Basin systems of small rivers of Western Podillya: state, change tendencies, perspectives of nature management and nature protection optimization

The level of anthropogenization of the natural processes and the geocomponents of the basin geosystems of small rivers in Western Podillya has been estimated and rated as ecologically dangerous from the viewpoint of sustainable and conflict free functioning. The scales of the transformation of the components of natural environment by economic activities since 1774 were revealed using the method of comparative-geographic analysis of cartographic sources. The scales of deforestation were determined, as well as the scales of the influences of drainage meliorations on wetlands, river floodplains and riverbed complexes. It has been established that such transformations of the state of the components of landscape systems have caused the manifestation of a set of unfavorable processes and phenomena (lowering of ground water level, promoting desiccation, soil erosion and deflation, soil dehumification, decreasing landscape and biological diversity, etc.). Calculated indices of the anthropogenic modification of natural components testify that the strongest adversary impacts on river systems and basin landscapes are caused by agriculture, deforestation, and drainage meliorations. Our analysis of the current state of reclaimed lands in the basins of the rivers Dzhuryn and Nichlava confirmed the conclusions of B. I Kozlovsky on the effects of drainage reclamation on groundwater in drained lands and of the formation within them and around drainage systems of negative hydrogeological zones of different widths. In the absence of precipitation for 30-45 consecutive days in summer there is a sharp decrease in groundwater levels, and overdrying of soils, which causes the manifestation and intensification of deflation, shallowing and even drying of the upper reaches of rivers and streams. At the final stage of the study, a system of measures aimed at ensuring the sustainability of river basin geosystems was substantiated. The introduction of an optimization model of land use in the basin geosystem is one of the priority tasks in the context of negative changes in the water regime of watercourses and the water balance of river basin systems. Optimization measures provide for the transformation of the part of degraded and unproductive lands towards the grasslands and the planting of gardens (slopes up to 7°) and afforestation (surface steepness over 7°) to improve the quality of environment and to form the environmentally secure land use system. Regional indices of anthropogenic transformation for the existing and proposed land structure as a normative regional indices of nature utilization optimality are calculated. Substantiation of schemes of basin nature protection networks was based on taking into account the role of protected areas in maintaining certain functional features at the sources, in the middle and lower parts of river basins. Based on the results of field surveys, it is proposed to create nine protected areas within the Dzhuryn Basin and eight protected areas within the Nichlava river basin, which will increase the share of protected areas of the Dzhuryn basin to 8% (compared to present 4.8%) and Nichlava to 19%. At the same time, it is proposed to change the structure of the nature reserve fund of the Nichlava river basin, taking into account the existing high share (77%) of general zoological reserves, inefficient from the standpoint of conservation of natural complexes, instead creating six landscape reserves on an area of about 800 hectares. The paper considers the possibility of further development of the tourist and recreational sphere in the near-Dnister sections of the river basins of Dzhuryn and Nichlava, and proposes the creation of Borshchiv Regional landscape park in the picturesque valley of the Nichlava River.

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Carbon Storage Change Analysis and Emission Reduction Suggestions under Land Use Transition: A Case Study of Henan Province, China

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18041844 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (4) ◽

pp. 1844

Author(s):

Dongyang Xiao ◽

Haipeng Niu ◽

Jin Guo ◽

Suxia Zhao ◽

Liangxin Fan

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

River Basin ◽

Yangtze River ◽

Carbon Emission ◽

Yellow River ◽

Yangtze River Basin ◽

Yellow River Basin ◽

River Basins ◽

Henan Province ◽

Huai River

The significant spatial heterogeneity among river basin ecosystems makes it difficult for local governments to carry out comprehensive governance for different river basins in a special administrative region spanning multi-river basins. However, there are few studies on the construction of a comprehensive governance mechanism for multi-river basins at the provincial level. To fill this gap, this paper took Henan Province of China, which straddles four river basins, as the study region. The chord diagram, overlay analysis, and carbon emission models were applied to the remote sensing data of land use to analyze the temporal and spatial patterns of carbon storage caused by land-use changes in Henan Province from 1990 to 2018 to reflect the heterogeneity of the contribution of the four basins to human activities and economic development. The results revealed that food security land in the four basins decreased, while production and living land increased. Ecological conservation land was increased over time in the Yangtze River Basin. In addition, the conversion from food security land to production and living land was the common characteristic for the four basins. Carbon emission in Henan increased from 134.46 million tons in 1990 to 553.58 million tons in 2018, while its carbon absorption was relatively stable (1.67–1.69 million tons between 1990 and 2018). The carbon emitted in the Huai River Basin was the main contributor to Henan Province’s total carbon emission. The carbon absorption in Yellow River Basin and Yangtze River Basin had an obvious spatial agglomeration effect. Finally, considering the current need of land spatial planning in China and the goal of carbon neutrality by 2060 set by the Chinese government, we suggested that carbon sequestration capacity should be further strengthened in Yellow River Basin and Yangtze River Basin based on their respective ecological resource advantages. For future development in Hai River Basin and Huai River Basin, coordinating the spatial allocation of urban scale and urban green space to build an ecological city is a key direction to embark upon.

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Land Use/Cover Change Effects on River Basin Hydrological Processes Based on a Modified Soil and Water Assessment Tool: A Case Study of the Heihe River Basin in Northwest China’s Arid Region

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11041072 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 1072 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Xin Jin ◽

Yanxiang Jin ◽

Xufeng Mao

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

River Basin ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

River Basins ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Hydrological Processes ◽

Heihe River ◽

Distributed Models ◽

The Subject ◽

Increasing Trends

Land use/cover change (LUCC) affects canopy interception, soil infiltration, land-surface evapotranspiration (ET), and other hydrological parameters during rainfall, which in turn affects the hydrological regimes and runoff mechanisms of river basins. Physically based distributed (or semi-distributed) models play an important role in interpreting and predicting the effects of LUCC on the hydrological processes of river basins. However, conventional distributed (or semi-distributed) models, such as the soil and water assessment tool (SWAT), generally assume that no LUCC takes place during the simulation period to simplify the computation process. When applying the SWAT, the subject river basin is subdivided into multiple hydrologic response units (HRUs) based on the land use/cover type, soil type, and surface slope. The land use/cover type is assumed to remain constant throughout the simulation period, which limits the ability to interpret and predict the effects of LUCC on hydrological processes in the subject river basin. To overcome this limitation, a modified SWAT (LU-SWAT) was developed that incorporates annual land use/cover data to simulate LUCC effects on hydrological processes under different climatic conditions. To validate this approach, this modified model and two other models (one model based on the 2000 land use map, called SWAT 1; one model based on the 2009 land use map, called SWAT 2) were applied to the middle reaches of the Heihe River in northwest China; this region is most affected by human activity. Study results indicated that from 1990 to 2009, farmland, forest, and urban areas all showed increasing trends, while grassland and bare land areas showed decreasing trends. Primary land use changes in the study area were from grassland to farmland and from bare land to forest. During this same period, surface runoff, groundwater runoff, and total water yield showed decreasing trends, while lateral flow and ET volume showed increasing trends under dry, wet, and normal conditions. Changes in the various hydrological parameters were most evident under dry and normal climatic conditions. Based on the existing research of the middle reaches of the Heihe River, and a comparison of the other two models from this study, the modified LU-SWAT developed in this study outperformed the conventional SWAT when predicting the effects of LUCC on the hydrological processes of river basins.

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Integrated assessment of the impacts of climate variability and anthropogenic activities on river runoff: a case study in the Hutuo River Basin, China

Hydrology Research ◽

10.2166/nh.2016.229 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 48 (2) ◽

pp. 416-430 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Abubaker Omer ◽

Weiguang Wang ◽

Amir K. Basheer ◽

Bin Yong

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Water Resources ◽

Climate Variability ◽

River Basin ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Anthropogenic Activities ◽

Interactive Effect ◽

River Basins ◽

Runoff Reduction ◽

Sustainable Water Resources Management

Understanding the linear and nonlinear responses of runoff to environmental change is crucial to optimally manage water resources in river basins. This study proposes a generic framework-based hydrological model (Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT)) and two approaches, to comprehensively assess the impacts of anthropogenic activities and climate variability on runoff over the representative Hutuo River Basin (HRB), China. Results showed that SWAT performed well in capturing the runoff trend in HRB; however, it exhibited better performance for the calibration period than for the validation. During 1961–2000, about 26.06% of the catchment area was changed, mainly from forest to farmland and urban, and the climate changed to warmer and drier. The integrated effects of the anthropogenic activities and climate variability decreased annual runoff in HRB by 96.6 mm. Direct human activities were responsible for 52.16% of runoff reduction. Climate (land use) decreased runoff by 45.30% (2.06%), whereas the combined (land use + climate) impact resulted in more runoff decrease, by 47.84%. Land use–climate interactive effect is inherent in HRB and decreased runoff by 1.02%. The proposed framework can be applied to improve the current understanding of runoff variation in river basins, for supporting sustainable water resources management strategies.

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A New Indicator to Better Represent the Impact of Landscape Pattern Change on Basin Soil Erosion and Sediment Yield in the Upper Reach of Ganjiang, China

Land ◽

10.3390/land10090990 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (9) ◽

pp. 990

Author(s):

Yongfen Zhang ◽

Nong Wang ◽

Chongjun Tang ◽

Shiqiang Zhang ◽

Yuejun Song ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

River Basin ◽

Landscape Metrics ◽

Landscape Pattern ◽

Sediment Yield ◽

River Basins ◽

Landscape Patterns ◽

Soil Erodibility ◽

Land Use Pattern

Landscape patterns are a result of the combined action of natural and social factors. Quantifying the relationships between landscape pattern changes, soil erosion, and sediment yield in river basins can provide regulators with a foundation for decision-making. Many studies have investigated how land-use changes and the resulting landscape patterns affect soil erosion in river basins. However, studies examining the effects of terrain, rainfall, soil erodibility, and vegetation cover factors on soil erosion and sediment yield from a landscape pattern perspective remain limited. In this paper, the upper Ganjiang Basin was used as the study area, and the amount of soil erosion and the amount of sediment yield in this basin were first simulated using a hydrological model. The simulated values were then validated. On this basis, new landscape metrics were established through the addition of factors from the revised universal soil loss equation to the land-use pattern. Five combinations of landscape metrics were chosen, and the interactions between the landscape metrics in each combination and their effects on soil erosion and sediment yield in the river basin were examined. The results showed that there were highly similar correlations between the area metrics, between the fragmentation metrics, between the spatial structure metrics, and between the evenness metrics across all the combinations, while the correlations between the shape metrics in Combination 1 (only land use in each year) differed notably from those in the other combinations. The new landscape indicator established based on Combination 4, which integrated the land-use pattern and the terrain, soil erodibility, and rainfall erosivity factors, were the most significantly correlated with the soil erosion and sediment yield of the river basin. Finally, partial least-squares regression models for the soil erosion and sediment yield of the river basin were established based on the five landscape metrics with the highest variable importance in projection scores selected from Combination 4. The results of this study provide a simple approach for quantitatively assessing soil erosion in other river basins for which detailed observation data are lacking.

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Basin-centric approach to the sustainable development of agriculture in the context of climate change

Agriculture and plant sciences: theory and practice ◽

10.54651/agri.2021.02.01 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 5-13

Author(s):

S.E. Dehodiuk ◽

Е.G. Degodiyk ◽

Yu.P. Borko

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Sustainable Development ◽

Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽

River Basins ◽

Ecological Condition ◽

Scientific Data ◽

Small River ◽

Nature Management ◽

Small Rivers ◽

Nature Restoration

The aim is to develop conceptual principles of sustainable development of the agrosphere and reproduction of degraded riverbeds of small rivers under climate change. Methods. Methodology and methods of system approach, monitoring, statistical analysis, and synthesis of scientific data. Results. It has been determined the ecological condition in Ukraine and the world has been by the manifestations of degradation processes in terrestrial ecosystems and small river basins on the principle of causation. It has been suggested the conceptual bases of restoration of channels of small rivers and their basins by carrying out engineering, culture-technical works in channels and floodplains of small rivers, the organization of adaptive landscaping of the territory, and also carrying out agro-, chemo-, bio- and phyto-meliorations in their basins without disturbance the basis of erosion and giving impetus to self-renewal of natural fauna and flora. In the processes of nature restoration, the leading role of domestic science in the methodological and methodological support of projects has been identified, and importance is attached to the restoration of natural biodiversity and biologization in agricultural systems. We proposed to create a state mortgage land bank with a concentration in it of land fees of ecological funds with the involvement of domestic and foreign investment. It is recommended to test the idea in several model pools of soil-climatic zones with further replication in Ukraine and the spread of technology beyond its borders. Conclusions. А systematic approach is needed to carry out reclamation works in the basins of small rivers is to implement the basin approach. To implement the program, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine must adopt the Law of Ukraine “On Agriculture, Sustainable Development of the Biosphere and Ecological Nature Management”, the project of which was developed at the NSC “Institute of Agriculture of NAAS”. The NSC “Institute of Agriculture of NAAS” with appropriate financial and personnel support on a multifunctional basis can perform the functions of a methodological center for the development of methodology and techniques of land management and reclamation in the process of restoring small river basins.

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Changes of groundwater levels and land use with the introduction of canal system in Maheshwar block of Narmada basin (Central India)

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-17577 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Sakshi Shiradhonkar ◽

Tomochika Tokunaga

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

River Basin ◽

Vegetation Index ◽

Water Levels ◽

Command Area ◽

Landsat 8 ◽

Canal System ◽

Landsat Images ◽

Groundwater Levels ◽

Narmada River

Groundwater is said to be depleting at an alarming rate, and is stated as a major concern for agriculturally driven countries like India. Therefore, understanding the dynamics of water system of the country is prerequisite for assuring its sustainability. According to the GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellite data, the declining TWS (terrestrial water storage) trends are apparent in north and south of India during 2003-2016, while the Narmada river basin which is situated in the central west of the country, shows apparent increase of TWS. In this study, part of the Narmada river basin was chosen as the study site. The major occupation in the basin is agriculture, and hence, water is, in principle, consumed for irrigation. Between 2003 and 2016, the two dams (Indira Sagar dam (2005) and Omkareshwar dam (2008)) were constructed, and the resulting canal system was considered to highly influence water resources availability in the area. To understand the possible effects of the canal system on groundwater level behaviour, we chose the Maheshwar block as the study domain because of its simple canal system layout and single basaltic aquifer setting. The groundwater levels were analysed based on two situations, i.e., before and after canal construction. For the analysis, two distinct seasons, i.e., dry pre-monsoon and rainy monsoon seasons were also taken into account. In the block, the first canal was constructed by 2010, and second by 2013. Based on the extent of each Canal Command Area (CCA), the block was divided into two zones, Zone A (CCA under 1st canal) and Zone B (CCA under 2nd canal). Among the wells studied, five were located within Zone A. After the canal construction, on an average, about 2 m rise was observed in these well water levels, that is, about 2.45 m in pre-monsoon while 1.62 m in monsoon seasons, respectively. Similar analysis was performed for wells not located in CCA, and it was found that no recognizable change of the groundwater levels was observed. The changes in the land use land cover (LULC) pattern were studied using Landsat 5, Landsat 7 ETM+ and Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS imageries in the block. All the LULC maps were cross-checked with maps from National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), India, and these were consistent between each other. The expansion of the agricultural area was studied through 2003-2016. The cultivated area increased from about 8% before the operation of the canal to about 27% after operation in Zone A, whereas the increase was smaller in Zone B, that is, from 2% to around 11%. Based on the NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) obtained through Landsat images from different seasons, we also observed that cropping patterns have changed from fallow/single cropping to double/triple cropping after the introduction of canal system in both zones. Based on observations, available amount of water and groundwater storage have increased after canal operation compared with before the operation, and this may at least partly explain the reason why TWS has increased in this area.

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Prediction of runoff pollutant load considering characteristics of river basin

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.1996.0495 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 33 (4-5) ◽

pp. 117-126 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Atsushi Ichiki ◽

Kiyoshi Yamada ◽

Toshiyuki Ohnishi

Keyword(s):

Environmental Management ◽

Land Use ◽

River Basin ◽

River Basins ◽

Point Sources ◽

Pollutant Load ◽

Nonpoint Sources ◽

Macro Model ◽

Runoff Model ◽

Pollutant Runoff

The objectives of this study are to establish a runoff model and show profiles of pollutant runoff by simulating the change in runoff load with variance in the characteristics of river basins (i.e. population, urban area, rate of sewerage, etc.). The model, hereinafter referred to as “MACRO MODEL”, consists of three main sections. The first one shows pollutant runoff from point sources taking into consideration the sedimentation of pollutants in sewers. The second and third ones show pollutant runoff from nonpoint sources in an urban and rural area taking land use into consideration. Since it was proved that MACRO MODEL could simulate runoff load accurately enough to predict profiles of pollutant runoff, it has become possible to estimate the effect of characteristics of a river basin on pollutant runoff. As a result, some available knowledge concerned with the environmental management of water was obtained by using MACRO MODEL.

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Investigation of likely effects of land use planning on reduction of soil erosion rate in river basins: Case study of the Gharesoo River Basin

CATENA ◽

10.1016/j.catena.2018.04.026 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 167 ◽

pp. 116-129 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Azade Mehri ◽

Abdolrassoul Salmanmahiny ◽

Ali Reza Mikaeili Tabrizi ◽

Seyed Hamed Mirkarimi ◽

Amir Sadoddin

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

River Basin ◽

Land Use Planning ◽

Erosion Rate ◽

River Basins ◽

Soil Erosion Rate ◽

Effects Of Land Use

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The Long-Term Development of Water Bodies in the Context of Land Use: The Case of the Kyjovka and Trkmanka River Basins (Czech Republic)/ Dlouhodobý vývoj vodních ploch v povodí Kyjovky a Trkmanky v kontextu využití krajiny (Česká republika)

Moravian Geographical Reports ◽

10.1515/mgr-2014-0022 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 22 (4) ◽

pp. 39-50 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Marek Havlíček ◽

Renata Pavelková ◽

Jindřich Frajer ◽

Hana Skokanová

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

World War Ii ◽

Czech Republic ◽

River Basin ◽

Driving Forces ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

River Basins ◽

Water Bodies ◽

Land Use Development

Abstract The long-term development of water bodies is investigated in this article using the cases of two river basins with similar natural conditions: the Kyjovka and Trkmanka River Basins in the Czech Republic. Using old topographic maps, land use development was assessed and the analysis of driving forces of land use changes was carried out. The essential land use changes in these areas are connected with the processes of agricultural intensification and urbanisation. The largest area of water bodies was recorded in both river basins in 1763. In the second half of the 19th century, the disappearance of most water bodies in the two basins was significantly affected by the above-mentioned driving forces. After World War II, some of the water bodies in the Kyjovka River Basin were restored and new ponds were established. In contrast, no significant water bodies were restored in the Trkmanka River Basin.

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Simulated nitrogen leaching patterns and adaptation to climate change in two Finnish river basins with contrasting land use and climatic conditions

Hydrology Research ◽

10.2166/nh.2009.059 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 40 (2-3) ◽

pp. 177-186 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Katri Rankinen ◽

Pirkko Valpasvuo-Jaatinen ◽

Anni Karhunen ◽

Kaarle Kenttämies ◽

Suvi Nenonen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

River Basin ◽

Inorganic Nitrogen ◽

River Basins ◽

Water Protection ◽

Inorganic N ◽

Catchment Scale ◽

Protection Measures ◽

N Loading ◽

Different Sources

Inorganic nitrogen (N) loading was simulated by the catchment scale INCA-N model from two large river basins with contrasting land use. The main aim was to analyze the timing and origin of inorganic N loading and the effectiveness of different water protection methods. Predicted changes in precipitation and temperature increases the nutrient load from catchments to water bodies in future climate. The total inorganic N load from the forested Simojoki river basin located in northern Finland was about 5% of that from the Loimijoki river basin in south western Finland. In the Loimijoki river basin agriculture dominated inorganic N loading. When applying realistic water protection methods (limits on manure spreading) the simulated inorganic N load from the river basin decreased by 11%. With more drastic methods (no manure spreading + catch crop) a decrease up to 34% was achieved. In the Simojoki river basin there were several equally significant sources, so suitable combinations of different water protection measures would be the most efficient way to decrease the inorganic N load. As the inorganic N load may be composed of very different sources, depending on land use in the river basin, efficient allocation of water protection measures requires detailed analysis of different sources of loading.

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