Manas River Research Articles

Effects of continuous cropping with straw return on particulate organic carbon and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in cotton field

A long-term field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of continuous cotton production years (0 as control, 5, 10, 15 and 20 years) and straw return on soil organic carbon (SOC) structure and stability by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) in Manas River valley of Xinjiang. The results showed that the relative peak intensity of polysaccharide and aromatics decreased with increasing continuous cropping years, whereas the aliphatic and alcoholic phenols relative peak intensity and the CH/C=C increased. The content of soil particulate organic carbon (POC) increased significantly in the 5-yr of cotton production farmland and then decreased with the increases of continuous cropping years. POC content was 5.11 times higher in 5-yr than that of the control. The content of mineral-bound organic carbon (MOC) was the highest in 10-yr farmland, being 1.84 times higher than that of the control. The highest value of the ratio of POC and MOC content (ω(POC)/ω(MOC)) was observed in 5-yr farmland. Together, long-term continuous cotton production with straw return led to SOC structure aliphatic and soil mineral binding increased the protection of organic matter, thus increasing the stability of soil organic matter.

Structure Dynamics and Risk Assessment of Water-Energy-Food Nexus: A Water Footprint Approach

The “Water-Energy-Food Nexus” is one of the present research hotspots in the field of sustainable development. Water resources are the key factors that limit local human survival and socioeconomic development in arid areas, and the water footprint is an important indicator for measuring sustainable development. In this study, the structural dynamics and complex relationships of the water-energy-food system in arid areas were analyzed from the perspective of the water footprint, and the risk characteristics were evaluated. The results show that: (1) Agriculture products and livestock products account for the largest water footprints (>90%), which is much higher than the water footprints of energy consumption (<5%). From the water footprint type, the blue water footprint (>50%) > the grey water footprint (20%–30%) > the green water footprint (<20%). (2) Since 2000, especially after 2005, while energy consumption drove rapid economic growth, it also led to the rapid expansion of the water footprint in the Manas River Basin. By 2015, the water deficit was relatively serious, with the surface water resource deficit reaching 16.21 × 108 m3. (3) The water-energy risk coupling degree of the water-energy-food system in this basin is comparatively significant, which means that it is facing the dual pressures of internal water shortage and external energy dependence, and it is vulnerable to global warming and fluctuations in the international and domestic energy markets. Thus, it is necessary to adjust the industrial structure through macroeconomic regulation and control, developing new energy sources, reducing the coupling degree of system risks, and achieving sustainable development.

Effects of drip irrigation on components of water cycle in arid inland areas: A case study of Manas river basin in northwestern China

Compared to either drip irrigation or mulching with plastic film, the two methods together can reduce water requirements of crops grown in arid areas by more than 30%. Such a combination deployed on a large scale (1) reduced the loss of soil water by 31.8% compared to that from drip irrigation alone; (2) narrowed the range of annual evapotranspiration from 1582.4-1780.3 mm, which is average for the basin, to 222.2-294.8 mm; and (3) increased the overall humidity in the central plain of the basin. However, the surrounding regions in which drip irrigation is not combined with mulching are getting more arid; thus, as a result of the water-saving technology, both oases and the desertification of the river basin are increasing at the same time. The results of the study further the understanding of the effects of drip irrigation combined with mulching on water cycles in the basin of the Manas river and suggest ways to protect the ecology and the environment of the basin. Keywords: evapotranspiration, drip irrigation, arid inland areas, water cycle, Mann-Kendall rank test, MOD16, Manas river basin DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20191201.4031 Citation: Li P F, Yang G, He X L, Li F D, Yan K , Wang Z L. Effects of drip irrigation on components of water cycle in arid inland areas: A case study of Manas river basin in northwestern China. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2019; 12(1): 132–138.

Application of environmental tracers for investigation of groundwater mean residence time and aquifer recharge in fault-influenced hydraulic drop alluvium aquifers

Abstract. Investigating groundwater residence time and recharge sources is crucial for water resource management in the alluvium aquifers of arid basins. Environmental tracers (chlorofluorocarbons, 3H, 14C, δ2H, δ18O) and groundwater hydrochemical components are used for assessing groundwater mean residence times (MRTs) and aquifer recharge in fault-influenced hydraulic drop alluvium aquifers in the Manas River basin (China). Aquifers under the Manas River upstream (south of the fault) contains very high 3H activity (41.1–60 TU), implying water recharge affected by the nuclear bomb tests of the 1960s. Carbon-14 groundwater age correlates positively with distance from mountain area (3000–5000 years in the midstream to > 7000 years in the downstream) and groundwater depth, but correlates negatively to a decrease in 3H activity (1.1 TU) and more negative δ18O values. This phenomenon reveals that the source of the deeper groundwater in the semi-confined aquifer is paleo-meteoric recharge. Special attention has been paid to the estimation of MRTs using CFCs and 3H by an exponential piston flow model. The results show that MRTs vary from 19 to 101 years by CFCs and from 19 to 158 years by 3H. MRTs estimated from 3H are much longer than those from CFCs, probably due to the different time lag of liquid (3H) and gas-phase CFCs through the unsaturated zone. The MRTs estimated by CFCs show good correlations with pH and the concentrations of SiO2 and SO42-, which can provide a possible approach to estimate first-order proxies of MRTs for groundwater age. The young water fractions are investigated by the CFC binary mixing method in the south and north of the fault. Relatively modern recharge is found in the south of the fault with young (post-1940) water fractions of 87 %–100 %, whereas in the north of the fault the young water fractions vary from 12 % to 91 %. This study shows that the combination of CFCs and 3H residence time tracers can help in analysing the groundwater MRTs and the recharge sources for the different mixing end-members.

Effects of different level roads on land use and landscape pattern of Manas River Basin

Effects of different level roads on land use and landscape pattern of Manas River Basin

基于生态服务价值的玛纳斯河流域土地利用结构优化

基于生态服务价值的玛纳斯河流域土地利用结构优化

Multidimensional critical regulation model for sustainable water resources regulation in a typical arid area of the Manas River watershed

Multidimensional critical regulation model for sustainable water resources regulation in a typical arid area of the Manas River watershed

Effects of drip irrigation on components of water cycle in arid inland areas: A case study of Manas river basin in northwestern China

Effects of drip irrigation on components of water cycle in arid inland areas: A case study of Manas river basin in northwestern China

Estimates of shifts in ecosystem service values due to changes in key factors in the Manas River basin, northwest China

The ecosystem service value (ESV) can be quantitatively assessed based on changes in ecosystem services. However, few studies have considered two scientific problems: (1) how to quantify the contributions of factors that drive ecosystem services, and (2) how to improve the spatial variability of ESV distributions. In this study, a geographic information system was used to investigate spatial and temporal changes in three factors, i.e., vegetation cover (VC), human disturbance index (HDI), and temperature vegetation drought index (TVDI), and their effects on the ESV in the Manas River basin. We found that high VC areas were expanding and the HDI was significantly enhanced. The contributions of VC, HDI, and TVDI to the total ESV were 38.0%, 31.6%, and 30.4%, respectively, and the total ESV increased by 3.7%. The cold spots were mainly distributed in the desert area, mountains, and the southern parts of the oasis area, whereas the hot spots occurred mainly to the north of the oasis area and southwest of the desert. VC, HDI, and TVDI reflected the spatial and temporal differences in the ESV determined in this river basin ecosystem. Furtherly, it may be possible to formulate appropriate ecological compensations by analyzing the changes in ESV cold/hot spots. The results of this study provide a scientific basis to facilitate the selection of the key factors that drive changes in the ESV in arid land areas, as well as for achieving a sustainable basin management in similar regions around the world.

Risk characterization and surface water quality assessment of Manas River, Assam (India) with an emphasis on the TOPSIS method of multi-objective decision making

The present study centers on the investigation of surface water quality with the aid of quality indices and explores the application of a multi-objective decision-making method (TOPSIS) in arranging decisions for policy makers on the basis of overall ranking of the sampling locations. A case study has been performed on the Manas River, Assam (India). Water Quality Index (WQI) involving physico-chemical parameters, and heavy metal pollution index (HPI) and contamination index (CI) involving heavy metal influences were employed for water quality assessment. WQI graded two sampling locations “very poor” and all other locations “poor”. HPIs of all the locations were below the critical value of 100, but the CI depicted that two locations were “moderately contaminated”. Risk assessment to human health was done using hazard quotient and hazard index. Cluster analysis (CA) demonstrated site similarity by grouping the relatively more polluted and less polluted (LP) sites into two major clusters. However, there surfaced difficulty in discerning the overall water quality, as all the three quality indices included different parameters and contradicted each other. A multi-objective decision-making tool, TOPSIS was therefore employed for ranking the locations on the basis of their relative pollution levels. The novelty of the study reflects in the identification of the relatively more or relatively less polluted sites within the same cluster in CA by the application of TOPSIS. The study justifies the effectiveness of TOPSIS method in prioritizing decisions in complex scenarios for policy makers.

Oasis Landscape Pattern Dynamics in Manas River Watershed Based on Remote Sensing and Spatial Metrics

Constant alterations of oasis landscape pattern, triggered by specific natural and human driving forces, have aroused some heated discussions in the field of regional environmental change research especially in arid areas. In this study, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index and the Soil Brightness Index have been selected to successfully identify discrete land cover classes derived from a series of Landsat satellite images of Manas River watershed in 1989, 1998, and 2014. FRAGSTATS and principal components analysis were used to recognize independent components of landscape structure. Nine land cover classes combined with ten landscape metrics indicated variations in the composition and configuration of landscape pattern. Results related to historical data were analyzed to identify driving forces, mainly including population growth, agricultural modernization, urbanization, and water resource provision. The results revealed a trend toward less landscape fragmentation, as indicated by a steady decrease in the number of patches as well as an increase in mean patch size and contagion. To be more specific, we found substantial increases in cropland (72.3%) as well as built-up land (43.7%) with larger and more compact patches, while water (64.1%), snow cover (52.0%), and saline–alkali soil (48.5%) dropped sharply. Our findings suggested that population influx and reclamation of saline–alkali soil were two major driving forces critical to those landscape pattern changes.

Dynamic projection of ecological risk in the Manas River basin based on terrain gradients

With large-scale developments, the Manas River Basin (MRB) is in an extreme imbalance especially in land use, thus causing a series of ecological problems. A reliable dynamic ecological risk assessment is expected to provide useful information for the economic development. Through coupling spatial Cellular Automaton-Markov (CA-Markov) model and Landsat satellite images in 2000, 2008 and 2016, we forecasted the land use maps in 2024 and 2032. Based on the ecological risk model, we evaluated the ecological risk at landscape level from 2000 to 2032. More importantly, an improved evaluation of ecological risk was proposed based on terrain gradients and the correlation between terrain niche index (TNI) and future ecological risk was analyzed. The results showed that the artificial oases and urban are expanding, while the natural grassland is shrinking. Corresponding to the rapid development stage and stable consolidation stage, farmland will be followed by a slower increase (2016–2032) after a rapid increase (2000–2016), and water decreases first but then is projected to recover. As the overall spatial diversity increasing, the ecological risk in the whole basin is growing, especially in grassland. Compared with the stable critical state in artificial landscape, the future ecological risks in natural landscape tend to increase due to the cumulative effects of human activities. Also, we found that the great ecological risk mainly happens in “high altitude and complex terrain” or “low altitude and flat terrain” areas. The future ecological risk in medium terrain niche index (TNI) gradient will increase, while it will decrease in the lowest. Above all, the proposed framework can do well in forecasting ecological risk at landscape level, and can help simply infer the changes of ecological risk based on terrain.

Detecting Snowfall Events over Mountainous Areas Using Optical Imagery

Snowfall over mountainous areas not only has important implications on the water cycle and the Earth’s radiation balance, but also causes potentially hazardous weather. However, snowfall detection remains one of the most difficult problems in modern hydrometeorology. We present a method for detecting snowfall events from optical satellite data for seasonal snow in mountainous areas. The proposed methodology is based on identifying expanded snow cover or suddenly declined snow grain size using time series images, from which it is possible to detect the location and time of snowfall events. The methodology was tested with Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) daily radiance data for an entire hydrologic year from July 2014 to June 2015 in the mountainous area of the Manas River Basin, Northwest China. The study evaluated the recordings of precipitation events at eighteen meteorological stations in the study area prove the effectiveness of the proposed method, showing that there was more liquid precipitation in the second and third quarter, and more solid precipitation in the first and fourth quarter.

Evaluation and simulation of the impact of land use change on ecosystem services based on a carbon flow model: A case study of the Manas River Basin of Xinjiang, China

Land use change affects ecosystem services by changing the structure and function of ecosystems. Carbon flows throughout natural and socioeconomic systems can effectively reveal this process. The Manas River Basin has experienced rapid oasis expansion for decades, and land use change in the basin is very typical. Oasis expansion has caused a large amount of cropland to invade natural vegetation, thus affecting ecosystem services. This study used a biomass-based ecosystem service estimation model to assess changes in ecosystem services in the Manas River Basin. The carbon flow model was constructed using energy systems language, and the future development of ecosystem services was simulated based on different land use scenarios. The results show the following: (1) From 1980 to 2015, the river basin provisioning service was continuously optimized, while the regulating, supporting and cultural services were reduced. (2) If the expansion of cropland continues, then carbon will be transferred from the natural ecosystem to the cropland. Regulation, support and cultural services in the basin continue to decrease. Due to the shortage of water resources in the basin, the growth of provisioning services is limited. (3) If the project of returning cropland to grassland is implemented, then the carbon in the natural ecosystem will gradually recover. The regulating, supporting and cultural services of the river basin are rising, but provisioning services are gradually decreasing. In general, the model based on energy systems language can reflect the ecological process within the system and effectively reveal the carbon flow process between ecosystems. The use of carbon to quantify ecosystem services can harmonize dimensions, facilitate comparisons, and mitigate errors in outcomes due to different evaluation criteria or subjective factors. Therefore, this study combines energy systems language with carbon flow, which helps to more rationally explore the impact of land use change on ecosystem services, thereby providing valuable information for river basin management.

Hydrogeochemical Evolution Along Groundwater Flow Paths in the Manas River Basin, Northwest China.

The impacts of long-term pumping on groundwater chemistry remain unclear in the Manas River Basin, Northwest China. In this study, major ions within five surface water and 105 groundwater samples were analyzed to identify hydrogeochemical processes affecting groundwater composition and evolution along the regional-scale groundwater flow paths using the multivariate techniques of hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal components analysis (PCA) and traditional graphical methods for analyzing groundwater geochemistry. HCA classified the groundwater samples into four clusters (C1 to C4). PCA reduced the dimensionality of geochemical data into three PCs, which explained 86% of the total variance. The results of HCA and PCA were used to identify three zones: "recharge," "transition," and "discharge." In the recharge zone the groundwater type is Ca-HCO3 -SO4 and is primarily impacted by the dissolution of calcite and silicate weathering. In the transition zone the groundwater type is Ca-HCO3 -SO4 -Cl and is impacted by rock dissolution and reverse ion exchange. In the discharge zone the groundwater type is Na-Cl and is impacted by evaporation and reverse ion exchange. In addition, anthropogenic activities impact the groundwater chemistry in the study area. The groundwater type generally changes from Ca-HCO3 -SO4 in the recharge area to Na-Cl in the discharge area along the regional-scale groundwater flow paths. This study provides a process-based knowledge for understanding the interaction of groundwater flow patterns and geochemical evolution within the Manas River Basin.

Understanding the discharge regime of a glacierized alpine catchment in the Tianshan Mountains using an improved HBV-D hydrological model

Abstract Rivers originating from the Tianshan Mountains, known collectively as the “water tower of Central Asia”, are a key source of fresh water to the densely populated lowlands. Despite of the significance of water resources, our knowledge on the discharge regime in the alpine regions is limited, due to the paucity of in situ measurements and the complexity of contributing sources including rainfall, snowmelt and glacier-melt. In this study, the streamflow regime for the headwater catchment of Manas River basin (MRB) in the Tianshan Mountains is investigated through application of a hydrologic modeling framework, which is based upon an appropriate modification of the hydrological model HBV-D (Hydrologiska Byrans Vattenbalansavdelning-D). The daily precipitation and average temperature are reconstructed based on meteorological station data and remote-sensing observations for the period 1967–2007. Thereafter, the modified hydrological model is evaluated and the temporal distribution of runoff components is quantified via the model simulation. Our primary results include the following: (1) our modified version of the HBV-D model, with stronger physics basis in snow/glacier module and higher spatial resolution, is superior to the original HBV-D model in simulating daily streamflow processes and is capable of reproducing the variations of glacier area and glacier volume during the historical period. (2) Snowmelt is shown to dominate runoff processes in pre-monsoon season, accounting for approximately 61%, 76% and 74% of streamflow in April, May and June, respectively. The monthly contributions from glacier-melt, occurring in the region above 3000 m a.m.s.l (above mean sea level), range from 27% to 44% during the July–September period. (3) The average annual discharge in the MRB is sourced to 48% by snowmelt, 27% by glacier-melt, and the rest by rainfall. Particularly in 1981 when rainfall and snowmelt runoff were substantially reduced, the contribution of the glacier-melt to the river discharge reached 40%, suggesting that the glacier melt contributions to the streamflow in the MRB are especially significant during the dry years in ensuring a sustained water supply. The modified HBV-D model is expected to provide a useful modeling tool in simulating runoff regime in high-altitude mountainous regions and the results constitute a highly significant initial contribution to the formulation of effective adaptation strategies for water resource management under climate change.

Insights into groundwater salinization from hydrogeochemical and isotopic evidence in an arid inland basin

AbstractIn the Manas River basin (MRB), groundwater salinization has become a major concern, impeding groundwater use considerably. Isotopic and hydrogeochemical characteristics of 73 groundwater and 11 surface water samples from the basin were analysed to determine the salinization process and potential sources of salinity. Groundwater salinity ranged from 0.2 to 11.91 g/L, and high salinities were generally located in the discharge area, arable land irrigated by groundwater, and depression cone area. The quantitative contributions of the evaporation effect were calculated, and the various groundwater contributions of transpiration, mineral dissolution, and agricultural irrigation were identified using hydrogeochemical diagrams and δD and δ18O compositions of the groundwater and surface water samples. The average evaporation contribution ratios to salinity were 5.87% and 32.7% in groundwater and surface water, respectively. From the piedmont plain to the desert plain, the average groundwater loss by evaporation increased from 7% to 29%. However, the increases in salinity by evaporation were small according to the deuterium excess signals. Mineral dissolution, transpiration, and agricultural irrigation activities were the major causes of groundwater salinization. Isotopic information revealed that river leakage quickly infiltrated into aquifers in the piedmont area with weak evaporation effects. The recharge water interacted with the sediments and dissolved minerals and subsequently increased the salinity along the flow path. In the irrigation land, shallow groundwater salinity and Cl− concentrations increased but not δ18O, suggesting that both the leaching of soil salts due to irrigation and transpiration effect dominated in controlling the hydrogeochemistry. Depleted δ18O and high Cl− concentrations in the middle and deep groundwater revealed the combined effects of mixing with paleo‐water and mineral dissolution with a long residence time. These results could contribute to the management of groundwater sources and future utilization programs in the MRB and similar areas.

Evaluation on dynamic change and interrelations of ecosystem services in a typical mountain-oasis-desert region

Investigating the historical dynamics, interactions and driving factors of multiple ecosystem services (ES) is crucial to realize ES sustainability. The mountain-oasis-desert system (MODS) is a coupled socio-ecological system, and the Manas River Basin is a typical representative of the MODS and faces a sharp conflict between socioeconomic development and ecological conservation. Based on historical documents, meteorological data, hydrological data and remote sensing data, we identified long temporal variations (approximately 60 years) and relationships of eight ES in the study area. A gray relational analysis (GRA) was applied to quantify the influence of climate and anthropogenic factors on eight ES. The results showed, since the large-scale reclamation of the study area in 1949, that the provisioning services (i.e., grain, cotton and livestock) and most regulating services (i.e., sandstorm control and climate regulation) improved markedly, but the supporting services (i.e., soil conservation and habitats) had declined. The linear fit charts indicated the synergies between the provisioning services and most regulating services but tradeoffs between provisioning services and supporting services (especially the habitats service). The dramatic population growth and intensified human activities (e.g., large-scale reclamation and the deforestation) were the main drivers of most ES, while climate fluctuation (e.g., temperature and strong wind days) was the main factor affecting certain regulating services (e.g., hydrological regulation and sandstorm control). The declines in supporting services and ES tradeoffs caused by the intensified human activities threatened the sustainability of other ES and should attract close attention. Investigating the ES historical dynamic in the Manas River Basin can help us further understand the socio-ecological system development of the typical mountain-oasis-desert region and provide valuable information for ES management.

Content of highly unsaturated fatty acids in fish from rivers of contrasting temperature

AbstractContents of highly unsaturated long‐chain fatty acids of omega‐3 family (HUFA); eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5n‐3); and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n‐3) are the principal indicators of the nutritive quality of fish for humans. Effects of environmental factors, first of all water temperature, on EPA and DHA contents in fish tissue are not currently completely understood. To reveal the putative effect of water temperature, fatty acid composition and contents were studied for 6 fish species, inhabiting the cold waters of the Yenisei River (Siberia, Russia) downstream of a dam (hypolimnetic release from reservoir) and its adjacent warm water tributaries (the Mana River and the Kacha River). It was hypothesized that (a) fish species from the cold river would have higher HUFA contents than fish from the warm rivers and (b) temperature would be negatively correlated with HUFA content in fish species. Using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, distinct species‐specific fatty acid profiles were observed, whereas contents of the essential fatty acids, EPA and DHA, in fish species from the cold Yenisei River were in general similar to that from warm tributaries. Thus, in contrast to the first hypothesis, phylogenetic factors overweighed the effect of water temperature and food (benthic invertebrate) composition, on fatty acid composition and HUFA content in fish. For the second hypothesis, for the 2 species inhabiting both cold and warm rivers, only one had higher EPA and DHA content at lower temperatures. Consequently, the response of EPA and DHA content in fish tissue to temperature variations may be species‐specific.

Distribution and migration mechanism of fluoride in groundwater in the Manas River Basin, Northwest China

Elevated fluoride (F) concentration in groundwater is posing a public health risk in the Manas River Basin (MRB), Northwest China. Based on the characterization of regional groundwater flow, 90 groundwater samples from aquifers were analyzed, along with top-soil leachate and pore-water samples from aquitards. Stable oxygen (δ18O) and hydrogen isotopes, radiocarbon and hydrochemical analyses of the groundwater and pore-water samples were conducted to trace groundwater hydrological and hydrochemical processes and thereby understand the distribution and migration mechanism of F. The groundwater is recharged by meteoric precipitation through vapor condensation processes in the Tianshan Mountains. The F concentration in groundwater samples from this basin ranged from 0.11 to 48.15 mg/L (mean 2.56 mg/L). In 37 of the 90 groundwater samples, the F concentrations were above the safe level for drinking water. The F concentrations progressively increased with the residence time and well depths in the northwest of the alluvial-fluvial plain, where groundwater is overexploited for agricultural and domestic use. Positive correlations between F and sodium (Na)/calcium (Ca) indicate that the enrichment and migration of F are influenced by cation exchange processes under high-Na and alkaline pH conditions. The relationships between δ18O and F and chloride (Cl) concentrations were nonlinear due to leaching and mixing processes. This shows that vertical leaching by irrigation return flow and mixing with pore water are the dominant processes driving the migration of F in the groundwater flow system of MRB, in addition to geochemical processes.