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The rapid increase in the proportion of cash crops and livestock production in the Yangtze River Basin has led to commensurate increases in fertilizer and pesticide inputs. Excessive application of chemical fertilizer, organophosphorus pesticides and inappropriate disposal of agricultural waste induced water pollution and potentially threaten Agriculture Green Development (AGD). To ensure food security and the food supply capacity of the Yangtze River Basin, it is important to balance green and development, while ensuring the quality of water bodies. Multiple pollutants affect the transfer, adsorption, photolysis and degradation of each other throughout the soil-plant-water system. This paper considers the impact of multi-pollutants on the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles especially for crops, which are related to achieving food security and AGD. It presents prospective on theory, modeling and multi-pollutant control in the Yangtze River Basin for AGD that are of potential value for other developing regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green port construction has a profound impact on China's international climate commitment to carbon neutrality by 2050. To examine the carbon emission reduction potential of 20 major ports in the Yangtze River Delta port cluster of China, this study takes the perspective of environmental efficiency and employs dynamic exogenous variable DEA in efficiency evaluation. The results show the increasing environmental efficiency of the ports in the Yangtze River Delta, rising from 0.5116 in 2013 to 0.7276 in 2019. Also, there are significant spatial differences in efficiency. After considering exogenous variable, the average efficiency has increased from 0.5537 to 0.6276, indicating that regional green development is a critical factor in port environmental efficiency evaluation. Finally, the overall efficiency of input and output have risen, the slackness of carbon emission shows a trend of decreasing, and there is great potential for reducing carbon emissions from the perspective of port environmental efficiency. The previous studies paid less attention to dynamic efficiency, exogenous variables, and carbon emission. Therefore, this paper is the first comprehensive examination on the carbon emission reduction potential of China's Yangtze River Delta port cluster from the perspective of dynamic environmental efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the requirements of modernized spatial governance and the national strategy for the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta, the Shanghai Metropolitan Area has taken the lead in exploring collaborative governance in regional spatial planning, which aims to promote spatially coordinated governance and high-quality integrated development in metropolitan areas. This exploration focuses on the preparation and organizational innovation in regional planning, the combination of top and bottom organizational approaches, the importance of equal consultation during the planning process, the establishment of an open platform in the positioning of the planning, and the need for joint determination in planning approval. This exploration also discusses the innovative implementation of spatial planning cooperation through eight systematic actions and five space sector actions and defines the implementation focus through the immediate plan of action at the implementation level. The exploration of the "Spatial Cooperative Plan of the Greater Shanghai Metropolitan Area" demonstrates that the process and result of planning are equally important. Achieving consensus through plan making and fostering synergies through plan implementation are feasible paths for efficient collaborative governance in the Shanghai Metropolitan Area and other metropolitan areas in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-heading Chinese cabbage, a variety of Brassica campestris, is an important vegetable crop in the Yangtze River Basin of China. However, the immaturity of its stable transformation system and its low transformation efficiency limit gene function research on non-heading Chinese cabbage. Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated (ARM) transgenic technology is a rapid and effective transformation method that has not yet been established for non-heading Chinese cabbage plants. Here, we optimized conventional ARM approaches (one-step and two-step transformation methods) suitable for living non-heading Chinese cabbage plants in nonsterile environments. Transgenic roots in composite non-heading Chinese cabbage plants were identified using phenotypic detection, fluorescence observation, and PCR analysis. The transformation efficiency of a two-step method on four five-day-old non-heading Chinese cabbage seedlings (Suzhouqing, Huangmeigui, Wuyueman, and Sijiu Caixin) was 43.33%e51.09%, whereas using the stout hypocotyl resulted in a transformation efficiency of 54.88% for the 30-day-old Sijiu Caixin. The one-step method outperformed the two-step method; the transformation efficiency of different varieties was above 60%, and both methods can be used to obtain transgenic roots for functional studies within one month. Finally, optimized ARM transformation methods can easily, quickly, and effectively produce composite non-heading Chinese cabbage plants with transgenic roots, providing a reliable foundation for gene function research and non-heading Chinese cabbage genetic improvement breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aims to investigate the heterogeneity of the Yangtze River's impact on housing prices, using the data of 12,325 residential transactions within 8 kilometers of the Yangtze River in Wuhan, based on submarkets divided according to geographical location and buyer groups. The kernel density plots reveal that properties near the Yangtze River have the highest price and the lowest density, while properties further away from the river exhibit the opposite trend. Then the Spatial Generalized Additive Model and the Spatial Quantile Generalized Additive Model show the following results, respectively: (1) The Yangtze River has an influence range of roughly 5 kilometers on adjacent dwellings, with an average impact of 0.035%. However, within the chosen geographical interval, the impact rises from 1.582% to 2.072%. (2) The Yangtze River has the greatest impact on middle-priced houses, followed by high-priced houses, and the least impact on low-priced houses. (3) The Spatial Generalized Additive Model and the Spatial Quantile Generalized Additive Model have been proven to be effective at capturing spatial and temporal impacts on data. In conclusion, this article advises that the government should pay more attention to non-central locations with limited natural resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze the environmental efficiency level and trend of the transportation sector in the upper–mid–downstream of the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the JingJinJi region in China and assess the effectiveness of policies for protecting the low-carbon environment. Design/methodology/approach: This study uses the meta-frontier slack-based measure (SBM) approach to evaluate environmental efficiency, which targets and classifies specific regions into regional groups. First, this study employs the SBM with the undesirable outputs to construct the environmental efficiency measurement models of the four regions under the meta-frontier and group frontiers, respectively. Then, this study uses the technology gap ratio to evaluate the gap between the group frontier and the meta-frontier. Findings: The analysis reveals several key findings: (1) the JingJinJi region and the downstream of the YEB had achieved the overall optimal production technology in transportation than the other two regions; (2) significant technology gaps in environmental efficiency were observed among these four regions in China; and (3) the downstream region of the YEB exhibited the lowest levels of energy consumption and excessive CO2 emissions. Originality/value: To evaluate the differences in environmental efficiency resulting from regions and technological gaps in transportation, this study employs the meta-frontier model, which overcomes the limitation of traditional environmental efficiency methods. Furthermore, in the practical, the study provides the advantage of observing the disparities in transportation efficiency performed by the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper studies the Chongqing hotpot(重庆火锅) and two general types of lead-in phrases(过门) of Chongqing Thumb Fight(划拳). This paper mainly discusses the birthplace and maker of Chongqing hotpot and the origin of the two primary lead-in phrases: Good Brothers(兄 弟好) and Disorderly Chopping Firewood(乱劈柴). The results of studying the Chongqing hotpot and two types of lead-in phrases were found as follows: 1. The Yangtze River is the birthplace of the Chongqing hotpot. 2. The trackers and porters working for the wharves along the Yangtze River create the original Chongqing hotpot. 3. Th encircling rivers cultivate the Good Brothers and the mountainous forests stimulate the Disorderly Chopping Firewood [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Location of the southwestern suture zone between Yangtze and Cathaysia blocks remains a controversial issue in South China tectonic research. This paper presents new LA-ICP-MS U–Pb geochronological and Hf isotopic data of detrital zircons obtained from the Nanhua System in Yingyangguan region of northeastern Guangxi and discusses their provenance and sedimentary tectonic setting of the Nanhua System. By comparison with the recently published detrital zircon geochronological and Hf isotopic data of the coeval Nanhua System in Longsheng region of northern Guangxi along the southeastern margin of the Yangtze Block and of the Neoproterozoic strata in Cathaysia block, this study attempts to constrain the southwestern suture zone or the boundary between Yangtze and Cathaysia blocks. The Nanhua System in Yingyangguan region includes Tianzidi and Zhengyuanling formations. The U–Pb ages of 107 grains from Tianzidi Formation are peaked at 0.65–0.72 Ga, 0.72–0.80 Ga, 0.90–1.30 Ga, 1.40–2.25 Ga, and 2.35–2.94 Ga. The U–Pb ages of 106 grains from the Zhengyuanling Formation are peaked at 0.65–0.72 Ga, 0.72–0.90 Ga, 0.90–1.30 Ga, 1.40–2.10 Ga, and 2.40–2.92 Ga. Most of the U–Pb ages of detrital zircon grains cluster at 0.90–1.30 Ga, demonstrating a remarkable difference from the coeval Nanhua System in Longsheng region, and suggesting the Cathaysia Block as a major source of sediments for the Nanhua System in the Yingyangguan region. The εHf(t) values of the detrital zircon grains from the Nanhua System of the Yingyangguan region are mostly positive (0–10); they are different from those of the Longsheng region of northern Guangxi where they are mainly negative (− 10 to − 2), but similar to the Cathaysia Block (− 3 to 5). Based on the new detrital zircon U–Pb ages and Hf isotopic data, it is suggested that the southwestern suture zone or the boundary between Cathaysia and Yangtze blocks is located in the area between Yingyangguan and Longsheng area of Guangxi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the impact of land-use systems on global climate change has become increasingly significant, and land-use change has become a hot issue of concern to academics, both within China and abroad. Urbanization, as an important socioeconomic factor, plays a vital role in promoting land-use transition, which also shows a significant spatial dependence on urbanization. This paper constructs a theoretical framework for the interaction relationship between urbanization and land-use transition, taking the Yangtze River Delta as an example, and measures the level of urbanization from the perspective of population urbanization, economic urbanization and social urbanization, while also evaluating the level of land-use morphologies from the perspective of dominant and recessive morphologies of land-use. We construct a PVAR model and coupled coordination model based on the calculated indexes for empirical analysis. The results show that the relationship between urbanization and land-use transition is not a simple linear relationship, but tends to be complex with the process of urbanization, and reasonable urbanization and land-use morphologies will promote further benign coupling in the system. By analyzing the interaction relationship between urbanization and land-use transition, this study enriches the study of land-use change and provides new pathways for thinking about how to promote high-quality urbanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrialization in China has faced severe problems such as resource depletion and environmental degradation. The Yangtze River economic belt (YREB) strategy is one of the essential strategies for the sustainable development of the Chinese economy. Maximizing economic benefits while using the least resources and the least pollution to the environment is critical for China's sustainable development strategy. This paper proposed the DEA to measure industrial eco-efficiency in the YREB from 2009 to 2018. It analyzed its temporal evolution and spatial differentiation and adopted a spatial econometric model to study how interference in influencing factors affects industrial eco-efficiency. The results revealed that (1) the eastern area of YREB has the highest industrial eco-efficiency compared with the other regions. (2) The industrial total factor productivity in the YREB has been rising over the years, and its change trend shows an inverted "W" pattern of first rising, then falling, then rising, then falling. (3) By further analysis, we observed a statistically significant spatial difference in the Industrial eco-efficiency among the areas in YREB, which suggests that the change scale presents the rule of "downstream bigger than Midstream region and midstream region bigger than "upstream region." (4) The level of economic development, science and technology innovation, and human resources have significantly positive effects on industrial eco-efficiency, and the effect of economic development is of most significant importance. The industrial agglomeration demoted the efficiency of industrial ecology; Science and technology innovations, on the other hand, had a positive spillover effect, while the industrial concentration had a negative spillover effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate long-term streamflow and flood forecasting have always been an important research direction in hydrology research. Nowadays, climate change, floods, and other anomalies occurring more and more frequently and bringing great losses to society. The prediction of streamflow, especially flood prediction, is important for disaster prevention. Current hydrological models based on physical mechanisms can give accurate predictions of streamflow, but the effective prediction period is only about 1 month in advance, which is too short for decision making. The artificial neural network (ANN) has great potential for predicting runoff and is not only good at handling non-linear data but can also make long-period forecasts. However, most of ANN models are unstable in their predictions when faced with raw flow data, and have excessive errors in predicting extreme flows. Previous studies have shown a link between the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the streamflow of the Yangtze River. In this paper, we use ENSO and the monthly streamflow data of the Yangtze River from 1952 to 2018 to predict the monthly streamflow of the Yangtze River in two extreme flood years and a small flood year by using deep neural networks. In this paper, three deep neural network frameworks are used: stacked long short-term memory, Conv long short-term memory encoder–decoder long short-term memory and Conv long short-term memory encoder–decoder gate recurrent unit. The results show that the use of ConvLSTM improves the stability of the model and increases the accuracy of the flood prediction. Besides, the introduction of ENSO to the experimental data resulted in a more accurate prediction of the time of the occurrence of flood peaks and flood flows. Furthermore, the best results were obtained on the convolutional long short-term memory + encoder–decoder gate recurrent unit model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The green development of Chongqing municipality is crucial in establishing a major ecological shield in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. By developing a Super-SBM model and using the Malmquist index to analyze and calculate the green development efficiency and its influencing factors in Chongqing from 2011 to 2021, this study reveals an accelerating trend in the overall green development efficiency in Chongqing. The significant enhancement of green development efficiency in Chongqing is primarily attributed to changes in returns to scale. Pure technical efficiency and technological advancements have a considerable potential impact on improving green development efficiency in Chongqing. Furthermore, there are discernible disparities in green development efficiency among districts and counties in Chongqing, with different factors influencing these variations. Chongqing is suggested to promote clean and efficient energy utilization, bolster the application and commercialization of scientific and technological advancements, consistently advance ecological restoration and management, and elevate the quality of green development to a higher level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an empirical analysis of regional disparities from 2000 to 2012 based on a time series of data involving 74 cities within three mega-urban regions along Yangtze River in China. Differing from previous researches on inter-provincial and coastal/interior data, this paper provides a new perspective of mega-urban regions and their cities in China. By Coefficient of Variation and Analysis of Variance the selection of three mega-urban regions along Yangtze River reveals how the mega-urban regional disparities evolve among the east, middle and west up to date in China. In terms of general trend the mega-urban regional inequalities have been decreasing ever since the year around 2005. By traditional regression modeling this paper relates the mega-urban regional inequality and the alleviation to the urbanization and its focus on mega-urban regional development. The regression shows that the evolution of intra mega-urban regions disparities is negatively influenced by the urbanization with meaningful statistical significance from 2000 to 2012. The multilevel regression is further applied based on the nested hierarchical data structure. The results indicate a complicated relationship of the urban population density of the city level, the urbanization ratio of the mega-urban region level and the urban disparities in 2012. Finally limitations and further research advice are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatial structure of urban agglomeration is an important branch of economic geography. As far as the current scholars’ research is concerned, the research method of urban agglomeration is relatively simple, and the visual effect of the results is poor. In this paper, the theory of social network analysis is used and the relationship within the urban agglomeration is expressed by using the UCINET6.0 and NETDRAW software. And then, the Urban Agglomeration along the middle reaches of the Yangtze River is taking as the object of empirical research. The Urban Agglomeration along the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, one of the most intensive areas of education in China, undertakes the important mission of building a new growth pole in China. However, the phenomenon of “group instead of cluster” has always been the bottleneck of besetting healthy development of the urban agglomeration, and the cluster effect appears a decreasing trend. This paper uses the modified economic gravity model and social network analysis method and constructs the “three-dimensional” diagnosis model of social network structure of urban agglomeration consisted of the primate city—social network structure density—social network structure intensity. The economic membership grade and centricity of the primate city, social network structure density of the urban agglomeration and coherent subgroup, and the social network structure intensity of the Urban Agglomeration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River is measured. It demonstrates the spatial structure of the Urban Agglomeration along the middle reaches of the Yangtze River shows the social network structure characteristics of “weak center traction and discrete clusters”, and points out three problems restricting the Urban Agglomeration along the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. With the introduction of new theories, a three-dimensional diagnostic tool of social network structure of urban agglomerations is designed, which provides theoretical support and decision support for solving the problem of “group instead of cluster” in urban agglomeration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper assesses the emergency capacity of rain-flood disaster in provinces along the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB), China, from 2013 to 2017. In this study, the evaluation index system of emergency capacity on rain-flood disaster was built from the economic-social and environmental-natural aspects, and spatial auto-correlation analysis was used to analyze spatial differentiation characteristics of the emergency capacity. Then, the Spatial Durbin Model (SDM) was used to analyze the influence mechanism of the development level of economic-social factors (ESF) subsystem, environmental-natural factors (ENF) subsystem and the coupling level of these two subsystems on the emergency capacity of rain-flood disaster in provinces. The findings show that the emergency capacity distribution of rain-flood disaster in the YREB presented a "decreasing" spatial pattern of eastern, central and western regions. The development of two subsystems has produced spatial spillover effect and diffusion effect on the neighboring areas. There was a high coupling degree between these two subsystems in the YREB. Although spillover effect existed in space, the spillover did not depend on economic distance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The middle reaches of the Yangtze River region (MRYRR) are China’s first trans-regional urban agglomeration, located in the center of the Yangtze River Economic Belt. The MRYRR is an important ecological reserve, and its land cover changes are affected by both socio-economic development and geographical environment. In this paper, Landsat ETM/TM/OLI remote sensing images were used to monitor land use and landscape patterns from 1990 to 2015. Through supervised classification, land use transfer matrix, landscape pattern metrics and correlation analysis, the spatialtemporal patterns of land use change and its relationship with socio-economic in the study area were revealed. The results showed that: (1) the main land use types in the study area were cropland (CL) and forestland (FL), accounting for more than three-quarters of the study area. During the study period, built-up land (BL) increased, CL decreased, FL increased first and then decreased; (2) the BL expanded mainly by occupying CL and FL, and regional landscape pattern was gradually fragmented, with complex patch shape and increasing diversity and heterogeneity. Among them, the BL is gradually gathered, and the FL and CL are gradually fragmented; (3) in the past 25 years, the urbanization process in this region has been obvious, and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has increased by 36 times. The socioeconomic variables were positively correlated with BL, orchard (OL) and Shannon diversity index (SHID), and negatively correlated with CL, Wasteland (WL), mean patch size (MPS) and contagion size (CONTAG). The results showed that the urbanization development has a great impact on the region, and the ecological protection task is still challenging. It is necessary to protect high-quality cropland and draw a red line for ecological protection. We should strengthen the construction of ecological corridors and ecological nodes to adapt to regional sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To better understand biogeochemical processes controlling CO2 dynamics in those eutrophic large-river estuaries and coastal lagoons, we investigated surface water carbonate system, nutrients, and relevant hydrochemical parameters in the inner Changjiang (Yangtze River) Estuary, covering its channel-like South Branch and the lagoon-like North Branch, shortly after a spring-tide period in April 2010. In the North Branch, with a water residence time of more than 2 months, biogeochemical additions of ammonium (7.4 to 65.7 µmol kg-1) and alkalinity (196 to 695 µmol kg-1) were detected along with high salinity of 4.5 to 17.4. In the South Branch upper-reach, unusual salinity values of 0.20 to 0.67 were detected, indicating spillover waters from the North Branch. The spillover waters enhanced the springtime Changjiang export fluxes of nutrients, dissolved inorganic carbon, and alkalinity. And they affected the biogeochemistry in the South Branch, by lowering water-to-air CO2 flux and continuing the nitrification reaction. In the North Branch, pCO2 was measured from 930 to 1518 µatm at the salinity range between 8 and 16, which was substantially higher than the South Branch pCO2 of 700 to 1100 µatm. Based on field data analyses and simplified stoichiometric equations, we suggest that the North Branch CO2 productions were quantified by biogeochemical processes combining organic matter decomposition, nitrification, CaCO3 dissolution, and acid-base reactions in the estuarine mixing zone. Although our study is subject to limited temporal and spatial coverage of sampling, we have demonstrated a procedure to quantificationally constrain net CO2 productions in eutrophic estuaries and/or coastal lagoons, by coupling the chemical dynamics of carbonate and dissolved inorganic nitrogen systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To better understand biogeochemical processes controlling CO2 dynamics in those eutrophic large-river estuaries and coastal lagoons, we investigated surface water carbonate system, nutrients, and relevant hydrochemical parameters in the inner Changjiang (Yangtze River) Estuary, covering its channel-like South Branch and the lagoon-like North Branch, shortly after a spring-tide period in April 2010. In the North Branch, with a water residence time of more than 2 months, biogeochemical additions of ammonium (7.4 to 65.7 µmol kg-1) and alkalinity (196 to 695 µmol kg-1) were detected along with high salinity of 4.5 to 17.4. In the South Branch upper-reach, unusual salinity values of 0.20 to 0.67 were detected, indicating spillover waters from the North Branch. The spillover waters enhanced the springtime Changjiang export fluxes of nutrients, dissolved inorganic carbon, and alkalinity. And they affected the biogeochemistry in the South Branch, by lowering water-to-air CO2 flux and continuing the nitrification reaction. In the North Branch, pCO2 was measured from 930 to 1518 µatm at the salinity range between 8 and 16, which was substantially higher than the South Branch pCO2 of 700 to 1100 µatm. Based on field data analyses and simplified stoichiometric equations, we suggest that the North Branch CO2 productions were quantified by biogeochemical processes combining organic matter decomposition, nitrification, CaCO3 dissolution, and acid-base reactions in the estuarine mixing zone. Although our study is subject to limited temporal and spatial coverage of sampling, we have demonstrated a procedure to quantificationally constrain net CO2 productions in eutrophic estuaries and/or coastal lagoons, by coupling the chemical dynamics of carbonate and dissolved inorganic nitrogen systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the capacities of community-based labor nongovernment organizations (NGOs) in China to raise workers' consciousness and build solidarity among workers in the post-2018 era. It closely studies the transformation of a community-based labor NGO in the Yangtze River Delta and investigates the relationships among managers, workers, community members, NGO staff members, and volunteers. Although state repression and funding concerns limit the space for workers and subalterns to represent themselves and act politically in China, the internal organizational structure of labor NGOs such as this has exacerbated their stagnation. This is due to a top-down decision-making process, a lack of democratic participation and transparency, selective inclusion, a neglect of collective possibilities, and techno-social features such as social media technology. The result is maintenance of the status quo. These organizational limitations prevent community-based labor NGOs from functioning as a progressive force and turns them into marginal social forces that strive to survive and are incapable of representing workers and adjusting to workers changing needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frequently occurring flood disasters caused by extreme climate and urbanization processes have become the most common natural hazard and pose a great threat to human society. Therefore, urban flood risk assessment is of great significance for disaster mitigation and prevention. In this paper, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was applied to quantify the spatiotemporal variations in flood risk in Wuhan during 2000-2018. A comprehensive flood risk assessment index system was constructed from the hazard, sensitivity, and vulnerability components with seven indices. The results showed that the central urban area, especially the area in the west bank of the Yangtze river, had high risk due to its high flood sensitivity that was determined by land use type and high vulnerability with dense population and per unit GDP. Specifically, the Jianghan, Qiaokou, Jiangan, andWuchang districts had the highest flood risk, more than 60% of whose area was in medium or above-medium risk regions. During 2000--2018, the flood risk overall showed an increasing trend, with Hongshan district increasing the most, and the year of 2010 was identified as a turning point for rapid risk increase. In addition, the comparison between the risk maps and actual historical inundation point records showed good agreement, indicating that the assessment framework and method proposed in this study can be useful to assist flood mitigation and management, and relevant policy recommendations were proposed based on the assessment results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the flood season of 2016, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River suffered the worst flooding since 1999, involving Hunan, Hubei, Anhui, Jiangxi and Jiangsu provinces and the Taihu Basin. Based on the field survey at eight counties on both sides along the Yangtze River in Anhui Province, this paper analyses the features of rainstorm, flood and the resulting disaster in 2016 over there, and identifies problems and difficulties existing in flood prevention and disaster reduction under the new situation of social and economic development. Furthermore, this paper discusses the coping strategies and measures on advancing the comprehensive flood management mode of human-water harmony, managing middle and small rivers and strengthening the key basic research on flood control and disaster reduction under the new situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vessel behaviour analysis plays an important role in maritime situational awareness. However, available technology still provides only limited approaches to vessel behaviour analysis. In this paper, we propose a visual analytics framework to interactively explore the characteristics of vessel behaviour by means of integrating visualisation with data mining and a human-computer interaction controlling model, which combines human insight with the enormous storage and processing capacities of computers to gain insight into vessel behaviour. In addition, we provide multiple views for visually analysing vessel trajectories, densities and speeds. Case studies with 15 days' AIS data collected from the middle Hankou channel to Yangluo channel in the Yangtze River demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The Qinling Orogenic Belt is a typical composite continental orogenic belt in China. The Qinling Mountains is not only a natural demarcation that separates China into a southern part and a northern part, in terms of Qinling Orogenic Belt's geography, climate, organisms, and river systems, but also forms a cultural boundary between the Yellow River Civilization to the north and the Yangtze River Civilization to the south. The Xi'an Qinling Zhongnanshan World Geopark is situated in the major portion of the collision zone between the South China and North China plates, which is also a typical section of the Qinling Orogenic Belt. It has been the focus of great attention for its long history of geological evolution, intensive tectonism, various rock types, unique strata, frequent magmatism, and abundant geological heritage sites. This paper clarifies the regional geological background of the Qinling Zhongnanshan World Geopark in 3 aspects, that is, the regional geological setting, regional evolution, and regional strata. With an integrated analysis and classification, the paper describes the main features of geological relics and geological remains of scientific significance in the geopark, on the basis of an investigation and systematic analysis for the geological relic resources of the world geopark. Compared with the geosites in other world geoparks, the sites in the Zhongnanshan area are particularly distinctive, even unique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of China's economy, air pollution is becoming extremely serious. The spatial-temporal evolution of air pollution is conducive to the management of air pollution. The paper is proceeded into three steps. Firstly, based on the generalization principal component analysis method, the comprehensive air pollution evaluation index is established. Then, the gravity center model is utilized to explore the spatial-temporal evolution of air pollution in Yangtze River Delta from January 2014 to December 2016. Finally, the contribution decomposition method is utilized to explore the contribution to gravity center evolution. The main results are as follows: (1) The air pollution have obvious seasonal and regional differences in Yangtze River Delta. (2) The gravity center of air pollution continues to westward after 2014 with the characteristic of the north-south circular movement. (3) Hefei City and Yangzhou City have huge impact on the gravity center evolution of air pollution. The conclusions could be helpful for Chinese government to control the air pollution in Yangtze River Delta. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigating the characteristics of urban expansion is helpful in managing the relationship between urbanization and the ecological and environmental issues related to sustainable development. The Defense Meteorological Satellite Program/Operational Line-scan System (DMSP/OLS) collects visible and near-infrared light fromthe Earth's surface at nightwithoutmoonlight. It generates effective time series data for mapping the dynamics of urban expansion. As a major urban agglomeration in the world, the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration (YRDUA) is an important intersection zone of both the "Belt and Road Initiative" and the "Yangtze River Economic Belt" in China. Therefore, this paper analyses urban expansion characteristics of the YRDUA for 1993-2012 from urban extents extracted from the DMSP/OLS for 1993, 1997, 2002, 2007, and 2012. First, calibration procedures are applied to DMSP/OLS data, including intercalibration, intra-annual composition, and inter-annual series correction procedures. Spatial extents are then extracted from the corrected DMSP/OLS data, and a threshold is determined via the spatial comparison method. Finally, three models are used to explore urban expansion characteristics of the YRDUA from expansion rates, expansion spatial patterns, and expansion evaluations. The results show that the urban expansion of the YRDUA occurred at an increasing rate from 1993-2007 and then declined after 2007 with the onset of the global financial crisis. The Suxichang and Ningbo metropolitan circles were seriously affected by the financial crisis, while the Hefei metropolitan circle was not. The urban expansion of the YRDUA moved from the northeast to the southwest over the 20-year period. Urban expansion involved internal infilling over the first 15 years and then evolved into external sprawl and suburbanization after 2007. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientific understanding of the evolution law of territorial space patterns and the ability to reveal the formation mechanism hold great significance for the sustainable utilization of territorial resources and the high-quality green development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB). In this study, we used the spatial chord diagram, landscape pattern index, and geographical probe to explore the evolution characteristics and formation mechanism of the territorial space pattern of the YREB from 2000 to 2020. The results showed the following: (1) The territorial space showed obvious geographical hierarchical distribution characteristics in the topographic gradient. Production and living space was dominant throughout the low and middle terrain region. Ecological space was dominant throughout the high-terrain regions. With the increase of altitude and slope, production and living space contracted, whereas ecological space areas expanded. (2) Since 2000, the territorial space has changed more dramatically. Over time, living space tended to increase, and production and ecological space tended to decrease, but ecological space was always dominant. In space, the geographical differentiation of territorial space was more obvious, and the pattern was relatively stable, with production space distributed primarily in the middle and lower reaches, living space distributed primarily in the lower reaches, and ecological space distributed primarily in the middle and upper reaches. The inter-transformation between territorial spaces was more frequent, and the transformation trajectory was diversified. (3) The fragmentation, heterogeneity, and dispersion of territorial space landscape patches throughout the whole region increased, and the balance and diversity of territorial space utilization improved. (4) Natural factors have continued to weaken the intensity of their effect on territorial space. Human factors gradually increased the extent of their interference in the territorial space. There are significant differences in the extent of the role of these different factors on the territorial space of the whole region and each basin. Natural and human factors jointly promoted the formation and development of the territorial space pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neoproterozoic I-type granites could provide vital insights into the crust–mantle interaction and the crustal evolution along the western Yangtze Block, South China. This paper presents new zircon U–Pb ages, bulk-rock geochemistry, and in situ zircon Lu–Hf isotope on the Dalu I-type granites from the southwestern Yangtze Block. Zircon U–Pb dating show the crystallization ages of 781.1 ± 2.8 Ma for granodiorites and 779.8 ± 2.0 Ma for granites, respectively. The Dalu granodiorites are Na-rich, calc-alkaline, metaluminous to slightly peraluminous (A/CNK = 0.94–1.08). Zircons from granodiorite have positive εHf(t) values (+2.16 to +7.39) with crustal model ages of 1.21–1.54 Ga, indicating juvenile mafic lower crust source. The Dalu granites are high-K calc-alkaline, peraluminous rocks. They have variable zircon εHf(t) values (−4.65 to +5.80) with crustal model ages of 1.31–1.97 Ga, suggesting that they were derived from the mature metasediment-derived melts by the mixing of newly formed mafic lower crust-derived melts. The geochemical variations in Dalu pluton is dominated not only by the different source rocks but also by the different melting temperatures. Combining with the geochemistry and isotopic compositions of I-type granitoids and tectonic setting in the western Yangtze Block, we propose that the Dalu I-type granodiorites–granites associations are the magmatic response from different crustal levels, which were induced by the heat anomaly due to the asthenosphere upwelling in the subduction-related setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

U-section steel sheet piles are widely used as support structures in bridge foundation pit excavation. Because of the reduced modulus action (RMA) effect of U-section steel sheet piles, it is difficult to balance structural safety and construction cost in engineering. In this paper, a case study of a foundation pit supported by U-section steel sheet piles in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River was carried out. A three-dimensional FEM of the support structure was established and the RMA parameter analysis was conducted. According to the measured data, the RMA value was identified. Based on the RMA value, the support structure of the subsequent foundation pit was optimized and the deformation of the pile head was monitored during the excavation process. The measured deformation was in good agreement with the predicted value, verifying the feasibility of the inferred RMA value. Finally, to solve the uncertainty problem of the U-section steel sheet pile RMA in general situations, an optimization strategy for the design of the U-section steel sheet pile support structure was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The seasonality of internal tides is particularly conspicuous in shelf seas due to the dramatical variations in the marine environment. In this paper, the seasonal and spatial variabilities of M2 internal tides in the Yellow Sea (YS) are investigated using a high‐resolution numerical ocean model. The freshwater runoff of the Yangtze River is also considered. Because most nonlinear internal waves are of tidal origin, the simulated internal tides show good spatial consistency with the satellite‐detected nonlinear internal waves. During summer, the M2 internal tides are ubiquitous and originate from multiple generation sites (e.g., the west coast of the Korean Peninsula and the Yangtze River estuary). During other seasons, the spatial coverage of the internal tides becomes very limited. Multiple sources combined with seasonal onset and decay lead to complex seasonal interference patterns. The wavelengths vary both spatially and temporally, depending on the water depth and ocean stratification. Between spring and autumn, a seasonally reversed pattern of radiation of baroclinic energy flux is found in the southern YS, which may be induced by the seasonal variability of the YS Warm Current. Seasonal stratification controls the seasonality of the generation, propagation, and dissipation of internal tides and is maintained by the monsoon, seasonal circulation, and Yangtze River runoff. Our simulations suggest that, although internal tide dissipation is dispensable for the tidal energy budgets in the YS, internal tides seem to be the leading order contributor to the midcolumn diapycnal mixing, as they are more efficient mixers than barotropic tides. Plain Language Summary: Due to limited in situ observations and lack of attention, the basic characteristics of internal tides (especially the seasonal) in the Yellow Sea (YS) are still poorly understood. In this study, we have investigated the seasonal behaviors of the M2 internal tides in the YS by utilizing a numerical ocean model. The behaviors of the M2 internal tides vary significantly by season, which are very active during summer but are very weak during winter. The seasonal stratification in the YS is thought to be responsible for the seasonal behaviors of internal tides. We also found that the mixing induced by internal tide is nonnegligible in the summer shelf sea. Key Points: The M2 internal tides in the Yellow Sea are numerically simulated and show significant spatial and seasonal variabilityStratification has a crucial impact on the generation, propagation, and dissipation of internal tidesInternal tidal‐induced mixing and its seasonality are nonnegligible in the Yellow Sea [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The uncertainty research of hydrological forecast attracts the attention of a host of hydrological experts. Prediction Interval (PI) is a convinced method that can ensure the forecasting accuracy meanwhile take uncertainty range into consideration. While the existed Prediction Interval methods need algorithm optimization and are susceptible to local optima, so it is particularly urgent to provide an efficient Prediction Interval (PI) model with excellent performance. This paper proposes a novel upper and lower bound interval estimation model to rapidly define the PI and reduce the amount of calculation to implement convenient and high precise hydrological forecast. Above all, the ideal upper and lower bounds are defined according to the relative width or absolute width. Then, the proposed model is utilized to forecast interval runoff via least square method and multiple linear regression methods. The estimated interval inclusion ratio, interval width, symmetry, and root-mean-square error which are popular used to judge the precision serve as accuracy evaluation indexes. The measured discharge data from five hydrological stations which located upstream of the Yangtze River is applied for interval forecasting. Compared with the results of neural network-based upper and lower bound interval estimation model, the proposed method yields higher forecasting accuracy, meanwhile, the ideal upper and lower bounds successfully minimize the number of processes which require a mass of parameter searching and optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to effectively promote the construction of the Yangtze River economic belt, it has become China's national strategy to vigorously develop the river-sea-going transportation. In the present paper, theoretical analysis, numerical simulation and model test are combined together to develop flat-type river-sea-going ship which is characterized with larger loading capacity, lower fuel consumption, better performance on energy-saving and environmental-friendly, excellent economy and higher transportation efficiency. Key technologies on hydrodynamic performance, structural safety, energy-saving technology and green ship technology are investigated to develop the river-sea-going ship. The developed "4E" level ship has great significance to the implementation of national strategic deployment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past decades, a multilayer transshipment network of bulk shipping has been formed along the Yangtze River so as to support the fast development of Chinese iron and steel industry. Yet with the decrease of iron ore trade in China since 2014, the bulk port system on Yangtze River probably will be subject to change in the future. Under this background, this paper aims to analyze the development potential of Yangtze River bulk ports system with a focus on iron ore transshipment. To realize this objective, we firstly sort out the main transshipment patterns of bulk shipping, and optimize the bulk-shipping network with an optimization model. Several scenarios are then proposed and examined in the model by changing corresponding parameters. Cooperation among ports as one scenario is analyzed by applying core theory in cooperative game. Based on the changes of transshipment plans observed under the various scenarios, we finally ascertain the different development potentials of the system, and provide suggestions to the port operators and local maritime authorities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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In the late 1990s, China’s Yangtze and Yellow River Basins suffered devastating natural disasters widely attributed to the degradation of soil and water resources. The Government of China responded with a number of major environmental programs, the most expensive and influential of which, the Grain for Green (GfG) Program, was implemented widely from 1999. Under the GfG Program—also known as the Sloping Land Conversion or Conversion of Cropland to Forest Program—the central government compensates farmers to convert cropland on steep slopes or otherwise ecologically sensitive areas to forest or grassland. Its long-term success depends on households’ ability to make sustainable changes to their household income streams and income diversification strategies. In this paper, we use a difference-in-difference estimation approach to examine the role of migration as a household-level response to the GfG Program, testing the extent to which individuals migrate following a reduction in land available for farming. Importantly, we exploit 15 years of data on migration decisions and establish that participating and non-participating households were on parallel migration paths before the program, thus refuting a key threat to causality in a difference-in-difference model. We find that participating families do, in fact, choose migration as an income diversification strategy more frequently than non-participants. The program effects varied over time but peaked post-Great Recession in 2011 when migration rates in GfG households exceeded those of non-GfG households by 5.9% points (p = 0.003) or about 26%. Our findings should encourage policymakers that families are making long-term adjustments to their livelihood strategies to avoid poverty in anticipation of the eventual withdrawal of government supports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Sediment transport in suspension can represent more than 90% of a river's total annual flux of sediment. In the case of the Yangtze River, more than 99% of the sediment supplied to the sea is suspended load. Suspended sediment is thus an important component of the total sediment load, with implications for channel dynamics, landscape evolution, ecology, and human‐related activities. For hydrological management of large basins such as the Yangtze River, knowledge of the processes governing suspended sediment concentration (SSC) is essential. An analysis of the temporal variation of SSC for the Upper Yangtze basin (defined at Pingshan station) is presented here. For this purpose, a database of 50 years of concurrent discharge and SSC measurements, made by the Yangtze River Commission, is used. The analysis is made using a novel probabilistic data‐driven technique, the Generalized Pareto Uncertainty (GPU). This technique allows for the testing of several strategies of prediction and forecast applied to a time series of SSC and streamflow. Changing between local or seasonal variables to feed these strategies, we inferred that although the main driver of the SSC transport is flow (as reported by previous authors), sediment storage is also a major control. Furthermore, the maximum necessary time lag for forecasts made with the data is on the order of one week, which provides one indication of the time scale of the local processes of SSC transport in the Upper Yangtze. In this paper, limitations and data requirements of the GPU methodology are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we examine the genetic diversity, population structure and demographic history of Acrossocheilus yunnanensis inferred from four mitochondrial gene sequences. Twenty-two haplotypes were identified for A. yunnanensis. The total haplotype and nucleotide diversities of A. yunnanensis are 0.9206 and 0.024654, respectively. The monophyly of the haplotypes is supported by all phylogenetic analyses. All the haplotypes can be divided into four major lineages. The results of AMOVA and SAMOVA suggest that the best grouping pattern is to divide four groups, and that most of the variation of genetic divergence is present among these groups. The population expansion of A. yunnanensis is not supported by the analyses of population demography. Our results revealing the genetic background of A. yunnanensis will prove helpful in protecting its genetic diversity and utilizing this resource in a reasonable manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote sensing technology has been widely used in many fields. But most of the applications cannot get the information with high reliability and high accuracy in large scale, especially for the applications using automatic interpretation methods. We have designed an application-oriented technology system (PIR) composed of a series of accurate interpretation techniques, which can get over 85% correctness in Water Resource Management from the view of photogrammetry and expert knowledge. The techniques compose of the spatial positioning techniques from the view of photogrammetry, the feature interpretation techniques from the view of expert knowledge, and the rationality analysis techniques from the view of data mining. Each interpreted polygon is accurate enough to be applied to the accuracy sensitive projects, such as the Three Gorge Project and the South - to - North Water Diversion Project. In this paper, we present several remote sensing applications with high reliability in Changjiang Water Resource Management, including water pollution investigation, illegal construction inspection, and water conservation monitoring, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present ship-based Multi- Axis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (MAXDOAS) measurements of tropospheric trace gases' distribution along the Yangtze River during winter 2015. The measurements were performed along the Yangtze River between Shanghai andWuhan, covering major industrial areas in eastern China. Tropospheric vertical column densities (VCDs) of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and formaldehyde (HCHO) were retrieved using the air mass factor calculated by the radiative transfer model. Enhanced tropospheric NO2 and SO2 VCDs were detected over downwind areas of industrial zones over the Yangtze River. In addition, spatial distributions of atmospheric pollutants are strongly affected by meteorological conditions; i.e., positive correlations were found between concentration of pollutants and wind speed over these areas, indicating strong influence of transportation of pollutants from high-emission upwind areas along the Yangtze River. Comparison of tropospheric NO2 VCDs between ship-based MAX-DOAS and Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) satellite observations shows good agreement with each other, with a Pearson correlation coefficient (R) of 0.82. In this study, the NO2 / S± ratio was used to estimate the relative contributions of industrial sources and vehicle emissions to ambient NO2 levels. Analysis results of the NO2 / SO2 ratio show a higher contribution of industrial industrial NO2 emissions in Jiangsu Province, while NO2 levels in Jiangxi and Hubei provinces are mainly related to vehicle emissions. These results indicate that different pollution control strategies should be applied in different provinces. In addition, multiple linear regression analysis of ambient carbon monoxide (CO) and odd oxygen (Ox) indicated that the primary emission and secondary formation of HCHO contribute 54.4±3.7% and 39.3±4.3% to the ambient HCHO, respectively. The largest contribution from primary emissions in winter suggested that photochemically induced secondary formation of HCHO is reduced due to lower solar irradiance in winter. Our findings provide an improved understanding of major pollution sources along the eastern part of the Yangtze River which are useful for designing specific air pollution control policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A better understanding of the runoff variations contributes to a better utilization of water resources and water conservancy planning. In this paper, we analyzed the runoff changes in the Yangtze River Basin (YRB) including the spatiotemporal characteristics of intra-annual variation, the trend, the mutation point, and the period of annual runoff using various statistical methods. We also investigated how changes in the precipitation and temperature could impact on runoff. We found that the intra-annual runoff shows a decreasing trend from 1954 to 2008 and from upper stream to lower stream. On the annual runoff sequence, the upstream runoff has a high consistency and shows an increasing diversity from upper stream to lower stream. The mutation points of the annual runoff in the YRB are years 1961 and 2004. Annual runoff presents multitime scales for dry and abundance changes. Hurst values show that the runoffs at the main control stations all have Hurst phenomenon (the persistence of annual runoff). The sensitivity analyses of runoff variation to precipitation and temperature were also conducted. Our results show that the response of runoff to precipitation is more sensitive than that to temperature. The response of runoff to temperature is only one-third of the response to precipitation. A decrease in temperature may offset the impact of decreasing rainfall on runoff, while an increase in both rainfall and temperature leads to strongest runoff variations in the YRB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar radiation is the principal and fundamental energy for many physical, chemical and biological processes. Estimation of solar radiation by Ångström-Prescott (A-P) model from sunshine duration is common employed. In this paper, the original linear A-P model and four commonly used modification models (quadratic, cubic, power and logarithmic functions) are comparatively studied. It is found that the linear, second and cubic models give very similar goodness of fit, and the linear model is recommended due to its greater simplicity and convenience. The A-P model parameter a, sum a + b correlate most significantly with altitude. Based on these correlations, the deterministic equations of parameters a and b are proposed. Consequently, the A-P model with the estimated parameters by deterministic equations is used to estimate solar radiation, and it gives good performance with the RMSE < 1.7 MJ m-2, RRMSE < 20% and R² > 0.89. It is therefore recommended to use these equations to determine the A-P parameters in Yangtze River basin in China, and it is believed particularly useful for the site where lacks of the measured solar radiation data for calibration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In the western Yangtze Block, widespread Mesoproterozoic to Neoproterozoic rocks are the key to understanding the Precambrian tectonic‐magmatic evolution of the region. However, their petrogenesis and tectonic setting are still controversial. In this paper, zircon U‐Pb ages, Sm‐Nd isotopic and whole‐rock geochemical data are reported from selected fresh samples in the southern Dechang county, southwestern China, in order to constrain their emplacement age and magma source, as well as their petrogenesis and tectonic setting. They are mainly composed of biotite monzogranite, monzonitic granite, biotite granodiorites, and quartz diorite. Two ages of 1055 ± 43 Ma and 837.6 ± 3.8 Ma were obtained through zircon U‐Pb dating by LA‐ICP‐MS and LA‐MC‐ICP‐MS, respectively. According to their major element compositions, the Grenville‐age granites are peraluminous calc‐alkaline series calcic S‐type granite. In contrast, the mid‐Neoproterozoic granites are metaluminous calc‐alkaline series alkalic I‐type granite. Furthermore, the S‐type granites are enriched in LREEs relative to HREEs with (La/Yb)N ratios of 3.85–18.56 and underwent major fractionation with strongly negative Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu* = 0.38–0.66). In the MORB‐normalized trace element variation diagram, all the samples are enriched in Ce and large ion lithophile elements such as Rb, Th, and K, and depleted in high field strength elements such as Nb, and Ti, with negative Sr and Ti anomalies. The I‐type granites are enriched in LREEs with slight negative Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu* = 0.83–0.93). They are characterized by the enrichment of highly incompatible elements (such as K, Rb, Ba, Th) and LREEs, relative to MORB. Neodymium isotopic data show that the S‐type granites display 143Nd/144Nd values of 0.51241–0.51256, and have εNd (t = 1055 Ma) values of (−3.29) to (−3.81). Calculated tDM ages yield values from 1.87 to 1.91 Ga with the tDM.2stg ages of 1.86 to 1.9 Ga. The I‐type granites have 143Nd/144Nd ratios between 0.51192 and 0.51195, corresponding to initial εNd (t = 837 Ma) values of 1.22 to 5.63. Calculated tDM ages yield values from 1.0 to 1.38 Ga and the tDM.2stg ages yield values from 0.99 to 1.06 Ga. The S‐type granites are distinguished as syn‐collision granite, whereas the I‐type granites were formed as arc magmas according to the Rb‐(Yb+Ta) and R1‐R2 tectonic discrimination diagrams. To conclude, there are two types of spatially associated granite, the Mesoproterozoic S‐type granite which were derived from re‐melting of upper crustal mudstone and/or clastics and resulted from the convergence of two continental plates, and the mid‐Neoproterozoic I‐type granite which formed in continental arc and resulted from mantle‐derived magma mixed crust material, in the western Yangtze Block. Furthermore, we suggest that collision between the Yangtze and Cathaysia blocks occurred at about 1055 Ma, and caused the S‐type granite. The I‐type granite related to the subduction of oceanic lithosphere eastward underneath the Yangtze Block in the mid‐Neoproterozoic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the past few decades, the ecosystems of lakes have been reshaped greatly by global climate change and expanding human activities. As the second largest freshwater lake in China, Dongting Lake is the most important regulating lake in the Yangtze River Basin because it has extensive flood storage capacity. The dynamic characteristics of its circulation and sediment transport are significantly affected by the scheduling and interception of control reservoirs at the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. In this paper, a central lake reservoir is proposed to improve the flood and drought resistance of Dongting Lake. The efficiency of the central lake reservoir is investigated numerically by developing a two-dimensional shallow water model. We demonstrate that current velocity and water elevation during flood and drought events can be influenced significantly by the construction of the central lake reservoir. The flood storage capacity of the central lake reservoir can reduce the peak flood elevation significantly in West Dongting Lake, which would enhance its flood resistance. The water replenishment of the central lake reservoir in the dry season can also efficiently increase the lake water elevation to enhance the drought resistance in the area surrounding the lake. Our findings have important implications for policy makers and their management of Dongting Lake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The widely developed black shales on the Yangtze Platform recorded palaeoceanographic environment information during the Ediacaran–Cambrian transition. This paper describes an integrated geochemical study of rare earth elements (REEs), redox‐sensitive trace elements (RSTEs), and total organic carbon (TOC) contents in Ediacaran–Cambrian black shales at Daotuo, northeastern Guizhou Province, South China. Integrated RSTE data from the Daotuo area, in combination with previously published Fe speciation and Mo‐based proxies from another six sections (Shatan, Jiulongwan, Zhongling, Yangjiaping, Longbizui and Wuhe), suggest three major periods of water euxinia during the Ediacaran–Cambrian transition. Under these conditions, organic matter and RSTEs experienced various levels of enrichment in the black shales, especially in the lower Jiumenchong Formation. Given the patterns of Mo‐U covariations, metal‐oxyhydroxide particulate shuttles may have operated during the black shale deposition of the Doushantuo Formation (Member II) at Daotuo. Conspicuously, the upper slope water was oxic‐dysoxic during the earliest Cambrian, as determined by the REE, RSTE data and sedimentological characteristics of the Liuchapo Formation and the basal Jiumenchong Formation. The generally low RSTE concentrations in the Bianmachong Formation black shales (Cambrian Series 2, end of Stage 3) suggest a persistently oxic water column in upper slope settings. The coincidence between the marine oxygenation and the development of the ecosystem likely indicates the galvanizing effects of enhanced oxygen and biological element content on the fauna during the Ediacaran–Cambrian transition. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the public's risk perception and its causes and effects, it would be helpful to understand the basis for the public's disaster alleviation decisions and improve the effectiveness of risk communication. This paper analyses the relationship between the public's trust and risk perception by investigating the motives for trust building and the effects on public's flood risk perception in an area along the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River. The objects of trust are disaster alleviation measures of monitoring and early warning, flood control projects, and disaster event management. The study data were obtained by conducting household interviews. The major conclusions are: (1) Public's trust in monitoring and early warning as well as in flood control projects is greater than the one in disaster event management. Trust has changed the public's assessment of flood risk and enhanced public confidence in disaster handling. Meanwhile, it reduces the propensity to adopt long-term preparation against disasters. Therefore, the public needs guidance in recognising the limits and validity of scientific and technological capabilities. (2) Public's trust is the product of not only individual psychological processes but also the external regional flood risk and social psychological characteristics. The levels of trust vary in different regions. Therefore, risk communication should be conducted according to regional characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring the determinant between climate change and ecological restoration for streamflow dynamics is a significant issue in global change research and is essential for restoration policy assessment and climate change adaptation. In this paper, the combination of elasticity method and Budyko framework was applied with the meteorological and hydrological data from 1980 to 2014. The variability and variation of streamflow were explained by individual elasticity coefficient and contribution of climate change and ecological restoration between 1980-1999 and 2000-2014. Results showed that streamflow was more sensitive to climate change in the Yellow River source (YER) than in the Yangtze River source (YZR). Ecological restoration was positively correlated with the variability of streamflow in YER with 7.38% relative change in elasticity coefficients, while it was opposite trend in YZR with a relative change of − 7.41%. However, the impacts of climate change and ecological restoration on the variation of streamflow were not consistent with the variability. In YER, ecological restoration dominated the streamflow reduction with a contribution of 82.43%, whereas, in YZR, climate change mainly contributed to the streamflow increase which could explain 123.72% and the precipitation was the major contributor. By analysis, the difference in two catchments might result from the spatial heterogeneity of precipitation conditions and land use/cover change, especially the conversion of grassland. The results suggest that the implementation of ecological recovery should consider the difference of streamflow change in response to ecological restoration and climate change for the sustainability of water resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ground‐level ozone (O3) and atmospheric fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution are the major challenges for continually improving air quality in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region of China. Understanding regional transport patterns of PM2.5 and O3 pollution is essential for the development of regional cooperative prevention strategies. This study shows the annual concentration of PM2.5 in the YRD decreased by 18.5% from 2015 to 2018, while the mean values of the daily maximum 8‐hr average (MDA8) O3 concentration from March to October increased by 16.3%. A complex network method is utilized to investigate the regional transport of PM2.5 and O3 in different grid cells (nodes). The source apportionment method within the chemistry transport model is applied to verify the reliability of the complex network method. Interregional and intraregional transport play an important role in both PM2.5 and O3 over the YRD. The northern part of the YRD contributes much more than other areas, while the central part of the YRD, especially the southern part of Jiangsu, is the largest contributor of O3 in the YRD in the summer, accounting for about 70%. Intraregional transport plays more of a major role in increasing PM2.5 pollution than O3 pollution. This study not only verifies the transport patterns of heavy pollution through the complex network method and traditional source apportionment technology, it also reveals that both methods provide great potential in understanding transport patterns and air pollution relationships, which are the solid foundation for emission mitigation in the YRD region. Key Points: Complex network method provides a foundation for an in‐depth analysis of regional transport with chemical transport model at grid levelThe results show that the Suxichang and Hangjiahu areas are the most prominent contributors of both PM2.5 and O3 in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD)The southern Huangshan and the border of Jinhua and Lishui are the major receptors for PM2.5 and O3 in the YRD [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four research cruises were carried out during March and July in 2015 and 2016 in the Changjiang (Yangtze) River Estuary and the adjacent shelf. Nutrient concentrations (regarded as static parameters) were measured in the surface and bottom waters collected at 86–99 stations over the course of these cruises. In addition, unfiltered seawater samples were incubated onboard for 48 hr to measure the potential change rates of nutrients (regarded as dynamic parameters). These parameters can help directly elucidate non‐conservative behaviors of nutrients in order to determine whether seawater serves as a source or a sink. Large nutrient sinks (with more negative variation rates) were consistently found at the surface during the two July cruises at the stations just along the outside edge of the turbidity maximum zone near the mouth of the river. Negative rates, although with much smaller magnitudes, were also found in most bottom water samples in July and at both the surface and bottom in March. The high net nutrient uptake rates at the surface in the summer triggered bloom events later at the seaward stations, showing that high net nutrient uptake is the cause and high chlorophyll‐a is the consequence of the bloom. Such information about biogeochemical cycling of nutrients and the mechanisms and development of bloom events occurring in large river estuarine and coastal areas could not have been obtained if these static and dynamic parameters had not been studied together. Plain Language Summary: In this study, we proved the ability of estuary as the "biogeochemical filter" in the large‐river dominated areas and directly elucidated nutrient non‐conservative behaviors. The concentration parameters (static parameters) revealed more about the instantaneous situations of nutrients, while the change rates (dynamic parameters) focused more on potential change trends of nutrients. Large nutrient sinks (with more negative variation rates) were consistently found at the surface during the summer at the stations just along the outside edge of the turbidity maxima zone. Our data indicated the high net nutrient variation rates at the surface in the summer triggered the bloom events later at the stations seaward away with distances of several tens of kilometers. Key Points: By introducing "dynamic" parameters, it can be more intuitive to observe that nutrients are more active in summerHigh nutrient variation rates and high chlorophyll‐a concentrations seldom occurred at the same timeA new approach was developed to elucidate the non‐conservative behavior of nutrients in large river estuaries [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]