title: [Changes of wetland landscape pattern in Eastern Yellow River Delta Nature Reserve from 1995 to 1999].
abstract: Based on the 1995-1999 Landsat TM images and geographic information systems, this paper analyzed the change characteristics of wetland landscape pattern in the Eastern Yellow River Delta Nature Reserve (an inlet of current flow path emptying into the sea), and related driving factors during the past few years pre and post the Yellow River diverting into Qing 8 anabranches in 1996. In 1995-1999, natural wetland was still the matrix of the wetlands in the Reserve, while constructed wetland only had a very small proportion. A substantial increase was observed in the area of non-wetlands, and a decline was found in the area of natural and constructed wetlands, among which, bare muddy tidal flats and marshes shrank significantly. Though the landscape types in the reserve had no homogeneity in the changes of shape and structure, and their aggregation degree in spatial distribution varied, the overall landscape structure became more complicated and fragmented, and the distribution of inner landscape types converted from continuously large blocks to discretely small patches. River diversion, flow break, and human activities were the main three driving factors leading to the changes of the wetland landscape pattern in the reserve.
authors.affiliation: First Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Qingdao 266061, Shandong, China. yfliu@yic.ac.cn
authors.forename: Yan-fen
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shan
authors.forename: Xiao-hua
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Jin-he
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D006802:Human Activities; D045483:Rivers; D017215:Satellite Communications; D053833:Wetlands