Eco-functional regionalization of Baiyangdian Lake water system according to self-organizing feature map of neural networks

Under constant pressure for improvement in water quality and restoration of water ecology, rational eco-functional regionalization plays an important role in resources utilization and management promotion of lakes．An index framework for Baiyangdian Lake was developed here aiming at eco-functional regionalization using self-organzing feature map(SOFM), taking into account hydrological, meteorological, chemical indictors, human disturbances, and evaluation of ecosystem services．Consequently, Baiyangdian Lake was divided into 4 functional zones: core protection zone, ecological buffer zone, ecological buffer zone of upstream rivers, ecological barrier zones, each area measured 9763.81, 9538.59, 5953.15, and 5417.53 hm², accounting for 31.83%, 31.10%, 19.41% and 17.66% of the total lake area respectively．This eco-functional regionalization reflected fully lake spatial heterogeneity．This work will support identification of pressure sources in different regions and enable efficient administration of the lake water quality．