Quantification of Environmental Flow Requirements to Support Ecosystem Services of Oasis Areas: A Case Study in Tarim Basin, Northwest China
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Area and Classification of Environmental Flow Requirements
Ecosystem Type | Environmental Flow Requirements | Ecosystem Functions |
---|---|---|
Riverine ecosystem | EFRs for riverine ecosystem health | Maintenance of riverine habitat |
Sediment transport | ||
Salinity balance | ||
Nutrients transport | ||
Nature oasis ecosystem | EFR for maintenance of desert vegetation | Combating desertification |
EFRs for maintenance of riparian and shelter forests | Preventing sandstorm | |
EFR for groundwater restoration | Ensuring desert vegetation growth |
2.2. Quantification of Environmental Flow Requirements in Oasis Areas of Tarim Basin
2.2.1. Environmental Flow Requirement for Base Flows
2.2.2. Environmental Flow Requirement for Sediment Transport
2.2.3. Environmental Flow Requirements for Evaporation of Surface Water
2.2.4. Environmental Flow Requirements for Different Vegetation Types
2.2.5. Environmental Flow Requirements for Groundwater Restoration
2.2.6. Integration of Environmental Flow Requirements for Various Ecosystem Functions
2.2.7. Temporal Allocation of Environmental Flow Requirements
2.3. Case Study Illustrating the Application of Environmental Flow Requirements in Qira Oasis
Vegetation Type | Vegetation Cover Index | Total Area (km2) | Area (km2) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Maximum | Medium | Minimum | |||
Desert vegetation | High-coverage grass (60% to 90%) | 69.34 | 62.41 | 52.01 | 41.60 |
Medium-coverage grass (20% to 60%) | 22.54 | 13.52 | 9.02 | 4.51 | |
Low-coverage grass (5% to 20%) | 20.28 | 4.06 | 2.54 | 1.01 | |
Riparian and shelter forests | – | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 |
Total | – | 162.16 | 129.99 | 113.56 | 97.13 |
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Quantification of Environmental Flow Requirements
Ecological Functions | Water Quota (m3/hm2) | Maximum (108 m3) | Medium (108 m3) | Minimum (108 m3) |
---|---|---|---|---|
High-coverage grass | 2343.8 | 0.146 | 0.122 | 0.098 |
Medium-coverage grass | 1486.7 | 0.020 | 0.013 | 0.007 |
Low-coverage grass | 629.7 | 0.003 | 0.002 | 0.001 |
Riparian and shelter forests | 3405 | 0.170 | 0.170 | 0.170 |
Total | – | 0.339 | 0.307 | 0.276 |
3.2. Proportion of Environmental Flow Requirements for Multiple Ecosystem Functions
3.3. Response of Environmental Flow Requirements to Natural River Runoff
4. Conclusions
Acknowledgments
Author Contributions
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Xue, J.; Gui, D.; Zhao, Y.; Lei, J.; Feng, X.; Zeng, F.; Zhou, J.; Mao, D. Quantification of Environmental Flow Requirements to Support Ecosystem Services of Oasis Areas: A Case Study in Tarim Basin, Northwest China. Water 2015, 7, 5657-5675. https://doi.org/10.3390/w7105657
Xue J, Gui D, Zhao Y, Lei J, Feng X, Zeng F, Zhou J, Mao D. Quantification of Environmental Flow Requirements to Support Ecosystem Services of Oasis Areas: A Case Study in Tarim Basin, Northwest China. Water. 2015; 7(10):5657-5675. https://doi.org/10.3390/w7105657
Chicago/Turabian StyleXue, Jie, Dongwei Gui, Ying Zhao, Jiaqiang Lei, Xinlong Feng, Fanjiang Zeng, Jie Zhou, and Donglei Mao. 2015. "Quantification of Environmental Flow Requirements to Support Ecosystem Services of Oasis Areas: A Case Study in Tarim Basin, Northwest China" Water 7, no. 10: 5657-5675. https://doi.org/10.3390/w7105657