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Examining the Influence of Landscape Patch Shapes on River Water Quality

Author

Listed:
  • Mehdi Aalipour

    (Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Tehran 1417614411, Iran)

  • Naicheng Wu

    (Department of Geography and Spatial Information Techniques, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China)

  • Nicola Fohrer

    (Institute of Natural Resource Conservation, Department of Hydrology and Water Resources Management, Christian Albrecht Universitaet zu Kiel, Olshausenstrasse 75, 24098 Kiel, Germany)

  • Yusef Kianpoor Kalkhajeh

    (Department of Environmental Science, College of Science and Technology, Wenzhou-Kean University, 88 Daxue Road, Ouhai, Wenzhou 325060, China)

  • Bahman Jabbarian Amiri

    (Department of Regional Economics and the Environment, Faculty of Economics and Sociology, ul. POW nr 3/5, 90-255 Łódź, Poland)

Abstract

River water quality can be affected by a range of factors, including both point and non-point sources of pollution. Of these factors, changes in land use and land cover are particularly significant, as they can alter the structure of the landscape and consequently impact water quality in rivers. To investigate the relationship between patch shapes, a measure of landscape structure, and river water quality at the catchment scale, this study utilized spatial data from 39 catchments in the southern basin of the Caspian Sea. This study employed stepwise multivariate regression modeling to explore how changes in landscape structure, which can be measured by landscape metrics including the shape index, the contiguity index, the fractal dimension index, the perimeter–area ratio, and the related circumscribing circle, impact water quality variables. Four regression models—linear, exponential, logarithmic, and power models—were evaluated, and the most appropriate model for each water quality variable was determined using the Akaike information criterion. To validate the models, three groups of accuracy metrics were employed, and Monte Carlo simulation was utilized to analyze the models’ behavior. This study found that landscape structure metrics could explain up to 71% and 82% of the variations in the measures of TDS and Mg, respectively, and the shape index, the contiguity index, and fractal metric were particularly significant in predicting water quality. Moreover, this study verified the accuracy of the models and revealed that changes in landscape structure, such as a decline in patch continuity and an increase in patch complexity, can impact river water quality. The findings of this study suggest optimizing landscape structure metrics in land use planning to reduce river pollution and improve water quality.

Suggested Citation

  • Mehdi Aalipour & Naicheng Wu & Nicola Fohrer & Yusef Kianpoor Kalkhajeh & Bahman Jabbarian Amiri, 2023. "Examining the Influence of Landscape Patch Shapes on River Water Quality," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-15, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:12:y:2023:i:5:p:1011-:d:1139295
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jiabo Chen & Jun Lu, 2014. "Effects of Land Use, Topography and Socio-Economic Factors on River Water Quality in a Mountainous Watershed with Intensive Agricultural Production in East China," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(8), pages 1-12, August.
    2. Azam Haidary & Bahman Amiri & Jan Adamowski & Nicola Fohrer & Kaneyuki Nakane, 2013. "Assessing the Impacts of Four Land Use Types on the Water Quality of Wetlands in Japan," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 27(7), pages 2217-2229, May.
    3. Zhenhuan Liu & Haiyan Yang, 2018. "The Impacts of Spatiotemporal Landscape Changes on Water Quality in Shenzhen, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-14, May.
    4. Xin Zhang & Yuqi Liu & Lin Zhou, 2018. "Correlation Analysis between Landscape Metrics and Water Quality under Multiple Scales," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-14, July.
    5. Bahman Jabbarian Amiri & Nicola Fohrer & Johannes Cullmann & George Hörmann & Felix Müller & Jan Adamowski, 2016. "Regionalization of Tank Model Using Landscape Metrics of Catchments," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 30(14), pages 5065-5085, November.
    6. Suxiao Li & Hong Yang & Martin Lacayo & Junguo Liu & Guangchun Lei, 2018. "Impacts of Land-Use and Land-Cover Changes on Water Yield: A Case Study in Jing-Jin-Ji, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-16, March.
    7. Bahman Amiri & Kaneyuki Nakane, 2009. "Modeling the Linkage Between River Water Quality and Landscape Metrics in the Chugoku District of Japan," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 23(5), pages 931-956, March.
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