Effects of cadmium on mercury accumulation and transformation by Arundo donax L.

High biomass energy plants are a promising alternative to hyperaccumulators for the remediation of heavy metals (HMs). Arundo donax L. (A. donax) is a rapidly growing rhizomatous grass with high biomass production. However, the feasibility of using A. donax for the phytoremediation of combined mercury (Hg) and cadmium (Cd) pollution under neutral conditions is unclear. In this study, a hydroponic experiment was performed to investigate the impact of Hg-Cd stress on the growth and physiological properties of A. donax and HMs accumulation and transformation. Either single Hg or Cd stress slightly enhanced stem height, fresh biomass, and chlorophyll content, whereas combined Hg-Cd stress reduced these parameters. Furthermore, combined Hg-Cd stress increased the leaf content of malondialdehyde in A. donax, indicating that the combined pollution aggravated oxidative stress in A. donax. Hg volatilization was observed during the 10-day experiment, implying that a portion of the Hg2+ was transformed into Hg0 by A. donax. The bioaccumulation factor (BAF) values of A. donax were far greater than 1 for both Hg and Cd, whereas the translocation factor (TF) values were less than 1, indicating that phytovolatilization and phytostabilization rather than phytoextraction contributed to the remediation of Hg and Cd by A. donax. The solution pH decreased at the beginning of the experiment, suggesting that acidic root exudates of A. donax facilitated the accumulation and transformation of Hg under neutral conditions. Overall, the effects of Cd on Hg accumulation and transformation by A. donax followed the rule of "low promotion and high inhibition." This study demonstrates that A. donax is a potential candidate for the phytoremediation of combined Hg-Cd pollution under neutral conditions.

Organic and inorganic model soil fractions instigate the formation of distinct microbial biofilms for enhanced biodegradation of benzo[a]pyrene.

This study conducted the sorption and biodegradation of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) by microbial biofilm communities developed on proxies for materials typically found in soils. The half-life of BaP was 4.7 and 2.3 weeks for biofilms on the inorganic carrier (BCINOR, montmorillonite) and on the organic carrier (BCOR, humic acid), respectively. In contrast, the half-life was 7.0 weeks for specialized planktonic cultures (PK). The exposure to BaP caused the development of lipid inclusion bodies inside the bacteria of the PK systems and biofilms of the BCINOR, but not on the biofilms of the BCOR system. Interestingly, the BCOR displayed not only the greatest BaP sorption capacity but also the greatest bacterial density and membrane integrity and the shortest bacteria-to-bacteria distances, which were consistent with the increased production of cell surface extracellular polymeric substances on the BCOR. Both carriers caused a noticeable shift in the bacterial genera during the biodegradation of the BaP. The BCINOR selected for Rhodococcus, Brucella, Chitinophaga, and Labrys, whereas the BCOR favored Rhodococcus and Dokdonella. It indicated that ultra-structure and BaP degradation within the organic carrier-attached biofilms differed from the inorganic ones, and suggested that the microstructural heterogeneity and microbial biodiversity from biofilms on the organic carrier promoted biodegradation.

Correction to: Competitive interaction with keystone taxa induced negative priming under biochar amendments.

Following publication of the original article [1], the authors reported an error in the Additional file 1.

Competitive interaction with keystone taxa induced negative priming under biochar amendments.

BACKGROUND: Biochar amendments have been widely proposed as a conventional and efficient strategy to promote soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration via negative priming. Unfortunately, the extent and biological mechanisms responsible for biochar-induced negative priming are still not fully understood. Despite traditional explanations focused on the environmental filtering mechanisms of biochar amendments on microbial biomass and community composition underlying the priming effect on SOC dynamics, whether and how a biochar-induced competitive interaction with keystone taxa determines SOC mineralization in natural ecosystems has been minimally explored. RESULTS: Here, we paid particular attention to the relationships between the diversity and network structure of soil bacterial and fungal communities and SOC mineralization. A 3-year field experiment was conducted comprising five treatments: no fertilization, conventional fertilization, and conventional fertilization with three rates of biochar amendments. Biochar amendments considerably increased soil moisture capacity and pH and subsequently shaped the composition and co-occurrence networks of soil bacterial and fungal communities. Importantly, network analysis revealed that the biochar amendments triggered the competitive interaction with putative keystone taxa in the bacterial and fungal networks. Structural equation modeling suggested that the competitive interaction with keystone taxa promoted bacterial and fungal diversity and consequently reduced carbohydrate catabolism and soil metabolic quotient. Stable isotope probing incubations further provided consistent evidence of competition by keystone taxa with the increases in bacterial and fungal diversity under the biochar amendments. CONCLUSIONS: We found that biochar-induced competition with keystone taxa stimulated the bacterial and fungal diversity and consequently decreased SOC mineralization. The comprehensive understanding of the unexplored biological mechanisms underlying the biochar-induced negative priming may provide crucial implications for enabling SOC sequestration.

Extracellular polymeric substances govern the development of biofilm and mass transfer of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons for improved biodegradation.

The hypothesis that extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) affect the formation of biofilms for subsequent enhanced biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons was tested. Controlled formation of biofilms on humin particles and biodegradation of phenanthrene and pyrene were performed with bacteria and EPS-extracted bacteria of Micrococcus sp. PHE9 and Mycobacterium sp. NJS-P. Bacteria without EPS extraction developed biofilms on humin, in contrast the EPS-extracted bacteria could not attach to humin particles. In the subsequent biodegradation of phenanthrene and pyrene, the biodegradation rates by biofilms were significantly higher than those of EPS-extracted bacteria. Although, both the biofilms and EPS-extracted bacteria showed increases in EPS contents, only the EPS contents in biofilms displayed significant correlations with the biodegradation efficiencies of phenanthrene and pyrene. It is proposed that the bacterial-produced EPS was a key factor to mediate bacterial attachment to other surfaces and develop biofilms, thereby increasing the bioavailability of poorly soluble PAH for enhanced biodegradation.

Enhanced desorption of humin-bound phenanthrene by attached phenanthrene-degrading bacteria.

The objective of the study was to test the hypothesis that the attachment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)-degrading bacteria can promote desorption of PAHs from humin, thereby increasing their bioavailability. Biodegradation of humin-bound phenanthrene (PHE) - a model compound for PAHs - was investigated using two PHE-degrading bacteria, Sphingobium sp. PHE3 and Micrococcus sp. PHE9, respectively. Sorption data of PHE to humin fitted well into the modified Freundlich equation. Further, a new sorption band appeared at 1262cm(-1), demonstrating intermolecular interactions between PHE and humin. Interestingly, approximately 65.3% of humin-bound PHE was degraded by both strains, although only about 17.8% of PHE could be desorbed from humin by Tenax extraction. Furthermore, both strains grew well in mineral medium and also attached to humin surfaces for substrate uptake. It is proposed that the attached bacteria could possibly consume PHE on the humin via interactions between bacterial surfaces and humin, thereby overcoming the low PHE bioavailability and resulting in enhanced degradation.

[Effects of nitrogen fertilization and root separation on the plant growth and grain yield of maize and its rhizosphere microorganisms].

A field experiment with root separation was conducted to study the effects of root interaction in maize-soybean intercropping system on the plant growth and grain yield of maize and its rhizosphere microorganisms under different nitrogen fertilization levels (0.1, 0.3, 0.5, and 0.7 g x kg(-1)). Root interaction and nitrogen fertilization had positive effects on the plant height, leaf length and width, and leaf chlorophyll content of maize. Less difference was observed in the root dry mass of maize at maturing stage between the treatments root separation and no root separation. However, as compared with root separation, no root separation under the nitrogen fertilization levels 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, and 0.7 g x kg(-1) increased the biomass per maize plant by 8.8%, 6.3%, 3.6%, and 0.7%, and the economic yield per maize plant by 17.7%, 10.0%, 8.2%, and 0.9%, respectively. No root separation increased the quantity of rhizosphere fungi and azotobacteria significantly, as compared with root separation. With increasing nitrogen fertilization level, the quantity of rhizosphere bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes presented an increasing trend, while that of rhizosphere azotobacteria decreased after an initial increase. The root-shoot ratio of maize at maturing stage was significantly negatively correlated with the quantity of rhizosphere bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes, but less correlated with the quantity of rhizosphere azotobacteria. It was suggested that the root interaction in maize-soybean intercropping system could improve the plant growth of maize and increase the maize yield and rhizosphere microbial quantity, but the effect would be decreased with increasing nitrogen fertilization level.

Fraction distribution and bioavailability of soil heavy metals in the Yangtze River Delta--a case study of Kunshan City in Jiangsu Province, China.

Mobility and bioavailability of soil heavy metals strongly depend on their fractions. Secondary-phase fraction (SPF) of heavy metal, including acid-soluble, reducible and oxidizable fractions, is considered as direct and potential hazardous fraction to organisms. The ratio of SPF to the total concentration of heavy metal represents its bioavailability. In this study, 126 topsoil samples were collected in Kunshan, Jiangsu, China. Fraction concentrations of heavy metals, and their bioavailability and spatial distributions were determined, and relationships between their fractions and types of industry zones were analyzed. Results showed that Cd and Pb had the greatest SPFs among all metals (78.61% and 62.60%, respectively). Great SPFs of Cd and Pb were observed in the dyeing and paper-making industry zone, while great SPFs of Cr, Cu, Zn, Ni were in the smelting and plating industry zone. For most metals, fraction distributions were controlled by soil organic matter and clay contents. Spatial principal component analysis showed SPFs of heavy metals can be explained by two principle components (PCs). PC1 represented SPFs of Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb and Zn, while PC2 represented SPFs of Ni and Co. The spatial distributions of SPFs were influenced by geochemical character, industrial sewage irrigation and soil physico-chemical properties.

Predicting As, Cd and Pb uptake by rice and vegetables using field data from China.

Plant uptake factor (PUF), single-variable regression of natural log-transformed concentrations in rice grain/vegetables versus natural log-transformed concentrations in soil and multiple-variable regression with soil concentrations and pH, was derived, validated and compared based on the paired crop and soil data collected from studies regarding As, Cd and Pb contaminated croplands in China. Results showed that the median value of PUF did not present deterministic prediction. But after natural logarithm transformation, the PUF followed Gaussian distribution which could be useful in risk assessment. The single-variable regression models were significant for As, Cd and Pb uptake both by rice and vegetables; however, the standard errors of all the regressions were comparatively large. Soil pH as a variable was generally significant but it only contributed positively to model fit for Cd uptake. After model comparison and selection, the upper 95% prediction limits of the multiple regression model for Cd uptake by rice was recommended to calculate screening value of Cd for paddy soil based on the limit for Cd concentration in rice grain.

[Evaluation of soil heavy metals accumulation in the fast economy development region].

Evaluation of soil heavy metals accumulation was studied in Kunshan City, a typical region of the fast economy development region in China. 126 soil samples were collected and analyzed, and evaluation indexes of soil heavy metal accumulation, which including total concentration of soil heavy metal index (THMI), soil available heavy metal index (AHMI) and fractionation of soil heavy metal index (FHMI), were established, and the heavy metal accumulation conditions of soil in this region were also discussed. Results showed as follows: the spatial variability of THMI was relative lower, with a mean value of 42.57%, whereas strong variability was found in AHMI and FHMI (especially active fraction of soil heavy metals), with the average value of 82.75% and 77.83%, respectively. Judging by each index reference standard of C Horizon, THMI was low-grade with a mean value of 1.01, while the AHMI and FHMI reached to medium accumulation and serious accumulation, with the average values of 2.46 and 4.32, respectively. The synthetic accumulation index of soil heavy metals (SHMI) was 2.56, reaching to medium grade level and with strong variability. 21.54% land area was in low-grade accumulation and 54.70% land area was in medium grade accumulation, while 23.76% land area was in serious accumulation under SHMI evaluation system. All the accumulation evaluation indexes in livestock breeding zone were the lowest, while the indexes in the smelting and plating zone were the highest, but the indexes difference between two zones were unobvious. There were markedly differences in soil types, which the accumulation indexes in Wushan soil were significantly higher than those in Huangni soil and Qingni soil.

[Characterizing the plant uptake factor of As, Cd and Pb for rice and wheat cereal].

The statistical characteristics of plant uptake factor (PUF) of As, Cd and Pb for rice/wheat cereal were analyzed and summarized based on collected data in China. The data were selected and distinguished between field investigation and glasshouse experiment in which metal salts were added to clean soils as grown media. Results showed that the PUF median and range of As, Cd and Pb for rice cereal were 0.026 (0.004-0.090), 0.150 (0.014-1.470), 0.005 (0.001-0.031) and 0.010 (0.003-0.033), 0.360 (0.056-1.700), 0.002 (0.001-0.019) for field investigation and salt added experiment respectively. The PUF median and range of As, Cd and Pb for wheat cereal were 0.010 (0.001-0.110), 0.190 (0.030-2.110), 0.017 (0.001-0.075) and 0.010 (0.003-0.028), 0.150 (0.055-0.730), 0.001 (0.001-0.014) for field investigation and salt added experiment respectively. Significant PUF distribution differences were found between field investigation and salt added experiment. PUF provided not exactly predictive ability of metal uptake by crops since the PUF values were influenced by a variety of factors including the soil contamination levels, basic soils characteristics, the cultivation of the crops and other environmental conditions. However, the ln (PUF) followed Gaussian distribution (R2 = 0.38-0.94) which is useful for general risk assessment and soil benchmark derivation of contaminated croplands. Use of these statistical models is restricted to the range of data they have been derived, as extrapolation outside this range is often unreliable. Soil properties and surrounding environment of the crops should also be in accordance with the conditions PUF derived.

[Development of lead benchmarks for soil based on human blood lead level in China].

Lead benchmarks for soil are mainly established based on blood lead concentration of children. This is because lead plays a dramatically negative role in children's cognitive development and intellectual performance and thus soil lead has been concerned as main lead exposure source for children. Based on the extensively collection of domestic available data, lead levels in air, drinking water are 0.12-1.0 microg x m(-3) and 2-10 microg x L(-1); ingestion of lead from food by children of 0-6 years old is 10-25 microg x d(-1); geometric mean of women blood lead 1concentration of child bearing age is 4.79 microg x dL(-1), with 1.48 GSD. Lead benchmarks for soil were calculated with the Integration Exposure Uptake Biokinetic Model (IEUBK) and the Adult Lead Model (ALM). The results showed the lead criteria values for residual land and commercial/industrial land was 282 mg x kg(-1) and 627 mg x kg(-1) respectively, which was slightly lower compared with U.S.A. and U.K. Parameters sensitivity analysis indicated that lead exposure scenario of children in China was significantly different from children in developed countries and children lead exposure level in China was obviously higher. Urgent work is required for the relationship studies between lead exposure scenario and blood lead level of children and establishment of risk assessment guideline of lead contaminated soil based on human blood lead level.

[Arsenic contents in soil, water, and crops in an e-waste disposal area].

In order to study whether disposing electronic wastes and secondary metal smelting could cause an arsenic pollution in the environment or not, Luqiao town, Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province was selected as a study area. The main purpose of this paper was to characterize arsenic contents in the local environment, including waters, sediments, soils and rice, and to assess the potential risk to humans. Additionally, the arsenic spatial distribution property and arsenic uptake-translocation rule in soil-rice system were also studied. The results showed that the average arsenic levels in the surface water and the groundwater were 8.26 microg/L and 18.52 microg/L, respectively, which did not exceed the limiting value of Chinese Environment Standards class III . Whereas,some groundwater exceeded the recommended standard by the WHO for drinking water (10 microg/L). The arsenic (on average 7.11 mg/kg) in paddy soils and arsenic (on average 6.17 mg/kg) in the vegetable garden soils were lower than the value recommended by the National Standard (level I). The average arsenic contents in brown rice and husks were 165.1 microg/kg and 144.2 microg/kg, which was also lower than the Chinese Foods Quality Standard. The arsenic contents between the corresponding soils-rice and husks-brown rice showed significantly positive correlations. By comparison, the arsenic contents of soils and husks collected around electroplating were relatively higher than most of other pollutant sources, indicating the electroplating may lead accumulation of arsenic in the paddy soil-rice system.

Heavy metals in wheat grain: assessment of potential health risk for inhabitants in Kunshan, China.

Heavy metals (HMs) may cause deleterious effects on human health due to the ingestion of food grain grown in contaminated soils. Concentrations of HMs (Hg, As, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn and Cd) in wheat grains were investigated in different areas of a developed industry city in Southeast China (Kunshan city), and their potential risk to health of inhabitants was estimated. The results showed that concentrations of HMs in the top soil (0-15 cm) were in this order: Zn>Cr>Ni>Pb>Cu>As>Hg>Cd. The Zn, Cr, Ni Cd and Hg concentrations of several soil samples exceeded the permissible limits of China standard. In addition, concentrations of HMs in wheat grain decreased in the order of Zn>Cu>Pb>Cr>Ni>Cd>As>Hg. There were 1, 6 and 10 wheat samples whose Zn, Pb and Cd concentrations were above the permissible limits of China standard, respectively. In relation to non-carcinogenic risks, Hazard Quotient (HQ) of individual metal presented values inside the safe interval. However, health risk due to the added effects of eight HMs was significant for rural children and rural adults, but not for urban adults and urban children. HQ (individual risk) and HI (Hazard Index of aggregate risk) to different inhabitants due to HMs followed the same sequence of: country children>country adults>urban children>urban adults. Amongst the HMs, potential health hazards due to As, Cu, Cd and Pb were great, and that due to Cr was the minimum. It was suggested to pay more attention on the potential added threat of HMs to the health of country inhabitants (both children and adults) through consumption of wheat in Kunshan.

[Characteristics of six elements contents in human hairs in the vicinity of metal smelting factories].

To assess the impact of secondary smelting activities to the local resident's well beings, the contents of six elements-Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, As, Se-in human scalp hairs of residents in suburb Fuyang, Zhejiang Province, were determined by atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS) and by atomic fluorescence spectrometer (AFS-930), respectively. The results showed that hair elemental contents were markedly higher than those in unpolluted area. The highest hair contents of Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd reached 312, 513, 700 and 7.41 microg x g(-1), respectively, As and Se 10.08 and 0.85 microg x g(-1), respectively. Additionally, a significant relationship between Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd and As in human hair was observed, which indicated at a certain degree that the elemental pollution was caused by similar source-small blast furnace smelting. Moreover, it showed that the Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, and As contents in hair of human who were above 40 years old was twice more than those whose age below 40. There was no apparent difference in average content of Cu, Zn, Cd, Se between male and female, except that Pb and As of male hair was higher than female, however, by statistic analysis showing no significant age and gender dependence.

Analyzing the Variation of Building Density Using High Spatial Resolution Satellite Images: the Example of Shanghai City.

Building density is an important issue in urban planning and land management. In the article, building coverage ratio (BCR) and floor area ratio (FAR) values extracted from high resolution satellite images were used to indicate buildings' stretching on the surface and growth along the third dimension within areas of interest in Shanghai City, P.R. China. The results show that the variation of FAR is higher than that of BCR in the inner circle, and that the newer commercial centers have higher FAR and lower BCR values, while the traditional commercial areas have higher FAR and BCR ratios. By comparing different residential areas, it was found that the historical "Shikumen" areas and the old residential areas built before 1980s have higher BCR and lower FAR, while the new residential areas have higher FAR and lower BCR, except for the villa areas. These results suggest that both older building areas and villa areas use land resources in an inefficient way, and therefore better planning and management of urban land are needed for those fast economic growing regions.

Mobilization of heavy metals from contaminated paddy soil by EDDS, EDTA, and elemental sulfur.

For enhanced phytoextraction, mobilization of heavy metals (HMs) from the soil solid phase to soil pore water is an important process. A pot incubation experiment mimicking field conditions was conducted to investigate the performance of three soil additives in mobilizing HMs from contaminated paddy soil (Gleyi-Stagnic Anthrosol): the [S, S]-isomer of ethylenediamine disuccinate (EDDS) with application rates of 2.3, 4.3, and 11.8 mmol kg(-1) of soil, ethylenediamine tetraacetate (EDTA; 1.4, 3.8, and 7.5 mmol kg(-1)), and elemental sulfur (100, 200, and 400 mmol kg(-1)). Temporal changes in soil pore water HM and dissolved organic carbon concentrations and pH were monitored for a period of 119 days. EDDS was the most effective additive in mobilizing soil Cu. However, EDDS was only effective during the first 24 to 52 days, and was readily biodegraded with a half-life of 4.1 to 8.7 days. The effectiveness of EDDS decreased at the highest application rate, most probably as a result of depletion of the readily desorbable Cu pool in soil. EDTA increased the concentrations of Cu, Pb, Zn, and Cd in the soil pore water, and remained effective during the whole incubation period due to its persistence. The highest rate of sulfur application led to a decrease in pH to around 4. This increased the pore water HM concentrations, especially those of Zn and Cd. Concentrations of HMs in the soil pore water can be regulated to a large extent by choosing the proper application rate of EDDS, EDTA, or sulfur. Hence, a preliminary work such as our pot experiment in combination with further plant experiments (not included in this study) will provide a good tool to evaluate the applicability of different soil additives for enhanced phytoextraction of a specific soil.

[Coregionalization, spatial-correlation and spatial-factor analysis of soil available heavy metals in a typical region of the Yangtze River Delta].

The method of factorial kriging based on the theory of coregionalization is developed by the combination of multi-statistics, geostatistics and GIS. Soil available heavy metals of 126 topsoil samples in Kunshan city, a typical region of Yangtze River Delta, were analyzed, and the spatial distribution pattern was investigated by the method of factorial kriging. Based on the analysis of multi-scale spatial structure characteristics of available heavy metals, we discussed the pollution source and cause of this spatial distribution by means of spatial scale-correlation analysis and spatial principal component analysis. Our results show that all the available heavy metals distribute normally or lognormally with great variability, and the contamination of available Cd is the biggest. The available heavy metals are categorized into three spatial scales, i.e. nugget, short-range (15 km) and long-range (40 km), respectively, and a linear model of coregionalization comprising these three spatial scales is fitted to the experimental auto-and cross-variograms of the soil available heavy metals. Significant relationship is found between Cd and Zn in the three scales. The spatial correlation of available heavy metals in short-range and long-rang are stronger than it in nugget, while the long-rang has more obvious negative correlation than the other two spatial scales. The results of spatial principal component analysis show the pollution sources are different in the three spatial scales. The kriging interpolation method was applied to work out the distribution maps of first and second principal component of available heavy metal, which indicate that available heavy metal concentrations in the soils are closely related to their industry activity, sewage irrigation and soil characteristics.

Microcosm studies on anaerobic phosphate flux and mineralization of lake sediment organic carbon.

Lake sediment has long been recognized as an important source of nutrients such as phosphorus. To gain a better understanding of phosphorus flux at the sediment-water interface, it is crucial to investigate the sediment porewater. There is also growing concern and interest in identifying whether organic-rich sediment is an important source of greenhouse gases such as CO(2) and CH(4). In the present study, we took sediment samples from West Lake, a shallow hypereutrophic lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China and incubated subsamples under anaerobic conditions at 25 degrees C for 182 d using a specially designed microcosm that permits repeated extraction of sediment porewater and sampling of headspace gases. Anaerobic phosphate fluxes and mineralization of sediment organic carbon were measured. Average diffusive flux of soluble phosphorus was 0.81 mg P m(-2) d(-1) during the initial 18 d of incubation. Decomposition of sediment organic C followed zero-order reaction kinetics and methane accounted for about 50% of the mineralization products. The results suggest that organic-rich sediments can be important sources of P and methane under anaerobic conditions. Laboratory studies simulating field conditions and field studies are necessary to determine the contribution of sediment as a source of P and greenhouse gases.

[Distributed modeling of nutrient transport in basin with support of remote sensing and geography information system].

Agricultural non-point source pollution has become serious in our country. Modeling the processes of nutrient(especially nitrogen and phosphorus) transport in basin and evaluating the adopted management practices are important for controlling the impact of non-point pollution on environment. A research scheme for distributed simulation of nutrient transport processes in Lianshui Basin, Xingguo County, Jiangxi Province was designed, with the support of remote sensing (RS) and geography information system (GIS). The research procedure included model selection, discretization and spatial parameterization of the basin, prediction, and validation. SWAT model was selected, and basin-subbasin-hydrological response unit discretization scheme was designed. Supported by RS and GIS and based on the topographic features of the watershed, the subwatershed discretization divided the watershed into subbasins, and each subbasin could be further partitioned into multiple hydrologic response units (HRUs), which were unique soil/land use combinations within the subbasin and modeled through statistical spatial overlay analysis. The parameters of land use were obtained from the supervised classification of TM imagery based on field training samples, and those of soil were obtained from field sampling and further interpolated through geostatistical method. The simulation was carried out by using the data from 1991 to 2000. The results showed that the simulation accuracy of annual runoff water yield and sediment yield was 89.9% and 70.2%, respectively.