Xu Hailiang, Ye Mao, Song Yudong, Chen Yaning
Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography Research, Chinese Academic of Science, Beijing Road, 40-3, 830011, Urumqi, People's Republic of China.
Environ Monit Assess. 2007 Aug;131(1-3):37-48. doi: 10.1007/s10661-006-9455-7. Epub 2007 Jan 17.
This paper takes the ecological water conveyance project (EWCP) that transfers water from the Bosten Lake, to Daxihaizi Reservoir, and finally to the Taitema Lake as a case study to analyze the dynamic change of the groundwater depth, the vegetation responses to the elevation of the groundwater depth as well as the relationship between the groundwater depth and the natural vegetation. The results from many years' monitoring in field indicate: (1) the groundwater depth has been elevating gradually with the increase in the times of watering and the elevation range has been expanding continuously in the lower reaches of Tarim River. Correspondingly, the natural vegetation has a favorable response to the elevation of the groundwater depth. The change of the natural vegetation has accordance with that of the groundwater depth. Such facts not only show that groundwater is a key factor to the growth of the native vegetation but also prove it is feasible that the degraded ecosystem can be restored and protected by the EWCP; (2) the results of analysis of the spatial-temporal response of the natural vegetation to watering reveals that the beneficial influence of the EWCP on the ecosystem in the lower Tarim River is a long-term process; (3) in terms of the function and structure of ecosystem after watering in the lower reaches of Tarim River, the EWCP does not still reach the goal of ecological restoration at a large spatial scale at present. Based on such monitoring results, some countermeasures and suggestions for the future restoration strategy are proposed so as to provide a theoretical basis for restoring and protecting the ecosystem in Tarim River, and meanwhile it can also provide some scientific references for implementing the similar ecological projects in other areas.
本文以从博斯腾湖调水至大西海子水库，最终到台特玛湖的生态输水工程（EWCP）为例，分析了地下水埋深的动态变化、植被对地下水埋深升高的响应以及地下水埋深与天然植被之间的关系。多年的野外监测结果表明：（1）塔里木河下游，随着输水次数的增加，地下水埋深逐渐升高，升高范围不断扩大。相应地，天然植被对地下水埋深的升高有良好响应。天然植被的变化与地下水埋深的变化一致。这些事实不仅表明地下水是当地植被生长的关键因素，也证明了通过生态输水工程恢复和保护退化生态系统是可行的；（2）天然植被对输水时空响应的分析结果表明，生态输水工程对塔里木河下游生态系统的有益影响是一个长期过程；（3）就塔里木河下游输水后生态系统的功能和结构而言，目前生态输水工程在大空间尺度上仍未达到生态恢复的目标。基于这些监测结果，提出了未来恢复策略的一些对策和建议，为塔里木河生态系统的恢复和保护提供理论依据，同时也可为其他地区实施类似生态工程提供一些科学参考。
