Given the rapid urbanization worldwide, Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect has been a severe issue limiting urban sustainability in both large and small cities. In order to study the spatial pattern of Surface urban heat island (SUHI) in China’s Meihekou City, a combination method of Monte Carlo and Random Forest Regression (MC-RFR) is developed to construct the relationship between landscape pattern indices

Currently the deteriorated water quality for Huaihe River Basin (HRB) in China was still serious because of the negative influence multiple pollution sources including animal manure. However, little attention was paid to the potential risk of animal manure for farmland and water quality of HRB. This study was quantified and forecasted animal manure risk and its spatiotemporal variations in HRB from

use of a non-zero hydrologic response unit (HRU) threshold is an effective way of reducing unmanageable HRU numbers and simplifying computational cost in the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) hydrologic modelling. However, being less representative of watershed heterogeneity and increasing the level of model output uncertainty are inevitable when minor HRU combinations are disproportionately eliminated

Sustainable development is the theme of the 21st century. To monitor the progress of sustainable development, the United Nations launched Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015. Subsequently, nations of the world have drawn up a list of localized indicators regarding the United Nations SDGs as a paradigm. We established a database including SDGs indicator systems of 11 economies by collecting

The spatial characteristics of residents’ leisure activities not only reflect their demand for urban leisure space but also affect the urban spatial layout. This study takes Shenyang, China as an example and analyzes the characteristics of residents’ leisure activities through questionnaires. On this basis, it uses point of interest data and mobile phone signaling data to identify various types of

To solve the problems caused by irrational land-use, studying the functions of land-use, its changing characteristics, and the relationship between each land-use function will be beneficial for achieving sustainable land development. In this research, we constructed an evaluation framework of multiple land-use functions (LUFs) based on sustainable land-use theory. Specifically, we classified the multiple

With the advent of the era of big data and artificial intelligence, new infrastructure construction (NIC) has attracted the attention of many countries. The development of NIC provides an opportunity to bridge the digital divide and narrow the regional gap, providing continuous impetus to further promote economic development. Here, we considered 31 provincial-level administrative units in China (not

According to China’s second national survey of pollution sources, the contribution of agricultural non-point sources (ANS) to water pollution is still high. Risk prevention and control are the main means to control costs and improve the efficiency of ANS, but most studies directly take pollution load as the risk standard, leading to a considerable misjudgment of the actual pollution risk. To objectively

The interactions between groundwater depth and soil hydrological processes, play an important role in both arid and semi-arid ecosystems. The effect of groundwater depth on soil water variations were neglected or not explicitly treated. In this paper, we combine a simulation experiment and a water flow module of HYDRUS-1D model to study the variation in soil evaporation under different groundwater

Variations in vegetation are closely related to climate change, but understanding of their characteristics and causes remains limited. As a typical semi-humid and semi-arid cold plateau region, it is important to understand the knowledge of long term Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) variations and find the potential causes in the source region of the Yangtze River. Based on four tree-ring

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) is the most unique region of human-land relations, and its main factor is population. By building a population and space dataset of the QTP at the township level from 1982 to 2017, this paper presents the pattern evolvement and regional distribution characteristics of township-level population in the QTP in detail for the first time. By using Geodetector method to analyze

As an important step enhancing regional innovation, researches on collaborative innovation have attracted much more attention recently. One significant reason is that cities can get excessive benefits while they take collaborative innovation activities. Based on the theories of innovation geography, this paper takes the collaborative innovation of the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) Urban Agglomeration as

The increase in China’s skilled labor force has drawn much attention from policymakers, national and international firms and media. Understanding how educated talent locates and re-locates across the country can guide future policy discussions of equality, firm localization and service allocation. Prior studies have tended to adopt a static cross-national approach providing valuable insights into the

It is very important to understand the ecological and socio-economic factors in population distribution and their changes over time for the compilation of regional development planning and the guidance of rational population flow. Using surface-based population data for China from 1990 to 2015, the national distribution and dynamics of the human population by elevation are quantified based on 1-km

The seasonal and interannual variabilities of sea surface wind (SSW) in the South China Sea (SCS), especially in coral reef regions such as Nansha Islands, Xisha Islands, Zhongsha Islands and Dongsha Islands were investigated in detail using the Blended Sea Winds dataset (1988–2017). Annual and monthly variations of SSW and sea surface temperature (SST) in the four zones were investigated. Empirical

To comprehensively understand the law of urban-rural relationship and propose scientific measures of urban-rural coordinated development in Northeast China, this study uses the coupling coordination degree model and geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR) model to analyze the spatial-temporal patterns and the corresponding driving mechanisms of its urban-rural coordination since 1990

In this study, an inventory analysis approach was used to investigate the intensity of agricultural non-point source pollution (ANSP) and its spatial convergence at national and provincial levels in China from 1999 to 2017. On this basis, spatial factors affecting ANSP were explored by constructing a spatial econometric model. The results indicate that: 1) The intensity of China’s ANSP emission showed

Dominated by an arid and semiarid continental climate, the Beijing-Tianjin Sandstorm Source Region (BTSSR) is a typical ecologically fragile region with frequently occurring droughts. To provide information for regional vegetation protection and drought prevention, we assessed the relations between vegetation cover change (measured by the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, NDVI) and the Standardized

This study analyzed the spatio-temporal variability of air quality data for six standard air pollutants (Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM2.5), Particulate Matter 10 (PM10), SO2, NO2, CO, and O3) in the Sichuan Basin (SCB), China from 2015 to 2018 in relation to the formation of haze using conventional meteorological data (temperature, wind speed, and relative humidity), satellite data (fire point data, vertical

Spatiotemporal variations of anthropogenic heat flux (AHF) is reported to be associated with global warming. However, confined to the low spatial resolution of energy consumption statistical data, details of AHF was not well descripted. To obtain high spatial resolution data of AHF, Defense Meteorological Satellite Program/Operational Linescan System (DMSP/OLS) nighttime light time-series product and

Increasing cases of lake eutrophication globally have raised concerns among stakeholders, and particularly in China. Evaluating the causes of eutrophication in waterways is essential for effective pollution prevention and control. Xiao Xingkai Lake is part of and connected to Xingkai (Khanka) Lake, a boundary lake between China and Russia. In this study, we investigated the spatio-temporal variabilities

Based on the connotation of urban resilience and the main contradictions of China’s urbanization, urban resilience is placed within the main daily activities contradictory scene of the urban man-land system to build a theoretical framework of urban activity resilience. Relying on geographic big data, this study identifies the spatial characteristics of activity resilience, reveals the impact of activity

Understanding regional environmental heterogeneity (EH) and biodiversity relationships (heterogeneity-diversity relationships: HDRs) is the first step toward coupling environmental variables with biodiversity surrogates into regional systematic conservation planning. However, there is no universal method for determining regional HDRs that considers various environmental variables and biodiversity in

Accurate estimates of precipitation are fundamental for hydrometeorological and ecohydrological studies, but are more difficult in high mountainous areas because of the high elevation and complex terrain. This study compares and evaluates two kinds of precipitation datasets, the reanalysis product downscaled by the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) output, and the satellite product, the Tropical

Vegetation phenology is an indicator of vegetation response to natural environmental changes and is of great significance for the study of global climate change and its impact on terrestrial ecosystems. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and enhanced vegetation index (EVI), extracted from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS), are widely used to monitor phenology by calculating

Due to the complex dynamic of aeolian and fluvial interacted processes behind the landform development, most of previous works started from classifying the types of landscape characterized by various aeolian and fluvial features. Such classifications are usually generalized based on large geomorphic data set abstracted from satellite images without field verification and dynamic field data. In this

In recent years, O2O e-commerce, represented by online group-buying, has developed vigorously, which had significant impacts on urban commercial space. Zhengzhou City is a rising national central city in China, and its e-commerce development level is ahead, but relevant researches are rare. Therefore, the data of online retailers of Meituan.com was collected and combined with Baidu map and Baidu heat

This paper aims to the debate on the nexus between informal economies and the environment by investigating the long-term dynamic impacts of China’s informal economies on pollution and considering regional differences in informal economies’ pollution. This paper uses the Multiple Indicators Multiple Causes (MIMIC) model to estimate the size of informal economies and employs econometric models to examine

Social assistance is the last safety net in the social security system and plays a vital role in poverty alleviation in countries around the world. Promoting the equal financial assistance is meaningful to achieve equalization of social assistance. Based on the provincial panel data from 2002 to 2017, this paper analyzes the dynamic characteristics and main influencing factors of the equity of social

With the global economy increasingly dependent on innovation, urban discourse has shifted to consider what kinds of spatial designs may best nurture innovation. We examined the relationship between the built environment and the spatial heterogeneity of regional innovation productivity (RIP) using the example of China’s Pearl River Delta (PRD). Based on a spatial database of 522 546 patent data from

Agricultural science and technology parks (ASTPs) represent an important growth pole in China’s agricultural modernization. Clarifying their diffusion laws can optimize the technological diffusion process and improve its efficiency. Our study uses disaggregated spatial information in its model to analyze ASTP technology diffusion in a heterogeneous space. We constructed a comprehensive index system

As the major source of air pollution, sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions have become the focus of global attention. However, existing studies rarely consider spatial effects when discussing the relationship between foreign direct investment (FDI) and SO2 emissions. This study took the Yangtze River Delta as the research area and used the spatial panel data of 26 cities in this region for 2004–2017. The

As a matter of expediency, most existing corporate-based urban networks can only be quantitatively measured by either counting the number of linkages or calculating the product of estimated service values. However, the impreciseness arising due to the limits of quantitative analysis may prove fatal to studies about non-market economies like China. Employing the capital investment dataset as an example

To determine the pollution levels and potential toxic risks of arsenic (As) and heavy metals (Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd) in water and suspended particulate matter (SPM) in tail reaches (including freshwater reach and low-salinity reach) of the Yellow River as the Flow-Sediment Regulation Project (FSRP) has been carried out for approximately 15 yr, the surface water and SPM were sampled at pre-flood

With the emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT), there has been a proliferation of urban studies using big data. Yet, another type of urban research innovations that involve interdisciplinary thinking and methods remains underdeveloped. This paper represents an attempt to adopt a Hidden Markov Model (HMM) toolbox developed in Computer Science for the analysis of eye movement patterns in Psychology

Detailed information on the spatio-temporal changes of cropland soil organic carbon (SOC) can significantly contribute to the improvement of soil fertility and mitigate climate change. Nonetheless, information and knowledge on the national scale spatio-temporal changes and the corresponding uncertainties of SOC in Chinese upland soils remain limited. The CENTURY model was used to estimate the SOC storages

From 28 March to 17 April, 2018, different forms of mercury (Hg) in the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea were measured to study the influencing factors on the distribution and transformation of Hg in spring using a shared cruise. The mean concentration of dissolved gaseous mercury (DGM) in the surface water of the Yellow and Bohai Seas was (44.3 ± 43.9) pg/L, which was close to that in mid-latitude oceans

China has experienced rapid urbanizations with dramatic land cover changes since 1978. Forest loss is one of land cover changes, and it induces various eco-environmental degradation issues. As one of China’s hotspot regions, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) has undergone a dramatic urban expansion. To better understand forest dynamics and protect forest ecosystem, revealing the

A comprehensive understanding of the spatial interaction between the industrial undertaking capability and the position of the global value chain of the 12 East Asian countries is conducive to strengthening regional cooperation, gaining a say in foreign trade and becoming the dominant player in the global division of labor system. The article reveals the operating rules of the interaction between the

Characterizing the availability of opportunities to residents has been a long-term aim in health care geographic investigation. It is important to measure the degree of inequity in health care accessibility and to identify underserved areas, due to the uneven distribution of health care services. In this study, JavaScript was used to calculate travel time based on Amap, as this can provide a more reliable

Delineating life circles is an essential prerequisite for urban community life circle planning. Recent studies combined the environmental contexts with residents’ global positioning system (GPS) data to delineate the life circles. This method, however, is constrained by GPS data, and it can only be applied in the GPS surveyed communities. To address this limitation, this study developed a generalizable

Promoting the sustainable intensification of cultivated land use (SICL) has become crucial for ensuring a sufficient supply of grain and important agricultural products, as well as for the sustainable use of resources. Taking widely used areas of Shandong Province in China as examples, an analytical scale and level framework for SICL is constructed in this study. It measures the level of SICL through

The connectedness between cities has become one of the most widely discussed topics in urban and regional research in the mobile and big data era. One problem identified is the asymmetric city connectivity, partially due to data availability. We present a data-driven approach based on location and toponym (place name) extracted from social media data, to assess the asymmetric connectivity between cities

The north-south transitional zone in China mainly consists of the Qinling-Daba Mountains. It is the most important West-East geo-ecological space in China, containing protected areas vital for biodiversity conservation and ecological security of China. The protection and rational development of its natural habitat is of great significance to China’s ecological security and integration of protected

Understanding the dynamics of urbanization is essential to the sustainable development of cities. Meanwhile the analysis of urban development can also provide scientifically and effective information for decision-making. With the long-term Defense Meteorological Satellite Program’s Operational Linescan System (DMSP/OLS) nighttime light images, a pixel level assessment of urbanization of China from

Mobile information and communication technologies (MICTs) have fully penetrated everyday life in smart societies; this has greatly compressed time, space, and distance, and consequently, reshaped residents’ travel behaviour patterns. As a new mode of shared mobility, the sharing bicycle offers a variety of options for the daily travel of urban residents. Extant studies have mainly examined the travel

Land use changes have significant impacts on the carbon balance in an urban ecosystem. When there is rapid development in urbanizing regions, land use changes have a dramatic effect on vegetation carbon storage (VCS). This study investigates the impact of land use change on VCS in a period of rapid urbanization in Hangzhou, China. The results show that: 1) from 2000 to 2015, land use in Hangzhou underwent

Hydrological connectivity has significant effects on the functions of estuarine wetland ecosystem. This study aimed to examine the dynamics of hydrological connectivity and its impact on soil carbon pool in the Yellow River Delta, China. We calculated the hydrological connectivity based on the hydraulic resistance and graph theory, and measured soil total carbon and organic carbon under four different

Based on the adaptive analysis paradigm, this paper constructs an evaluation index system and an evaluation model of the level of industrial ecology of a restricted development zone from the perspective of the industrial system and of the environmental system, and studies the spatial-temporal differentiation characteristics and the driving factors of the level of industrial ecology of the restricted

China has started shifting from relying on supply management to demand management strategy in addressing its water shortage problems. Water option, a financial derivative for water commodity, has been utilized to manage water demands in the United States and Europe since the 1990s but is still novel to China. In this study we analyzed the pros and cons of China’s existing system for water rights transfers

Land desertification and aeolian activity are currently the greatest threats to alpine ecological environments and are also the primary challenges of desertification control and ecological restoration projects. Afforestation of sandy lands around the Qinghai Lake in China has effectively controlled the desertification of this watershed. However, certain issues remain which challenge its overall success

Scientific collaboration has become an important part of the people-to-people exchanges in the Belt and Road initiative, and remarkable progress has been made since 2013. Taking the 65 countries along the Belt and Road (BRI countries) as the research areas and using collaborated Web of Science (WOS) core collection papers to construct an international scientific collaboration matrix, the paper explores

There are many problems, such as poverty, unemployment, poor infrastructure and how to improve the ecological environment, in the shantytowns of old industrial cities. Shantytowns are the most centralized areas with different contradictions, referred to as the ‘problem areas’ of urban sustainable development. The shantytown transformation of old industrial cities is a typical process of unit community

The Mongolian Plateau is one of the regions most sensitive to climate change, the more obvious increase of temperature in 21st century here has been considered as one of the important causes of drought and desertification. It is very important to understand the multi-year variation and occurrence characteristics of drought in the Mongolian Plateau to explore the ecological environment and the response

Understanding the spatiotemporal patterns of three-dimensional urban forms, especially building height, can have important implications for improving urban air quality and mitigating the urban heat island effect by optimizing urban planning and management policies. This study investigated building height evolution and its influencing factors over approximately half a century (1960–2017) in Guangzhou

Soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations and stoichiometries can be used to evaluate the success indicators to the effects of wetland restoration and reflect ecosystem function. Restoration of inland soda saline-alkali wetlands is widespread, however, the soil nutrition changes that follow restoration are unclear. We quantified the recovery trajectories of soil physicochemical

Based on urban physical space and theory of landscape ecology, a triune assessment framework —‘size-density-morphology’—was constructed in order to analyze the spatial pattern and the scale effect of urban resilience in Shenyang of China in 2015, and to explore the main impact factors of landscape under different spatial scale backgrounds. The results show that: 1) Urban resilience is an optimal combination

Heat flux is important for studying interactions between atmosphere and lake. The heat exchange between air-water interfaces is one of the important ways to govern the temperature of the water surface. Heat exchange between the air-water interfaces and the surrounding environment is completed by solar radiation, conduction, and evaporation, and all these processes mainly occur at the air-water interface

Ecological security is the foundation and guarantee of sustainable development, and its importance is increasingly widely recognized and valued by the world. The Yangtze River Basin is an important ecological security barrier in China and the Wanjiang City Belt (WCB) along the Yangtze River is directly related to the ecological security pattern of the entire basin. Based on the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response

Accurate estimations of evapotranspiration (ET) are essential for understanding land-atmosphere coupling and atmosphere-underlying surface energy and water vapor exchanges. Based on input data processing, this paper simulates the temporal and spatial variation of ET in the Dajiuhu Basin from 1990 to 2018 using the BEPS-TerrainLab V2.0 model. Compared with the ET measured by an eddy covariance (EC)