TTI hydraulics and erosion control laboratory research field performance of erosion-control blankets

Storm water management issues facing the Texas Department of Transportation in the late 1980s led to the development of a coordinated research program with the Texas Transportation Institute. Researchers developed methodologies for evaluating the field performance of various erosion control technologies of the most widely used products within the Department's construction and maintenance operations. From these methodologies, the Hydraulics and Erosion Control Laboratory was designed and constructed. Currently, participants include private industry (manufacturers of erosion control products), transportation researchers (TTI), and the public sector (TxDOT).The results reported in this paper reflect 2 years of erosion-control blanket research. The study objectives were to determine the effectiveness of erosion-control blankets on the growth of warm-season perennial grasses and their ability to prevent sediment loss in a sloped condition.The laboratory simulates the highway environment with the sloped plots (6 m in width) located on an earthen embankment that is 300 m in length and 6.75 m in height (94 ft. by 22 ft., vertically). A randomized experimental design was replicated on two soil types (sand and clay) for each slope condition (3:1 or 2:1) with a control.In general, the results indicate better combined results relating to sediment retention and vegetation establishment performance for erosion-control blankets on sandy soils (noncohesive) regardless of slope condition (3:1 or 2:1) or material type. A minimum of 50% more sediment was retained on the sandy treatment plots and a 45% more vegetation coverage was achieved compared with the control plots. When analyzed by material type related to performance, excelsior, synthetic blends, and straw/coconut blends performed the best. For clay soils (cohesive), regardless of slope condition (3:1 or 2:1), the combined results indicate a minimum of 75% more sediment was retained and a minimum of 5% more vegetation establishment was achieved compared with the control plots. When analyzed by material type related to performance, excelsior, straw, and straw/coconut blends performed the best.     

2000—2014年辽宁省植被动态演变特征分析

基于MODIS － NDVI 数据,辅以线性回归法与分段线性回归法,并借助ArcGIS 软件,对辽宁 省2000—2014 年植被覆盖的动态演变过程进行分析。结果表明: ( 1) 时间上,辽宁省植被NDVI 在年 际尺度上呈现出明显的增大趋势,2005 年出现突变,多年平均NDVI 值为0. 496; 春季、夏季、秋季 以及植被生长季NDVI 突变年份分别为2006 年、2005 年、2009 年和2004 年,秋季波动变化的突变点 明显滞后; 植被生长最旺盛的季节为夏季,且集中于8 月。( 2) 空间上,辽宁省植被覆盖具有明显的 地域性差异,呈现出东部高、中西部低的分布特征; 辽宁省植被覆盖优良区与辽东山地的界限基本吻 合,植被覆盖贫乏区主要集中在朝阳市和阜新市的东北部地区。( 3) 辽宁省植被覆盖程度呈山地阴坡 高于阳坡的形态,并且植被覆盖程度最好的坡向为北偏西方向。( 4) 2000—2014 年辽宁省植被覆盖度 整体以维持现状和轻微改善为主,保持不变的区域集中于中东部地区,辽阳市与沈阳市一带有轻微退 化现象,辽西北地区改善情况较为明显。     

Consequences of different cutting regimes on regrowth and nutrient stoichiometry of Sparganium erectum L. and Potamogeton natans L.

Aquatic vegetation forms an essential component in freshwater ecosystems but due to changed environmental and anthropogenic conditions often needs management to reduce nuisance for human land‐use. In this paper, the authors looked at the regrowth of two macrophyte species (Potamogeton natans and Sparganium erectum) in two lowland rivers under different cutting treatments. After an initial cross‐sectional transect was manually removed from bank to bank at the beginning of the growth season, a monthly repetitive removal of biomass in plots on that transect was done during the rest of the growth season (testing frequency of mowing). Additional new transects were also cut in subsequent months (testing timing of mowing). Finally, biomass was repetitively removed in plots in those additional transects too (testing frequency of mowing × timing of mowing). The biomass at the end of the growth season was analysed for C, N, P, and Si. It was demonstrated that timing and frequency of vegetation cutting has an important effect on the capacity and rate of species' recovery and therefore on the efficiency of the applied management. Nutrient stoichiometry of the regrown biomass was directly affected by cutting. Caused by differences in the applied timing and frequency of the cutting, C/N and N/P ratios and BSi concentrations were highly variable. Yet, overall, there was a clear tendency towards a higher C/N ratio and BSi concentration and lower N/P ratio in biomass that recovered after cutting. This human impact on the quantity and quality of autochthonous organic matter may have knock‐on effects on the decomposers food web and mineralization process.     

拆坝对河流生态系统的影响及评估方法综述

为研究拆坝对河流生态系统造成的影响,从短期和长期两个时间尺度综合分析了河流水文情势、地形地貌、岸边带植物、鱼类和底栖动物等关键生态因子对拆坝的响应,并总结了目前拆坝对生态系统影响的两种主要评估方法。认为根据实际拆坝情况进行评估和基于数值模型进行预测两种评估方法中,实地观测是最直接、最有说服力的研究方法,但受成本和一些不可控因素限制;数值模拟具有速度快、费用低、无比尺影响等优点,可对拆坝影响进行预测,为管理者提供参考,但精度和准确性有待提高。指出后续研究中应综合考虑拆坝过程中各生态因子间的耦合效应,需对不同拆坝时机和分阶段拆坝方式对河流生态系统的影响进行深入研究。     

不同植被重建模式下赣北红壤侵蚀坡地土壤养分效应

为了探讨植被重建模式与土壤养分的关系,合理改良与利用红壤侵蚀坡地,本文分析了草本、果树、果树+草、果树+草+农作物和果树+农作物等不同植被重建模式对土壤养分的影响,并运用灰色关联分析方法对不同恢复模式的土壤养分效应进行综合评价。研究结果表明:不同植被重建模式土壤养分效应差异显著,以果树+横坡套种农作物改善土壤养分效应最好,然后依次是果树+草本模式(全区覆盖优于带状覆盖)、果+草+农作物模式、果树+纵坡套种农作物,草本、果树模式改善土壤养分效应最差。赣北侵蚀坡地植被恢复,可以优先考虑恢复果树+横坡套种农作物模式和果树+草本模式。     

中国植物空间分异规律

以省级行政区为分析单元,借助ArcGIS空间分析功能对中国行政分区图、中国森林覆盖率图、中国植物区系图、中国植被分区图进行叠加分析。通过对同一植被分区下分析单元数据进行整合,给出全国不同植物区系、植被分区、森林覆盖率信息。采用二阶聚类综合判别法,提取中国植被分区总体信息,探求植被空间分异规律,发现一类、二类、三类植被的比例为30∶37∶23,反映出植被的区域分布特性较强;四类植被比例大致占10%,反映出大区域内部的局地小生境造成的植被分布的整体差异。另外,一类植被多分布在中高纬度地带,二类植被贯穿中国全纬度,三类植被多分布在低纬度地带。     

A detection problem: Sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of a land surface temperature approach to detecting dynamics of water use by groundwater-dependent vegetation

Sustainable management of groundwater-dependent vegetation (GDV) requires the accurate identification of GDVs, characterisation of their water use dynamics and an understanding of associated errors. This paper presents sensitivity and uncertainty analyses of one GDV mapping method which uses temperature differences between time-series of modelled and observed land surface temperature (LST) to detect groundwater use by vegetation in a subtropical woodland. Uncertainty in modelled LST was quantified using the Jacobian method with error variances obtained from literature. Groundwater use was inferred where modelled and observed LST were significantly different using a Student's t-test. Modelled LST was most sensitive to low-range wind speeds (<1.5 m s⁻¹), low-range vegetation height (<=0.5 m), and low-range leaf area index (<=0.5 m² m⁻²), limiting the detectability of groundwater use by vegetation under such conditions. The model-data approach was well-suited to detection of GDV because model-data errors were lowest for climatic conditions conducive to groundwater use.     

含植物河道水动力特性研究进展

水生植物群落是河流生态系统的重要组成部分,利用天然植被护坡固土、净化水质、改善河流生态环境已成为河流生态修复的重要措施。本文从水生植物影响下的河道水流阻力特性及水流结构两方面,总结了国内外对含植物河道水动力特性的研究进展,并对该领域的未来研究方向提出了展望。     

丹江口坝区扩建工程水土保持建设与效果分析

南水北调中线丹江口水库大坝加高工程坝区建设项目占地较多,包括永久征地、临时占地、租赁占地等,项目施工将直接破坏地表,造成水土流失。为防止工程建设造成严重的水土流失,项目业主单位成立了以总经理为第一责任人的领导机构和专门负责水土保持工程建设与管理的机构,并制定了专门的管理办法。在各参建单位的共同努力下,通过采取一系列的工程措施、植物措施与临时措施,取得了良好的水土保持效果,工程建设区的水土流失控制在国家标准的轻度流失范围内。     

Floodplain roughness parameterization using airborne laser scanning and spectral remote sensing

Floodplain roughness parameterization is one of the key elements of hydrodynamic modeling of river flow, which is directly linked to exceedance levels of the embankments of lowland fluvial areas. The present way of roughness mapping is based on manually delineated floodplain vegetation types, schematized as cylindrical elements of which the height (m) and the vertical density (the projected plant area in the direction of the flow per unit volume, m^− 1) have to be assigned using a lookup table. This paper presents a novel method of automated roughness parameterization. It delivers a spatially distributed roughness parameterization in an entire floodplain by fusion of CASI multispectral data with airborne laser scanning (ALS) data. The method consists of three stages: (1) pre-processing of the raw data, (2) image segmentation of the fused data set and classification into the dominant land cover classes (KHAT = 0.78), (3) determination of hydrodynamic roughness characteristics for each land cover class separately. In stage three, a lookup table provides numerical values that enable roughness calculation for the classes water, sand, paved area, meadows and built-up area. For forest and herbaceous vegetation, ALS data enable spatially detailed analysis of vegetation height and density. The hydrodynamic vegetation density of forest is mapped using a calibrated regression model. Herbaceous vegetation cover is further subdivided in single trees and non-woody vegetation. Single trees were delineated using a novel iterative cluster merging method, and their height is predicted (R² = 0.41, rse = 0.84 m). The vegetation density of single trees was determined in an identical way as for forest. Vegetation height and density of non-woody herbaceous vegetation were also determined using calibrated regression models. A 2D hydrodynamic model was applied with the results of this novel method, and compared with a traditional roughness parameterization approach. The modeling results showed that the new method is well able to provide accurate output data. The new method provides a faster, repeatable, and more accurate way of obtaining floodplain roughness, which enables regular updating of river flow models.