Abstract
River connectivity plays an essential role in maintaining the health and stability of river basin ecosystems. It is of great significance to protect river ecosystems to clarify the effect of water conservancy project construction and operation on river hydrological connectivity. The longitudinal connectivity is affected by the landscape patterns of river, such as the convergence and dispersion of the mid-channel bars and the river areas. This study aims to analyze the impacts of construction and regulation of Xiaolangdi Dam on the connectivity of the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River from the perspective of landscape pattern. An improved longitudinal river connectivity evaluation method was proposed by accounting for the influence of the landscape pattern represented by mid-channel bars based on barrier coefficient method, and then was applied to analyze the connectivity pre- and post-dam construction. The results show that the amplitude and frequency of the oscillation of the river were greatly reduced and tended to be stable. The aggregation degree of mid-channel bars was reduced, and the distribution of mid-channel bars was more dispersed. The river longitudinal connectivity before and after the construction of the Xiaolangdi Dam were 1.35 and 1.50 respectively, indicating an increased river longitudinal connectivity. Overall, there are differences in connectivity before and after Xiaolangdi Dam construction, and connectivity fluctuates after dam construction. Because of the dam regulation of water and sediment, the river connectivity during the flood season increased significantly, and was greater than that before and after the flood season. The longitudinal connectivity evaluation method established in this study is accurate and efficient, and provides an intuitive and reliable new method for quantitatively analyzing the changing laws and characteristics of river connectivity.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Availability of data and materials
The datasets used or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
References
Alard FM, Ockner KT, Ward JV (2010) A landscape perspective of surface–subsurface hydrological exchanges in river corridors. Freshwater Water Biology 47(621):621–640. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2427.2002.00906.x
Anderson EP, Pringle CM, Freeman MC (2008) Quantifying the extent of river fragmentation by hydropower dams in the Sarapiqui River Basin, Costa Rica. Aquatic Conservation-Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 18(4):408–417. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.882
Belletti B, Garcia de Leaniz C, Jones J et al (2020) More than one million barriers fragment Europe’s rivers. Nature 588(7838):436–441. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-3005-2
Borselli L, Cassi P, Torri D (2008) Prolegomena to sediment and flow connectivity in the landscape: a GIS and field numerical assessment. CATENA 75(3):268–277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2008.07.006
Castello L, Macedo MN (2016) Large-scale degradation of Amazonian freshwater ecosystems. Glob Change Biol 22(3):990–1007. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13173
Chen Y, Wang Y (2019) Changes in river connectivity indexes in the lower Yellow River between 1960 and 2015. River Res Appl 35(9):1377–1386. https://doi.org/10.1002/rra.3420
Chen J, Yang S, Li H et al (2013) Research on geographical environment unit division based on the method of natural breaks (Jenks). SPRS/IGU/ICA Joint International Workshop on Borderlands Modelling and Understanding for Global Sustainability 3:47–50. https://doi.org/10.5194/isprsarchives-XL-4-W3-47-2013
Chen Y, Wang Y, Chen K (2020) Types and modes of connectivity of water systems. Sediment Research 45(03): 53–60. (in Chinese). https://doi.org/10.16239/j.cnki.0468-155x.2020.03.008.
Chu Z (2014) The dramatic changes and anthropogenic causes of erosion and deposition in the lower Yellow (Huanghe) River since 1952. Geomorphology 216:171–179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2014.04.009
Cote D, Kehler DG, Bourne C et al (2009) A new measure of longitudinal connectivity for stream networks. Landscape Ecol 24(1):101–113. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-008-9283-y
Faye C (2022) Comparative analysis of meteorological drought based on the SPI and SPEI indices. HighTech and Innovation Journal 3: 15–27. https://doi.org/10.28991/HIJ-SP2022-03-02
Fryirs KA, Brierley GJ, Preston NJ et al (2007) Catchment-scale (dis)connectivity in sediment flux in the upper Hunter catchment, New South Wales, Australia. Geomorphology 84(3–4):297–316. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2006.01.044
Grill G, Dallaire CO, Chouinard EF et al (2014) Development of new indicators to evaluate river fragmentation and flow regulation at large scales: a case study for the Mekong River Basin. Ecol Ind 45:148–159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2014.03.026
Hamzah FB, Hamzah FM, Razali SF et al (2021) A comparison of multiple imputation methods for recovering missing data in hydrological studies. Civil Engineering Journal 7(9):1608–1619. https://doi.org/10.28991/cej-2021-03091747
Holcomb JM, Nichols RB, Gangloff MM (2016) Effects of small dam condition and drainage on stream fish community structure. Ecol Freshw Fish 25(4):553–564. https://doi.org/10.1111/eff.12233
Hooke JM (1995) River channel adjustment to meander cutoffs on the River Bollin and River Dane, northwest England. Geomorphology 14(3):235–253. https://doi.org/10.1016/0169-555X(95)00110-Q
Jaeger J (2000) Landscape division, splitting index, and effective mesh size: new measures of landscape fragmentation. Landscape Ecol 15(2):115–130. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008129329289
Karim F, Kinsey-Henderson A, Wallace J et al (2012) Modelling wetland connectivity during overbank flooding in a tropical floodplain in north Queensland. Australia Hydrological Processes 26(18):2710–2723. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.8364
Kondolf GM, Boulton AJ, O’Daniel S et al (2006) Process-based ecological river restoration: visualizing three-dimensional connectivity and dynamic vectors to recover lost linkages. Ecol Soc 11(2). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2006.06.012
Krisnayanti DS, Bunganaen W, Frans JH et al (2021) Curve number estimation for ungauged watershed in semi-arid region. Civ Eng J 7(6):1070–1083. https://doi.org/10.28991/cej-2021-03091711
Lehner B, Grill G (2013) Global river hydrography and network routing: baseline data and new approaches to study the world’s large river systems. Hydrol Process 27(15):2171–2186. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.9740
Li J, Xia J, Zhou M et al (2017) Variation in reach-scale thalweg-migration intensity in a braided reach of the lower Yellow River in 1986–2015. Earth Surf Proc Land 42(13):1952–1962. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.4154
Li Y, Zeng Z, Zhang M (1999). Application of principal component analysis method in multi-index comprehensive evaluation method. Journal of Hebei University of Technology, 1999(01):96–99. (in Chinese). https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1007-2373.1999.01.022
Liu F, Yu Q, Zhang S et al (2006) Geological and geotechnical characteristics of Xiaolangdi dam, Yellow River, China. Bull Eng Geol Env 65(3):289–295. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-005-0032-z
Luchi R, Zolezzi G, Tubino M (2010) Modelling mid-channel bars in meandering channels. Earth Surf Proc Land 35(8):902–917. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.1947
Lv M, Ma Z, Li M et al (2019) Quantitative analysis of terrestrial water storage changes under the Grain for Green program in the Yellow River basin. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 124(3):1336–1351. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JD029113
Ma Y, Huang H, Nanson G et al (2012) Channel adjustments in response to the operation of large dams: the upper reach of the lower Yellow River. Geomorphology 147:35–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2011.07.032
Magilligan FJ, Roberts MO, Marti M et al (2021) The impact of run-of-river dams on sediment longitudinal connectivity and downstream channel equilibrium. Geomorphology 376:107568. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2020.107568
Masselink R, Heckmann T, Temme A et al (2017) A network theory approach for a better understanding of overland flow connectivity. Hydrol Process 31(1):207–220. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.10993
Nadeau TL, Rains MC (2007) Hydrological connectivity between headwater streams and downstream waters: how science can inform policy. J Am Water Resour Assoc 43(1):118–133. https://doi.org/10.1111/J.1752-1688.2007.00010.X
O’Hanley JR, Tomberlin D (2005). Optimizing the removal of small fish passage barriers. Environmental Modeling & Assessment 10(2):85–98. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10666-004-4268-y
Shao X, Fang Y, Jawitz JW et al (2019) River network connectivity and fish diversity. Sci Total Environ 689:21–30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.340
Shao X, Fang Y, Cui B (2020). A model to evaluate spatiotemporal variations of hydrological connectivity on a basin-scale complex river network with intensive human activity. Science of the Total Environment 723: 138051. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138051
Urban D, Keitt T (2001) Landscape connectivity: a graph-theoretic perspective. Ecology 82(5):1205–1218. https://doi.org/10.1890/0012-9658(2001)082[1205:LCAGTP]2.0.CO;2
Vannote RL, Minshall GW, Cummins KW et al (1980) The river continuum concept. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 37(1):130–137. https://doi.org/10.1080/00288330.1982.9515966
Wang S, Fu B, Piao S et al (2016) Reduced sediment transport in the Yellow River due to anthropogenic changes. Nat Geosci 9(1):38–41
Wang H, Yang Z, Saito Y et al (2007) Stepwise decreases of the Huanghe (Yellow River) sediment load (1950–2005): impacts of climate change and human activities. Global And Planetary Change 57(3–4):331–354. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2007.01.003
Wang H, Wu X, Bi N et al (2017) Impacts of the dam-orientated water-sediment regulation scheme on the lower reaches and delta of the Yellow River (Huanghe): a review. Global and Planetary Change 157: 93–113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2017.08.005
Wang Y, Chen Y, Chen K (2020). Index system of water system connectivity and its application. Journal of Hydraulic Conservancy, 51(09): 1080–1088. (in Chinese). https://doi.org/10.13243/j.cnki.slxb.20200295
Ward JV (1989) The four-dimensional nature of lotic ecosystems. J N Am Benthol Soc 8(1):2–8. https://doi.org/10.2307/1467397
Wu B, Wang G, Ma J et al (2005) Case study: river training and its effects on fluvial processes in the Lower Yellow River. China Journal of Hydraulic Engineering 131(2):85–96. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9429(2005)131:2(85)
Xu H (2006) Modification of normalised difference water index (NDWI) to enhance open water features in remotely sensed imagery. Int J Remote Sens 27(14):3025–3033. https://doi.org/10.1080/01431160600589179
Zhao G, Gao P, Tian P et al (2020) Assessing sediment connectivity and soil erosion by water in a representative catchment on the Loess Plateau. China Catena 185:104284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2019.104284
Acknowledgements
We thank Sara J. Mason, MSc, ELS, from Liwen Bianji (Edanz) (www.liwenbianji.cn), for editing the English text of a draft of this manuscript.
Funding
This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52061135104) and the Joint Funds of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (U2243236).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Cheng Zhang: methodology, data analysis. Zedong Peng: model construction and validation, and original writing. Caihong Tang: conceptualization, reviewing and editing. Shanghong Zhang: funding acquisition and reviewing.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Ethics approval
Not applicable.
Consent to participate
Not applicable.
Consent for publication
All authors reviewed and approved the manuscript for publication.
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
Additional information
Responsible Editor: Marcus Schulz
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Highlights
• A river longitudinal connectivity method based on the landscape pattern was constructed by improving the traditional barrier coefficient method.
• The improved connectivity evaluation method is applicable to the single channel downstream of dams.
• Changes of the connectivity of typical reaches of the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River before and after the Xiaolangdi Dam construction were analyzed.
• Influence of water and sediment regulation of the Xiaolangdi Reservoir on the longitudinal connectivity of the river was evaluated.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Zhang, C., Peng, Z., Tang, C. et al. Evaluation of river longitudinal connectivity based on landscape pattern and its application in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 30779–30792 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-24391-w
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-24391-w