Abstract
Dongting Lake, the second largest freshwater lake in China, is well known for its rapid seasonal fluctuations in inundation extents in the middle reach of the Yangtze River, and it is also the lake most affected by the Three Gorges Project. Significant inter-annual and seasonal variations in flood inundations were observed from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) time-series imagery between 2000 and 2012 in the Dongting Lake. Results demonstrated that temporal changes in inundation extents derived from MODIS data were accordant with variations in annual and monthly precipitation and runoff data. Spatial and temporal dynamics of some related parameters of flood regime were analyzed as well, which included flood inundation probability, duration and start/end date of the annual largest flood. Large areas with high flood inundation probability were identified in 2000 and 2002, but relatively small regions with great flood inundation probability occurred in 2001, 2006, and 2011. Long flood durations were observed in 2000, 2002, 2008, 2010, and 2012, whereas short flood durations occurred in 2001, 2006, and 2011. Correlation analysis techniques were applied to explore spatial-temporal relationships between parameters associated with flood regime and wetland landscape patterns from 2000 to 2012. In addition, this paper presented comprehensive discussions on development of related parameters of flood regime and their influences on wetland landscape pattern after impoundment of the Three Gorges Reservoir, changes in wetland landscape patterns after the flood period, and the role of flooding in wetland evolution and vegetation succession. These results can provide scientific guidance and baseline data for wetland management and long-term monitoring of wetland ecological environment in the Dongting Lake.
Highlights
The mechanism of vegetation succession is a part of the most important theoretical foundations for wetland restoration and conservation, and has become a central issue of wetland science [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]. several factors influence the succession of wetland vegetation, hydrological conditions are the most significant and complicated elements [8,9]
Wetland hydrology is a major component of the wetland ecosystem, which primarily includes water-level fluctuation, flood inundation probability, hydro-period related variables, and sedimentary material
Our goal is to explore an efficient method to monitor changes in wetland vegetation patterns and to reflect modifications of the wetland environment resulting from the Three Gorges Project
Summary
The mechanism of vegetation succession is a part of the most important theoretical foundations for wetland restoration and conservation, and has become a central issue of wetland science [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]. several factors (such as soil nutrients and moisture, as well as the predation, competition, and promotion among wetland plants) influence the succession of wetland vegetation, hydrological conditions are the most significant and complicated elements [8,9]. Wetland hydrology is a major component of the wetland ecosystem, which primarily includes water-level fluctuation, flood inundation probability, hydro-period related variables (start time, duration, and end time of flood), and sedimentary material. The wetland landscape pattern can present spatial distribution of wetland landscape patches for adapting to hydrological processes at different levels [10]. The abovementioned water regimes are key factors for spatial differentiation of wetland landscape patterns, which exert pronounced influence on succession of wetland vegetation and benefits of wetland ecosystem [11,12,13], especially for lakes that experience obvious seasonal variations in inundation extents and those that are connected to large rivers.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
