Ecological Effects of Surface Water Evolution in the Yellow River Delta

With the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin rising to China’s national strategy, the Yellow River Delta is facing a historic development opportunity, and the surface water problems in this region are becoming more and more severe. Owing to the dual effects of the swing of the Yellow River’s channel and human activities, the surface water in the Yellow River Delta is in an evolving state. Consequently, it is important to pay attention to the ecosystem response caused by surface water evolution for the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Delta. Drawing on ecological, economic, and network analysis, in this study, the ecological service and landscape effects of the surface water evolution in the Yellow River Delta from 1986 to 2019 are explored using remote sensing and socioeconomic data. The results are as follows: (1) The surface water in the Yellow River Delta has evolved significantly in the last 35 years. Artificial water accounted for the dominant proportion of the total water, and the composition of water tended to be remarkably heterogeneous. (2) The ecological services of the surface water in the delta increased significantly during the study period. The ecological services of the surface water improved to varying degrees except for sedimentary land reclamation. Tourism, materials production, and water supply became the leading service functions of the surface water in the Yellow River Delta. The proportion of cultural functions rose rapidly, and the share of regulatory functions shrank significantly. (3) The evolution of the surface water had an evident impact on the landscape pattern of the Yellow River Delta, which was manifested as physical cutting and spatial attraction. This demonstrates the comprehensive effect of protective constraints, spatial attraction, and spatial exclusion on the landscape pattern of regional land types. The results of this study have a certain guiding significance for the development and management of the water resources in the Yellow River Delta and also provide information for ecological protection in this region.