Artificial Water Bodies Research Articles

IMPROVING GLOBALlAND30 ARTIFICIAL TYPE EXTRACTION ACCURACY IN LOW-DENSITY RESIDENTS

Abstract. GlobalLand 30 is the first 30m resolution land cover product in the world. It covers the area within 80°N and 80°S. There are ten classes including artificial cover, water bodies, woodland, lawn, bare land, cultivated land, wetland, sea area, shrub and snow,. The TM imagery from Landsat is the main data source of GlobalLand 30. In the artificial surface type, one of the omission error happened on low-density residents’ part. In TM images, hash distribution is one of the typical characteristics of the low-density residents, and another one is there are a lot of cultivated lands surrounded the low-density residents. Thus made the low-density residents part being blurred with cultivated land. In order to solve this problem, nighttime light remote sensing image is used as a referenced data, and on the basis of NDBI, we add TM6 to calculate the amount of surface thermal radiation index TR-NDBI (Thermal Radiation Normalized Difference Building Index) to achieve the purpose of extracting low-density residents. The result shows that using TR-NDBI and the nighttime light remote sensing image are a feasible and effective method for extracting low-density residents’ areas.

An artificial water body provides habitat for an endangered estuarine seahorse species

Anthropogenic development, especially the transformation of natural habitats to artificial, is a growing concern within estuaries and coastal areas worldwide. Thesen Islands marina, an artificial water body, added 25 ha of new estuarine habitat to the Knysna Estuary in South Africa, home to the Knysna seahorse. This study aimed to answer: (I) Can an artificial water body provide suitable habitat for an endangered seahorse species? And if so (II) what characteristics of this new habitat are important in terms of seahorse utilization? Four major habitat types were identified within the marina canals: (I) artificial reno mattress (wire baskets filled with rocks); (II) Codium tenue beds; (III) mixed vegetation on sediment; and (IV) barren canal floor. Seahorses were found throughout the marina system with significantly higher densities within the reno mattress habitat. The artificial water body, therefore, has provided suitable habitat for Hippocampus capensis, a noteworthy finding in the current environment of coastal development and the increasing shift from natural to artificial.

Performance of the Phytoplankton Index for Lakes (IPLAC): A multimetric phytoplankton index to assess the ecological status of water bodies in France

A new phytoplankton-based index was designed to respond to the Water Framework Directive (WFD) requirements concerning the assessment of lake ecological status. The “Indice Phytoplancton Lacustre” (IPLAC) is a multimetric index, taking into account biomass, abundance and species composition of communities. The first metric is based on the total phytoplankton biomass (MBA), the second on the abundance and taxonomic composition (MCS) of 165 indicator taxa. The IPLAC was developed on 2 independent databases, one for the calibration and the second for the validation of the metrics. The calibration dataset was composed of 255 “lake-years” from 214 distinct lakes sampled between 2005 and 2012. The validation dataset included 173 lake-years in order to confirm the response of the index to the trophic gradient and anthropogenic pressure.The results show that the IPLAC correctly highlights chemical pressure (eutrophication). Especially high Pearson correlations are shown with total phosphorus (r=−0.71, p-value<0.001), chlorophyll-a (r=−0.83, p-value<0.001) and water transparency (r=0.73, p-value<0.001) which are the main proxies for the trophic level. Corine land cover was used as an indication of the anthropogenic pressure and good correlations are also found with the watershed land use, negatively correlated with agricultural area (r=−0.60, p-value <0.001), population density (r=−0.36, p-value <0.001) and positively with forest area (r=0.57, p-value <0.001).The index is WFD-compliant and is dedicated to natural lakes and artificial water bodies in metropolitan France, and will be routinely used by the French Ministry of the Environment to assess lake ecological status through the phytoplankton community. However, the results must be carefully interpreted in two cases: reservoirs with large water level fluctuations, and samples that include less than 5 indicator species.

Ecological hydrology (ecohydrology) as a part of the aquatic ecology

The understanding of ecohydrology in Ukraine, which was formed due to a large number of detailed hydrological investigations in natural and artificial water bodies, is presented. The approach presented here focuses on one of the hydrology side of this scientific discipline that is to study hydrological processes, which are responsible for the functioning of aquatic ecosystems, vital activity of hydrobionts, bioproductivity of the aquatic environment and its quality. The main goal of ecohydrology is to develop management methods of structural and functional parameters of aquatic ecosystems. In this approach, ecohydrology is a part of aquatic ecology (hydroecology).

Aquatic macroinvertebrate biodiversity associated with artificial agricultural drainage ditches

Agricultural drainage ditches are ubiquitous features in lowland agricultural landscapes, built primarily to facilitate land drainage, irrigate agricultural crops and alleviate flood risk. Most drainage ditches are considered artificial waterbodies and are not typically included in routine monitoring programmes, and as a result the faunal and floral communities they support are poorly quantified. This paper characterises the aquatic macroinvertebrate diversity (alpha, beta and gamma) of agricultural drainage ditches managed by an internal drainage board in Lincolnshire, UK. The drainage ditches support very diverse macroinvertebrate communities at both the site (alpha diversity) and landscape scale (gamma diversity) with the main arterial drainage ditches supporting greater numbers of taxa when compared to smaller side ditches. Examination of the between site community heterogeneity (beta diversity) indicated that differences among ditches were high spatially and temporally. The results illustrate that both main arterial and side ditches make a unique contribution to aquatic biodiversity of the agricultural landscape. Given the need to maintain drainage ditches to support agriculture and flood defence measures, we advocate the application of principles from ‘reconciliation ecology’ to inform the future management and conservation of drainage ditches.

Integrating Landsat Imageries and Digital Elevation Models to Infer Water Level Change in Hoover Dam

The Thematic Mapper onboard Landsat 4, 5, and Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus ( $\text{TM/ETM}+$ ) onboard Landsat 7 have frequency bands (green and SWIR) to effectively measure water body extents and their changes via the Modified Normalized Difference Water Index (MNDWI). Here, we developed a technique, called the thematic imagery-altimetry system (TIAS), to infer the vertical water changes from MNDWI horizontal water extent changes by integrating long-term $\text{TM/ETM}+$ imageries with available digital elevation models (DEMs). The result is a technique to quantify water level changes of natural or artificial water bodies over two decades. Several DEMs were used to compute intersects with $\text{TM/ETM}+$ water extent time series to evaluate the robustness of the technique. These DEMs include: the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer Global Digital Elevation Map version 2 (ASTER-GDEM2, at 1 arcsec resolution), the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission version 2 (SRTM C-band at 1 arcsec), and the Global Multiresolution Terrain Elevation Data (GMTED2010 at 7.5 arcsec). We demonstrated our technique near Hoover Dam (HD) in Lake Mead to quantify its respective decadal water level changes. The dammed water had experienced extraordinary level variation in the past 20 years due to natural decline from intake or artificial impoundments. The discrepancy of the HD water level changes from an analysis of 32-year (1984–2015) time series, including 584 Landsat scenes, using the GMTED2010 DEM, has a RMSE reached $0.85 \pm 0.63\; \text{m}$ (91% of data) as compared with in situ stage record.

Multiannual trend of microcystin production in the toxic cyanobacterium Planktothrix rubescens in Lake Garda (Italy)

ABSTRACTMassive developments (blooms) of cyanobacteria represent a major concern in many natural and artificial waterbodies, because of the high levels of toxins that can be released into water. Microcystins, potent hepatotoxins, represent the most frequent toxins produced by cyanobacteria. The determination of the microcystins’ profile in waterbodies is important for determining the real toxic potential. We have investigated the evolution of the microcystins’ profile of Lake Garda (Italy) from both a qualitative and a quantitative point of view over a period of five years. We have also analysed possible correlations between toxin profile and selected environmental parameters. We found that a demethylated microcystin variant (RRdm) was always dominant but showing a cyclic trend, alternating periods in which it represented the only variant, and periods in which other variants were present (LRdm, HtyrRdm, RR, and LR). These changes are probably due to changes in chemotypes composition inside the resident Planktothrix rubescens population and do not seem to be exclusively linked to the considered environmental variables. Total microcystin concentrations were always low (in the ng L−1 scale), and showed typical peaks in the metalimnetic layer during summer–autumn time of each year.

Recent Changes in Stream Flashiness and Flooding, and Effects of Flood Management in North Carolina and Virginia

AbstractThe southeastern United States has undergone anthropogenic changes in landscape structure, with the potential to increase (e.g., urbanization) and decrease (e.g., reservoir construction) stream flashiness and flooding. Assessment of the outcome of such change can provide insight into the efficacy of current strategies and policies to manage water resources. We (1) examined trends in precipitation, floods, and stream flashiness and (2) assessed the relative influence of land cover and flow‐regulating features (e.g., best management practices and artificial water bodies) on stream flashiness from 1991 to 2013. We found mean annual precipitation decreased, which coincided with decreasing trends in floods. In contrast, stream flashiness, overall, showed an increasing trend during the period of study. However, upon closer examination, 20 watersheds showed stable stream flashiness, whereas 5 increased and 6 decreased in flashiness. Urban watersheds were among those that increased or decreased in flashiness. Watersheds that increased in stream flashiness gained more urban cover, lost more forested cover and had fewer best management practices installed than urban watersheds that decreased in stream flashiness. We found best management practices are more effective than artificial water bodies in regulating flashy floods. Flashiness index is a valuable and straightforward metric to characterize changes in streamflow and help to assess the efficacy of management interventions.

Lake water resources of the European part of the Russian Federation

The article gives the results of estimating lake water resources for federal districts in European Russia and constituent entities of the Federation, carried out in the Institute of Limnology, RAS, with the use of up-to-date satellite images and the program Google Earth. European Russia contains ~610000 natural water bodies >0.1 ha in area, including ~200000 lakes >1 ha in area, and 90000 water bodies of artificial origin. Lake water resources of European Russia amount to 1370 km3 of water, of which 99% are in Northwestern Federal District. Artificial water bodies contain ~250 km3 of water resources.

Aspects for Evaluation of the Effect of Natural and Artificial Bodies of Water to Protected Areas’ Landscape

The landscape - how a person usually understands it - is the visible surface of the Earth environmentalimage. This is a reflection of natural processes and a reflection of cultural change, which constantlychanges across time and space. It is the foundation of national identity and is a part of life quality.Understanding, protecting, managing and forming landscape’s identity and concept as an evolvingphenomenon at the same time meeting the economic, social, cultural, ecological and aesthetic needs ofthe public is one of the top priority goals of the state (Bučas, 2001).Landscape as a term is associated with art, history, geography, ecology, politics disciplines andplanning and design. The landscape can only be created by natural processes - the natural landscape orlandscape, which felt human intervention, is called cultural landscape. Cultural landscape has a plethoraof man-made objects - buildings, roads, bridges, quarries and other engineering infrastructure.The novelty of the work: this work extends the knowledge on the Lithuanian state parks’ landscape.The paper first describes bodies of water as a natural and urban element that affects protected areas’landscape.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.sace.13.4.13200

Species diversity and seasonal dynamics of littoral zooplankton community structures of Bakshalynske reservoir

The results of current state of species diversity and seasonal dynamics of littoral zooplankton community structures in Bakshalynske reservoir are presented. New approaches are applied to establish the monitoring stations, and the state of m­e­thods of sampling are used in regard to the type and size of the studied artificial waterbodies. The modern trend of formation of the littoral zooplankton species diversity, all species registered for the first time in Bakshalynske reservoir. The analysis of faunal and ecological spectra littoral zooplankton, its biotopical and spatial distributions are presented. The most important grouping of species diversity in freshwater zooplankton was disco­vered. The results of analysis of seasonal dynamics of littoral zooplankton communities in the spring, summer and autumn in 2010 are shown. Seasonal changes in species diversity, faunal and ecological spectra biotopical and spatial distributions of quantitative indicators (density and biomass) littoral zooplankton were analyzed. The composition complex littoral zooplankton dominant in quantitative terms was also studied. It was found that its community included 11 species, 4 species of rotifers, 5 species of cladocera crustaceans and 2 types of copepods crustaceans.

Conservation potential of artificial water bodies for fish communities on a heavily modified agricultural floodplain

Abstract With tropical floodplain wetlands ranking among the world's most threatened ecosystems, artificial water bodies are an often under‐appreciated potential conservation resource for aquatic fauna in these heavily modified environments. This paper describes the fish communities in 27 artificial water bodies having three different management and design types (ditch recycle pits, generic recycle pits and constructed wetlands) on a heavily modified floodplain in northern Australia. In these artificial water bodies, constructed wetlands housed significantly higher mean native fish diversity, followed by generic recycle pits and then ditches, where communities were numerically dominated by invasive, non‐native fishes. Environmental parameters such as water body depth and riparian zone condition were the descriptors that best explained fish community composition across water bodies. Comparison with collated fish survey data representing broader floodplain γ‐diversity showed that &gt;70% of regional fish diversity was housed in artificial water bodies, with constructed wetlands alone accounting for 68% of freshwater species known from the floodplain. In addition, site (α) diversity of native species in constructed wetlands did not differ from site diversity in remnant, relatively intact natural water bodies, and was significantly greater than species diversity in heavily degraded, natural floodplain habitats. Study results provide strong evidence that artificial water bodies can make useful contributions to biodiversity conservation by providing artificial habitat in a floodplain environment dominated by agriculture. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

An empirical assessment of which inland floods can be managed

Riverine flooding is a significant global issue. Although it is well documented that the influence of landscape structure on floods decreases as flood size increases, studies that define a threshold flood-return period, above which landscape features such as topography, land cover and impoundments can curtail floods, are lacking. Further, the relative influences of natural versus built features on floods is poorly understood. Assumptions about the types of floods that can be managed have considerable implications for the cost-effectiveness of decisions to invest in transforming land cover (e.g., reforestation) and in constructing structures (e.g., storm-water ponds) to control floods. This study defines parameters of floods for which changes in landscape structure can have an impact. We compare nine flood-return periods across 31 watersheds with widely varying topography and land cover in the southeastern United States, using long-term hydrologic records (≥20 years). We also assess the effects of built flow-regulating features (best management practices and artificial water bodies) on selected flood metrics across urban watersheds. We show that landscape features affect magnitude and duration of only those floods with return periods ≤10 years, which suggests that larger floods cannot be managed effectively by manipulating landscape structure. Overall, urban watersheds exhibited larger (270 m3/s) but quicker (0.41 days) floods than non-urban watersheds (50 m3/s and 1.5 days). However, urban watersheds with more flow-regulating features had lower flood magnitudes (154 m3/s), but similar flood durations (0.55 days), compared to urban watersheds with fewer flow-regulating features (360 m3/s and 0.23 days). Our analysis provides insight into the magnitude, duration and count of floods that can be curtailed by landscape structure and its management. Our findings are relevant to other areas with similar climate, topography, and land use, and can help ensure that investments in flood management are made wisely after considering the limitations of landscape features to regulate floods.

Assessing the adverse load in two artificial water bodies of the Dubna C.: Diatom analysis

Diatom complexes from two ponds and one lake were compared and analyzed. The samples were taken from modern bottom sediments. All water bodies are situated in Moscow oblast. The ponds in the boundaries of Dubna C. are of artificial origin, while Lake Glubokoe is a natural water body. The degree of adverse changes in the structure of diatom complexes does not depend on the origin of the water body but is determined by the overall level of anthropogenic load. The study suggests the conclusion that the results of studies of diatom complexes from natural lakes and artificial ponds can be combined.

Assessing and predicting the hydromorphological and ecological quality of federal waterways in Germany: development of a methodological framework

In Europe, the so-called Water Framework Directive was established to achieve a good ecological status of natural water bodies by 2015. In the case of heavily modified and artificial water bodies, the principle of a good ecological potential (GEP) applies. Methods have been developed for the evaluation of natural water bodies. However, these methods do not take the uniqueness of the assessment of heavily modified and artificial water bodies into consideration. On behalf of a working group on water issues of the federal states and the federal government (called LAWA), a nationwide assessment method of the GEP has been developed and its application has been verified within the framework of a practical project. Federal Waterways were not sufficiently considered. Hence we have been prompted to develop an assessment method for heavily modified and artificial water bodies, especially for federal waterways. Nearly 80% of the German federal water bodies are designated as heavily modified and artificial. The inclusion of federal waterways allows the unique characteristics of large rivers to be integrated in the methodological framework. Hereinafter, the results of the first working steps of the investigation as well as the methodological framework will be presented.

Häckningsframgång hos svarthakedopping Podiceps auritus i Västergötland, sydvästra Sverige

Breeding success of the Horned Grebe Podiceps auritus was controlled during 2005–2011 at 41 breeding sites with a median size of 1.07 ha in Västergötland, southwest Sweden. The number of pairs varied between 39 and 51. The production of young was 0.99 per pair and year. In natural water bodies there were 1.23 chicks per pair and year and 68% of the breeding pairs got one or more chicks per pair and year. In artificial water bodies the corresponding values were 0.92 and 50%. Breeding sites with one pair produced 1.29 young per pair and year, compared to 0.85 young where two or more pairs were breeding at the same site, a difference of 0.44 young. There was a similar difference (0.48 young) for artificial water bodies holding one pair or more than one pair, respectively, in contrast to natural water bodies for which the difference was small. There were no indications that the number of young was higher at breeding sites with Mew Gulls or Black-Headed Gulls.

The effect of reservoirs on the climatology of warm-season thunderstorms in Southeast Texas, USA

Although ample research suggests that urban environments and their associated land use/land cover modify convective precipitation patterns, little research has explored the role of human-made bodies of water – artificial reservoirs – on thunderstorm climatology. This study provides the first radar-derived climatological analysis of the impact of artificial reservoirs on warm-season convective initiation (CI) and associated thunderstorms. An area centred on three large reservoirs in Southeast Texas is examined to explore how the artificial bodies of water influence the spatiotemporal nature of deep, moist convection. A thunderstorm day and CI climatology for the study domain is constructed utilizing composite radar reflectivity data from 1997 to 2013. The results illustrate enhanced (reduced) convective activity on the edges of (atop) the reservoirs. The presence of the reservoirs also induced increased variability in thunderstorm occurrence compared to areas with no reservoirs. In addition, spatial analytical testing yields statistically significant higher densities of CI events on the southern shores of the reservoirs. Evidence that relatively small bodies of water can influence regional convective patterns and modify the risk of thunderstorm hazards is presented.

Biodiversity of rotifers in urban water reservoirs of Southern Poland

Abstract Rotifer diversity was studied in three different types of artificial water bodies situated in one of the largest cities in Poland. The bodies of water were as follows: a fountain in a city park, the Nowa Huta dam reservoir, and the Bagry gravelpit. The lowest number of rotifer species (23) was noted in the urban fountain, and the highest (36) in the Bagry gravel-pit lake. Rotifers’ communities in the investigated water reservoirs showed different levels of diversity and density. The most numerous species in the dam reservoir was Trichocerca similis (2511 ind. l-1) and in the Bagry gravel-pit lake was Polyarthra dolichoptera (2634 ind. l-1). However, the most abundant species in the fountain was Brachionus urceolaris (863 ind. l-1). The highest values of Shannon and evenness diversity indices were found in the Bagry gravel-pit lake (H’ = 2.521, J’ = 0.783), while the lowest in the urban fountain (H’ = 0.568, J’ = 0.258). The DCA analysis (Detrended Correspondence Analysis) showed that the diversity of rotifers communities in the studied reservoirs was related to the concentration of magnesium and calcium, and to water conductivity.

Flexibility of ephemeral wetland crustaceans: environmental constraints and anthropogenic impacts

Ephemeral wetlands commonly experience events that would be drastic disturbances in permanent aquatic ecosystems, such as the elimination of all water. It is well known that survival in these harsh habitats requires flexibility in response to natural perturbations, but scientists have rarely investigated if this flexibility translates to anthropogenic stresses. Therefore, we evaluated aquatic crustacean communities in ephemeral wetlands in response to environmental and anthropogenic constraints. We sampled crustacean communities from 73 ephemeral wetlands across 5 states of the North American high plains. Neither habitat size, habitat depth, nor whether a wetland was natural or artificially created had any recognizable effect on the crustacean community. Moreover, natural communities have great flexibility, which seems to impart resilience under some anthropogenic forces. Communities of artificial waterbodies (roadside ditches and stock ponds) were indistinguishable from those in naturally formed wetlands. Cattle grazing, which in some ways resembles effects of native vertebrate grazers, was generally associated with increased invertebrate densities and richness. In contrast, tilling for row-crop agriculture decreased invertebrate density and richness. Overall, current conservation strategies in ephemeral wetlands may need to be revised to include artificial habitats as viable, important habitats, and cattle grazing as an essential ecosystem component in areas now lacking large native grazers, such as bison.

Influence of Different Factors on Productivity of Reed Growths

The study shows results of research on reed productivity and on factors influencing this productivity. The research was performed during winter period from 2010 until 2012 in 23 natural and artificial water bodies of Latvia. The author of this study analyzed indexes of reed growth productivity and found regularities that statistically significantly (p less then 0,05) explain changes of reed productivity in water bodies depending on individual reed growing conditions in each water body. It is established that the productivity of reed growth depends on the amount of nutrients in the water of water body and that this productivity rises if the total concentration of nitrogen and phosphorus in the water is increased. The reed productivity is lower in clearer water. This parameter may be used in order to evaluate the amount of extractable biomass. The coherence is characterized by statistically significant (p less then 0,05) regression equation.