Analysis of ecological effects of comprehensive treatment in the Tarim River Basin using remote sensing data

Based on multi-type,multi-temporal remote sensing data,we have monitored recent changes in cultivated land use and vegetation,in sandy areas and salinized desertification in the Green Corridor zone of the main channel of the Tarim River Basin.The results of our investigation show that the ecological environment in the Green Corridor of the main channel of the Tarim River Basin has conspicuously improved from 2002 to 2004.These improvements show up largely in such aspects as an increase in the rate of vegetation cover,a reduction in desertification land areas and a weakening in the intensity of sandy and the salinized land.On the other hand,the cultivated area in the Tarim River Basin significantly increased from 2002 to 2004.The rate of growth in cultivated areas during this period was significantly higher than that from 1999 to 2002.The increase in the use of irrigation resulting from the substantial increase in cultivated areas has a long-term potential restraining effect on the restoration of ecological functions of the Tarim River.

Sources and transport of particulate organic carbon in the Amazon River and its estuary

Stable carbon isotope ratios have been used to study the sources of particulate organic carbon(POC) in the Amazon River and its tributaries, and to examine the transport of the riverine POC intothe oceanic environment. POC in the upper reaches of the Amazon River has more positive δC values(--24.5‰ to -- 28.0‰) than that in the middle and lower reaches (--27.9‰ to -- 30.1‰). TheδC of POC from the tributaries is generally more negative than that observed in the Amazon mainchannel. This δC datum shows that the POC in the Amazon main channel is predominantly of terres-trial origin rather than a result of in situ production. A large range of δC values (--17.5‰ to -28.4‰) is observed in the Amazon Estuary and plume. and is considered as the result of the mixing

Numerical simulations of flow and sediment transport within the Ning-Meng reach of the Yellow River,northern China

Effective management of a river reach requires a sound understanding of flow and sediment transport generated by varying natural and artificial runoff conditions. Flow and sediment transport within the Ning-Meng reach of the Yellow River（NMRYR）, northern China are controlled by a complex set of factors/processes, mainly including four sets of factors：（1） aeolian sediments from deserts bordering the main stream;（2） inflow of water and sediment from numerous tributaries;（3） impoundment of water by reservoir/hydro-junction; and（4） complex diversion and return of irrigation water. In this study, the 1-D flow ＆ sediment transport model developed by the Yellow River Institute of Hydraulic Research was used to simulate the flow and sediment transport within the NMRYR from 2001 to 2012. All four sets of factors that primarily control the flow and sediment transport mentioned above were considered in this model. Compared to the measured data collected from the hydrological stations along the NMRYR, the simulated flow and sediment transport values were generally acceptable, with relative mean deviation between measured and simulated values of 〈15%. However, simulated sediment concentration and siltation values within two sub-reaches（i.e., Qingtongxia Reservoir to Bayan Gol Hydrological Station and Bayan Gol Hydrological Station to Toudaoguai Hydrological Station） for some periods exhibited relatively large errors（the relative mean deviations between measured and simulated values of 18% and 25%, respectively）. These errors are presumably related to the inability to accurately determine the quantity of aeolian sediment influx to the river reach and the inflow of water from the ten ephemeral tributaries. This study may provide some valuable insights into the numerical simulations of flow and sediment transport in large watersheds and also provide a useful model for the effective management of the NMRYR.

The Need for Nile River Vessel Traffic Services （NVTS）

Rivers are the basic natural resources for various human activities. For that reason, the river banks have encouraged pioneers to construct their new towns. River transport has always been of vital importance for the economy of various nations. This could be done fhrough descriptive and analytic navigation in rivers and navigation at sea specially in confined waters. Vessel traffic services （VTS） system deals with managing ship traffic and suggesting best routes for vessels at busy and confined waters. Nile traffic service （NTS） as a Nile traffic monitoring system established by rivers protective authorities, can be alike to VTS maximum economic returns coming from fiver routes can be recognized with assistance of Nile traffic services which keep significant river information available for all users at all times. It also helps keep waters safer and more controlled by detecting illegal cargo activities the paper aims to re-plan River Nile for using in navigation and transportation due to its significant importance for a country like Egypt.

Distribution and transportation of mercury from glacier to lake in the Qiangyong Glacier Basin, southern Tibetan Plateau, China

The Tibetan Plateau is home to the largest aggregate of glaciers outside the Polar Regions and is a source of fresh water to 1.4 billion people. Yet little is known about the transportation and cycling of Hg in high-elevation glacier basins on Tibetan Plateau. In this study, surface snow,glacier melting stream water and lake water samples were collected from the Qiangyong Glacier Basin. The spatiotemporal distribution and transportation of Hg from glacier to lake were investigated. Significant diurnal variations of dissolved Hg（DHg） concentrations were observed in the river water, with low concentrations in the morning（8：00 am–14：00 pm） and high concentrations in the afternoon（16：00 pm–20：00 pm）. The DHg concentrations were exponentially correlated with runoff, which indicated that runoff was the dominant factor affecting DHg concentrations in the river water. Moreover, significant decreases of Hg were observed during transportation from glacier to lake. DHg adsorption onto particulates followed by the sedimentation of particulate-bound Hg（PHg） could be possible as an important Hg removal mechanism during the transportation process. Significant decreases in Hg concentrations were observed downstream of Xiao Qiangyong Lake, which indicated that the high-elevation lake system could significantly affect the distribution and transportation of Hg in the Qiangyong Glacier Basin.

Water Vapor Transport around the Tibetan Plateau and Its Effect on Summer Rainfall over the Yangtze River Valley

The water vapor transport around the Tibetan Plateau（TP） and its effect on the rainfall in the Yangtze River valley（YRV） in summer are investigated by decomposing the moisture transport into rotational and divergent components.Based on the ERA-Interim and PREC/L（Precipitation Reconstruction over Land） data from 1985 to 2014,the vertically integrated features of the two components are examined.The results show that the divergent part dominates the western TP while the rotational part dominates the rest of the TP,implying that moisture may be mostly locally gathered in the western TP but could be advected to/from elsewhere over the rest of the TP.The divergent and rotational moisture fluxes exhibit great temporal variability along the southern periphery of the TP,showing sensitivity of water vapor to the steep topography there.Correlation analysis reveals that it is over the southeastern corner of the TP and to its south that a significant correlation between rotational zonal moisture transport and summer rainfall in the YRV appears,suggesting that the southeastern corner of the TP may serve as a moisture transport bridge between the South Asian（Indian） monsoon and the East Asian monsoon.Further composite analysis indicates that anomalous eastward（westward） zonal water vapor transport from the South Asian monsoon via the southeastern corner of the TP favors more（less） precipitation in the YRV in summer.