Search Results (2,608)

Accurate estimation of Leaf Area Index (LAI) is essential for monitoring vegetation structure and ecosystem services in urban and peri-urban environments, particularly in small, heterogeneous patches typical of semi-arid cities. This study presents a comparative assessment of four empirical LAI estimation methods—NDVI-based, NDVI-advanced, SAVI-based, and EVI-based methods—applied to atmospherically corrected Sentinel-2 Level-2A imagery (10 m spatial resolution) over a 0.045 km² urban–agricultural polygon in the Tashkent region, Uzbekistan. Multi-temporal observations acquired during the 2023 growing season (June–August) were used to examine intra-seasonal vegetation dynamics. In the absence of field-measured LAI, a Random Forest regression model was implemented as an inter-method consistency analysis to assess agreement among index-derived LAI estimates rather than to perform external validation. Statistical comparisons revealed highly systematic and practically significant differences between methods, with the EVI-based approach producing the highest and most dynamically responsive LAI values (mean LAI = 1.453) and demonstrating greater robustness to soil background and atmospheric effects. Mean LAI increased by 66.7% from June to August, reflecting irrigation-driven crop phenology in the semi-arid study area. While the results indicate that EVI provides the most reliable relative LAI estimates for small urban–agricultural patches, the absence of ground-truth data and the influence of mixed pixels at 10 m resolution remain key limitations. This study offers a transferable methodological framework for comparative LAI assessment in data-scarce urban environments and provides a basis for future integration with field measurements, higher-resolution imagery, and LiDAR-based 3D vegetation models. Full article

Transdisciplinarity and the co-production of knowledge have become fundamental approaches to addressing complex social problems. However, the sustainability of collaborative partnerships remains underexplored from an empirical perspective. This article examines the mechanisms that shape the continuity of collaborative networks in social innovation projects in the field of social services, particularly those linked to community-based welfare systems in Andalusia (Spain). Drawing on a thematic qualitative analysis of 15 social innovation projects and 14 semi-structured interviews with project coordinators, the study explores how diverse actors (universities, public administrations, third-sector organisations, and citizens) mobilise different types of social capital within local social services. The findings reveal that collaboration success depends on a balance between relational enablers (trust and shared experiences) and structural barriers (bureaucracy, work overload, and lack of time). The analysis also shows that participatory methodologies and connections with pre-existing networks are essential for sustaining collaboration after project completion. The article concludes that the sustainability of transdisciplinary social innovation in social services requires moving beyond project management logics and investing in the care of invisible relational structures, with implications for public policies aimed at consolidating trust ecosystems and long-term collective learning. Full article

River and lake health assessment has evolved from a purely ecological concept to a multidimensional framework integrating ecosystem integrity and social service functions. Based on a comprehensive dataset of 1412 papers (1991–2024), this study combines bibliometric mapping with a systematic review to track the evolution of biological monitoring and assessment methodologies. Quantitative analysis of keywords reveals that while traditional focuses on heavy metals, fish, and sediments remain dominant, there is a significant shift towards integrated frameworks where biological indicators (e.g., benthic macroinvertebrate integrity and fish retention) are increasingly coupled with social services. We critically review three assessment paradigms: single-factor bio-indicators, biological predictive models such as RIVPACS and AUSRIVAS, and multi-factor comprehensive models. The study identifies critical gaps in ecological connectivity and the management of transboundary lakes under climate change. Consequently, we propose a strategic roadmap leveraging the National Ecological Connectivity Optimization Platform and mandatory “health audits” for transboundary waters to ensure the long-term sustainability of aquatic biodiversity. This review provides a scientific basis for balancing biodiversity conservation with sustainable water resource utilization. Full article

The evolution of landscape patterns in plateau lake basins directly influences the sustainable provision of ecosystem services. Revealing and predicting the impacts of landscape changes on ecosystem service value (ESV) under different development scenarios are essential for maintaining regional ecological security, enhancing ESV, and formulating policies for ecological conservation and restoration. As a typical representative of China’s plateau lake basin, the Erhai Lake Basin faces multiple challenges arising from rapid urbanization, tourism commercialization, and agricultural modernization. It is therefore crucial to understand its potential future landscape dynamics and their effects on ecosystem services. Based on landscape data, natural environmental data, and socio-economic data, we applied GIS-based spatial analysis and the equivalent factor method to simulate and assess landscape pattern changes and corresponding variations in ESV in 2030, 2040, and 2050 under three distinct scenarios. Local spatial autocorrelation analysis was further employed to identify the spatial clustering patterns of ESV. There were three findings: (1) From 2030 to 2050, forest increased continuously under the natural evolution scenario (NES) and ecological protection scenario (EPS) but declined under the economic growth scenario (EGS). Farmland expanded under the NES and EGS, whereas it decreased under the EPS. Grassland declined across all three scenarios, while built-up area showed consistent expansion. (2) In all simulated years, the total ESV of the Erhai Lake Basin ranked as EPS > NES > EGS. Between 2030 and 2050, total ESV exhibited an increasing trend under the EPS but declined under the other two scenarios, with the sharpest reduction under the EGS. Forests and water body were the main contributors to total ESV, while farmland and grassland played a critical role in driving ESV dynamics—the scale and direction of their transformation directly determined the overall ESV trends. (3) Across the three scenarios, ESVs all exhibit significant spatial heterogeneity. Local Moran’s I analysis indicated a dominant cluster of high values (HH) or a cluster of low values (LL), with LL clusters mainly concentrated in the northern basin and the western side of Erhai Lake, and HH clusters primarily located within the lake area. This study, through multi-scenario simulations, elucidates the spatiotemporal dynamics of landscape and ESV changes, providing valuable insights for green transformation, landscape spatial allocation, ecological restoration, and sustainable development in the Erhai Lake Basin. Full article

Understanding the services provided by coastal ecosystems is vital for their study, preservation, and restoration. Mangrove forests, in particular, provide key ecosystem services: they sequester carbon, support fisheries and biodiversity, and facilitate sustainable tourism. In the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico, mangrove-related services have been studied extensively, but often via fragmented approaches. This meta-analysis combines a literature review, bibliometric tools, and thematic mapping to identify emerging trends and long-standing gaps. We analyzed 61 peer-reviewed studies across 21 sovereign states and U.S. states, which highlighted shifting research priorities and a lack of convergence—defined herein as the failure of individual studies to examine multiple ecosystem service categories (regulating, cultural, supporting, and provisioning) simultaneously to assess potential trade-offs. While early research emphasized supporting services such as fishery nurseries, recent studies focus on regulating services, especially carbon sequestration. Stakeholder engagement remains limited, with only 18% of studies incorporating local perspectives. We argue for greater integration of stakeholder input and convergence across service categories to enhance the scientific basis for mangrove management and policy design. Full article

The construction of reservoirs has undeniably provided numerous conveniences and benefits to human societies. However, it has also markedly altered downstream flow regimes, leading to essential fish habitat loss that directly undermines the ecosystem services provided by fish populations, thereby jeopardizing the long-term sustainability of fishery resources. Existing assessments of spawning suitability largely concentrate on static characteristics of available spawning grounds, while the dynamics of habitat suitability migration and contraction in response to changing environmental flows remain poorly understood. To address this gap, we classified hydrological years into wet, flat, and dry categories to reflect the varying environmental flow requirements during the fish-spawning period. Using the Mike21 hydraulic model together with a spatial suitability analysis for spawning habitats, we quantified spawning ground suitability from both temporal and spatial perspectives. Taking the four major Chinese carps (FMCC) and the Dongta spawning ground in the Pearl River as a case study, our findings reveal that the proportion of highly suitable habitats closely tracks the environmental-flow trajectories. Throughout the FMCC spawning period, the spatial pattern of high suitability zones undergoes a marked migration in response to flow variations across wet, flat, and dry years, consistently shifting upstream. Specifically, as discharge rises from low-flow to high-flow events, the most suitable areas move from downstream deep-pool sections toward upstream shallow riffle zones, which is crucial for the sustainable development of fishery resources. Full article

Cultural ecosystem services (CESs) are the non-material benefits people derive from ecosystems and are important for human well-being. Most research has focused on individual CES supply–demand relationships, with little systematic study of the overall CES structure, interactions, and mechanisms in metropolitan areas. This study takes the Nanjing Metropolitan Area as a case study, integrating multi-source geospatial data and employing the MaxEnt model, self-organizing maps (SOMs), Spearman correlation analysis, and the Optimal Parameters-based Geographical Detector (OPGD). It analyzes supply–demand matching, trade-offs, synergies, and drivers for four CES categories: aesthetic (AE), recreational entertainment (RE), knowledge education (KE), and cultural diversity (CD). The main findings are as follows: (1) CES supply and demand are spatially zoned: the core area has surplus supply, secondary centers are balanced, and the periphery has both weak supply and demand. (2) Three supply–demand bundles have distinct synergy and trade-off patterns: Bundle 1 primarily exhibits strong synergy between AE and CD; Bundle 2 shows a weak trade-off relationship; and Bundle 3 forms a synergy centered on AE. (3) The explanatory power of driving factors exhibits pronounced spatial heterogeneity: Bundle 1 is dominated by non-quantifiable social factors; Bundle 2 features dual synergistic drivers of population and transportation; and Bundle 3 demonstrates synergistic effects driven by facilities and economic factors. Overall, this study contributes an integrated metropolitan-scale framework that connects CES supply–demand mismatch patterns with bundle typologies, interaction structures, and bundle-specific drivers. The results provide an operational basis for targeted planning and coordinated ecological–cultural governance in the Nanjing Metropolitan Area and offer a transferable reference for other metropolitan regions. Full article

The proliferation of air travel demand necessitates innovative solutions to enhance passenger experience while optimizing airport operational efficiency. This paper presents the pilot-scale implementation and evaluation of an AI-powered service robot ecosystem integrated with thermal cameras and 5G wireless connectivity at Athens International Airport. The system addresses critical challenges in passenger flow management through real-time crowd analytics, congestion detection, and personalized robotic assistance. Eight strategically deployed thermal cameras monitor passenger movements across check-in areas, security zones, and departure entrances while employing privacy-by-design principles through thermal imaging technology that reduces personally identifiable information capture. A humanoid service robot, equipped with Robot Operating System navigation capabilities and natural language processing interfaces, provides real-time passenger assistance including flight information, wayfinding guidance, and congestion avoidance recommendations. The wi.move platform serves as the central intelligence hub, processing video streams through advanced computer vision algorithms to generate actionable insights including passenger count statistics, flow rate analysis, queue length monitoring, and anomaly detection. Formal trial evaluation conducted on 10 April 2025, with extended operational monitoring from April to June 2025, demonstrated strong technical performance with application round-trip latency achieving 42.9 milliseconds, perfect service reliability and availability ratings of one hundred percent, and comprehensive passenger satisfaction scores exceeding 4.3/5 across all evaluated dimensions. Results indicate promising potential for scalable deployment across major international airports, with identified requirements for sixth-generation network capabilities to support enhanced multi-robot coordination and advanced predictive analytics functionalities in future implementations. Full article

Green space equity is increasingly recognized as a critical environmental condition for healthy aging, yet existing research often overlooks how different green space attributes—accessibility and diversity—are associated with distinct dimensions of older adults’ health. Limited attention has been paid to their nonlinear threshold effects or to the social pathways through which green spaces influence health outcomes. Using the United States county-level panel data from 2020 to 2023, this study integrates fixed-effects models, Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), and mediation analysis to examine the associations between green accessibility measured by the Two-Step Floating Catchment Area (2SFCA) method, and green diversity measured by the Shannon Index, on the general, physical, and mental health of older adults. Findings indicate that (1) higher green accessibility is associated with better general health, whereas green diversity shows a stronger association with physical health, reflecting its link to more heterogeneous ecosystem service environments. (2) Green accessibility demonstrates the threshold effect, in which the strength of association with health becomes steeper once accessibility approaches higher levels. (3) Green space equity is linked to health partly through social structures. Education clustering and marital stability mediate the associations with general health, while mental health appears to depend more on the social interaction opportunities embedded within green environments than on their physical attributes alone. The study proposes an integrated “physical environment–social structure–health outcome” framework and a threshold-oriented spatial intervention strategy, highlighting the need to prioritize improvements in green accessibility in underserved areas and prioritizing green diversity and age-friendly social functions where accessibility is already high. These findings offer evidence for designing inclusive, health-oriented urban environments for aging populations. Full article

Mediterranean peri-urban forests play a crucial role in urban sustainability, yet their ecosystem services remain underexplored. This study quantifies and maps six regulating ecosystem services—carbon sequestration, air pollutant removal, surface runoff retention, precipitation interception, soil water regulation, and wildlife refuge—in a representative Mediterranean peri-urban forest, Monte de El Pardo (Spain). The analysis integrates cartographic and environmental data, biophysical modelling (i-Tree), and field surveys to provide a spatially explicit assessment. The results reveal that riparian formations and mixed stone pine–broadleaved woodlands provide the highest values across most services, while holm oak forests and dehesas contribute substantially due to their extensive coverage. Total annual carbon sequestration was estimated at 27,917,803 kg C yr⁻¹, equivalent to 102,329,511 kg CO₂e yr⁻¹. Hydrological regulation was also significant, with 94.5% of the area showing medium soil permeability and over half the territory presenting complex, multi-layered vegetation structure. Overall, Mediterranean peri-urban forests function as major carbon sinks, hydrological regulators, and biodiversity cores, reinforcing their importance as ecological and climatic stabilisers in metropolitan regions. Full article

Carbon sequestration and oxygen release (CSOR) are core regulating functions of terrestrial ecosystems. However, regional assessments often fail to (i) separate scale-driven high supply from per-area efficiency, (ii) detect structural instability and degradation risk from long-term trajectories, and (iii) provide evidence that is comparable across units for management prioritization. Using Minnesota, USA, we integrated satellite-derived net primary productivity (NPP; 1998–2021) with a Quantity–Intensity–Structure (Q–I–S) framework to quantify CSOR, detect trends and change points (Mann–Kendall and Pettitt tests), map spatial clustering and degradation risk (Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis, ESDA), and attribute natural and human drivers (principal component regression and GeoDetector). CSOR increased overall from 1998 to 2021, with a marked shift around 2013 from a slight, variable decline to sustained recovery. Spatially, CSOR showed a persistent north–south gradient, with higher and improving services in northern Minnesota and lower, more degraded services in the south; persistent degradation was concentrated in a central high-risk belt. The Q–I–S framework also revealed inconsistencies between total supply and condition, identifying high-supply yet degrading areas and low-supply areas with recovery potential that are not evident from the totals alone. Climate variables primarily controlled CSOR quantity and structure, whereas human factors more strongly influenced intensity; the interactions of the two further shaped observed patterns. These results provide an interpretable and transferable basis for diagnosing degradation and prioritizing restoration under long-term environmental change. Full article

Globally, grasslands, savannas, and wetlands are degrading rapidly and increasingly being replaced by woody vegetation. Woody Plant Encroachment (WPE) disrupts natural landscapes and has significant consequences for biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and key ecosystem services. This review synthesizes findings from 159 peer-reviewed studies identified through a PRISMA-guided systematic literature review to evaluate the drivers of WPE, its ecological impacts, and the remote sensing (RS) approaches used to monitor it. The drivers of WPE are multifaceted, involving interactions among climate variability, topographic and edaphic conditions, hydrological change, land use transitions, and altered fire and grazing regimes, while its impacts are similarly diverse, influencing land cover structure, water and nutrient cycles, carbon and nitrogen dynamics, and broader implications for ecosystem resilience. Over the past two decades, RS has become central to WPE monitoring, with studies employing classification techniques, spectral mixture analysis, object-based image analysis, change detection, thresholding, landscape pattern and fragmentation metrics, and increasingly, machine learning and deep learning methods. Looking forward, emerging advances such as multi-sensor fusion (optical– synthetic aperture radar (SAR), Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR)–hyperspectral), cloud-based platforms including Google Earth Engine, Microsoft Planetary Computer, and Digital Earth, and geospatial foundation models offer new opportunities for scalable, automated, and long-term monitoring. Despite these innovations, challenges remain in detecting early-stage encroachment, subcanopy woody growth, and species-specific patterns across heterogeneous landscapes. Key knowledge gaps highlighted in this review include the need for long-term monitoring frameworks, improved socio-ecological integration, species- and ecosystem-specific RS approaches, better utilization of SAR, and broader adoption of analysis-ready data and open-source platforms. Addressing these gaps will enable more effective, context-specific strategies to monitor, manage, and mitigate WPE in rapidly changing environments. Full article

Soil salinization severely constrains crop productivity and ecosystem services in arid regions. While the application of soil amendments represents a promising mitigation strategy, it remains uncertain whether this practice can effectively enhance soil quality index (SQI), crop productivity, and ecosystem service value (ESV) in saline–alkali farmlands. To address this, a three-year field experiment was conducted to analyze the effects of different amendments (rotary-tilled straw return (RT), plowed straw return (PL), biochar (BC), desulfurized gypsum (DG), DG combined with organic fertilizer (DGO), and an unamended control (CK)) on SQI, sunflower productivity, and ESV in a saline–alkali farmland of arid Northwest China. Results indicated that the BC treatment significantly reduced bulk density by 5.1–7.6% and increased porosity by 6.3–8.3% compared to CK. Both BC and DGO significantly increased soil organic matter and available nutrients while reducing saline ions (HCO₃⁻, Cl⁻, Na⁺), which reduced soil salinity by 21.2–33.6% and 19.9–26.5%, respectively. These synergistic improvements enhanced the SQI by 76.8% and 74.1% for BC and DGO, respectively, relative to CK. Correlation analysis revealed strong positive relationships between SQI and crop nitrogen uptake and yield. Accordingly, BC and DGO increased nitrogen uptake by 74.9–129.0% and yield by 12.2–45.2%, with BC offering more stable benefits over time. Furthermore, BC increased the values of agricultural product supply, nutrient accumulation and climate regulation, thereby increasing the total ESV by 13.7–53.9% relative to CK. In summary, BC and DGO are effective strategies to synergistically enhance soil quality, crop productivity, and ecosystem services in saline–alkali farmlands of arid regions. Full article

Eutrophication remains a persistent challenge in the Romanian Black Sea coastal zone, driven by excess nutrient inputs from riverine and coastal sources and further intensified by climate change. This study assesses eutrophication dynamics and explores mitigation options using an integrated framework that combines in situ observations, satellite-derived chlorophyll a data, machine learning, and system dynamics modelling. Water samples collected during two field campaigns (2023–2024) were analyzed for nutrient concentrations and linked with chlorophyll a products from the Copernicus Marine Service. Random Forest analysis identified dissolved inorganic nitrogen, phosphate, salinity, and temperature as the most influential predictors of chlorophyll a distribution. A system dynamics model was subsequently used to explore relative ecosystem responses under multiple management scenarios, including nutrient reduction, enhanced zooplankton grazing, and combined interventions. Scenario-based simulations indicate that nutrient reduction alone produces a moderate decrease in chlorophyll a (45% relative to baseline conditions), while restoration of grazing pressure yields a comparable response. The strongest reduction is achieved under the combined scenario, which integrates nutrient reduction with biological control and lowers normalized chlorophyll a levels by approximately two thirds (71%) relative to baseline. In contrast, a bloom-favourable scenario results in a several-fold increase in chlorophyll a of 160%. Spatial analysis highlights persistent eutrophication hotspots near the Danube mouths and urban discharge areas. These results demonstrate that integrated strategies combining nutrient source control with ecological restoration are substantially more effective than single-measure interventions. The proposed framework provides a scenario-based decision-support tool for ecosystem-based management and supports progress toward achieving Good Environmental Status under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Full article

We statistically examine the global distribution of free content websites (FCWs) by analyzing their hosting network scale, cloud service provider, and country-level presence, both in aggregate and across specific content categories. These measurements are contrasted with those of premium content websites (PCWs) and with general websites sampled from the Alexa top-1M. We further evaluate their security characteristics using multiple security indicators. Our findings show that FCWs and PCWs are predominantly hosted in medium-scale networks, which are strongly associated with a high concentration of malicious websites. At the cloud and country level, FCW distributions follow heavy-tailed patterns that differ from those of PCWs. Beyond static distributions, our analysis also uncovers dynamic trends, where PCWs demonstrate improving security postures over time while FCWs reveal increasing maliciousness in several categories and hosting regions. This study contributes to understanding the FCW ecosystem through comprehensive quantitative analysis. The results suggest that the harm posed by malicious FCWs can potentially be contained through effective isolation and filtering, given their concentration at the network, cloud, and country levels, and that longitudinal monitoring is essential to capture their evolving risks. Full article