| Title: | Simulation of hydrological processes in the Zhalong wetland within a river basin, Northeast China |
| Authors: | Feng, X.Q., G.X. Zhang and Y.J. Xu |
| Year: | 2013 |
| Journal: | Hydrology and Earth System Sciences |
| Volume (Issue): | 17 |
| Pages: | 2797-2807 |
| Article ID: | |
| DOI: | 10.5194/hess-17-2797-2013 |
| URL (non-DOI journals): | |
| Model: | SWAT (modified) |
| Broad Application Category: | hydrologic only |
| Primary Application Category: | wetland effects and/or processes |
| Secondary Application Category: | hydrologic assessment |
| Watershed Description: | 2,100 km^2 Zhalong wetland, located on the west Songnen Plain within the lower reaches of the Wuyuer and Shuangyang Rivers in northeast China |
| Calibration Summary: | |
| Validation Summary: | |
| General Comments: | |
| Abstract: | Zhalong National Nature Preserve is a large wetland
reserve on the Songnen Plain in Northeast China. Wetlands
in the preserve play a key role in maintaining regional
ecosystem function and integrity. Global climate change and
intensified anthropogenic activities in the region have raised
great concerns over the change of natural flow regime, wetland
degradation and loss. In this study, two key hydrologic
components in the preserve, water surface area and water
volume, as well as their variations during the period 1985–
2006, were investigated with a spatially-distributed hydrologic
modeling system (SWAT). A wetland module was incorporated
into the SWAT model to represent hydrological
linkages between the wetland and adjacent upland areas.
The modified modeling system was calibrated with streamflow
measurements from 1987 to 1989 and was validated for
the period 2005–2006. The calibration achieved a Nash efficiency
coefficient (Ens) of 0.86, and the validation yielded
an Ens of 0.66. In the past 20 yr, water surface area in the
Zhalong wetland fluctuated from approximately 200 km2 to
1145 km2 with a rapid decreasing trend through the early
2000s. Consequently, water volume decreased largely in the
preserve, especially in the dry seasons. The situation changed
following the implementation of a river diversion in 2001.
Overall, the modeling yielded plausible estimates of hydrologic
changes in this large wetland reserve, building a foundation
for assessing ecological water requirements and developing
strategies and plans for future water resources management
within the river basin. |
| Language: | English |
| Keywords: | |