Evaluating spatial changes of human disturbances and their effects on
rivers' environmental quality on The Loess Plateau, China
Abstract
Global economic development and population increase public concerns
about the sustainable use of water resources. As one of the main drivers
of landscape change, human disturbance is altering rivers’ hydrochemical
indices and trophic states. Studying the relationship between human
disturbances and river’ status is of significance for regional water
conservation and ecosystem safety. In this study, we created a
quantitative model to explore the correlation between human disturbance
and rivers’ status using remote sensing data, measured hydrochemical
indices, and the concept of hemeroby index (HI). The results indicated
that the river’s status including hydrochemical indices and trophic
states both had a significant negative correlation with HI
(p<0.05). The river’s status in regions was relatively
sensitive to the changes of completely disturbed land-use types, such as
urban and industrial land. This paper provides additional spatial
information and evidence for the relationship between anthropogenic
activities and the river environment. The findings may be helpful for
policymakers to make strategic decisions of water resources management
and land-use planning in an arid area of China.