Spatio-temporal dynamics of flood regulating ecosystem services in the Arno river basin, Italy

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Mori ◽  
Tommaso Pacetti ◽  
Luigia Brandimarte ◽  
Enrica Caporali
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Supply And Demand ◽  
Flood Management ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Retention Capacity

<p>Human activities can strongly influence the capacity of ecosystems to provide flood regulating ecosystem services (ES). Therefore, the effects of land use alteration, population migration and urbanization are key aspects to be considered when dealing with flood management. This study aims at analyzing the spatio‑temporal dynamics of flood regulating ES to support watershed management planning. The spatial explicit analysis of flood regulating ES is carried out with SWAT - Soil and Water Assessment Tool, using daily meteorological data between 2000 and 2014. Two indicators are elaborated in order to evaluate the retention capacity of each land use setting and to map the ES supply. Demand quantification is obtained from the information derived by the existing flood management plans (i.e. PAI-Piano per l’Assetto Idrogeologico and PGRA-Piano di Gestione del Rischio Alluvioni) which contain the identification and the perimeter of hydraulic hazard classes. Supply and demand data are then merged in order to obtain budget maps of flood regulating ES and their evolution from 1960 up to 2012 (1960, 1990, 2000 and 2012). The results show that both the demand and the supply of ecosystem services change during the time. With the increasing urbanization, the demand values have grown in the Arno floodplains, where residential, industrial and commercial zones are located. At the same time, land use changes (e.g. intensive agriculture) have caused negative effects on water regulation supply. This work shows the advantages of assessing flood regulating ES to improve flood regulation in the Arno river basin and provide a sound base of knowledge to identify floods prevention and mitigation measures.</p>

scholarly journals Modeling the supply, demand, and stress of water resources using ecosystem services concept in Sirvan River Basin (Kurdistan-Iran)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jahanbakhsh Balist ◽  
Bahram Malekmohammadi ◽  
Hamid Reza Jafari ◽  
Ahmad Nohegar ◽  
Davide Geneletti
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Water Scarcity ◽  
Supply And Demand ◽  
Stress Index ◽  
Water Yield ◽  
Yield Model ◽  
Software Environment

Abstract Water resources modeling can provide valuable information to planners. In this respect, water yield is an ecosystem service with significant roles in the sustainability of societies and ecosystems. The present study aimed to model the supply and demand of water resources and identify their scarcity and stress in the Sirvan river basin. For this purpose, we employed the ecosystem services concept as new thinking in earth sciences and using soil, climate, and land use data. Firstly, the Landsat satellite images of 2019 were prepared after different corrections, and the land use map was produced. Then, precipitation, evapotranspiration, root restricting layer depth, and evapotranspiration coefficients of the land uses were prepared and modeled in InVEST 3.8.9 software environment. The findings indicated that the water yield in this river basin is 5,381 million m3, with sub-basins 5, 11, and 1 having the highest water yield per year and sub-basin 2 having the lowest water yield. Moreover, sub-basins 5 and 11 had the highest water consumption. Based on the estimated water scarcity and stress index, sub-basin 8 has experienced water scarcity and sub-basin 4 water stress. We conclude that applying the InVEST Water Yield model to assess water resource status at the basin and sub-basins level can provide suitable results for planning.

scholarly journals Effects of Human Activities on Hydrological Components in the Yiluo River Basin in Middle Yellow River

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 689 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiujie Wang ◽  
Pengfei Zhang ◽  
Lüliu Liu ◽  
Dandan Li ◽  
Yanpeng Wang
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Hydrological Cycle ◽  
Yellow River ◽  
Delta Method ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Groundwater Exploitation ◽  
Hydrological Balance

Land use and land cover change (LUCC) and water resource utilization behavior and policy (WRUBAP) affect the hydrological cycle in different ways. Their effects on streamflow and hydrological balance components were analyzed in the Yiluo River Basin using the delta method and the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). The multivariable (runoff and actual evapotranspiration) calibration and validation method was used to reduce model uncertainty. LUCC impact on hydrological balance components (1976–2015) was evaluated through comparison of simulated paired land use scenarios. WRUBAP impact on runoff was assessed by comparing natural (simulated) and observed runoff. It showed that urban area reduction led to decreased groundwater, but increased surface runoff and increased water area led to increased evaporation. LUCC impact on annual runoff was found limited; for instance, the difference under the paired scenarios was <1 mm. Observed runoff was 34.7–144.1% greater than natural runoff during November–June because of WRUBAP. The effect of WRUBAP on wet season runoff regulation was limited before the completion of the Guxian Reservoir, whereas WRUBAP caused a reduction in natural runoff of 21.6–35.0% during the wet season (July–October) after its completion. The results suggest that WRUBAP has greater influence than LUCC on runoff in the Yiluo River Basin. Based on existing drought mitigation measures, interbasin water transfer measures and deep groundwater exploitation could reduce the potential for drought attributable to predicted future climate extremes. In addition to reservoir regulation, conversion of farmland to forestry in the upstream watershed could also reduce flood risk.

scholarly journals A Review of SWAT Model Application in Africa

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1313
Author(s):  
George Akoko ◽  
Tu Hoang Le ◽  
Takashi Gomi ◽  
Tasuku Kato
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Hydrological Modeling ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Swat Model ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Model Parameterization ◽  
Basin Scale

The soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) is a well-known hydrological modeling tool that has been applied in various hydrologic and environmental simulations. A total of 206 studies over a 15-year period (2005–2019) were identified from various peer-reviewed scientific journals listed on the SWAT website database, which is supported by the Centre for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD). These studies were categorized into five areas, namely applications considering: water resources and streamflow, erosion and sedimentation, land-use management and agricultural-related contexts, climate-change contexts, and model parameterization and dataset inputs. Water resources studies were applied to understand hydrological processes and responses in various river basins. Land-use and agriculture-related context studies mainly analyzed impacts and mitigation measures on the environment and provided insights into better environmental management. Erosion and sedimentation studies using the SWAT model were done to quantify sediment yield and evaluate soil conservation measures. Climate-change context studies mainly demonstrated streamflow sensitivity to weather changes. The model parameterization studies highlighted parameter selection in streamflow analysis, model improvements, and basin scale calibrations. Dataset inputs mainly compared simulations with rain-gauge and global rainfall data sources. The challenges and advantages of the SWAT model’s applications, which range from data availability and prediction uncertainties to the model’s capability in various applications, are highlighted. Discussions on considerations for future simulations such as data sharing, and potential for better future analysis are also highlighted. Increased efforts in local data availability and a multidimensional approach in future simulations are recommended.

scholarly journals Assessing Matching Characteristics and Spatial Differences between Supply and Demand of Ecosystem Services: A Case Study in Hangzhou, China

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 582
Author(s):  
Peng Tian ◽  
Jialin Li ◽  
Luodan Cao ◽  
Ruiliang Pu ◽  
Hongbo Gong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Urban Area ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Soil Conservation ◽  
Supply And Demand ◽  
Water Yield ◽  
Western Region ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Carbon Retention

Ecosystem services (ESs) is a term used to describe the foundations of the well-being of human society, and several relevant studies have been carried out in this area. However, given the fact that the complex trade-offs/synergy relationships of ESs are a challenging area, studies on matching mechanisms for ES supply and demand are still rare. In this study, using the InVEST model, ArcGIS, and other professional tools, we first mapped and quantitatively evaluated the supply and demand of five ES types (water yield, soil conservation, carbon retention, food supply, and leisure and entertainment) in Hangzhou, China, based on land use, meteorology, soil, and socio-economic data. Then, we analyzed the matching characteristics between the supply and demand of these ESs and analyzed the complex trade-offs and synergy between the supply and demand of ESs and factors affecting ESs. The results of this analysis indicate that although the ES supply and demand of carbon retention tended to be out of balance (supply was less than demand), the supply and demand of the other four ES types (i.e., water yield, soil conservation, food supply, and leisure and entertainment) were in balance (supply exceeded demand). Finally, the spatial heterogeneity of the supply and demand of ESs in Hangzhou was significant, especially in urban areas in the northeast and mountainous areas in the southwest. The supply of ESs was based on trade-offs, whereas the demand of ESs was based on synergy. Our results further show that the supply and demand of ESs in the urban area in Hangzhou were out of balance, whereas the supply and demand of ESs in the western region were coordinated. Therefore, the linkage of ES flows between this urban area and the western region should be strengthened. This innovative study could provide useful information for regional land use planning and environmental protection.

scholarly journals Spatial Pattern Analysis of a Water-Related Ecosystem Service and Evaluation of the Grassland-Carrying Capacity of the Heihe River Basin under Land Use Change

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (19) ◽  
pp. 2658
Author(s):  
Rui Luo ◽  
Shiliang Yang ◽  
Yang Zhou ◽  
Pengqun Gao ◽  
Tianming Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Carrying Capacity ◽  
Animal Husbandry ◽  
Heihe River Basin ◽  
Heihe River ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Heihe River Basin

A key challenge to the sustainability and security of grassland capacity is the protection of water-related ecosystem services (WESs). With the change of land use, the supply of aquatic ecosystem services has changed, and the grassland-carrying capacity has been affected. However, the correlation mechanism between WESs and the grassland-carrying capacity is not clear. In this study, we used the InVEST(Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs) model to evaluate the impact of land-use change on WESs, and made a tradeoff analysis between WESs and grassland-carrying capacity. Considering that the Heihe River Basin (HRB) was an important grassland vegetation zone, which was a milestone for the development of animal husbandry in China, HRB was taken as a case. The main findings are as follows: (1) the spatial distribution of WESs shows the dissimilation rule, the upper reaches are the main water yield area, the soil retention is weakening in the middle and lower reaches, and the pollution has further increased in the middle and upper reaches. (2) The carrying capacity of animal husbandry decreased in the upper reaches, increased in Shandan County and Zhangye City in the middle reaches, and decreased sharply in other regions. (3) There was a positive correlation between the livestock-carrying capacity and nitrogen export in 2018, which was increasing. As the change of land use has changed the evapotranspiration structure, WESs have undergone irreversible changes. Meanwhile, the development of large-scale irrigated farmland and human activities would be the source of a further intensification of regional soil erosion and water pollution. Therefore, it is necessary to trade off the WESs and animal husbandry under land-use change. This paper revealed how WESs changed from 2000 to 2018, the characteristics of the changes in the spatial and temporal distribution, and the carrying capacity. It aims to provide a scientific basis for coordinating the contradiction between grassland and livestock resources, improving the regional ecological security situation, and carrying out ecosystem management.

scholarly journals Integrating Strategic Environmental Assessment to Climate Change Adaption in the Chao Phraya River Basin: Case Study Flood Management Plans in Ayutthaya

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. p55
Author(s):  
Wilawan Boonsri Prathaithep ◽  
Vilas Nitivattananon
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Environmental Assessment ◽  
Flood Risk ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Flood Management ◽  
Integrated System ◽  
Strategic Environmental Assessment ◽  
Human Environment ◽  
Impacts Of Climate Change

Traditionally, flood management has concentrated on providing protection against floods using technical measures, but there is currently an international shift towards a more integrated system of flood risk management, whereby flood risk is defined as the probability of flooding multiplied by the potential consequences. Climate change is a great challenge to sustainable development and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Thailand. The main purpose of this paper is to highlight the challenges associated with the current situation and projected impacts of climate change on the disasters and the human environment in Thailand, to review and explore the potential of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), and to propose SEA in making informed decisions relevant to the implementation of the new adaptation framework in a flood management plan. Thus, current measures on how Thailand is responding to the recent impacts of climate change in river basin planning are presented. It is imperative that an appropriate environmental assessment tool, such as SEA be employed in making rational decisions regarding adaptation frameworks. SEA offers a structured and proactive environmental tool for integrating of climate change adaption into formulating Policies, Plans, and Programs (PPPs) among relevant sectors.

Geo-Informatics for Land Use and Biodiversity Studies

2011 ◽  
pp. 52-77
Author(s):  
P. K. Joshi ◽  
Neena Priyanka
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Holistic Understanding ◽  
Global Positioning ◽  
Geospatial Tools ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Impact On Biodiversity

The dynamics of land use/land cover (LU/LC) is a manifestation of the cyclic correlation among the kind and magnitude of causes, impacts, responses and resulting ecological processes of the ecosystem. Thus, the holistic understanding of the complex mechanisms that control LU/LC requires synergetic adoption of measurement approaches, addressing issues, and identifying drivers of change and state of art technologies for mitigation measures. As the spatio-temporal heterogeneity of the LU/LC increases, its impact on biodiversity becomes even more difficult to anticipate. Thus, in order to understand the spatio-temporal dynamics of change in landscape and its relationship to biodiversity, it is necessary to reliably identify and quantify the indicators of change. In addition, it is also important to have better understanding of the technologies and techniques that serve as complimentary tool for land mitigation and conservation planning. Against this background, the chapter aims to synthesize LU/LC studies worldwide and their impacts on biodiversity. This chapter explores identification and analysis of key natural, socio-economic and regulatory drivers for LU/LC. Finally, it attempts to collate some LU/LC studies involving usage of geospatial tools, such as satellite remote sensing, Geographic Information System (GIS), Global Positioning System (GPS), and integrative tools, besides conventional approaches that could assist decision makers, land managers, stakeholders and researchers in better management and formulation of conservation strategies based on scientific grounds.

scholarly journals 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

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1072 ◽  
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.

scholarly journals Agricultural land use and cover change in the Cerrado/Amazon ecotone: A case study of the upper Teles Pires River basin

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 168-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Paula Sousa Rodrigues ZAIATZ ◽  
Cornélio Alberto ZOLIN ◽  
Laurimar Goncalves VENDRUSCULO ◽  
Tarcio Rocha LOPES ◽  
Janaina PAULINO
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Direct Conversion ◽  
Landsat 8 ◽  
Error Matrix ◽  
Mato Grosso ◽  
Land Use And Cover

ABSTRACT The upper Teles Pires River basin is a key hydrological resource for the state of Mato Grosso, but has suffered rapid land use and cover change. The basin includes areas of Cerrado biome, as well as transitional areas between the Amazon and Cerrado vegetation types, with intensive large-scale agriculture widely-spread throughout the region. The objective of this study was to explore the spatial and temporal dynamics of land use and cover change from 1986 to 2014 in the upper Teles Pires basin using remote sensing and GIS techniques. TM (Thematic Mapper) and TIRS (Thermal Infrared Sensor) sensor images aboard the Landsat 5 and Landsat 8, respectively, were employed for supervised classification using the “Classification Workflow” in ENVI 5.0. To evaluate classification accuracy, an error matrix was generated, and the Kappa, overall accuracy, errors of omission and commission, user accuracy and producer accuracy indexes calculated. The classes showing greatest variation across the study period were “Agriculture” and “Rainforest”. Results indicated that deforested areas are often replaced by pasture and then by agriculture, while direct conversion of forest to agriculture occured less frequently. The indices with satisfactory accuracy levels included the Kappa and Global indices, which showed accuracy levels above 80% for all study years. In addition, the producer and user accuracy indices ranged from 59-100% and 68-100%, while the errors of omission and commission ranged from 0-32% and 0-40.6%, respectively.

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