Spatial association between green space and COPD mortality: a township-level ecological study in Chongqing, China.

BACKGROUND: There are regional differences in the effect of green space on mortality of Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We conduct an ecological study, using the administrative divisions of Chongqing townships in China as the basic unit, to investigate the association between COPD mortality and green space based on data of 313,013 COPD deaths in Chongqing from 2012 to 2020. Green space is defined by Fractional vegetation cover (FVC), which is further calculated based on the normalised vegetation index (NDVI) from satellite remote sensing imagery maps. METHODS: After processing the data, the non-linear relationship between green space and COPD mortality is revealed by generalised additive models; the spatial differences between green space and COPD mortality is described by geographically weighted regression models; and finally, the interpretive power and interaction of each factor on the spatial distribution of COPD mortality is examined by a geographic probe. RESULTS: The results show that the FVC local regression coefficients ranged from - 0.0397 to 0.0478, 63.0% of the regions in Chongqing have a positive correlation between green space and COPD mortality while 37.0% of the regions mainly in the northeast and west have a negative correlation. The interpretive power of the FVC factor on the spatial distribution of COPD mortality is 0.08. CONCLUSIONS: Green space may be a potential risk factor for increased COPD mortality in some regions of Chongqing. This study is the first to reveal the relationship between COPD mortality and green space in Chongqing at the township scale, providing a basis for public health policy formulation in Chongqing.

Urban-rural difference in the lagged effects of PM2.5 and PM10 on COPD mortality in Chongqing, China.

BACKGROUND: It is true that Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) will increase social burden, especially in developing countries. Urban-rural differences in the lagged effects of PM2.5 and PM10 on COPD mortality remain unclear, in Chongqing, China. METHODS: In this study, a distributed lag non-linear model (DLNMs) was established to describe the urban-rural differences in the lagged effects of PM2.5, PM10 and COPD mortality in Chongqing, using 312,917 deaths between 2015 and 2020. RESULTS: According to the DLNMs results, COPD mortality in Chongqing increases with increasing PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations, and the relative risk (RR) of the overall 7-day cumulative effect is higher in rural areas than in urban areas. High values of RR in urban areas occurred at the beginning of exposure (Lag 0 ~ Lag 1). High values of RR in rural areas occur mainly during Lag 1 to Lag 2 and Lag 6 to Lag 7. CONCLUSION: Exposure to PM2.5 and PM10 is associated with an increased risk of COPD mortality in Chongqing, China. COPD mortality in urban areas has a high risk of increase in the initial phase of PM2.5 and PM10 exposure. There is a stronger lagging effect at high concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 exposure in rural areas, which may further exacerbate inequalities in levels of health and urbanization.

Morphological and biochemical studies of Salvia guaranitica St. Hil. under simulated deposition with different amounts of dust.

The collection of many environmental pollutants from road dust is harmful to living things and their surroundings. Previous studies have confirmed that road dust affects plant pigmentation, pollination, and biochemical properties. However, there are no comprehensive studies on multi-level dust pollution levels and multifaceted physiological properties of plants, and more importantly, there are no studies on atmospheric dust pollution monitors. In this experiment, the effect of road dust on the morphology and biochemistry of Salvia guaranitica St.Hil.was investigated by simulated deposition of different amounts of dust, and the changes of their physiological morphology under different pollution levels were also explored. A control group CK (0.00 g/plant), four experimental groups S1 (0.015 g/plant), S2 (0.030 g/plant), S3 (0.045 g/plant) and S4 (0.060 g/plant) were sprayed with the same dust samples every other day for 30 days. It was found that after 30 days of dust exposure, different degrees of morphological changes and damage occurred in Salvia. The different pollution levels also resulted in different degrees of biochemical characteristics of Salvia. With the increase of pollution, chlorophyll content, photosynthetic and evaporation rates decreased significantly, but the activity of SOD and the content of MDA increased significantly in different experimental groups. Especially, the experiments also revealed that severe road dust pollution caused damage and deformation to stomata, as well as a significant reduction in stomatal and glandular density. In addition, the regression curves of the different physiological responses of Salvia to road dust can be used as a preliminary basis for plant monitoring of dust pollution degrees, thus provided a scientific basis for the use of plant biomonitors in the field of pollution biology.

Research on the evolution characteristics, driving mechanisms and multi-scenario simulation of habitat quality in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay based on multi-model coupling.

Since the 20th century, the global urbanization has led to a series of pollution issues, posing a severe threat to the habitat quality of human habitat. The quality of habitat determines whether ecosystems can provide suitable living conditions for humans and other species. Therefore, systematic study of the habitat quality is essential for the maintenance of sustainable development. In this study, we coupled models such as SD, InVEST and PLUS with a series of indicators to analyze the characteristics of land cover and habitat quality evolution in the Guangdong-HongKong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) from 2000 to 2020 and deconstruct the driving mechanisms of habitat quality. Then simulate the evolution of land cover and habitat quality under different scenarios in 2030. The results show that: 1) Over the historical research period, the GBA exhibited "rapid expansion of artificial surfaces and rapid shrinkage of ecological land". Artificial surfaces increased by approximately 4878.95km2,while ecological land, such as agricultural land, decreased by about 3095.93km2.2) The degradation of habitat quality gradually accelerated and the habitat quality was characterized by "stepwise decline from the periphery to the interior", which was directly related to the land cover changes brought about by the topographic gradient effect in the Bay Area.3) Pollution control driven by environmental investments has had a moderating effect on habitat degradation, but it has not been able to change the overall degradation trend. 4) Scenario analysis suggests that future habitat quality in the GBA will degrade to a certain extent due to the impact of artificial surface expansion. We deduce that this will affect the structure of the city's ecological network as well as the conservation function of the ecological zones. This study provides a scientific basis for understanding the historical and future trends of habitat quality in the GBA, offering new insights into the intrinsic driving mechanisms of habitat quality. It also provides a theoretical support for relevant authorities to undertake sustainable development initiatives.

Spatial and temporal evolution characteristics and factors of heat vulnerability in the Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration from 2001 to 2022.

To explore the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of heat vulnerability in the Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration during heatwave disasters, this research employs the Entropy Weight Method (EWM) to calculate the heat vulnerability assessment results for nine cities in the region spanning from 2001 to 2022. Through the application of kernel density estimation, Moran's I, and the Geographically and Temporally Weighted Regression (GTWR) model, which is proven to be superior to traditional model such as OLS, this study analyzes the dynamic distribution patterns of heat vulnerability in the study area and dissect the trends of influencing factors. The results reveal that from 2001 to 2022, the overall heat vulnerability index in the study area demonstrates a fluctuating downward trend. Key contributors to heat vulnerability include high-frequency and long-duration heatwaves, population sensitivity, and changes in residents' consumption levels. Throughout this period of development, the disparity in heat vulnerability among cities has gradually widened, indicating an overall pattern of uneven development in the region. Future attention should be focused on formulating heat adaptation strategies in areas with high vulnerability to enhance the overall sustainability of the study area.