Search Results (1,572)

As a vital ecological security barrier and climate regulator in northwestern China, the Qinghai Lake Basin (QLB) holds significant strategic value for regional ecological conservation and national park development. This study, utilizing land use data from 2010 to 2023 and integrating the InVEST and GeoDetector models, systematically investigated the spatiotemporal dynamics of soil conservation (SC) and its underlying driving mechanisms. The results indicate the following: (1) During the study period, SC services exhibited a gradual declining trend across the selected years, with total SC decreasing from 14.64 × 10³ t to 7.49 × 10³ t. Spatially, high-value areas were predominantly concentrated in the high-altitude forest–grassland ecotones along the basin margins, whereas low-value areas were mainly distributed in the low-altitude zones surrounding the lake and in the northwestern corner of the basin. (2) Among different land use types, forestland, bare land, and grassland constituted the dominant contributing categories, with bare land exhibiting the highest sediment export (SE) intensity (ranging from 8.93 to 19.13 t·hm⁻²·a⁻¹), thereby serving as the primary erosion source area. Along the elevational gradient, the mid-to-high elevation zones (3500–4500 m) contributed the most to total SC, with SC intensity increasing progressively with rising elevation. With respect to slope classes, total SC was predominantly concentrated in the gentle-to-moderate slope zones (5–25°), whereas SC intensity exhibited a non-linear increase with increasing slope steepness. (3) Slope was identified as the single factor with the strongest explanatory power regarding the spatial heterogeneity of SC, and the coupled interactions of “topography–soil–vegetation” exerted a synergistic regulatory effect on SC function. It is recommended that priority attention be given to the mid-to-high elevation contribution zones (3500–4500 m), the total SC contribution zones on gentle-to-moderate slopes (5–25°), and the extremely steep slope areas (>35°) with high erosion risk, so as to implement differentiated soil and water conservation measures. These findings provide a scientific basis for ecological protection, soil and water conservation strategy formulation, and sustainable development in the QLB. Full article

Urban waterfront spaces that are ecologically sensitive often remain visually prominent yet inaccessible, posing a management challenge: how to generate public engagement and economic value without physical access. This paper proposes a four-stage socio-ecological framework integrating sensory restoration, behavioral transformation, economic generation, and ecological reinvestment. Using Xianyang Lake in China as a demonstrative case, the study applies six years of phenological records from 36 plant species. Analytic hierarchy process and k-means clustering derive four seasonal sensory palettes, ensuring year-round visual, olfactory, and auditory engagement. A proposed WeChat-based guidance system illustrates how passive sensory exposure could be converted into active behavioral engagement across walking, bridge viewing, and boating. The framework links enhanced experience to a dynamic revenue model and closes the loop by reinvesting proceeds into maintenance and sediment reuse for greenbelt expansion. The empirical component consists of phenological data analysis and seasonal palette derivation, while the socio-economic pathways are presented as testable hypotheses requiring future empirical validation. The findings shift the paradigm from physical to sensory accessibility, offering a conceptually transferable framework for managing inaccessible urban blue-green spaces. Full article

Most existing studies on anthropogenic N and P inputs in the Yangtze River Basin focus on the middle-lower main stem and large lake regions, while long-term fine-scale assessments of small and medium plateau tributaries in the upper reaches remain limited. This study was based on the Net Anthropogenic Nitrogen and Phosphorus Input (NANI) & (NAPI) models to systematically quantify total anthropogenic N/P inputs and their sources, and to characterize spatiotemporal dynamics. The random forest model was employed to disentangle and quantify key driving factors; additionally, the multiple linear regression (MLR) model was employed to construct prediction equations, and key-factor scenarios were set to predict N and P input evolution trends under reduced fertilizer application and population change. Results indicate that: (1) from 2009 to 2023, the mean annual NANI and NAPI in the study area were (8741.97 ± 1715.37) kg·km⁻²·yr⁻¹ and (2016.01 ± 610.68) kg·km⁻²·yr⁻¹, respectively, exhibiting an overall “first increase, then decrease” trend. Their spatial distribution patterns were highly coupled. The spatial distribution was highly heterogeneous, with high values concentrated in the central dam regions and low values in mountainous areas. (2) Across all sub-basins, food and feed N input and fertilizer application were the primary sources of NANI, accounting for 50.87% and 43.94% of the total on average, respectively, while food and feed P input and fertilizer application dominated NAPI with average shares of 31.31% and 68.69%. (3) Population size, fertilizer application intensity, and livestock/poultry breeding volume were the primary drivers of regional NANI and NAPI. (4) Scenario prediction results show that fertilizer reduction significantly reduces N and P inputs, whereas population growth does not directly elevate N and P loads. Overall, N and P inputs in the Longchuan River Basin are dominated by human activities, with spatiotemporal variations closely linked to agricultural activity intensity and population distribution. These findings provide scientific support for targeted precise zonal N/P control in the Longchuan River Basin, and also offer a reference for non-point source pollution control research and management policy-making in similar plateau basins of the upper Yangtze River. Full article

Eutrophication in shallow plain lakes is highly dynamic and often characterized by short-term trophic fluctuations that are difficult to resolve using annual or single-sensor satellite observations. The Eastern Plain Lake Zone (EPL) of China contains numerous shallow lakes and reservoirs embedded in densely populated and intensively cultivated lowland catchments, making it a representative region for high-frequency eutrophication monitoring. Here, we developed a monthly Trophic State Index (TSI) monitoring framework for lakes and reservoirs in the EPL using Harmonized Landsat–Sentinel (HLS) observations. The XGBoost model using combined spectral features achieved the best validation performance (R² = 0.90, RMSE = 5.23), and provided the highest trophic-state classification accuracy, with an overall accuracy of 0.73 and a Kappa coefficient of 0.66. Lakes showed substantially higher trophic levels than reservoirs, with mean TSI values of 57.32 ± 6.89 and 45.00 ± 9.22, respectively. Temporally, significantly decreasing and increasing TSI trends accounted for about 15% and 5%, respectively. Natural lake TSI reflects integrated climatic, anthropogenic, and hydro-morphological influences, whereas reservoir TSI variability may be more closely associated with hydrological regulation and morphometric conditions. Our results show that HLS observations provide a robust basis for monthly eutrophication monitoring in optically complex shallow lake regions. The EPL-focused framework highlights the value of virtual satellite constellations for detecting short-term trophic deterioration and supporting region-specific lake and reservoir management. Full article

The structurally complex Cangdong fault zone controls the medium- to low-temperature geothermal potential of the Dongli Lake field in Tianjin, China. Previous assessments in Chinese sedimentary basins predominantly employed simplified volumetric methods that cannot capture transient system behavior under production–reinjection conditions, largely due to the scarcity of systematic dynamic monitoring data. This study addresses this gap by exploiting relatively abundant dynamic monitoring records in the study area, integrating borehole stratigraphy, geological cross-sections, and well logging data to construct a 3D geological model and coupled numerical model of the fault-controlled reservoir. Meticulous natural-state calibration against temperature and pressure logging monitoring data yields key reservoir parameters, achieving mean relative errors of 2.35–3.33% for temperature and 6.32–9.73% for pressure. These results are based on calibration against wells DL-19 and DL-40, which intersect the Jxw reservoir at depths of 1850–2300 m. This process quantifies thermal conductivity and reveals pronounced permeability anisotropy in the primary Jixian Wumishan (Jxw) reservoir, with horizontal permeability (3.00 × 10⁻¹³ m²) an order of magnitude higher than vertical (3.00 × 10⁻¹⁴ m²), directly evidencing the fault zone’s hydraulic dominance. Dynamic sensitivity analysis demonstrates that optimal well placement must target high-permeability zones adjacent to the main fault, and adaptive reinjection protocols are proposed for pressure maintenance and thermal drawdown mitigation. This research provides a calibrated, data-driven framework and scientifically grounded strategies for long-term sustainability of the Dongli Lake resource, with transferable implications for optimizing development in other fault-controlled sedimentary basin systems. Full article

Extreme hydrological events induced by climate change pose significant challenges to the ecological stability of river-connected lake-wetland systems. Poyang Lake, China’s largest freshwater lake, provides an ideal case for investigating landscape responses to compound drought and flood disturbances. This study quantifies the propagation process from meteorological drought to hydrological drought and identifies critical water level thresholds governing abrupt landscape transitions. By integrating remote sensing data, drought indices, Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA), and piecewise regression, we evaluated nonlinear landscape responses to extreme water level fluctuations. The results showed that the optimal lag time for lake water area response to meteorological drought was 21 days. Landscape connectivity exhibited nonlinear responses to water level variations, with 12.50 m and 12.73 m identified as critical thresholds for maintaining lake-wide connectivity and core deep-water habitats, respectively. The 9.75–14.44 m water level range was identified as the key sensitive interval associated with rapid landscape reorganization. Moreover, landscape responses showed significant spatial heterogeneity, with the Nanji Wetland National Nature Reserve being more sensitive to drought-induced fragmentation than the Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve. These findings provide quantitative thresholds and adaptive management implications for improving the resilience of floodplain lake-wetland systems under increasing hydrological extremes. Full article

This study quantitatively analyzed the dynamic changes in the evaluation scores of ecological carrying capacity (ECC_it) and per capita ecological footprint (ef) across six counties in the Qinghai Lake Ecological Functional Zone from 2000 to 2024. A coupling coordination prediction model and cluster analysis were employed to classify the six counties within the Qinghai Lake Ecological Functional Zone and to identify appropriate industrial development pathways. In addition, a system dynamics approach was used to verify the rationality of the county clustering and industrial pathway selection and to predict the dynamic changes in ecological carrying capacity (ECC_it), per capita ecological footprint (ef), and their coupling coordination degree (CCDM) for each county through 2035. The results indicate that: (1) Significant differences existed in the ecological carrying capacity evaluation scores (ECC_it) among the counties in the Qinghai Lake Ecological Functional Zone. The average score was the highest in Huangyuan County (56.81), the next was in Gonghe County (51.73), and the lowest was in Wulan County (34.76) from 2000 to 2024. (2) There are significant differences in the per capita ecological footprint (ef) within the Qinghai Lake Ecological Functional Zone. From 2000 to 2024, the lowest average value was in Gonghe County (0.53), and the highest was in Huangyuan County (1.55), which indicates a clear mismatch between ecological carrying capacity and ecological footprint. (3) The coupling coordination between ecological carrying capacity and ecological footprint remained relatively low across all six counties during 2000–2024. Among them, the D value of Haiyan County was the lowest (0.64), while that of Gonghe County was the highest (0.86). (4) The six counties were divided into Key conservation zones (Gangcha County, Gonghe County, Tianjun County, Wulan County), a General conservation-oriented development zone (Haiyan County), and a Transfer-development zone (Huangyuan County). This study provides policy suggestions and practical guidance for the sustainable development of industrial zoning in the Qinghai Lake Ecological Functional Zone: Key conservation zones should strengthen the matching of ecological investment and industrial structure, the General conservation-oriented development zone urgently needs to establish a fiscal mechanism that uses tourism revenue to support ecology, and the Transfer-development zone must seek a dynamic balance between industrial increment and emission reduction technologies. Full article

Background: Powassan virus (POWV) is the only tick-borne encephalitis-group flavivirus endemic to the United States (U.S.) and is an increasingly serious public health threat. Reported U.S. cases remain relatively few but have grown steadily—from fewer than two annually before 2005 to a record 60 in 2024—and neuroinvasive disease carries a 10–15% case fatality with lasting neurological sequelae in roughly half of the survivors. Examining POWV through a One Health lens, we conducted a scoping review of its ecological and zoonotic drivers, its interactions with co-circulating tick-borne pathogens, its full clinical spectrum, and its distinction from other tick-borne diseases. Methods: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidance, we searched PubMed/MEDLINE, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) surveillance databases, state health-department publications, and vetted public-health news through early 2026. The review was conducted as an AI-integrative partnership among the authors, the Global Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology Online Network (GIDEON) database, and Claude (Anthropic), enabling a synthesis of human-curated archival records collected over six years alongside the published literature; this yielded over 200 sources, almost half unavailable through an AI search alone. Results: POWV is maintained in a sylvatic cycle involving I. scapularis ticks, small-mammal reservoirs, and incidental human spillover. Its clinical spectrum spans asymptomatic seroconversion to fatal meningoencephalitis; prodromal fever, headache, vomiting, and fatigue may progress to encephalitis, seizures, aphasia, cranial-nerve palsies, paralysis, and ataxia—the most severe neurological syndrome among U.S. tick-borne diseases. Cases cluster in the northeastern and Great Lakes states, with older males disproportionately affected, while viral evidence extends to the mid-Atlantic, southern, and western regions. POWV is distinguished by its flaviviral etiology, short (as little as 15 min) transmission window, absence of a characteristic rash, and complete antibiotic resistance. Of the 48 states surveyed, only 7 published POWV data. Conclusions: POWV is an escalating One Health threat driven by expanding vector tick ranges, land-use and climate change, and wildlife–human interface dynamics. Enhanced cross-sector surveillance integrating human, animal, and environmental monitoring, alongside improved public-health data reporting, is urgently needed. Full article

Chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV) is a bipartite positive-sense RNA virus that causes significant colony losses in honey bees, yet its tissue-level infection dynamics remain poorly characterized. We performed tissue-resolved virome analysis of two naturally infected Apis mellifera apiaries during a CBPV outbreak in Shandong, China. The apiaries shared a queen source and overwintering site but were separated by over 80 km at the time of sampling and developed contrasting disease patterns. Symptomatic foragers showing characteristic clinical signs of CBPV infection, including trembling, flightlessness, crawling, and hairless dark cuticle, and asymptomatic foragers were collected. Head, thorax, and midgut tissues were then dissected and used for RNA sequencing, yielding 36 RNA-seq libraries. In symptomatic bees, CBPV dominated the virome, with viral loads highest in heads and lowest in midguts. The RNA1/RNA2 copy ratio revealed a conserved tissue-specific gradient, shifting from RNA2 predominance in heads and thoraces to RNA1 enrichment in midguts (p = 0.024 for each apiary). This directional imbalance was validated by multiple controls and conserved across two genetically distinguishable CBPV populations, implicating the host tissue environment as the primary driver. In asymptomatic bees, the two apiaries harbored markedly different covert viromes, with CBPV dominant in the heads and thoraces of one apiary and near-exclusive Lake Sinai virus dominance in the other. These findings reveal that CBPV segment stoichiometry is modulated in a tissue-dependent manner in vivo and that viral genetic composition and covert virome composition can diverge notably between epidemiologically connected apiaries, providing additional insight into the infection biology of CBPV under natural conditions. Full article

Thermokarst lakes are sensitive components of Arctic permafrost landscapes and important methane sources, yet aquatic vegetation change is rarely examined together with lake water dynamics. We used Landsat observations to quantify water area, aquatic vegetation occurrence frequency, and maximum vegetation extent for 32,439 lakes in Northeast Siberia from 2000 to 2025. Long-term trends, rapid events, event-centered trajectories, and water–vegetation coupling were analyzed at regional and individual-lake scales, while a same-lake case–control design examined climate anomalies associated with rapid vegetation increases. Regional lake water area showed a net increase of only 0.05% between the 2000–2004 and 2021–2025 mean periods because gains in small lakes were offset by losses in large lakes. Over the same two periods, maximum aquatic vegetation extent increased by 172.5%, and 47.4% of lakes showed a significant increase. Stable water area combined with increasing vegetation extent in 39.9% of all lakes, indicating substantial long-term decoupling. Rapid lake contraction was followed by gradual vegetation increases, whereas rapid vegetation increases generally occurred without systematic lake-area change. Event years were more often associated with a positive growing-season water balance and reduced May–July snowmelt, although these relationships varied among years. Aquatic greening therefore represents substantial ecological reorganization within Arctic lake basins that is only partly captured by conventional surface water monitoring. Full article

This study aims to systematically review the current applications and development trends of virtual reality (VR) technology in blue space research. It clarifies the main research methods, technical pathways, application scenarios, and existing knowledge gaps, and integrates the advantages of VR technology with the characteristics of blue spaces to provide references for future urban renewal and urban management research. Following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines, this study searched literature published up to January 2026 in the Web of Science and Scopus databases. A total of 41 original studies were included. A scoping review approach was adopted, employing descriptive statistics, cross-analysis, and classification methods. Existing studies mainly focus on blue space types such as rivers and lakes, with immersive head-mounted displays as the primary method. Most experiments adopt single session, short term exposure designs, suggesting potential positive effects of virtual blue spaces in reducing stress, improving mood, and restoring attention. Other studies demonstrate the application of VR technology in environmental education, design assessment, and urban management within blue spaces. As an indirect exposure and supplementary intervention tool, VR shows significant potential in blue space research, particularly in supporting vulnerable populations, large-scale urban planning and design assessment, and risk management. However, current research still faces several limitations, including insufficient multisensory integration, limited capability in simulating dynamic water environments, lack of methodological standardization, uneven sample distribution, absence of longitudinal studies, and weak interactive and social dimensions. The findings highlight the need for further research on these specific aspects. Full article

Local physicochemical variability in small post-extraction gravel pit lakes is often difficult to interpret because water chemistry may reflect both seasonal dynamics and highly local shoreline conditions. This study assessed spatial and temporal patterns in selected physicochemical parameters of near-surface water at eight fixed littoral sampling points representing contrasting riparian and land-use settings in two gravel pit lakes within the Międzyrzeckie Jeziorka lake complex near Międzyrzec Podlaski, eastern Poland. Surface-water monitoring was conducted from 9 November 2024 to 23 September 2025. The analytical dataset covered total organic carbon, inorganic carbon, total carbon, total nitrogen and laboratory-measured pH. The strongest and most consistent changes occurred between sampling dates in both lakes. Differences among fixed points were limited; total nitrogen differed between two points in Gravel pit lake no. 1, while the other parameters showed no date-adjusted point-level pattern over the monitored period. Mean total organic carbon and total carbon concentrations were similar in the two lakes, whereas Gravel pit lake no. 1 showed higher maximum values for most parameters and greater variability in selected carbon and nitrogen fractions. Laboratory-measured pH was generally weakly acidic to near-neutral, and the lowest observations occurred during individual campaigns. The findings show pronounced temporal dynamics and a restricted spatial signal in the monitored littoral zones. Repeated fixed-point sampling provided a clear basis for comparing temporal changes and local differences in these post-extraction lakes. These inferences are restricted to the monitored near-surface physicochemical variables. Full article

Reservoirs, driven jointly by artificial regulation and natural processes, are semi-artificial complex ecosystems whose equilibrium states affect the water ecological security and management effectiveness of a river basin. Understanding how operational dispatch alters hydrodynamic processes, habitat structures, and biological succession pathways is necessary, as traditional steady-state theories based on natural lakes struggle to fully explain the responses of reservoir ecosystems. Therefore, this review constructs a theoretical framework for reservoir ecosystem regimes, defining the core connotation of their “conditional metastable state” as the long-term maintenance of physicochemical, biological, and hydro morphological parameters within limits that allow ecosystem functioning under anthropogenic regulation and natural disturbances. It identifies typical characteristics such as habitat reconstruction-driven dynamics, altered ecological resilience, dual threshold effects, and regulation-modified hydrological processes. We propose that reservoir regime shifts can be analyzed from three levels: the evolutionary sequence of the full life cycle, stage transitions during the operational period, and disturbance responses at multiple time scales. Full article

The efficiencies of the restoration of three lakes of varied water dynamics—the polymictic Mielenko Lake (7.8 ha; 1.9 m), the meromictic Klasztorne Małe Lake (13.7 ha; 20.0 m), and the holomictic Klasztorne Duże Lake (57.5 ha; 8.5 m)—with the use of the phosphorus inactivation method and with the sequential application of iron and aluminum compounds have been compared. The full dose of the Fe coagulant used for the restoration of these lakes varied between 9 and 93 tons (littoral zone). The full dose of the Al coagulant applied in the studied lakes ranged between 9 and 148 tons (profundal zone). After the application of the reagents, greater efficiency in phosphate removal from the water column was observed in the stratified Klasztorne Małe and Klasztorne Duże lakes. Notably, in both lakes, inhibition of the internal loading process was observed. Research carried out several years after the completion of lake restoration showed that the obtained effects persist quite well in Klasztorne Małe Lake and Klasztorne Duże Lake, and in the case of the shallow-water Mielenko Lake, there was a significant increase in the concentration of phosphorus compounds in the bottom parts of the water. This phenomenon may be related to the shallow depth of the lake, high coupling between water and bottom sediments, and the large surface area of the active bottom. The results obtained for the Klasztorne Lakes show that the use of two types of compounds makes it possible to reduce the cost of restoration, and moreover, the dosing of iron salts in the coastal areas of the lakes ensures a higher level of ecological safety. Full article

Remote sensing inversion of suspended solids (SS) in karst plateau lakes is challenging due to spectral mixing and strong nonlinearity. This study develops an inversion framework using Sentinel-2 MSI imagery and field data from 40 sampling sites at Pingzhai Reservoir. An Extremely Randomized Trees (ERT) model was constructed with 20 spectral features selected via correlation analysis and multicollinearity control. The ERT model demonstrated excellent performance (R² = 0.90, RMSE = 0.95 mg/L, MAE = 0.66 mg/L), outperforming conventional linear models (improved by 57%) and other machine learning algorithms. The near-surface SS concentrations exhibited significant seasonality, peaking in spring and summer (7.3 mg/L) and concentrating in inflow zones. TOC and water temperature were identified as key drivers, while a negative correlation with total nitrogen under alkaline conditions highlighted unique karst nutrient dynamics. This framework provides an accurate, high-spatiotemporal-resolution remote sensing solution for SS monitoring, supporting water-quality management in karst regions. Full article