Cumulative effects assessment for the Northern River Basins Study

The primary objective of the Northern Rivers Basins Study (NRBS)was to advance the understanding of how anthropogenic developments haveimpacted the ecology of the Peace, Athabasca and Slave rivers, Canada.To investigate these multiple stressor impacts, the NRBS used acumulative effects assessment (CEA) based upon a weight of evidenceapproach. This CEA determined the exposure and effects of multiplestressors on these systems and included experimental verification ofcausality and linkage of this understanding to field data. Fish studiesconfirmed that dioxins and furans occur in the food web at low levelsacross the basins; detection frequencies for all2,3,7,8-substituted dioxin/furan congeners (2,3,7,8 TCDD/TCDF)were highest near bleached kraft pulp mills. PCDD/Fs, rather thanPCBs or organochlorine pesticides, were the chemicals of concern forhuman exposure. In addition, the recent decline in concentrations ofdioxins and furans in fish was commensurate with improvements in pulpmill treatment technologies. Throughout the basins, enrichment occurredbelow pulp mill and municipal discharges. Multiple stressor effects ofpulp mill effluent were separated from one another by using experimentsthat demonstrated that the primary impact of the mill effluent wasnutrient enrichment. River state was also greatly influenced byhydrologic impacts. In particularly, the Bennett Dam changed the ecologyof the Peace-Slave river-delta systems more than 1500~km downstream,while climate variability was an important contributing factor for thesedelta impacts. Notable contributions of the NRBS model were thecooperation among governments, aboriginal peoples, non-governmentorganizations, industry and other stakeholders, and the two-waycommunications flow among the scientific community and these groups.NRBS science was also deemed relevant because 16 questions forwarded bystakeholders focused the Study's CEA on specific issues of importancewithin the basin. In summary, the NRBS model of CEA included four keycomponents: (1) communication of stakeholder priorities to producerelevant science questions; (2) pursuit of the best availablescientific understanding of ecosystem impacts by engaginginterdisciplinary science teams; (3) assessment of futureenvironmental condition through monitoring and follow-upinvestigation; and (4) communication of results to managers toproduce appropriate regulatory change. This CEA model combines theseelements with scientific rigor to generate meaningful information tostakeholders while also improving regional assessments of riverbasins.     

Integrated assessment of ecosystem integrity of large northern rivers: the Northern Rivers Basins Study example

The Northern River Basins Study (NRBS) assessed the ecologicalstate of three complex northern river basins for which we had a limitedunderstanding of the physical, chemical and biological environment. Amajor challenge of this study was the choice of ecosystem components tomonitor. This process was guided by determining the indicators thatwould best assess environmental state relative to ecosystem objectivesarticulated by people living within the basin. This charge lead the NRBSto use a cumulative effects assessment framework that measured stressorexposure and their effects along with the development of plausiblecause-effect mechanisms. Thus, the NRBS developed and applied anintegrated assessment framework that included public stakeholders,various levels of government and scientists. A key feature of thisframework was the ability to allow feedback among these groups toproduce the syntheses of science results, and the resultant managementresponses that ultimately modified environmental regulations. Papers inthis series present the results of the NRBS and emphasize theinterdisciplinary nature of this project. Investigations evaluated theroles of flow regulation, nutrients, contaminants, and their interactiveeffects, on the integrity of the Athabasca, Peace and Slave rivers,Canada. Novel contributions of the NRBS model included the cooperationamong governments, aboriginal peoples, non-government organizations,industry and other stakeholders, and the two-way communications flowamong the scientific community and these groups.     

Fish health in the Peace, Athabasca and Slave river systems

The response of large river systems to human development isoften hard to predict. The spatial scale of these systems makes themdifficult to study and their ecology (particularly in the case of largenorthern rivers) is often poorly understood. To provide an ecologicalassessment of three large river basins in northern Canada, the NorthernRiver Basins Study (NRBS) undertook a multi-disciplinary approach toassess environmental and socio-economic impacts of development. Resultspresented here focus on key findings relating to studies of fish healthwithin the basins. It was known at the outset of the NRBS that dioxins,furans and other organic contaminants would be present in the system.However, NRBS research indicated low levels of environmentalcontamination, particularly compared to other systems in Canada andelsewhere in the world. In addition, contaminant loads in fish generallyconform to Canadian guidelines for both aquatic and human health;although, levels of dioxins, furans, PCBs and mercury in biota didexceed guidelines at certain times and in certain locations. The weightof evidence indicates that many of the fish in these basins exhibitsigns of physiological stress. Of particular concern was the findingthat sex hormone levels in burbot and longnose sucker collected fromnear-field pulp-mill locations were significantly depressed, and thatnumbers of immature fish in these same locations were unexpectedly highand more likely to show external abnormalities. In addition, there is aperception that fish in the lower reaches of the Peace-Athabasca basinsand in the deltas are of lower quality. Studies of fish health have beenintegrated with other technical studies in a cumulative effectassessment and will provide a basis for future research and managementdecisions within these basins.     

Contaminant sources, distribution and fate in the Athabasca, Peace and Slave River Basins, Canada

Northern river ecosystems worldwide are under increasing environmental stress from degrading developments that influence water quality and associated ecological integrity. In particular, contaminant-related threats to these systems are rising from enhanced industrial and municipal effluent discharges along with elevated non-point source inputs related to land-use activities such as forestry, agriculture, mining and long-range atmospheric transport. In this regard, the contaminants program of the Northern River Basins Study (NRBS) in western Canada identified key contaminant sources to the Athabasca, Slave and Peace river basins (particularly related to pulp-mill developments) and assessed their environmental fate and distribution in water and sediments. The study also developed and employed new analytical approaches and generated improved models to predict contaminant transport and fate in the aquatic environment and related food webs. Consequently the study focused on those contaminant families identified in characterization studies as arising from key point- and non-point sources within the basins or as being of greatest toxicological significance. These included resin acids, polychlorinated dioxins and furans, polychlorinated biphenyls, chlorinated phenolics, polyaromatic hydrocarbons and selected heavy metals such as mercury. Low or non-detectable concentrations of a number of contaminant groups were found in the ambient water phase including chlorinated phenolics, some chlorinated dioxins and furans and some resin acids. For both suspended and depositional sediments, significant declines were observed over the study period for the major chlorinated contaminant groups tested, correlating directly with the implementation of improved effluent treatment in many of the pulp mills located in the basins. In general, the environmental levels of chlorinated organic and metal contaminants in water or sediments were low and within Canadian health or environmental guidelines. It is hoped that the approaches used and lessons learned from the NRBS will be of use to others assessing contaminant and multiple stressor issues in other large river ecosystems.     

Texas water wars: how politics and scientific uncertainty influence environmental flow decision-making in the Lone Star state

In 2007, Texas passed Senate Bill (SB) 3 mandating formation of science and stakeholder committees to make recommendations on the environmental flows (e-flows) needed to maintain the ecological integrity of river basins through a collaborative process designed to achieve consensus. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), the state agency that issues water rights permits, was to promulgate these recommendations and develop e-flow rules. For the first two basins to complete the SB3 process, the Sabine and Neches Basins and Sabine Lake Bay and the Trinity and San Jacinto Basins and Galveston Bay, final e-flow rules did not mimic a natural flow regime, rather, only subsistence flows, one level of base flows, and low flow pulses at a limited number of sites were adopted. In this article, I describe why the SB3 process was derailed for these basins. Science and stakeholder committees were skewed with more members representing short-term economic than ecological and recreational interests in freshwater. Many individuals on the science and stakeholder committees worked for river authorities, semiautonomous state agencies that receive the majority of their funding from surface water sales, and consulting firms that regularly contract with the river authorities. Water rights holders were from the outset distrustful of the SB3 process. There was a high degree of uncertainty associated with e-flow science, and adaptive management was used as justification for making low e-flow recommendations. In the end, TCEQ set environmental flow rules at levels lower than those recommended for protection of environmental benefits by the science teams.     

河流生境的评估方法及应用的研究进展

河流生境是水生生物赖以生存的物理、化学和生物环境的综合体, 是河流生态系统的重要组成部分。河流生境评价有助于掌握河流的生态健康状况, 识别河流退化的原因, 为河流的生态修复提供依据。文章梳理总结了20世纪80年代至2018年文献中报道的全球范围内河流生境评估的方法, 然后根据每种方法的侧重点和目标, 将它们分为预测模型法和多指标综合评估法两种类型, 并比较了它们各自的优势和不足。预测模型法适于长期的生境动态监测, 但该方法需要以自然无干扰的河流为参照, 并且需要大量历史数据, 统一评估不易实现; 多指标综合评估法评估相对快速方便, 但评估过程复杂, 且评价标准不一, 结果有一定的局限性。这些方法的适用范围从中小型的可涉水河流到较大的不可涉水河流, 但适用于大型不可涉水河流的生境评估方法和案例非常有限。通过分类整理, 发现我国河流生境评估方法多是参考国外几种常用的河流评估方法, 种类单一, 而且多是针对个别河流, 并且未对这些河流所在的流域的生境状况进行深入研究, 广适性较差。因此, 文章从以下几个方面对我国河流生境评估体系的发展提出几点建议: (1)确定科学和标准化的评分指标, 因地制宜, 以满足不同河流特征; (2)扩大评估范围, 从流域和景观尺度开展生境监测, 关注全流域的健康状况; (3)扩大时间尺度, 建立模型, 进行长期的动态评估; (4)鼓励政府宏观规划, 促进不同管理部门间的合作, 整合不同地区的河流生境数据并建立国家尺度的河流生境大数据库, 以实现我国河流生态健康的维护和流域的可持续发展。     

Pieter Hendrik Nienhuis: Aquatic Ecologist and Environmental Scientist

Prof. Dr. Pieter Hendrik (Piet) Nienhuis worked for almost 40 years in all aspects of aquatic ecology and environmental science and retired on 31 October 2003. He can be characterised as a distinguished scientist, shaped in an applied estuarine and aquatic research ambience of the former Delta Institute for Hydrobiological Research (DIHO) in Yerseke in the Netherlands. His appointment as a full professor at the Radboud University Nijmegen offered him a challenging step from monodisciplinarity in ecology, via multidisciplinarity in the application of ecological knowledge in river science to interdisciplinarity in environmental science and management. This paper describes his education, teaching activities, research, scientific publications, science management, and significance for various scientific disciplines. He made important contributions to biosystematics of angiosperms and algae, the ecology of seagrasses, nutrient cycling and eutrophication in estuarine ecosystems, and the integrated modelling of the ecological functioning of estuaries. Subsequently, he paid much attention to environmental problems in river basins, ecological rehabilitation and sustainable development. His work influenced the view of ecologists, aquatic scientists and water managers in the Netherlands as well as abroad, in particular regarding the drawbacks of compartmentalization of the estuaries and the importance of connectivity and morphodynamics in river systems. In hindsight, it appears as a logical line that he gradually moved from estuarine ecological research that became increasingly driven by societal and environmental problems to the field of environmental science and management.     

北京市白河和潮河流域生态健康评价

选取北京市重要的饮用水源密云水库上游白河和潮河流域,结合北京山区流域生态现状,构建了涵盖水域生境结构、水生生物、生态压力和陆域生态格局与功能、生态压力5大类13项指标的评价指标体系,开展了流域生态健康评价。结果表明白河和潮河流域的健康状态整体处于良好等级,但水生生物和陆域生态格局状况相对较差。14个子流域的健康状况差异并不显著,琉璃河、白河下段、汤河上游的健康状况相对较好,潮河中下段和小汤河的健康状况相对较差。流域内不合理的畜禽养殖、岸边带种植及民俗旅游是导致流域生态健康退化的主要原因,建议加强污染负荷排放的控制和监管涉水活动对水生生境的干扰以改善流域健康状况,并重点关注可指示水生态系统早期退化的生物指数,以实现可持续性和适应性的流域管理,保障密云水库的水生态安全。     

Interactive effects of nutrients and contaminants from pulp mill effluents on riverine benthos

Bleached kraft mill effluents (BKME) contain both nutrients(nitrogen and phosphorus) and contaminants that can have a stimulatoryor inhibitory effect on riverine food webs. For the Northern RiverBasins Study (NRBS), separation of the effects of nutrients andcontaminants in BKME was an important issue because field biomonitoringwas unable to isolate these impacts. We addressed this problem by usingriverside mesocosm experiments, along with field observations, todetermine the effects of BKME on benthic food webs of the upperAthabasca River near Hinton, Alberta, Canada. Response variablesincluded periphyton biomass, benthic insect density and composition, andthe biomass of abundant invertebrates (i.e., caddisfly, mayfly andstonefly taxa). Experiments were conducted during autumn when nutrientenhancement was hypothesized to increase autochthonous primaryproduction as a result of low river discharge and high water clarity.Treatments included reference river water, 1% BKMEconcentrations, and nutrients (nitrogen plus phosphorus) equivalent tothe 1% BKME treatment. Although pulp mill effluents can inducesublethal toxicity in benthic biota, BKME concentrations equivalent tolevels in the Athabasca River did not cause measurable toxicity.Relative to reference water treatments, BKME-associated increases inavailable phosphorus produced enrichment effects including increases inperiphyton and insect biomass, and invertebrate abundance. Insect familyrichness was not affected by the treatments. The development andapplication of a field-based artificial stream system for the NRBSimproved our mechanistic understanding of the effects of BKME on benthicbiota of nutrient and contaminant stressors. By combining artificialstream results with field observations, we were also able to link thismechanistic understanding of stressor effects directly to impacts in theriver. We conclude that the response to BKME in the Peace-AthabascaBasin is largely one of nutrient enrichment rather than that oftoxicity.     

Study on the ecological compensation standard for river basin water environment based on total pollutants control

The method used to calculate ecological compensation remains an important but difficult issue in current studies of ecological compensation. In this study, we used the ecological compensation method to examine the natural, social, and economic interactions between ecological and economic systems at the administrative level and between upstream and downstream areas in a river basin, with the aim of capacity control in the total amount of pollutants discharged. We used the information entropy method to build the total pollutant allocation model, in which we included a range of indexes that reflected regional heterogeneity in factors such as population, economic structure, production level, pollution control, and the water environment. The relationship between the capital invested and the quantity of pollutants discharged was used to calculate the unit value of the pollutants, from which we constructed a quantitative model of ecological compensation standard for river basin water environment based on total pollutants control. We used the Xiao Honghe River Basin, China, as a case study, and calculated the ecological compensation values of the water environment from 2008 to 2012 with chemical oxygen demand (COD) as the main pollution evaluation index. From the upper to lower reaches, the compensation value gradually decreased while it gradually increased in terms of time scale. This study provides a valid approach that can be applied to develop a long-term effective mechanism for protecting river basin ecology and improving the system of ecological compensation in river basins.     

How to make river assessments comparable: A demonstration for hydromorphology

River monitoring and assessment programs are important tools to quantify the condition of river ecosystems, identify deficits, and provide preliminary indication of how to improve them. But, they are limited in delivering comparable assessment results across national or transnational borders, aggregating site-specific assessments into broader scale assessments, and supporting river management decisions. We present a multi-criteria decision analysis approach for improving the comparability of ecological assessment methods of different origin and for combining these assessments into a joint procedure. The approach consists of seven consecutive steps. The most central ones concern the hierarchical allocation of ecological assessment endpoints, and the harmonization of the scoring procedure of attributes (ecological indicators or assets) to a common scale from 0 to 1. We demonstrate the approach integrating three programs developed to assess the hydromorphological river condition in Switzerland, Germany, and the USA. In our example, the integrated assessment produces comparable results for the whole range from natural to impacted rivers, while data continuity with original assessments was maintained. Our approach provides a common assessment standard due to the definition of the minimum amount of information required, is flexible regarding measurement and assessment endpoints, and bridges the gap between river quality assessment and management.     

一种动态生态环境需水计算方法及其应用

随着经济的发展,我国的水资源形势日趋严峻,河流生态环境问题日渐突出.生态环境需水是影响河流生态系统健康的重要因素,生态环境需水量的界定、计算和分析是水资源管理中实现人与自然和谐发展的重要途径.针对传统生态环境需水计算方法实用性和可操作性差的缺点,开发出动态生态环境需水计算方法,利用月保证率法计算出初始生态环境需水状态空间,再根据实际的水资源开发利用形势,将自然因素和社会因素综合考虑,形成生态环境需水量的状态空间,然后用改进的水文指数法评价各生态环境需水状态,使生态环境需水的计算由静态变为动态.将该方法应用于水量年内分配不均,时有断流现象发生的年楚河,计算出了9个具有可操作性的生态需水状态,根据当地的实际情况,建议水资源管理部门以状态3和状态4为近期水资源管理的目标.     

BasinBox: A Generic Multimedia Fate Model for Predicting the Fate of Chemicals in River Catchments

Multimedia fate models have proven to be very useful tools in chemical risk assessment and management. This paper presents BasinBox, a newly developed steady-state generic multimedia fate model for evaluating risks of new and existing chemicals in river basins. The model concepts, as well as the intermedia processes quantified in the model, are outlined, and an overview of the required input parameters is given. To test the BasinBox model, calculations were carried out for predicting the fate of chemicals in the river Rhine basin. This was done for a set of 3175 hypothetical chemicals and three emission scenarios to air, river water and cropland soils. For each of these hypothetical chemicals and emission scenarios the concentration ratio between the downstream area and the upstream area was calculated for all compartments. From these calculations it appeared that BasinBox predicts significant concentration differences between upstream and downstream areas of the Rhine river basin for certain types of chemicals and emission scenarios. There is a clear trend of increasing chemical concentrations in downstream direction of the river basin. The calculations show that taking into account spatial variability between upstream, midstream and downstream areas of large river basins can be useful in the predictions of environmental concentrations by multimedia fate models.     

River Nutrient Loads and Catchment Size

We have used a total of 496 sample sites to calibrate a simple regression model for calculating dissolved inorganic nutrient fluxes via runoff to the ocean. The regression uses the logarithms of runoff and human population as the independent variables and estimates the logarithms of dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus loading with R² values near 0.8. This predictive capability is about the same as has been derived for total nutrient loading with process-based models requiring more detailed information on independent variables. We conclude that population and runoff are robust proxies for the more detailed application, landscape modification, and in-stream processing estimated by more process-based models. The regression model has then been applied to a demonstration data set of 1353 river catchments draining to the sea from the North American continent south of the Canadian border. The geographic extents of these basins were extracted from a 1-km digital elevation model for North America, and both runoff and population were estimated for each basin. Most of the basins (72% of the total) are smaller than 10³ km², and both runoff and population density are higher and more variable among small basins than among larger ones.While total load to the ocean can probably be adequately estimated from large systems only, analysis of the geographic distribution of nutrient loading requires consideration of the small basins, which can exhibit significant hydrologic and demographic heterogeneity between systems over their range even within the same geographic region. High-resolution regional and local analysis is necessary for environmental assessment and management.     

自然资源资产负债表编制与资源环境承载力评价

探索编制自然资源资产负债表和建立资源环境承载力监测预警机制是十八届三中全会做出的重大决定。当前,自然资源资产负债表正处在探索试编阶段,资源环境承载力评价正在由分类评价走向综合计量的关键节点。"自然资源资产负债表编制与资源环境承载力评价技术集成与应用"项目(2016YFC0503500)面向国家资源环境统计核算的业务化需求,旨在发展自然资源资产负债表编制与资源环境承载力评价的方法与技术体系,提出自然资源资产负债表编制和资源环境承载力评价的技术标准/规范,研发自然资源资产负债表编制与资源环境承载力评价的数字化业务平台,实际应用于国家示范区并形成相应的配套政策及建议,为政府部门提供科技支撑和政策建议。     

Use of the BEAST model for biomonitoring water quality in a neotropical basin

The use of predictive models in Neotropical basins is relatively new, and applying these models in large basins is hindered by the lack of ecological, geographical, and social-environmental knowledge. Despite these difficulties, we used data from the das Velhas River basin to apply the BEAST (Benthic Assessment of SedimenT) methodology to evaluate and classify the level of environmental degradation. Our two main objectives were to modify and implement the BEAST methodology for use in biomonitoring programs of Brazilian basins, and to test the hypothesis that a gradient of environmental degradation determines a gradient in the structure and composition of benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages. We evaluated 37 sites: 8 in the main river, 15 in the main tributaries with different impact levels, and 14 in tributaries with minimally disturbed conditions (MDC). The BEAST model allowed us to classify 16 test sites: two as natural, four as altered, three as highly altered, and seven as degraded. Our results indicated degradation of the das Velhas River basin near its urban areas. The BEAST model indicated that the pollution gradient found among the sites generated a gradient of the macroinvertebrate assemblages, corroborating the hypothesis. Handling editor: S. M. Thomaz     

Uses,abuses and management of lakes and rivers

Freshwater basins are vulnerable to human-induced change for a number of reasons. They lie at the bottoms of catchments and therefore are subject to the run-off of a large variety of dissolved and particulate substances; shallow basins provide fertile agricultural soils if drained; and public perception, particularly of wetland basins, is of inhospitable places, so that lobbies for drainage are more likely to be effective than those seeking to preserve the habitat. On the other hand, water is so important to human life that there is also strong concern about the fate of freshwater habitats. Freshwater systems are also often open systems capable of faster recovery from disturbance than their terrestrial counterparts.Three lake, river and wetland ecosystems, the Sudd in the Sudan, the Everglades and adjacent swamplands of southern Florida, USA, and the Norfolk Broadland in the UK are examined from the viewpoints of how they are or were used by their indigenous human populations, and the problems they may face or already face. This sites are used to suggest a general model of human impact and to establish approaches to the wise future use and conservation of these and other similar systems.     

A national fish passage barrier inventory to support fish passage policy implementation and estimate river connectivity in New Zealand

Fragmentation of river systems is a key driver of freshwater biodiversity loss. Instream structure inventories are an essential component of delivering a strategic approach to restoring river connectivity. We used a range of data sources to collate the best available information on fish passage barriers and instream structures across the whole of New Zealand. To support implementation of new national policy objectives to maintain and improve river connectivity, the structure inventory has been integrated with a new fish passage assessment mobile application that allows river managers and asset owners to ground-truth, update and add records to the database. The data are provided open access and are being used for environmental reporting and to support strategic prioritisation of barrier mitigation actions. We used these data to quantify river connectivity at regional and national scales and demonstrated that at least half of New Zealand's river network is upstream of fish migration barriers. Limitations to our calculation of upstream river connectivity included the unknown influence of unrecorded structures, particularly on private land, missing information within recorded data, the large number of instream structures that have been identified but not yet assessed for their risk to fish passage, and spatial errors in the automated pairing of structures to a digital river network. A critical challenge for river managers is understanding the consequences of these uncertainties in the data for prioritisation and decision-making regarding barrier removal or mitigation.     

石羊河流域生态系统服务权衡与协同关系研究

生态系统服务权衡与协同研究是国际生态学、地理学等学科研究的热点。以石羊河流域为研究区,借助In VEST模型,对流域2005、2010和2015年的水源涵养、土壤保持、水质净化、碳储存和生物多样性五项服务进行精准测度,分析服务的时空格局及演变特征,并利用相关系数法逐像元定量计算5种服务之间的权衡与协同关系,从不同尺度分析权衡与协同关系的空间格局特征。结果表明:(1)各项服务具有空间异质性:水源涵养、土壤保持、碳储存、生物多样性呈"西南高-东北低"的空间格局,且水质净化、碳储存服务的高值区沿河流分布。(2) 10年期间,水源涵养、水质净化、碳储存、生物多样性服务呈现"整体增加-局部减少"的变化趋势,而土壤保持呈"整体减少-局部增加"的变化特征。(3)多种服务之间权衡与协同关系具有区域依赖特征:水源涵养与土壤保持、水源涵养与水质净化、水质净化与碳储存、水质净化与生物多样性、土壤保持与碳储存、土壤保持与生物多样性以权衡关系为主;水源涵养与碳储存、水源涵养与生物多样性、土壤保持与水质净化、碳储存与生物多样性以协同关系为主。定量可视化评估生态系统服务及权衡关系,为制定区域发展与生态保护双赢政策提供依据,同时也为其他流域的相关研究提供可靠参考。