Study of the static response and zoning of the existing tunnel adjacent to the suspension bridge's tunnel-type anchorage.

Due to the ability to utilize the strength of the surrounding rock to enhance bearing capacity, tunnel-type anchorages have been consistently utilized in suspension bridges. Nevertheless, a close interaction occurs between the tunnel and the tunnel-type anchor when a highway tunnel is connected to a suspension bridge. This study employed numerical simulation and theoretical analysis based on the G317 Line Huangjiayuan tunnel and Zipingpu Bridge tunnel-type anchorage project, focusing on this specific type of adjacent engineering. Firstly, the discriminant degree of adjacent influence suitable for the interaction between the tunnel-type anchorage and the tunnel structure is established. The calculation conditions are distinguished by the influencing factors determined in the discriminant. The interaction law between tunnel-type anchorage and pre-built tunnel structure is further obtained. Using the method of curve regression, based on the criterion of proximity influence degree, the partition of mutual influence degree between the tunnel-type anchorage and the tunnel structure is obtained. At the same time, it is concluded that under the original design condition, the displacement degree of the tunnel structure will be greatly affected, and the tunnel structure is located in the strong influence area. According to the partition result, under the benchmark engineering geological condition, it is suggested that the angle of intersection between tunnel anchorage and tunnel structure should be increased to 3.3° and the anchor body inclination should be increased to 44°.

[Delineation of water ecological restoration zoning from a multi-dimensional perspective: A case study in Hechi, a typical karst region]. / 多维视角下水生态修复分区划定­­ä»¥å ¸åž‹å–€æ–¯ç‰¹åœ°åŒºæ²³æ± 市为例.

Water ecological restoration zoning, which involves articulating goals for restoring water ecosystems upwards and guiding the spatial layout of restoration projects downwards, is key to achieving systematic restoration of water resource elements. There are many challenges in water ecological restoration zoning, including disparate hierarchical systems, incomplete indicators, and vague boundaries. With Guangxi Hechi, a karst ecologically fragile region, as a case, we developed a multidimensional zoning system framework based on "watershed natural unit-dominant ecological function-ecological stress risk". The first-level zoning employed river systems and geomorphic types as indicators and delineated the sub-watershed unit as the boundary. The second-level zoning adopted a "top-down" division method to clarify the goal of water ecological restoration based on watershed natural geography and select three indicators (water conservation, biodiversity, and landscape cultural services) for evaluation. We used the K-means clustering method to identify dominant ecological functions in spatial units, with the sub-watershed unit demarcating second-level zoning boundaries. The third-level zoning was the specific implementation unit for ecological restoration projects. We used three indicators (soil erosion, flooding risk, and human interference) to characterize water ecosystem risk from external coercion, and defined the third-level zoning. We delineated 11 primary water ecological zones, four secondary zones, and three tertiary zones. Synthesizing tertiary zoning results accounted for spatial differentiation characteristics of watershed natural geography, dominant ecological functions, and ecological coercion risks, and combining sub-watershed and township administrative units determined zoning boundaries, water ecological restoration zoning was comprehensively classified into five categories and 32 sub-ecological zones. Corresponding ecological restoration strategies were proposed based on zoning and classification.

The Race to Exclude: Residential Growth Controls in California Cities, 1970-1992.

Local regulations that restrict residential growth are a key driver of California's affordable housing crisis. Scholars have argued these growth controls were implemented in the late 20th century by cities intending to exclude Black households. However, growth controls may also have plausibly been driven by a desire to exclude growing Hispanic, Asian, and foreign-born populations; by increased concern about the negative environmental consequences of population growth; or by homeowners' or cities' fiscal motivations. I jointly test these competing explanations using time-varying data on the adoption of a variety of residential growth controls covering California cities from 1970-1992. I find that, all else equal, cities with a lower share of Black residents-both in absolute terms, and relative to their metropolitan area-were more likely to pass residential growth controls. I also find some evidence that growth controls were more likely to be passed in areas experiencing greater Black population growth and in cities more supportive of White-Black segregation. Finally, I find strong evidence that, net of other factors, cities in areas more supportive of policies to protect the environment were more likely to pass residential growth controls.

[Spatiotemporal Differentiation of Carbon Budget and Carbon Compensation Zoning Based on the Plan for Major Function-oriented Zones：A Case Study of Counties in the Yellow River Basin].

Exploring the spatiotemporal differentiation of the carbon budget and clarifying the zoning of carbon compensation based on the perspective of the main function-oriented zones is of great significance for promoting regional low-carbon development and achieving the "dual carbon" goal. This study was conducted using 550 counties in the Yellow River Basin as the basic unit, and based on the concentration index to examine the spatial distribution characteristics of carbon emissions and carbon absorptions in the main function-oriented zones of the Yellow River Basin, a four-dimensional benchmark framework for carbon compensation zoning was constructed by total scale, economic contribution, ecological carrying capacity, and land development intensity. The SOM-K-means algorithm was used to establish a differentiated carbon compensation zoning scheme. The results showed that： ① The carbon emissions and carbon absorptions and their growth trends of the main function-oriented zones in the Yellow River Basin were in line with the positioning of the main functional area, and the significant space-time distribution characteristics of the concentration level of carbon emissions and carbon absorptions were shown. ② Significant regional differences exist in the four attributes of total carbon emissions scale, economic contribution, ecological carrying capacity, and land development intensity. The overall scale of carbon emissions showed a growth trend, with obvious comparative advantages in the midstream and downstream. The overall comparative advantage of economic contribution increased first and then decreased, with the midstream and downstream being the attribute advantage areas of economic contribution. The overall ecological carrying capacity had been improved, and the upstream had obvious advantages in ecological carrying properties. The advantageous areas for land development were mainly concentrated in the midstream and downstream； in particular, the comparative advantage index in the midstream was showing a rapid upward trend. ③ Moreover, there were 287 compensated areas, 78 balanced areas, and 185 payment areas in the Yellow River Basin. Eleven types of carbon compensation zones were finally formed by combining the comparative advantage index of four types of attributes with the plan for main function-oriented zones, and corresponding low-carbon development strategies were proposed for each type of zone.

Seasonal urban surface thermal environment analysis based on local climate zones: A case study of Chongqing.

The rapid urbanization has exacerbated the heat island effect, impacting city development and residents' health. This study, using Local Climate Zones (LCZ) as a framework, connects spatial structure, resource allocation, and thermal environment research. It investigates the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of the surface thermal environment and its driving forces, crucial for mitigating heat issues. Utilizing various data sources like remote sensing images, road network data, land use data, high-resolution street view data, and building data, the research employs the random forest algorithm to map LCZs in Chongqing's central urban area. Through mathematical statistics, equi-sector analysis, ring-layer analysis, and Pearson correlation analysis, the study examines seasonal variations in spatiotemporal heterogeneity and driving mechanisms of the surface thermal environment. Key findings include: (1) The central urban area of Chongqing is dominated by open-building and vegetation-type LCZs, with building-type LCZs showing a "clustered" distribution, while natural-type LCZs are mainly found in the suburbs with ribbon and block distribution in the urban area. (2) The surface thermal environment in the study area correlates strongly with surface cover and exhibits significant high temperature effects in summer. (3) The surface thermal conditions vary significantly among different LCZs and exhibit seasonal patterns, natural-type LCZs generally have lower temperatures compared to building-type LCZs.(4) The surface thermal characteristics within the same category of LCZs in different locations display distinct differences and seasonal variations. (5) The internal temperatures of LCZs are significantly linked to four surface attributes, each displaying seasonal fluctuations. Greenness, height, and wetness are inversely related to the surface thermal conditions, while brightness shows a positive correlation. Both seasonal variations and LCZ types differences have a noticeable influence on their respective driving mechanisms to some degree.

Ecological space management and control zoning of Giant Panda National Park from the perspective of ecosystem services and land use.

Since China proposed building a national park system in 2017, the establishment of a planning system for nature reserves, with national parks as the main body, is being actively promoted around the country. Among them, scientific ecological space management and control zoning (ESMCZ) is an important link in maintaining the ecological stability of national parks. How to zone national parks and how to improve the precision of zoning has become a new task for national parks. Therefore, this study takes the Giant Panda National Park as the study area, takes ecosystem services and land use/cover change as the research perspective, integrates the InVEST model, PLUS model and bayes belief network (BBN) model, and builds a set of ecological space management and control zoning (ESMCZ) spatial zoning framework based on raster scale, dividing the study area into strictly protected zone, ecological buffer zone, ecological control zone and controlled development zone. The results showed that: (1) The study area showed an increasing trend in water conservation, soil conservation and carbon storage from 2005 to 2020, and the habitat quality index was generally high. The spatial heterogeneity of ecosystem services in the study area was significant, and the effect of a single factor on ecosystem services was most pronounced. (2) Large variation in area for different land uses under natural development scenarios and ecological protection scenarios. In both scenarios, the area of cultivated land, the area of grassland and the area of unused land decrease relative to 2020, and the area of forested land, the area of water and the area of constructed land increase relative to 2020. (3) The Giant Panda National Park is divided into strictly protected zone, ecological buffer zone, ecological control zone and control development zone, of which the strictly protected zone have the largest area and the best ecosystem background condition, and the control development zone have the smallest area and the worst ecosystem background condition. (4) The ecological space management and control zoning (ESMCZ) framework provides a more refined method for the secondary zoning of nature reserves such as the Giant Panda National Park, which is valuable for the implementation of zoning and categorization management for ecological conservation in the Giant Panda National Park.

The new region demarcation framework for implementing the joint prevention and control of groundwater pollution: A case study in western of Bohai Bay, China.

The joint groundwater pollution prevention and control (GPPC) strategy has been extensively implemented to address the coastal region groundwater pollution challenges in China. However, regional groundwater pollution control and treatment efficiency cannot achieve the expected results due to the lack of regional priority control orders and accurate restoration levels. Thus, this study developed a new region demarcation framework method for delineating GPPC zones, in tandem with a comprehensive pollution index method, the DRASTIC model, source apportionment. To validate the new methodological framework, a case study of groundwater pollution in Qinhuangdao, the western of Bohai Bay, China, was implemented to calculate pollution prevention and control zoning. In total, 340 groundwater samples from shallow aquifers with 9 target pollutants (NO3-, NO2-, NH4+, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, and Ni) were selected as the dataset for GPPC regionalization. The results showed that GPPC zoning further clarified the direction of groundwater pollution protection and management in Qinhuangdao. Compared to the traditional method, the new GPPC zoning better reflects groundwater mobility characteristics and pollution transport and enrichment patterns in terms of groundwater functional integrity and delineation. This new regional demarcation framework method contributes to providing support for the fine division of groundwater pollution zoning and precise pollution control for groundwater resource management in China.

Ecological security assessment of Yunnan Province, China in the context of Production-Living-Ecological space division.

With the rapid development of population, society and economy, human activities have caused serious adverse impacts on the environment, ecosystems and landscape patterns over the long term. In order to address the series of impacts of human activities on the environment, territorial space and resource use, the study of Production-Living-Ecological Space (PLES) and ecological security have all become academic frontiers in the field of sustainable development. In this study, we applied multi-source data and GIS technology to construct an ecological security evaluation model based on the results of PLES delineation and the Pressure-State-Response (PSR) framework, and carried out the three-period PLES ecological security evaluation for 2000, 2010 and 2020 at the county and grid scales in Yunnan Province. The PLES pattern in Yunnan Province is dominated by ecological space, which accounts for 75%, followed by 23% of production space, with ecological space shrinking from 2000 to 2020. Ecological security in ecological space and living space shows an improving trend from 2000 to 2020. The ecological security of production space improved in 2010 compared to 2000 but then showed a decreasing trend in 2020. Ecological security in ecological space shows that north-western and southern Yunnan is safer than central Yunnan, while ecological security in living space is safer in central Yunnan, and ecological security in production space is better in southern Yunnan than in northern Yunnan. Comparison with related research results shows that the ecological security evaluation results of PLES in Yunnan Province in this study are scientific and reasonable. The ecological security evaluation model of PLES constructed in this study solves the problem of complex and incomplete ecological security evaluation indexes in the past, and the results of the study are more refined and precise, which provides new ideas for the study of regional ecological security.

Spatiotemporal evolution of carbon budget and carbon compensation zoning of urban agglomerations in the Yellow River Basin.

As a crucial industrial, agricultural, and energy base in China, the urban agglomerations in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) have faced increasingly significant pressure for carbon emission reduction since the implementation of the "Dual Carbon" strategy. This study focuses on 615 counties within the major urban agglomerations in the YRB, analyzing the spatiotemporal evolution of carbon budget in land use from 2000 to 2020. Methods such as the normalized revealed comparative advantage (NRCA) index and SOM-K-means model are employed to explore the carbon compensation zoning of counties in the urban agglomerations in the YRB from the perspective of main functional zones. The results show that: (1) From 2000 to 2020, there was a significant and continuous widening gap between carbon emissions and carbon absorption in the study area. The total carbon emissions increased significantly from 3.64 × 108 to 13.56 × 108 t, showing a "north high, south low" spatial distribution pattern. Meanwhile, the carbon absorption remained stable at around 6.47 × 107 t, with a spatial distribution pattern roughly characterized by "higher in the west, lower in the east, and highest in the central part". The carbon budget of various types of functional zones generally aligns well with their strategic positioning. (2) There is a significant regional difference in net carbon emissions among urban agglomerations, with the greatest internal variation observed in the Guanzhong Plain Urban Agglomeration (Gw = 0.471) and the most notable differences between the Lanzhou-Xining Urban Agglomeration and others (Gb = 0.554). (3) The study area consists of 273 payment zones, 257 balanced zones, and 85 compensated zones. Combining with the reconstruction of main functional areas, seven types of carbon compensation zones are identified.

Spatial and temporal characteristic of PM2.5 and influence factors in the Yellow River Basin.

The Yellow River Basin has been instrumental in advancing ecological preservation and fostering national high-quality development. However, since the advent of China's reform and opening-up policies, the basin has faced severe environmental pollution issues. This study leverages remote sensing data from 1998 to 2019. As per the "Basin Scope and Its Historical Changes" published by the Yellow River Conservancy Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources, the Yellow River Basin is categorized into upstream, midstream, and downstream regions for analysis of their spatial and temporal distribution traits using spatial autocorrelation methods. Additionally, we employed probes to study the effects of 10 factors, including mean surface temperature and air pressure, on PM2.5. The study findings reveal that (1) the annual average concentration of PM2.5 in the Yellow River Basin exhibited a fluctuating trend from 1998 to 2019, initially increasing, then decreasing, followed by another increase before ultimately declining. (2) The air quality in the Yellow River Basin is relatively poor, making it challenging for large-scale areas with low PM2.5 levels to occur. (3) The PM2.5 concentration in the Yellow River Basin exhibits distinct high and low-value concentration areas indicative of air pollution. Low-value areas are predominantly found in the sparsely populated central and southwestern plateau regions of Inner Mongolia, characterized by a better ecological environment. In contrast, high-value areas are prevalent in the inland areas of Northwest China, with poorer natural conditions, as well as densely populated zones with high energy demand and a relatively developed economy. (4) The overall population density in the Yellow River Basin, as well as in the upstream, midstream, and downstream regions, serves as a primary driving factor. (5) The primary drivers in the middle reaches and the entire Yellow River Basin remain consistent, whereas those in the upper and lower reaches have shifted. In the upstream, air pressure emerges as a primary driver of PM2.5, while in the downstream, NDVI and precipitation become the main influencing factors.

[Spatiotemporal Evolution Characteristics of Carbon Sources and Carbon Sinks and Carbon Balance Zoning in the Yangtze River Delta Region].

Mastering the spatiotemporal evolution laws of carbon sources and sinks is of great significance to promote the coordinated development of regional low-carbon, improve the science of carbon reduction and sink increase policies, and realize the goal of "double carbon." Taking 41 cities in the Yangtze River Delta Region as the research object, this study analyzed the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of carbon sources and sinks in the Yangtze River Delta Region from 2000 to 2020 and conducted the carbon balance zoning. The results were as follows： ① The carbon emissions increased rapidly in the Yangtze River Delta Region from 2000 to 2011 but with some fluctuations after 2011. Carbon sinks increased slowly in the Yangtze River Delta Region from 2000 to 2020. The regional differences in carbon emissions and carbon sinks were significant, and the spatial pattern was relatively stable. ② The carbon compensation rate in the Yangtze River Delta Region showed a downward trend, and the carbon productivity, energy utilization efficiency, and carbon ecological support capacity were constantly enhanced. Interregional differences were the main source of carbon compensation rate in the Yangtze River Delta Region. Both the carbon compensation rate and carbon ecological support coefficient showed a spatial pattern of "high in the west and low in the east, high in the south and low in the north." The areas with high carbon economy contributive coefficient were concentrated in the central and southern areas of the Yangtze River Delta regions, and the areas with low carbon economy contributive coefficient were concentrated in Anhui Province. ③ Based on the carbon economy contributive coefficient and the carbon ecological support coefficient, cities in the Yangtze River Delta Region were classified into low-carbon maintenance areas, economic development areas, carbon sink development areas, and comprehensive optimization areas. Recommendations were proposed for each category of cities in order to promote the coordinated development of regional low-carbon and realize the goal of "double carbon".

[Spatio-temporal Differentiation of County Carbon Budget and Territorial Space Optimization Zoning Strategy in Gansu Province from the Perspective of Carbon Neutrality].

Under the background of comprehensively practicing the overall system concept of the "living community" in the new era, incorporating the carbon neutral development goal into the territorial spatial planning and construction and establishing the territorial spatial pattern and optimization strategy in line with the actual development of Gansu Province are of great significance for promoting the comprehensive green low-carbon transformation and high-quality development of regional economy and society. Taking counties in Gansu Province as an example, based on the perspective of carbon neutrality research, the land use carbon budget of 87 counties in Gansu Province in 2010, 2015, and 2021 was calculated and analyzed. GIS spatial analysis and social network analysis were used to further explore their spatial differentiation characteristics and the overall characteristics of the carbon emission spatial correlation network. At last, combined with the main function zoning, the low-carbon oriented land space optimization zoning was carried out, and differentiated low-carbon development strategies were proposed. The results were as follows： ① Carbon emissions in Gansu Province showed an upward trend, but the increase rate decreased, showing a spatial distribution of "high in the central and eastern part of the country, low in the southwest." Construction land was the main carbon source. The carbon uptake showed a spatial distribution of "high in the south and low in the north, high in the west and low in the east." Woodlands were the main carbon sinks. The net carbon emissions showed an increasing trend, and approximately 58.62% of the counties in the province were in a carbon imbalance situation. ② In 2021, the spatial network of county carbon emissions was closely related, showing a "core-edge" pattern. The Chenguan District and Qilihe District were in the core position of the network and received more correlation relationships in the network. The network contacts in Longzhong area were frequent, followed by the contacts in Longdongnan area. ③ Based on carbon emissions, carbon sequestration, and ecological carrying capacity coefficients and using the results of spatial correlation of social networks as role positions, the province was divided into four carbon-neutral sub-districts. At the same time, superimposed analysis of the main function zoning, the county area of the province was reconstructed into seven territorial space zones, and the differentiated regional low-carbon optimization development strategy was proposed for each zone.

Multi-criteria GIS-based land suitability analysis for rice cultivation: a case study in Guilan Province, Iran.

Ensuring food security and sustainable resource management has become a paramount global concern, prompting significant attention to land suitability analysis for enhancing agricultural production. In this study, an AHP-weighted overlay method was employed to delineate rice cultivation suitability in Guilan province, Iran, a central hub for rice production. Sixteen climatic, topographic, and soil variables were integrated, and individual maps were reclassified to align with the specific requisites for rice production. The results revealed three suitability classes: including 'very suitable,' 'suitable,' and 'moderately suitable', covering 91%, 6%, and 3% of the land, respectively. Soil attributes, particularly organic matter, significantly influenced suitability (weight value of 0.745), with topographic and soil factors outweighing climate in assessment. While salinity is generally absent, organic matter deficiency affects 44% of the land. Phosphorus imbalances are prevalent, with potassium toxicity observed in 10%. Microelement deficiencies, especially in iron and zinc, are noted. Additionally, the results indicated that topographic and soil attributes played a more significant role than climate-related factors in assessing land suitability for rice cultivation within the study area. This research provides a comprehensive spatial analysis of all variables in the study region, shedding light on the complexities of land suitability for rice cultivation. These findings contribute to the understanding of agricultural sustainability and resource management strategies in the context of food security.

Study on Spatial Effects of Influencing Factors and Zoning Strategies for PM2.5 and CO2 Synergistic Reduction.

China has identified the synergistic reduction of pollution and carbon emissions as a crit ical component of its environmental protection and climate mitigation efforts. An assessment of this synergy can provide clarity on the strategic management of both air pollution and carbon emissions. Due to the extensive regional differences in China, the spatial effects of influencing factors on this synergy exhibit variation across different provinces. In this study, the reduction indexes of PM2.5 and CO2 were calculated based on their reduction bases, reduction efforts, and reduction stabilities across provinces. Then, the synergistic reduction effect was assessed using an exponential function with the PM2.5 reduction index as the base and the CO2 reduction index as the exponent. Next, the MGWR model was applied in order to analyze the influencing factors of the synergistic reduction effect, considering natural settings, socioeconomic conditions, and external emission impacts. Finally, the k-means clustering method was utilized to classify provinces into different categories based on the degree of impact of each influencing factor. The results indicated that air circulation, vegetation, tertiary industry ratio, and emission reduction efficiency are major impact indicators that have a positive effect. The topography and emissions from neighboring provinces have a statistically significant negative impact. The spatial influences of different factors exhibit a distribution trend characterized by a high-high cluster and a low-low cluster. A total of 31 provinces are divided into three categories, and suggestions on the corresponding category are proposed, to provide a scientific reference to the synergistic reduction of PM2.5 and CO2.

Environmental vulnerability applied to the territorial planning of a tropical semiarid basin.

Tropical semiarid regions are naturally prone to environmental damage. Human activity can worsen this situation. To understand how human actions affect the ecosystem, plan land use effectively, and establish targeted management practices, assessing environmental vulnerability is crucial. This study focuses on a sub-basin receiving water transfers from the São Francisco River in Brazil's semiarid region. Here, we map and evaluate how land use and occupation alter natural vulnerability. We also propose zoning strategies to support water resource management and implement sustainable development policies in the region. To achieve this, we conducted an integrated analysis of physical factors (soil types, geology, climate, vegetation, and landforms) and spatial land-use data using geographic information systems (GIS) and map algebra techniques. Map algebra allowed us to combine these various datasets within the GIS environment, enabling the creation of maps that synthesize both natural and environmental vulnerability across the study area. Following analysis of these vulnerability maps, our findings reveal a high level of vulnerability. The areas with high to very high degrees of natural vulnerability coincide with the places that have high slopes, high altitudes, Lithic Neosols, and thick vegetation. Furthermore, the interaction between environmental factors and human activity exacerbates vulnerability. Based on the environmental vulnerability assessment, we defined four environmental management zones. These zones require distinct protection measures and management approaches. As a method to potentially improve the basin's vulnerability scenario, soil conservation measures are recommended. This approach is highly relevant for managing land in tropical semiarid regions and, with adaptations to specific regional factors, can be applied globally.

Enhancing dynamic flood risk assessment and zoning using a coupled hydrological-hydrodynamic model and spatiotemporal information weighting method.

Climate change and intensified human activities are exacerbating the frequency and severity of extreme precipitation events, necessitating more precise and timely flood risk assessments. Traditional models often fail to dynamically and accurately assess flood risks due to their static nature and limited handling of spatiotemporal variations. This study confronts these challenges head-on by developing a novel coupled hydrological-hydrodynamic model integrated with a Block-wise use of the TOPMODEL (BTOP) and the Rainfall-Runoff-Inundation (RRI) model. This integrated approach enables the rapid acquisition of high-precision flood inundation simulation results across large-scale basins, addressing a significant gap in dynamic flood risk assessment and zoning. A critical original achievement of this research lies in developing and implementing a comprehensive vertical-horizontal combined weighting method that incorporates spatiotemporal information for dynamic evaluation indicators, significantly enhancing the accuracy and rationality of flood risk assessments. This innovative method successfully addresses the challenges posed by objective and subjective weighting methods, presenting a balanced and robust framework for flood risk evaluation. The findings from the Min River Basin in China, as a case study, demonstrate the effectiveness of the BTOP-RRI model in capturing the complex variations in runoff and the detailed simulations of flood processes. The model accurately identifies the timing of these peaks, offering insights into the dynamic evolution of flood risks and providing a more precise and timely assessment tool for policymakers and disaster management authorities. The flood risk assessment results demonstrate good consistency with the actual regional conditions. In particular, high-risk areas exhibit distinct characteristics along the river channel, with the distribution area significantly increasing with a sudden surge in runoff. Intense precipitation events expand areas classified as moderate and high risk, gradually shrinking as precipitation levels decrease. This study significantly advances flood risk assessment methodologies by integrating cutting-edge modeling techniques with comprehensive weighting strategies. This is essential for improving the scientific foundation and decision-making processes in regional flood control efforts.

Linking the assessment of ecological engineering construction with zoning management in the typical agro-pastoral area of China: A perspective from quantity, quality and function.

Combatting land damage has become a global priority, and China has adopted a series of ecological engineering measures, especially in the agro-pastoral area with fragile ecological environment. The effectiveness of ecological engineering construction (EEC), from a comprehensive recognition encompassing its quality, quantity, and function, has remained largely unknown. To this end, Zhangbei County, a typical agro-pastoral ecotone of northern China, was chosen as our focal area. After summarizing the timelines, aims and results of the EEC during various periods in Zhangbei, the linear spectral mixture analysis was employed to process Landsat 5 TM images in 2000 and 2010, as well as Landsat 8 OLI images in 2020. Then, a comprehensive evaluation framework of EEC was established from the perspective of "quantity-quality-function", and the ecological effectiveness of EEC was evaluated from 2000 to 2020 in Zhangbei. Results revealed that EEC played a critical role in enhancing quantity, quality and function, in spite of that, there were still numerous regions showing varying degrees of degradation in terms of these aspects. Then, by extending the three-dimensional cube as the theoretical basis for the zoning management of EEC, we merged four zones according to the space matching relationship among quantity, quality and function of EEC, namely, Ecological conservation area, Ecological improvement area, Ecological restoration area and Ecological remodeling zone. More targeted ecological measures were required for specific matching relationship among quantity, quality and function of EEC. This study is expected to present an empirical case for assessing the ecological effectiveness of EEC in areas or countries with similar restoration demand and support regional management.

Assessing the impact of three biosphere reserves on the conservation of coastal ecosystems.

Biosphere Reserves (BR) manage large territories with diverse natural covers and land uses to preserve biodiversity, promote local development and preserve ecosystems. This study evaluated how their zoning (buffer and core) and policy timeframes (decree period, management plan period, and land planning period) influence four landscape management outcomes: deforestation, natural cover recovery, and anthropic and natural permanence. For three Mexican BR case studies, land use and cover transitions were calculated and compared to contrafactual sites. Observed rates of land cover change were marginal within all three BR zoning and across their policy timeframe (<0.02 % change rate), suggesting that BR effectively promote the permanence of both natural and anthropic covers. Nevertheless, the predicted probability of uncommon deforestation and recovery outcomes at local levels showed that the effect of a BR over its regulated landscape is not spatiotemporally static, contrasting the effect of individual allocation vs a group or network. Poverty, land tenure, agriculture aptitude and distance to markets adds to this dynamic and is modelled and discussed. This study shows that BR zoning schemes and its regulatory sequence influence the rates of land cover change and the predicted probability of landscape management outcomes across space and time.

County-level carbon compensation zoning based on China's major function-oriented zones.

Large but overlooked carbon inequalities among counties in China matter for the design of mitigation strategies. Here, we investigated the spatial heterogeneity of carbon inequality across 2236 county-level units nationwide from 2000 to 2020, refining carbon compensation zone types based on land functional zoning and estimating their carbon compensation values using a modified compensation model. Our results showed that China's carbon inequality consistently exceeded the cautionary threshold of 0.4 on the Gini coefficient. Significant spatial variations in carbon intensity were observed, notably concentrated in the North China Plain and Yangtze River Delta, indicating a pronounced core-periphery structure. The nonlinear relationships among carbon emission pressure (CEP), land use intensity (LUI), economy contributive coefficient (ECC), and ecological support coefficient (ESC) were identified. CEP and ECC posed initial increases followed by decreases with LUI, while ESC decreased with increasing LUI. The inverted U-curve between ECC and CEP suggested that most county-level cities have yet to reach the decoupling tipping point. Based on spatial comparative advantage, we identified 625 payment zones, 666 equilibrium zones, and 945 recipient zones, culminating in nine types of carbon compensation zones aligned with land functional objectives. Our study provides a new county-level carbon compensation zoning approach that can achieve carbon equity.

Analysis of factors affecting evapotranspiration zoning.

Reference evapotranspiration (ETo) has a significant role in water resource planning and management as well as analysis of crop production and other agricultural tasks. Methods for estimating ETo may require diurnal/monthly assessments to perceive the consequences of climatic changes on local regions. The spatial and temporal patterns of ETo were analyzed in the current work using data from 340 weather stations in Iran. The entropy theory was used to assess the uncertainty of the utilized variables and the modified Kendall test was applied for temporal trend analysis. The interpolation (e.g., kriging) and ordinary least squares (OLS) methods were used for spatio-temporal ETo classification/modeling. The spatial analysis demonstrated that the OLS method with a good fit measure (R2 = 0.985) successfully simulated the spatial relationships of ETo with climatic parameters. After examining error indices, the cokriging method with an exponential variogram was introduced as the best method of seasonal and annual ETo classification in Iran. Spatially and temporally calculated ETo patterns using modified Hargreaves (MHGR) and MODIS methods closely resembled the standard FAO Penman-Monteith (FPM-56) method, all indicating a gradual increase in ETo. MHGR and MODIS methods serve as suitable alternatives for estimating ETo in various climatic regions of Iran, provided data availability.