Geochemical discrimination of the geotectonic environment of basaltic-andesitic volcanic rocks associated with the Laochang polymetallic ore deposit at Lancang, Yunnan

The Laochang polymetallic ore deposit at Lancang is one of the well known ancient ore deposits associated with volcanic rocks in the Sanjiang (Tri-river) region of Southwest China. Volcanic rocks are dominated by alkali basalt and trachyte basalt. There has long been a controversy on the environment of formation of basalts. Some scholars hold that the basalts were formed in a continental environment, some thought they were formed in an oceanic environment and others considered that the basalts were emplaced in a back-arc basin. This study focuses on the geochemical characteristics of the basalts on the basis of their major elements, REEs and trace elements. At the same time, strongly incompatible elements such as Ta, Th and Hf and their ratios were used to differentiate the geotectonic settings of basalts. The results showed that the basalts in the region studied were formed in a continental rift environment.

Geochemical Characteristics of Volcanic Rocks of the Laochang Ag Polymetallic Deposit, Lancang, Yunnan Province, China

In terms of major element, trace element and REE geochemical characteristics of volcanic rocks in the area studied and by making use of the TiO\-2\|K\-2O\|P\-2O\-5, Th\|Hf\|Ta and Zr\|Nb\|Y trianglar diagrams and the environmental discrimination diagrams of incompatible element distribution patterns, the authors have drawn some conclusions that are different from those by previous workers. It is concluded that volcanic rocks in the Laochang Ag polymetallic deposit at Lancang, Yunnan belong to continental within\|plate alkali basalts, and that their geotectonic setting seems to be at the northeastern margin of East Gondwana Land.

Distribution and Influencing Factors of Residential Areas in Yunnan Section of the Lancang River Basin

Based on high-resolution Google Earth images,settlements in Yunnan section of the Lancang River basin were extracted.We use the kernal density and the optimized hot spot analysis methods to display spatial pattern of the settlements.Random forest model is used to explore the natural environmental impact factors of residential areas distribution.The results show that settlements in Yunnan section of the Lancang River basin are mainly distributed in the middle reaches and the upper reaches along the river.The random forest model contains 11 environmental factors,and the top three factors in importance are the nearest distance to forest,altitude and the nearest distance to glacier/snow.The partial dependence plots show the response trend of settlements to environmental factors.This research results could provide guidance for rational use of land resources,making regional development and construction plans,and coordinating the relationship between humans and the environment.

Evaluating Suitability of Multiple Precipitation Products for the Lancang River Basin

Global reanalysis precipitation products could provide valuable meteorological information for flow forecasting in poorly gauged areas, helping to overcome a long-standing challenge in the field. But not all data sources are suitable for all regions or perform the same way in hydrological modeling, so it is essential to test the suitability of precipitation products before applying them. In this study, five widely used global high-resolution precipitation products—Asian Precipitation Highly Resolved Observational Data Integration Towards Evaluation of Water Resources(APHRODITE), National Centers for Environmental Prediction Climate Forecast System Reanalysis(NCEP-CFSR), Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station Data(CHIRPS), China Gauge-based Daily Precipitation Analysis developed by China Meteorological Administration(CMA) and Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project based on the NASA Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications(AgMERRA)—were evaluated using statistical methods and a hydrological approach for their suitability for the Lancang River Basin. The results indicated that APHRODITE, CMA, AgMERRA and CHIRPS were more accurate precipitation indicators than NCEP-CFSR in terms of the multiyear average and seasonal spatial distribution pattern, all of the CHIRPS, Ag MERRA and APHRODITE perform better than CMA and NCEP-CFSR at the small, medium and high precipitation intensities ranges in subbasin11 and sunbabsin46. All five products performed better in subbasin46(a low-altitude region) than in subbasin11(a high-altitude region) on the daily and monthly scales. In addition to NCEP-CFSR, the other four products all presented encouraging potential for streamflow simulation at daily(Yunjinghong) and monthly(Yunjinghong, Jiuzhou and Gajiu) scale. Hydrological simulations forced with APHRODITE were the best of the five for the Yunjinghong station in capturing daily and monthly measured streamflow. Except for NCEP-CFSR, all products were very good for hydrological simulations for the Gajiu and Jiuzhou stations.

Spatial Downscaling of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Precipitation Using Geographically Weighted Regression Kriging over the Lancang River Basin, China

Satellite-based precipitation products have been widely used to estimate precipitation, especially over regions with sparse rain gauge networks. However, the low spatial resolution of these products has limited their application in localized regions and watersheds.This study investigated a spatial downscaling approach, Geographically Weighted Regression Kriging(GWRK), to downscale the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission(TRMM) 3 B43 Version 7 over the Lancang River Basin(LRB) for 2001–2015. Downscaling was performed based on the relationships between the TRMM precipitation and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index(NDVI), the Land Surface Temperature(LST), and the Digital Elevation Model(DEM). Geographical ratio analysis(GRA) was used to calibrate the annual downscaled precipitation data, and the monthly fractions derived from the original TRMM data were used to disaggregate annual downscaled and calibrated precipitation to monthly precipitation at 1 km resolution. The final downscaled precipitation datasets were validated against station-based observed precipitation in 2001–2015. Results showed that: 1) The TRMM 3 B43 precipitation was highly accurate with slight overestimation at the basin scale(i.e., CC(correlation coefficient) = 0.91, Bias = 13.3%). Spatially, the accuracies of the upstream and downstream regions were higher than that of the midstream region. 2) The annual downscaled TRMM precipitation data at 1 km spatial resolution obtained by GWRK effectively captured the high spatial variability of precipitation over the LRB. 3) The annual downscaled TRMM precipitation with GRA calibration gave better accuracy compared with the original TRMM dataset. 4) The final downscaled and calibrated precipitation had significantly improved spatial resolution, and agreed well with data from the validated rain gauge stations, i.e., CC = 0.75, RMSE(root mean square error) = 182 mm, MAE(mean absolute error) = 142 mm, and Bias = 0.78%for annual precipitation and CC = 0.95, RMSE = 25 mm, MAE = 16 mm, and Bias = 0.67% for monthly precipitation.

Soil Erosion and Its Relationship to the Spatial Distribution of Land Use Patterns in the Lancang River Watershed, Yunnan Province, China

The Lancang River Watershed is one of the most biologically diverse areas in the world. The river flows through Yunnan Province, China, which suffered serious deforestation since the 1980s;this in turn led to increased soil erosion in the region. To investigate the influence of the spatial distribution of land use and slope on soil erosion in the Lancang River Watershed, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was used to establish hydrological models using two-phase land use maps (1975 and 1985), a soil map, and meteorological data from 11 gauging stations. The satisfactory values of Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency Ens and correlation coefficient R2 during the calibration and validation period indicated that SWAT can be used in this area to simulate the average annual soil erosion under different land use scenarios change. By comparing soil erosion rate under different land use scenarios change, forests and grasslands had similar effects on preventing soil erosion. A parameter, soil erosion increment (Ei), was used to assess the effects of slope on soil erosion. The results revealed that variation in sediment yield was more sensitive to land use change for slopes exceeded 25° than for slopes being 0° - 15°. The spatial distribution of land use also had a relationship to soil erosion. Compared with the soil erosion rate in each sub-watershed using two-phase land use maps, the soil erosion rate increased when the percent cover of natural vegetation decreased. The results of this study provide baseline data for soil conservation and protection of the environment and ecology of the Lancang River Watershed in Yunnan Province.

Spatial Distribution of Carbon, Nitrogen and Phosphorus within Surface Sediments in the Lower Lancang River: Pollution Assessment Related to Dams

Surface sediment is one of the main sources of nutrients in overlying water environments, and these can also indirectly reflect the degree of eutrophication. In this paper, the spatial distribution characteristics of total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) in the surface sediments of 11 sections in the lower Lancang River during flood season are analyzed, as well as the distribution of phosphorus in different forms. The main sources of TOC and its correlation with TN and TP are discussed and, finally, the pollution levels of the surface sediments are evaluated. The results show that the average content of TOC in the surface sediments of the lower Lancang River is 9003.75 mg/kg. The average TN content is 893.79 mg/kg, while the average TP content is 521.35 mg/kg. The TOC in the surface sediments of the lower Lancang River is derived mainly from algae and plankton in the river, and the TN and TP have similar sources. The total phosphorus in the surface sediments of the lower Lancang River is composed mainly of calcium-bound phosphorus (Ca-P). The evaluations of the organic pollution index and comprehensive pollution index show that the surface sediment pollution degree at the upper sections of the Nuozhadu and Jinghong Dams are more serious than those below the dams. Furthermore, the tributary sections are all slightly polluted, with the exception of the Mengyang River, which is considered moderately polluted.

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.

Soil and water loss in the Lancang River-Mekong River watershed (in Yunnan section, China) and its control measures

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Controls on geomorphic characteristics of the Xiaohei River basin in the upper Lancang-Mekong, China

Understanding the evolution of the fluvial geomorphology in an orogenic belt provides valuable insight into the relationship between upper crustal deformation and surface processes.The upper Lancang-Mekong River is in an area experiencing both uplift and erosion.The related processes provide a steady sediment supply to the lower reaches of the river and play an important role in the regional environmental changes.The Xiaohei(Weiyuan)River Basin is an important sub-basin in this area,which is characterized by large-scale topographic fluctuations,active tectonics and erosion,and anthropogenic activities.These different factors introduce numerous complexities to the local surface processes.In this study,we investigate and quantify the controls of geomorphic evolution of the Xiaohei River Basin.We located and mapped the main knick-zones within the channels and examined the main genetic factors,such as faults and stratigraphic differences.The results show that the areas with the lowest uplift rates are characterized by a low steepness index and are located in the southeastern part of the basin.The stream power of the mainstream increases downstream,with an average value of^122 W/m.The erosional activity of the various stream channels is intense.Overall,the basin tends to expansion,with only local instances of inward contraction.Our analysis confirms that a number of the geomorphic evolutionary characteristics of the Xiaohei River Basin are transient.In addition,the future potential for the increasing the number of dams and the hydropower development in the basin may weaken the expansion trend of the basin over a long period of time.

Water Cooperation Priorities in the Lancang-Mekong River Basin Based on Cooperative Events Since the Mekong River Commission Establishment

The Lancang-Mekong River has attracted much attention from researchers, but the cooperation on water issues in this river basin has been limited, even after the establishment of the Mekong River Commission(MRC). Cooperation on water resources has been determined as one of the key priority areas in the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Mechanism, but there are no details of targets. In order to establish the priorities of water cooperation under the mechanism, we adopted nine categories to classify the objectives of 87 water cooperation events based on the ‘Lancang-Mekong Water Cooperative Events Database' from 1995 to 2015. Based on the occurrence of cooperative events, cooperative objectives, cooperative scales, and approaches to cooperation, we conducted statistical, correlation, and text analyses. Our analyses indicated the following results: under the impact of economic conditions inside and outside the river basin, full cooperation appeared more difficult than bilateral and multilateral cooperation. Each of the partners adopted different preferences for cooperation targets. Cooperation with more definite objectives was easier to establish than cooperation with broader and more complex objectives. The potential objectives for water cooperation were navigation, hydropower, joint management, data sharing, flood control and water use. Because hydropower development is controversial, and because water cooperation is avoided by most existing regional cooperation mechanisms due to its complexity, we suggest the following priority areas for water cooperation in the Lancang-Mekong River Basin. 1) Navigation and flood control/drought relief are attractive objectives for all the riparian countries across the whole watershed. 2) Data sharing should be a priority for cooperation in the watershed due to its laying the foundation for the equitable and reasonable utilization of transboundary waters. 3) Hydropower is an objective best implemented mainly through bilateral cooperation, and on tributaries.

FACILITATING REGIONAL SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT THROUGH INTEGRATED MULTI-OBJECTIVE UTILIZATION, MANAGEMENT OF WATER RESOURCES IN THE LANCANG-MEKONG RIVER BASIN

The Lancnag Mekong River is the most important international river across China and Southeast Asia, If it is developed according to 'Great Mekong Subregional Cooperation Plan' [9] prepared by ADB, the area directly affected will be up to over 2.32 million km 2, the population over 220 million, and the natural environment, and socio-economic conditions within a large area will be greatly changed. 'Agreement on Cooperation for Sustainable Development of Mekong Basin' signed by the four riparian countries along the lower Mekong River on April 5, 1995 provides a new opportunity for sustainable development of the Basin. According to preliminary analysis, if the multipurpose utilization of the water resources is the target for carrying out integrated planning and management, and the efforts are made 1) to focus on energy exploitation on the Lancang River Mainstream and the tributaries of the lower Mekong River; 2) to build gated weirs at Tonle Sam; 3) to construct spillways at the Mekong Delta; 4) to facilitate flood dykes in big cities and on both banks of the mainstream which are concentrated with population and farmland and liable to be flooded, and 5) to strengthen networks for forecasting hydrological and meteorological conditions, then all problems such as power demand, irrigation, flood, salt water intrusion as well as acid water erosion to soil could be solved without constructing large cascaded stations and dams on the lower Mekong Mainstream. This will not only avoid input of great number of fund, large scale resettlement and land inundation, but also prevent aquatic organisms living in Mekong River from being injured due to dam construction, and promote the sustainable development of the Basin.

CHARACTERISTICS OF TECTONIC MIXTITE ZONE IN THE LANCANG RIVER,WESTERN YUNNAN

Specialists think tectonic mixtite zone in Lancang River, which lies in southern and eastern fringe of Qingzang plateau, is the suture line (or contact strip) between Gondwana Land and Yangtz block (Fan Chengjun, 1982; Liu Zhengqian, etc, 1991; Fang Runsen,1993).By regional geological study (Legend:1∶50000) in Tu’e, western Yunnan, the author think major fracture zone about 6\|8km from western Lancang River is fragile\|ductile shear zone between batholithic granite of Biluo snow mountain and Jurassic\|Cretaceous slight curdle strata. The zone is a very complicated tectonic mixtite zone (width:0.7\|6km; strike: SN\|direction). Study based on geometric structure, constitution, metamorphism, deformation and kinematic characteristics, the author sum up the following features about the complex deformation zone.(1) Tectonic mixtite zone is a very complicate blocks made up of curdle blocks and residual blocks of granite. Its’ geometric structure is a net\|shape structure composed of matrixes and chaotic blocks in plane and have two kinds of structure types (obduction schists in early diagenesis and heteroploytypes in late diagenesis) in section.

Hydrological Simulation Using TRMM and CHIRPS Precipitation Estimates in the Lower Lancang-Mekong River Basin

Satellite-based products with high spatial and temporal resolution provide useful precipitation information for data-sparse or ungauged large-scale watersheds. In the Lower Lancang-Mekong River Basin, rainfall stations are sparse and unevenly distributed, and the transboundary characteristic makes the collection of precipitation data more difficult, which has restricted hydrological processes simulation. In this study, daily precipitation data from four datasets(gauge observations, inverse distance weighted(IDW) data, Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission(TRMM) estimates, and Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Stations(CHIRPS) estimates), were applied to drive the Soil and Water Assessment Tool(SWAT) model, and then their capability for hydrological simulation in the Lower Lancang-Mekong River Basin were examined. TRMM and CHIRPS data showed good performances on precipitation estimation in the Lower Lancang-Mekong River Basin, with the better performance for TRMM product. The Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency(NSE) values of gauge, IDW, TRMM, and CHIRPS simulations during the calibration period were 0.87, 0.86, 0.95, and 0.93 for monthly flow, respectively, and those for daily flow were 0.75, 0.77, 0.86, and 0.84, respectively. TRMM and CHIRPS data were superior to rain gauge and IDW data for driving the hydrological model, and TRMM data produced the best simulation performance. Satellite-based precipitation estimates could be suitable data sources when simulating hydrological processes for large data-poor or ungauged watersheds, especially in international river basins for which precipitation observations are difficult to collect. CHIRPS data provide long precipitation time series from 1981 to near present and thus could be used as an alternative precipitation input for hydrological simulation, especially for the period without TRMM data. For satellite-based precipitation products, the differences in the occurrence frequencies and amounts of precipitation with different intensities would affect simulation results of water balance components, which should be comprehensively considered in water resources estimation and planning.

Dissolved Inorganic Carbon (DIC) Contents in Middle and Lower Reaches of Lancang River: Related to Water Environments and Dams

Carbon cycle is one of the focuses of climate change, river carbon is an important part, while dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) has a high proportion of river carbon flux. In this study, we did the research on the Lancang River, an important international river in the southwest of China. Water samples were obtained from 16 sections of the middle and lower reaches of the Lancang River in 2016 (11 months), then we monitored some water quality indicators and DIC content, finally analyzed the temporal-spatial distribution characteristics of DIC and the relationship between DIC content and water environment factors. The results showed that: (1) DIC contents in the middle and lower reaches of the Lancang River varied from 1.1840 mmol/L to 3.1440 mmol/L, with a mean value of about 2.2155 mmol/L. (2) At a time scale, DIC contents of dry season (spring, autumn and winter) were higher than rainy season (summer). At a space scale, DIC contents of the middle and lower reaches of the Lancang River gradually decreased from north to south, and each reservoir had the same characteristics, that is, DIC contents at upstream of the dam was lower than those at downstream of the dam. Compared to other rivers with cascade dams around the world, DIC contents within studied river were at similar level. And the reservoir’s effect of the Lancang River were not obvious, however, DIC contents in the water sampled upstream the dams had a slight stratification. (3) Water temperature, conductivity, turbidity were important factors affecting DIC content of water, and the effect of oxidation and reduction potential (ORP) and pH on DIC was relatively small.

Improved Geological Interpretation Using Landsat TM Data in Lancang-Jinghong Area, Yunnan Province, China

Landsat TM digital spectral data of Lancang Jinghong area (Yunnan P ro vince) has been used for the purpose of geological interpretation. To meet this object, different image processing techniques including selected band color comp osites, principal component analysis and IHS decorrelation stretching are used t o improve the discrimination of different lithological and structural features i n the area.It was found that IHS decorrelation stretching images obtained from t he transformation of false color composite 741 (in red, green and blue) prov ided the best results based on the original data.By combining the characteristic s of images produced by different approaches and other canonically transformed i mages with available geological data and surface observations, the geological in terpretation could be done with satisfactory degree of accuracy.

Mapping of geomorphic dynamic parameters for analysis of landslide hazards:A case of Yangbi river basin on the upper Lancang-Mekong of China

Landslides are common hazards in orogenic belt areas.However,it is difficult to quantitatively express the driving effects of tectonic uplift and stream erosion on the occurrence of landslides on large spatial scales by conducting field investigations.In this study,we analyzed a relatively large region that extends over the Yangbi River basin on the upper Lancang-Mekong in China.A series of quantitative indices,including kernel density of the landslide(KDL),hypsometric integral(HI),steepness index(ksn),stream power(?),and stream power gradient(ω)were used to explore the promoting effects of tectonic uplift and stream action intensity on landslides by mapping geomorphic dynamic parameters combined with actual landslide data.The analysis showed that the HI value in the highest landslide risk area was approximately 0.47,and that the KDL in the region can be expressed as a function of steepness or stream power gradient of the channel network,namely,KDL=0.0127 Ln ksn-0.0167(R2=0.72,P<0.001)and KDL=0.0219 Lnω-0.0558(R2=0.21,P<0.02).Therefore,the lower reach of the Yangbi River basin,with higher steepness and stream power gradient,usually has a high uplifting rate and stream incision that drives landslides and causes the entire river network system to be in a stage of longterm active erosion.Furthermore,the results suggest that sediments were being rapidly discharged from the steep tributary channels to the mainstream.This practical situation highlights that the downstream area of the river basin is a high-risk area for landslide hazards,especially in association with heavy rainfall and earthquakes.

MAPPING WATER RESOURCES COOPERATION:Formulation and implementation of the Five-year Plan of Action on Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation

On December 17,2019,the First Ministerial Meeting of Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation issued a joint statement,in which the ministers from the six Lancang-Mekong Cooperation(LMC)countries declared:“Looking back at the Five-year Plan of Action on Lancang-Mekong Cooperation(2018-2022),we reiterate that we will carry out cooperation through toplevel design among LMC countries in sustainable water resources utilization and strengthen policy dialogue on water resources.”The statement deemed the Five-Year Plan of Action on Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation a major achievement in promoting the progress in Lancang-Mekong cooperation.