A comprehensive environmental index for monitoring ecological quality of typical alpine wetlands in Central Asia
Understanding the long-term ecological quality trends of alpine wetlands in cold mountainous areas of Central Asia is essential for effective conservation and restoration efforts. However, inconsistencies and ambiguities regarding wetland health persist due to methodological variations and differenc...
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Elsevier
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Ecological Indicators |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25001451 |
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| author | Jiudan Zhang Junli Li Changming Zhu Anming Bao Amaury Frankl Philippe De Maeyer Tim Van de Voorde |
| author_facet | Jiudan Zhang Junli Li Changming Zhu Anming Bao Amaury Frankl Philippe De Maeyer Tim Van de Voorde |
| author_sort | Jiudan Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Understanding the long-term ecological quality trends of alpine wetlands in cold mountainous areas of Central Asia is essential for effective conservation and restoration efforts. However, inconsistencies and ambiguities regarding wetland health persist due to methodological variations and differences in spatio-temporal scale among studies. This study employed a deep-learning semantic segmentation model to map the structural changes of the Bayanbulak alpine wetland using Landsat imagery from 1977 to 2022. Subsequently, an Alpine Wetland Ecological Quality Index (AWEQI) was developed to quantify the changes in ecological quality over this period. Furthermore, the driving factors behind these changes were analyzed by combining meteorological precipitation data with human activities. Long-term monitoring results indicate that the Bayanbulak Wetland has experienced significant expansion, with its ecological quality improving remarkably over the past 45 years, particularly in the Big Urdus basin. The wetland area expanded from 969.11 km2 to 1,108.75 km2 at an average of 1.83 km2 per year. Meanwhile, improvements were also observed in hydrological conditions, vegetation vitality, and aboveground biomass, coupled with a reduction in wetland landscape fragmentation, improving ecological stability. Moreover, variations in water network density across basins influenced the effectiveness of restoration, underscoring the spatial heterogeneity of ecological recovery. Increased precipitation and improved conservation measures have contributed to these positive trends. This study offers a scientific foundation for adaptive strategies to sustain the resilience of alpine wetland ecosystems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d01ef1bcf8ef477ea87bd77027965888 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1470-160X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecological Indicators |
| spelling | doaj-art-d01ef1bcf8ef477ea87bd770279658882025-02-10T04:34:17ZengElsevierEcological Indicators1470-160X2025-02-01171113216A comprehensive environmental index for monitoring ecological quality of typical alpine wetlands in Central AsiaJiudan Zhang0Junli Li1Changming Zhu2Anming Bao3Amaury Frankl4Philippe De Maeyer5Tim Van de Voorde6National Key Laboratory of Ecological Security and Sustainable Development in Arid Region, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Department of Geography, Ghent University, Ghent 9000, Belgium; Key Laboratory of GIS & RS Application Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi 830011, China; Sino–Belgian Joint Laboratory of Geo-Information, Ghent, 000, Belgium; Sino–Belgian Joint Laboratory of Geo-Information, Urumqi 830011, ChinaNational Key Laboratory of Ecological Security and Sustainable Development in Arid Region, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China; Key Laboratory of GIS & RS Application Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi 830011, China; Corresponding author at: National Key Laboratory of Ecological Security and Sustainable Development in Arid Region, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China.School of Geographical Surveying and Planning, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221116, ChinaNational Key Laboratory of Ecological Security and Sustainable Development in Arid Region, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China; Key Laboratory of GIS & RS Application Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi 830011, ChinaDepartment of Geography, Ghent University, Ghent 9000, Belgium; Sino–Belgian Joint Laboratory of Geo-Information, Ghent, 000, Belgium; Sino–Belgian Joint Laboratory of Geo-Information, Urumqi 830011, ChinaNational Key Laboratory of Ecological Security and Sustainable Development in Arid Region, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China; Department of Geography, Ghent University, Ghent 9000, Belgium; Sino–Belgian Joint Laboratory of Geo-Information, Ghent, 000, Belgium; Sino–Belgian Joint Laboratory of Geo-Information, Urumqi 830011, ChinaNational Key Laboratory of Ecological Security and Sustainable Development in Arid Region, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China; Department of Geography, Ghent University, Ghent 9000, Belgium; Sino–Belgian Joint Laboratory of Geo-Information, Ghent, 000, Belgium; Sino–Belgian Joint Laboratory of Geo-Information, Urumqi 830011, ChinaUnderstanding the long-term ecological quality trends of alpine wetlands in cold mountainous areas of Central Asia is essential for effective conservation and restoration efforts. However, inconsistencies and ambiguities regarding wetland health persist due to methodological variations and differences in spatio-temporal scale among studies. This study employed a deep-learning semantic segmentation model to map the structural changes of the Bayanbulak alpine wetland using Landsat imagery from 1977 to 2022. Subsequently, an Alpine Wetland Ecological Quality Index (AWEQI) was developed to quantify the changes in ecological quality over this period. Furthermore, the driving factors behind these changes were analyzed by combining meteorological precipitation data with human activities. Long-term monitoring results indicate that the Bayanbulak Wetland has experienced significant expansion, with its ecological quality improving remarkably over the past 45 years, particularly in the Big Urdus basin. The wetland area expanded from 969.11 km2 to 1,108.75 km2 at an average of 1.83 km2 per year. Meanwhile, improvements were also observed in hydrological conditions, vegetation vitality, and aboveground biomass, coupled with a reduction in wetland landscape fragmentation, improving ecological stability. Moreover, variations in water network density across basins influenced the effectiveness of restoration, underscoring the spatial heterogeneity of ecological recovery. Increased precipitation and improved conservation measures have contributed to these positive trends. This study offers a scientific foundation for adaptive strategies to sustain the resilience of alpine wetland ecosystems.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25001451Alpine wetlandsEcological qualityWetland evolutionClimate changeRemote sensing |
| spellingShingle | Jiudan Zhang Junli Li Changming Zhu Anming Bao Amaury Frankl Philippe De Maeyer Tim Van de Voorde A comprehensive environmental index for monitoring ecological quality of typical alpine wetlands in Central Asia Ecological Indicators Alpine wetlands Ecological quality Wetland evolution Climate change Remote sensing |
| title | A comprehensive environmental index for monitoring ecological quality of typical alpine wetlands in Central Asia |
| title_full | A comprehensive environmental index for monitoring ecological quality of typical alpine wetlands in Central Asia |
| title_fullStr | A comprehensive environmental index for monitoring ecological quality of typical alpine wetlands in Central Asia |
| title_full_unstemmed | A comprehensive environmental index for monitoring ecological quality of typical alpine wetlands in Central Asia |
| title_short | A comprehensive environmental index for monitoring ecological quality of typical alpine wetlands in Central Asia |
| title_sort | comprehensive environmental index for monitoring ecological quality of typical alpine wetlands in central asia |
| topic | Alpine wetlands Ecological quality Wetland evolution Climate change Remote sensing |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25001451 |
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