Jie Zhou

Modeling the interaction of urbanization and surface water quality environment

Urbanization often causes environmental degradation and harms human health in developing countries. The study aims to develop a predictive model to investigate the interaction between urbanization and surface water quality. By using remote sensing image interpretation techniques, the dynamic of urban expansion in land use and land utility is qualitatively described. Spatial patterns of surface water quality are evaluated by using a Geographic Information System tool (ArcView [GIS 3.2, ESRI, Redlands, CA, USA]) based on field samples and laboratory measurements. Based on social welfare maximization theory, the urban expansion model is developed to simulate surface water environmental response to urbanization related to different socioeconomic situations. The model is applied as a case study in Xian, China, from 1996 to 2003. The simulated result indicates that Xian would delay the completion of its urbanization process until after 2021. The model is proved to be theoretically and practically valuable for environmental fate assessment to determine relationship between water pollutants and the environmental factors. In this context, the information presented here may be useful in environmental forensic investigations involving multiple sources and complex urban settings.

Historical water level change of Lake Weishan in East China from 1758–1902 AD: relationship with the flooding of the Yellow River

In order to understand high-resolution environmental changes, historical water level changes on decadal and centennial scales have been conventionally analyzed employing documentary records and lake sediments. However, annual records are still limited. Here we report the discovery of water level observations (up to monthly) in the historical literature of the Qing Dynasty (1644–1912 AD). We reconstruct the chronologies of annual mean, maximum and minimum water level changes of Lake Weishan from 1758–1902 AD. The chronologies are compared with the precipitation data (dryness/wetness index data) of four stations in the vicinity of Lake Weishan (i.e., Heze, Jinan, Linyi and Xuzhou). We suggest that the annual water level changes are related to the amount of precipitation at the four stations. In addition, the flooding of the Yellow River significantly affects Lake Weishan, always resulting in extremely high annual mean, maximum and minimum water levels in the lake. The flooding in 1871 and 1873 AD even destroyed the banks between Lake Weishan-Zhaoyang-Nanyang and Lake Dushan, thus forming a united lake. In particular, we identify a high water level interval from 1851–1855 AD, just prior to the Yellow River channel change event in 1855 AD.