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The warming climate has rapidly altered vegetation growth in drylands, and consequently, has put great pressure on sustainable livelihoods. Various datasets have been applied from local to global scale to study vegetation dynamics and there is a lack of solid comparison among multiple datasets. Note that vegetation growth might shift over time and the greening and browning components over a long-time span might be masked by a linear trend. Here, we aim to monitor the long-term and nonlinear dynamics in vegetation greenness for Inner Mongolia (an important part of dryland Asia). As a useful tool that indicates vegetation greenness, NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) and LAI (Leaf Area Index) integrals derived from the GIMMS (Global Inventory Modelling and Mapping Studies) NDVI3g and the GIMMS LAI3g products are applied. During the period of 1982-2016, NDVI/LAI integrals have an overall acceptable consistency in characterizing the trends of vegetation greenness, with NDVI large/small integrals and LAI large/small integrals increase at a rate of 0.96, 1.72, 2.23, and 3.13 per decade, respectively. Inner Mongolia experienced a noticeable greening process (71% and 82% greening area in NDVI large/small integrals, 67% and 73% greening area in LAI large/small integrals), despite the fragmentally distributed browning trends in eastern and partial northern Inner Mongolia. As inferred from nonlinear trend analysis, we found the greening process is still prevalent. The browning of eastern Inner Mongolia under the linear analysis was actually transferring from browning to greening, while the greening trend in northern Inner Mongolia was changing to browning. Increased occurrences in the frequency of breakpoints after 1999 suggest that previously stable vegetation ecology is more sensitive to external disturbances such as altered climatic impact and anthropogenic intervention.
Hui Zhang; Xin Zhang; Yi Shang; Giri Kattel; Lijuan Miao. Continuously Vegetation Greening over Inner Mongolia for the Past Three Decades. Remote Sensing 2021, 13, 2446 .
AMA StyleHui Zhang, Xin Zhang, Yi Shang, Giri Kattel, Lijuan Miao. Continuously Vegetation Greening over Inner Mongolia for the Past Three Decades. Remote Sensing. 2021; 13 (13):2446.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHui Zhang; Xin Zhang; Yi Shang; Giri Kattel; Lijuan Miao. 2021. "Continuously Vegetation Greening over Inner Mongolia for the Past Three Decades." Remote Sensing 13, no. 13: 2446.
The naked carp (Gymnocypris przewalskii) plays a central role in the ecosystem of the Qinghai Lake, the largest saline-alkaline lake in China. The adult naked carp migrates in large groups with high population density annually from the Qinghai Lake to the upstream freshwater rivers to spawn. Nevertheless, the responsiveness of the fish to local abiotic cues in the form of distribution patterns during migration across the riverine-lacustrine network of the Qinghai Lake region remains unknown. This knowledge gap has reduced efficiency in fish conservation and management efforts in the region. To address this issue, we carried out two field surveys from June to August, 2018, with the aid of unmanned aerial vehicles to a 200-m long back channel characterizing diverse morphological and hydraulic features on the migration route. Combined structure from motion photogrammetry and deep neural network techniques were used to establish a new workflow for detecting and extracting the profiles of fish individuals in large schools. The spatio-temporal distribution pattern of the fish demonstrated that the naked carp was attracted by hydraulic environments with high flow velocity or deep-water during migration. The diurnal variation of temperature and light could alter the preference for hydraulic environments of the fish. Our results highlight the crucial role of the interactions between river morphology and hydraulics, water temperature and light on the migration behaviours of the naked carp.
Chendi Zhang; Mengzhen Xu; Fakai Lei; Jiahao Zhang; Giri Raj Kattel; Yongjie Duan. Spatio-temporal distribution of Gymnocypris przewalskii during migration with UAV-based photogrammetry and deep neural network. Journal of Ecohydraulics 2021, 1 -16.
AMA StyleChendi Zhang, Mengzhen Xu, Fakai Lei, Jiahao Zhang, Giri Raj Kattel, Yongjie Duan. Spatio-temporal distribution of Gymnocypris przewalskii during migration with UAV-based photogrammetry and deep neural network. Journal of Ecohydraulics. 2021; ():1-16.
Chicago/Turabian StyleChendi Zhang; Mengzhen Xu; Fakai Lei; Jiahao Zhang; Giri Raj Kattel; Yongjie Duan. 2021. "Spatio-temporal distribution of Gymnocypris przewalskii during migration with UAV-based photogrammetry and deep neural network." Journal of Ecohydraulics , no. : 1-16.
The Himalayan mountains are one of the important geographical settings of the planet Earth for the source of global freshwaters. The freshwaters from the Himalayas are life supporting systems of the millions of people residing in downstream Asia. However, the high-altitude mountains of the Himalayas have gone through considerable transformations in hydrology and ecology over the recent past. In the 21st century, the hydrological flow regimes of glacial-fed rivers are threatened by both climate change and human disturbances. Rapidly changing temperature and the frequency, duration and timing of monsoonal precipitation have altered glacier melt, river flow, flood, and downstream volume of water. As a result, the ecosystems and biodiversity as well as irrigation-dependent agriculture in the region is profoundly impacted. The fundamental challenge today is therefore to address the issue of water resources through understanding of hydrological and ecological changes of lake and river systems in the region. Ecohydrology is a sustainability concept, which addresses water resource management through understanding of water cycle, including hydrological processes of rivers and lakes and the structure, and function of ecosystems. Putting ecohydrology at the center of the water resource management program, this mini review discusses rapid ecological and hydrological changes of freshwater systems in the Himalayan mountains and suggested some of the key future adaptation strategies of water resources to rapidly changing regional environment.
Giri R Kattel. Changing Ecological and Hydrological Conditions in the Himalayan Mountains and Measures of Future Adaptation. Jalawaayu 2021, 1, 15 -24.
AMA StyleGiri R Kattel. Changing Ecological and Hydrological Conditions in the Himalayan Mountains and Measures of Future Adaptation. Jalawaayu. 2021; 1 (1):15-24.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiri R Kattel. 2021. "Changing Ecological and Hydrological Conditions in the Himalayan Mountains and Measures of Future Adaptation." Jalawaayu 1, no. 1: 15-24.
The cover image is based on the Focus Article Healthy waterways and ecologically sustainable cities in Beijing‐Tianjin‐Hebei urban agglomeration (northern China): Challenges and future directions by Giri Kattel et al., https://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1500.
Giri Kattel; Jessica Reeves; Andrew Western; Wenjing Zhang; Wei Jing; Suzanne McGowan; Lan Cuo; Peter Scales; Kim Dowling; Qiang He; Lei Wang; Samantha Capon; Zenghui Pan; Jiansheng Cui; Lulu Zhang; Luo Xiao; Chun Liu; Ke Zhang; Chuanyu Gao; Zaifeng Tian; Yongding Liu. Cover Image, Volume 8, Issue 2. WIREs Water 2021, 8, e1515 .
AMA StyleGiri Kattel, Jessica Reeves, Andrew Western, Wenjing Zhang, Wei Jing, Suzanne McGowan, Lan Cuo, Peter Scales, Kim Dowling, Qiang He, Lei Wang, Samantha Capon, Zenghui Pan, Jiansheng Cui, Lulu Zhang, Luo Xiao, Chun Liu, Ke Zhang, Chuanyu Gao, Zaifeng Tian, Yongding Liu. Cover Image, Volume 8, Issue 2. WIREs Water. 2021; 8 (2):e1515.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiri Kattel; Jessica Reeves; Andrew Western; Wenjing Zhang; Wei Jing; Suzanne McGowan; Lan Cuo; Peter Scales; Kim Dowling; Qiang He; Lei Wang; Samantha Capon; Zenghui Pan; Jiansheng Cui; Lulu Zhang; Luo Xiao; Chun Liu; Ke Zhang; Chuanyu Gao; Zaifeng Tian; Yongding Liu. 2021. "Cover Image, Volume 8, Issue 2." WIREs Water 8, no. 2: e1515.
The cities across the northern dry region of China are exposed to multiple sustainability challenges. Beijing‐Hebei‐Tianjin (BTH) urban agglomeration, for example, experiences severe water shortages due to rapidly expanding urban populations, industrial use, and irrigation‐intensive agriculture. Climate change has further threatened water resources security. Overuse of water resources to meet the demand of various water sectors has far‐reaching health and environmental implications including ecosystem sustainability. Surface water and groundwater pollution present public health risks. Despite the extraordinary policies and efforts being made and implemented by the Government of China, the BTH region currently lacks coordination among stakeholders leading to poor water governance. Consultation among scientists, engineers and stakeholders on regional water security issues is crucial and must be frequent and inclusive. An international symposium was held in Shijiazhuang in early November 2019 to identify some of the key water security challenges and scope of an idealized future eco‐city in the region by developing a sustainability framework. This work drew on experiences from across China and beyond. Scientists agree that integration of science, technology, and governance within an appropriate policy framework was particularly significant for combating the issue of water insecurity, including in the region's newly developed city, Xiong'an New Area. An emerging concept, “Healthy Waterways and Ecologically Sustainable Cities” which integrates social, ecological and hydrological systems and acts as an important pathway for sustainability in the 21st century was proposed in the symposium to tackle the problems in the region. This high level biophysical and cultural concept empowers development goals and promotes human health and wellbeing. The framework on healthy waterways and ecologically sustainable cities can overcome sustainability challenges by resolving water resource management issues in BTH in a holistic way. To implement the concept, we strongly recommend the utilization of evidence‐based scientific research and institutional cooperation including national and international collaborations to achieve the Healthy Waterways and Ecologically Sustainable Cities goal in the BTH in future. This article is categorized under: Water and Life > Conservation, Management, and Awareness
Giri Kattel; Jessica Reeves; Andrew Western; Wenjing Zhang; Wei Jing; Suzanne McGowan; Lan Cuo; Peter Scales; Kim Dowling; Qiang He; Lei Wang; Samantha Capon; Zenghui Pan; Jiansheng Cui; Lulu Zhang; Luo Xiao; Chun Liu; Ke Zhang; Chuanyu Gao; Zaifeng Tian; Yongding Liu. Healthy waterways and ecologically sustainable cities in Beijing‐Tianjin‐Hebei urban agglomeration (northern China): Challenges and future directions. WIREs Water 2020, 8, 1 .
AMA StyleGiri Kattel, Jessica Reeves, Andrew Western, Wenjing Zhang, Wei Jing, Suzanne McGowan, Lan Cuo, Peter Scales, Kim Dowling, Qiang He, Lei Wang, Samantha Capon, Zenghui Pan, Jiansheng Cui, Lulu Zhang, Luo Xiao, Chun Liu, Ke Zhang, Chuanyu Gao, Zaifeng Tian, Yongding Liu. Healthy waterways and ecologically sustainable cities in Beijing‐Tianjin‐Hebei urban agglomeration (northern China): Challenges and future directions. WIREs Water. 2020; 8 (2):1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiri Kattel; Jessica Reeves; Andrew Western; Wenjing Zhang; Wei Jing; Suzanne McGowan; Lan Cuo; Peter Scales; Kim Dowling; Qiang He; Lei Wang; Samantha Capon; Zenghui Pan; Jiansheng Cui; Lulu Zhang; Luo Xiao; Chun Liu; Ke Zhang; Chuanyu Gao; Zaifeng Tian; Yongding Liu. 2020. "Healthy waterways and ecologically sustainable cities in Beijing‐Tianjin‐Hebei urban agglomeration (northern China): Challenges and future directions." WIREs Water 8, no. 2: 1.
Giri R Kattel. Are freshwater systems in lower Mekong basin (southeast Asia) resilient? A synthesis of social-ecological system. Environmental Research Communications 2020, 2, 115004 .
AMA StyleGiri R Kattel. Are freshwater systems in lower Mekong basin (southeast Asia) resilient? A synthesis of social-ecological system. Environmental Research Communications. 2020; 2 (11):115004.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiri R Kattel. 2020. "Are freshwater systems in lower Mekong basin (southeast Asia) resilient? A synthesis of social-ecological system." Environmental Research Communications 2, no. 11: 115004.
Large rivers, including the Murray River system in southeast Australia, are disturbed by many activities. The arrival of European settlers to Australia by the mid-1800s transformed many floodplain wetlands of the lower Murray River system. River impoundment and flow regulation in the late 1800s and, from the 1930s, resulted in species invasion, and elevated nutrient concentrations causing widespread eutrophication. An integrated palaeoecology, and palaeo-and-modern food web approach, incorporating mixing models, was undertaken to reveal changes in a regulated wetland (i.e. Kings Billabong). The lack of preserved sediment suggests the wetland was naturally intermittent before 1890. After this time, when used as a water retention basin, the wetland experienced net sediment accumulation. Subfossil cladocerans, and δ13C of Daphnia, chironomid, and bulk sediment, all reflected an early productive, likely clear water state and shifts in trophic state following river regulation in the 1930s. Food web mixing models, based on δ13C and δ15N in subfossil and modern Daphnia, fish, and submerged and emergent macrophytes, also indicated a shift in the trophic relationships between fish and Daphnia. By the 1970s, a new state was established but a further significant alteration of nitrogen and carbon sources, and trophic interactions, continued through to the early 2000s. A possible switch from Daphnia as a prey of Australian Smelt could have modified the food web of the wetland by c. 2006. The timing of this change corresponded to the expansion of emergent macrophytes possibly due to landscape level disruptions. The evidence of these changes suggests a need for a broader understanding of the evolution of wetlands for the management of floodplains in the region.
Giri R. Kattel; Bradley D. Eyre; Peter A. Gell. Integration of palaeo-and-modern food webs reveal slow changes in a river floodplain wetland ecosystem. Scientific Reports 2020, 10, 1 -13.
AMA StyleGiri R. Kattel, Bradley D. Eyre, Peter A. Gell. Integration of palaeo-and-modern food webs reveal slow changes in a river floodplain wetland ecosystem. Scientific Reports. 2020; 10 (1):1-13.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiri R. Kattel; Bradley D. Eyre; Peter A. Gell. 2020. "Integration of palaeo-and-modern food webs reveal slow changes in a river floodplain wetland ecosystem." Scientific Reports 10, no. 1: 1-13.
Global freshwaters are severely depleted. Provision of improved water infrastructure technologies and innovation can address challenges posed by water shortages to environmental sustainability. China’s South-to-North Water Diversion Project has generated extensive debates over sustainability of water resources system in the northern drier region, which faces severe water scarcity hindering ecosystems, agriculture, industries and livelihoods. Some arguments extend the views that large infrastructure projects can have negative implications for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem goods and services. However, this study strengthens the opposite view, as such projects would resolve increasing environmental challenges northern China has been facing over many decades due to severe water shortages. The project empowers connectivity among individuals, community, and organizations that the sustainability of goods and services such as energy, irrigation and water supply are perceived, and livelihoods and the standard of peoples’ living is improved. A resilient, robust and adaptive water infrastructure framework can overcome the challenges of water shortages by meeting a long term social, economic and environmental goals for water resources systems in northern China. Such framework can also identify the thresholds of change and the threats associated with environmental sustainability.
Giri R. Kattel; Wenxiu Shang; Zhongjing Wang; John Langford. China’s South-to-North Water Diversion Project Empowers Sustainable Water Resources System in the North. Sustainability 2019, 11, 3735 .
AMA StyleGiri R. Kattel, Wenxiu Shang, Zhongjing Wang, John Langford. China’s South-to-North Water Diversion Project Empowers Sustainable Water Resources System in the North. Sustainability. 2019; 11 (13):3735.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiri R. Kattel; Wenxiu Shang; Zhongjing Wang; John Langford. 2019. "China’s South-to-North Water Diversion Project Empowers Sustainable Water Resources System in the North." Sustainability 11, no. 13: 3735.
Global freshwater resources have faced critical water security challenges during the 21st century in the world’s river basins. Shortages of water have impaired economic development by disrupting regimes of river flows, ecosystem functioning and food security. Excessive surface and groundwater withdrawals have almost reached the threshold. The current withdrawals of total water (4700 km3·y−1) suggest the imbalance of water use and renewal rates in the world’s river basins. The water security issues are further intensified by phosphate and nitrate pollution from land use and climate change. Today, about 400 million people worldwide experience extreme shortages of water for daily use. Limited availability of water which needs to meet the basic needs of hygiene and sanitation for consumption and other uses has increased competition among users. While the society demands more water-intensive goods and services, the ecosystems are however left behind, consequently leading to increased conflicts and insecurity. Equitable water allocation for people and nature is becoming increasingly urgent. However, understanding the complex interactions between the society and nature in the world’s river basins is limited. This paper aims to unravel some key strategies that enhance future water security through the advancement of science, knowledge and technologies in the world’s river basins.
Giri R. Kattel. State of future water regimes in the world’s river basins: balancing the water between society and nature. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology 2019, 49, 1107 -1133.
AMA StyleGiri R. Kattel. State of future water regimes in the world’s river basins: balancing the water between society and nature. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology. 2019; 49 (12):1107-1133.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiri R. Kattel. 2019. "State of future water regimes in the world’s river basins: balancing the water between society and nature." Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology 49, no. 12: 1107-1133.
The lakes across China’s middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River system have a long history of sustaining human pressures. These aquatic resources have been exploited for fisheries and irrigation over millennia at a magnitude of scales, with the result that many lakes have lost their ecological integrity. The consequences of these changes in the ecosystem health of lakes are not fully understood; therefore, a long-term investigation is urgently needed. Gastropods (aquatic snails) are powerful bio-indicators that link primary producers, herbivores, and detritivores associated with macrophytes and grazers of periphyton and higher-level consumers. They are sensitive to abrupt environmental change such as eutrophication, dehydration, flooding, and proliferation of toxicity in floodplain lake systems. The use of the remains of gastropod shells (subfossils) preserved in the sedimentary archives of the floodplain lakes of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River system holds high significance, as their potential in environmental change has not been studied in detail in the past. Here, we aim to test the hypothesis that modern and sub-fossil gastropods in the sediments of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River floodplains systems have significant value as bioindicators, as they have the ability to reveal health-gradients of lake-ecosystem change in the region.
Giri Kattel; Yongjiu Cai; Xiangdong Yang; Ke Zhang; Xu Hao; Rong Wang; Xuhui Dong. Potential Indicator Value of Subfossil Gastropods in Assessing the Ecological Health of the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River Floodplain System (China). Geosciences 2018, 8, 222 .
AMA StyleGiri Kattel, Yongjiu Cai, Xiangdong Yang, Ke Zhang, Xu Hao, Rong Wang, Xuhui Dong. Potential Indicator Value of Subfossil Gastropods in Assessing the Ecological Health of the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River Floodplain System (China). Geosciences. 2018; 8 (6):222.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiri Kattel; Yongjiu Cai; Xiangdong Yang; Ke Zhang; Xu Hao; Rong Wang; Xuhui Dong. 2018. "Potential Indicator Value of Subfossil Gastropods in Assessing the Ecological Health of the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River Floodplain System (China)." Geosciences 8, no. 6: 222.
Recently, the provision of food and water resources of two of the world's largest river basins, the Murray and the Yangtze, has been significantly altered through widespread landscape modification. Long-term sedimentary archives, dating back for some centuries from wetlands of these river basins, reveal that rapid, basin-wide development has reduced the resilience of biological communities, resulting in considerable decline in ecosystem services, including water quality. Large-scale human disturbance to river systems, due to river regulation during the mid-20th century, has transformed the hydrology of rivers and wetlands, causing widespread modification of aquatic biological communities. Changes to cladoceran zooplankton (water fleas) were used to assess the historical hydrology and ecology of three Murray and Yangtze river wetlands over the past century. Subfossil assemblages of cladocerans retrieved from sediment cores (94, 45, and 65 cm) of three wetlands: Kings Billabong (Murray), Zhangdu, and Liangzi lakes (Yangtze), showed strong responses to hydrological changes in the river after the mid-20th century. In particular, river regulation caused by construction of dams and weirs together with river channel modifications, has led to significant hydrological alterations. These hydrological disturbances were either (1) a prolonged inundation of wetlands or (2) reduced river flow, both of which caused variability in wetland depth. Inevitably, these phenomena have subsequently transformed the natural wetland habitats, leading to a switch in cladoceran assemblages to species preferring poor water quality, and in some cases to eutrophication. The quantitative and qualitative decline of wetland water conditions is indicative of reduced ecosystem services, and requires effective restoration measures for both river basins which have been impacted by recent socioeconomic development and climate change.
Giri R. Kattel; Xuhui Dong; Xiangdong Yang. A century-scale, human-induced ecohydrological evolution of wetlands of two large river basins in Australia (Murray) and China (Yangtze). Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 2016, 20, 2151 -2168.
AMA StyleGiri R. Kattel, Xuhui Dong, Xiangdong Yang. A century-scale, human-induced ecohydrological evolution of wetlands of two large river basins in Australia (Murray) and China (Yangtze). Hydrology and Earth System Sciences. 2016; 20 (6):2151-2168.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiri R. Kattel; Xuhui Dong; Xiangdong Yang. 2016. "A century-scale, human-induced ecohydrological evolution of wetlands of two large river basins in Australia (Murray) and China (Yangtze)." Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 20, no. 6: 2151-2168.
Recently, the provision of food and water resources of two of the world's large river basins, the Murray and the Yangtze, has been significantly altered through widespread landscape modification. Long-term sedimentary archives, dating back to past centuries, from wetlands of these river basins reveal that rapid, basin-wide development has reduced resilience of biological communities, resulting in considerable decline in ecosystem services, including water quality. In particular, large-scale human disturbance to river systems, due to river regulation during the mid-20th century, has transformed the hydrology of rivers and wetlands, causing widespread disturbance to aquatic biological communities. Historical changes of cladoceran zooplankton (water fleas) were used to assess the hydrology and ecology of three Murray and Yangtze River wetlands over the past century. Subfossil assemblages of cladocerans retrieved from sediment cores (94, 45 and 65 cm) of three wetlands: Kings Billabong (Murray), Zhangdu and Liangzi Lakes (Yangtze) strongly responded to hydrological changes of the river after the mid-20th century. River regulation caused by construction of dams and weirs, and river channel modifications has led to hydrological alterations. The hydrological disturbances were either: (1) a prolonged inundation of wetlands, or (2) reduced river flow, which caused variability in wetland depth. These phenomena subsequently transformed the natural wetland habitats, leading to a switch in cladoceran assemblages preferring poor water quality and eutrophication. An adaptive water resource management framework for both of these river basins has been proposed to restore or optimize the conditions of wetland ecosystems impacted by 20th century human disturbance and climate change.
Giri R. Kattel; Xinyong Dong; Xiangdong Yang. A century scale human-induced hydrological and ecological changes of wetlands of two large river basins in Australia (Murray) and China (Yangtze): development of an adaptive water resource management framework. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussions 2015, 20, 2151 -2168.
AMA StyleGiri R. Kattel, Xinyong Dong, Xiangdong Yang. A century scale human-induced hydrological and ecological changes of wetlands of two large river basins in Australia (Murray) and China (Yangtze): development of an adaptive water resource management framework. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussions. 2015; 20 (6):2151-2168.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiri R. Kattel; Xinyong Dong; Xiangdong Yang. 2015. "A century scale human-induced hydrological and ecological changes of wetlands of two large river basins in Australia (Murray) and China (Yangtze): development of an adaptive water resource management framework." Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussions 20, no. 6: 2151-2168.