Evaluation of the Stability and Suitable Scale of an Oasis Irrigation District in Northwest China
Oases support human activities in arid and semiarid regions, and their stability is important for regional sustainable development and water resource management. Water consumption is the major factor affecting the stability of oases. On the basis of remote sensing images, evaporation and socioeconom...
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doaj-a8c278540d314fe1a63f1bd92ea9b6a62020-11-25T02:19:29ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412020-10-01122837283710.3390/w12102837Evaluation of the Stability and Suitable Scale of an Oasis Irrigation District in Northwest ChinaXifeng Zhang0Yifan Zhang1Jinghui Qi2Qiang Wang3College of Geography and Environment Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, ChinaHubei Agricultural Planning and Design Institute, Wuhan 430070, ChinaSchool of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhengzhou University of Aeronautics, Zhengzhou 450000, ChinaNorthwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Science, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaOases support human activities in arid and semiarid regions, and their stability is important for regional sustainable development and water resource management. Water consumption is the major factor affecting the stability of oases. On the basis of remote sensing images, evaporation and socioeconomic data, this study first evaluates the stability of the Dunhuang Oasis against the expansion of an oasis irrigation district and planting structure changes from 1987 to 2015. Next, it calculates a suitable area of the oasis irrigation district using water–energy balance theory. The results are as follows: (1) During the 1987–2015 period, with the expansion in the oasis irrigation area, the planting structure underwent a marked transformation from food crops to cash crops to orchards. Water consumption pattern likewise changed considerably. (2) The stability of the Dunhuang Oasis continued to weaken from 0.54 in 1987 until it reached a dangerously unstable level of 0.17 in 2010. With the implementation of water-saving measures and a water-transfer project, the stability of the Dunhuang Oasis irrigation district increased to a metastable level of 0.22 in 2015. (3) Setting the stability are 0.5 of a stable level and 0.75 of an extremely stable level, and the oasis irrigation district should be impractical and reduced by 168 and 241 km<sup>2</sup> to attain a suitable oasis ecosystem scale. Hence, at present, the water-transfer project is the most practical way to increase allocated water resource to the oasis irrigation district for improving its stability.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/12/10/2837oasis irrigation districtstability evaluationsuitable scale |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Xifeng Zhang Yifan Zhang Jinghui Qi Qiang Wang |
spellingShingle |
Xifeng Zhang Yifan Zhang Jinghui Qi Qiang Wang Evaluation of the Stability and Suitable Scale of an Oasis Irrigation District in Northwest China Water oasis irrigation district stability evaluation suitable scale |
author_facet |
Xifeng Zhang Yifan Zhang Jinghui Qi Qiang Wang |
author_sort |
Xifeng Zhang |
title |
Evaluation of the Stability and Suitable Scale of an Oasis Irrigation District in Northwest China |
title_short |
Evaluation of the Stability and Suitable Scale of an Oasis Irrigation District in Northwest China |
title_full |
Evaluation of the Stability and Suitable Scale of an Oasis Irrigation District in Northwest China |
title_fullStr |
Evaluation of the Stability and Suitable Scale of an Oasis Irrigation District in Northwest China |
title_full_unstemmed |
Evaluation of the Stability and Suitable Scale of an Oasis Irrigation District in Northwest China |
title_sort |
evaluation of the stability and suitable scale of an oasis irrigation district in northwest china |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Water |
issn |
2073-4441 |
publishDate |
2020-10-01 |
description |
Oases support human activities in arid and semiarid regions, and their stability is important for regional sustainable development and water resource management. Water consumption is the major factor affecting the stability of oases. On the basis of remote sensing images, evaporation and socioeconomic data, this study first evaluates the stability of the Dunhuang Oasis against the expansion of an oasis irrigation district and planting structure changes from 1987 to 2015. Next, it calculates a suitable area of the oasis irrigation district using water–energy balance theory. The results are as follows: (1) During the 1987–2015 period, with the expansion in the oasis irrigation area, the planting structure underwent a marked transformation from food crops to cash crops to orchards. Water consumption pattern likewise changed considerably. (2) The stability of the Dunhuang Oasis continued to weaken from 0.54 in 1987 until it reached a dangerously unstable level of 0.17 in 2010. With the implementation of water-saving measures and a water-transfer project, the stability of the Dunhuang Oasis irrigation district increased to a metastable level of 0.22 in 2015. (3) Setting the stability are 0.5 of a stable level and 0.75 of an extremely stable level, and the oasis irrigation district should be impractical and reduced by 168 and 241 km<sup>2</sup> to attain a suitable oasis ecosystem scale. Hence, at present, the water-transfer project is the most practical way to increase allocated water resource to the oasis irrigation district for improving its stability. |
topic |
oasis irrigation district stability evaluation suitable scale |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/12/10/2837 |
work_keys_str_mv |
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