Unveiling the Ecohydrological Pulse: A Dynamic Wind Wave Intensity Model for Poyang Lake Grasslands

ABSTRACT The grassland of Poyang Lake is a typical landscape serving as a critical ecological zone where intricate wind–water interactions significantly influence local biodiversity. However, the energetic and temporal characteristics of wind waves and their driving paths are unknown. This study introduces a wind wave intensity (WWI) model to explore the dynamics of wind wave characteristics and analyses the temporal dynamics of WWI drivers such as water level (WL), water depth (WD), wind velocity (WV), wind orientation (WO) and wind orientation frequency (FQ), and WWI characteristic indices such as wave height (WVH), wavelength (WVL) and flushing distance (FLD) from 2018 to 2020, to reveal the response processes and mechanisms between them. The results are as follows: (1) Cyclical patterns were observed in the drivers, particularly highlighting seasonal variations in WO and FQ. The WWI exhibited a fluctuating pattern with a discernible oscillatory period, indicative of a sophisticated interplay among environmental factors. (2) It was found that WVH, WVL and FLD were predominantly influenced by WL, with negative modulation by WV, WO and FQ. At high WWI levels, a robust negative modulation by WV and WO preceded a highly significant positive modulation of WVH, WVL and FLD by WL. Conversely, at low WWI levels, FQ positively regulated WL, which in turn positively influenced wave characteristics. (3) The driving path model for WWI characteristics underscored the dual role of environmental factors in regulating the ecological landscape. The study's findings emphasize the intricate interplay between wind wave dynamics and landscape ecology, demonstrating how changes in WWI can affect grassland biodiversity through habitat alterations induced by variations in water levels and wave energy. It offers critical insights for forecasting and mitigating potential ecological impacts of wind wave processes, thereby enhancing biodiversity conservation and landscape management efforts in the Poyang Lake region.