Impact of Wetland Change on Local Climate in Semi-arid Zone of Northeast China

Wetlands are sensitive to climate change, in the same time, wetlands can influence climate. This study analyzed the spa- rio-temporal characteristics of wetland change in the semi-arid zone of Northeast China from 1985 to 2010, and investigated the impact of large area of wetland change on local climate. Results showed that the total area of wetlands was on a rise in the study area. Although natural wetlands （marshes, riparians and lakes） decreased, constructed wetlands （rice fields） increased significantly, and the highest in- crease rate in many places exceeded 30%. Anthropogenic activities are major driving factors for wetland change. Wetland change pro- duced an impact on local climate, mainly on maximum temperature and precipitation during the period of May-September. The increase （or decrease） of wetland area could reduce （or increase） the increment of maximum temperature and the decrement of precipitation. The changes in both maximum temperature and precipitation corresponded with wetland change in spatial distribution. Wetland change played a more important role in moderating local climate compared to the contribution of woodland and grassland changes in the study area. Cold-humid effect of wetlands was main way to moderating local climate as well as alleviating climatic wanning and drying in the study area, and heterogeneity of underlying surface broadened the cold-humid effect of wetlands.

Topographic Influence on Wetland Distribution and Change in Maduo County, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China

Accurate information on the spatial distribution and temporal change of wetlands is vital to devise effective measures for their protection. This study uses satellite images in 1994 and 2001 to assess the effects of topography and proximity to channels on wetland change in Maduo County on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, western China. In 1994 wetlands in the study area extended over 6,780.0 km2. They were distributed widely throughout the county, with a higher concentration in the south, and were especially prominent close to streams. The pattern of wetlands demonstrated a bell-shaped distribution curve with elevation, ranging over hill slopes with gradients from 0-19°, the commonest gradient being around 3°. Although the aspects of these hill slopes range over all directions, there is a lower concentration of wetlands facing east and southeast. The extent of wetlands in 2001 decreased to 6,181.1 km2. Marked spatial differentiation in the pattern of wetlands is evident, as their area increased by 1,193.3 km2 at lower elevations but decreased by 1,792.2 km2 at higher ground, resulting in a net decrease of 598.8 km2. In areas with a gradient <2° or >9° the area of wetlands remained approximately consistent from 1994-2001. Newly retained wetlands are situated in relatively flat lowland areas, with no evident preference in terms of aspect. Wetlands on north-, east- and northeast-facing hillslopes with a bearing of 1-86° were more prone to loss of area than other orientations. The altered pattern of wetland distribution from higher to lower elevation on north-facing slopes coincided with the doubling of annual temperature during the same period, suggesting that climate warming could be an important cause.

Spatial Variation of Dissolved Organic Carbon in Soils of Riparian Wetlands and Responses to Hydro-geomorphologic Changes in Sanjiang Plain, China

Spatial variation of dissolved organic carbon(DOC) in soils of riparian wetlands and responses to hydro-geomorphologic changes in the Sanjiang Plain were analyzed through in situ collecting soil samples in the Naoli River and the Bielahong River. The results showed that the average contents of DOC for soil layer of 0–100 cm were 730.6 mg/kg, 250.9 mg/kg, 423.0 mg/kg and 333.1 mg/kg respectively from riverbed to river terrace along the transverse directions of the Naoli watershed. The content of the soil DOC was the highest in the riverbed, lower in the high floodplain and much lower in the river terrace, and it was the lowest in the low floodplain. The difference in the content and vertical distribution of DOC between the riverbed and the three riparian wetlands was significant, while it was not significant among the low floodplain, the high floodplain and the river terrace. The variability of soil DOC was related to the hydrological connectivity between different landscape position of the riparian wetlands and the adjacent stream. Extremely significant correlations were observed between DOC and total organic carbon(TOC), total iron(TFe), ferrous iron(Fe(II)) whose correlation coefficients were 0.819, –0.544 and –0.709 in riparian wetlands of the Naoli River. With the increase of wetland destruction, soil p H increased and soil DOC content changed. The correlation coefficients between soil DOC and TOC, TFe, Fe(II) also changed into 0.759, –0.686 and –0.575 respectively in the Bielahong River. Under the impact of drainage ditches, the correlations between soil DOC and TFe, Fe(II) were not obvious, while the soil p H was weakly alkaline and was negatively correlated with soil DOC in the previous high floodplain. It indicates that riparian hydro-geomorphology is the main factor that could well explain this spatial variability of soil DOC, and the agricultural environmental hydraulic works like ditching also must be considered.

Impact of historical pattern of human activities and natural environment on wetland in Heilongjiang River Basin

Mid and high latitude wetlands are becoming fragmented and losing ecosystem functions at a much faster rate than many other ecosystems.This is due in part to increasing human activities and climate change.In this study,we analyzed wetland distribution and spatial pattern changes for the Heilongjiang River Basin over the past 100 yr.We identified the driving factors and quantified the relative importance of each factor based on landscape pattern metrics and machine learning algorithms.Our results show that wetlands have been fragmented into smaller and regular patches with dominant factors that varied at different periods.Geographic features play the most important role in patterns of wetland change for the entire basin(with 50%-60%of relative importance).Human activities are more important than climate change at the century scale,but less important when magnified at the decadal scale.In the early 1900s,human activities were relatively low and localized and remained that way in the subsequent decades.Thus,the effect of human activities on wetland area of the entire basin is weaker when examined at the magnified decadal scale.The results also show that human activities are more important on the Chinese side of the Heilongjiang River Basin,in the ZeyaBureya Plain on the Russian side,and at lower altitudes(0-100 m).Revealing the spatial and temporal processes and driving factors over the past 100 yr helps researchers and policymakers understand and anticipate wetland change and design effective conservation and restoration policies.

Quantifying driving forces of urban wetlands change in Beijing City

The decision tree and the threshold methods have been adopted to delineate boundaries and features of water bodies from LANDSAT images. After a spatial overlay analysis and using a remote sensing technique and the wetland inventory data in Beijing, the water bodies were visually classified into different types of urban wetlands, and data on the urban wetlands of Beijing in 1986, 1991, 1996, 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2007 were obtained. Thirteen driving factors that affect wetland change were selected, and gray correlation analysis was employed to calculate the correlation between each driving factor and the total area of urban wetlands. Then, six major driving factors were selected based on the correlation coefficient, and the contribution rates of these six driving factors to the area change of various urban wetlands were calculated based on canonical correlation analysis. After that, this research analyzed the relationship and mechanism between the main driving factors and various types of wetlands. Five conclusions can be drawn. （1） The total area of surface water bodies in Beijing increased from 1986 to 1996, and gradually decreased from 1996 to 2007. （2） The areas of the river wetlands, water storage areas and pool and culture areas gradually decreased, and its variation tendency is consistent with that of the total area of wetlands. The area of the mining water areas and wastewater treatment plants slightly increased. （3） The six factors of driving forces are the annual rainfall, the evaporation, the quantity of inflow water, the volume of groundwater available, the urbanization rate and the daily average discharge of wastewater are the main factors affecting changes in the wetland areas, and they correlate well with the total area of wetlands. （4） The hydrologic indicators of water resources such as the quantity of inflow water and the volume of groundwater are the most important and direct driving forces that affect the change of the wetland area. These factors have a combined contribution rate of 43.94%. （5） Climate factors such as rainfall and evaporation are external factors that affect the changes in wetland area, and they have a contribution rate of 36.54%. （6） Human activities such as the urbanization rate and the daily average quantity of wastewater are major artificial driving factors. They have an influence rate of 19.52%.

Impacts of climate change on mangrove ecosystems:a region by region overview

Inter-related and spatially variable climate change factors including sea level rise,increased storminess,altered precipitation regime and increasing temperature are impacting mangroves at re-gional scales.This review highlights extreme regional variation in climate change threats and impacts,and how these factors impact the structure of mangrove communities,their biodiversity and geo-morphological setting.All these factors interplay to determine spatially variable resiliency to climate change impacts,and because mangroves are varied in type and geographical location,these systems are good models for understanding such interactions at different scales.Sea level rise is likely to in-fluence mangroves in all regions although local impacts are likely to be more varied.Changes in the frequency and intensity of storminess are likely to have a greater impact on N and Central America,Asia,Australia,and East Africa than West Africa and S.America.This review also highlights the nu-merous geographical knowledge gaps of climate change impacts,with some regions particularly understudied(e.g.,Africa and the Middle East).While there has been a recent drive to address these knowledge gaps especially in South America and Asia,further research is required to allow research-ers to tease apart the processes that influence both vulnerability and resilience to climate change.A more globally representative view of mangroves would allow us to better understand the importance of mangrove type and landscape setting in determining system resiliency to future climate change.

Future wet grasslands:ecological implications of climate change

Wet grasslands are threatened by future climate change,yet these are vital ecosystems for both conservation and agriculture,providing livelihoods for millions of people.These biologically diverse,transitional wetlands are defined by an abundance of grasses and periodic flooding,and maintained by regular disturbances such as grazing or cutting.This study summarizes relevant climate change scenarios projected by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and identifies implications for wet grasslands globally and regionally.Climate change is predicted to alter wet grassland hydrology,especially through warming,seasonal precipitation variability,and the severity of extreme events such as droughts and floods.Changes in the diversity,composition,and productivity of vegetation will affect functional and competitive relations between species.Extreme storm or flood events will favor ruderal plant species able to respond rapidly to environmental change.In some regions,wet grasslands may dry out during heatwaves and drought.C4 grasses and invasive species could benefit from warming scenarios,the latter facilitated by disturbances such as droughts,floods,and possibly wildfires.Agriculture will be affected as forage available for livestock will likely become less reliable,necessitating adaptations to cutting and grazing regimes by farmers and conservation managers,and possibly leading to land abandonment.It is recommended that agri-environment schemes,and other policies and practices,are adapted to mitigate climate change,with greater emphasis on water maintenance,flexible management,monitoring,and restoration of resilient wet grasslands.