Improved ecological development model for lower Yellow River floodplain,China

In this study,a model for the development of the wide floodplain in the lower Yellow River Basin,in China was developed.This model includes flood control schemes using grading criteria,enables sediment deposition in partitioned zones,and allows free exchange between channel runoff and sediment.The wide floodplain located between the main channel and levees is divided into three typical regions:the tender,low,and high floodplains.Different ecological models should be applied when these floodplains are constructed.This paper describes the associated research ideas and methodology,and clarifies several key issues,including sediment prediction and regulation,land planning,land use,and a multi-dimensional framework of safeguard measures for industries on the lower Yellow River floodplain.A refined ecological development model is proposed for the lower Yellow River floodplain,and future work on ecological and sustainable development of the lower floodplain is suggested.To establish a comprehensive system integrating runoff and sediment resource regulation in the Yellow River Basin,future work should focus on runoff and sediment exchange mechanisms in the wandering lower reaches.Furthermore,it is necessary to improve theories on floodplain planning and ecological construction,and these theories should be integrated with the research findings on land development across the lower Yellow River floodplain.©2020 Hohai University.Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Total N,total P and organic matters content in floodplain soils of Xianghai Nature Reserve

Soil sediment samples of 10 layers with a spacing of 10 cm each were collected in different floodplain zones adjacent to Huolin River in the Xianghai Nature Reserve, and contents of total N, total P and organic matters were analyzed. The results showed that contents of total N, total P and organic matters were generally decreasing with the increase of distance from sample locations to the river channel, and contents of the three items were generally higher in the upper soil layer than that in the lower soil layer. The content variations displayed how flooding functions influenced nutrient matter content variations in floodplain soils since the flood inundation frequencies of the sample locations varied. The correlation analysis displayed that there were remarkable relativities between total N, total P and organic matters within definite spatial distance from the Huolin River channel.

Influence of Floodplain Area on Fish Species Richness in Waterbodies of the Chao Phraya River Basin, Thailand

River-floodplain ecosystems are in delicate balance and are impacted by even minor changes in water availability. In this study, we surveyed fish assemblages and investigated environmental and landscape parameters in a total of 135 floodplain waterbodies (rivers, diversion canals, ponds, irrigation ditches, paddy fields, and wetlands) in the Chao Phraya River Basin in rainy (September 2014) and dry (March 2015) seasons. Factors affecting fish species richness in each type of waterbody were analyzed using generalized linear mixed models. Floodplain area around each surveyed waterbody was a major factor determining fish species richness in rivers, diversion canals, and ponds in the region. The contribution of floodplain area was equivalent to that of hydrology (current velocity, water depth) and water quality (dissolved oxygen, turbidity) in the waterbodies. The population of juvenile fishes was increased in temporarily connected floodplain waterbodies to main rivers compared with isolated waterbodies, and fluvial and lacustrine fishes were observed in the temporary inundated floodplain waterbodies during the rainy season. The high dependence of fish species richness on floodplain area in the region appeared to be a result of the use of inundated floodplains by fish species to forage and breed. Our results highlight the impact of flood control measures that reduces floodplain area. These measures must be reviewed to ensure the conservation of fish biodiversity in the Chao Phraya River Basin, one of the world’s most threatened floodplain systems.

Organising a juvenile ratio monitoring programme for 10 key waterbird species in the Yangtze River floodplain:analysis and proposals

Background:In the face of continued degradation and loss of wetlands in the Yangtze River floodplain(YRF),there is an urgent need to monitor the abundance and distribution of wintering waterbirds.To understand fully observed annual changes,we need to monitor demographic rates to understand factors affecting global population size.Annual reproduction success contributes to dynamic changes in population size and age structure,so an assessment of the juvenile ratio(i.e.first winter birds as a proportion of total number aged)of overwintering waterbirds can be an important indicator of the reproductive success in the preceding breeding season.Methods:During 2016-2019,we sampled juvenile ratios among 10 key waterbird species from the wetlands in the YRF.Based on these data,we here attempt to establish a simple,efficient,focused and reliable juvenile ratio monitoring scheme,to assess consistently and accurately relative annual breeding success and its contribution to the age structure among these waterbird species.Results:We compared juvenile ratio data collected throughout the winter and found that the optimal time for undertaking these samples was in the early stages of arrival for migratory waterbirds reaching their wintering area(early to mid-December).We recommend counting consistently at key points(i.e.those where>1%biogeographical flyway population were counted)at sites of major flyway importance(Poyang Lake,East Dongting Lake,Shengjin Lake,Caizi Lake,Longgan Lake and Chen Lake).Based on this,the error rate of the programme(155 planned points,the count of 10 waterbird species is 826-8955)is less than 5%.Conclusions:We established a juvenile ratio monitoring programme for 10 key waterbird species in the wetlands of the YRF,and discuss the feasibility and necessity of implementing such a future programme,and how to use these data in our monitoring and understanding of the population dynamics of these waterbird populations.

Improving Grain Yield of Indigenous Rice in Tidal Floodplain of Southern Bangladesh: Effect of Seedling Age and Transplanting Method

Rice production in the tidal floodplain of southern Bangladesh is constrained by uncontrolled water. In absence of high yielding varieties suitable for tidal floodplain, farmers grow low yielding indigenous cultivars of tall plant type. This paper reports the effect of agronomic management on the yield and yield components of an indigenous rice cultivar, Sadamota. The trial was conducted in 10 farmers’ plots located widely apart in two upazila (sub-districts)—Jhalakati and Rajapur. 45 d and 60 d old seedlings were transplanted either in rows at 40 cm × 20 cm spacing or following farmers’ traditional practice of random planting. Transplanting 60 d old seedlings produced 14% higher yield compared with 45 d old seedlings. Transplanting in rows also increased grain yield by 12%. The yield increase was associated with hill density, the number of effective tillers per hill and the number of spikelets per panicle.

Determination of minimum flood flow for regeneration of floodplain forest from inundated forest width-stage curve

Floods are essential for the regeneration and growth of floodplain forests in arid and semiarid regions. However, river flows, and especially flood flows, have decreased greatly with the increase of water diversion from rivers and/or reservoir regulation, resulting in severe deterioration of floodplain ecosystems. Estimation of the flood stage that will inundate the floodplain forest is necessary for the forest＇s restoration or protection. To balance water use for economic purposes and floodplain forest protection, the inundated forest width method is proposed for estimating the minimum flood stage for floodplain forests from the inundated forest width-stage curve. The minimum flood stage is defined as the breakpoint of the inundated forest width-stage curve, and is determined directly or analytically from the curve. For the analytical approach, the problem under consideration is described by a multi-objective optimization model, which can be solved by the ideal point method. Then, the flood flow at the minimum flood stage （minimum flood flow）, which is useful for flow regulation, can be calculated from the stage-discharge curve. In order to protect the forest in a river floodplain in a semiarid area in Xinjiang subject to reservoir regulation upstream, the proposed method was used to determine the minimum flood stage and flow for the forest. Field survey of hydrology, topography, and forest distribution was carried out at typical cross sections in the floodplain. Based on the survey results, minimum flood flows for six typical cross sections were estimated to be between 306 m3/s and 393 m3/s. Their maximum, 393 m3/s, was considered the minimum flood flow for the study river reach. This provides an appropriate flood flow for the protection of floodplain forest and can be used in the regulation of the upstream reservoir.

Floodplain Mapping and Risks Assessment of the Orashi River Using Re­mote Sensing and GIS in the Niger Delta Region, Nigeria

Residents along the shoreline of the Orashi River have yearly been dis­placed and recorded loss of lives,farmland,and infrastructures.The Gov­ernment’s approach has been the provision of relief materials to the victims instead of implementing adequate control measures.This research employs Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission and Google Earth imagery in devel­oping a 3D floodplain map using ArcGIS software.The result indicates the drainage system in the study area is dendritic with catchment of 79 subbasins and 76 pour point implying the area is floodplain.Incorporating the 3D slope which reveals that>8 and<8 makes up 1.15%and 98.85%of the study area respectively confirms the area is a floodplain.Aspect indicate west-facing slope are dark blue,3D hillshade indicate yellow is very low area and the high area is pink and also the buffer analysis result reveals wa­terbodies reflecting blue with an estimated area of 1.88 km2,yellow indicate 0.79 km2 of the shoreline,red indicate 0.81 km2 of the minor floodplain and pink contain 0.82 km2 with the length of 32.82 km.The result from google earth image in 2007 indicate absent of settlement,2013 indicate minimal settlement and 2020 indicate major settlement in the study area when cor­related with 3D Floodplain mapping before and during the flood in other to analyze and manage flooding for further purpose and the majority of the area are under seize with flood like in 2020.Therefore,Remote Sensing and GIS techniques are useful for Floodplain mapping,risk analysis for control measures for better flood management.

Flooding as a cause of ungulate mortality in floodplain forests in Croatia

Floodplain forests with regular flooding regimes are the largest natural retentions areas in Croatia and are important as natural habitats for ungulates.The aim of this study was to determine the scale of mortality caused by flooding within these forests.Over a 10-year period,data on ungulate mortality(red deer,roe deer and wild boar),flood duration and flooded surface area were recorded.The study was conducted in primary(Posavske Sume—RET I)and secondary(Opeke II—RET II)retention areas within Lonjsko Polje Nature Park(Sava River region,Croatia).The longest flood period and the largest flooded surface area were recorded in RET I.Total ungulate mortality was749 individuals,with 482 individuals in RET I and 267 individuals in RET II,predominantly wild boar.Flood mortality did not differ by gender.The highest mortality of wild boar was recorded for the juvenile and yearling ageclasses.Low mortality of red and roe deer can be attributed to their body size and ecological niches.Differences in mortality between the primary and secondary retention areas corresponded to differences in flood regimes,flood column heights and micro relief structures.In both retention areas,wild boar mortality and flood duration,i.e.flooded surface area,were positively correlated.Because the growth rate of the analysed ungulate populations was higher than the recorded mortality,no long-term effect of floods is expected on species abundance in these areas.

Microplastics in Surface Waters and Floodplain Sediments of the Dagu River in the Jiaodong Peninsula,China

To understand the pollution characteristics and distributions of microplastics in the Dagu River,an important inland river that flows to Jiaozhou Bay,the abundance,particle size,shape,color,and polymer type of microplastics in the surface waters and floodplain sediments were investigated.The results showed that the abundance of microplastics in the surface waters varied between 0.68 and 3.96 items L^(−1).The abundance of microplastics in the floodplain sediments varied between 115.5 and 495 items kg^(−1).The distribution of microplastics in the river has obvious characteristics:1)The abundance of microplastics downstream was significantly higher than that upstream.2)The abundance of microplastics decreased significantly in the estuary.3)The abundance of microplastics was higher in densely populated areas.4)Factors such as effluent discharge from sewage treatment plants and inflow of tributaries affect the abundance of microplastics in rivers.The main polymer types of microplastics were polypropylene(PP),polyethylene(PE),and polyvinyl chloride(PVC).Both the abundance and polymer types of microplastics show a positive correlation between the surface waters and floodplain sediment samples,indicating that the microplastics in surface waters and floodplain sediments come from the same source.The present study demonstrates that the abundance,distribution,and sources of microplastics might be affected by geology,hydrogeology,land use types,and anthropogenic activities.This study provides basic data for the study of microplastics in rivers and provides a reference for the establishment of microplastic control measures.

Restoration of Damaged Ecosystem Services on Wetlands in Northern Part of the Volga-Akhtuba Floodplain (Russia)

Due to the regulation of the river Volga flow, expanding of the territories intended for construction and development of agriculture wetlands Volga-Akhtuba floodplain are being significantly transformed and are losing many of their qualities. Non-regulated loads lead to the break of natural physical and chemical characteristics of water bodies, loss of biodiversity, degradation of structure and functions of biological communities and, as a result, to decreasing of potential ecosystem services. Restoration of the lost qualities of water ecosystems is a key factor in increasing sustainability of reclaimed landscapes and creating comfortable conditions for living of locals and their economic activity. On the territory of the biosphere reserve “Nature park” “Volga-Akhtuba floodplain” a number of model sites were defined in order for research projects and practical work on restoration of degraded landscapes to be executed. The widest range of the lost ecosystem qualities is being restored during work on Lake Zapornoye. Restoration of ecosystem functions is being implemented according to the main economic activities carried out in this area. Ecosystem services of the area are specified in accordance with its functional purpose. The existing landscape and ecology conditions have been studied and estimated to see if the planned ecosystem services can be provided. The project suggests the following activities: restoration of hydro-morphological characteristics, reconstruction of habitats for biodiversity and their ecosystem services, improvement to restore and preserve recreational qualities of landscape. The project includes the monitoring the effectiveness of restoration. Monitoring program is based on indices of environmental assessment.

Livelihood status of small-scale fishermen and determinants of their income: Insights from north-eastern floodplains of Bangladesh

The small-scale fishermen in the north-eastern floodplains are one of the most vulnerable communities of Bangladesh due to their limited income.This study assessed their livelihood status using a sustainable livelihood framework and employed a multiple regression model to evaluate factors influencing their earnings.Primary data were collected from fishermen’s households in Tanguar Haor and Hakaluki Haor through direct interviews.Results revealed that these households lacked human capital,had poor sanitation facilities and suffered from frequent diseases.Their income is very limited as they lack training on other socioeconomic activities to comple-ment their livelihood grounded on fishing.Hence,their financial capital was very deficient and ranked lowest among other livelihood capitals.Fishermen’s major physical assets were the boats used for group and individual fishing.These small-scale fishermen had limited involvement with local administration,and around half of them were members of various NGOs.Women of these households had low participation in fishing or other income activities.The income of the fishermen was influenced by their age,fish catch per day,training and NGO mem-bership.To increase the earnings and improve the livelihood status of small-scale fishers in the floodplain,this study suggests providing training on complementary income generating activities,improving sanitation facilities and providing additional government and non-government support.

Soil Clay Mineralogical Phase Analysis of Ganges Floodplain Soils by XRD and XRF

Soil minerals study is vital in terms of investigating the major soil forming compounds and to find out the fate of minor and trace elements in soils. It is also essential for the soil-plant interaction purpose. To identify soil mineral phases especially clay minerals, X-ray diffraction (XRD) has been a popular technique. The clay mineralogical information of soils in Bangladesh is limited, especially in Ganges flood plain region (Agro Ecological Zone (AEZ) 12 and 13). Therefore, to overcome this limitation, in this study, we performed XRD analysis of <2 mm fractions soil samples of AEX 12 and 13. However, identifying mineralogical phases by XRD in <2 mm fractions soils is not so straight-forward due to many practical problems. We fully matched only two mineralogical phases in all the soil samples which is quartz and potassium-Aluminum-Silicate. However, the full XRD peaks indicate that more minerals are also present, but due to heterogeneity of soils samples, it is difficult to find other minerals phases by only XRD peak of <2 mm fractions. Therefore, to find more information about mineralogical phases, we performed XRF analysis that provides the elemental composition of minerals phase as oxide. XRF analysis indicated the presence of secondary minerals like illite and chlorite. The presence of high percentage Fe oxide not only indicated the iron mineral phase (goethite and ferrihydrite) but also indicated iron rich high charge smectite minerals (beidellite). The presence of iron rich smectite minerals in the Ganges sediments reported in several previous studies. Thus, we concluded that only XRD in <2 mm fractions of soils is not adequate to identify the mineralogical phases of soil samples. Others analyses like XRF, XRD in <2 μm fractions will be necessary to locate an entire image of soil mineralogical phases.

Estimating Soil Hydraulic Parameters Characterizing Rainwater Infiltration and Runoff Properties of Dryland Floodplains

The two-layered (0 - 50 and 50 - 250 mm) surface horizon hydraulic parameters of three dryland floodplain soil-types under aquafer water management in Postmasburg, Northern Cape Province of South Africa were estimated with HYDRUS-1D model. Time dependent water infiltration measurements at 30 and 230 mm depths from simulated rainfalls on undisturbed 1 m2 small plots with intensities of 1.61 (high), 0.52 (medium) and 0.27 (low) mm·min-1, were minimised using a two-step inversion. Firstly, separate optimisation of the van Genuchten-Mualem model parameters for the two surface-horizon layers and secondly, simultaneous optimisation for the joint two-layered horizon with first step optimal parameters entered as initial values. The model reproduced transient water-infiltration data very well with the Nash-Sutcliffe model efficiency coefficient (NSE) of 0.99 and overestimated runoff (NSE;0.27 to 0.98). The upper surface horizon had highly optimised and variable parameters especially θs and Ks. Optimal Ks values from higher soil surface bulk-density (≥1.69 g·cm-3) were lower by at least one order of magnitude to double ring infiltrometers and water infiltration properties were different (P < 0.05) for the high rainstorm due to raindrop impact and surface crusting. Optimal α and n parameter values corresponded well with texture of the Addo (Greysols), Augrabies (Ferralsols) and Brandvlei (Cambisols) soil types. However, θs and Ksshowed greater sensitivity to model output and exerted greater influence on dryland floodplain water-infiltration and runoff characteristics. Increasing rainfall simulation period to attain near-surface saturated conditions and inclusion of surface ponding data in the inverse problem could considerable improve model prediction of hydro-physical parameters controlling surface-subsurface water distribution in fluvial environments.

Floodplain Mapping of Nashwaak River,Canada:An Assessment Based on High-Resolution Hydraulic Simulation

Recent advances in hydraulic modeling create improved methodology to accurately predict the extent of floodplain map in order to assist policy makers to develop flood hazard mitigation measures and timely inform the local communities with the flood risk alerts.However,accurate prediction of the inundation map also depends on the spatial resolution of the topographic data.In this study,we developed a novel high-resolution modeling framework for Nashwaak River watershed,New Brunswick,Canada to capture significant flooding along the banks of the river for the two historic flood events and accurately map the floodplains for both the gauged and ungauged areas of the watershed.The model is based on HEC-RAS(US Army Corps of Engineers Hydrologic Engineering Center River Analysis System)hydraulic model and the topographic data were generated from high-resolution LiDAR data of~0.5 m.The model runs were driven by observed flow conditions applied at the boundary and the framework is based on different spatial resolution to determine the effect of spatial resolution on the predicted inundation.We validated the model simulated water surface elevation with the observed data and the model reproduces reasonably good skill score.Results from the numerical simulation suggest that apart from the strength of the stream velocity,design of the modeling framework plays an important role in determining the inundation depth as well as the maximum flooding extent.

Satellite Images Applied to Assess the Influence of Amazon River Seasonal Dynamic on the Floodplain Lake Morphology

The objective of this study is to assess the influence of the Amazon River seasonal dynamic on floodplain lake morphology. The study area includes the Amazon River floodplain reach encompassed by the Madeira and Tapajós River confluences. Products from the Global Rain Forest Mapping (GRFM) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) were used to derive variables such as lake size, shape and number. The main steps in the research were: data base implementation, legend definition, image processing (merge, segmentation, classification and edition), morphological mapping and quantitative assessment. Four classes of lacustrine morphology were defined in this study: circular/elliptical, elongated, composite, and dendritic. The result showed that 1) the lake class increased 18.38% from the low- to high-water period;2) there was a reduction in the total number of lakes from low to high water;3) the most common lake type was the circular/elliptical;and 4) better results were obtained integrating SAR and optical sensors.

Platinum and Palladium Abundances in Floodplain Sediments and Their Geochemical Provinces

Results obtained from the wide spaced floodplain sediments indicate that the abundances of Pt and Pd in floodplain sediments are 0.46 ng/g and 0.40 ng/g, respectively. Three geochemical provinces, Yunnan Guizhou, Xinjiang Gansu and Tibet of Pt and Pd with a content of 0.8 ng/g, were delineated.

Analytical Models for Velocity Distributions in Compound Channels with Emerged and Submerged Vegetated Floodplains

The lateral distributions of depth-averaged velocity in open compound channels with emerged and submerged vegetated floodplains were analyzed based on the analytical solution of the depth-integrated Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equation with a term to account for the effects of vegetation.The three cases considered for open channels were two-stage rectangular channel with emerged vegetated floodplain,rectangular channel with submerged vegetated corner,and two-stage rectangular channel with submerged vegetated floodplain,respectively.To predict the depth-averaged velocity with submerged vegetated floodplains,we proposed a new method based on a two-layer approach where flow above and through the vegetation layer was described separately.Moreover,further experiments in the two-stage rectangular channel with submerged vegetated floodplain were carried out to verify the results.The analytical solutions of the cases indicated that the corresponding analytical depth-averaged velocity distributions agree well with the simulated and experimental prediction.The analytical solutions of the cases with theoretical foundation and without programming calculation were reasonable and applicable,which were more convenient than numerical simulations.The analytical solutions provided a way for future researches to solve the problems of submerged vegetation and discontinuous phenomenon of depth-averaged velocity at the stage point for compound channels.Understanding the hydraulics of flow in compound channels with vegetated floodplains is very important for supporting the management of fluvial processes.

Advance in Research of Ecology and Landscape Reconstruction of the River Floodplain In China

The research of ecology and landscape reestablishment of river floodplain is considered favorable to its conservation and development.The similarity and difference among river floodplain,wetland,riverside and shore have been reviewed,as well as the progress in the research of floodplain ecology reestablishment in quantitative evaluation,vegetation restoration,the influence on animal habitat and the application of eco-engineering;and of the landscape reestablishment in resource development and utilization,landscape feature and changes,landscape function,structure and control.The potentially important fields are expected to be the change of landscape pattern in different scales,the reasonable protection and utilization in the floodplain tourism,the simulating and monitoring of landscape dynamics,the planning and designing methods of floodplain landscape and the management of floodplain ecosystems.