Wang Zhongjing

A Harmonious Water Rights Allocation Model for Shiyang River Basin, Gansu Province, China

This paper summarizes water rights allocation principles based on the experience of international and domestic water rights allocation, and presents a water rights allocation model based on the principles of security, sustainability, fairness and efficiency. Applying the model to the Shiyang River Basin in Gansu Province, China, surface water and the groundwater rights in the basin are defined and allocated for current and future years. A comparison between allocation results from this study and water allocation plans set out in the “Focus Restoration Plan of Shiyang River Basin” demonstrates that water allocation based on current levels and patterns of water use is relatively straightforward, but that defining and allocating rights according to future demands and management needs is more uncertain. Nevertheless, to address the serious problem of water resource over-exploitation in the Shiyang River Basin, an initial water rights allocation based on future projections of planned water use is proposed. This will help support water conservation efforts in areas such as Minqin County, a downstream area of the Shiyang River where water resources degradation is particularly severe.

Study on the holistic model for water resources system

Based on the Theory of Complex Adaptive System developed recently, a holistic model for water resources system is established at the basin level for analyzing water resources management and allocation of the basin. In this holistic model framework, the subsystems of the water resources system, including hydrologic components, agricultural and industrial production, human living, ecosystem and enviorenment are combined in a dynamic connection with inner variables. According to the characteristics of the holistic model framework, a nesting genetic arithmetic is employed to solve the nonlinear optimal model. The model is applied in the Yellow River basin to analyze the rational amount of diversion water for the West Line of Water Transfer Project form South China to North China and its marginal benifit.

A Water Rights Constitution for Hangjin Irrigation District, Inner Mongolia, China

In order to supply water for growing industrial needs in Ordos City, Hangjin Irrigation District on the south bank of the Yellow River, Inner Mongolia has traded some of its irrigation water to downstream factories. The trading is termed “irrigation water-saving supported by industrial investment, with saved water traded to industry”. At the same time, Hangjin Irrigation District has conducted a comprehensive reform of irrigation water management focused on water rights. This paper describes the current status of water management in the district, outlines some of the problems water trading has produced, and presents a framework for further water rights reform focused on rights allocation, the granting of volumetrically-capped water certificates and tickets, water use planning and monitoring, and the responsibilities of water user associations in ensuring that individual farmers receive fair allocations. The paper then summarizes key recommendations of relevance to Hangjin and other irrigation districts in China.

Theory and model of water resources complex adaptive allocation system

Complex adaptive system theory is a new and important embranchment of system science, which provides a new thought to research water resources allocation system. Based on the analysis of complexity and complex adaptive mechanism of water resources allocation system, a fire-new analysis model is presented in this paper. With the description of dynamical mechanism of system, behavior characters of agents and the evaluation method of system status, an integrity research system is built to analyse the evolvement rule of water resources allocation system. And a brief research for the impact of water resources allocation in beneficial regions of the Water Transfer from South to North China Project is conducted.Complex adaptive system theory is a new and important embranchment of system science, which provides a new thought to research water resources allocation system. Based on the analysis of complexity and complex adaptive mechanism of water resources allocation system, a fire-new analysis model is presented in this paper. With the description of dynamical mechanism of system, behavior characters of agents and the evaluation method of system status, an integrity research system is built to analyse the evolvement rule of water resources allocation system. And a brief research for the impact of water resources allocation in beneficial regions of the Water Transfer from South to North China Project is conducted.

Groundwater Chemistry in the Badain Jaran Desert Region of China

The comparative chemistry of surface and subsurface waters and their geographical distribution in the Badain Jaran Desert of northwestern China, was assessed through field sampling. The chemical properties of the phreatic water fraction showed the recharge from atmospheric precipitation to be significant; however, the temporary runoff can only recharge groundwater in the desert margins. While montane bedrock fissure water plays an important role in recharging groundwater in the piedmont alluvial-diluvial layers, its contribution to that of the desert interior is very limited. Artesian water recharges shallow groundwater through the scuttles, particularly in interdune lands. Water quality ranges from 1.0-1.5 g L^-1 at the top of sand mountains to 1.5-2.0 g L^-1, or even above 10 g L^-1 in lakes of interdune lands. Between these locations water chemistry shifts from HCO₃ ^--SO₄ ^2--Cl^--Na⁺ to Cl^--SO₄ ^2--HCO₃ ^--Na⁺. The more soluble Cl^--Na⁺ accumulates in the topsoil layer, while insoluble bicarbonates accumulate in deeper layers, resulting in a vertical zonation. Strongly, slightly and very weakly salinized zones form at depths of 3-6 m, 10-12 m, and 15m, respectively. In the Bayinnuer area, the salinity of shallow (0.5-10 m) and deep (20-80 m) wells were 1.74 g L^-1 and 1.39 g L^-1, respectively, their water chemistries Cl^--SO₄ ^2--HCO₃ ^- and HCO₃ ^--SO₄ ^2--Cl^-, respectively, and their total hardness 32.9 German degrees for both. The existence of low salinity water or even freshwater beneath the shallower highly saline groundwater is significant in terms of the development and use of arid water resources in this arid region.

Microclimatic Characteristics of the Heihe Oasis in the Hyperarid Zone of China

The microclimate of a desert oasis in hyper-arid 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 1.62degC and 0.83degC 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 that 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 on cloudy or clear days, when it was high and varied in an irregular manner.

LUCC and its impact on water environment in middle and lower reaches of Liaohe River

On the basis of two Liaoning Province remote sensing-based soil erosion survey and national water resources investigation and assessment, the change process for land use and cover has been analyzed by adopting landscape ecology method under the support of remote sensing and GIS in the middle and lower reaches of Liao River Basin. GIS spatial processing method and hydrological method are adopted to analyze the effect of land use change on water quantity and water quality. The results show that the change of land use in the middle and lower reaches of Liaohe River aggravates the soil erosion and that addes sediment transport content under the condition of same discharge and runoff; the increase on fertilizers and pesticides leads to the augment on nitrogen content; the change of land use and cover in the middle and lower reaches of Liaohe River brings about the change of evaportranspiration under different vegetation types; thus further changes the runoff-producing in the basin