Distribution and abundance of magpie geese,Anseranas semipalmata,in the Alligator Rivers Region,Northern Territory

Aerial surveys from 1981 to 1984 were used to identify monthly changes in the abundance of magpie geese on Jive floodplains in the Alligator Rivers Region of the monsoonal Northern Territory, and ground surveys were conducted during the same period on one of the plains to provide more detailed distributional information. The aerial surveys showed that the Magela floodplain was inhabited by few geese during the wet season (November-March), but that numbers then increased to an estimated average peak of 80 000 in the late dry season. The Nourlangie floodplain and Boggy Plain (a large backswamp of the South Alligator floodplain) exhibited a similar pattern, except that the peaks occurred 2–3 months before the end of the dry season and comprised many more geese (an estimated average of 350 000 birds). In contrast, geese were uncommon on the East Alligator floodplain except during the wet season, and densities and numbers were lower than on the three previous plains. The Cooper floodplain was occupied intermittently, and numbers and densities were always relatively low. Geese appeared to return from their breeding localities to the floodplains of the Alligator Rivers Region progressively during the dry season, concentrating first on the extensive Eleocharis swamps of the Nourlangie floodplain and then waiting out the remainder of the dry on the substantial permanent waters of the Magela floodplain and other nearby wetlands. Ground surveys on the Magela floodplain suggested that geese were highly mobile, apparently seeking suitable nesting habitat in the late wet season, and then a sequence of feeding areas during the dry season. Aerial surveys underestimated densities; on the basis of ground surveys, average peak numbers on the Magela plain were calculated to be 500 000. We estimate that the Alligator Rivers Region supported an average of about 1.6 million geese in the dry season, but very many fewer during the wet season.     

Remote sensing of vegetation and flooding on Magela Creek Floodplain (Northern Territory,Australia) with the SIR-C synthetic aperture radar

The potential of using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery to study seasonal variations in floodplain inundation and accompanying changes in herbaceous plant communities was assessed for aquatic environments in the Kakadu region of northern Australia. Dual wavelength (C- and L-band), co- and cross-polarized (HH and HV) SAR imagery of the floodplain of Magela Creek, a tributary of the East Alligator River, was acquired in April and October 1994 during the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C (SIR-C) missions of the Space Shuttle. The results indicate the effectiveness of multifrequency, polarimetric SAR as follows: woody and herbaceous vegetation in flooded and nonflooded states can be mapped. Aquatic, herbaceous macrophyte communities, such as Nelumbo nucifera, Pseudoraphis grassland and Hymenachne-Eleocharis swamp, can be distinguished. Phenologic changes in macrophyte communities between April and October are apparent. The similarity of the Magela floodplain to the extensive floodplains in northern Australia suggests that these results can be extended regionally.     

Structure and dynamics of zooplankton communities,Alligator Rivers Region,N.T., Australia

Biological monitoring in the Alligator Rivers region, northern Australia, provides baseline ecological information to assess the impact of uranium mining and milling and settlement in the area. Spatial and temporal variations 1978–1980 in zooplankton communities of the Magela Creek, a tributary of the East Alligator River, are described. Extremely diverse plankton assemblages occur late in the wet season (Dec.–May), with up to 80 taxa of rotifers and microcrustacea in some billabongs (= ox-bows), while there is a decrease in diversity but increase in population density as the dry season progresses. Natural fluctuations in water quality may be extreme, and limiting to plankters common elsewhere in the tropics. The plankton is composed largely of littoral or epiphytic taxa, with endemic species in all groups.     

极端干旱区尾闾湖生态需水估算——以东居延海为例

以东居延海为研究对象,利用遥感技术目视解译ETM影像,提取东居延海2002—2012年各月湖面面积。通过水文保证率法确定不同保证率下的湖面面积,结合额济纳旗气象站观测的风速、相对湿度、气温、水汽压、降水量等气象数据估算湖泊蒸发耗水量和湖泊降水补给量,根据湖泊渗漏系数估算湖泊渗漏量,最后运用水平衡原理构建湖泊生态需水模型,估算了东居延海在湖面面积保证率为50%、75%、95%时各月月均和年均生态需水量,其中年均生态需水量分别为1.78×108、1.60×108、1.03×108m3,约占莺落峡年均径流量的9.66%、8.66%、5.59%,约占正义峡年均径流量的16.27%、14.60%、9.42%,约占狼心山年均径流量的30.81%、27.65%、17.84%。     

Hydrological changes in the northern Pantanal caused by the Manso dam: Impact analysis and suggestions for mitigation

Since 1999, the Manso hydropower plant has been regulating the Cuiabá River, which is one of the two main affluents of the northern Pantanal of Mato Grosso, responsible for the flooding of at least 20,000 km² of the world's greatest floodplain. Since the initiation of regular reservoir operation in 2002, discharge at the beginning of the wet season (November–December) has been reduced by about 20%. Current power plant operation increases dry-season discharges from about 100 m³/s to 150 m³/s, resulting in water levels approximately 1 m above those recorded before regulation. Rainy season runoff higher than 400 m³/s is retained in about 6 weeks and the period of drying up is anticipated. Hydrograph analysis in conjunction with a planialtimetric field survey determined that discharge of 240 m³/s is the minimum required to initiate flooding in the Pantanal in the northern Cuiabá River floodplain, while runoff of 355 m³/s is necessary to guarantee consistent flooding of the same. Constrained by positive linear trends in precipitation and discharge, which were detected through a time series analysis of a 68-year period, two reoperation alternatives are proposed, which would not reduce mass balance of power generation, but can guarantee river overflow during the months November through May, minimizing the impact on ecological functions of the floodplain.     

基于地下水恢复的塔里木河下游生态需水量估算

为探明生态输水后地下水响应带范围及地下水恢复下生态需水量,以塔里木河下游大西海子水库至台特玛湖段为研究区,基于2000—2010年生态输水和地下水埋深分布特征,分析了塔里木河下游生态输水后两岸地下水位恢复状况,并借助遥感和地理信息系统技术对研究区生态需水量进行了研究。结果表明:塔河下游地下水位的抬升幅度与输水量的大小呈一定的正相关关系,并存在一定的时效性。2004—2010年地下水处于长期的负均衡状态,多年下降幅度明显。塔河下游英苏、喀尔达依、阿拉干和依干不及麻断面地下水响应幅度分别为1195、1050、2281 m和1000 m。历经11a输水后,塔里木河下游地下水总恢复需水量为7.06×108m3,其中,齐文阔尔河段为4.98×108m3,老塔里木河段为2.09×108m3,地下水恢复至生态水位4.5m需要5—8a的时间。保护塔里木河下游大西海子以下所有天然植被面积(96114.09 hm2)的生态需水量为0.587×108m3,保护下游地下水响应带天然植被面积(41439.85 hm2)的生态需水量为0.21×108m3。     

Half a century of changes in the riverine landscape of Limay River: the origin of a riparian neoecosystem in Patagonia (Argentina)

Our study aims to determine the dynamic that led to the spread of exotic Salicaceae on the Limay River floodplain and its implications in shaping the current neoecosystem. We used images obtained by the HRG sensor on board the SPOT-5 satellite. We selected two images dates allowed a comparison of the floodplain under different flooding regimes programmed by the Interjuridiccional Basin Authority, at a rate of 1290 m³/s in Spring and a flow rate of less than 400 m³/s in Summer. To characterize the vegetation cover, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was used to compare images of September and December, also the Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) was applied to delineate the riverbed and floodplain in September. To evaluate the influence of flooding regime on the detected patches a Principal Component Analysis (PCA), was performed; and biotic and abiotic factors on the composition of the dominant tree species in each patch by Multiple Factor Analysis (MFA) were analized. A 58.4 % coverage of forest patches had developed on the Limay River floodplain. Patches of older trees grew on surfaces at 1.5 m above the water level. However, the surfaces not reached by floods >1.5 m have a very low rocky coverage (1 %). The analysis of the age of the trees downstream of the dam system showed that the vegetation, often exposed to high floods before the dams were built (1971), was composed of the native willow (Salix humboldtiana) and the exotic Salix alba. As the river regime was attenuated and extraordinary floods disappeared with the operation of the dam Arroyito in 1980, the first patches of Populus nigra spread.     

新疆科克苏湿地植被生物量时空分布特征及与水文连通的关系

区域植被生物量及其与水文连通之间的定量关系对于湿地保护和管理具有重要意义。基于多期Landsat-8遥感影像和野外实地调查数据,提取了新疆科克苏湿地生长季不同月份的湿地水体斑块,反演并分析了湿地植被地上生物量及时空分布特征,量化了水文连通与科克苏湿地植被地上生物量和植被碳库的关系。结果表明: 6月新疆科克苏湿地水体斑块面积最大,占保护区面积的63.12%,之后湿地水体斑块面积逐渐减少,8月水体斑块面积仅占保护区面积的6.27%,水体斑块分布具有明显的季节性特征。科克苏湿地植被生物量呈现聚集分布的空间分布模式,额尔齐斯河及克兰河河道两侧以及支流两侧湿地为高生物量区域,北部阿热勒齐及阔克苏村和东南部萨尔胡松乡为低生物量区域。7月地上生物量达到生长季最高值,该时段科克苏湿地的植被总生物量为1.09×10⁹ kg,最大总生物量为4832 g/m²,地上生物量较高区域分布在西部的阿克铁热克村及东部的巴勒喀木斯村。水文连通与植被地上生物量及植被碳库呈现抛物线关系,水文连通度为0.6左右时,植被地上生物量及植被总碳库最大,植被总碳库达到4.5×10¹¹ kg C。研究揭示了科克苏湿地植被生物量的时空分布特征,建立了科克苏湿地水文连通度与植被地上生物量及植被碳库的量化关系,明确了适宜的水文连通度对植被生物量积累存在促进作用,可为湿地水文连通调控和植被碳储存功能提升提供有效参考。     

Contribution of terrestrial invertebrates to the annual resource budget for salmonids in forest and grassland reaches of a headwater stream

1. The annual input, contribution to the diet of salmonids, and quantitative input of terrestrial invertebrates to four reaches with contrasting forest (n=2) and grassland riparian vegetation (n=2) were compared in a Japanese headwater stream.
2. The annual input of terrestrial invertebrates falling into the forest reaches (mean±1 SE=8.7×10³±0.3×10³ mg m^?2 year^?1) was 1.7 times greater than that in the grassland reaches (5.1×10³±0.8×10³ mg m^?2 year^?1), with clear seasonality in the daily input of invertebrates in both vegetation types. The daily input, however, differed between the vegetation types only in summer, when it rose to a maximum in both vegetation types.
3. Fish biomass also differed among the seasons in both vegetation types, being less in the grassland reaches. The contribution of terrestrial invertebrates to the salmonid diet in the forest and grassland reaches was 11 and 7% in spring, 68 and 77% in summer, 48 and 33% in autumn, and 1 and 1% in winter, respectively. The prey consumption rate of fish, which was similar between the vegetation types, increased with stream temperature and was highest in summer. Terrestrial invertebrates supported 49% (mean±1 SE=5.3×10³±0.4×10³ mg m^?2 year^?1) of the annual, total prey consumption (10.9×10³±1.7×10³ mg m^?2 year^?1) by salmonids in the forest and 53% (2.0×10³±0.3×10³ mg m^?2 year^?1) (3.8×10³±0.6×10³ mg m^?2 year^?1) in the grassland reaches.
4. Salmonids were estimated to consume 51 and 35% of the annual total (falling plus drift) input of terrestrial invertebrates in the forest and grassland reaches, respectively. The input of terrestrial invertebrates by drift, however, was almost equal to the output in both vegetation types, suggesting that the reach‐based, in‐stream retention of terrestrial invertebrates almost balanced these falling in.
5. Difference in the riparian vegetation, which caused spatial heterogeneity in the input of terrestrial invertebrates, could play an important role in determining the local distribution of salmonids.     

The influence of floodplain habitat on the quantity and quality of riverine phytoplankton carbon produced during the flood season in San Francisco Estuary

Primary productivity, community respiration, chlorophyll a concentration, phytoplankton species composition, and environmental factors were compared in the Yolo Bypass floodplain and adjacent Sacramento River in order to determine if passage of Sacramento River through floodplain habitat enhanced the quantity and quality of phytoplankton carbon available to the aquatic food web and how primary productivity and phytoplankton species composition in these habitats were affected by environmental conditions during the flood season. Greater net primary productivity of Sacramento River water in the floodplain than the main river channel was associated with more frequent autotrophy and a higher P:R ratio, chlorophyll a concentration, and phytoplankton growth efficiency (α^B). Total irradiance and water temperature in the euphotic zone were positively correlated with net primary productivity in winter and early spring but negatively correlated with net primary productivity in the late spring and early summer in the floodplain. In contrast, net primary productivity was correlated with chlorophyll a concentration and streamflow in the Sacramento River. The flood pulse cycle was important for floodplain production because it facilitated the accumulation of chlorophyll a and wide diameter diatom and green algal cells during the drain phase. High chlorophyll a concentration and diatom and green algal biomass enabled the floodplain to export 14–37% of the combined floodplain plus river load of total, diatom and green algal biomass and wide diameter cells to the estuary downstream, even though it had only 3% of the river streamflow. The study suggested the quantity and quality of riverine phytoplankton biomass available to the aquatic food web could be enhanced by passing river water through a floodplain during the flood season.     

Ecological impacts of dams,water diversions and river management on floodplain wetlands in Australia

Australian floodplain wetlands are sites of high biodiversity that depend on flows from rivers. Dams, diversions and river management have reduced flooding to these wetlands, altering their ecology, and causing the death or poor health of aquatic biota. Four floodplain wetlands (Barmah‐Millewa Forest and Moira Marshes, Chowilla floodplain, Macquarie Marshes, Gwydir wetlands) illustrate these effects with successional changes in aquatic vegetation, reduced vegetation health, declining numbers of water‐birds and nesting, and declining native fish and invertebrate populations. These effects are likely to be widespread as Australia has at least 446 large dams (>10 m crest height) storing 8.8 × 10⁷ ML (10⁶ L) of water, much of which is diverted upstream of floodplain wetlands. More than 50% of floodplain wetlands on developed rivers may no longer flood. Of all of the river basins in Australia, the Murray‐Darling Basin is most affected with dams which can store 103% of annual runoff and 87% of divertible water extracted (1983–84 data). Some floodplain wetlands are now permanent storages. This has changed their biota from one tolerant of a variable flooding regime, to one that withstands permanent flooding. Plans exist to build dams to divert water from many rivers, mainly for irrigation. These plans seldom adequately model subsequent ecological and hydrological impacts to floodplain wetlands. To avoid further loss of wetlands, an improved understanding of the interaction between river flows and floodplain ecology, and investigations into ecological impacts of management practices, is essential.     

Hydrochemical,bacteriological assessment,and classification of groundwater quality in Thulamela Municipality,South Africa: potential health risk

Abstract

Potential effects of anthropogenic activities on different boreholes around Thulamela Municipality, South Africa, were evaluated by quantifying the bacteria indicators and physicochemical parameters during summer, autumn, and winter. The purpose was to determine whether the borehole water in this region is safe for domestic use across the seasons. The concentrations of physicochemical (Temperature, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), turbidity, and nitrate) and bacteriological (both Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis) contaminants in the borehole water samples were determined using standard microbiology methods. The mean concentration of NO₃ for most of the boreholes failed to comply with the recommended guidelines throughout the season. High microbial load of E. coli (2.0?×?10¹ – 4.6?×?10³ CFU/100?ml) and E. faecalis (2.0?×?10° – 6.0?×?10² CFU/100?ml) was recorded in the wet season than in the dry season (0.0 – 7.0?×?10² and 0.0 – 1.0?×?10¹ CFU/100?ml, respectively). Sanitary inspection and water source classification showed that most boreholes are prone to chemical contaminants during summer and autumn due to rainfall and this correlates with the measured microbial contamination. The result is significantly important because water from these boreholes is used for domestic purposes without treatment and could pose major public health risks to the consumers.     

Changes in satellite‐derived vegetation growth trend in temperate and boreal Eurasia from 1982 to 2006

Monitoring changes in vegetation growth has been the subject of considerable research during the past several decades, because of the important role of vegetation in regulating the terrestrial carbon cycle and the climate system. In this study, we combined datasets of satellite‐derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and climatic factors to analyze spatio‐temporal patterns of changes in vegetation growth and their linkage with changes in temperature and precipitation in temperate and boreal regions of Eurasia (> 23.5°N) from 1982 to 2006. At the continental scale, although a statistically significant positive trend of average growing season NDVI is observed (0.5 × 10^?3 year^?1, P = 0.03) during the entire study period, there are two distinct periods with opposite trends in growing season NDVI. Growing season NDVI has first significantly increased from 1982 to 1997 (1.8 × 10^?3 year^?1, P < 0.001), and then decreased from 1997 to 2006 (?1.3 × 10^?3 year^?1, P = 0.055). This reversal in the growing season NDVI trends over Eurasia are largely contributed by spring and summer NDVI changes. Both spring and summer NDVI significantly increased from 1982 to 1997 (2.1 × 10^?3 year^?1, P = 0.01; 1.6 × 10^?3 year^?1P < 0.001, respectively), but then decreased from 1997 to 2006, particularly summer NDVI which may be related to the remarkable decrease in summer precipitation (?2.7 mm yr^?1, P = 0.009). Further spatial analyses supports the idea that the vegetation greening trend in spring and summer that occurred during the earlier study period 1982–1997 was either stalled or reversed during the following study period 1997–2006. But the turning point of vegetation NDVI is found to vary across different regions.     

长江口及邻近海域富营养化指标响应变量参照状态的确定

对长江口富营养化指标中的响应变量进行了筛选,并在长江口分区的基础上,运用参照点或观测点指标频数分布曲线法,对1992年-2010年的数据进行分析,确定了长江口外海区和舟山海区富营养化指标中响应变量的参照状态.选择叶绿素a和底层溶解氧作为响应指标的必选指标,浮游植物密度和CODMn作为辅助指标.经分析,长江口口外海区叶绿素a、浮游植物密度、CODMn和底层溶解氧的春夏秋3个季节的参照状态分别为0.87mg,/m3,17.44× 103个/L,0.42mg/L,8.36mg/L;1.88mg/m3,25.96×103个/L,0.56mg/L,4.22mg/L;0.84mg/m3,12.10×103个/L,0.46mg/L,6.95mg/L;舟山海区叶绿素a、浮游植物密度、CODMn和溶解氧的春夏秋3个季节的参照状态分别为0.73mg/m3,6.77×103个/L,0.51 mg/L,8.75mg/L;1.00mg/m3,9.72×103个/L,0.37mg/L,5.94mg/L;0.78mg/m3,4.59×103个/L,0.55mg/L,7.40mg/L.本研究确定的参照状态值能较为客观的反映该海域的富营养化参照状态,且不同分区,不同季节间的指标的参照状态亦存在着显著的差异.     

基于生态保护目标的疏勒河中游绿洲生态环境需水研究

以疏勒河中游绿洲为研究对象,基于RS和GIS技术,选择1990年、2000年和2013年Landsat TM/ETM影像解译成果作为中游绿洲生态演变研究的基础资料,并确定了中游绿洲2020年和2030年生态保护目标。根据疏勒河中游绿洲生态环境需水特征,建立了基于天然植被、河流、湿地和防治耕地盐碱化的疏勒河中游绿洲生态环境需水定量化模型,并估算了现状和保护目标下流域中游绿洲生态需水量,从而为区域水资源合理配置和生态系统的协调发展提供参考依据。通过计算得出了疏勒河中游绿洲2013、2020和2030年天然植被、河流基本生态、河流输沙、河流渗漏补给、水面蒸发、湿地生态和防治耕地盐碱化生态环境需水量。同时得出疏勒河中游绿洲2013、2020和2030年疏勒河中游绿洲最大、最小和最适生态环境需水量分别为7.42×10~8、7.09×10~8、7.29×10~8,8.24×10~8、7.91×10~8、8.11×10~8m~3和9.12×10~8、8.79×10~8、8.99×10~8m~3。2013、2020和2030年疏勒河中游绿洲生态环境需水量年内变化主要集中于5—8月,累积生态环境需水量占全年的比例分别为58.01%、58.08%和58.13%;疏勒河中游绿洲生态环境需水量瓜州所占比例相对较大,玉门相对最小,敦煌介于二者之间。     

Hydrological prerequisites for optimum habitats of riparian Salix communities – identifying suitable reforestation sites

Question: What are the hydrological requirements for the successful reforestation of riparian Salix communities? Do differences in site conditions between various life stages of woody vegetation types need to be considered? Do interactions between hydrological factors influence distribution patterns? Location: Mid‐reaches of the Elbe River, Germany. Methods: Young and old life stages of two different riparian Salix communities were surveyed in 1067 plots of 400 m² to determine hydrological growth conditions using habitat distribution models. Models were extrapolated in a Geographic Information System to quantify the extent of potential stands available for reforestation measures. Results: Average water level and water level fluctuations were related to different vegetation types as well as to the age classes of the vegetation types. Differences in hydrological niches of young and old vegetation of the two vegetation types (tree community versus shrub community) could be identified. Moreover, the shrub vegetation was influenced by the interaction of average water level and fluctuations. Comparison of the distribution of current vegetation and suitable habitat revealed that considerable areas of the floodplain were suitable for the reforestation of Salix woodland communities. Conclusions: Hydrological variables explain the distribution patterns of riparian Salix communities in the active floodplain when different life stages, vegetation types and interaction of variables are included in the analyses. This information can be used to recommend suitable sites for Salix plantings in riparian landscapes.     

Fluxes of carbon, water and energy over Brazilian cerrado: an analysis using eddy covariance and stable isotopes

We present the energy and mass balance of cerrado sensu stricto (a Brazilian form of savanna), in which a mixture of shrubs, trees and grasses forms a vegetation with a leaf area index of 1·0 in the wet season and 0·4 in the dry season. In the wet season the available energy was equally dissipated between sensible heat and evaporation, but in the dry season at high irradiance the sensible heat greatly exceeded evaporation. Ecosystem surface conductance g_s in the wet season rose abruptly to 0·3 mol m^?2 s^?1 and fell gradually as the day progressed. Much of the total variation in g_s was associated with variation in the leaf-to-air vapour pressure deficit of water and the solar irradiance. In the dry season the maximal g_s values were only 0·1 mol m^?2 s^?1. Maximal net ecosystem fluxes of CO₂ in the wet and dry season were –10 and –15 μmol CO₂ m^?2 s^?1, respectively (sign convention: negative denotes fluxes from atmosphere to vegetation). The canopy was well coupled to the atmosphere, and there was rarely a significant build-up of respiratory CO₂ during the night. For observations in the wet season, the vegetation was a carbon dioxide sink, of maximal strength 0·15 mol m^?2 d^?1. However, it was a source of carbon dioxide for a brief period at the height of the dry season. Leaf carbon isotopic composition showed all the grasses except for one species to be C₄, and all the palms and woody plants to be C₃. The CO₂ coming from the soil had an isotopic composition that suggested 40% of it was of C₄ origin.     

Small-scale spatial variation of inundation dynamics in a floodplain of the Pantanal (Brazil)

The spatial and temporal variability of water levels was investigated across a section of floodplain in the Pantanal that represents typical geomorphic and ecological complexity of these environments. A series of 11 staff gauges were installed along a 12-km transect running perpendicularly from the Cuiabá River into the floodplain. The staff gauges were monitored fortnightly during the flood seasons from 2004 to 2007. Contrary to what is often assumed, the water surface profile was never level, and it was particularly variable when there was less water on the floodplain. Water surface slope varied from 1.4 × 10⁻⁴ (unitless) to 1.3 × 10⁻³ indicating substantial water movement that was verified by flow observations. The spatial patterns of water level variation were repeated across years, even though there was considerable interannual variation in magnitude and duration of floodplain inundation. In 2004 and 2005, the duration of inundation was 121 and 120 days, respectively, but in 2006 and 2007, inundation lasted 166 and 157 days, respectively. These observations reveal considerable small-scale spatial variability in the water surface profile, but with persistent patterns over space and time that are related to the river hydrograph and the channels that convey flood waters across the area. This study contributes to our understanding of inundation hydrology and its linkages to ecosystem processes, and additionally provides a valuable data set for calibration and validation of remote sensing approaches to measurement of inundation area and water movement across floodplains.     

Role of emergent and submerged vegetation and algal communities on nutrient retention and management in a subtropical urban stormwater treatment wetland

A 4.6-ha urban stormwater treatment wetland complex in southwest Florida has been investigated for several years to understand its nutrient retention dynamics. This study investigates the role of aquatic vegetation, both submerged vegetation (such as benthic macrophytic and algal communities) and emergent plant communities, on changes in nutrient fluxes through the wetlands. Gross and net primary productivity of water column communities and net primary productivity of emergent macrophytes were used to estimate nutrient fluxes through vegetation in these wetlands using biannual biomass, nutrient concentrations of plant material, and areal coverage data. Emergent macrophyte net primary productivity was estimated as the difference between the increase of productivity during the wet season and the loss during the dry season which, in turn, suggested approximately 0.11g-N m^??2 y^??1 and 0.09g-P m^??2 yr^??2 being removed, primarily from the soil, by emergent vegetation. Water column primary productivity accounted for a much larger flux of nutrients with approximately 39.6g-N m^??2 yr^??1 and 2.4g-P m^??2 yr^??1 retained in algal communities. These fluxes, combined with measurements in parallel studies, allowed us to develop preliminary nutrient budgets for these wetlands and identify gaps, or missing fluxes, in our models for these wetlands. The results further validated previous findings that suggested that there are large inputs of nitrogen (up to 62.3g-N m^??2 yr^??1) that are not accounted for by the pumped inflow. Additionally, management suggestions are provided to improve water quality by identifying vegetative species that are most effective at retaining nutrients.

     

Evapotranspiration at the land/water interface in a semi-arid drainage basin

1. Evapotranspiration (ET) is a major source of water depletion from riverine systems in arid and semiarid climates. Water budgets have produced estimates of total depletions from riparian vegetation ET for a 320‐km reach of the Middle Rio Grande, New Mexico, U.S.A., that have ranged from 20 to 50% of total depletions from the river. 2. Tower‐based micrometeorological measurements of riparian zone ET throughout the growing season using three‐dimensional eddy covariance provided high quality estimates of ET at the stand scale. 3. A dense stand of salt cedar (111–122 cm year^–1) and a mature cottonwood (Populus deltoides ssp. wislizenia Eckenwelder) stand with an extensive understory of salt cedar (Tamaria ramosissima Ledeb) and Russian olive (Eleagnus angustifolia L.) (123 cm year^–1) had the highest rates of annual ET. A mature cottonwood stand with a closed canopy had intermediate rates of ET (98 cm year^–1). A less dense salt cedar stand had the lowest rates of ET (74–76 cm year^–1). 4. Summer leaf area index (LAI) measurements within the four stands were positively correlated with daily ET rates. LAI measurements throughout the growing season coupled to riparian vegetation classification is a promising method for improving riverine corridor estimates of total annual riparian zone ET along a reach of river. 5. Combining recent estimates of the extent of riparian vegetation along the 320 km length of the Middle Rio Grande, from Landsat 7 imagery with annual growing season measurements of ET at the four riparian stands yields a first‐order riverine corridor estimate of total riparian zone ET of 150–250 × 10⁶ m³ year^–1. This is approximately 20–33% of total estimated depletions along this reach of river.