A model for evaluating the influence of water and salt on vegetation in a semi-arid desert region, northern China

Abstract

A model, influence of water and salt on vegetation (IWSV), was developed to evaluate their influence on plant species. The main function of this model was to calculate a comprehensive index value for evaluating the suitability of plant growth. This model consists of five explanatory variables (vadose zone moisture content, vadose zone salinity, vadose zone lithology, depth to the water table, and groundwater mineralization) and two response variables (plant species and their cover). A set of independent data on three plant species, Artemisia ordosica, Salix psammophila, and Carex enervis, which are dominant species in the Mu Us Desert of northern China, were used to validate the model. Validation results show an overall correct prediction for the distribution of these three species. The results demonstrated that the IWSV model can be a useful tool for groundwater management and nature conservation in a semi-arid desert region, especially for predicting the vegetation distribution in areas with groundwater extraction.

Groundwater evapotranspiration under psammophilous vegetation covers in the Mu Us Sandy Land, northern China

“…The annual mean temperature ranges from 6.0°C to 8.5°C and the mean annual precipitation from 250 to 440 mm from the northwest to the southeast. Precipitation is mainly concentrated in summer months from July to September (Cheng et al, 2011;Yan et al, 2013). In recent years, with rapid development of petrochemical industries in the area, the demand for water greatly increased and the groundwater is perceived to be a reliable water source for the industries.…”

“…This surely poses an enormous threat to the ecosystems that heavily rely on the groundwater and the threat thus warns us pay particular attentions to the ecological need of the groundwater. However, we have little knowledge about the relationship between vegetation and groundwater (Cheng et al, 2011).…”

An integrated assessment of the impact of precipitation and groundwater on vegetation growth in arid and semiarid areas

“…Some approaches, such as the statistical model of curve-fitting regression procedure, were employed to assess the influence of groundwater on vegetation growth . Various mechanistic models, such as eco-hydrological models (Chui et al, 2011), vegetation competition models coupled with saturated-unsaturated hydrological models (Brolsma et al, 2010a, 2010b, Condon and Maxwell 2014, Tillman et al, 2012, EDYS models (Childress et al, 2002), WAVES models (Zhang et al, 1996), and IWSV model (Cheng et al, 2011) were developed to examine those relationships.…”

Impacts of water surge from mountain railroad tunnels on ecological environments based on the RSEI model

“…In addition, the water from some mountain tunnels can be high-temperature, influenced by geological conditions (Osborne et al, 2004;Guo et al, 2021). This can further increase the impact of surge water on vegetation and natural ecosystems (Cheng et al, 2011;Yuan et al, 2019).…”