Investigations of the response mechanism of a karst Interconnected River System Network in Guizhou Province, China

Abstract

Abstract An Interconnected River System Network (IRSN) project could change the drainage pattern and influence the river's ecological health. However, the relevant research is still in a preliminary stage and needs to have a supplement. Considering environmental and ecological characteristics of the karst area, this paper analyzed the relationship between IRSN projects and environmental indicators, and proposed a multi-layer indicator system that has three first-class indicators (water environment, river–lake organism, connectivity) and 15 second-class indicators for assessment of the ecosystem. The weight of each level of indicators' can be determined using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), and the change rate of indicators critical value is normalized, then five threshold levels are established within the range of 0–1. Refer to the established response mechanism and threshold level of the karst basin, The Wangerhe River project taken as an example can well reflect the IRSN status through this method. These results can provide scientific support for constructing an evaluation index in other karst areas.