Evolution of shoals and vegetation of Jiuduansha in the Changjiang River Estuary of China in the last 30 years
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Abstract: The evolution of the shoals and vegetation plays an important role in maintaining the stability of the river regime and the estuarine ecosystem. However, the interaction between the evolution of shoals and vegetation dynamic has rarely been reported. In this study, we determined the interaction between the shoal and vegetation evolution of Jiuduansha in the Changjiang River Estuary in the last 30 years. We did this through the collection and summarization of the existing data of the regional hydrological processes, wading engineering, and vegetation, and combined it with the analysis of nautical charts and remote sensing images. During the past 30 years, the expansion of the shoals within the 0 m isobath in Jiuduansha was obvious, with an increase of 176.5%, while the expansion of the shoals within the 5 m isobath was relatively slow. The regional hydrological characteristics in the Jiuduansha area changed dramatically, especially the sediment discharges. The area of vegetation in Jiuduansha increased from 9.1 km2 in 1990 to 65.68 km2 in 2015, while the variations in the different vegetation types were different. The best combination of environmental factors with a significant correlation on the shoals within the 0 m isobath is the area of Spartina alterniflora and Phragmites australis. The evolution of Jiuduansha shoals was significantly affected by the variations in hydrological characteristics. Meanwhile, on a long-term scale, the expansion of the shoals could promote the regional vegetation expansions due to the suitable elevation and environmental conditions it provides. The interaction between the shoal and vegetation evolution varied in the different vegetation types and different elevations. In the future, long-term monitoring and detailed data are needed to the systematical analysis of the interaction between the hydrological processes and the evolution of the shoal and vegetation.
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Key words:
- Jiuduansha shoals /
- Changjiang River Estuary /
- vegetation /
- evolution
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Table 1. Wading engineering and variations in the hydrological characteristics in the area of Jiuduansha in the past 30 years
Year Wading
engineeringSpilt ratio of water/% Spilt ratio of sediments/% Sediment concentration
/kg·m–3Average flooding tide current velocity/m·s–1 Average ebbing tide current velocity/m·s–1 South Passage North Passage South Passage North Passage South Passage North Passage South Passage North Passage South Passage North Passage 1985 – 47.2
(1984)1)52.8
(1984)1)44.6
(1984)1)55.4
(1984)1)1.8845
(1982)6)2.8255
(1982)6)0.84
(1983)7)0.83
(1983)7)1.06
(1983)7)1.22
(1983)7)1990 – 46.3
(1988)2)53.7
(1988)2)46.9
(1988)2)53.1
(1988)2)– – – – – – 1995 Deep Waterway Project (Phase I, II)10), Nanhui Dongtan Reclamation Project11) 47.6
(1995)1)52.4
(1995)1)54.3
(1995)1)45.7
(1995)1)– – – – – – 2000 42.8
(2000)3)57.2
(2000)3)47.0
(2000)3)53.0
(2000)3)2.089
(2000.8)5)1.282
(2000.8)5)0.63
(2002.8)8)0.83
(2002.8)8)1.29
(2002.8)8)1.25
(2002.8)8)2005 52.2
(2005)3)47.8
(2005)3)52.8
(2005)3)47.2
(2005)3)1.121
(2005.8)5)0.394
(2005.8)5)1.26
(2005.8)8)0.63
(2005.8)8)1.41
(2005.8)8)1.19
(2005.8)8)2010 Deep Waterway Project (Phase III)10) 59.19
(2010)4)40.81
(2010)4)61.1
(2010)4)39.7
(2010)4)0.647
(2010.8)5)0.501
(2010.8)5)0.98
(2010.8)8)0.75
(2010.8)8)1.57
(2010.8)8)1.34
(2010.8)8)2015 58.4
(2015)4)41.6
(2015)4)61.8
(2015)4)39.2
(2015)4)0.666
(2013.8)6)0.727
(2013.8)6)– 0.78
(2014.9)9)– 1.19
(2014.9)9)Note: – represents no data was found in that period. Data source: 1) Feng, 2010; 2) Xie et al., 2014; 3) Liu et al., 2008; 4) Yang et al., 2018; 5) Liu et al., 2017; 6) Yao et al., 2015; 7) Chen, 2003; 8) Lin et al., 2015; 9) Wang, 2016; 10) Wei et al., 2016; 11) Li et al., 2016. Table 2. Variations in the area of the different vegetation types in Jiuduansha during 1987–2015
19871) 19911) 19971) 20021) 20061) 20081) 2013 Phragmites australis 0 1.81 3.78 8.11 16.04 17.96 20.10 Spartina alterniflora 0 0 1.09 7.39 18.68 22.34 33.81 Scirpus mariqueter 6.91 9.26 13.40 18.83 15.90 16.71 8.75 Note: Data source: 1) Liu et al., 2009. Table 3. Correlations between the area of the shoals, vegetation and the annual runoff, sediment discharge
M0 M5 RF SED VA SA PA SCA SCA 0.386 0.620 –0.343 –0.240 0.379 0.143 0.361 1.000 PA 0.989** 0.902** –0.266 –0.986** 0.982** 0.969** 1.000 SA 0.961** 0.820* –0.164 –0.983** 0.962** 1.000 VA 0.992** 0.917** –0.164 –0.965 1.000 SED 0.981** 0.868** 0.226 1.000 RF –0.236 –0.112 1.000 M5 0.921** 1.000 M0 1.000 Note: M0 represents the area of the shoals within the 0 m isobath, M5 the area of the shoals within the 5 m isobath, RF river runoff, SED sediment discharge, VA the total area of the vegetation, SA the area of Spartina alterniflora, PA the area of Phragmites australis, and SCA the area of Scirpus mariqueter. * A significant correlation between the factors; ** an extreme correlation between the factors. Table 4. Significance of correlations between the area of Jiuduansha shoals and environmental factors
Combination P r Area of shoal within the 0 m isobath 4, 5 0.001 0.966 Area of shoal within the 5 m isobath 3, 4 0.073 0.916 Note: Environmental factors: 1, sediment discharge; 2, river runoff; 3, the total area of vegetation; 4, the area of Spartina alterniflora; 5, the area of Phragmites australis; and 6, the area of Scirpus mariqueter. -
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