Abstract
The water ecology of salt marshes plays a crucial role in climate regulation, industrial production, and flood control. Due to a poor understanding of water ecology and the extensive mining of salt resources, concerns are mounting about declining groundwater levels, shrinking salt marshes, and other problems associated with the simple yet extremely fragile water ecosystem of salt marshes in arid salt lake areas. This study assessed the ecological status of water resources in the downstream salt marsh area of West Taijinar Lake in the Qaidam Basin, China (2010-2018). Using data from a field investigation, the water ecosystem was divided into an ecological pressure subsystem, an environmental quality subsystem, and a socio-economic subsystem according to an analytic hierarchy process. Each subsystem was quantitatively assessed using the ecological footprint model, the single-factor index, and available data for the salt marsh area. The results showed that water resources were always in a surplus state during the study period, whose development and utilization had a safe status. Surface water had low plankton diversity with no evidence of eutrophication, but its Cl- and SO42- concentrations were too high for direct industrial water uses. Groundwater quality was classified into class V because of high salt concentrations, which could be considered for industrial use given the demand of industrial production. The socio-economic efficiency of water resources was high, as distinguished by decreased water consumption per 10,000 yuan GDP and excellent flood resistance. In conclusion, the ecological status of water resources was deemed good in the study area and this could help sustain regional development. However, since the water ecology in this area is mainly controlled by annual precipitation, it would be challenging to deal with the uneven distribution of precipitation and flood events and to make full use of them for groundwater recharge. This study provides insight into the impact of salt lake resource exploration on water ecology, and the results can be useful for the rational utilization of water resources in salt marshes in other arid areas.
Highlights
A salt marsh is a terrestrial ecosystem that is excessively wet or seasonally waterlogged, with saline soil and growing halophytes
This study provides insight into the impact of salt lake resource exploration on water ecology, and the results can be useful for the rational utilization of water resources in salt marshes in other arid areas
The development and utilization of water resources was in a safe state, with low ecological pressure
Summary
A salt marsh is a terrestrial ecosystem that is excessively wet or seasonally waterlogged, with saline soil and growing halophytes. Salt marshes are recognized worldwide for their various ecosystem services, including water quality improvement and carbon sequestration [1, 2]. They are present in a variety of environments, such as coasts, estuaries, arid or semi-arid steppes, salt lakes, and even deserts. Many salt marshes exist in the Bahıa Blanca Estuary in South America [3]. In China, salt marshes are mainly distributed on the Inner Mongolia Plateau and in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in an arid or semiarid climate, and on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau in an alpine climate [6, 7]. The largest contiguous area of salt marshes is found in the Qaidam Basin in southwest China [8]
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