Geospatial Evaluation for Ecological Watershed Management II: Changes in Land Use—Land Cover Influence on Ecosystems Services

Ecosystem services are a key to human survival and global sustainability. Consequently, there is the need to avoid unscrupulous or unplanned land use practices that can compromise these services in addition to the ongoing changes in the global climate whose potentially negative impact are yet to be fully comprehended thus far. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the Land use—land cover changes of some Eastern Shore sub-watersheds of Maryland from 1986-2006 and qualitatively assess the impact of the changes on some key ecosystem services. Landsat-TM data for Maryland Eastern Shore in the United States were analyzed in ENVI and ArcGIS environment and data interpreted qualitatively. The result showed that forest lands increased during the study period and thus enhanced carbon sequestration favorable for mitigating global warming in the area. Also, the extent of surface water cover increased slightly, possibly due to rising sea level and a thus a potential threat to biodiversity and barrier islands nearby. There was also a significant increase in urban lands due to population increase and thus increase in the extent of impervious layers that could lead to reduced surface runoff and increase the potential for surface water quality impairment;this could lead to a reduction in the capacity of surface water ecosystem to provide clean/recreational waters. The increase in the extent of surface water cover was at the expense of the wetlands that shrunk, thereby threatening the coastal ecosystem’s ability to provide services such as storm and wave protection, nutrient cycling, and the protection of wildlife habitat. There was also a decrease in the extent of Agricultural lands which could lead to loss of food and fiber during the study period. There is therefore an urgent need to formulate or intensify existing policies to regulate land use from an ecological health standpoint in order to ensure sustainability of the various ecosystems within the watersheds of the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland in the US, and similar coastal locations elsewhere.

Irrigation system and land use effect on surface water quality in river, at lake Dianchi, Yunnan, China

The surface water samples were collected in river Dahe and its tributaries, which flow into severely eutrophic lake Dianchi, Yunnan Province, China, in order to elucidate factors controlling water quality fluctuations. The temporal and spatial distribution of water quality tendency was observed. The water quality of each river is dependent on the hydrology effect such water gate and circulating irrigation system. We must consider the hydrology effect to accurately understand water quality variations of river in this study field. In river without highly circulating irrigation system or water gate effect, the downstream nitrate nitrogen （NO3-N） concentration increase occurred in area dominated by open field cultivation, whereas the NO3-N concentration was constant or decreased in area dominated by greenhouse land use. This result suggests that greenhouse covers the soil from precipitation, and nitrate load of greenhouse could be less than that of open field cultivation while the rainfall event. In the upper reaches of river, where is dominated by open field cultivation, there were no sharp increase dissolved molybdate reactive phosphorus and total phosphorus concentration, but P load was accumulated in the lower reaches of river, whose predominant land use is greenhouse. Although the P sources is unclear in this study, greenhouse area may have potential of P loads due to its high P content in greenhouse soil. Considering hydrology effect is necessary to determine what the major factor is influencing the water quality variation, especially in area with highly complicated irrigation system in this studying site.

Dynamicity of Land Use/Land Cover(LULC):An analysis from peri-urban and rural neighbourhoods of Durgapur Municipal Corporation(DMC)in India

The availability of better economic possibilities and well-connected transportation networks has attracted people to migrate to peri-urban and rural neighbourhoods,changing the landscape of regions outside the city and fostering the growth of physical infrastructure.Using multi-temporal satellite images,the dynamics of Land Use/Land Cover(LULC)changes,the impact of urban growth on LULC changes,and regional environmental implications were investigated in the peri-urban and rural neighbourhoods of Durgapur Municipal Corporation in India.The study used different case studies to highlight the study area’s heterogeneity,as the phenomenon of change is not consistent.Landsat TM and OLI-TIRS satellite images in 1991,2001,2011,and 2021 were used to analyse the changes in LULC types.We used the relative deviation(RD),annual change intensity(ACI),uniform intensity(UI)to show the dynamicity of LULC types(agriculture land;built-up land;fallow land;vegetated land;mining area;and water bodies)during 1991-2021.This study also applied the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory(DEMATEL)to measure environmental sensitivity zones and find out the causes of LULC changes.According to LULC statistics,agriculture land,built-up land,and mining area increased by 51.7,95.46,and 24.79 km^(2),respectively,from 1991 to 2021.The results also suggested that built-up land and mining area had the greatest land surface temperature(LST),whereas water bodies and vegetated land showed the lowest LST.Moreover,this study looked at the relationships among LST,spectral indices(Normalized Differenced Built-up Index(NDBI),Normalized Difference Vegetation Index(NDVI),and Normalized Difference Water Index(NDWI)),and environmental sensitivity.The results showed that all of the spectral indices have the strongest association with LST,indicating that built-up land had a far stronger influence on the LST.The spectral indices indicated that the decreasing trends of vegetated land and water bodies were 4.26 and 0.43 km^(2)/a,respectively,during 1991-2021.In summary,this study can help the policy-makers to predict the increasing rate of temperature and the causes for the temperature increase with the rapid expansion of built-up land,thus making effective peri-urban planning decisions.

Hydrogeochemical Research of Surface Water of the Córrego Sujo Watershed, Teresópolis, RJ, Brazil

The surface water quality was investigated in the Córrego Sujo watershed, located in the municipality of Teresópolis, a mountainous region in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The emphasis focused on inorganic parameters of water, since there are applications of pesticides in agricultural cultivations. The natural and anthropogenic contributions of the study area were monitored monthly in eight sites in the river channels of the drainage basin. The results were analyzed using an ICP-OES spectrophotometer and subsequently compared to Conama Resolution 357/05. In order to support the interpretation of the results of water quality, flow and precipitation data were measured in the watershed, along with the land use and vegetation cover map produced from a GeoEye satellite image. The study revealed that the surface waters were in high concentrations and above those recommended by Conama Resolution. It was noted also that the lithological and pedological variables influenced the results of water quality. Regarding seasonality, it has not been possible to establish a common standard to all elements in the rainy season or dry season, however, in the analysis of each parameter separately, there was evidence of a concentration distribution in temporal variation. Therefore, the results of this study indicate that it is also necessary to highlight these issues in the territorial planning of the municipality and in the management of the Committee of Rio Piabanha watershed, to avoid the increasing of uncontrolled expansion of irrigated crops and intensive use of agrochemical inputs.

The Ecological Importance and Influence of Land Use on Carbonic Anhydrase Activity of Waters in the Upstream Section of the Wujiang River Basin

Thirty-four sampling sites for surface water and twenty-seven sampling sites for ground water in areas of different land use were selected in the Wujiang River Basin, upstream section in Guizhou Province, China. Carbonic anhydrase （CA） activity in surface and ground water was analyzed and compared. The results show that CA activity was detected in all surface and ground water samples. In general, average CA activity in surface and ground water was highest from samples in arbor lands, followed by shrub lands, shrub and grass lands, agricultural lands, and residential areas. The average CA activity in ground water from arbor lands, shrub lands, and shrub and grass lands was higher than that in surface water. Water CA activity was positively correlated with HCO3- concentration in surface water and ground water. These results imply that the contribution of CA in water to the karst carbon sink potential of river basins warrants further extensive and in-depth research.

Investigation of Spring Waters to Assess the Geo-ecological State of Landscape and Soil

The purpose of the investigation was to assess the opportunity to use spring waters as indicator for the load state of rural landscape ecosystems. In the periods from 2000-2003 and 2011-2012, the physical and chemical water quality of 55 freshwater springs in the German federal state of the Saarland was investigated in monthly intervals. The catchment areas of the springs represented the prevailing geological formations in the Saarland as well as the main land use types such as forest, grassland and arable land. The results show a clear correlation between the nitrate content and the share of arable land in the closer catchment area of the springs. The problem of acidification and related processes occurs mainly at the sites with acid parent rock material and accordingly substrates deficient in lime. Very low pH-values between 4 and 5 are observed and the aluminum concentration levels are consistently increased. Especially at sites with low calcium content in the geological substrate, a progressive destruction of the clay minerals can be assumed. In the extremely acidic spring waters, which showed the highest aluminum contamination during the measurement 10 years ago, the aluminum-values decreased slightly. This indicates that the clay minerals in these locations are already completely destroyed. Thus, it can be concluded that the investigation of spring waters provides information on the geo-ecological conditions in catchment areas. By means of the multi-temporal approach, changes of land use or other influences by human activities can be detected.

Application of a Groundwater Classification System and GIS Mapping System for the Lower Ruby Valley Watershed, Southwest Montana

Classification of groundwater conditions at the watershed scale synthesizes landscape hydrology, provides a mapped summary of groundwater resources, and supports water management decisions. The application of a recently developed watershed-scale groundwater classification methodology is applied and evaluated in the 100,000 hectare lower Ruby Valley watershed of southwestern Montana. The geologic setting, groundwater flow direction, aquifer productivity, water quality, anthropogenic impact to water levels, depth to groundwater, and the degree of connection between groundwater and surface water are key components of the classification scheme. This work describes the hydrogeology of the lower Ruby Valley watershed and illustrates how the classification system is applied to assemble, analyze, and summarize groundwater data. The classification process provides information in summary tables and maps of seamless digital overlays prepared using geographical information system (GIS) software. Groundwater conditions in the watershed are classified as low production bedrock aquifers in the mountainous uplands that recharge the moderate productivity basin-fill sediments. Groundwater levels approach the surface near the Ruby River resulting in sufficient groundwater discharge to maintain stream flow during dry, late summer conditions. The resulting classification data sets provide watershed managers with a standardized organizational tool that represents groundwater conditions at the watershed scale.

农用地定级中养殖水面定级技术方法研究——以惠州市惠城区为例

运用因素法评定养殖水面用地级别,并进一步完善了农用地级别体系;选取地块法作为划分定级评价单元的方法,提高了研究成果的精度。研究方法具有普适性,对今后开展农用地定级、尤其是除耕地以外的其他农用地定级具有示范意义和借鉴作用。

基地的“线像”

从宾夕法尼亚大学景观设计课程的地形练习展开,介绍了如何通过等高线的图示和模型表达出基地的土和水的信息。在城市设计中,土地使用功能的改变直接反映于基地土和水的变化中,而不同特征的等高线图示也能表达出基地属性的转变。地形塑造不仅是整地排水的技术解决方案,还贯通到公共开敞空间的城市设计中。