Comparison of Methods for Assessing the Assimilation Capacity of the Kazakhstani Sector of the Ili River

A mixed inverse problem for determining the biochemical oxygen demand of water ( L 0 ) and the rate of biochemical oxygen consumption ( k 0 ), which are important indicators of water quality, has been formulated and numerically solved based on real experimental data. The inverse problem is reduced to the optimization problem consisting in minimization of the deviation of the calculated values from the experimental data, which is solved numerically using the Nelder–Mead method (zero order) and the gradient method (first order). A number of examples of processing both model experimental data and field experimental data provided by hydrological stations monitoring pollutants in the Kazakhstani part of the Ili River basin are presented. A mathematical model that adequately describes the processes in the river system has been constructed.

ECOLOGICAL STATE OF THE ILI BASIN GEOSYSTEMS

The article considers the geo-ecological situation of the Ili basin. The definition of the physical and geographical location, topography, soil and vegetation of the region was given. It was determined that the management of the efficient use of water resources in the Ili river basin depends primarily on the water resources of the rivers entering the basin and the level of Lake Balkhash. Factors determining the spring flow of the Ili River are shown. Due to the development of the middle reaches of the Ili River, the whole river ecosystem, rice fields and shangel massifs, excessive use of mineral fertilizers and chemicals has led to a decrease in the quality of river water. In addition to the shortage of water resources, anthropogenic measures related to the rapid development of agriculture affect the quality of river water. Physical and chemical studies of water samples taken from the Ili River were carried out. It was clearly observed that the content of trace elements of zinc, lead and iron in water is higher than the approved maximum allowable concentration. According to the results of the study, the effect of micronutrients on the human body was considered.

FUNDAMENTALS OF WATER USE IN THE CATCHMENT AREAS OF THE ILI RIVER BASIN

Based on the long-term information and analytical materials «Balkhash-Alakol Basin Inspectorate for Regulation of Use and Protection of Water Resources» of the Committee for Water Resources of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the environmental indicator of specific water availability, which availability high water availability, ensuring sustainable development of economic sectors, but not ensuring the natural and environmental sustainability and safety of functioning of Lake Balkhash, as a geographic water body. The location in the arid and semi-arid zones, as well as the features of the formation of hydrological flow in the catchment areas of the Ili River basin, which determines the environment-forming system with socio-economic conditions and natural and technogenic objects that determine the level of water supply for water management sites, require the need for coordination of water management in order to prevent possible negative changes in watercourses and reservoirs that perform important environmental functions in the Ili-Balkhash basin, that is, to ensure natural and environmental sustainability and safe functioning of Lake Balkhash as a geographic water body.

GEOMORPHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE ILI RIVER BASIN CATCHMENT AREA FOR INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT

Based on long-term informational and analytical materials of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the Weather and Climate reference portal and stationary meteorological stations of the RSE Kazhydromet located in the catchments of the Ili River basin, which cover the Almaty region (Narynkol, Tekes, Sumbe, Dobyn, Aydarly, Kapshagay, Usharal, Bakanas, Kokzhide, Kuigan) of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (Tekes, Xinyuan, Tokkuztara, Yamata, Kuldzh) of the People’s Republic of China and using the law of geographic vertical zoning, the energy resources of river basins and groundwater, the climatic potential of natural systems that characterize the heat and moisture supply of natural landscapes and ecological and hydrogeochemical indicators showing the direction and intensity of the hydrogeochemical process on a spatial scale, which allowed for geomorphological zoning, are determined catchments of the Ili river basin, characterizing the natural functions of the river basin, to have runoff and environment formation, which are the basis for environmental management and environmental engineering.

Phylogeographic affinities, distribution and population status of the non-native Asian pond mussels Sinanodonta lauta and S. woodiana in Kazakhstan

Here, we present an integrative review of the non-native Sinanodonta spp. from Kazakhstan based on molecular and morphological data. Sinanodonta woodiana (Lea, 1834) inhabits the Syr Darya River, while two species, S. woodiana and S. lauta (Martens, 1877), have established viable populations in the Ili River basin, a tributary of the Balkhash Lake. The latter species was probably introduced in 1961-1971 from the Sungari River, a Chinese tributary of the Amur River. A distribution map of the two Sinanodonta species spreading in Middle Asia is provided. In Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, these species were recorded from endorheic drainages limiting their native expansion throughout the region, although further human-mediated dispersal events are expected. There are no reliable records of these alien freshwater mussels from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. Our study highlight that Sinanodonta lauta represents one more invasive lineage of the Asian pond mussels and that this East Asian species can successfully colonize plain water bodies of inland desert areas such as Middle Asia.

The Development of Sibe Ethnic Awareness: With Special Consideration of the Sibe People of the Ili River Basin

In the sixteenth century, the Sibe people emerged as a unique ethnic group, and they remained a unique ethnic group after their migration to the Ili River basin. In the Republic of China, a time when many ethnic systems were created, the Sibe gained official recognition for being an independent ethnic group. Although the creation of a written script is an act of ethnic construction, the Sibe written language could never break free of its close relation to the Manchu written language. The construction of ethnic groups and the creation of written scripts stimulated vigorous development of ethnic histories compiled by the Sibe scholars, and it is their textual research of ethnic origin that best illustrates the birth of this new ethnic group.

Correction: Pueppke, S.G., et al. Irrigation in the Ili River Basin of Central Asia: From Ditches to Dams and Diversion. Water 2018, 10, 1650

In the published article [...]

WEB-ORIENTED QUALITY ASSESSMENT SYSTEM FOR SURFACE WATERS OF RIVER BASIN

This article presents the Software as a service system that allows creating scenario modeling of pollution transfer for diffuse sources of pollution using the example of the Ili river basin (Republic of Kazakhstan). The development of technologies that determine hydrological state of the lake and water in it are analyzed. The practicability of modeling the discharges and distribution of pollutants is substantiated. The FORTRAN Hydrological Simulation Program software, a computer model that allows us to model the concentration of nitrate compounds (NO3), total ammonium, and biochemical oxygen consumption with one day time resolution for the period from 1980 to 2016 was described. The model was calibrated using the field observations data from 6 hydrological posts, which made it possible to obtain satisfactory water discharge values. To work with the system, a graphical interface was developed which allows the user who is not familiar with the FORTRAN Hydrological Simulation Program software to make calculations. Implemented was an algorithm for automated starting of scenario calculations with post-processing and presentation of results. The web-based approach facilitates multi-user, one-time and fast access to the system from anywhere in the world. The efficiency of results of programming was investigated and the dynamics of changes after using the FORTRAN Hydrological Simulation Program software was established.

Challenges to the sustainable use of water resources in the Ili River basin of Central Asia

Water is a scarce resource in Central Asia, and many catchments span international boundaries, among them that of the Ili River, which is shared by China and Kazakhstan. Since 1970, the natural hydrological regime of the Ili River, both absolute flow rates and cycles, has changed due to construction of reservoirs such as that at Kapchagai, as well as natural climatic cycles and the growth of water consumption in the basin. Using data from Kazhydromet, we calculated that flow rates below Kapchagai dam averaged 468 m3/sec before construction of the dam, 366 m3/sec while the reservoir was being filled, and 489 m3/sec between 1988 and 2013. The dam has profoundly altered the annual cycle of flows in the river, with reductions in the summer and increases in the winter, when water is released to produce hydropower. The effects of these changes are being heightened by China’s increasing diversion of the river’s water. The sustainable use of decreasing water resources to conserve the biodiversity of the Ili-Balkhash basin’s ecosystems mandates a solution to the water allocation challenge between China and Kazakhstan. This will require a basin-wide approach that includes modernization of water distribution systems and careful consideration to relative priority needs for food, hydropower, and communal uses in both countries.