Evaluating the influences of harvesting activity and eutrophication on loss of aquatic vegetations in Taihu Lake, China

A rapid degradation of aquatic vegetations in Taihu Lake has roused a wide attention in recent years. Giving large-scale harvesting activity on aquatic vegetation since 2012, whether water eutrophication or the human harvest activity induced the degradation remains controversial and unclear. In this...

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Main Authors: Juhua Luo, Ruiliang Pu, Hongtao Duan, Ronghua Ma, Zhigang Mao, Yuan Zeng, Linsheng Huang, Qitao Xiao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2020-05-01
Series:International Journal of Applied Earth Observations and Geoinformation
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0303243419304921
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author Juhua Luo
Ruiliang Pu
Hongtao Duan
Ronghua Ma
Zhigang Mao
Yuan Zeng
Linsheng Huang
Qitao Xiao
author_facet Juhua Luo
Ruiliang Pu
Hongtao Duan
Ronghua Ma
Zhigang Mao
Yuan Zeng
Linsheng Huang
Qitao Xiao
author_sort Juhua Luo
collection DOAJ
description A rapid degradation of aquatic vegetations in Taihu Lake has roused a wide attention in recent years. Giving large-scale harvesting activity on aquatic vegetation since 2012, whether water eutrophication or the human harvest activity induced the degradation remains controversial and unclear. In this study, based on Landsat and HJ-CCD data acquired from 1984 to 2016 and a 12-year field observation (2005–2016) of water quality, a method was proposed to quantitatively assess impacts of harvesting activity and water quality change on degradations of both floating-leaved aquatic vegetation (FAV) and submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) in Taihu Lake. First, areas of FAV and SAV covers from 1984 to 2016 in Taihu Lake were mapped using the satellite data, and then the mapped areas were modified to those on a reference date by using phenological curves of FAV and SAV covers. Next, correlations between water quality data and FAV and SAV covers were analyzed by using Pearson correlation analysis based on the data before implementing the human harvesting activity (i.e., before 2012), and multiple general linear models were established based on the selected water quality variables with p-value <0.01 for estimating covers of FAV and SAV from 2012 to 2016. Finally, based on the predicted areas of FAV and SAV covers by the models and the modified areas mapped from satellite data, the influences of water eutrophication and the human harvesting activity on the degradation of FAV and SAV covers were quantitatively assessed. The results indicated that (1) FAV cover exhibited a significant increase from 1984 to 2011 and then a rapid decrease, while SAV cover increased significantly before 2003 and then obviously declined; (2) water level (WL) and total nitrogen (TN) showed significantly negative correlations with FAV and SAV covers, while secchi disk depth (SDD) and SDD/WL had significantly positive correlations with FAV and SAV covers; (3) the human harvesting activity made a major contribution to the loss of FAV cover, and the degradation of SAV cover was mainly due to an increased lake eutrophication and deteriorated underwater light environment. The findings derived from this study could offer a guidance for Taihu Lake ecological restoration and effective management.
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spelling doaj.art-2b9a63b55c4241139d598eac87a5068a2022-12-22T02:41:19ZengElsevierInternational Journal of Applied Earth Observations and Geoinformation1569-84322020-05-0187102038Evaluating the influences of harvesting activity and eutrophication on loss of aquatic vegetations in Taihu Lake, ChinaJuhua Luo0Ruiliang Pu1Hongtao Duan2Ronghua Ma3Zhigang Mao4Yuan Zeng5Linsheng Huang6Qitao Xiao7Key Laboratory of Watershed Geographic Sciences, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China; School of Geosciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USASchool of Geosciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USAKey Laboratory of Watershed Geographic Sciences, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China; Corresponding author.Key Laboratory of Watershed Geographic Sciences, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, ChinaKey Laboratory of Watershed Geographic Sciences, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing Science, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, ChinaNational Engineering Research Center for Agro-Ecological Big Data Analysis &amp; Application, Anhui University, Hefei, 230601, ChinaKey Laboratory of Watershed Geographic Sciences, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, ChinaA rapid degradation of aquatic vegetations in Taihu Lake has roused a wide attention in recent years. Giving large-scale harvesting activity on aquatic vegetation since 2012, whether water eutrophication or the human harvest activity induced the degradation remains controversial and unclear. In this study, based on Landsat and HJ-CCD data acquired from 1984 to 2016 and a 12-year field observation (2005–2016) of water quality, a method was proposed to quantitatively assess impacts of harvesting activity and water quality change on degradations of both floating-leaved aquatic vegetation (FAV) and submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) in Taihu Lake. First, areas of FAV and SAV covers from 1984 to 2016 in Taihu Lake were mapped using the satellite data, and then the mapped areas were modified to those on a reference date by using phenological curves of FAV and SAV covers. Next, correlations between water quality data and FAV and SAV covers were analyzed by using Pearson correlation analysis based on the data before implementing the human harvesting activity (i.e., before 2012), and multiple general linear models were established based on the selected water quality variables with p-value <0.01 for estimating covers of FAV and SAV from 2012 to 2016. Finally, based on the predicted areas of FAV and SAV covers by the models and the modified areas mapped from satellite data, the influences of water eutrophication and the human harvesting activity on the degradation of FAV and SAV covers were quantitatively assessed. The results indicated that (1) FAV cover exhibited a significant increase from 1984 to 2011 and then a rapid decrease, while SAV cover increased significantly before 2003 and then obviously declined; (2) water level (WL) and total nitrogen (TN) showed significantly negative correlations with FAV and SAV covers, while secchi disk depth (SDD) and SDD/WL had significantly positive correlations with FAV and SAV covers; (3) the human harvesting activity made a major contribution to the loss of FAV cover, and the degradation of SAV cover was mainly due to an increased lake eutrophication and deteriorated underwater light environment. The findings derived from this study could offer a guidance for Taihu Lake ecological restoration and effective management.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0303243419304921Aquatic vegetationFloating-leaved aquatic vegetation (FAV)Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV)Remote sensingDegradationEutrophication
spellingShingle Juhua Luo
Ruiliang Pu
Hongtao Duan
Ronghua Ma
Zhigang Mao
Yuan Zeng
Linsheng Huang
Qitao Xiao
Evaluating the influences of harvesting activity and eutrophication on loss of aquatic vegetations in Taihu Lake, China
International Journal of Applied Earth Observations and Geoinformation
Aquatic vegetation
Floating-leaved aquatic vegetation (FAV)
Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV)
Remote sensing
Degradation
Eutrophication
title Evaluating the influences of harvesting activity and eutrophication on loss of aquatic vegetations in Taihu Lake, China
title_full Evaluating the influences of harvesting activity and eutrophication on loss of aquatic vegetations in Taihu Lake, China
title_fullStr Evaluating the influences of harvesting activity and eutrophication on loss of aquatic vegetations in Taihu Lake, China
title_full_unstemmed Evaluating the influences of harvesting activity and eutrophication on loss of aquatic vegetations in Taihu Lake, China
title_short Evaluating the influences of harvesting activity and eutrophication on loss of aquatic vegetations in Taihu Lake, China
title_sort evaluating the influences of harvesting activity and eutrophication on loss of aquatic vegetations in taihu lake china
topic Aquatic vegetation
Floating-leaved aquatic vegetation (FAV)
Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV)
Remote sensing
Degradation
Eutrophication
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0303243419304921
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