Hubei Key Laboratory of Ecological Restoration of River-Lakes and Algal Utilization, Innovation Demonstration Base of Ecological Environment Geotechnical and Ecological Restoration of Rivers and Lakes, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430068, China.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 May 11;19(10):5856. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19105856.
The hyporheic zone (HZ) plays an important role in the river ecosystem, and hyporheic exchange and solute transport in the HZ are important ecological functions. However, the relationship between the design parameters of river structure and solute transport is still poorly understood. In this study, we combined flume experiments and numerical simulations to systematically evaluate how in-stream structures impact the solute transport depth (D), hyporheic vertical exchange flux (Q), and solute flux (Qs). The results showed that the in-stream structure had a significant influence on solute transport in the HZ and could obviously increase the intensity of hyporheic exchange and promote solute transport. Model results indicated that D, Q, and Qs increased with the ratio of ground height to underground height of structure (/) and structure number (), while Q, D, and Qs increased with the structural spacing () to begin with; then, Q remained constant, and D and Qs decreased as continued to increase. This study deepened our understanding of the influence of in-stream structural design parameters on HZ solute transport, which is helpful to provide a theoretical basis for ecological restoration projects in the river HZ.
底栖带(HZ)在河流生态系统中起着重要作用,HZ 中的底栖交换和溶质输运是重要的生态功能。然而,河流结构的设计参数与溶质输运之间的关系仍了解甚少。本研究结合水槽实验和数值模拟,系统评估了河道结构如何影响溶质输运深度(D)、底栖垂直交换通量(Q)和溶质通量(Qs)。结果表明,河道结构对 HZ 中的溶质输运有显著影响,可明显增强底栖交换强度,促进溶质输运。模型结果表明,D、Q 和 Qs 随结构地下高度与地面高度之比(/)和结构数量()的增加而增加,而 Q、D 和 Qs 随结构间距()的增加而先增加;然后,Q 保持不变,D 和 Qs 随着的继续增加而减少。本研究加深了我们对河道结构设计参数对 HZ 溶质输运影响的认识,有助于为河流 HZ 的生态恢复项目提供理论依据。