Research on Methods of Ecological Security Assessment of the Middle and Lower Reaches of Liaohe River Based on GIS

Ecological security assessment and early warning research possess the attributes of spatiality, non-linearity and randomicity, so we must process much spatial information. Spatial analysis and data management are the advantages of GIS, which can define distribution trend and spatial relations of environmental factors, and show ecological security pattern graphically. Spatial differences of ecological security assessment based on GIS are discussed in this paper, of which the middle and lower reaches of the Liaohe River is taken as a study case. First, to work out pressure-state-response (P-S-R) assessment indicators system, and investigate in person and gather information; second, to digitize the watershed; third, to quantize and calculate by the fuzzy method; last, to construct GIS grid database, and expound spatial differences of ecological security by GIS interpolation and assembly analysis.

Water Quality Evaluation in Tidal River Reaches of Liaohe River Estuary, China Using a Revised QUAL2K Model

Rivers in the Liaohe River Estuary area have been seriously polluted by discharges of wastewater containing petroleum pol- lutants and nutrients. In this paper, The Enhanced Stream Water Quality Model （QUAL2K） and its revised model as well as One-dimensional Tide Mean Model （1D model） were applied to predict and assess the water quality of the tidal fiver reach of the Liaohe River Estuary. Dissolved oxygen （DO）, biochemical oxygen demand （BODs）, ammonia nitrogen （NH3-N） and total phosphorus （TP） were chosen as water quality indices in the two model simulations. The modelled results show that the major reasons for degraded rivers remain petroleum and non-point source pollution. Tidal water also has a critical effect on the variation of water quality. The sensitivity analysis identifies that flow rate, point load and diffuse load are the most sensitive parameters for the four water quality indices in the revised QUAL2K simulation. Uncertainty analysis based on a Monte Carlo simulation gives the probability distribution of the four wa- ter quality indices at two locations （6.50 km and 44.84 km from the river mouth）. The statistical outcomes indicate that the observed data fall within the 90% confidence intervals at all sites measured, and show that the revised QUAL2K gives better results in simulating the water quality of a tidal fiver.

Effects of Vegetation Type on Surface Elevation Change in Liaohe River Delta Wetlands Facing Accelerated Sea Level Rise

Rising sea levels threaten the sustainability of coastal wetlands around the globe. The ability of coastal marshes to maintain their position in the intertidal zone depends on the accumulation of both organic and inorganic materials, and vegetation is important in these processes. To study the effects of vegetation type on surface elevation change, we measured surface accretion and elevation change from 2011 to 2016 using rod surface elevation table and feldspar marker horizon method （RSET-MH） in two Phragmites and two Suaeda marshes in the Liaohe River Delta. The Phragmites marshes exhibited higher rates of surface accretion and elevation change than the Suaeda marshes. The two Phragmites marsh sites had average surface elevation change rates at 8.78 mm/yr and 9.26 mm/yr and surface accretion rates at 17.56 mm/yr and 17.88 mm/yr, respectively. At the same time, the two Suaeda marsh sites had average surface elevation change rates at 5.77 mmJyr and 5.91 mm/yr and surface accretion rates at 13.42 mm/yr and 14.38 mm/yr, respectively. The elevation change rates in both the Phragmites marshes and the Suaeda marshes in the Liaohe River Delta could keep pace and even continue to gain elevation relative to averaged sea level rise in the Bohai Sea reported by the 2016 State Oceanic Administration, Peo- ple＇s Republic of China projection （2.4-5.5 mm/yr） in current situations. Our data suggest that vegetation is important in the accretionary processes and vegetation type could regulate the wetland surface elevation. However, the vulnerability of coastal wetlands in the Liaohe River Delta need further assessment considering the accelerated sea level rise, the high rate of subsidence, and the declining sediment delivery, especially for the Suaeda marshes.

Ecological water demand:the case of the slope systems in the East Liaohe River Basin

The ecological water demand (EWD) is the least water amount required to maintain the structure and the function of the special eco-system and the temporal scale of a study on the EWD must be a season's time. Based on GIS and RS with the source information of hydrological data of 46 hydrological gauges covering 52 years and the digital images of Landsat TM in 1986, 1996 and 2000, the landscape patterns, precipitation and runoff in the East Liaohe River Basin were analyzed. With the result of the above analysis, the spatial and temporal changes of the ecological water demand in the slope systems (EWDSS) of the East Liaohe River Basin (ELRB) were derived. Landscapes in the ELRB are dispersed and strongly disturbed by human actions. The hydrological regime in ELRB has distinct spatial variations. The average annual EWDSS in the ELRB is 504.72 mm (324.08-618.89 mm), and the average EWDSS in the growth season (from May to September) is 88.29% of the year's total EWDSS .The ultimate guaranteeing ratio of the EWDSS in ELRB is 90%. The scarce EWDSS area in the whole year and in the growth season are 60.47% and 74.01% of the entire basin respectively. The trend of scarce EWDSS area is most serious according to the quantity and area of scarce EWDSS regions.

Water quantity-quality combined evaluation method for rivers＇ water requirements of the instream environment in dualistic water cycle： A case study of Liaohe River Basin

In this article the meaning of the quantity and quality of environmental flows of river in dualistic water cycle is discussed, and compared with the meaning of unitary water cycle. Based on the analysis of the relationship between environmental flows of river requirements, the efficiency of water resource usage, the consumption coefficient, and the concentration of waste water elimination, the water quantity and water quality calculation method of the environmental flows of river requirements in dualistic water cycle is developed, and the criteria for environmental flows of river requirements are established, and therefore the water quantity-quality combined evaluation of natural river flows requirements are realized Taking the Liaohe River as a model, the environmental flows of river requirements for Xiliao River, Dongliao River, mainstream Liaohe River, Huntai River and northeast rivers along the coasts of the Yellow and Bohai seas in unitary water cycle are calculated, each taking up 39.3%, 63.0%, 43.9%, 43.3% and 43.5% of runoff respectively. Evaluated according to Tennant recommended flow, the results show that： except Xiliao River is ＂median＂, the rest are all upon ＂good＂, the Dongliao River is even ＂very good＂. The corresponding results in dualistic water cycle are that, the proportion of natural flows for each river is 57.5%, 74.1%, 60.8%, 60.3% and 60.4%; while the combined evaluation results show that： considering ＂quantity＂, except Xiliao River, the rest rivers can all achieve the ＂quantity＂ criteria of the en- vironmental flows of river requirements, but if considering the aspect of ＂quality＂, only Dongliao River can reach the ＂quality＂ standard. By water quantity-quality combined evaluation method, only Dongliao River can achieve the criteria. So the water quality is the main factor that determines whether the environmental flows can meet the river ecosystem demands.

Spatial Distribution and Seasonal Variations of Heavy Metal Contamination in Surface Waters of Liaohe River, Northeast China

Heavy metal pollutants are a worldwide concern due to slow decomposition, biocondensation, and negative effects on human health. We investigated seasonal and spatial variations of the five heavy metals and evaluated their health risk in the Liaohe River, Northeast China. A total of 324 surface water samples collected from 2009 to 2010 were analyzed. Levels(high to low) of heavy metals in the Liaohe River were: zinc(Zn) > chromium(Cr) > copper(Cu) > cadmium(Cd) > mercury(Hg). Spatial and seasonal changes impacting concentrations of Cu and Zn were significant, but not significant for Cr, Cd and Hg. The highest concentrations of heavy metals were: Hg at Liuheqiao, Cu at Fudedian, Zn at Tongjiangkou, Cr at Mahushan, and Cd at Shenglitang. The highest concentrations of Hg and Cr were found in the wet period, Cu and Cd in the level period, and Zn in the dry period. The surface water of a tributary was an important accumulation site for heavy metals. Health risks from carcinogens and non-carcinogens increased from upstream to downstream in the mainstream of the Liaohe River. The total health risk for one person in the Liaohe River exceeded acceptable levels. The total health risk was the greatest during the wet period and least in the dry period. Among the five heavy metals in the Liaohe River, Cr posed the greatest single health risk.

Effects of Reclamation on Soil Carbon and Nitrogen in Coastal Wetlands of Liaohe River Delta,China

To evaluate the influence of wetland reclamation on vertical distribution of carbon and nitrogen in coastal wetland soils, we measured the soil organic carbon(SOC), soil total nitrogen(STN) and selected soil properties at five sampling plots(reed marsh, paddy field, corn field, forest land and oil-polluted wetland) in the Liaohe River estuary in September 2013. The results showed that reclamation significantly changed the contents of SOC and STN in the Liaohe River estuary(P < 0.001). The SOC concentrations were in the order: oil-polluted wetland > corn field > paddy field > forest land > reed marsh, with mean values of 52.17, 13.14, 11.46, 6.44 and 6.16 g/kg, respectively. STN followed a similar order as SOC, with mean values of 1351.14, 741.04, 632.32, 496.17 and 390.90 mg/kg, respectively. Interaction of reclamation types and soil depth had significant effects on SOC and STN, while soil depth had significant effects on SOC, but not on STN. The contents of SOC and STN were negatively correlated with pH and redox potential(Eh) in reed marsh and corn field, while the SOC and STN in paddy field had positive correlations with electrical conductivity(EC). Dissolved organic carbon(DOC), ammonium nitrogen(NH_4^+-N) and nitrate nitrogen(NO_3~–-N) were also significantly changed by human activities. NH_4^+-N and NO_3~–-N increased to different degrees, and forest land had the highest NO_3~–-N concentration and lowest DOC concentration, which could have been caused by differences in soil aeration and fertilization. Overall, the results indicate that reed harvest increased soil carbon and nitrogen release in the Liaohe River Estuary, while oil pollution significantly increased the SOC and STN; however, these cannot be used as indicators of soil fertility and quality because of the serious oil pollution.

Comprehensive Assessment and Analysis of Water Environmental Quality in the Mainstream of the Liaohe River

[Objective] The study aims at evaluating the water environmental quality of the Liaohe River mainstream. [ Method] The water quality of two monitored sections in the mainstream of the Liaohe River from 2004 to 2010 was assessed by the fuzzy comprehensive appraisal combined with weighted average, and some practicable measures were put forward according to the assessment results. [ Result] From 2004 to 2010, the water quality of the Liaohe River mainstream varied from Grade II to III at Zhuershan section, and changed from Grade II to IV at Xing＇an section, becom- ing better on the whole. In addition, the major factor influencing the water quality is the small content of dissolved oxygen （DO） in the water body. Meanwhile, the pollution of the water body mainly results from the discharge of organic matter consuming oxygen largely, and ammonia nitrogen should be paid more attention to. [ Conclusion] The research could provide scientific references for the protection of water environment and its pollu- tion control in the mainstream of the Liaohe River.

Temporal and Spatial Distribution Patterns of Grain Crops in the West Liaohe River Basin

Here,we quantitatively determine temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of main grain crops in the West Liaohe River basin,Inner Mongolia,China,from 2000 to 2010 based on MODIS remote sensing data and NDVI time series information for the years 2000,2005 and 2010.Phenological calendars and a decisionmaking tree extraction model were also used to obtain spatial distribution information of spring maize,spring wheat and soybean.We found that in 2010,the sown area of the main grain crops in the West Liaohe River basin was 11 965.08km2,of which,the sown area for spring maize accounted for 92.28%and was concentrated in the lower reaches of the region.Spring wheat accounted for 3.14% and was mainly in the middle reaches.Soybean accounted for 4.58% and was predominantly in the upper reaches.From 2000 to 2005,the sown area of these grain crops in the West Liaohe River basin grew by 29.77%,mainly in the lower reaches： spring maize grew by 38.99%,spring wheat by 39.04% and soybean by 21.27%.From 2005 to 2010,growth in the sown area of these crops was slow（5.18% growth） and mainly in the lower reaches of the basin.The sown area of spring maize increased,but decreased for both spring wheat and soybean.

Evaluation and Hotspots Identification of Shallow Groundwater Contamination Risk in the Lower Reaches of the Liaohe River Plain

As a prerequisite for groundwater protection and contamination control, evaluation of groundwater con- tamination risk was the extension of groundwater vulnerability assessment. Based on disaster theory and using shallow groundwater of the lower reaches of Liaohe River Plain as the study area, we built an evaluation index system and a contamination index model for groundwater contamination risks from the perspectives of intrinsic vulnerability, external stresses, and functional value. We used data acquisition technology （remote sensing） and spatial analysis technology （GIS） to calculate the value of groundwater contamination risks. The spatial distribution of hotspots was obtained by calculating G index. Results show that groundwater contamination is above a mid-level risk in most of the study area. Areas with extreme high risk account for 37.86%, areas with high risk 32.47%, areas with moderate risk 12.07%, areas with light risk 3.17%, and areas with slight risk 14.43%. Hotspots areas are mainly located in central Shenyang City, northwest of Xinmin City, Beizhen City and Liaozhong County. Coldspots are mainly in Panjin City, Yingkou City, Dashiqiao City, Dawa County and Panshan County. The results reflect the spatial distribution and mechanism of groundwater contamination risk in the study area and provide relative references for land use planning and groundwater resource protection in the lower reaches of the Liaohe River Plain.

Occurrence and bioaccumulation of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in sediments and paddy ecosystems of Liaohe River Basin, northeast China

Concentrations of 16 polybrominated diphenyl ether（PBDE） congeners were measured in river sediments, paddy soils and three species of paddy-field organisms（crab, loach and carp） collected from the Liaohe River Basin, northeastern China. The total contents of PBDEs（∑_（16）PBDEs） in sediments and paddy soils were in the ranges of 273.4–3246.3 pg/g dry weight（dw）, and 192.1–1783.8 pg/g dw, respectively. BDE 209 was the dominant congener both in sediments and paddy soils. The concentrations of ∑_（16）PBDEs in sediments were significantly higher than those in the adjacent paddy soils, indicating a potential transport of PBDEs from river to paddy ecosystems via river water irrigation. The biota–soil accumulation factor（BSAF） was calculated as the ratio between the lipid-normalized concentration in paddyfield organisms and the total organic carbon-normalized concentration in paddy soil. The average BSAF values of ∑15PBDEs followed the sequence of crab（3.6） 〉 loach（3.3） 〉 carp（2.1）. BDE 154 had the highest BSAF value, and a parabolic trend between BSAF values of individual PBDE congeners and their log KOWvalues was observed. In view of the fact that crab had the larger BSAF value and higher lipid content, the ecological risk and health risk for crab cultivation in paddy fields should be of particular concern.

Recent geomorphic changes in the Liaohe Estuary

This paper mainly analyzes the geomorphological changes of the tidal deposition in the Liaohe Estuary based on the multi-year bathymetric charts in 1990, 1996, 2002 and 2005 and Landsat TM images in 1987, 1994, 2002 and 2005. Evolution of the tidal depositional system during the past 20 years in the Liaohe River was studied on the basis of 50 boreholes drilling and 30 km shallow stratigraphic exploration from 2002 to 2005. The main tidal depositional body of the modern Liaohe River delta is located in the Shuangtaizihe Estuary. The stratum within the depth of 10 m includes tidal bank facies, tidal channel facies and neritic facies with paleo-delta facies underlying them. The sediments of tidal bank facies are mainly composed of sand and silt with siltation load and suspended load of about 50% respectively in proportion. The sediment of tidal channel facies and neritic facies is composed of clayey silt and silty clay which belongs to suspended load. The study area was a small bay between the old Daliaohe River, the old Dalinghe River and the Raoyanghe River complex delta since the Holocene to 1896. Many tidal banks formed and expanded rapidly after the Shuangtaizihe River was excavated by labor in 1896. The runoff and sediment discharge have decreased since the construction of brake at the Shuangtaizihe River in 1958.The Shuangtaizihe Estuary is in the state of deposition as a whole whose tidal bank is increasing and expanding south-ward, westward and northward. The maximum expansion speed is 87 to 683 m/a and the mean depositional rate is 0.189 m/a. Erosion occurred in some part of tidal bank with average erosional rate of 0.122 m/a. The tidal channel was filled up with sediment at a migration speed of 48-200 m/a. Geomorphologic changes have happened under the combined influ- ences of runoff, ocean dynamics and human activities. The main source of sediment changes from river sediment to sediment driven by tidal current and longshore current.

Seasonal implications for taxonomic sufficiency to simplify M-AMBI methodology in the coastal area adjacent to a eutrophic estuary

Taxonomic sufficiency(TS)refers to identifying taxa to a taxonomic level sufficient to detect community changes in stressed environments and may provide a cost-effective approach in routine monitoring programs.However,there is still limited information regarding the seasonal impact of applying TS and its implications for the ecological quality evaluation in the estuarine ecosystem.This study investigated the relationship between the multivariate-AZTI’s Marine Biotic Index(M-AMBI)and environmental variables in three seasons(i.e.,spring,summer,and autumn)in the Liaohe River Estuary.We tested the reliability of TS for simplifying the M-AMBI methodology.The results showed that family and genus level data could reproduce the spatial-temporal patterns of community structure at the species level.The M-AMBI values showed a consistent spatial distribution pattern in all sampling seasons,with a decreasing trend with the increasing distance from the estuary mouth.Both genus and family level data performed nearly as well as species level in detecting the seasonal variations of pollutants(i.e.,nutrients and total organic content).The family level M-AMBI was feasible to discern stress in the Liaohe River Estuary because of the high aggregation ratios at different taxonomic levels in all sampling seasons.These findings suggest that applying taxonomic sufficiency based on the M-AMBI provides an efficient approach for evaluating ecological quality in the Liaohe River Estuary.

Changes in vegetation and soil properties following 6 years of enclosure in riparian corridors

Aims Riparian corridors play vital roles in the maintenance of biodiversity.Nonetheless,plant species diversity and vegetation coverage in riparian corridors are seriously threatened by increasing pressure owing to livestock consumption and anthropogenic disturbance;even the stability of river courses has been threatened.The establishment of enclosures is a widely used strategy to restore degraded grassland ecosystems,but its impact on degraded herbaceous riparian vegetation and soil properties remains unclear.The aim of this study was to evaluate whether species composition,richness,diversity,and soil properties can be recovered by the enclosure.Methods Twenty long-term monitoring sample plots were set in the Liaohe main stream river,Liaohe main stream river was enclosed for grazing and farmland exclusion in 2012.The height,coverage and individual numbers of plant were recorded for species richness and diversity evaluation from 2012 to 2017;soil nutrients were measured for comparative analysis in 2012 and 2017.We examined the effects of the establishment of enclosures on plant species diversity and soil properties from 2012 to 2017 in the riparian corridors of the Liaohe River system in China.Important Findings Plant species richness and diversity significantly increased from 2012 to 2017.The dominance of Asteraceae plants increased,while the abundance of Gramineae plants decreased over time.The difference in abundance increased each year since enclosure was implemented in 2012.The concentrations of phosphorus and potassium in the soil significantly decreased as a result of the combined effects of vegetation restoration and prohibition of farming practices following the establishment of enclosures.There was also a lag time related to the response of soil organic matter to the establishment of enclosures.In conclusion,our study provides new evidence regarding the response of species diversity,species composition and soil properties following riparian vegetation restoration efforts through enclosure development.

Soil characteristics and ecological thresholds of Suaeda salsa wetlands

Suaeda salsa is an annual euhalophyte in estuarine wetlands.Soil properties of wetlands have an important influence on S.salsa growth.Therefore,the soil ecological thresholds is valuable for the restoration of degraded S.salsa wetlands.The objectives of this present study were to analyze the soil physicochemical properties and evaluate the soil ecological thresholds in the typical degraded areas for S.salsa growth.Soil text components became coarser with increased sand contents and less clay contents,as the higher degree of wetland degradation.Meanwhile,the salt contents in different soil depths gradually increased with the increased degree of degradation of wetlands.Evident changes in soil water content,organic matter content,and cations concentrations were not observed,while the concentrations of these factors were higher in the soil layer of 0-10 cm than those in the 20-30 cm.The soil pH in the 0-10 cm soil layer was lower than that in the 20-30 cm.The content of the three available nutrients did not change evidently with the increasing degree of degradation.The optimum thresholds of soil salinity and water content were 7.073-16.613 g/kg and 31.8-63.2%,respectively.