Search Results (220)

Under high-intensity agricultural development, understanding the spatial allocation and scarcity pressure of agricultural water and land resources is critical for regional sustainability. Using water footprint and remote sensing data in Aksu, this study applies the spatial mismatch index, Gini coefficient, and scarcity indices to assess water–land matching and pressure dynamics and traces the migration of pressure center of gravity using the standard deviation ellipse model. The results show: (1) Water footprint and irrigated area increased over 2000–2020, with matching Gini coefficient fluctuating upward and severe mismatches in the northeast and southwest. (2) Resource scarcity indices fluctuated significantly; relative water scarcity peaked in 2015, and both pressure centers shifted eastward. (3) Economic factors are the primary drivers of water footprint and irrigated area changes, while water–land pressure correlates strongly with economic and production conditions. We conclude that Aksu’s water–land matching underwent a phased transition from relative balance to significant imbalance and then to gradual improvement, with 2015 as the critical turning point; the pressure centers migrated eastward (but at different distances); and economic factors dominate this evolution. These findings provide a scientific basis for differentiated waterland regulation in arid oasis agriculture. Full article

Land-use change substantially contributes to carbon emissions, yet systematic research on complex human–environment interactions in old industrial bases remains scarce. Here, we integrated multi-temporal land-use data and socio-economic statistics from 1990 to 2023 to analyze the spatiotemporal dynamics and drivers of land-use carbon emissions in Northeast China. The land-use transfer matrix, the carbon emission coefficient, exploratory spatiotemporal data analysis (ESTDA), standard deviational ellipses, and modified Kaya–LMDI models were applied. Construction land area expanded by 120%, with its share of total emissions increasing from 87% to 95%. Meanwhile, forest and grassland shrank, reducing their carbon sink capacity and increasing their net carbon emissions 1.9-fold. Spatially, emissions showed a weak global correlation but strong local lock-in (i.e., persistent stability of local spatial patterns over time), with the emission center of gravity shifting southwestward. Economic development was the dominant positive driver (provincial contribution rates: 275–529%), whereas energy intensity was the main mitigating factor (up to −409%). Population loss exerted a slight negative contribution, while energy structure showed only a weak inhibitory effect (−9.1%), reflecting the region’s path-dependent lock-in to fossil fuels. This study provides a scientific basis for differentiated carbon management strategies in Northeast China and analogous regions. Full article

Under the macro background of the rural revitalization strategy and urban-rural integrated development, rural settlements are undergoing a profound transformation from physical morphology to functional connotation. However, existing studies mainly focus on the expansion of single land elements, lacking long-term quantitative monitoring of the coupling relationship between rural development and policy texts. Taking Fuzhou City as a case study, this research selects long-term Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) and Night-Time Light (NTL) data from 1990 to 2025, combined with policy text quantification methods. Based on rural development units, the Coupling Coordination Degree Model (CCDM), Macro-Micro Matching Index (MMI), and gravity center migration analysis are employed to systematically reveal the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics and driving mechanisms of rural settlement morphology under policy institutional changes. The research results indicate that: (1) Fuzhou’s rural settlements exhibit relatively stable gravity centers of construction land, while the gravity center of economic vitality has significantly shifted toward the southeastern coastal area under policy guidance; (2) The coupling coordination degree of rural human–land relationships has generally increased, but with significant spatial heterogeneity, forming a pattern of high-quality coordination in coastal areas and low-efficiency lag in mountainous regions; (3) The shift in policy orientation from scale expansion to functional enhancement has driven economic factors to concentrate in key policy areas ahead of physical spatial expansion. The analytical framework combining remote sensing monitoring and policy quantification constructed in this study reveals the precedence of factor flow and the lag of physical space driven by policies, providing a scientific basis for the differentiated governance of rural areas in coastal mountainous cities. Full article

As a crucial national ecological barrier, China’s Southern Collective Forest Region (SCFR) plays an essential role in maintaining regional ecological security and promoting sustainable development. Understanding the mechanisms driving the evolution of its ecosystem service value (ESV) is of great significance. Based on county-level data from 2000 to 2023, this study integrated the equivalent factor method, spatial autocorrelation analysis, the XGBoost-SHAP model, geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR), and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to examine the spatio-temporal evolution patterns and driving mechanisms of ESV in the SCFR. The results showed that ESV in the SCFR exhibited an overall downward trend, with a cumulative loss of 1973.77 × 10⁸ CNY. This was primarily due to marked reductions in hydrological and climate regulation services. The spatial distribution of ESV exhibited a significant heterogeneity—higher in the southwestern and southeastern mountainous regions, and lower in the northern plains and coastal zones, with the center of gravity shifting first to the northeast and then to the southwest. Local spatial autocorrelation revealed relatively stable “High–High” and “Low–Low” clustering characteristics, where high-value clusters were consistently distributed in core forest zones, while low-value clusters overlapped highly with urban agglomerations. Socio-economic factors exerted a significantly stronger influence on ESV than natural factors. Population density (POP), land use intensity (LUI), and gross domestic product (GDP) were identified as the dominant drivers, exhibiting distinct non-linear threshold effects and significant spatio-temporal heterogeneity. PLS-SEM analysis further quantified LUI as the dominant direct inhibitory pathway on ESV, highlighting urbanization’s indirect negative effect mediated through intensified LUI. Meanwhile, terrain effects were confirmed to positively influence ESV indirectly by constraining LUI and modulating local climate. The analytical framework of “threshold identification–spatio-temporal heterogeneity–causal pathway analysis” proposed in this study elucidated the complex driving mechanisms of ESV evolution, providing valuable guidance for ecological restoration evaluation and differentiated environmental governance. Full article

Magnetic wall-climbing robots have great potential applications for the maintenance and inspection of large steel structures. However, they are susceptible to overturning when climbing over obstacles on vertical walls, primarily due to localized failures in the adhesion and shifts in the center of gravity. To address this issue, this paper presents an improved robot design featuring a passive adaptive tracked mobility module and a link-spring anti-overturning module. The adaptive tracked mobility module, incorporating spring tensioning mechanisms and belt press wheels, enables dynamic conformity to uneven walls and maintains stable magnetic adhesion. The link-spring anti-overturning module converts the front-end lift during obstacle crossing into an anti-overturning moment applied to the rear end of the robot. Notably, there is no need for additional drivers or control units. The structural design and three-dimensional modeling of the robot are carried out. Its working principle is analyzed, and parametric modeling and simulation analysis are performed. A physical prototype is developed and obstacle-crossing experiments are conducted on a vertical wall. The results demonstrate that the adaptive tracked mobility module and the anti-overturning module can successfully assist the robot in climbing over an obstacle with a maximum height of 23 mm, and the robot exhibits excellent stability while climbing over continuous obstacles and moving on uneven vertical walls. Full article

Grain and cultivated land resources constitute the most fundamental means of human subsistence, and their spatial mismatch can directly reveal issues related to the rationality of regional resource utilization and urban–rural development patterns. The downstream region of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, as a major grain-producing area in China, holds significant importance for optimizing regional arable land utilization patterns, achieving sustainable use of cultivated land resources, and ensuring national food security through the investigation of the spatiotemporal mismatch characteristics between grain production and arable land resources and their influencing factors. This study focuses on the downstream region of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, employing the Center of Gravity Transfer Model, Spatial Mismatch Model, and Geographical and Temporal Weighted Regression Model to analyze the spatiotemporal variation characteristics of grain production and cultivated land area, as well as their mismatch patterns. It further investigates the factors that influence such mismatches and their spatial heterogeneity. The research findings indicate that, in terms of temporal characteristics, grain production in the downstream region of the Yangtze River Economic Belt exhibited an upward, fluctuating trend from 2000 to 2023. The cultivated land area initially decreased, then gradually increased, while the overall quantity showed a net reduction. From the perspective of spatial changes, the migration rate of grain production was significantly higher than that of cultivated land. The center of gravity of grain production shifted 78.85 km northwestward, while the center of gravity of cultivated land moved 4.16 km in the same direction. The overall mismatch between grain production and cultivated land shows fluctuating changes, while its spatial characteristics show an increasing trend toward polarization. The average intensity order of influencing factors is as follows: effective irrigated area > fertilizer’s equivalent weight > the proportion of agricultural output value > total power of agricultural machinery > urbanization rate > the proportion of people employed in the primary industry. Meanwhile, these influencing factors exhibit significant spatial heterogeneity characteristics, with their impact directions and intensities varying across different development stages in distinct regions. From a spatiotemporal perspective, the research findings provide differentiated policy recommendations for the efficient utilization of cultivated land resources and grain production in the downstream region of the Yangtze River Economic Belt. Full article

Given China’s strategic need to alleviate poverty and promote high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin, in this paper, we adopt the unique perspective of ecological migration to dynamically analyze changes in the spatial structure, spatial differentiation, trajectory, and formation mechanism of multidimensional poverty. This study finds the following: (1) In recent years, multidimensional poverty in the contiguous poverty-stricken areas represented by Liupan Mountain in Ningxia has shown a tendency to change from overall poverty to partial poverty. (2) The influence of rural per capital net income on multidimensional poverty has been gradually slowing down over time, which reflects the evolution of the concentrated contiguous poverty-stricken areas represented by the Liupan Mountain area in Ningxia from absolute poverty to relative poverty. (3) Geographical capital and economic development exert a high degree of direct impact on multidimensional poverty. However, as key carriers of spatial reconstruction, ecological migration is not a direct first-order input factor. Instead, it indirectly influences the spatial reconstruction of poverty by reshaping the distribution of population, housing, cultivated land, and infrastructure, with its effects reflected in core indicators such as per capita cultivated land and ecological vulnerability. Establishing a long-term poverty alleviation mechanism for advantageous industries, building a multidimensional education system for poverty reduction, and implementing ecological migration are important pathways to alleviate and eliminate multidimensional poverty in this region. Full article

Brassica rapa is widely cultivated in alpine and cold mountainous regions due to its strong cold tolerance. However, lodging severely limits its yield and quality. This study integrated agronomic traits, stem microstructure, and transcriptomic profiles to explore the mechanism of lodging resistance by comparing a resistant cultivar (Ganyou 3064, GY) and a susceptible cultivar (Tianyou 2022, TY) across four developmental stages (full flowering, final flowering, podding, and maturity). At the four growth stages, the stem breaking strength of GY was 1.71, 1.93, 1.88, and 1.88 times that of TY, respectively. Compared with TY, the gravity center height of GY was decreased by 25.04%, 16.6%, 11.18%, and 8.98% at these four stages, respectively. Similarly, the lodging index of GY was decreased by 65.94%, 55.08%, 56.06%, and 55.63% compared with TY, respectively. Biochemical and anatomical analyses revealed that compared with TY, the lignin content of GY increased by 1.93%, 2.7%, 3.05%, and 3.42% at the four stages, while the cellulose content increased by 92.75%, 45.32%, 44.4%, and 49.92%, respectively. Meanwhile, the epidermal thickness, cortical thickness, vascular bundle length, vascular bundle area, and vascular bundle density of GY were also significantly increased. Transcriptomic and KEGG pathway analyses revealed a predictive defense mechanism of GY. At the final flowering stage, GY showed pre-activation of hormone and MAPK signal transduction, as well as phenylpropanoid biosynthesis; it shifted to energy supply and sustained cell wall reinforcement at the podding stage. In addition, upregulated genes in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis (such as PAL3, CCoAOMT, and CAD9) indicated that enhanced stem lignification is a key molecular determinant of lodging resistance. In summary, GY enhances its lodging resistance through coordinated morphological and transcriptional regulation. This study is the first to integrate the lodging characteristics of Brassica rapa, offering valuable candidate genes and phenotypic markers for molecular breeding. Full article

Robust and transferable approaches for evaluating research capacity—whose measurable expression is reflected in research output—are essential for evidence-based science policy and strategic research management. This study develops an integrated framework to assess global scholarly capacity and regional disparities by combining semantic-similarity-based literature filtering, bibliometric mapping, dynamic performance assessment, and spatial analytical techniques into a coherent and replicable model. A Sentence-BERT model ensures thematic precision and dataset consistency, while CiteSpace 6.1.R3 is used tomap publication trajectories, thematic evolution, and influential contributors. A dynamically weighted TOPSIS model incorporates temporal variation to quantify national research capacity, and spatial analyses—including gravity center analysis, Theil index decomposition, spatial autocorrelation, gray relational analysis, and the Geographical Detector Model—identify disparity patterns and their explanatory associations. Applied to urban ecosystem security research (2001–2023), an emerging interdisciplinary field within sustainability science, the framework shows that China and the United States dominate research output, whereas European journals exert strong academic influence. The field has advanced through three stages, with increasing emphasis on ecosystem services and sustainable development. GDP, environmental pressure, and urbanization rate show the strongest explanatory associations with research capacity, and interactive effects—especially those involving GDP—exceed single-factor explanatory strength. Ecological baseline conditions such as NDVI and climate exhibit only limited associations, functioning mainly as contextual factors. Policy implications highlight four priorities: strengthening interdisciplinary and cross-regional collaboration in developing regions; promoting equity-oriented research agendas in developed regions; establishing unified definitions and validated evaluation frameworks; and advancing dynamic, systems-based approaches to ecosystem security analysis. By shifting attention from ecological status assessment to the dynamics of scientific knowledge production and research capacity, this study advances methodological foundations for research evaluation and enriches analytical approaches in urban ecosystem security, offering a generalizable framework for identifying capacity differences and supporting evidence-informed policy design. Full article

Resource-based cities in the Yellow River Basin are important pillars of national energy security and regional coordinated development, and their green transformation is closely related to the overall strategy of ecological protection and high-quality development in the basin. This study takes 34 resource-based cities within the basin as the research objects and employs a combination of methods, including the Super Slacks-Based Measure (SBM) model, the Malmquist–Luenberger index, the standard deviational ellipse, the Dagum Gini coefficient, and the geographical detector, to systematically analyze the spatio-temporal evolution characteristics and driving mechanisms of green development efficiency from 2012 to 2022. The results indicate that: (1) green development efficiency shows an overall upward trend, forming a pattern of leading performance in the lower reaches, lagging development in the middle reaches, and accelerated catching-up in the upper reaches, with efficiency improvements jointly driven by technical efficiency enhancement and technological progress; (2) the gravity center of efficiency shifts southwestward overall, and interregional disparities constitute the main source of overall differences; (3) economic development level, science and technology investment, fiscal expenditure, and energy intensity are the key driving factors, with significantly strengthened interactions among multiple factors. From the dual perspectives of basin location and the urban life cycle, this study constructs a multidimensional analytical framework that provides a reference for categorized regulation and coordinated regional governance of resource-based cities. Full article

New-type urbanization (NTU) is a key driver of high-quality development and progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in China. While existing studies acknowledge the multidimensional nature of this process, they often measure it as a single composite aggregate. This approach masks the system’s local sensitivity to internal structural changes and obscures the spatially stratified heterogeneity of dominant drivers. To address this gap, this study constructs construct a comprehensive evaluation index system using panel data for 280 prefecture-level and above cities in China from 2001 to 2023. This study integrates the entropy-weighted TOPSIS method, a modified coupling coordination degree model (MCCD), geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR), and the optimal parameters geographical detector (OPGD). Using this framework, this study investigates the spatio-temporal characteristics of the coordinated high-quality development (CHQD) in NTU, systematically dissecting the spatial heterogeneity of local sensitivities and dominant drivers. The results indicate that the following: (1) CHQD exhibits a continuous upward trajectory characterized by significant regional convergence, with the center of gravity gradually shifting southwest. Structurally, green and social dimensions demonstrate the most rapid growth, progressively superseding spatial expansion as primary growth poles. (2) The structural decomposition reveals clear spatially stratified heterogeneity in local sensitivity. The coastal East faces “diminishing marginal utility” of traditional factor inputs, whereas the Central and Western regions continue to reap “structural dividends” from factor accumulation. (3) The dominant drivers shaping spatial heterogeneity have undergone a sequential evolution from an early “resource-space orientation” to a later “innovation-service orientation.” For instance, in the eastern region, the proportion of construction land (L2) had a single-factor explanatory power (q-statistic) of 0.791. However, its interactions with science and technology expenditure (E3) and other factors yielded q-statistics exceeding 0.820, indicating a marked synergistic effect. These findings support region-specific policy recommendations to promote CHQD and inform sustainable urbanization pathways in China. Full article

Understanding information on the regional water–energy–food system pressure (WEFSP) is crucial for ensuring resource security and promoting sustainable regional development. Existing studies often lack a focus on water quality issues, which cannot fully reveal the current situation of WEFSP. This study incorporated the grey water footprint as a measurement indicator to integrate water quality into the WEF nexus, re-examining the WEFSP across 30 Chinese provinces from 2006 to 2020. The spatiotemporal evolutionary characteristics of the WEFSP were characterized using Standard Deviation Ellipse (SDE) and Kernel Density Estimation (KDE). Furthermore, the GeoDetector method was employed to identify the key driving factors and their interactive effects. The results revealed that (1) China’s WEFSP initially increased and then decreased, and the WEFSP changes the most during the five-year plan transition period. The energy subsystem was under the greatest pressure, while water quality scarcity caused by pollution was the dominant driver of pressure within the water subsystem. (2) Spatially, the WEFSP exhibited an east-high and west-low pattern, with the center of gravity of the WEFSP mainly located in Anhui and Henan provinces, and during the study period, it experienced two stages of transfer: from northwest to southeast and vice versa. (3) The explanatory power of driving factors for the spatial heterogeneity of the WEFSP exhibited dynamic variability. The most influential factor shifted from annual average precipitation to per capita consumption expenditure. Significant interactive effects were identified among factors, all demonstrating either bilateral or nonlinear enhancement. These findings provide a comprehensive insight into the current state of WEFSP and the influence of external factors, offering a scientific basis for formulating targeted resource management strategies to ensure the security of the WEF nexus. Full article

Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) is vital for regional cultural sustainability and social cohesion. While ICH patterns in the Yangtze and Yellow River basins have been widely investigated, macro-scale research on the Pearl River Basin Area (PRBA) remains insufficient. Using GIS-based spatial analytical techniques, this study examines the agglomeration patterns and driving mechanisms of 377 national-level ICH resources within the PRBA. The findings reveal that: (1) the spatial distribution exhibits a pronounced “coastal agglomeration and inland dispersion” density gradient, with the Pearl River Delta serving as a high-density core and ethnic minority regions forming secondary clusters; (2) the gravity center of ICH resources has gradually shifted northwestward from 2006 to 2021, reflecting the influence of policy interventions; and (3) while socioeconomic factors are the primary drivers, hydrological factors exert strong nonlinear enhancement effects through interactions with social variables, highlighting the dependency of cultural genesis on the water environment. These findings provide a scientific basis for ICH living transmission, planning, and regional collaborative governance in the PRBA, thereby promoting regional cultural sustainability. Full article

Drastic cropland expansion and its internal structural changes have had an obvious impact on agricultural landscapes and ecosystem services. However, a prolonged investigation of this effect is still lacking in China’s grain-producing bases, such as Sanjiang Plain. To address this issue, half a century of study on the ‘land trajectory migration–landscape evolution–ecological effect,’ covering the period 1970–2020, was elucidated using the synergistic methodology of spatial analysis technology, the reclamation rate algorithm, the landscape indicator, and the newly established ecosystem service improvement model. Satellite observation results indicate that the cropland area exhibited a substantial expansion trend from 23,672.69 km² to 42,856.17 km² from 1970 to 2020, representing a net change of +19,183.48 km² and a huge growth rate of 81.04%, which led to an obvious improvement in the level of agricultural cultivation. Concurrently, the internal structure of the cropland underwent dramatic restructuring, with rice fields increasing from 6.46% to 53.54%, while upland fields decreased from 93.54% to 46.46%. In different regions, spatially heterogeneous improvements of 2.64–52.47% in agricultural cultivation levels across all cities were observed. From 1970 to 2020, the tracked cropland center of gravity trajectories exhibited a distinct biphasic pattern, initially shifting westward and then followed by a southward transition, accumulating a displacement of 19.39 km². As for the evolved agricultural landscapes, their integrity has improved (SHDI = −0.08%), accompanied by increased connectivity (CON = +8.82%) and patch edge integrity (LSI = −15.71%) but also by reduced fragmentation (PD = −48.14%). Another important discovery was that the evaluated ecosystem services continuously decreased from 2337.84 × 10⁸ CNY in 1970 to 1654.01 × 10⁸ CNY in 2020, a net loss of −683.84 × 10⁸ CNY and a huge loss rate of 33.65%, accompanied by a center–periphery gradient pattern whereby degradation propagated from the low-value central croplands to the high-value surrounding natural covers. These discoveries will play a significant role in guiding farmland structure reformation, landscape optimization, and ecosystem service improvement. Full article

Understanding the spatiotemporal evolution of forest biomass energy potential is essential for supporting low-carbon land-use planning and regional energy transitions. China, characterized by pronounced spatial heterogeneity in forest resources and ecological conditions, provides an ideal case for examining how biophysical endowments and management factors shape biomass energy potential. This study constructs a province-level panel dataset for China covering the period from 1998 to 2018 and investigates long-term spatial patterns, regional disparities, and driving mechanisms using spatial visualization, Dagum Gini decomposition, and fixed-effects estimation. The results reveal a gradual spatial reorganization of forest biomass energy potential, with the national center of gravity shifting westward and northwestward, alongside a moderate dispersion of high-potential clusters from coastal areas toward the interior. Interregional transvariation is identified as the dominant source of regional inequality, indicating persistent structural differences among major regions. To explore future dynamics, a random forest model is employed to project provincial forest biomass energy potential from 2018 to 2028. The projections suggest moderate overall growth, smoother distributional structures, and a partial reduction in extreme provincial disparities. Central, southwestern, and northwestern provinces are expected to emerge as important contributors to future growth, reflecting ecological restoration efforts, expanding plantation forests, and improved forest management. The findings highlight a continued upward trend in national forest biomass energy potential, accompanied by a spatial shift toward inland regions and evolving regional disparities. This study provides empirical evidence to support region-specific development strategies, optimized spatial allocation of forest biomass resources, and integrated policies linking ecological sustainability with renewable energy development. Full article