The plants effect in subsurface flow constructed wetlands (SSF-CWs) is controversial, especially at low temperatures. Consequently, several SSF-CWs planted with Iris pseudacorus (CWI) or Typha orientalis Presl. (CWT) and several unplanted ones (CWC) were set up and fed with secondary effluent of sewage treatment plant during the winter in Eastern China. The 16S rDNA Illumina Miseq sequencing analysis indicated the positive effects of I. pseudacorus on the bacterial community richness and diversity in the substrate. Moreover, the community compositions of the bacteria involved with denitrification presented a significant difference in the three systems. Additionally, higher relative abundances of nitrifying bacteria (0.4140%, 0.2402% and 0.4318% for Nitrosomonas, Nitrosospira and Nitrospira, respectively) were recorded in CWI compared with CWT (0.2074%, 0.0648% and 0.0181%, respectively) and CWC (0.3013%, 0.1107% and 0.1185%, respectively). Meanwhile, the average removal rates of NH4+-N and TN in CWI showed a prominent advantage compared to CWC, but no distinct advantage was found in CWT. The hardy plant I. pseudacorus, which still had active root oxygen release in cold temperatures, positively affected the abundance of nitrifying bacteria in the substrate, and accordingly was supposed to contribute to a comparatively high nitrogen removal efficiency of the system during the winter.

To identify the facilitation effect of a cool-season aquatic macrophyte (FEam) for use in effluent purification via constructed floating wetlands (CFWs) and to determine the possible pathways used during a winter period with an average temperature of less than 5 °C, pilot-scale CFWs were planted with the cold-season macrophyte Oenanthe clecumbens and were operated as batch systems. Although some leaves withered, the roots retained relatively high levels of activity during the winter, which had average air and water temperatures of 3.63 and 5.04 °C, respectively. The N and P removal efficiencies in CFWs decreased significantly in winter relative to those in late autumn. The presence of cool-season plants resulted in significant improvements in N and P removal, with a FEam of 15.23–25.86% in winter. Microbial N removal accounted for 71.57% of the total N removed in winter, and the decrease in plant uptake was the dominant factor in the wintertime decrease in N removal relative to that in late autumn. These results demonstrate the importance of cold-season plants in CFWs for the treatment of secondary effluent during cold winters.

Numerous studies have demonstrated the feasibility of remotely sensing water clarity of lakes, reservoirs, and larger rivers using medium-resolution spatial images. However, addressing relatively small rivers or river sections is very challenging due to the adjacency effect from the riverbanks. The objectives of this study are to quantify the minimum river width for water quality remote sensing and to validate the feasibility of using medium-resolution spatial images for estimating the Secchi disk depth (SDD). A methodology was developed to quantify the minimum river width for water quality remote sensing using highresolution spatial images from WorldView-2 and Pl eiades. Our results suggest that the influential distance of the adjacency effect from the riverbank is 17.3 m, i.e., water pixels with a distance of more than 17.3 m from the shoreline experienced a minimal disturbance from the riverbank. For the 30 m spatial resolution HJ-1A image (one of Chinese civilian satellites launched in 2008), the minimum river width is 64.6-98.5 m (the variation was determined according to the river flow direction and the pixel position relative to the shoreline). Using the sections that satisfied the minimum river width requirement, a significant estimation model was established between the spectral reflectance and the SDD (R 2 5 0.94), demonstrating that the minimum river width recommended in this study is practical. This work is the first study to quantify the minimum river width for water quality remote sensing and thus provides a valuable reference for remote sensing of relatively small rivers.

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