed of upper oasis, middle ecotone and lower sand dune. In oasis and ecotone, influenced by irrigation of the adjoining oasis, groundwater level has been raised and soil water content also increased compared with sand dune nearby, vegetation developed well. But in the lower reaches of the Sangong River Basin, because of descending of groundwater level, soil water content decreased and vegetation degenerated. From oasis to abandoned land and desert grassland, vegetation coverage and groundwater level changed greatly with significant difference respectively in spatial variation. Distinct but similar spatial variability exists among the groundwater depth and vegetation coverage in the study area, namely, the vegetation coverage decreasing (increasing) as the groundwater depth increases (decreases). This illustrates the great dependence of vegetation coverage on groundwater depth in arid regions and further implies that among the great number of factors affecting vegetation coverage in arid regions, groundwater depth turns out to be the most determinant one.

Numerical Study of Submerged Vertical Plane Jets Under Progressive Water Surface Waves

When wastewater is discharged into a coastal area through an ouffall system, it will always be subjected to the action of waves. It is important to study and quantify the mixing of the discharge with the ambient water so that accurate environmental impact assessment can be made for such discharge conditions. The present work aims to study the phenomenon of a plane jet discharged into water environment with regular waves. A 3D numerical model based on the full Navier- Stokes equations （NSE） in the a-coordinate is developed to study the present problem. Turbulence effects are modeled by a subgrid-scale （SGS） model using the concept of large eddy simulation （LES）. The operator splitting method is used to solve the modified NSE. The model has been applied to the simulation of three different eases of submerged plane jets with surface waves： jet with strong waves, jet with weak waves and jet without waves. Numerical results show that the waves enhance the mixing of the jet with the ambient fluid, and cause a periodic deflection of the jet. The size of the recirculation is about 1.5- 2.4 h （water depth） . The velocity profile of the jet is serf-similar in the zone of established flow for both the pure jet and jet in wave circumstances. The spreading characteristic constant a is 0. 100 and 0. 105 for pure momentum jets with Re numbers 1025 and 2050. The value of a increases from 0. 130 to 0. 147 for a jet in weak and strong wave circumstances, showing that waves have an obvious effect on the mixing and dilution properties of jets. Numerical results are in good agreement with the experimental data for the cases of pure jets and jets with waves.

Coupling analysis of social-economic water consumption and its effects on the arid environments in Xinjiang of China based on the water and ecological footprints

In arid areas,ecological degradation aroused by over-exploitation of fresh water,expansion of artificial oasis and shrinkage of natural oasis,has drawn attention of many scholars and officials.The water and ecological footprints can be used to quantitatively evaluate the water consumption of social-economic activities and their influence on the eco-environments.In addition,increase of the water footprint indicates the expansion of artificial oasis,and the influence on the natural oasis could be reflected by the variation of the ecological footprint.This study was conducted to answer a scientific question that what is the quantitative relationship between the expansion of the artificial oasis and the degradation of the natural oasis in the arid environments of Xinjiang,China.Thus,based on the social-economic data,water consumption data and meteorological data during 2001–2015,we calculated the water and ecological footprints to express the human-related pressure exerted on the water resources and arid environments in Xinjiang(including 14 prefectures and cities),and explore the relationship between the water and ecological footprints and its mechanism by using the coupling analysis and Granger causality test.The results show that both the water and ecological footprints of Xinjiang increased significantly during 2001–2015,and the increasing rate of the ecological footprint was much faster than that of the water footprint.The coupling degree between the water and ecological footprints was relatively high at the temporal scale and varied at the spatial scale.Among the 14 prefectures and cities examined in Xinjiang,the greater social-economic development(such as in Karamay and Urumqi)was associated with the lower coupling degree between the two footprints.Increases in the water footprint will cause the ecological footprint to increase,such that a 1-unit increase in the consumption of water resources would lead to 2–3 units of ecological degradation.The quantitative relationship between the increases of the water and ecological footprints,together with the intensities of water consumption both in the natural and artificial oases of Tarim River Basin,have approved the fact that the formation and expansion of 1 unit of the artificial oasis would bring about the degradation of 2 units of the natural oasis.These conclusions not only provide a technical basis for sustainable development in Xinjiang,but also offer a theoretical guide and scientific information that could be used in similar arid areas around the world.

Temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of water resources in Guangdong Province based on a cloud model

With a focus on the difficulty of quantitatively describing the degree of nonuniformity of temporal and spatial distributions of water resources, quantitative research was carried out on the temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of water resources in Guangdong Province from 1956 to 2000 based on a cloud model. The spatial variation of the temporal distribution characteristics and the temporal variation of the spatial distribution characteristics were both analyzed. In addition, the relationships between the numerical characteristics of the cloud model of temporal and spatial distributions of water resources and precipitation were also studied. The results show that, using a cloud model, it is possible to intuitively describe the temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of water resources in cloud images. Water resources in Guangdong Province and their temporal and spatial distribution characteristics are differentiated by their geographic locations. Downstream and coastal areas have a larger amount of water resources with greater uniformity and stronger stability in terms of temporal distribution. Regions with more precipitation possess larger amounts of water resources, and years with more precipitation show greater nonuniformity in the spatial distribution of water resources. The correlation between the nonuniformity of the temporal distribution and local precipitation is small, and no correlation is found between the stability of the nonuniformity of the temporal and spatial distributions of water resources and precipitation. The amount of water resources in Guangdong Province shows an increasing trend from 1956 to 2000, the nonuniformity of the spatial distribution of water resources declines, and the stability of the nonuniformity of the spatial distribution of water resources is enhanced.

Joint optimization scheduling for water conservancy projects incomplex river networks

In this study, we simulated water flow in a water conservancy project consisting of various hydraulic structures, such as sluices, pumping stations, hydropower stations, ship locks, and culverts, and developed a multi-period and multi-variable joint optimization scheduling model for flood control, drainage, and irrigation. In this model, the number of sluice holes, pump units, and hydropower station units to be opened were used as decision variables, and different optimization objectives and constraints were considered. This model was solved with improved genetic algorithms and verified using the Huaian Water Conservancy Project as an example. The results show that the use of the joint optimization scheduling led to a 10% increase in the power generation capacity and a 15% reduction in the total energy consumption. The change in the water level was reduced by 0.25 m upstream of the Yundong Sluice, and by 50% downstream of pumping stations No. 1, No. 2, and No. 4. It is clear that the joint optimization scheduling proposed in this study can effectively improve power generation capacity of the project, minimize operating costs and energy consumption, and enable more stable operation of various hydraulic structures. The results may provide references for the management of water conservancy projects in complex river networks.

Study on the mechanism of isotope fractionation in soil water during the evaporation process under equilibrium condition

In this study, with the method of vacuum extraction, two evaporative processes of soil water and free water under equilibrium condition were simulated. For each sample,water vapor was condensed by liquid nitrogen and was collected in four time intervals. From the analysis of hydrogen and oxygen isotopic compositions of the water collected at different times, it was discovered that the isotope fractionation of soil water also follows the mode, which is just the same as the evaporative process of free water. The relationship between the stable hydrogen and oxygen isotopes in residual water showed that the simulative evaporation line was close to the global meteoric water line (GMWL) under the equilibrium condition at about 20℃. Comparison of the two types of evaporative processes indicated that the isotope fractionation and evaporation velocity of soil water were only slightly modified by the Van der Waals force.

Water hammer protection for diversion systems in front of pumps in long-distance water supply projects

For a water supply system with long-distance diversion pipelines, in addition to the water hammer problems that occur beyond pumps, the safety of the water diversion pipeline in front of pumps also deserves attention. In this study, a water hammer protection scheme combined with an overflow surge tank and a regulating valve was developed. A mathematical model of the overflow surge tank was developed, and an analytical formula for the height of the overflow surge tank was derived. Furthermore, a practical water supply project was used to evaluate the feasibility of the combined protection scheme and analyze the sensitivity of valve regulation rules. The results showed that the combined protection scheme effectively reduced the height of the surge tank, lessened the difficulties related to construction, and reduced the necessary financial investment for the project. The two-stage closing rule articulated as fast first and then slow could minimize the overflow volume of the surge tank when the power failure occurred, while the two-stage opening rule articulated as slow first and then fast could be more conducive to the safety of the water supply system when the pump started up.

Biofilm structure and its influence on clogging in drip irrigation emitters distributing reclaimed wastewater

Using reclaimed wastewater for crop irrigation is a practical alternative to discharge wastewater treatment plant effluents into surface waters.However,biofouling has been identified as a major contributor to emitter clogging in drip irrigation systems distributing reclaimed wastewater.Little is known about the biofilm structure and its influence on clogging in the drip emitter flow path.This study was first to investigate the microbial characteristics of mature biofilms present in the emitters and the effect of flow path structures on the biofilm microbial communities.The analysis of biofilm matrix structure using a scanning electron microscopy（SEM） revealed that particles in the matrix of the biofilm coupled extracellular polysaccharides（EPS） and formed sediment in the emitter flow path.Analysis of biofilm mass including protein,polysaccharide,and phospholipid fatty acids（PLFAs） showed that emitter flow path style influenced biofilm community structure and diversity.The correlations of biofilm biomass and discharge reduction after 360 h irrigation were computed and suggest that PFLAs provide the best correlation coeffcient.Comparatively,the emitter with the unsymmetrical dentate structure and shorter flow path（Emitter C） had the best anti-clogging capability.By optimizing the dentate structure,the internal flow pattern within the flow path could be enhanced as an important method to control the biofilm within emitter flow path.This study established electron microscope techniques and biochemical microbial analysis methods that may provide a framework for future emitter biofilm studies.

Entropy weight coefficient model and its application in evaluation of groundwater vulnerability of the Sanjiang Plain

The research of groundwater vulnerability is the basic work to protect the groundwater. For utilizing groundwater resource continuably, groundwater vulnerability evaluation is necessary. Useful reference to protect, exploit and utilize on groundwater resource are provided rationally. According to the real condition of Sanjiang Plain, the indexes system is established based on the traditional DRASTIC model. The new system includes the following seven indexes： Depth of Water, Net Recharge, Aquifer Media, Soil Media, Conductivity of the Aquifer, Land Utilizing Ratio and Populace Density. The related analysis appears that the system is rather reasonable. Because traditional methods, such as analytic hierarchy process and fuzzy mathematics theory, can＇t be avoided human interference in selection of weights, they could lead to an imprecise result. In order to evaluate the groundwater vulnerability reasonably, entropy weight coefficient method is applied for the first time, which provides a new way to groundwater vulnerability evaluation. The method is a model whose weights are insured by the calculation process, so the artificial disturb can be avoided. It has been used to evaluate the groundwater vulnerability in Sanjiang Plain. The satisfied result is acquired. Comparably, the same result is acquired by the other method named projection pursuit evaluation based on real-coded accelerating genetic algorithm. It shows that entropy weight coefficient method is applicable on groundwater vulnerability evaluation. The evaluation result can provide reference on the decision-making departments.

Measurement and assessment of water resources carrying capacity in Henan Province, China

As demands on limited water resources intensify, concerns are being raised about water resources carrying capacity（WRCC）, which is defined as the maximum sustainable socioeconomic scale that can be supported by available water resources and while maintaining defined environmental conditions. This paper proposes a distributed quantitative model for WRCC, based on the principles of optimization, and considering hydro-economic interaction, water supply, water quality, and socioeconomic development constraints. With the model, the WRCCs of 60 subregions in Henan Province were determined for different development periods. The results showed that the water resources carrying level of Henan Province was suitably loaded in 2010, but that the province would be mildly overloaded in 2030 with respect to the socioeconomic development planning goals. The restricting factors for WRCC included the available water resources, the increasing rate of GDP, the urbanization ratio, the irrigation water utilization coefficient, the industrial water recycling rate, and the wastewater reuse rate, of which the available water resources was the most crucial factor. Because these factors varied temporally and spatially, the trends in predicted WRCC were inconsistent across different subregions and periods.

Impacts of water and soil erosion in upstream watershed of Nenjiang River

Making a brief analysis of the water and soil loss present situation in Daxing＇anling area which locates to the upstream region of Nenjiang River, and giving the water and soil loss of this area that have been made near 20 years, as well as the factors of the water and soil loss. According to the factors corresponding prevention measure and forecast model have been put forward, make a brief introduction to this model in this article. It is helpful to improve the local soil conservation and sustainable development.

Response of Coastal Groundwater Table to Offshore Storms

Large groundwater table fluctuations were observed in a coastal aquifer during an offshore storm. The storm induced significant changes of the mean shoreline elevation, characterized by a pulse like oscillation. This pulse propagated in the aquifer, resulting in the water table fluctuations. A general analytical solution is derived to quantify this new mechanism of water table fluctuation. The solution is applied to field observations and is found to be able to predict reasonably well the observed storm induced water table fluctuations. Based on the analytical solution, the damping characteristics and phase shift of the oscillation as it propagates inland are examined.

Uncertainty and Sensitivity Analyses of the Simulated Seawater—Freshwater Mixing Zones in Steady-State Coastal Aquifers

The uncertainty and sensitivity of predicted positions and thicknesses of seawater-freshwater mixing zones with respect to uncertainties of saturated hydraulic conductivity, porosity, molecular diffusivity, longitudinal and transverse dispersivities were investigated in both head-control and flux-control inland boundary systems. It shows that uncertainties and sensitivities of predicted results vary in different boundary systems. With the same designed matrix of uncertain factors in simulation experiments, the variance of predicted positions and thickness in the flux-control system is much larger than that predicted in the head-control system. In a head-control system, the most sensitive factors for the predicted position of the mixing zone are inland freshwater head and transverse dispersivity. However, the predicted position of the mixing zone is more sensitive to saturated hydraulic conductivity in a flux-control system. In a head-control system, the most sensitive factors for the predicted thickness of the mixing zone include transverse dispersivity, molecular diffusivity, porosity, and longitudinal dispersivity, but the predicted thickness is more sensitive to the saturated hydraulic conductivity in a flux-control system. These findings improve our understandings for the development of seawater-freshwater mixing zone during seawater intrusion processes, and give technical support for groundwater resource management in coastal aquifers.

Implications of Israeli Agricultural Water Price Sharing System to China

This paper introduces Israeli agricultural water price sharing system. According to Israeli agricultural water cost composition,water price sharing by farmers as well as government subsidy and its forms,the financial subsidy-based agricultural water price system has been established on the basis of the farmers' income in our country and reasonable water price sharing,thus to promote the development of water-saving agriculture in China.

Climate change and water security in the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains

Water security is under threat worldwide from climate change. A warming climate would accelerate evaporationand cryosphere melting, leading to reduced water availability and unpredictable water supply. However, thewater crisis in the Northern Slope of Tianshan Mountains(NSTM) faces dual challenges because water demandsforfast-growing urban areas have put heavy pressure on water resources. The mountain-oasis-desert system featuresglacier-fed rivers that sustain intensive water use in the oasis and end in the desert as fragile terminal lakes.The complex balance between water conservation and economic development is subtle. This paper investigateschanges in hydroclimatic variables and water security-related issues on the NSTM. The spatiotemporal variationsin glaciers, climatic variables, rivers, lakes and reservoirs, groundwater, surface water, human water use, andstreamflow were analyzed for the past four decades. The results show that temperature in the NSTM exhibitedan apparent upward trend with a more significant warming rate in the higher altitude regions. Glacier massloss and shrinkage was strong. The average annual streamflow increased from 1980-1989 to 2006–2011 at mosthydrological stations. The monthly dynamics of surface water area showed notable variability at both inter-annual and seasonal scales, revealing the impacts of both natural and anthropogenic drivers on surface wateravailability in the region. The terrestrial water storage anomaly showed a decreasing trend, which might berelated to groundwater pumping for irrigation. Human water use for agriculture and industry grew with theincrease in cultivated land area and gross domestic product (GDP). The increased agricultural water use wasstrongly associated with the expansion of oases. It is unclear whether water availability would remain high underfuture climatic and hydrological uncertainties, posing challenges to water management. In the context of rapidurban growth and climate change, balancing water for humans and nature is vital in achieving the SustainableDevelopment Goals (SDGs) in NSTM. This study provides a baseline understanding of the interplay among water,climate change, and socio-economic development in NSTM. It would also shed light on wise water managementunder environmental changes for other rapidly developing mountain-oasis-desert systems worldwide.