The Zoige wetland is the biggest alpine wetland in the world,and an important water resource of the Yellow River.Due to natural and human factors,the Zoige wetland has been seriously degraded.Existing studies on the Z...The Zoige wetland is the biggest alpine wetland in the world,and an important water resource of the Yellow River.Due to natural and human factors,the Zoige wetland has been seriously degraded.Existing studies on the Zoige wetland mainly focus on the macro features of the wetland,while the influence of the surrounding faults on the Zoige wetland degradation is rarely studied.This study uses terrain data to analyze the cover change and the water loss caused by the Wqie-Seji fault based on the distributed hydrological model.The simulated water loss demonstrates that the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index(NDVI) is the most important factor for inducing water loss.The fault is also a factor that cannot be neglected,which has caused 33% of the wetland water loss.Therefore,it is of importance to study the influence of the fault on the wetland degradation.展开更多
The Upper Blue Nile Basin, the highest sources of the Nile River flow through this area, is still under severe land degradation, which aggravates water scarcity. The productivity of subsistence farming is below 50% of...The Upper Blue Nile Basin, the highest sources of the Nile River flow through this area, is still under severe land degradation, which aggravates water scarcity. The productivity of subsistence farming is below 50% of the potential of agriculture, mainly because of inappropriate rainwater management. At farm level, rainwater is exposed to poor partitioning described as flooding, land degradation, siltation and water scarcity for domestic, irrigation, hydropower and environmental uses in the basin. Hence, it is one of the root causes of food-insecurity in the region. To reverse this situation and achieve increased rainwater productivity knowledge of rainfall partitioning at grassroots level is significantly important. However, rainwater partitioning and partitioning points are not clearly known by farmers in the area. Besides, understanding water-routes helps to manage rainwater with integrated water resources management （IWRM） processes. The objective of this study was to identify the knowledge gap of farmers and experts on rainwater partitioning that help for increased water productivity. Intensive monitoring and interviews have been carried out for 81 farmers and 22 local experts in three pilot sites. The interviewed farmers and experts are clearly aware of the runoff partitioning, since it is easily observable. While, only 10% of the farmers and 25% of experts know about evaporation partitioning, which is the largest compared to other losses. The paper gives recommendations for better understanding of rainfall partitioning points and management of water-routes at grassroots level to increase rainwater productivity and enhance food security in the area with IWRM processes.展开更多
Kuwait, one of the gulf council member countries, situated in the Northeastern part of the Arabian Peninsula, experiences hyper-arid desert environmental condition due to the geographical location. Kuwait faces many c...Kuwait, one of the gulf council member countries, situated in the Northeastern part of the Arabian Peninsula, experiences hyper-arid desert environmental condition due to the geographical location. Kuwait faces many challenges in the sustainable development of the agricultural sector due to the scarcity of arable land, water resources and high rate of land degradation. So it is essential to emphasis the efficient use of the available water and soil resources in a sustainable manner and also to rehabilitate the degraded land using proper rehabilitation techniques. This study concentrates on the water harvesting and organic mulching （e.g., using date palms） methods. The study area is an artificial playa （2,500 m2）, formed through the dumping of the gravel quarries in December 2003. The application of the water harvesting and mulching technique in the study showed an improvement of soil physical properties. The average infiltration capacity has increased from 74 cm3/min to 112 cm3/min. The average difference in volume of infiltrated water was 33.5%. The bulk density and porosity of the control plot was 2 g/cm3 and 27%, respectively; while that of the treated soil was 1.5 g/cm3 and 44%, respectively. The moisture content of the treated soil was increased to 50%, more than control soil at depth 40-60 cm, and also there was a significant increase in organic matter. The temperature of the treated soil was 2 ℃ lower than the control soil at a depth of 60 cm. This study conserved the irrigation water through reducing the proportion of soil evaporation and thus creating an optimum condition for the plant growth.展开更多
基金supported by the National Key Project of Scientific and Technical Supporting Programs of the Ministry of Science&Technology of China(Grant No.2007BAC18B01)the Project of Ministry of Environmental Protection of China(Grant No.200809086),the Project of Ministry of Environmental Protection of China(Grant No.200909060)the Project of Scientific Research and Technological Development of Guangxi(Grant NO.GKG1140002-2-4)
文摘The Zoige wetland is the biggest alpine wetland in the world,and an important water resource of the Yellow River.Due to natural and human factors,the Zoige wetland has been seriously degraded.Existing studies on the Zoige wetland mainly focus on the macro features of the wetland,while the influence of the surrounding faults on the Zoige wetland degradation is rarely studied.This study uses terrain data to analyze the cover change and the water loss caused by the Wqie-Seji fault based on the distributed hydrological model.The simulated water loss demonstrates that the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index(NDVI) is the most important factor for inducing water loss.The fault is also a factor that cannot be neglected,which has caused 33% of the wetland water loss.Therefore,it is of importance to study the influence of the fault on the wetland degradation.
文摘The Upper Blue Nile Basin, the highest sources of the Nile River flow through this area, is still under severe land degradation, which aggravates water scarcity. The productivity of subsistence farming is below 50% of the potential of agriculture, mainly because of inappropriate rainwater management. At farm level, rainwater is exposed to poor partitioning described as flooding, land degradation, siltation and water scarcity for domestic, irrigation, hydropower and environmental uses in the basin. Hence, it is one of the root causes of food-insecurity in the region. To reverse this situation and achieve increased rainwater productivity knowledge of rainfall partitioning at grassroots level is significantly important. However, rainwater partitioning and partitioning points are not clearly known by farmers in the area. Besides, understanding water-routes helps to manage rainwater with integrated water resources management （IWRM） processes. The objective of this study was to identify the knowledge gap of farmers and experts on rainwater partitioning that help for increased water productivity. Intensive monitoring and interviews have been carried out for 81 farmers and 22 local experts in three pilot sites. The interviewed farmers and experts are clearly aware of the runoff partitioning, since it is easily observable. While, only 10% of the farmers and 25% of experts know about evaporation partitioning, which is the largest compared to other losses. The paper gives recommendations for better understanding of rainfall partitioning points and management of water-routes at grassroots level to increase rainwater productivity and enhance food security in the area with IWRM processes.
文摘Kuwait, one of the gulf council member countries, situated in the Northeastern part of the Arabian Peninsula, experiences hyper-arid desert environmental condition due to the geographical location. Kuwait faces many challenges in the sustainable development of the agricultural sector due to the scarcity of arable land, water resources and high rate of land degradation. So it is essential to emphasis the efficient use of the available water and soil resources in a sustainable manner and also to rehabilitate the degraded land using proper rehabilitation techniques. This study concentrates on the water harvesting and organic mulching （e.g., using date palms） methods. The study area is an artificial playa （2,500 m2）, formed through the dumping of the gravel quarries in December 2003. The application of the water harvesting and mulching technique in the study showed an improvement of soil physical properties. The average infiltration capacity has increased from 74 cm3/min to 112 cm3/min. The average difference in volume of infiltrated water was 33.5%. The bulk density and porosity of the control plot was 2 g/cm3 and 27%, respectively; while that of the treated soil was 1.5 g/cm3 and 44%, respectively. The moisture content of the treated soil was increased to 50%, more than control soil at depth 40-60 cm, and also there was a significant increase in organic matter. The temperature of the treated soil was 2 ℃ lower than the control soil at a depth of 60 cm. This study conserved the irrigation water through reducing the proportion of soil evaporation and thus creating an optimum condition for the plant growth.
