Arid Zone Research ›› 2023, Vol. 40 ›› Issue (9): 1498-1508.doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2023.09.13

• Ecology and Environment • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Remote sensing monitoring of the ecological environment of hydropower station construction and operation in arid areas: A case study of Longyangxia Hydropower Station

MA Yaoyao1,2,3(),SHI Peijun1,2,3,XU Wei1,2,3,ZHANG Gangfeng1,2,3()   

  1. 1. Key Laboratory of Environmental Change and Natural Disaster, MOE, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
    2. Academy of Disaster Reduction and Emergency Management Ministry of Emergency Management & Ministry of Education, Beijing 100875, China
    3. Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
  • Received:2023-04-04 Revised:2023-06-11 Online:2023-09-15 Published:2023-09-28
  • Contact: Gangfeng ZHANG E-mail:202221051206@mail.bnu.edu.cn;gangfeng@bnu.edu.cn

Abstract:

Hydropower is an important clean energy source in China. However, the construction and operation cycles of hydropower stations are long, and their long-term impact on the ecosystem is unclear. In arid areas, with their unique geographical location and dry climate, ecosystems often have limited self-regulation abilities, making restoring the local ecological environment after damage challenging. This study focuses on Longyangxia Hydropower Station, a representative hydropower station in an arid region of China, and uses Landsat series satellite data and land remote sensing products to monitor the ecological environment surrounding the hydropower station from 2000 to 2021. The study employs buffer zone and trend analyses to assess the impact on the ecological environment arounding the Hydropower. The results indicate the following: (1) The land use pattern around Longyangxia Hydropower Station did not change significantly from 2000 to 2021. However, the proportion of grasslands increased slightly, while that of other land use types decreased slightly. (2) During the same period, the wetland area around Longyangxia Hydropower Station increased significantly. (3) The vegetation in the surrounding area of Longyangxia Hydropower Station showed good growth over the past two decades, with an increase in the proportion of areas with high vegetation coverage. (4) The carbon sequestration capacity of vegetation in the vicinity of the hydropower station improved, and vegetation productivity gradually recovered as the growth rate of the wetland area decreased.

Key words: hydropower stations, ecological environment impact, vegetation coverage, land use types, remote sensing, monitoring