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Transient storage refers to a vital process affecting nutrient retention dynamics. To explore how streambed topography, discharge, and nutrient ambient concentration impact the transient storage and nitrogen retention of the headwater stream, tracer experiments were performed in five reaches of the Yanqi watershed. The one-dimensional transport with inflow and storage model (OTIS) was employed to simulate the solute injection. Transient storage potential was evaluated by transient storage metrics. Moreover, the material balance method was adopted to obtain the amount of nitrogen retention in the respective reach, and the nutrient spiraling metrics were determined to assess the nitrogen retention potential. As revealed from this study, improving transient storage under low flow conditions effectively facilitated nitrogen retention (except for the case of low-head weirs reach), while the erosion of high discharge destroyed the transient storage zone, thereby reducing the nitrogen retention potential. Ecological restoration in the Yanqi watershed could rescue nitrogen retention potential to a natural state under low flow, whereas limitations were identified in nitrogen retention potential under high flow and high ambient concentration.

Wetlands are important habitats on biodiversity protection. In this study, the relationship between wetland and avifauna changes in the Yellow River Delta Wetland was studied. Remote sensing and geographic information system provided an advanced platform for the research. After the avifauna survey was performed from 2012 to 2013, the birds’ variation and driving factors were analyzed. The results showed that the flow into the wetland increased continuously from 2000, and the increased of artificial wetland prevented the wetland degradation, although at the same time the total wetland area decreased. Medium grassland, tidal flat and pond are the three main landscapes which are beneficial for the habitation of birds. The migrating numbers of red-crowned crane increased significantly from 2005, and the overwintering numbers increased from 2009. The study results show that the key land use types for protecting endangered species of birds are medium grassland, tidal flat and pond landscapes. Wetland changes are sensitive to the birds and significantly affected by the flow. We suggest that the artificial wetland project should enhance the three land use type area to ensure the wetland restoration.

Summary Larval abundance of fish species downstream of large dams generally declines with changes in flow and thermal regime caused by dam operation. Fish conservation strategies in dammed rivers may need to be modified because adjustments in life-history or spawning behaviour are necessary for adult fishes to survive in modified environments. We used genetic programming to identify significant pre- and post-dam environmental factors affecting larval abundance of four major Chinese carp species in the Yangtze River downstream of the Three Gorges Dam and to quantify their relationships with larval abundance during a 13-year period (1997–2009) that encompasses seven pre-dam years and six post-dam years. Significant pre-dam factors included duration and rise rate of flow increase. With a nonlinear correlation, larval abundance slightly increased with duration of flow increase (Duration) when 2 days ≤ Duration ≤ 4 days, but significantly increased with Duration when 5 days ≤ Duration ≤ 8 days. With an approximate linear correlation, larval abundance increased with average daily rise rate of flow increase (QRavg) when QRavg ≤ 2000 m3 s−1 day−1. Timing of flow increase was the most significant post-dam factor, with the majority of adult carp spawning 55–80 days after water temperature at Yichang gauge station reached 15 °C. Duration of flow increase remained significant and its relationship with larval abundance remained unchanged, but rise rate of flow increase was no longer identified as a significant factor. Water temperature became significant with larval abundance decreasing slightly with maximum water temperature of flow increase (WTmax) when 22 °C ≤ WTmax ≤ 26 °C. Changes in the significance of individual environmental factors were caused by adaptation to thermal regime alterations through a gradual delay in spawning time. Because the delayed spawning period was much closer to, or even overlapped with the main flood season, magnitude and rise rate of flow increase and water temperature all increased. These changes, coupled with a lack of long flow increase (Duration ≥ 5 days), the occurrence of dissolved gas super-saturation and the disappearance of most spawning grounds in the Three Gorges Reservoir, resulted in a substantial decline in carp larval abundance of the middle Yangtze River. Variation in the significant factors and their relationships to larval abundance implies that mimicking a natural flow regime without accounting for fish response to environmental changes may not provide the environmental flows needed to enhance native fish spawning. Based on pre- and post-dam relationships between significant factors and larval abundance, we recommend that in order to enhance the four carp species spawning, the Three Gorges Reservoir should plan at least one flow release with increased discharges (Duration ≥ 5 days, 900 ≤ QRavg ≤ 3000 m3 s−1 day−1 and discharge ≤ 30 000 m3 s−1) between 15 June and 20 July when water temperature is

The Lorenz Curve, a concept used in economic theory, is used to quantify spatial–temporal variability in the daily time series of precipitation concentrations. The Lorenz Curve provides a graphical view of the cumulative percentage of total yearly precipitation. In addition, further extraction of the data using the Gini coefficient and Lorenz asymmetry coefficient provides a two-parameter measure of precipitation concentration and an explanation of the basis for the underlying inequalities in precipitation distribution. Based on the calculation of the precipitation concentration index (CI) and the Lorenz asymmetry coefficient (S) values from 1960 to 2010, variations in the trends and periodic temporal–spatial patterns of precipitation at 31 stations across the Lancang River basin are discussed. The results are as follows: (1) highest precipitation CI values occurred in the southern Lancang River basin, whereas the lowest precipitation CI values were mainly observed in the upper reaches of the Lancang River basin, which features a more homogeneous temporal distribution of rainfall. S values throughout the entire basin were less than one, indicating that minor precipitation events have the highest contribution to overall precipitation inequality. (2) Application of the Mann–Kendall test revealed that a significant, decreasing trend in precipitation CI that exceeding the 95th percentile was detected in the upper and middle reaches of the Lancang River basin. However, there was only one significant (0.05) S value trend throughout the river. (3) Climate jumps in annual CI occurred during the early 1960s, 1970s and 1980s at Jinghong, Deqin and Zaduo stations, respectively. (4) Dominant periodic variations in precipitation CI, with periods of 4–17years, were found. These results allow for an improved understanding of extreme climate events and improved river basin water resource management.

The current environmental flow assessment of Chinese rivers is thought to have three shortcomings: The first is that environmental flow requirements of reservoirs in dammed rivers are usually not explicitly considered; the second is that enough attentions have not been paid to the inherent links between flow regime and ecological processes; the third is that most studies focus on the variable range of merely one hydrological element such as discharge needed by riverine ecosystems. Here, first proposed is a holistic method for environmental flow assessment, the flow-ecological response relationship method that is suitable for large rivers with relatively abundant ecological data. Based on the conceptual models and quantitative relationships between flow and ecological response, this method comprehensively considers the ecological conservation requirements of both reservoir and its downstream reach. Then, it is applied to assessing the environmental flows of the Three Gorges Reservoir and its downstream reach by the following steps: 1) Construction of conceptual models of flow-ecological response; 2) identification of ecological targets of environmental flows and their key periods; 3) development of the quantitative relationships between hydrological indicators and ecological indictors; 4) preliminary assessment of environmental flow according to the tradeoff between ecological targets and water demands of human. The environmental flow hydrographs obtained have explicit ecological conservation targets, time schedule of achieving each target, and characteristics of multiple hydrological elements such as flow, water level, frequency, timing, duration and rate of change. The case study has tested the reasonability and feasibility of this method, and the results of this study are expected to provide technical support and decision reference for improving the operation of the Three Gorges-Gezhouba cascade reservoirs.

Known as the four famous carps in China, black carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus), grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) are commercially important fish species with a high production in China. To reveal the relationships between meteorological conditions and the natural spawning behavior of these fishes, we considered six meteorological factors (including wind, rainfall, temperature, air pressure, sunshine hours and humidity) and the weather conditions in 80 spawning events. The results showed that the spawning activities were more likely to be activated in consecutive rainy days or days when weather changed drastically, while the spawning activities showed no tendency for the weather type except consecutive rainy days. Our analyses also showed that the average rainfall in the initial spawning days is higher than that in the spawning time windows (the time from the earliest spawning activity to the latest spawning activity), while other meteorological elements remained at more or less the same values in both time periods; spawning activity tended to happen in days when the average air pressure was going down or the average temperature going up, while the other meteorological elements showed no consistent tendency.

Source: ICHE Conference Archive - https://mdi-de.baw.de/icheArchive