Hydrology Commons^™

Characterizing Hydrological Connectivity Of Artificial Ditches In Zoige Peatlands Of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Peng Gao, Zhiwei Li, Yuchi You

Geography and the Environment - Faculty Scholarship

Peats have the unique ability of effectively storing water and carbon. Unfortunately, this ability has been undermined by worldwide peatland degradation. In the Zoige Basin, located in the northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China, peatland degradation is particularly severe. Although climate change and (natural and artificial) drainage systems have been well-recognized as the main factors catalyzing this problem, little is known about the impact of the latter on peatland hydrology at larger spatial scales. To fill this gap, we examined the hydrological connectivity of artificial ditch networks using Google Earth imagery and recorded hydrological data in the Zoige Basin. After delineating from …