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The Ejina Oasis (EO), located in arid northwest China, is a typical arid area in the world. The ecosystem in the oasis has become worse since the 1990s. However, it began to improve after the Chinese government took the mandatory measure to redistribute the water in Heihe in 2000. To understand this change, the remote sensing images in 1990, 2000 and 2006 were selected, and exertion related Land Use/Cover Change (LUCC) model was employed. Results showed that: (1) non-vegetation cover was the main body of the vegetation cover in oasis, showing a trend of increase at the beginning and diminution later, while low, medium and high vegetation cover was the other way around; (2) the area of low, medium and high vegetation cover in 2006 was less than that in 1990; the status and trend index P of oasis vegetation cover was 0.62 in 1990-2000, which means that the oasis ecosystem of Ejina was getting worse and was under an unbalanced status; P was 0.27 in 2000-2006 indicating that the oasis ecosystem was restored obviously and the whole system tended to be balanced; (3) all of these changes should be attributed to the water resources redistribution in Heihe River, which played a leading role, as well as the measures and relevant policies taken by the local government, which promoted the rapid recovery of the medium and high vegetation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Water resources is a primary controlling factor for economical development and ecological environmental protection in the inland river basins of arid western China. Groundwater, as the important component of total water resources, plays a dominant role in the development of western China. In recent years, with the utilization ratio of surface water raised, the groundwater recharge rate has been reduced by surface water, and groundwater was exploited on a large-scale. This has led to the decline of groundwater levels and the degradation of eco-environments in the lower reaches of Heihe watershed, especially. Therefore, the study on the groundwater-level change in recent years, as well as simulating and predicting groundwater levels changes in the future is very significant to improve the ecological environment of the Heihe River Basin, coordinate the water contradiction, and allocate the water resources. The purpose of this study is to analyze the groundwater-level variations of the Ejina region basin on a large-scale, to develop and evaluate a conceptual groundwater model in Ejina Basin; according to the experimental observation data, to establish the groundwater flow model combining MODFLOW and GIS Software; simulated the regional hydrologic regime in recent 10 years and compared with various delivery scenarios from midstream; determined which one would be the best plan for maintaining and recovering the groundwater levels and increasing the area of Ejina Oasis. Finally, this paper discusses the possible vegetation changes of Ejina Basin in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Field experiments on the CO2 flux of alpine meadow soil in the Qilian Mountain were conducted along the elevation gradient during the growing season of 2004 and 2005. The soil CO2 flux was measured using the Li-6400-09 soil respiration chamber attached to the Li-6400 portable photosynthesis system. The effects of water and heat and roots on the soil CO2 flux were statistically analyzed. The results show that soil CO2 flux along the elevation gradient gradually decreases. The soil CO2 flux was low at night, with lowest value occurring between 0200 and 0600 hours, started to rise rapidly during 0700–0830 hours, and then descend during 1600–1830 hours. The peak CO2 efflux appears during 1100–1600 hours. The diurnal average of soil CO2 efflux was between 0.56 ± 0.32 and 2.53 ± 0.76 μmol m−2 s−1. Seasonally, soil CO2 fluxes are relatively high in summer and autumn and low in spring and winter. The soil CO2 efflux, from the highest to the lowest in the ranking order, occurred in July and August (4.736 μmol m−2 s−1), June and September, and May and October, respectively. The soil CO2 efflux during the growing season is positively correlated with soil temperature, root biomass and soil water content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ejina Basin, located in arid northwest China, is one of the most arid areas in the world. In recent years, rapid development has created a greater demand for water which is increasingly fulfilled by groundwater abstraction. Detailed knowledge of geochemical evolution of groundwater and water quality can improve the understanding of a hydrochemical system, and promote sustainable development and effective management of groundwater resources. To this end, a hydrochemical survey was conducted in the Ejina Basin in order to identify the major hydrochemical characteristics. The results of chemical analysis indicate that groundwater in the area is brackish. The major ions, TDS, and hydrochemical types of different areas are highly variable and show an obvious zonation from the recharge area to the discharge area. Saturation index (SI), calculated according to the ionic ration plot, indicates that the gypsum-halite dissolution reactions take place under the condition of the rock weathering to some extent, and evaporation is the dominant factor to determine the major ionic composition in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unbridled development and use of water resources in the Tarim River basin over the last 50 years have led to a serious degradation of soil (>12×103 km2 of land desertified between the 1960s and 1990s) and water quality (rise in maximum salinity was from 1.3 g l−1 in 1960, to 4.0 g l−1 in 1981–1984, and to 7.8 g l−1 in 1998). Approximately 300 km of the lower reaches of the river course dried up between the 1950s and 1970s, seriously altering the downstream hydrological processes (a 4–6 m drop in groundwater levels from the 1960s to the 1980s, and 0.2 m yr−1 thereafter) and ecosystems (67% and 50% decrease (1958–1978) in Populus euphratica forest acreage and biomass, respectively). Between the 1950s and 1990s, 3820 km2 of P. euphratica forest and 200 km2 of shrub- and grassland were lost in the lower reaches of the Tarim River. In this study, based on estimates of soil organic carbon in desertified lands, it has been found that in the last 30 years (1970–2000), approximately 112 Tg of organic carbon (28% originating in the 0–1.0 m soil profile) has been released into the atmosphere as a result of soil degradation in the Tarim River basin. Intensive anthropogenic disturbance has been one of the foremost factors leading to the deterioration of water resources in this region. The key to solving these problems is to enhance the scientific and technical level of monitoring, management, and restoration of water resources and associated water and soil components of local ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]