Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Yifan Shen, Qi Li, Xiangjun Pei, Renjie Wei, Bingmei Yang, Ningfei Lei, Xiaochao Zhang, Daqiu Yin, Shijun Wang, Qizhong Tao
Summary: As environmental protection becomes more important in China, the restoration of engineering slopes, which are not conducive to vegetation growth and prone to natural disasters caused by construction, is urgently needed. This study explains the theoretical basis and technologies commonly used for ecological restoration of engineering slopes, and discusses the benefits, evaluation, and current problems in this regard. Future research prospects are also suggested.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Sayantani M. Basak, Md Sarwar Hossain, Joanna Tusznio, Malgorzata Grodzinska-Jurczak
Summary: A systematic review of global river restoration research highlighted a focus on economic and ecological aspects, with less attention on social benefits. Identifying research gaps and proposing future directions, the study emphasizes the importance of integrating social benefits perspective for advancing river restoration research.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & POLICY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xinchuang Chen, Feng Li, Xiaoqian Li, Hongxiao Liu, Yinhong Hu, Panpan Hu
Summary: The study highlights the importance of identifying and managing ecological restoration areas for sustainable urban development, while also pointing out the lack of a scientific basis for the scope and scale of ecological restoration in current research. By proposing a transdisciplinary framework combining ecological quality, ecological health, and ecosystem services, priority restoration areas can be effectively identified and classified to achieve policy goals and fulfill public preferences.
Article
Geography
Minkun Chen, Yan Tan, Xibao Xu, Yangyan Lin
Summary: Approximately 60% of the world's ecosystems are in a degraded and unsustainable state, with the Yangtze River Delta being one of the affected regions. This study assessed the ecological degradation in the area using ecosystem quality as an indicator, and identified specific areas for ecological restoration based on watershed and administrative boundaries. The findings provide guidance for sustainable development in the Yangtze River Delta and can be applicable to other regions.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Xiaoyuan Zhang, Kai Liu, Shudong Wang, Taixia Wu, Xueke Li, Jinnian Wang, Dacheng Wang, Haitao Zhu, Chang Tan, Yuhe Ji
Summary: This study investigates the ecological vulnerability in the Yellow River Basin during different policy periods using an evaluation index system based on exposure-sensitivity-adaptability framework and earth observation data. The results show a decreasing trend in overall ecological vulnerability levels from 2001 to 2019, despite a slight increase in 2015 due to dry climate conditions. The study also finds geographical spatial variation in vulnerability levels, with the northern areas in the upper reaches being the most vulnerable. Ecological restoration policies have had a positive impact on improving ecological vulnerability. The findings provide guidance for ecological restoration in the Yellow River Basin and have potential applicability in assessing ecological vulnerability in other regions.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Philippe Janssen, John C. Stella, Bianca Rapple, Charles-Robin Gruel, Gabrielle Seignemartin, Bernard Pont, Simon Dufour, Herve Piegay
Summary: Many terrestrial ecosystems have been significantly transformed by human activities, particularly riverine ecosystems. Through a case study of legacy dike fields along the regulated Rhone River, it was found that long-term channelization and flow regulation have impacted environmental conditions and riparian forests, highlighting the importance of restoration strategies focusing on reconnection between dike fields and rivers.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jing Liu
Summary: This study identified the critical factors causing river quality deterioration and evaluated the aquatic biodiversity in the Wanyu River. The government's efforts in building sewage treatment plants and implementing restoration measures have led to improvements in the river environment. However, agricultural pollution, internal nutrient loading, and cost-effective restoration and evaluation remain significant challenges.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Environmental Studies
Laima Cesoniene, Daiva Sileikiene, Midona Dapkiene
Summary: The study on 24 rivers in Lithuania revealed a significant impact of transit and agricultural pollution on the ecological status of rivers, with agricultural activities having the most pronounced negative influence on river ecosystems.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ming-Han Yu, Yan-feng Bao, Guo-dong Ding, Yingying He, Chun-Yuan Wang
Summary: Although the influence of mechanical sand control techniques on vegetation on degraded sand dunes has been studied, the underlying processes of plant community formation are not well understood. This study investigated sand dunes at different stabilization stages in northern China and analyzed beta diversity to understand the community change processes. The findings showed that the implementation of straw checkerboard techniques increased beta diversity and species heterogeneity. Species turnover was the main contributor to beta diversity, while nestedness decreased with sand dune stabilization.
LAND DEGRADATION & DEVELOPMENT
(2022)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Junjie Zhai, Ling Wang, Yuan Liu, Chengyuan Wang, Xuegang Mao
Summary: China's Three Northern Protected Forest Program (TNSFP) is the world's largest afforestation program, which has provided critical ecosystem services and effectively controlled wind and sand hazards and soil erosion. However, there are still knowledge gaps in its scientific basis and limited local engagement and insufficient investment.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Yu Wen, Yanfang Zhao, Ze Guan, Xinjia Zhang
Summary: The strained relationship between people and land has made the optimal allocation of land resources and redevelopment of stock crucial for urban construction and development. A bibliometric analysis of 1436 Chinese and English studies on urban landfill landscape regeneration revealed current trends in the research, with a focus on landfill pollution control and landscape regeneration design. The future direction of landfill landscape regeneration is expected to involve ecological restoration, combined with site pollution control and landscape planning and design, to achieve sustainable reshaping of landfills.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Junhong Zhang, Xincheng Li, Liquan Guo, Zhimin Deng, Dangwei Wang, Linshuang Liu
Summary: Systematic and scientific assessments on heavy metal pollution are crucial for protecting river ecosystems, as shown in this study where surface water quality was good but Cd, Zn, and Cu in sediments posed a medium ecological risk, highlighting the need for integrated regulation.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Changhui Wang
Summary: The importance of controlling internal P pollution in lake restoration has been widely recognized. While the main focus has been on cutting soluble P migration from sediment to overlying water, another form of internal P pollution, phytoplankton-available suspended particulate P (SPP) pollution, has been identified. SPP pollution mainly occurs under aerobic conditions due to sediment resuspension and soluble P adsorption by suspended particles. Compared to soluble P, SPP pollution has more complex loading pathways and P activation mechanisms, making control measures more challenging. Further research is needed to understand and regulate phytoplankton-available SPP pollution for effective lake restoration.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Shaozhuang Guo, Songhe Zhang, Supeng Wang, Xin Lv, Hezhou Chen, Xiuren Hu, Yu Ma
Summary: This study investigated the characterization and response of Potamogeton crispus and epiphytic microbial communities in a micro-polluted urban river. The results showed that P. crispus restoration decreased pollutant concentrations and increased microbial diversity, highlighting the potential of submerged macrophytes in water purification.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Pajtim Bytyci, Albona Shala-Abazi, Ferdije Zhushi-Etemi, Giuseppe Bonifazi, Mimoza Hyseni-Spahiu, Osman Fetoshi, Hazir Cadraku, Fidan Feka, Fadil Millaku
Summary: Macrophytes play an important role in aquatic ecosystems and can be used as indicators to assess the ecological status of water bodies. A survey conducted in the Klina River in Kosovo found that the ecological status varied along the river, with upstream areas showing better conditions and downstream areas being heavily affected by organic pollution. Water temperature, turbidity, and ion concentrations showed correlations with plant density and macrophyte indices.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yuchi You, Zhiwei Li, Peng Gao, Tiesong Hu
Summary: The study investigated the impacts of comprehensive human activities on hydrology and morphology of the Lhasa River on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Only two of the four braided river reaches showed attenuated hydrological regimes, with differences in channel width and braiding intensity trends. The study suggests that the two dams had insignificant impact on channel morphology, and the evolutional trajectories of morphological changes in most of the four reaches were similar.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SEDIMENT RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zhiwei Li, Hanyuan Yang, Junqiang Xia, Meirong Zhou, Shanshan Deng, Yingzhen Wang
Summary: The study reveals the changes in channel morphodynamics of the Lower Jingjiang River bend since the operation of the Three Gorges Reservoir, including erosion in the inner bank and deposition in the outer bank. The clear water released from the reservoir has accelerated erosion on the upstream side of the bend neck, while the downstream side experienced slight deposition, indicating a potential neck cutoff in the future decades.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SEDIMENT RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Zhiwei Li, Peng Gao, Xinyu Wu
Summary: This study quantified the morphodynamic roles of riparian vegetation and variable discharges in neck cutoff processes using experiments in a sinuous flume channel with vegetation. Results showed herbaceous vegetation can prolong the neck narrowing process, higher variable discharges have limited impact, and neck cutoff is triggered by seepage flow.
Article
Geography, Physical
Peng Gao, Zhiwei Li, Yuchi You, Yinjun Zhou, Herve Piegay
Summary: This study investigated the functional characteristics of a braided river in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China, by analyzing spatial scale data over three decades. The results show that the braiding activity of the river is controlled by peak flows and flood durations, with higher intensity during low discharges and in spring. The river also supports a dynamic vegetation mosaic with periods of decline and rapid growth.
Article
Geography, Physical
Xin Liu, Junqiang Xia, Meirong Zhou, Shanshan Deng, Zhiwei Li
Summary: The adjustment of channel boundaries in the Middle Yangtze River affects the motion of sand waves and movable bed roughness. A new formula for predicting movable bed roughness coefficients has been developed, showing higher accuracy compared to previous formulas.
PROGRESS IN PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY-EARTH AND ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Junqiang Xia, Qingrong Jiang, Shanshan Deng, Meirong Zhou, Yifei Cheng, Zhiwei Li, Zenghui Wang
Summary: Based on the investigation of the evolution processes of sharp bends in the Lower Yellow River, it was found that these bends were highly sinuous and deformed rapidly. Bend cutoffs were frequently observed in the braided reach of the river, with ditch erosion and main flow scouring being the main causes. The inefficiency of regulation works in limiting sharp bend evolution was attributed to the incompatibility between the works and the flow and sediment conditions.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Gary J. Brierley, Meiqin Han, Xilai Li, Zhiwei Li, He Qing Huang
Summary: A climate-induced vegetation gradient leads to significant variability in the character and behavior of anabranching reaches of the Upper Yellow River. The study shows that these reaches are in good condition in terms of geo-eco-hydrological aspects, and there has been a transformation from degradation to recovery in recent decades. Changes in land use practices, such as reduced stocking rates, and the establishment of reserves have contributed to environmental improvement. Furthermore, recent climate change has supported improvements in the geo-eco-hydrological conditions of the study reaches. The comprehensive environmental protection programs in the region enhance the resilience of landscapes and ecosystems to uncertain environmental futures.
WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-WATER
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Meirong Zhou, Junqiang Xia, Shanshan Deng, Zhiwei Li
Summary: This paper presents an improved two-dimensional morphodynamic model to analyze the impact of river regulation works on fluvial processes. By labeling nodes in different zones and considering the protective effect of river regulation works, the model can better simulate sediment transport and morphology adjustment processes.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SEDIMENT RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Shanshan Deng, Junqiang Xia, Meirong Zhou, Yueyao Zhou, Xin Liu, Zhiwei Li
Summary: This study investigated the impact of groundwater flow on bank erosion in the Middle Yangtze River by constructing monitoring wells and obtaining hydrographs of riparian groundwater level and river stage. The results showed a delayed response of the groundwater level to the river stage variation, leading to loss of cohesion in the bank soil.
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Bang Chen, Zhiwei Li, Xuyue Hu, Danyang Wang
Summary: This study analyzed the runoff and sediment load changes in the Three Outlets Channel (TOC) using remote sensing images, hydrological data, and channel topography. It found that the impoundment of the Three Gorges Reservoir and meander cutoffs influenced the diversion of runoff and sediment load, and proposed five empirical formulas for predicting future changes in the hydrologic regime and the dynamics of the Jingjiang-Dongting Lake relation.
Article
Geography, Physical
Zhiwei Li, Peng Gao, Yuchi You, Alvise Finotello, Alessandro Ielpi
Summary: Neck cutoffs in meandering rivers occur when the neck width is approximately equal to the mean width of the parent channel. However, empirical evidence for this paradigm is scarce. This study analyzed data from the Black River in China and found that the duration of bend evolution from the morphological threshold to neck cutoff can range from 52 to 161 years. The narrowing process of the neck is found to be autogenous at the local bend scale.
EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lin-lin Li, Jun-qiang Xia, Mei-rong Zhou, Shan-shan Deng, Zhi-wei Li
Summary: After the Three Gorges Project operation, suspended sediment concentrations in the Middle Yangtze River decreased significantly, leading to the coarsening of bed material. This study proposes a new formula for calculating the recovery factor and incorporates it into the non-equilibrium transport equation to simulate the recovery processes of suspended load in different reaches of the river.
JOURNAL OF MOUNTAIN SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Xiwei Guo, Peng Gao, Zhiwei Li
Summary: This study focuses on a complex anabranching system in the Upper Yellow River and quantifies the morphological characteristics and lateral dynamics of islands and channels. The results show that morphological changes in islands were dominated by expansion and shrinkage, causing more areal changes than other modes of change. These processes control the creation and elimination of small anabranches, while large channels remain comparatively stable, maintaining the stability of the anabranching pattern.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-EARTH SURFACE
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Xiwei Guo, Peng Gao, Zhiwei Li
Summary: The lifespan of oxbow lakes in a meandering system varies due to different evolutionary processes. The hydrologic connectivity and morphologic variations of oxbow lakes under variable hydrologic conditions are not well understood. This study focuses on a group of oxbow lakes in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to examine their response to a variable hydrologic regime. The results show that the lateral migration of the main channel significantly impacts the morphology and evolution of oxbow lakes.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hanyuan Yang, Zhiwei Li, Yongjun Lu, Huaixiang Liu, Liqin Zuo
Summary: This study investigates the composite process of cantilever bank failure caused by shear failure of the noncohesive soil in peat-type meandering rivers. Field measurements and simulation models were used to analyze the temporal and spatial changes in bank profiles caused by consecutive failures. The results show a close agreement between the calculations and field measurements.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SEDIMENT RESEARCH
(2023)
