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The evaluation of regional water resource carrying capacity has been repeatedly conducted to provide a scientific basis for the local water resource management and the sustainable development, in particular in the water-limited regions. However, the definition of regional water resource carrying capacity and its evaluation method are still arguable. Through a case study of Inner Mongolia, located in the arid and semi-arid northern China, this paper developed an improved method to calculate regional water resource carrying capacity by the combination of the water supply-demand analysis and the S-shaped curve threshold analysis. The spatial and temporal patterns of the regional water resource carrying capacity in Inner Mongolia during 2000–2019 was evaluated at three scales, namely the province scale, the basin scale and the city scale. The results showed that the average regional water resource carrying capacity of the whole province was 0.25 (the full mark is 1.00); at the basin scale, the Yellow River Basin had the lowest regional water resource carrying capacity (0.17) among all the basins, showing that the utilization of the water resources was unreasonable; at the city scale, the average regional water resource carrying capacities in Hulunbuir and Xilingol were both over 0.25, while those in Alxa, BayanNur and Wuhai were below 0.1; Hulunbuir had 25.48 billion m3 water surplus, while BayanNur suffered from an average water deficit of 4.51 billion m3 from 2000 to 2019. This paper has provided a reasonable way to measure the regional water resource carrying capacity using an improved method by incorporating S-shaped curve threshold analysis, which may have a wider application for the clustering and optimization of regional water management. In addition, the spatial and temporal patterns of regional water carrying capacity are beneficial for policymakers in the implementation of the effective water usage. • Regional water resource carrying capacity is evaluated by water supply-demand analysis and temporal threshold analysis. • The evaluation method is improved by considering temporal threshold at different regional scales. • "S"-shaped logistic curves are used to simulate the temporal pattern of water resource carrying capacity. • Spatial and temporal water resource carrying capacity analysis benefits policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arsenic is a toxic element widely spread in soils and groundwater that can cause a great hazard to ecology and human health. In this paper, 51 groundwater and 12 sediment samples were analyzed to investigate the sources and evolution mechanism of arsenic and identify the hydrochemical characteristics of groundwater in Hetao Plain, Inner Mongolia through Kriging interpolation, Piper trilinear diagram and ion correlation analysis. Results show that high arsenic groundwater is mainly distributed in the areas with reducing environment. Arsenic has a strong positive correlation with bicarbonic acid and a negative correlation with nitric acid. Arsenic in the sediment is easily adsorbed by iron-manganese compounds. In a reducing environment, arsenic is however released while iron-manganese oxides are reduced. Through triangular fuzzy numbers, a health risk assessment was conducted to evaluate the hazard caused by high arsenic groundwater to humans. Results suggest that the highest carcinogenic risk values of arsenic for children, men, and women are 3.9 × 10−3, 2.38 × 10−3, and 2.35 × 10−3, respectively that greatly exceeds the acceptable risk value. The findings of this paper provide useful insight into the occurrence mechanism of arsenic in those areas with high arsenic groundwater and the potential health risk to humans. • Genetic interpretation of high Arsenic in groundwater is presented. • Interactive processes between groundwater ions and As is interpreted. • Health risk assessment is performed with triangular fuzzy theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of coal resources is necessary, but it has a huge negative impact on land, ecology, and the environment. With the increasing awareness of environmental protection and the requirements of related regulations, the design and practice of reclamation projects run through the mining life cycle and continue for a long time after the coal production. High-precision monitoring of mining disturbance and reclamation, quantifying the degree and time of vegetation disturbance and restoration, is of great significance to minimize the environmental effect of mining. Remote sensing, widely used as efficient monitoring tool, but there is not enough research on disturbance and reclamation monitoring taking into account large-scale areas and high temporal and spatial accuracy. Especially when mining sites remain unknown, how to distinguish the disturbance of coal mining and other human activities affecting the surface land cover has become a challenge. Therefore, this paper proposed a method to reconstruct the time series of mining disturbance and reclamation in a large area by using the POI (point of interest) and Landsat time series images using multiple buffer analysis methods. The process includes: (1) Retrieval of POI in the study area based on the public mining list using Python crawler, and buffering 100 km for preliminary extraction of potential mining areas; (2) Using spectral index mask and random forest algorithm to accurately extract the exposed coal on the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform; (3) Buffering 10 km to identify the occurrence of disturbance and reclamation, using pixel-based temporal trajectory identification of LandTrendr algorithm under GEE. The method successful detect the change points of surface coal mining disturbance and reclamation in eastern Inner Mongolia of China. The results show that: (1) The method can effectively identify the extent of surface coal mining disturbance and reclamation, and the overall extraction accuracy is 81%. (2) Surface coal mining disturbance in eastern Inner Mongolia was concentrated in 2006–2011. By 2020, the total disturbed area is 627.8 km2, with an average annual disturbance of 18.5 km2, and the annual maximum disturbance to the ground reached 64.6 km2 in 2008. With the total reclaimed area being 236.3 km2, the reclamation rate is about 37.6%. This study provides a systematic solution and process for monitoring the disturbance and reclamation of surface coal mining in a large range with little known about the mines' location. It can effectively identify the mining disturbance and reclamation process which can also be extended to other areas, providing a quantitative assessment of mining disturbance and reclamation, which can support further ecological restoration decision-making. [Display omitted] • A remote sensing procedure of surface coal mine classification, disturbance and reclamation monitoring is developed. • Landsat, random forest, web scraping, and Google Earth Engine has been used to detect 73 surface coal mining sites. • 0.94% of the total study area has been disturbed by surface mining. • The developed procedure is able to reveal the surface coal mine reclamation pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From 2004 to 2010, the Sino-German research group MAGIM (Matter fluxes of Grasslands in Inner Mongolia as affected by grazing) ran a grazing experiment in a typical steppe ecosystem in Inner Mongolia, North China. Multiple ecological effects of grazing, climate variability and topography on plant and animal productivity, plant species composition change, decomposition and mineralization, soil nitrogen and organic matter distributions and dynamics, soil physics and chemistry, and soil-atmosphere gas exchange were measured in fenced plots with defined stocking rates and under different grazing management systems. This paper reviews and synthesizes the most important outcomes, conclusions, and open questions from the different project groups, as published in 125 ISI articles. While greenhouse gas fluxes, plant properties, and livestock performance were particularly responsive to (inter-) annual climate variability, soil properties were more affected by grazing intensity. Various management options based on the project results for semi-arid grasslands under changing climatic conditions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vegetation green aboveground biomass is an important parameter of terrestrial ecosystem process-based models, and is closely related to photosynthetic activity. In this paper, the hyperspectral predictors for estimating green aboveground biomass were evaluated based on field spectral and corresponding biophysical parameter measurements during the growing seasons of 2009 and 2010 in the desert steppe of Inner Mongolia. Results showed that the performance of red-edge reflectance curve area (between normalized reflectance curve and wavelength in 680–780 nm region) was better than that of traditional vegetation indices (VIs) and red-edge position (REP). The model based on red-edge reflectance curve area produced a lower standard error of prediction (26.4 g m−2) compared with the optimal narrow-band ratio vegetation index (RVI) (37.4 g m−2), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) (33.5 g m−2), soil-adjusted vegetation index (SAVI) (37.5 g m−2) and modified soil-adjusted vegetation index (MSAVI) (38.6 g m−2). Statistical analyses performed on the slopes and intercepts of the fitted lines between actual and predicted values demonstrated that no statistical differences (P > 0.05) were found in regards to slope = 1 and intercept = 0 for red-edge reflectance curve area and optimal SAVI and MSAVI, whereas the slope and intercept based on optimal RVI were different (P < 0.05) from 1 to 0 respectively, and the slope based on optimal NDVI was different (P < 0.05) from 1. In conclusion, the red-edge reflectance curve area method is a practical and suitable technique for complementing the existing methods on estimation of green aboveground biomass in arid and semi-arid areas. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In arid lands, the shifts in dominant plant types from grasses to shrubs can significantly alter the ecosystem function and biogeochemistry cycles. However, the magnitude of these alterations and its inherent mechanisms are still poorly understood. In this study, we measured soil respiration and NPP over two growing seasons in 2006–2007 in the co-occurring perennial grass and desert shrub ecosystems at the Ordos Plateau of Inner Mongolia, China. Over the two growing seasons, the desert shrub site presented higher aboveground biomass and NPP while lower soil respiration relative to the grass site (p < 0.05). In this paper, we can not determine that whether vegetation conversion or soil texture change drive the site difference in soil respiration because we did not control for soil texture. We suppose that the site difference in pulse response of soil respiration might play an essential role in regulating this soil respiration gap. In all the growing seasons, surface soil moisture (0–10 cm) was identified as the major driver of soil respiration at both sites. Compared to the linear soil moisture model, the integrated model incorporating both surface soil moisture and air temperature was performed better in predicting the dynamics of soil respiration. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The semi-private property rights arrangement called the Household Production Responsibility System (HPRS) was started in the early 1980s in Xilingol pasture of Inner Mongolia (China), and stimulated the development of stockbreeding. The grassland has been degrading severely with increasing numbers of livestock. Based on a historical review of property rights regimes in Inner Mongolia and empirical surveys in Xilingol pasture during 2001–2003, this paper assesses the implementation of HPRS and its impacts on incomes of households as well as the environmental impact on the grassland. It was found that HPRS does not mitigate the “Tragedy of the Commons”, instead it has exacerbated the situation. It was also found that co-management of grassland and livestock among a few households presents a sustainable use of grassland to develop livestock breeding. We conclude with the recommendation that small-scale collective property rights systems should be encouraged in Xilingol pasture of Inner Mongolia. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Soil wind erosion is an important ecological environmental problem that is widespread in arid and semi-arid regions. Currently, related studies are mainly focused on spatiotemporal characteristics or analysis of effector mechanisms, and they do not facilitate direct servicing of management decisions. In this paper, we used the Xilingol typical steppe in Inner Mongolia, China, as a study site to develop a decision framework for a comprehensive understanding of soil wind erosion and to promote sustainable management of steppes. In this study, we used the Revised Wind Erosion Equation model to simulate soil wind erosion. We combined this model with linear trend analysis to evaluate the ecological effects of soil wind erosion and wind erosion intensity, and delineated the gravity center migration path. We used the constraint line method to reveal the mechanisms by which climatic factors affected soil wind erosion, achieved the spatial visualization of wind-breaking and sand-fixing service flow, and proposed decision-based regional sustainable development suggestions. The results showed that long-term soil wind erosion will lead to soil coarsening and loss of soil nutrients. Soil wind erosion in the study site showed worsening trends and risks, and as such, ecological environment conservation and management are urgently required. The study framework promotes a clear understanding of the complex relationship of human–earth systems. The study results will aid in the ecological remediation of steppe landscapes and the prevention of desertification and will provide a foundation for win–win management of ecological conservation and economic development in arid and semi-arid regions. • A decision-oriented management framework was developed from the perspective of soil wind erosion prevention and control. • Long-term soil wind erosion will lead to soil coarsening and loss of soil nutrients. • The constraint line method can help to reveal the complex effects of meteorological factors on soil wind erosion. • The study achieved spatial visualization of wind-breaking and sand-fixing service flow in grassland ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extreme high temperature weather event caused by global warming has increased the risk of urban electric power supply. Critical risk determination method is useful to the system risk prevention and adaptive strategy formulation. Based on analyzing the failure mechanism of power supply under heat wave impact, the paper put forward the method framework of energy-flow network on electric power system risk evaluation. There are three parts in the framework including energy-flow chart analysis of power supply and consumption, establishment and network analysis of Gephi visualization network, and matrix diagram evaluation of node importance. The visualized network of power system with different years and electricity input from external area were established and compared in the case study of Beijing in China. The analysis results showed that the network structure stability of the power system decreased slightly, which was due to the node energy flow becoming high imbalance such as power input from external area, local power generation and energy consumption. For risk prevention, power infrastructures should focus on the high-voltage transmission and distribution facilities and 500 kV hub substations. Meanwhile, to electric power generation and supply, natural gas supply and power supply from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region played the key roles. And power consumption should focus on the tertiary industry and living consumption. • Energy-flow chart of power system was transformed into network by Gephi. • Node importance was evaluate by matrix diagram with node degree and edge weight. • Electric power system of Beijing was analyzed and discussed. • Energy-flow imbalance of system components reduced network system stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "Joint Prevention and Control of Regional Air Pollution in China" has been put forward to solve serious regional air pollution. However, there is no geographical division covering the whole country that could reveal the similarities and differences among regions to support implementing this policy. This paper applied an air quality model and a multiregional input-output model to analyze the impacts and patterns of atmospheric transmission and trade transfer of regional air pollution, then compared the differences among typical provinces in the northern, central and southern regions. The social network analysis method was used to analyze the interacting pattern of regional atmospheric transmission and trade transfer, and 31 provinces in mainland China were divided into 5 clusters to reveal the interprovincial relationship of atmospheric transmission; then, the 31 provinces were divided into 3 clusters to reveal the interprovincial relationship of trade transfer. Based on these results, the provincial geographical division of "Nine Atmospheric Environmental Transmission Zones" covering mainland China was carried out. In addition, the key regions linking atmospheric transmission and trade transfer were also found. For example, Inner Mongolia is a typical key linkage region. From an atmospheric transmission perspective, it is linked to the northeast area. However, from a trade transfer perspective, it has a close relationship with the southern provinces. The linkage among provinces provides support for the interregional interaction mechanism of air pollution and the formulation of "Joint Prevention and Control of Regional Air Pollution in China". Image 1 • The impact of atmospheric and trade transfer on regional pollution were discussed. • The atmospheric transmission is location-sensitive and trade transfer is not. • The social network analysis was used in air atmospheric environmental zoning. • The 31 provinces were classified into 9 atmospheric environmental transmission zones. • There are four provinces being nodes connecting atmosphere and trade transfer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]