Effects of ecological construction on transformation of different water bodies in typical watershed on Loess Plateau

Abstract：In order to reduce soil erosion and improve ecological environment, the Chinese government implemented the Grain for Green Project in 1999, in which numerous croplands were converted to grasslands, forestlands, or free land for natural plant succession. The ecological construction not only significantly changes the vegetation cover conditions of the watershed, but also changes the hydrological processes of the watershed. In order to understand the changes of ecological and hydrological processes under different ecological construction conditions, 414 water samples were collected in the governance river basin of Jiuyuangou Watershed and 300 water samples were collected in the natural river basin of Peijiamao Watershed, which are sub basins of Wuding River. The water samples included precipitation, river water, well water, reservoir water and snow water. Each water samples had three replicates. Based on stable isotope technology, the hydrogen and oxygen isotope characteristics were analyzed in different water samples. The effects of ecological construction on water transmission process and transformation characteristics between different water bodies in different seasons were also evaluated in this research. The results showed that the amplitude of precipitation isotope values were greater than the river water and well water isotope values. In addition, the river water and reservoir water had stronger evaporation fractionation than other water samples and well water was relatively stable. The local meteoric water line was ?D=7.09?18O+1.29 in the governance river basin of Jiuyuangou watershed and ?D=6.71?18O?3.25 in the natural river basin of Peijiamao watershed. The slope and intercept of the local meteoric water line in Jiuyuangou watershed was greater than that in Peijiamao watershed. The water supply source of river water, well water and reservoir water were mostly from precipitation. At the same time, precipitation and snow water had similar sources. During the dry season (from December to June), the temperature was low and during the wet season (from July to November), it was high, and the precipitation was mainly distributed in June to November. The isotope values were low in the wet season, and dry season isotope values were high. The isotope values were positively correlated with the precipitation, and negatively correlated with the temperature. The isotope values of river water and well water showed a similar trend of variation, which became enrichment with the main channel flow. The oxygen isotope value was used to calculate the supply ratio of precipitation, river water and well water in dry season and wet season. In dry season, precipitation and well water supplied river water, and the supply ratio was 24.66%, 75.34% and 83.81%, 16.19%, respectively. In wet season, well water was supplied by precipitation and river water, and the supply ratio was 14.75%, 85.25% and 48.06%, 51.94%, respectively. Ecological construction had significantly changed the ecological and hydrological processes. The acceleration of ecological construction had a significant impact on the transformation of different water bodies in the river basin of Loess Plateau. The present research could provide technical support and theoretic foundation for the study of ecological and hydrological processes and ecological environment protection on the Loess Plateau.