Configuration of Submerged Plants for Plain River Networks Based on Transparency Improvement

Abstract

The configuration of submerged plants plays an important role in the restoration of river networks. In this study, the Sudong River, a typical plain river network in southern China, was selected for submerged plant configuration research to improve water transparency. Analysis of historical and field research data of Sudong River showed that most of the water was in a state of eutrophication. The main factors affecting transparency were water temperature, ammonia nitrogen, chlorophyll a, total phosphorus, and permanganate index, which were identified through correlation analysis using SPSS. Submerged plants are important for water ecological restoration, and a plant selection evaluation system was constructed to screen six suitable local submerged plants in Suzhou for ecological restoration based on secondary indicators divided into five segments. Each plant was evaluated and scored. Finally, a combination of three submerged plants, Ceratophyllum demersum, Watermifoil, and Foxtail algae, was selected based on their scores. This combination effectively improved the eutrophication status of water and increased water transparency while adhering to the laws of submerged plant succession and facilitating the construction of a stable aquatic ecosystem.