ED31F-3480:
Establishment of a Riparian Buffer Strip for Alleviating Lake Eutrophication in Eastern China
Wednesday, 17 December 2014
Michael Kennedy, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA, United States, Kozma Naka, Alabama A & M University, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Normal, AL, United States and Yongbo Wu, Nanjing Forestry University, Forest Resources and Environment, Nanjing, China
Abstract:
Riparian buffer strips are a growing conservation practice to control and mitigate non-point source pollution in Asia. China has seen rapid population growth and economic development in the last fifty years, coupled with a rapid increase in environmental pollution. Freshwater ecosystems have been particularly affected. Lake Tai, China’s 3rd largest freshwater lake by volume, has seen a severe reduction in water quality since economic reforms began in the 1970s. Thus, significant interest for establishing riparian buffer strips in agricultural watersheds and freshwater systems within China is warranted. Eight 50 m x 20 m plots adjacent to a rice-phragmites farm were cleared within the Lake Tai basin region in Jiangsu Province, China. Seven plots were planted with either a Poplar hybrid, Cypress hybrid or a combination of both at varying densities, while the control and final plot allowed only for local vegetation to grow naturally. Soil, tree and groundwater samples were collected from all plots and analyzed for nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations. At this time in the study, results have been analyzed only for nitrogen concentrations using the ANOVA procedure. Results for both nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations are currently being analyzed.
