Using the concept of ecological groundwater level to evaluate shallow groundwater resources in hyperarid desert regions

This paper, based on the analysis and calculation of the groundwater resources in an arid region from 1980 to 2001, put forward the concept of ecological groundwater level threshold for either salinity control or the determination of ecological warning. The surveys suggest that soil moisture and soil salinity are the most important environmental factors in determining the distribution and changes in vegetation. The groundwater level threshold of ecological warning can be determined by using a network of groundwater depth observation sites that monitor the environmental moisture gradient as reflected by plant physiological characteristics. According to long-term field observations within the Ejin oases, the groundwater level threshold for salinity control varied between 0.5 m and 1.5 m, and the ecological warning threshold varied between 3.5 m and 4.0 m. The quantity of groundwater re- sources （renewable water resources, ecological water resources, and exploitable water resources） in arid areas can be calculated from regional groundwater level information, without localized hydrogeological data. The concept of groundwater level threshold of ecological warning was established according to water development and water re- sources supply, and available groundwater resources were calculated. The concept not only enriches and broadens the content of groundwater studies, but also helps in predicting the prospects for water resources development.

A general multi-objective programming model for minimum ecological flow or water level of inland water bodies

Assessment of ecological flow or water level for water bodies is important for the protection of de- graded or degrading ecosystems caused by water shortage in arid regions, and it has become a key issue in water resources planning. In the past several decades, many methods have been proposed to assess ecological flow for rivers and ecological water level for lakes or wetlands. To balance water uses by human and ecosystems, we proposed a general multi-objective programming model to determine minimum ecological flow or water level for inland water bodies, where two objectives are water index for human and habitat index for ecosystems, respectively Using the weighted sum method for multi-objective optimization, minimum ecological flow or water level can be determined from the breakpoint in the water index-habitat index curve, which is similar to the slope method to de- termine minimum ecological flow from wetted perimeter-discharge curve. However, the general multi-objective programming model is superior to the slope method in its physical meaning and calculation method. This model provides a general analysis method for ecological water uses of different inland water bodies, and can be used to define minimum ecological flow or water level by choosing appropriate water and habitat indices. Several com- monly used flow or water level assessment methods were found to be special cases of the general model, including the wetted perimeter method and the multi-objective physical habitat simulation method for ecological river flow, the inundated forest width method for regeneration flow of floodplain forest and the lake surface area method for eco- logical lake level. These methods were applied to determine minimum ecological flow or water level for two repre- sentative rivers and a lake in northern Xinjiang of China, including minimum ecological flow for the Ertix River, minimum regeneration flow for floodplain forest along the midstream of Kaxgar River, and minimum ecological lake level for the Ebinur Lake. The results illustrated the versatility of the general model, and can provide references for water resources planning and ecosystem protection for these rivers and lake.

Assessment of rehabilitation strategies for lakes affected by anthropogenic and climatic changes: A case study of the Urmia Lake, Iran

Over the last three decades,more than half of the world's large lakes and wetlands have experienced significant shrinkage,primarily due to climate change and extensive water consumption for agriculture and other human needs.The desiccation of lakes leads to severe environmental,economic,and social repercussions.Urmia Lake,located in northwestern Iran and representing a vital natural ecosystem,has experienced a volume reduction of over 90.0%.Our research evaluated diverse water management strategies within the Urmia Lake basin and prospects of inter-basin water transfers.This study focused on strategies to safeguard the environmental water rights of the Urmia Lake by utilizing the modeling and simulating(MODSIM)model.The model simulated changes in the lake's water volume under various scenarios.These included diverting water from incoming rivers,cutting agricultural water use by 40.0%,releasing dam water in non-agricultural seasons,treated wastewater utilization,and inter-basin transfers.Analytical hierarchy process(AHP)was utilized to analyze the simulation results.Expert opinions with AHP analysis,acted as a multi-criteria decision-making tool to evaluate the simulation and determine the optimal water supply source priority for the Urmia Lake.Our findings underscore the critical importance of reducing agricultural water consumption as the foremost step in preserving the lake.Following this,inter-basin water transfers are suggested,with a detailed consideration of the inherent challenges and limitations faced by the source watersheds.It is imperative to conduct assessments on the impacts of these transfers on the downstream users and the potential environmental risks,advocating for a diplomatic and cooperative approach with adjacent country.This study also aims to forecast the volumes of water that can be transferred under different climatic conditions—drought,normal,and wet years—to inform strategic water management planning for the Urmia Lake.According to our projection,implementing the strategic scenarios outlined could significantly augment the lake's level and volume,potentially by 3.57×109–9.38×109 m3 over the coming 10 a and 3.57×109–10.70×109 m3 in the subsequent 15 a.

An approach to the design principles for indicator system of desertification degree

From the analysis on the problem of selection, data acquisition, quantification and accuracy check in the indicators to desertification degree both at home and abroad, one might conclude that in the existing assessment of desertification degree there is a prevailing tendency which is the substitution of absolute landscape for relative land degradation, namely, assessment of desertification degree is that of absolute landscape state to some extent. As a result the reassessment accuracy of desertification scope, damaging degree and control effect are affected. The regaining and establishment of the initial and final ecological datum level of land degradation are the prerequisite to the establishment of normal scientific indicator system. From the viewpoint of this three design principles of indicators to the desertification degree are put forward: the zonal principle of indicator systems decided by the ecological datum level corresponding to their bioclimatic zones, the hierarchical principle of indicator systems decided by different spatial scales and the resolutions of different sensors and principle of landscape types based on the 3S as core-indicator.

Analysis of the Spatio-temporal Evolution of Land Intensive Use and Land Ecological Security in Tianjin from 1980 to 2019

The problem of land ecological security directly threatens the sustainable development of many regions,and exploring the spatio-temporal characteristics of land ecological security is helpful for analyzing the land ecological patterns between regions and over time.Based on the interpretation of remote sensing image data for Tianjin in 1980,2000,2010 and 2019,supported by software such as ArcGIS and GeoDa,the changes of land use in the study area are calculated by using the land use dynamic degree.Then,the land ecological security index and spatial autocorrelation analysis methods are used to study the spatial correlations and internal heterogeneity of land ecological security in each district in Tianjin.The results show that:(1)The land use of Tianjin has changed dramatically in the past 40 years:the building land has been expanding,while the farmland and barren have been shrinking continuously.(2)The overall level of land ecological security is in the high security area,and Jizhou District is the highest,while the Central areas and Binhai are low.(3)The spatial heterogeneity of land ecological security is not obvious,but the spatial agglomeration is strong.

Eco-environmental water demands for the Baiyangdian Wetland

In recent years,the hydrological characters of Baiyangdian Wetland have changed greatly,which,in turn,influence the biotic component,the structure and function of the wetland ecosystem.In order to determine the demands for water resources of ecological wetland system,a method of ecological water level coefficient was suggested to calculate the water resources demands for wetland environment use.This research showed that the minimum coefficient is 0.94 and the optimal coefficient is more than 1.10.According to these two coefficients,the ecological water level and water quantity can be estimated.The results indicate that the amount of the minimal and optimal eco-environmental water require-ments are 0.87×10^(8) and 2.78×10^(8)m^(3) in average monthly,respectively,with the maximum eco-environmental water requirement in summer and the minimum in winter.The annual change of eco-environment water demand is in accord-ing with the climate change and hydrological characters.The method of ecological water level emphasizes that wetland ecosystem adapts to the hydrological conditions,so it can be used in practice well.