Authors: TAN Hong-wu 1, DU Qiang 1, PENG Wen-qi 1, LI Jing 2

1. Department of Water Environment, IWHR, Beijing 100038, China
2. Faculty of Water Resources and Hydraulic Power, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an 710048, China

Abstract: Through theoretical analysis of fundamental characteristic of human-dominated social-economic-aquatic complex ecosystem, and the comparative analysis of the relevant concepts of water resources carrying capacity, water environment carrying capacity and ecological carrying capacity, the heterogeneous characteristic of zoning, stage, grading and the more stringent coupled restraint of water amount, water quality, and flow regime through social-ecological interaction are scrutinized. The generalized and narrow definition of watershed aquatic ecological carrying capacity is put forward. From the analysis of the interaction among social-economic-ecological aquatic system driven by human-nature dualistic water cycle, the concept model of watershed complex system and its aquatic ecological carrying capacity are put forward which explicitly emphasize zoning, staging and intensified coupling. With the philosophy of “ human-nature harmony co-existing ”, the thinking of carrying degree assessment of watershed carrying capacity, and the ideas of construction of the zoned grading system dynamic assessment model are put forward. Also a case study of the Taizihe Watershed is carried out to test the validity of the system dynamic assessment model.

Key words: watershed aquatic ecological carrying capacity, complex system, system dynamic (SD), zoned grading SD assessment model

Published in: Journal of China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Vol. 9, No. 1, 2011

Article ID: 1672-3031 (2011) 01-0001-08