Black River Basin Research Articles

The surface deformation of permafrost and active layer thickness in the upper reaches of the Black River basin, revealed by InSAR observations and independent component analysis

The Heihe River Basin, located in the northeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, is part of the perennial permafrost belt of the Qilian Mountains. Recent observations indicate ongoing permafrost degradation in this region. This study utilizes data from 255 observations provided by Sentinel-1 satellites, MODIS Land Surface Temperature, SMAP-L4 soil moisture data, GNSS measurements, and in situ measurement. We introduced Variational Bayesian independent Component Analysis (VB-ICA) in multi-temporal Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (MT-InSAR) processing to investigate the spatial-temporal characteristics of surface deformation and permafrost active layer thickness (ALT) variations. The analysis demonstrates strong agreement with borehole data and offers improvements over traditional methodologies. The maximum value of ALT in the basin is found to be 5.7 m. VB-ICA effectively delineates seasonal deformations related to the freeze-thaw cycles, with a peak seasonal deformation amplitude of 60 mm. Moreover, the seasonal permafrost's lower boundary reaches an elevation of 3700 m, revealing that permafrost is experiencing widespread degradation and associated soil erosion in the high elevation region of The Heihe River Basin. The paper also explores the efficacy of reference point selection and baseline network establishment for employing the InSAR method in monitoring freeze-thaw deformations. The study underscores the InSAR method's adaptability and its importance for interpreting permafrost deformation and related parameters.

Intelligent monitoring of surface evapotranspiration in the Heihe River Basin based on SEBS modelling

[Objective] The Heihe River Basin, located in northwestern China, is the second largest inland basin in China, and its water resources play a crucial role in the ecology, agriculture and human life of the region. The aim of this study is to investigate the spatial and temporal variations of surface evapotranspiration in the Heihe River Basin and the potential impacts of these variations on water resource management. [Methods] To achieve this goal, we applied the PM-based dual-source model, a meteorological model for estimating global surface ET, which takes into account a variety of factors such as temperature, humidity, wind speed and downward solar shortwave radiation. By analysing the meteorological data and remote sensing data of the Black River Basin, we first investigated the spatial and temporal distribution of surface evapotranspiration. [Conclusion] The results show that surface evapotranspiration shows obvious seasonal and regional variations and is significantly affected by meteorological conditions. The inversion of surface ET in the Heihe River Basin by this dual-source model needs to be improved, and the trend of ET values calculated by the model is relatively small compared with the actual values.

Effects of Payments for Ecosystem Services and Livelihoods on Non-Grain Agricultural Land Use

Non-grain agricultural land use (NGALU) could be an alternative to payments for ecosystem services (PES) to achieve ecosystem benefits, given their joint contribution to forest transition. Unraveling the correlation between PES and NGALU can enhance cost-effective decisions. While farmland abandonment and non-grain cash crops (NGCCs) plantation are two main manifestations of NGALU, previous studies have primarily assessed the effects of PES on farmland abandonment. Little is known about the effects of PES on NGCC planting. This study evaluated the effects of China’s two nationwide PES programs (i.e., the Grain to Green Program, GTGP, and the Ecological Welfare Forest Program, EWFP) on NGALU in the Black River Basin of Shaanxi province. The study found a wide adoption of NGALU, with 52% of households adopting NGALU. The total area of NGALU is more than half of the afforested area through the GTGP. A quarter of the NGALU area is abandoned farmland, while the remaining NGALU area is planted with NGCCs. The two PES programs did not have effects on NGCC planting, but reduced farmland abandonment. Engagement in labor migration and local non-farm employment increased NGALU, while livestock breeding and farmland area reduced NGALU. Furthermore, the large area and unfavorable geographical conditions of farmland parcels promoted NGALU. These results highlight the important implications of leveraging NGALU to boost ecological gains from conservation investments.

Spatial flows of ecosystem services under future climate and land-use changes

Increasing global pressure on natural capital requires sustainable solutions to ensure long-term provision of ecosystem services (ES) which have complex flow dynamics. Although the importance of ES flows has been increasingly recognized during the past years, little is known about how they will be affected by future climate and land-use changes. Here, we integrated ES flows into a scenario-based assessment framework, and evaluated it by clarifying the local and distant effects of ES flows in the Black River basin, China. The spatiotemporal variations of ES flows were investigated by considering different land policies and climate scenarios, and the drivers of ES flow variations were explored. We found increasing inter-regional ES flows toward 2100. Compared to land-use change, the intra-regional flows were more sensitive to climate change, with greater shifts of flow size and synergistic areas identified under a moderate climatic forcing scenario with sustainable management strategies. Precipitation directly affected water retention flow, yet affected flood mitigation flow both directly and indirectly through changing vegetation cover, which was the major driver of soil retention flow. Biodiversity mediated the positive effects of precipitation and vegetation cover on soil retention flow. Our study highlights the importance of embracing the spatiotemporal features of ES flows in sustainable transboundary management and adaptation strategies.

Moara hidraulică cu roată verticală și aducţie superioară a familiei Cojan din localitatea Covasna, jud. Covasna/ Hydraulic mill with vertical wheel and top feed of the Cojan Family from Covasna, Covasna County

In the Black River basin there has been an impressive number of grains milling installations over the years. Among them is the mill of the Victor Cojan Family in the old village Voinești, nowadays part of Covasna town, Covasna County. Built at the end of the 19th century by Ion Cojan, the hydraulic mill with a vertical wheel and top feed was part of the series of grain milling installations built along the Covasna River and was the last to operate in the locality of the same name. The mechanism of the mill, similar to those found in other areas of Transylvania, consisted of a vertical wheel with cups, which transmitted the movement to the horizontal spindle on which was the wheel with the grinding wheels, which set in motion the vertical spindle fixed in the running stone. The milling installation, which became part of the heritage of the National Museum of the Eastern Carpathians in 2001, will be included in the exhibition plan of the future Open-Air Museum in Covasna.

ДЕЯКІ АСПЕКТИ ЩОДО СТАНУ ТЕРИТОРІЇ РАЙОНІВ РІЧКОВИХ БАСЕЙНІВ ТА МОНІТОРИНГУ ВОД ПІД ЧАС ВТОРГНЕННЯ РОСІЇ В УКРАЇНУ (2022 р.)

Characterizing the military aggression launched by the Russian Federation against Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi noted on June 2, 2022 that as of today, Russian troops control about 20% of the territory of Ukraine, that is 125 thousand km2. The purpose of this article is to assess the state of the territories of some of the river basins districts of Ukraine in relation to their coming under the control of Russian troops in the summer of 2022, as well as the possibility of conducting monitoring in accordance with the state water monitoring program approved by the order of the Ministry of Environment of Ukraine for 2022. As a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as of August 1, 2022, in the territory controlled by Russian troops: a) 2 of the river basins districts – Crimea (since 2014) and Azov coast – were completely located; b) 4 areas of river basins districts were partially occupied: approx. 69% of the territory of the Don rrver basin district, 22% – of the Black Sea river basin district, 6% – of the Dnipro river basin district. Of the large water bodies in the territory captured by the Russian troops in the summer of 2022: a) 2 large canals were completely located: the North Crimean and Kakhovsky main canals; b) 1 canal was partially occupied – 40% of the length of the Siverskyi Donets-Donbas canal; c) a large part of the Siverskyi Donets River (Donbas region); d) the lower part of the Kakhovka reservoir (together with the Kakhovka HPP). Since the beginning of Russia’s military aggression in the State Water Agency of Ukraine, 1 of the 4 basic regional water monitoring laboratories (of the Eastern region) have stopped working. Water samples from these region were forwarded to the water monitoring laboratory of the Western region. Taking into account the operational military situation, in July 2022, units of the State Water Agency took water samples at 398 monitoring points, which was 68% of the number of points provided for by the state water monitoring program. In August 2022, the State Water Agency of Ukraine started preparing proposals for the surface water monitoring program for 2023, in particular: about the possibility of including additional indicators of pollutants – petroleum products, chemicals contained in ammunition, missiles; on updating the list of monitoring points based on the results of the assessment of the chemical state of surface water bodies; on the inclusion of additional water monitoring points in the de-occupied territories to detect the impact of military operations on water quality.

Hydrometeorology and hydrology of flooding in Cape Fear River basin during Hurricane Florence in 2018

Hurricanes are the major flood generating mechanism dominating the upper tail of the peak discharge distribution over the Cape Fear River Basin (CFRB). In 2018, Hurricane Florence swamped CFRB as the ninth-most-destructive hurricane ever hit the United States and set new records of peak discharges over the main river channel and three out of five of its major tributaries. In this study, we examined the hydrometeorology and hydrology of this flood via combined observation and numerical experiment analyses. Our results suggest that the slow-motion in combination to the “L-shaped” path was the most distinctive feature of the hurricane that incurred catastrophic and widespread rainfall and flooding over CFRB. The total rainfall from the storm played a controlling role in the magnitude and spatial distribution of the flood peaks at basin scale. Above that, the spatial heterogeneities of rainfall distribution and hydrologic characteristics was responsible for the distinctive flood responses within the basin. The bi-peak shape of the flood hydrograph for the Deep River was due to the combined effects of rainfall distribution, land cover, and topographic gradient. The exceptional unit peak discharge over the Black River basin was associated with its drainage network structure, topographic gradient and rainfall distribution. The floodplain downstream of the Cape Fear River temporarily stored flood water and attenuated both the riverine floods from upstream and the compound flood over the coastal area. Furthermore, numerical analyses found that re-infiltration accounted for 76% of the total infiltration on average. Re-infiltration was superior to local infiltration over CFRB during Hurricane Florence.

A Morphometric Assessment of Non-indigenous Populations of Pterygoplichthys pardalis (Pisces, Loricariidae) in Jamaica

A morphometric investigation of suckermouth catfish specimens collected from the Upper and Lower Morass of Black River, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica was conducted between June 2007 and May 2008. Descriptions of 39 morphometric and 15 meristic measures are given. Taxonomic assessment through the application of dichotomous keys, photographic identification, and comparison with other morphometric work on similar species, identified the loricariid as Pterygoplichthys pardalis (Pisces, Loricariidae). Further analysis revealed that populations of P. pardalis in the Upper Morass have relatively longer heads, longer snouts, longer and deeper caudal penduncles, and deeper dorsal fins compared with individuals from the Lower Morass. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed no distinct groups of P. pardalis occurring throughout the Black River Basin. Both populations exhibited allometric growth and the relationships between length and weight in the P. pardalis populations were significant and linear.

TERRITORIAL ORGANIZATION, RELEVANT - TYPICAL AND TOURIST REGIONAL SPACE SPACES IN THE BLACK RIVER BASIN IN THE REPUBLIC OF NORTH MACEDONIA

The scientific work covers and presents: territorial organization, relief type and tourist regional units in the Black River basin in the Republic of Northern Macedonia. The Crna Reka has a length of 207 km, with a total catchment area of 5 774.99 km 2, of which 4 869.72 km2 belong to the Republic of Northern Macedonia, while 905.27 km2 to the Republic of Greece. Given the enormous importance of the territorial organization and the relief for the daily life of the population in the settlements and 13 municipalities, as well as for the development of tourism, field surveys have been conducted in the period 2003-2018. Three thematic maps for the territorial organization, relief - type and tourist regional spatial units in the Black River Basin in the Republic of Northern Macedonia have also been prepared. Methods used in scientific research are: geographical, statistical - mathematical, cartographic and informational. The results are favorable for the development of urban and rural tourism of the population living in the settlements of the Black River basin in the Republic of Northern Macedonia.

Small mammal (Mammalia, orders Soricomorpha and Rodentia) communities in the lower Black river basin, Romania

The survey of small mammal communities in the Lower Black River Basin was carried out between November 2005 and July 2012 in three locations. Using live traps several habitats have been investigated. During the study, we captured 199 individuals belonging to 9 species – 2 shrews and 7 rodents. Four other species were identified based on direct or indirect observations.

Evaluation of dynamic regression and artificial neural networks models for real-time hydrological drought forecasting

In this study, application of a class of stochastic dynamic models and a class of artificial intelligence model is reported for the forecasting of real-time hydrological droughts in the Black River basin in the USA. For this purpose, the Standardized Hydrological Drought Index (SHDI) was adopted in different time scales to represent the hydrological drought index. Six probability distribution functions (PDF) were fitted to the discharge time series to obtain the best fit for SHDI calculation. Then, a dynamic linear spatio-temporal model (DLSTM) and artificial neural network (ANN) were used to forecast SHDI. Although results indicated that both models were able to forecast SHDI in different time scales, the DLSTM was far superior in longer lead times. The DLSTM could forecast SHDI up to 6 months ahead while ANN was only capable of forecasting SHDI up to 2 months ahead appropriately. For short lead times (1–6 months), the DLSTM has performed nearly perfect in test phase and CE oscillates between 0.97 and 0.86 while for ANN modeling, CE is between 0.72 and 0.07. However, the performance of DLSTM and ANN reduced considerably in medium lead times (7–12 months). Overall, the DLSTM is a powerful tool for appropriately forecasting SHDI at short time scales; a major advantage required for drought early warning systems.

Water quality of the Pannonian basin rivers the Danube, the Sava and the Tisa (Serbia) and its correlation with air temperature

The Danube, the Sava and the Tisa rivers belong to the Black Sea river basin and they flow through many European countries, while in Serbia they flow through the Pannonian flatland. The water quality of these rivers, which is affected by complex anthropogenic activities and natural factors, is one of important factors that are taken into account in the evaluation of development sustainability of this region. Using the correlation analysis in this paper we tested the impact of air temperature as a natural factor on certain parameters indicating the water quality. A significant correlation was found between air temperature and total nitrogen oxides in the Danube of up to -0.744, namely of -0.740 on the Tisa and -0.299 on the Sava. A significant correlation was found in electrical conductivity - up to -0.793 on the Danube, -0.226 on the Tisa, and 0.380 on the Sava. Correlation links were found between air temperature and O2, BOD, as well as suspended matters saturation percentage, but their correlation values are significantly lower. Based on the results of the research it was concluded that air temperature had low effect on changes in water quality during the year and that anthropogenic impact was far more dominant.

Identification of anthropogenic radionuclides in the Song Hong (Red) and Song Da (Black) river basins of Vietnam

The concentration and distribution of U were measured in zircon samples separated from the streambed sediments collected at different sites along the rivers of northern Vietnam using semiconductor alpha spectrometry and alpha- and fission-track autoradiography. Based on the absolute U content and distribution, we distinguished two groups of zircon grains of different origin. Group 1 zircons have relatively low and uniform U contents ranging from 280 to 440 μg/g. Group 2 zircons are characterized by heterogeneous U distribution and U contents ranging from 490 to 2040μg/g. The determination of absolute alpha activity values and alpha spectrometric characteristics for a number of group 2 zircon grains indicated the presence of relatively short-lived alpha-emitters. These radionuclides are probably 210Po, 232U, 236Pu, 241Am, and 243Am, and all of them can originate exclusively from anthropogenic sources. A comparison of the observed alpha activity values for group 2 zircons with those of group 1 zircons and zircons separated from the suspended colloids in river water samples provided conclusive evidence for traces of anthropogenic radioactive contamination in the Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Tuyen Quang, Thac Ba, Viet Tri, and Hanoi streams flowing in the Song Hong (Red) and Song Da (Black) river basins of northern Vietnam and sourced in the southern regions of the neighboring state.

Modeling the water resources of the Black and Mediterranean Sea river basins and their impact on regional mass changes

For the first time, a dedicated release of the hydrology and water use model WaterGAP3, has been developed to spatially explicit calculate hydrological fluxes within river basins draining into the Mediterranean and Black Sea. The main differences between the new regional version of the global WaterGAP3 model and the previously applied global version WaterGAP2 can be found in the spatial resolution, snow modeling, and water use modeling. Comparison with observations shows that WaterGAP3 features a more realistic representation of modeled river runoff and inflow into both seas. WaterGAP3 generates more inflow to both seas than WaterGAP2. In the WaterGAP3 simulation, contributions to the total runoff into the Black Sea from individual discharge regions show in general a good agreement to climatology derived runoff, but lesser importance of Georgian rivers for the basin's water. After the successful model validation WaterGAP3 has been applied to correct estimates of seawater mass derived from the GRACE gravity mission and to account for freshwater inflow into both basins. The performance of the WaterGAP3 regional solution has been evaluated by comparing the seawater mass derived from GRACE corrected for the leakage of continental hydrology, to an independent estimate derived from steric-corrected satellite altimetry with steric correction from regional oceanographic models. The agreement is higher in the Mediterranean Sea than in the Black Sea. Results using WaterGAP3 and WaterGAP2 are not significantly different. However the agreement with the altimetry-derived results is higher using WaterGAP2, due to the smaller annual amplitude of the continental hydrology leakage from WaterGAP3. We conclude that the regional model WaterGAP3 is capable of realistically quantifying water mass variation in the region, further developments have been identified.

The Đèo Family of Lai Châu: Traditional Power and Unconventional Practices

Although of negligible economic interest, the Black River Basin during the French colonial period enjoyed special administrative status as a military territory. The region's patchwork pattern of ethnolinguistic groups as well as problems of distance and strategy led the colonizer to renew the autonomy of the muäng, or Tai polities. Among principal Tai clans, the Đèo of Lai Châu exemplified political resilience: pursuing their own prerogatives (until 1954) by exploiting the French administrative framework. These hereditary leaders, employed as colonial scholar-officials and civil servants, were keen to combine contradictory vocations. For example, the Đèo were frontier wardens even though their ancestral muäng overlapped the border; they were tax collectors who were nevertheless involved in opium smuggling. This paper attempts to recreate an overall pattern of the constitutive elements traditionally governing the attribution and implementation of power on a local basis.

Black Flag Rumors and the Black River Basin: Powerbrokers and the State in the Tonkin-China Borderlands

In 1890, Qing authorities in Yunnan Province found themselves faced with a rebellion led by Ngụy Danh Cao, the leader of a group of refugees from northern Tonkin. Proclaiming himself a former commander in the Black Flag Army, and thus an ally of the Qing government, Ngụy Danh Cao led several thousand refugees into Muäng La, a Tai area bordering the newly delineated Tonkin Protectorate. Within six months, he attempted to seize control of Muäng La. His failed rebellion and eventual capture revealed not only the plasticity of the Tonkin-China borderline, but also the Protectorate's reliance on personal networks in its projection of authority.

Elevated Levels of Metals and Organic Pollutants in Fish and Clams in the Cape Fear River Watershed

A study was performed in 2003 to 2004 to assess metal and organic contaminant concentrations at three areas in the lower Cape Fear River system, North Carolina, United States. Sites examined were Livingston Creek along the mainstem of the Cape Fear River near Riegelwood, Six Runs Creek in the Black River Basin, and Rockfish Creek in the Northeast Cape Fear River basin. The results of the investigation showed that levels of metals and organic pollutants in the sediments were lower than limits considered harmful to aquatic life. However, results of fish (adult bowfin) tissue analyses showed that concentrations of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), selenium (Se), and now-banned polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and the pesticide dieldrin were higher than levels considered safe for human consumption by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the North Carolina Health Director's Office. Fish tissue concentrations of Hg, Se, and PCBs were also higher than concentrations determined by researchers to be detrimental either to the health of the fish themselves or their avian and mammalian predators. Due to the rural nature of two of the sites, increased concentrations of As, Cd, Se, and PCBs in fish tissue were unexpected. The likely reason the levels are increased in fish and some clams but not in sediments is that these pollutants are biomagnified in the food chain. These pollutants will also biomagnify in humans. In these rural areas there is subsistence fishing by low-income families; thus, increased fish tissue metals and toxicant concentrations may present a direct threat to human health.

Caura River basin: Weathering rates, CO2consumption, and chemistry of major and trace elements in an Orinoco River tributary coming from the Precambrian Guayana Shield, Venezuela

This study describes the geochemistry of dissolved elements in the Caura River and gives information about weathering rates and associated CO2 consumption in an Orinoco River subbasin. Physicochemical variables (pH, conductivity, HCO3−, dissolved O2, and temperature), dissolved elements (Na, K, Ca, Mg, Si, Al, Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, and Cr), total suspended sediments (TSS), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations were measured monthly from June 2007 to August 2008 in the Caura River. Major element concentrations (Na, Ca, Mg, and Si) showed an inverse correlation with discharge, whereas K showed high concentration values during the rising waters, probably due to biogenic sources. All these elements are provided mainly from weathering of plagioclases and K feldspars. The weathering rate (riverine flux of dissolved major cations and SiO2 derived from weathering per unit area) and the CO2 consumption rate in the Caura basin (15.4 tons km−2 yr−1 and 1.1 × 105 mol km−2 yr−1, respectively) were higher than those reported for the Orinoco basin and other black water river basins. This fact can be due to several factors such as lithology (volcanic rocks), high runoff, and the presence of organic acids, which can enhance the chemical weathering. The variability of the trace elements showed a different behavior than major elements. Fe and Al concentrations were correlated with DOC. Dissolved Mn content was correlated with pH, whereas the low concentrations of Cu and Cr are possibly associated with the low content of small size organic colloids. The high values of Zn observed during the decreasing stage suggest biogenic input of Zn to river waters.

Impacts of acidification on macroinvertebrate communities in streams of the western Adirondack Mountains, New York, USA

Limited stream chemistry and macroinvertebrate data indicate that acidic deposition has adversely affected benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages in numerous headwater streams of the western Adirondack Mountains of New York. No studies, however, have quantified the effects that acidic deposition and acidification may have had on resident fish and macroinvertebrate communities in streams of the region. As part of the Western Adirondack Stream Survey, water chemistry from 200 streams was sampled five times and macroinvertebrate communities were surveyed once from a subset of 36 streams in the Oswegatchie and Black River Basins during 2003–2005 and evaluated to: (a) document the effects that chronic and episodic acidification have on macroinvertebrate communities across the region, (b) define the relations between acidification and the health of affected species assemblages, and (c) assess indicators and thresholds of biological effects. Concentrations of inorganic Al in 66% of the 200 streams periodically reached concentrations toxic to acid-tolerant biota. A new acid biological assessment profile (acidBAP) index for macroinvertebrates, derived from percent mayfly richness and percent acid-tolerant taxa, was strongly correlated (R2 values range from 0.58 to 0.76) with concentrations of inorganic Al, pH, ANC, and base cation surplus (BCS). The BCS and acidBAP index helped remove confounding influences of natural organic acidity and to redefine acidification-effect thresholds and biological-impact categories. AcidBAP scores indicated that macroinvertebrate communities were moderately or severely impacted by acidification in 44–56% of 36 study streams, however, additional data from randomly selected streams is needed to accurately estimate the true percentage of streams in which macroinvertebrate communities are adversely affected in this, or other, regions. As biologically relevant measures of impacts caused by acidification, both BCS and acidBAP may be useful indicators of ecosystem effects and potential recovery at the local and regional scale.

Loss coefficient of nitrogenous non-point source pollution under various precipitation conditions

In this study, calibrations of non-point source (NPS) pollution models are performed based on Black River basin historical real-time runoff data, sedimentation record data, and NPS sources survey information. The concept of NPS loss coefficient for the watershed or the loss coefficients (LC) for simplicity is brought up by examining NPS build-up and migration processes along riverbanks in natural river systems. The historical data is used for determining the nitrogenous NPS loss coefficient for five land use types including farmland, urban land, grassland, shrub land, and forest under different precipitation conditions. The comparison of outputs from Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model and coefficient export method showed that both methods could obtain reasonable LC. The high Pearson correlation coefficient (0.94722) between those two sets of calculation results justified the consistency of those two models. Another result in the study is that different combinations of precipitation condition and land use types could significantly affect the calculated loss coefficient. As for the adsorptive nitrogen, the order of impact on LC for different land use types can be sorted as: farm land > urban land > grassland > shrub land > forest while the order was farmland > grass land > shrub land > forest s>urban land for soluble nitrogen.