The potential of integrating landscape, geochemical and economical indices to analyze watershed ecological environment

Huan Yu,Bo Kong,Zheng-Wei He,Guangxing Wang,Qing Wang

doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2019.124298

Abstract

A river watershed is a complex ecosystem, and its spatial structure and temporal dynamics are driven by various natural factors such as soil properties and topographic features, human activities, and their interactions. In this study, we explored the characteristics of the ecosystem and environment of watershed by analyzing and modeling the relationships among socio-economic indices, heavy metal elements and landscape metrics. Landsat 8 data were used to generate a land cover classification map and to derive landscape pattern indices. Governmental finance statistics yearbook data were referred to provide socio-economic indices. Moreover, 9 samples were collected from the upstream to the downstream to obtain the values of heavy metal concentrations in the water body. Then, both correlation and regression analyses were applied to analyze and model the relationships among these indices. The results of this study showed that 1) The ecological status and process (social economy, land cover, water and soil pollution) of this river watershed could be explained by analyzing the relationships among the socio-economic indices, heavy metal elements and landscape pattern indices selected based on correlation analysis; 2) The accumulated socio-economic indices were significantly correlated with Al, Fe and Ni and should be applied to the integrated assessment of the watershed ecological environment; 3) Cu, Zn and Pb were the main elements that showed significant correlations with the forest land; 4) Some landscape patterns indices such as Total Area (TA) and Effective Mesh Size (MESH) could be used to the integrated assessment of the watershed characteristics because of their strong correlations with the area (or area percentage) of important landscape types; and 5) transportation land had a close relationship with per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This study implied that analyzing and modeling the relationships among the socio-economic indices, heavy metal elements and landscape pattern indices can provide a powerful tool for characterizing the ecosystem of the river watershed and useful guidelines for the watershed management and sustainable development.

Highlights

The challenge of balancing human needs for water with environmental sustainability has come to a head in river systems, where various management plans to conserve and manage the ecosystems have been thrown into a turmoil
This study led to following findings: 1) The ecological status and process of the watershed could be explained by analyzing the relationships among the economic indices, heavy metal elements and landscape pattern indices selected based on correlation analysis; 2) The accumulated economic indices than the economic indices themselves were more significantly correlated with most of the heavy metal elements and should be applied to the integrated assessment of the watershed ecological environment
This conforms to the assembling characteristics of the elements in the river from the upstream to the downstream (Cortecci et al 2009; Li and Zhang 2010; Taylor et al 2012; Yang et al 2014; Bu et al 2016); 3) Some landscape patterns indices such as Shannon’s Diversity Index (SHDI) and Interspersion & Juxtaposition Index (IJI) could be used to the integrated assessment of the watershed ecological environment because of their strong correlations with the important economic indices, i.e., Population and Population Density; some limitations of using the landscape pattern indices were observed, indicating that the selection of the landscape pattern indices was essential; 4) Compared with land cover area, land cover area proportions were more sensitive to the variation of the economic indices

Summary

Introduction

The challenge of balancing human needs for water with environmental sustainability has come to a head in river systems, where various management plans to conserve and manage the ecosystems have been thrown into a turmoil (Pincock2010). The challenge of balancing human needs for water with environmental sustainability has come to a head in river systems, where various management plans to conserve and manage the ecosystems have been thrown into a turmoil Benefiting the economy, community and environment synchronously would realize the sustainable development of a watershed. To achieve this goal, a proactive approach that combines information of economic, social and ecological influence is needed (Randhir and Shriver 2009; Kantamaneni 2016). The opportunity for sustaining human and their river systems can be enhanced by examining how socioeconomic and ecological processes are integrated at the watershed level

Objectives

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion