Jianhua Si

Water use sources of desert riparian Populus euphratica forests

Desert riparian forests are the main body of natural oases in the lower reaches of inland rivers; its growth and distribution are closely related to water use sources. However, how does the desert riparian forest obtains a stable water source and which water sources it uses to effectively avoid or overcome water stress to survive? This paper describes an analysis of the water sources, using the stable oxygen isotope technique and the linear mixed model of the isotopic values and of desert riparian Populus euphratica forests growing at sites with different groundwater depths and conditions. The results showed that the main water source of Populus euphratica changes from water in a single soil layer or groundwater to deep subsoil water and groundwater as the depth of groundwater increases. This appears to be an adaptive selection to arid and water-deficient conditions and is a primary reason for the long-term survival of P. euphratica in the desert riparian forest of an extremely arid region. Water contributions from the various soil layers and from groundwater differed and the desert riparian P. euphratica forests in different habitats had dissimilar water use strategies.

Identification and Evolution of Groundwater Chemistry in the Ejin Sub-Basin of the Heihe River, Northwest China

Hydro-chemical characteristics of groundwater and their changes as affected by human activities were studied in the Ejin Sub-Basin of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China, to understand the groundwater evolution, to identify the predominant geochemical processes taking place along the horizontal groundwater flow path, and to characterize anthropogenic factors affecting the groundwater environment based on previous data. The concentrations of major ions and total dissolved solids (TDS) in the groundwater showed a great variation, with 62.5% of the samples being brackish (TDS≥1000 mg L^(-1)). The groundwater system showed a gradual hydro-chemical zonation composed of Na(superscript +)-HCO(superscript – subscript 3), Na(superscript +)-Mg(superscript 2+)-SO(superscript 2 subscript 4)-Cl(superscript -), and Na(superscript +)-Cl(superscript -). The relationships among the dissolved species allowed identification of the origin of solutes and the processes that generated the observed water compositions. The dissolution of halite, dolomite, and gypsum explained, in part, the presence of Na(superscript +), K(superscript +), Cl(superscript -), SO(superscript 2- subscript 4), and Ca(superscript 2+), but other processes, such as mixing, Na(superscript +) exchange for Ca(superscript 2+) and Mg(superscript 2+), and calcite precipitation also contributed to the composition of water. Human activity, in particular large-scale water resources development associated with dramatic population growth in the last 50 years, has led to tremendous changes in the groundwater regime, which reflected in surface water runoff change, decline of groundwater table and degeneration of surface water and groundwater quality. Solving these largely anthropogenic problems requires concerted, massive and long-term efforts.

Support-Vector-Machine-Based Models for Modeling Daily Reference Evapotranspiration With Limited Climatic Data in Extreme Arid Regions

Evapotranspiration is a major factor that controls hydrological process and its accurate estimation provides valuable information for water resources planning and management, particularly in extremely arid regions. The objective of this research was to evaluate the use of a support vector machine (SVM) to model daily reference evapotranspiration (ET0) using limited climatic data. For the SVM, four combinations of maximum air temperature (Tmax), minimum air temperature (Tmin), wind speed (U2) and daily solar radiation (Rs) in the extremely arid region of Ejina basin, China, were used as inputs with Tmax and Tmin as the base data set. The results of SVM models were evaluated by comparing the output with the ET0 calculated using Penman–Monteith FAO 56 equation (PMF-56). We found that the ET0 estimated using SVM with limited climatic data was in good agreement with those obtained using the conventional PMF-56 equation employing the full complement of meteorological data. In particular, three climatic parameters, Tmax, Tmin, and Rs were enough to predict the daily ET0 satisfactorily. Moreover, the performance of SVM method was also compared with that of artificial neural network (ANN) and three empirical models including Priestley-Taylor, Hargreaves, and Ritchie. The results showed that the performance of SVM method was the best among these models. This offers significant potential for more accurate estimation of the ET0 with scarce data in extreme arid regions.

Patterns, magnitude, and controlling factors of hydraulic redistribution of soil water by Tamarix ramosissima roots

Tamarix spp. (Saltcedar) is a facultative phreatophyte that can tolerate drought when groundwater is not accessed. In addition to deep water uptake, hydraulic redistribution (HR) is another factor contributing to the drought tolerance of Tamarix spp. In this study, data on soil volumetric moisture content (θ), lateral root sap flow, and relevant climate variables were used to investigate the patterns, magnitude, and controlling factors of HR of soil water by roots of Tamarix ramosissima Ledeb. in an extremely arid land in Northwest China. Results showed evident diurnal fluctuations in θ at the depths of 30 and 50 cm, indicating “hydraulic lift” (HL). θ increased remarkably at 10 and 140 cm but decreased at 30 and 50 cm and slightly changed at 80 cm after rainfall, suggesting a possible “hydraulic descent” (HD). However, no direct evidence was observed in the negative flow of lateral roots, supporting HR (including HL and HD) of T. ramosissima. The HR pathway unlikely occurred via lateral roots; instead, HR possibly occurred through adventitious roots with a diameter of 2–5 mm and a length of 60–100 cm. HR at depths of 20–60 cm ranged from 0.01–1.77 mm/d with an average of 0.43 mm/d, which accounted for an average of 22% of the estimated seasonal total water depletion at 0–160 cm during the growing season. The climate factors, particularly vapor pressure deficit and soil water potential gradient, accounted for at least 33% and 45% of HR variations with depths and years, respectively. In summary, T. ramosissima can be added to the wide list of existing species involved in HR. High levels of HR may represent a considerable fraction of daily soil water depletion and substantially improve plant water status. HR could vary tremendously in terms of years and depths, and this variation could be attributed to climate factors and soil water potential gradient.

Identifying separate impacts of climate and land use/cover change on hydrological processes in upper stream of Heihe River, Northwest China

&NA; Climate change and land use/cover change (LUCC) are two factors that produce major impacts on hydrological processes. Understanding and quantifying their respective influence is of great importance for water resources management and socioeconomic activities as well as policy and planning for sustainable development. In this study, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was calibrated and validated in upper stream of the Heihe River in Northwest China. The reliability of the SWAT model was corroborated in terms of the Nash‐Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE), the correlation coefficient (R), and the relative bias error (BIAS). The findings proposed a new method employing statistical separation procedures using a physically based modeling system for identifying the individual impacts of climate change and LUCC on hydrology processes, in particular on the aspects of runoff and evapotranspiration (ET). The results confirmed that SWAT was a powerful and accurate model for diagnosis of a key challenge facing the Heihe River Basin. The model assessment metrics, NSE, R, and BIAS, in the data were 0.91%, 0.95%, and 1.14%, respectively, for the calibration period and 0.90%, 0.96%, and −0.15%, respectively, for the validation period. An assessment of climate change possibility showed that precipitation, runoff, and air temperature exhibited upward trends with a rate of 15.7 mm, 6.1 mm, and 0.38 °C per decade for the 1980 to 2010 period, respectively. Evaluation of LUCC showed that the changes in growth of vegetation, including forestland, grassland, and the shrub area have increased gradually while the barren area has decreased. The integrated effects of LUCC and climate change increased runoff and ET values by 3.2% and 6.6% of the total runoff and ET, respectively. Climate change outweighed the impact of LUCC, thus showing respective increases in runoff and ET of about 107.3% and 81.2% of the total changes. The LUCC influence appeared to be modest by comparison and showed about −7.3% and 18.8% changes relative to the totals, respectively. The increase in runoff caused by climate change factors is more than the offsetting decreases resulting from LUCC. The outcomes of this study show that the climate factors accounted for the notable effects more significantly than LUCC on hydrological processes in the upper stream of the Heihe River.

Public perception of an ecological rehabilitation project in inland river basins in northern China: Success or failure

The need for environmental protection challenges societies to deal with difficult problems because strategies designed by scientists to protect the environment often create negative effects on impoverished local residents. We investigated the effects of Chinas national and regional policies related to environmental protection and rehabilitation projects in inland river basins, by studying the effect of projects in the Heihe and Shiyang river basins, in northwest China. Interviews and surveys were conducted at 30 sites in the lower reaches of these two arid basins, an area that has experienced severe ecological degradation. The survey results show the ecological rehabilitation projects adversely affected the livelihoods of 70.35% of foresters, 64.89% of farmers and 62.24% of herders in the Minqing region in the lower Shiyang River Basin; also, the projects negatively affected 51.9% of residents in the Ejin Qi in the lower Heihe River Basin. This caused 16.33% of foresters, 39.90% of farmers and 45.32% of herders in the Minqing region to not support the project and 37.5% of residents in the Ejin Qi region said they will deforest and graze again after the project ends. The negative impacts of the policies connected to the projects cause these attitudes. The projects prohibit felling and grazing and require residents to give up groundwater mining; this results in a great amount of uncompensated economic loss to them. Extensive survey data document the concerns of local residents, concerns that are supported by the calculation of actual incomes. In addition, the surveys results show poorer interviewees believe the projects greatly affected their livelihoods. While citizens in this region support environment protection work, the poor require considerable assistance if one expects them to support this type of work. Governmental assistance can greatly improve their living conditions, and hence encourage them to participate in and support the implementation of the projects within and outside the districts where they live.

Non-growing season soil CO2 efflux and its changes in an alpine meadow ecosystem of the Qilian Mountains, Northwest China

Most soil respiration measurements are conducted during the growing season. In tundra and boreal forest ecosystems, cumulative, non-growing season soil CO2 fluxes are reported to be a significant component of these systems’ annual carbon budgets. However, little information exists on soil CO2 efflux during the non-growing season from alpine ecosystems. Therefore, comparing measurements of soil respiration taken annually versus during the growing season will improve the accuracy of estimating ecosystem carbon budgets, as well as predicting the response of soil CO2 efflux to climate changes. In this study, we measured soil CO2 efflux and its spatial and temporal changes for different altitudes during the non-growing season in an alpine meadow located in the Qilian Mountains, Northwest China. Field experiments on the soil CO2 efflux of alpine meadow from the Qilian Mountains were conducted along an elevation gradient from October 2010 to April 2011. We measured the soil CO2 efflux, and analyzed the effects of soil water content and soil temperature on this measure. The results show that soil CO2 efflux gradually decreased along the elevation gradient during the non-growing season. The daily variation of soil CO2 efflux appeared as a single-peak curve. The soil CO2 efflux was low at night, with the lowest value occurring between 02:00–06:00. Then, values started to rise rapidly between 07:00–08:30, and then descend again between 16:00–18:30. The peak soil CO2 efflux appeared from 11:00 to 16:00. The soil CO2 efflux values gradually decreased from October to February of the next year and started to increase in March. Non-growing season Q10 (the multiplier to the respiration rate for a 10°C increase in temperature) was increased with raising altitude and average Q10 of the Qilian Mountains was generally higher than the average growing season Q10 of the Heihe River Basin. Seasonally, non-growing season soil CO2 efflux was relatively high in October and early spring and low in the winter. The soil CO2 efflux was positively correlated with soil temperature and soil water content. Our results indicate that in alpine ecosystems, soil CO2 efflux continues throughout the non-growing season, and soil respiration is an important component of annual soil CO2 efflux.

Relationships between foliar carbon isotope discrimination with potassium concentration and ash content of the riparian plants in the extreme arid region of China

Carbon isotope discrimination (Δ) has been proposed as an indirect estimation criterion for water use efficiency in C3 plants. Because of the higher cost for Δ analysis, ash content or K concentration has been proposed as an alternative criterion for Δ in many species. In five typical habitats of the extreme arid Ejina desert oasis in northwest of China, the seasonal variations of foliar δ, ash content, and potassium (K) concentration were researched in two constructive desert riparian plants (Populus euphratica Olivier, Tamarix ramosissima Ledeb). The correlations of foliar Δ with ash content and K concentration in both species were also examined to evaluate the feasibility of the foliar ash content and K concentration as surrogates of Δ in P. euphratica and T. ramosissima. Results showed that there were significant effects of plant species, habitats and growth season on foliar Δ, ash content, and K concentration. Foliar Δ and K concentration in P. euphratica were significantly higher than those in T. ramosissima, whereas, the ash content was reverse. Among habitats, the trends of δ signatures in both P. euphratica and T. ramosissima were similar, δ values and ash content in both species were the lowest in the dune. Both in the Gobi and dune sites, K concentration in P. euphratica and T. ramosissima was different. In the whole growth period, foliar Δ values and ash content in both species were gradually increased, but K concentration was decreased. Ash content was significantly and positively related to δ in both P. euphratica and T. ramosissima. However, significantly negative correlations between foliar δ and K concentration as well as between ash content and K in P. euphratica were found. In T. ramosissima, the relationship was positive but very weak.

Microclimatic characteristics of the Heihe oasis in the hyperarid zone of China

The microclimate of a desert oasis in hyperarid zone of China was monitored using micrometeorological methods and compared with those of areas adjacent to forested land. Differences in ground-level photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) on clear, cloudy and dust storm days and their subtending causes are analysed and discussed. Desert oases serve the ecological functions of altering solar radiation, adjusting near-ground and land surface temperatures, reducing soil temperature differences, lowering wind velocity, and increasing soil and atmospheric humidity. The total solar radiation in the interior of the oasis was roughly half of that outside a forest canopy. During the growing season, air temperatures in Populus euphratica Oliv. (poplar) and Tamarix ramosissima Ledeb. (tamarisk) forests were 1.62 °C and 0.83 °C lower respectively than those in the areas around the forests. Furthermore, the taller the forest cover, the greater the temperature drops; air temperatures in the upper storey were greater than those in the lower storey, i.e., air temperature rose with increasing height. Over the growing season, the relative humidities of the air in the poplar and tamarisk forests were 8.5% and 4.2% higher respectively than those in areas around the forests. Mean wind velocity in poplar-forested lands was 0.33 m s−1, 2.31 m s−1 lower than that in the surrounding area. During dust storm days the PAR was significantly lower than that on cloudy or clear days, when it was high and varied in an irregular manner.

Response of Populus euphratica Oliv. sap flow to environmental variables for a desert riparian forest in the Heihe River Basin, Northwest China

Being an important desert riparian forest in the lower reaches of the Heihe River Basin, Populus euphratica Oliv. forest functions as a natural barrier in maintaining and preserving the stability of local oases. Accordingly, accurately estimating the water use of P. euphratica is important for vegetation protection and water resource allocation. To date, little data are available for evaluating the hysteretic effects between sap flow and environmental variables, and for estimating the water use of desert riparian forest. In this study, we measured the sap flow velocity (Vs) of P. euphratica using the heat ratio method during the growing season of 2012. Based on the response of Vs to solar radiation (Rs) and vapor pressure deficit (VPD), we estimated the hourly Vs and daily Vs using the multivariable linear regression and a modified Jarvis-Stewart (JS) model, respectively. Hysteretic response of Rs to environmental variables was then evaluated using a sap flow model. We found the thresholds of Rs responses to Rs and VPD at both hourly and daily scales during the growing season, and successfully estimated the seasonal variations of hourly Rs and daily Rs using the JS model. At an hourly scale, the maximum Rs occurred earlier than the maximum VPD by approximately 0.5 h but later than the maximum Rs by approximate 1.0 h. At a daily scale, the maximum Rs lagged behind the maximum VPD by approximately 2.5 h while occurred earlier than the maximum Rs by approximately 2 h. However, hysteretic response of Vs was weakened when Rs and VPD were measured together using the JS model at both hourly and daily scales. Consequently, short-term and intensive field campaigns, where Vs and environmental variables can be measured, may be used to estimate short-run sap flow and stand transpiration using only two environmental variables.