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• Literature review papers related to the tourism-energy nexus are analyzed. • Four main groups are identified considering the quantitative methodology used. • Topics and discussions on the nexus between tourism and energy are developed. • Future research is discussed. The high dependence of tourism activities on energy consumption, and particularly on non-renewable energy, is a major barrier to building sustainable tourism models. For this reason, the analysis of tourism and energy use is a growing field of study within sustainability debates. Despite this, there is a gap in the literature and, to the best of our knowledge, there is no previous study that critically reviews the vast literature on the energy-tourism nexus. This paper aims to fill this gap in tourism knowledge. The main objective of this article is to conduct a systematic review of scientific studies with a quantitative empirical basis that examine this nexus, trying to answer the following questions: What are the main methodologies used to approach the tourism-energy nexus? which indicators or variables are relevant?; is there a consensus on the results?; and what are the main lines of discussion on the use of energy in tourism? To this end, we particularly focus on the main methodologies, results and perspectives during the period 2001–2021. A total of 1,189 articles were reviewed by abstract and title, 236 were included for the full review and 163 were finally selected. The results show how the nexus and energy dependence of tourism is assessed mainly from four major methodological groups: G1) econometric models, regressions and other statistical methodologies (67% of the sample); G2) surveys, questionnaires and energy audits (15%); G3) Life Cycle Analysis (13%) and G4) other approaches and environmental impact indicators to assess the relationship between energy and tourism (5%). The analysis between the causal relationships between tourism development, economic growth, energy use, environmental degradation and energy efficiency of accommodations are the main issues evaluated, considering a wide range of indicators/variables. Based on the gaps and limitations found in the literature review on tourism and energy, it is discussed how some findings should be interpreted with caution due to their methodological approaches and differences. Finally, some of the main lines of future research in this field are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper aims at quantifying the factors affecting vegetation growth in the western of Inner Mongolia, and judging the relative contribution of natural factors and man-made factors. • It is obtained through geodetectors (GD) that Rainfall is the most important driving factor, with the q-value of 0.77 and GDP also having a huge impact on vegetation growth, q-value of 0.64. • Different from most studies, human activity also has a positive effect on vegetation growth. • The relative contribution of human activities reached 51.75%, slightly exceeding the influence of natural factors. Vegetation is an essential component of terrestrial ecosystems, and understanding the drivers of vegetation change is of great importance for ecological management. In recent years, vegetation growth has increased under the combined effect of global warming and human activities in Inner Mongolia. The net primary productivity (NPP) was used as an indicator to study the spatial and temporal changes in vegetation in the Qimeng Region (QR). The residual trend analysis method was used to analyze the relative contributions of climate variations (CV) and human activities (HA) to NPP changes across the QR, while their drivers were explored using a geographical detector approach to quantify the driving forces of NPP. The results show that (1) NPP exhibited a fluctuating growth trend from 2003 to 2020, with an overall growth rate of 2.91%/year. (2) Precipitation, GDP and population density were the dominant driving factors for the spatial distribution of NPP. The combined explanatory power of any two dominant factors exceeded the power of any dominant individual factor, and the interaction between climate and human factors had a significant effect on NPP. (3) The change in NPP was influenced by the combined effect of HA and CV, accounting for 37.69% of the total area, with the relative contribution of HA being 51.75%. Finally, the relative contribution of human activities was slightly higher than that of climate change, confirming the initial success of the Grain to Green Program as well as ecological conservation projects. This paper provides a scientific basis for the local government to carry out the conversion of cropland to forest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The extent of flooding in China is greater than in any other country. • Nearly 66% of China's landmass is submerged by flooding. • Financial toll of flooding accounts for approximately 1.42% of the annual GDP. • Various forms of climatic change contribute to flooding. The extent of flooding in China is more significant than in any other country. Our research reveals that approximately 66 % of China's landmass is submerged by flooding, affecting about 50 % of the population. Furthermore, the financial toll of flooding now accounts for approximately 1.42 % of the annual gross domestic product (GDP), which is almost 40 times higher than the corresponding figure for the United States. We have observed that Zhengzhou city in Henan province, which faced a devastating flood in 2021, received a significant amount of rainfall, specifically a total of 552.5 mm within a 24-hour period. The floods in Henan province in 2021 caused considerable damage, including impacting nearly 15 million people, resulting in almost 400 deaths, damaging over 10,000 square kilometers of agricultural land, causing almost $19 billion in economic losses, and leading to the collapse of over 35,000 households and damage to various properties. In a similar manner, the significant flooding that occurred in southern China in 2020 impacted approximately 7.1 million individuals across eight provinces and resulted in 54 fatalities, the collapse of 6,700 houses, and incurred a direct economic loss of US$3.33 billion. We found that rainstorms have significantly increased to 10 % in the last 60 years in China. In this paper, we delved into exploring the existing published articles, reports, and government and authoritative legal texts to analyze the causes and impacts of flooding in China's flood-prone regions and potential mitigation strategies to reduce the repercussions of distressing flood events. We believe this study will help policymakers by providing new insights while formulating policy to reduce the loss caused by high-level flooding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Vegetation response to drought can be inferred from correlating VAI and SPEI. • The strongest accumulation period for vegetation response is 6–8 months. • Trees and irrigated cropland are the least sensitive to drought. • Shrubland and rainfed cropland show the most sensitivity to drought. • The cumulative climate has a higher impact on vegetation than lag effects. Drought caused by climate change has significantly increased vegetation vulnerability in Afghanistan during the last decades. This paper investigates vegetation response to drought at multiple scales across the country based on historical data from 1980 to 2020. It explores the multiscale relationships between drought as indicated by the grid-based standardised precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) and vegetation condition as represented by the satellite-derived vegetation anomaly index (VAI). It also examines the links of dominant land cover with drought and their implications for agriculture. We assess the spatiotemporal correlations by integrating TerraClimate grids with timeseries data sourced from NOAA AVHRR (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Advanced Very High-Resolution Radiometer), MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) images and ESA CCI (European Space Agency Climate Change Initiative) land cover maps. We evaluated the effect of cumulative drought on predominant land covers. Our results show years 2000–2001 and 2017–2018 as the driest in the last four decades, and vegetation substantially correlated to drought with spatial and temporal variations across Afghanistan. The most sensitive vegetation response months are June to July and the most significant cumulative drought impacts on vegetation are 6 to 8 months. The predominant land covers more prone to negative effects under severe drought are (in order) shrubland, rainfed cropland, grassland, trees, and irrigated cropland. These findings suggest the sensitivity of vegetation to drought that future national scale drought management should be focused on. This study also demonstrates the usefulness of open-access data to researchers and planners in data-poor countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper provides a comprehensive conceptual analysis of disaster resilience in climate-vulnerable communities. • The research employs the Walker and Avant Method to elucidate the notion of resilience within the framework of climate vulnerability. • A practical framework and a set of ecological indicators are proposed for environmental impact assessments in disaster resilience. • The research provides tangible illustrations of the proposed approaches and indicators in practical contexts. Resilience is a prior term of debate in vulnerability research irrespective of discipline. Nowadays the resilience concept has been used abnormally in many cases without realizing its intended meaning. Therefore, this study clarifies the resilience concept in the context of climate vulnerability. An integrated review of the literature has been done by the PRISMA approach to identify the most relevant documents. Besides Walker and Avant Method has been used to analyze the concept of resilience. The use of concept in different disciplines, historical perspectives, dimensions, attributes, consequences, and relationship with vulnerability and adaptability have been reviewed to clarify it. This study also provides a theoretical and workable definition of resilience from the perspective of climate change and natural hazards. A conceptual framework has been developed with concept mapping, contributing to the existing debate on resilience study. A case analysis has been done by focusing on a climate-vulnerable community living in the riverine islands in Bangladesh. This article shows that socio-ecological systems approach to defining small island disaster resilience has shortcomings. Additionally, the research-policy divide in resilience studies is exacerbated by the paucity of studies that use the participatory approach to identify disaster resilience indicators. The study makes a compelling case for further research on how to turn academic discoveries into a resource that might benefit local people, particularly those on small islands. The study suggests that social community-based resilience should be developed to protect geographically isolated communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The paper analysed a case study on the monitoring system of an Italian food company. • The study creates a tailor-made environmental Key Performance Indicators dashboard to assess corporate sustainability. • The study investigated rewards systems in the frame of Green Human Resource Management practices. • A final dashboard of around 70 indicators was then created and linked to employees' rewards. Assessing environmental performance, measuring the circular economy and quantifying decarbonization have become crucial in green management in recent years. Both scholars and practitioners have focused on different strategies to create performance indicators capable of tackling all these aspects. At the same time, companies have started connecting managers' and employees' incentives to the achievement of corporate goals. We analysed a case study of an Italian food company which uses environmental performance indicators to assess corporate sustainability and reward managers and employees. Through a series of interviews with members from all departments, we identified around 200 different key performance indicators, i.e., performance, commitment, control, reactivity, economic, consent, transversal and multifunctional. A final dashboard of around 70 indicators was then created and linked to employees' rewards. A tailor-made methodology was, thus, used to define target for the company's management by objectives, taking into account the trend of each indicator. This is the first attempt to investigate how a company can create an environmental performance indicator system to assess corporate sustainability and reward employees through management by objectives. Our study further extends not only the academic literature, but also provides a practical and operative contribution to all the companies that aim to create a new key performance indicator system. Lastly, we merged the management and strategies for promoting green practices amongst employees through a reward system with the environmental performance of each organisational department by creating a methodology to define management by objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The impact of precipitation, slope, and swamp wetland ratio on water yield is not affected by spatial scale and watershed. • Identifying key areas for ecosystem services combined with multiple scenarios can help to take ecological restoration. • The water yield in the Baihe basin is more sensitive on climate change, while the water yield in the Heihe basin is more easily affected by land use changes. • The economic development and ecosystem services can both be ensured by wetland ecological restoration. Water supply is one of the core ecosystem services functions for wetland. Due to the important status of Zoige wetland, assessment of water supply in Zoige wetland is significant for ecological security all over the world. In this paper, Heihe and Baihe basins in Zoige wetland were taken as research objects, the water yield module of the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs (InVEST) model was used to spatially quantify water supply, with the aims of revealing the driving mechanism of water supply under different basins and spatial scale. We observed the spatial pattern change of water yield under baseline and eleven future scenarios and used the ANOVA of repeated measures and multiple linear regression model to explore the patterns and driving factors of water supply in Heihe and Baihe rivers basins. The research results were as follow. (1) The precipitation is main factor to improve water yield, but this intensity is different in different basins and spatial scale. Topography, climate, vegetation, and percentage of wetland conditions have important impacts on water yield services. However, the impacts of these conditions on water yield were various significantly across different watersheds and spatial scales (excluding factors such as precipitation, slope, and percentage of swamp wetland). (2) The spatial pattern of water yield main was affected by land use change and the amount of water yield main was affected by future climate change. (3) Water yield in the Baihe basin was more sensitive to climate change, while the Heihe basin is more sensitive to land use changes. Wetland ecological restoration strategies can effectively improve regional water yield, especially in the Heihe basin. (4) In all scenarios, the southeast regions of the study region were both the main hot spots of water yield. Wetland ecological restoration strategies have added hot spots in the north regions of the Baihe river basin, reduced hot spots in the middle-south regions of the Heihe basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • We develop a framework to estimate future Flood Regulation Service (FRS) dynamics. • The framework considers the joint impacts of both climate change and urbanization. • Future FRS supply–demand imbalance will continue to intensify. • Future impacts of climate change in Baiyangdian Lake Basin cannot be ignored. • Cities should actively adapt to climate change to reduce flood risks in the future. Estimating the supply–demand relationship's future dynamics and trend of Flood Regulation Service (FRS) is important for preventing flood risks and choose an appropriate future development path. Less attention has been given to assessing the future trends in this relationship under the joint influence of climate change and urbanization. This paper aims to quantify future trends in the FRS supply–demand relationship under the joint impacts of climate change and urbanization. To this end, we took the Baiyangdian Lake Basin as an example and developed a "Climate Change-Urbanization-FRS supply and demand" framework by combining future climate scenarios from the ScenarioMIP (Scenario Model Intercomparison Project) dataset and socioeconomic data from the SSPs (Shared Socioeconomic Pathways) to estimate the FRS supply and demand dynamics during the period from 2020 to 2050. The results show that the framework has a reasonable ability to estimate the FRS supply–demand relationship. The correlation coefficients between estimated supply–demand ratios and the historical values exceeded 0.9. The average FRS supply–demand ratio among the four scenarios shows a significantly downward trend between 2020 and 2050. The FRS is expected to decrease by 0.159 (36.6 %), resulting in the imbalanced area increasing from 38.3 km2 (4.1 % of the whole basin) to 11049.7 km2 (36.2 %). We believe that although urbanization is the dominant factor contributing to the intensified imbalance trend (with a contribution of 71.2 %), influences from climate change also cannot be ignored (with a contribution of 28.8 %). Therefore, adaptation actions to climate change should be actively taken to reduce urban flood risks in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A single year was divided into three different seasons. • The impact of human activities and climate change on runoff were quantified. • The main factors of runoff changes caused by human activities were analyzed. The Yongding River has ceased to flow due to the impact of human activities and climate change, inducing environmental degradation. Analyzing the driving factors is vital for environmental restoration and water resources allocation, but it is challenging especially at seasonal scale. In this paper, the monthly abcd model was constructed for the Yongding River basin and two sub-basins, namely Yanghe and Sangganhe, to quantify the relative contribution of climate change and human activities to runoff decrease. The results show that the annual runoff in the basin has been declining significantly since the 1980s, up to 30 mm/year. Human activities are the main influencing factors, with 108% contribution in the entire Yongding River basin, 122% and 98% in Yanghe and Sanggan sub-basins, respectively. The impact of human activities on runoff varies in different seasons, which is highest in the wet season, followed by irrigation season and dry season. The impact of human activities is more pronounced in July-September due to water withdrawal for irrigation and operation rules of reservoirs, which is twice as much as that in April-June. A stricter management system can alleviate the impact of human activities on runoff change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A general framework for predicting flow and biodiversity changes under future climate change is proposed. • Discharge is consistently on the rise, reaching a maximum in the late 21st century. • Hydrological regimes change significantly and integrated degree of hydrological variation will reach a moderate level. • Shannon Index values show increasing trends and fluvial biodiversity is improved. Scientific evaluation of the eco-hydrological regimes is of great significance for water resource management and aquatic ecosystem protection. The paper took the western route source areas (WRSA) of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project (SNWDP) as the research region. In order to quantify climate-induced eco-hydrological effects, a general framework was proposed to predict changes in flow regimes and fluvial biodiversity under climate change: The coupling of Global Climate Models (GCMs) and the Distributed Time Variant Gain Model (DTVGM) was used to simulate discharge under different climate conditions. Based on Indicators of Hydrologic Alteration (IHA), changes in eco-hydrological regimes were evaluated by using the Range of Variability Approach (RVA), assessment of overall hydrological change degree (D 0), and Shannon index (SI). Changes in discharge, flow regimes, and fluvial biodiversity of WRSA were analyzed during the projected period (2041–2100) compared to the base period (1960–2014). According to the projections, under four SSPs-RCPs scenarios, the future discharge of WRSA increases significantly compared to the base period. D 0 of WRSA is moderately or severely changed, and hydrological changes are mainly reflected in high flows such as monthly median flows during flood season, maximum flows, and high pulse duration. While flow regimes are disturbed, SI values of WRSA keep rising and the biodiversity is improved. The increase of discharge and SI becomes progressively greater with elevated radiation intensity, and the quantity of severely altered indicators of IHA increases. In conclusion, future hydrological alterations in SNWDP are expected to further intensify with higher levels of climate change, and these changes are generally conducive to the improvement of fish biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Mudflats conditions in the UK are unfavourable and managing them is a challenge. • Benthic species and shorebirds can be used as indicators of mudflat conditions. • Shannon's diversity index and AMBI results may provide different results. • A lack of monitoring data for UK mudflats makes effective conservation difficult. Intertidal mudflats are highly productive coastal habitats, serving as a transition zone between terrestrial and marine ecosystems and providing a wealth of ecosystem services, including providing nursery and feeding grounds for many species of conservation and commercial importance. These habitats are important for wintering shorebirds and waders, which depend on them for food, nesting, and migration. Their importance was formally recognised in 1971 following the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, yet their conservation status remains largely uncertain as they are difficult to survey, and a complete understanding of their complex biophysical processes has yet to be established. While intertidal mudflats are found all around the UK coastline, there are few routine field surveys of these habitats, making effective conservation in the face of rising anthropogenic and climate pressures challenging. Marine protected areas (MPAs) across the UK list mudflats and sandflats not covered by seawater at low tide as a designation feature separate from saltmarshes, but they are often managed together – where management exists. A lack of resources has resulted in several paper parks around the UK, where MPAs are designated but not adequately monitored or managed. This study explores the use of population data of benthic species and shorebirds as a proxy for temporal changes in mudflat conditions, focusing on two MPAs in the Irish Sea, Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland, and the Solway Firth in Scotland/England. It finds that the two methods together can provide information useful to support MPA management, but this approach is hampered by poor availability of sufficient data. Such data limitation can impact what it means to achieve or maintain favourable conditions for these habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Tree ring is an ideal indicator of annual total grain production parameters. • Tree growth synchronized with grain production, and concurrent response to climate. • Reconstruction of total grain productivity based on dendrochronology. • To explore the relationship between total grain sown area and climate change. Climate change affects the growth of regional vegetation; both trees and grain crops often change concurrently, such that the annual radial growth of trees shows consistent inter-annual variations with the total grain crop productivity. However, it remains unclear whether they exhibit concurrent responses to climate factors, and that there lacks of the study on long-term high-resolution variations of grain crops productivity. This paper employs a Pinus massoniana tree-ring series from the Tongbai Mountains to analyze the correlations between tree-ring chronology, local climate data and grain productivity indicators (i.e., total sown grain areas (TSA), total grain outputs (TGO), and average grain yield per hectare (YPH)) of Henan Province in central China. The results indicate that temperature in March and August was the main limiting factor on tree growth, and the best concurrent relationship with tree growth was TSA, which has a correlation of 0.747 (p < 0.001) during 1959–2020. Therefore, a 124-year TSA series in Henan Province was reconstructed using tree-ring data from the Tongbai Mountains, which reveals there were two distinct low periods of total grain sown area in the 1920 s-1930 s and 1980 s-2000 s. There are significant cycles of about 2.57a (p < 0.01), 2.89a (p < 0.05), and 10.95a (p < 0.1), indicating that vegetation growth might be affected by large-scale climate forcing, such as ENSO (2-7a cycle) and sunspot activity (11a cycle). Overall, this study outlines a new approach to understand long-term changes in grain production, which is conducive to grain management and socioeconomic sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper aimed to investigate the interactions between land use cover (LUC) and climate change (CC). • The results showed that the interactions between LUC and CC are both direct and indirect. • Arable and rangeland use changes affect CO2 emission in both direct and indirect ways. • Rising rangelands and reducing forest areas have indirectly increased surface temperature. • CC mitigation policies should be followed by considering both direct and indirect effects. Humanity deals with several challenges in this century such as climate change, land use, and land use/cover change (LUCC). Determining the patterns, developments, and consequences of LUCC issues for the livelihoods of people, especially poor people, is very important. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the interactions between LUCC and climate change over the period of 1966–2015 (50 years) as a complex system at the global level. CO 2 emissions and surface temperature are considered as the main indicators of climate change (CC). The data were analyzed in time-oriented (time-based) and local or place-oriented (country-based) manners. The results showed that arable and rangeland use changes (LUC) affect CO 2 emissions in both direct and indirect ways. However, the direct effect of rangeland use change is positive, and its indirect effect is negative. In addition, deforestation has increased CO 2 emissions indirectly. LUCC can also change the ability of the ecosystem to deliver services to people, including biodiversity and other resources such as food, fiber, water, etc. Therefore, it is critical to determine the patterns, trends, and impacts of LUCC on CC. Thus, CC mitigation policies should be followed by considering both direct and indirect effects. Without a doubt, this will be realized when the decision and policymakers have a better understanding of the structure and interaction between CC, LUCC, and their components as a whole system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Based on the principles of SPEI, we develop a GDAI. • The relationship between GDAI and AI is closer. • The correlation between GDAI and SPEI is also better. Climate change has increased the risk of drought in both arid and non-arid regions of the globe. Therefore, in order to monitor and evaluate global drought and aridity, based on the principle of standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI), this paper selected precipitation and potential evapotranspiration data and used a frequency calculation method to develop a multi-scale global drought aridity index (GDAI) that concurrently considers spatial and temporal variation characteristics: the spatiotemporal standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index. The index was compared with the aridity index (AI) and SPEI. The results showed that the correlation coefficients between GDAI and AI were greater than 0.8 in most areas, and the relationship was closer and could reveal the global aridity and wetness zoning. In addition, the correlation between GDAI and SPEI was also better, which could capture the temporal change characteristics of drought. Moreover, this study also compared the grades of GDAI and SPEI with the actual drought grades in Yunnan from September 2009 to August 2010, and found that GDAI was better than SPEI, and GDAI was the most accurately evaluated at the 3 month time scale, with an accuracy rate of 86.11%. Therefore, this index is more helpful for the assessment and monitoring of global drought and aridity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Collections of basic research for urban spatial planning. • Literatures of urban agglomerations, urban size, urban compactness, and urban form on carbon emission. • Urban spatial structure and carbon emissions research from a multi-ecosystem interaction framework. Carbon emission reduction is one of the key factors in global climate change and should be an important component in urban planning and management. A full understanding of the relationship between carbon emissions and urban spatial structure is necessary. This paper presents the research on this relationship from the perspectives of urban agglomeration, urban size, urban compactness, and urban form. The results revealed that: (1) there is still a lack of research on the spatial structures of urban agglomerations and their relationship with carbon emissions, so it is urgent to conduct indicators system design and empirical research; (2) two-dimensional indicators have frequently been used to describe urban form and urban compactness, but three-dimensional indicators, such as volume ratio and floor height, are also important indicators for policymaking; (3) higher urban complexity, irregularity, and fragmentation were believed to contribute to urban carbon emissions because of the lack of continuity and connectivity. This paper also proposes a comprehensive analytical framework for examining urban spatial structures and carbon emissions. We position the research on the relationship between urban spatial structure and carbon emissions as a bridge between human ecosystems and natural ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We proposed a hybrid approach to evaluate the water quality considering input uncertainty. • Proposed model integrated Monte Carlo simulation, CRITC methods and VIKOR. • The proposed model was applied to Songhua river tributary to verify its effectiveness. • The PLUS model has advantages over the other analyzed models. Under the dual influence of global climate change and human activities, river water environment is facing more and more serious problems and challenges. Assessing river water quality is of great significance for promoting regional sustainable development. Currently, traditional water quality assessment methods usually do not consider the uncertainty of water quality data in the collection process, which limits the application of these methods. In order to overcome the above shortcomings, this study constructed a water quality assessment method by integrating Monte Carlo method (MC), CRITIC and VIKOR methods, and applied it to assess the quality of water in the Songhua River tributary. Results indicate that: (1) The water quality assessment of the two sampling points in the study area is level III, which is consistent with the actual situation; (2) This method can overcome the uncertainty caused by sampling error and improve the credibility of water quality evaluation results; (3) Total nitrogen (TN), potassium permanganate index (PPI) and ammonia nitrogen (NH 3 -N) are more evaluation factors related to the evaluation results. When the decision coefficient mechanism λ is taken [0.1–0.5], the outcomes are in line with the real quality of the water. In addition, we recommend that the distribution profile generated based on the measured data should obey the probability distribution density curve that decreases from the middle to the tail of both sides. The findings of this paper can provide a scientific basis for decision makers to carry out water quality restoration and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Landscape of blue carbon research from the perspective of bibliometrics. • Blue carbon ecosystem was the main research area, but macroalgae deserve attention. • Artificial intervention and methods are potential hotspots in the future research. • Statistics, co-occurrence analysis and thematic evolution are main used methods. Blue carbon sequestration is a nature-based solution to environmental problems caused by climate change and has a significant positive impact on the planet and human well-being. This paper bibliometrically and systematically analyzed 2,613 studies found in the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) from 2003 to 2021 to explore the hotspots and trends of blue carbon research using the Bibliometrix package in R studio and VOSviewer software. The results based on network co-occurrence analysis indicated that mangroves, seagrasses, and salt marshes were the major blue carbon ecosystems (BCEs), and mangrove carbon sinks were the most popular central research area. Furthermore, phytoplankton and microalgae have essential roles in the marine carbon cycle and bioenergy utilization, as revealed by the high proportion of published literature, while the carbon transport mechanisms of seagrass and macroalgae was understudied. Thematic evolution analysis revealed that remote sensing was the most commonly used technology as an emerging research field for ecological monitoring and ecological investigation in blue carbon research in recent years. In addition, increasing carbon sinks by artificial approaches, fishery carbon sinks, and carbon sequestration by macroalgae have been potential hotspots for blue carbon research development. The findings from this study shed light on the trends of blue carbon in the past eighteen years, current research points in the field, and areas that need more research investment going forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A new repeatable batch processing method is developed for regional SUHI assessment. • A framework is proposed to explain the formation of SUHI effect. • The impacts of most driving factors on SUHI effect are spatial heterogeneous. • More attention should be paid to small cities. The urban heat island (UHI) effect has become a hot topic worldwide because of the double stress of global climate change and rapid urbanization. However, the deficiencies of existing methods hinder the monitoring and assessment of the surface urban heat island (SUHI) effect at the regional scale. This paper presented a new method to assess SUHI intensity, and then applied it in China. The results indicated that: (1) compared with other methods, this new method has some merits like higher accuracy, fewer operational steps, and higher portability. It enables accurate, semi-automated assessment of SUHI intensity at the regional scale. (2) SUHI effect exists in 81.02% of the cities in China. These cities were mainly concentrated in southeastern China, which presented the significant characteristic of spatial agglomeration. (3) Urban-rural differences in relative humidity, vegetation coverage, evapotranspiration, waterbody coverage, and the number of industrial enterprises are the main driving factors for the SUHI effect in China. Furthermore, there are significant interactions among these driving factors. (4) The spatial heterogeneity of the influence directions and intensities of many driving factors is obvious. Therefore, traditional regression models should be utilized more cautiously because they cannot capture the spatial heterogeneity of variables. (5) The hypothesis of "the larger the city size, the higher the SUHI intensity" is not valid, so more attention should be paid to small cities in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Recent research on the B&R eco-environment is reviewed. • The B&R is likely to face environmental challenges due to its fragile background. • Four key aspects of the ecological environment are studied. • Sustainable development should be promoted under socioeconomic frameworks for the B&R. • Future research directions for improving the B&R eco-environments are proposed. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) will play an essential role in boosting the world's economy. However, the main portion of the Belt and Road (B&R) is in arid, semi-arid, or sub-humid fragile ecological regions, which with global climate change and the intensification of human activities will face many pressing environmental challenges in the future. Despite this, in the existing research on the B&R, papers in the field of natural sciences are less than 1.2–4.3% of the total number of papers on the main databases, which is far lower than the coverage in humanities and social sciences. And those focused on the ecological and environmental issues along the B&R are even fewer, so necessary understanding of both the risks and adequate mitigation measures remains unclear. This paper systematically reviews the relevant research on the eco-environments along the B&R, and summarizes it in terms including of spatial patterns and cognition, cost efficiency and evaluation, ecological security and evaluation, ecological footprint and carrying capacity. It further suggests that a better understanding of environmental changes and their effects on the B&R is needed. Additionally, it is essential that the potential positive socio-economic impacts for the future under the BRI are sustainable. Finally, future research directions are proposed to improve for the better eco-environments in B&R regions with consideration of global changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Visualization and quantitative analysis of the global ecological carbon sinks and sources. • Enhance the prediction of carbon sequestration dynamics under climate change. • Climate change potentially affecting the carbon-climate feedback. • Research content is becoming clearer and more systematic. • Keyword clustering the classification of the research into six relatively independent subtopics. Climate change is extensively affecting the global ecosystem, especially the ecosystem carbon sequestration and sequestration potential, which are issues of global concern. The proposed concept of "carbon neutrality" in 2020 has brought ecological carbon sequestration to the forefront. Therefore, the research on climate change and ecosystem carbon sequestration need to be systematically reviewed, summarized, and examined. Based on the Web of Science database, this paper analyzed 4005 articles (1992–2022 year) after rigorous screening via a bibliometrics analysis and then presented the research trends and future research focus of ecological carbon sequestration. The following conclusions are drawn: (1) the research over the last 30 years has steadily improved, and the annual number of publications has increased in a cubic polynomial fashion (R 2 = 0.9937), with 87.57 % of the total publications appearing after 2009. Global Change Biology and Science of the Total Environment are the most influential journals in the field; (2) participation in such research is becoming increasingly common with expanding research areas covering Eurasia, America, Oceania, and Africa. The United States and China are the most productive and influential countries; (3) the diversity of this research is increasing, and the research content is becoming more explicit and systematic. Most research focuses on climate change, carbon sequestration, management, land-use changes, and nitrogen and soil organic carbon; (4) although traditional ecological evaluation techniques were essential early on, remote sensing and modeling have become the primary methods for assessment; (5) keyword clustering allows the classification of the research into six relatively independent subtopics: climate change and terrestrial ecosystems, sequestration and organic-carbon, ecosystem services, nitrogen and carbon cycling, biomass and forest, and blue carbon, which provides a reference for further research on ecological carbon sequestration and carbon neutrality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Current land management can lead to more severe BAP conditions. • Regulating fertilizer application rate can offset HAB risks from extreme climate. • Regulating P was more effective in reducing HAB risks in freshwater watersheds. • Regulating N was more effective in controlling HAB downstream of watershed. This paper was aimed at assessing the risk of HAB occurrence in a highly cultivated watershed and evaluating the effectiveness of N and P fertilizer reduction practices in mitigating this risk under future climate projections. To achieve this objective, a modelling framework was developed for HAB risk assessment under different environmental stressors including climate changes and different land management practices. The modelling framework used a fully distributed physical-based hydrologic model, MIKE SHE, and a hydrodynamic river model, MIKE 11, coupled with ECO-Lab to simulate the fate and transport of different forms of N and P in the Upper Sangamon River Basin (USRB), a highly cultivated watershed in central Illinois. Three different land management scenarios based on the N and P reduction target in "The Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan" were simulated to assess the P nonpoint source behavior and HAB risk level in the USRB from 2020 to 2050 under extreme climate projections. Our results predicted that the HAB risk in USRB is relatively low even with increased bioavailable P (BAP) concentration and longer duration with high BAP concentration due to low water temperature. Reducing N or P application rates by 50% was able to offset the negative effects on HAB occurrence from extreme climate projections apart from spring. Within P and N, regulating P was found to be more effective in reducing HAB risks in the USRB while regulating N was more effective in controlling HAB downstream. Understanding the dynamics of N and P in causing the occurrence of HAB was expected to improve the mitigation measures that we implement at the field level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Cropland Reference Ecological Unit (CREU) is a landmass unit that accounts for soil and climate variabilities. • CREU covers an area with presumably similar soil health potential. • A robust comparison of soils at different sites and management can be determined under the framework of CREU. There is a growing consensus on a need for measuring the dynamic soil properties of croplands and even comparisons with a reference state or native land. These measurements and paired comparisons will create the capacity to determine soil health management effects and targets. However, the complex soil heterogeneity and climate variations make soil health potential variable and confound the effects of land-use and management practices and comparisons between soils from different sites. Identifying a discrete landmass unit where all soils have similar health potential will be critical in conducting meaningful comparative studies and measuring the impact of conservation practices. This methodological paper proposes and discusses a land unit, Cropland Reference Ecological Unit (CREU), that accounts for soil genoform and climate variabilities and covers an area with a presumably similar soil health potential. An example CREU has been developed, for one Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) in Nebraska, which is an area delineated based on the standard United States Department of Agriculture – Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) hierarchical land classification system. This example portrays an actual difference in soil health for different land use and agronomic management practices can be determined by comparing sites under the framework of CREU. Evaluation of management effects on soil health indicators in a CREU will adequately illustrate the beneficial impact of such practices without being confounded by agroecological variations. This proposed framework addresses researchers' current interest in comparing soil health parameters among croplands and reference sites to benchmark soil health measurements, set soil health targets, and determine the effects of different management practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A regional green development index system is established based on the "driver-pressure-state-impact-response" model. • The level of regional green development in Hubei, China, is rising, and the gap between regions is narrowing. • The inter-regional spillover effect of green development is greater than the intra-regional spillover effect. • Technological innovation and the living environment have a positive spillover effect on green development. Green development strives to harmonize economic and social development with environmental protection. It is an innovative development model for people to follow in response to global climate change. This paper first combines the "driver-pressure-state-impact-response" (DPSIR) model with the entropy weighting method to measure the level of green development in Hubei Province from 2010 to 2018. Then, the spatial Durbin model (SDM) is used to analyse in depth the spatiotemporal evolutionary pattern and spatial spillover effects. The results indicate that after 2014, the levels of green development increased significantly and that regional differences gradually shrank. ρ = 0.409 indicates that the green development level has a positive spatial spillover effect, and the spillover effect between regions is greater than that within a region. The spatial spillover effects of the industrial structure and growth efficiency are −2.17 and −8.64, respectively, while the spatial spillover effects of technological innovation and the living environment are 7.35 and 0.32, respectively. Based on our findings, we provide several policy recommendations for developing countries to achieve green, coordinated and sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Automated Content Analysis provides clarity to 1116 articles on coastal zone indicators. • Quadruple Helix Stakeholders from Ghana provide clear insight to indicator needs. • Literature and stakeholder-based (Ghana) indicator sub-categories are combined • New indicator sub-categories are proposed for current frameworks (e.g. CHW). • Further research to visualize indicators should strengthen coastal zone management. Coastal zone management is a pressing matter, especially in developing countries, which are highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Human systems are underrepresented in the vast array of indicators aimed at assisting coastal zone management decisions. Clearly, there is room to better capture natural and human system relationships and interactions in coastal area assessments. A case in point is the well-known Coastal Hazard Wheel (CHW). Hence three main objectives guide this paper: (i) Analysing the existing set of indicator themes and categories in coastal areas; (ii) Contrasting this set of indicators with the perceived needs of local coastal stakeholders from a developing country; and (iii) Proposing indicator categories to be included as part of a systemic coastal zone management framework. To this end, we undertook an automated content analysis of 1116 peer-reviewed articles on the subject matter. The analysis and a stringent set of criteria led to 40 articles that were reviewed to identify suitable indicators. In parallel, field research in Ghana allowed for a set of indicators from the quadruple helix stakeholders operating in coastal zones to be elicited. Contrasting the two sets of indicators resulted in three situations. The first involves 14 indicator categories that co-occur in the literature and the detected needs from local coastal stakeholders. In the second situation, the categories mentioned in the literature were those not mentioned at local level. A third situation appeared when the local coastal stakeholders mentioned categories of indicators that were not identified in the reviewed literature. After examining each case, we advocate for the indicators in the first situation to be incorporated into the current coastal indicator monitoring frameworks (for example by upgrading the CHW). The unique contribution of this paper is the combination of literature and stakeholder-based indicator sub-categories that should be added to the current set of coastal monitoring frameworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • As compared to precipitation, soil moisture greatly influences GPP. • There is a solid spatial agreement among PUE and SWUE with a step-wise gradient from southwest to northeast. • PUE and SWUE are relatively low in extremely arid and humid regions. • In relatively moderate areas, PUE and SWUE increase with the abundance of moisture conditions. • Meadow grassland has the highest PUE and SWUE, followed by typical grassland and desert steppe. Grassland ecosystem dominates in the Mongolian Plateau, mostly located in its arid and semi-arid regions. Although the ecosystem is an important source for agriculture, it is also a fragile system ecologically. This system is one of the most sensitive areas to global climate change. Precipitation (PPT) and soil moisture (SM) are important water sources in the grassland ecosystem, and their changes would greatly affect vegetation growth. This paper generates the precipitation use efficiency (PUE) and soil water use efficiency (SWUE) of Mongolian Plateau grassland based on multi-source remote sensing data to investigate the spatio-temporal distribution pattern and identify the driving factors. Results showed four main findings. Firstly, two water use efficiency (WUE) indicators show a generally increasing trend from 2000 to 2018, with average PUE and SWUE 1.07 gC·m−2·mm−1 and 1.03 gC/kg·H 2 O, respectively. They have similar spatial distribution patterns, consistent with the available water resources, decreasing from northeast to southwest. However, grassland vegetation growth is more sensitive to soil moisture than precipitation, and the dynamic change of SWUE is smoother and more significant than PUE. Secondly, due to the higher species richness, better vegetation biological characteristics and less severe growth environment, meadow grassland has the highest PUE and SWUE, followed by typical grassland and desert steppe. Thirdly, PUE and SWUE are relatively low in extremely arid and humid regions. In areas with relatively moderate water conditions (PPT in 148–360 mm, SM in 0.14–0.35 cm3/cm3), two indicators increase with the abundance of moisture conditions and reach the maximum. Fourthly, there is a positive linear relationship between PUE (SWUE) with precipitation and a unimodal correlation between PUE (SWUE) with temperature across the entire grassland. However, a varying correlation exists in different grassland ecosystems, especially meadow grassland. Together with analyzing past and future trends, this study provides strong evidence to reflect the impact of global climate change and the management and protection of the grassland ecosystems in arid and semi-arid regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Past LULC changes can be divided into two stages: (I) accelerated evolution stage (1980–2010), and (II) stable evolution stage (2010–2020). • Carbon storage presented a high-low-high distribution pattern from north to south. • Areas with a rapid urbanization process exhibited more obvious changes in carbon storage dynamics. • Rapid LULC dynamics have reduced the carbon sequestration capacity of the ecosystem. • The implementation of ecological conservation could increase the carbon fixation in ecosystems. Land use/land cover (LULC) change has greatly altered ecosystem carbon storage capacity and can eventually profoundly impact global climate change. Characterizing the LULC change and its impact on ecosystem carbon storage in coastal areas is greatly significant to comprehensively understanding the influences of human activities on ecosystems. Based on LULC data, this paper combined CA-Markov and InVEST models to evaluate the past, present, and future LULC change and its impact on ecosystem carbon storage in coastal areas of China. The results showed that past LULC change in coastal areas can be divided into two stages: (I) accelerated evolution stage (1980–2010), and (II) stable evolution stage (2010–2020). Changes in LULC types have led to a downward trend in ecosystem carbon storage, with a cumulative loss of 0.39 Pg and 0.15 Pg during the two stages, respectively. Spatially, carbon storage presented a high-low-high spatial distribution pattern from north to south. Temporally, areas with a rapid urbanization process exhibited more obvious changes in carbon storage dynamics. Compared with the natural change scenario, the areas with LULC types conversion under the ecological conservation scenario in 2050 will be lower due to the limitation of ecological protection, and it caused carbon storage reduction will slow down. Rapid LULC dynamics, that a large area of farmland, unused land and, water have been converted into construction land, reduced the carbon sequestration capacity of the ecosystem. This study will provide reliable references and precise data support for coastal management and decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The relationship between the groundwater depth and grassland ecology was analysed; • Groundwater depth affected the composition and diversity of vegetation species; • A reasonable groundwater depth can buffer the impact of climate change on the vegetation to maintain grassland ecological stability; • The control of grassland degradation should include the potential exploitation of groundwater. Grassland degradation in the semiarid area of China is often attributed to overgrazing and expansion of irrigated agriculture without the consideration of groundwater. However, falling groundwater levels in the region have caused many problems for grassland ecology. In this paper,the typical sandy grassland- the Tongliao part of Horqin grassland was selected as the study area to study the spatial distribution of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and the relationship between the NDVI and groundwater depth (GD) of each grassland pixel was studied. The temporal variation of the NDVI and its correlations with precipitation were investigated. The relationship between GD and vegetation species diversity in grassland was analyzed based on the vegetation survey. The results of the relation between GD and NDVI and vegetation species showed that GD can buffer the impact of increase in drought events on the vegetation because GD affected the composition and diversity of vegetation species. As the GD increases, the mean NDVI showed a trend of increasing first and then decreasing, and basically remained unchanged when the GD was greater than 3.5 m. The species diversity of grassland decreased with increasing GD and was not related to GD when GD was greater than 3.5 ∼ 4 m. Falling groundwater levels will cause great changes in the structure of grassland; specifically, azonal vegetation will gradually die and 3.5 m may be the critical GD needed to maintain the incomplete extinction of grassland azonal vegetation in the aeolian sandy soil. Correlation analysis proved that the correlation between NDVI and precipitation was significantly enhanced when GD increased sharply from 3 m to 6 m after 1999. This research indicates that the control of grassland degradation should pay attention to controlling the groundwater exploitation to recover a reasonable groundwater level, which was found to be necessary in the support of diverse and climate resilient of vegetation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The net primary productivity (NPP) significantly increased in marshes of study area. • Summer daytime and nighttime temperatures had an asymmetric effect on marsh NPP. • Increased precipitation in summer and autumn can enhance the NPP of marsh vegetation. The western Songnen Plain has a large area of marshes that are able to modulate the regional carbon cycle. Net primary productivity (NPP) is an important ecological indicator of carbon storage within the marsh ecosystems. Although climate change could have significantly changed marsh vegetation NPP during the past decades, the spatiotemporal variation in marsh vegetation NPP and how climate change affects marsh vegetation NPP remain unclear in the western Songnen Plain. In this paper, we assessed the spatiotemporal variation in the NPP of marshes at the western Songnen Plain and evaluated its response to climate change from 2000 to 2020. The NPP of marshes over the western Songnen Plain increased significantly at a rate of 5.69 g C/m2/a during 2000 to 2020, with an average value of about 273.62 g C/m2/a. The largest increase of the NPP of marshes was mainly distributed in the northwest part of the Songnen Plain. Correlation analysis results showed that the increased precipitation in summer and autumn could enhance the NPP of marsh vegetation. By contrast, the increase of mean temperature in summer reduced the NPP of marshes. In addition, we first found the asymmetric impacts of summer minimum temperature (T min) and maximum temperature (T max) on marsh vegetation NPP. Notably, the increase in summer T max could significantly reduce NPP, while the increase in T min could increase NPP. Under the background of global asymmetric warming of daytime and nighttime temperatures, more attention should be paid to the different effects of T max and T min on marsh NPP in the western Sonegnen Plain. The findings of this study can provide theoretical guidance for ecological protection and the adaptive management of marsh vegetation at the western Songnen Plain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We analyse the research progress of ecosystem service cascade in recent ten years. • We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different ecosystem service research frameworks. • We look forward to the future development of ecosystem service cascade. Ecosystem service cascade (ESC) links each component of ecosystem services with social value, building an interdisciplinary research bridge between natural science and social science, which can help decision-makers better integrate the concept of ecosystem services into decision-making. This paper combed the content of the concept of ecosystem services cascade effect, reviewed the research progress of the cascade effect found: ESC due to its structure feature and flexibility, can help researchers to more fully understand the concept of ecosystem services to promote interdisciplinary communication, constantly adjust the structure of the ESC and scope in order to improve the applicability of the model in different research. ESC is widely used in ecosystem service mapping and regional policy regulation. Through literature review, We get the following understanding ①The purpose of research often determines the definition of services and policy preferences, a clear definition of the system will improve the applicability of the ESC framework. ②Assess the wishes and connections of stakeholders and quantify the forms of human participation and impact on each component in the cascade framework, clarify the development characteristics and driving mechanism of Human -Natural relationship, identify the feedback process and quantify the positive and negative feedback cycle.③Quantitatively simulate the impact and regulation of climate change and socio-economic development on regional development under different regional development scenarios. Construct the optimization index system of ESC components to provide schemes and Countermeasures for regional sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Climate-resilient agriculture (CRA) aims to address hunger and poverty. • We provided six principles for the selection of assessment indicators for CRA. • Developed a framework in quantifying the climate-resilient agriculture. • The assessment framework combined four dimensions and has 71 evaluation indicators. • The framework provides a quantitative tool to evaluate CRA in various scenarios. Climate change threatens agricultural production and leads to an increasing contradiction between food supply and needs. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agricultural activities will exacerbate climate change in the future. Solving food security has become a major challenge around the world. The development of climate-resilient agriculture (CRA) is critical to address or slow climate change and is also helpful to improve agricultural quality and efficiency. Based on a review of previous studies and a deep understanding of CRA goals, this paper introduced a comprehensive assessment framework to evaluate CRA. This assessment framework combined four dimensions, i.e., agricultural productivity, farmer income, climate adaptability, and the green development level, and has 71 evaluation indicators. The highlights of this framework are to analyze the impacts of climate change on agricultural development and to stress the synergy of mitigation and adaptation strategies. All indicators represent various factors related to the development of CRA and have been used in previous studies. Therefore, the comprehensive assessment framework can be used as an evaluation tool for analyzing the changes in agroecosystem resilience under climate change, which is also helpful to implement scientific management to ensure sustainable agricultural development and food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• VFC is consistent with the abrupt change time of precipitation and humidity index. • VFC began to decrease in 1999, and the impact of human activities gradually increased. • MI and NL are the variables that cannot be eliminated in the regression equation. • The climate livestock index can reflect the environmental carrying capacity of local grassland. Climate change and human activities are critical to fractional vegetation cover (FVC). However, until now, their combined effects on FVC have not been well quantified. In this paper we analyze the temporal and spatial variations in the fractional vegetation cover in the Hulun Lake region from 1986 to 2017 and its response to changes in climate parameters and human activities; additionally, the impact of changes in climate parameters and human activities on FVC are discussed. The results showed that according to the Mann-Kendall (M−K) trend test analysis, 65.01% of the FVC in the Hulun Lake region decreased to varying degrees, of which 24.55% showed a significant decrease and only 8.61% increased significantly. Based on the M−K mutation test analysis of FVC and analysis of driving factors from 1986 to 2017, 1999 was the time point at which abrupt changes in FVC, annual precipitation and moisture index occurred in the Hulun Lake region, and water was an important factor affecting FVC. The regression analysis of FVC and the driving factors from 1986 to 2017 showed that the moisture index and the number of livestock could not be eliminated from the regression equation. Additionally, there was a significant correlation between the FVC and the climate livestock index (P < 0.001). Linear regression model constructed by FVC and climatic livestock index: y = 23.016ln(x)-31.454 (R2 = 0.5941), FVC increased with the increase of climatic livestock index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Environmental monitoring is crucial for protecting human and ecosystem health. • Honey bees (Apis mellifera) can serve as global, continuous biomonitoring species. • Colonies are resilient and accumulate or respond to stressors without collapsing. • Long-range foragers transport pollutants, pesticides, and pathogens to their hives. • A. mellifera may serve to monitor emerging threats such as climate change and AMR. Monitoring the environment for pollution, pesticides, and pathogens is crucial for protecting human, agriculture, and overall ecosystem health. Diverse strategies ranging from physical sensors to sentinel species have been used for environmental monitoring. The European honey bee, Apis mellifera , is a globally managed pollinator that can serve as a continuous biomonitoring species. During foraging, honey bees are exposed to contaminants and pathogens and carry them to their hives where they can be detected and quantified. Although individual bees are vulnerable to environmental stressors, the honey bee colony as a whole is more resilient and can accumulate contaminants or respond to them without collapsing. This allows for long-term monitoring of the colony to map contaminants in a geographical area and study ecotoxicology gradients over space and time. In this paper, we review demonstrated and proposed uses of honey bees for environmental monitoring. We focus our discussion on heavy metals, air pollutants, pesticides, and plant pathogens that can be detected in bees and their hive materials including honey, wax, and stored pollen. We present the use of gene expression, microbiome profiling, and other high-throughput methodologies to study dose-dependent exposure and increase detection sensitivity; for example, stored pollen analysis with next generation sequencing can reveal the presence of plant viruses, fungi, and invasive species earlier than traditional detection methods. Finally, we discuss opportunities for using honey bees to monitor emerging threats such as climate change and antimicrobial resistance. This narrative review highlights the versatility and potential utility of the European honey bee as a biomonitoring species for ecosystem health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Dynamic analysis of mixed forest species. • Potential suitable range of simulated species. • Dominant factors of species distribution. • P. tabuliformis and O. davidiana are mixed tree species. • R's ENMeval language package to optimize Maxent model. The outstanding self-regulation ability of mixed forest plays an important role in maintaining ecosystem stability. However, in recent years, climate change has caused geographical changes of species. This paper studies the potential geographical location of mixed species for the first time, so as to formulate the planting plan of mixed species in suitable areas. Therefore, we use the species distribution model based on Maxent to predict the potential suitable area of Chinese Pinus tabuliformis and Ostryopsis davidiana mixed forest under the climate change scenario, and provide a scientific basis for expanding the construction of P. tabuliformis and O. davidiana mixed forest in the future under three greenhouse gas emission scenarios (RCP2.6, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) of current and future climate (2041–2060 and 2081–2100). The simulation accuracy of Maxent model is verified by the area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). The results show that the distribution range of P. tabuliformis is much larger than that of O. davidiana in China. Under the current climate conditions, the overlapping area of medium to highly suitable growing areas of P. tabuliformis and O. davidiana is 64.40 × 104 km2, accounting for 6.71% of China's land area, mainly distributed in most areas of North China, Northeast China (Western Liaoning), Northwest China (Shaanxi, Ningxia, the Southernmost part of Inner Mongolia and Eastern Gansu) and Central China (Northern Hubei). Under the future high concentration emission scenario (RCP8.5), the overlapping area of medium to highly suitable growing areas of P. tabuliformis and O. davidiana will be reduced. Under the scenario of medium concentration climate emission (RCP 4.5), the centroids of P. tabuliformis and O. davidiana tend to migrate from west to north. The annual mean temperature (bio1) has a significant effect on the geographical distribution of P. tabuliformis and O. davidiana. In addition, the mean temperature of the driest quarter (bio9) and annual precipitation (bio12) also have a significant impact on the geographical distribution of P. tabuliformis. Similarly, there are obvious factors on the geographical distribution of O. davidiana , as well as isothermality (bio3) and precipitation of the wettest quarter (bio16), indicating that the important climate factors affecting the geographical distribution of P. tabuliformis and O. davidiana are not completely consistent. We believe that mixed forests play a positive role in coping with climate change. The research results can help decision-makers to formulate adaptation countermeasures based on climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The specific contribution of GUAs to the SDGs has been analysed. • Green urban areas contribute directly to the achievement of SDG11, SDG15 and SDG13. • Equity in sustainable development has been assessed at a sub-neighbourhood level. • Equity requires an adequate location, size, quantity and quality of GUA. The Agenda for Sustainable Development 2030 of United Nations is made up of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that humanity will have to meet by 2030. In achieving the SDGs, green urban areas (GUA) play a fundamental role at the local level as they provide recreational and bioclimatic regulatory functions and act as a carbon sink, as well. Specifically, the GUAs contribute directly to three SDGs: SDG 11 Sustainable cities and communities, SDG 13 Climate Action and SDG 15 Life on land. This paper evaluates direct contribution of GUA to this SDGs with high spatial resolution in the case study of the city of Valencia (Spain). The evaluation carried out has made it possible to make a diagnosis of the quantity and accessibility of GUA at sub-neighbourhood level. The results for SDG 11 show that only 9.23% of the population do not have desirable access to GUA and 2.73% live in areas without easy walking distance access to GUA. On the other hand, the evaluation of SDG 15 shows that each inhabitant has at their disposal 10 m2 of GUA, below the average of cities of more than 250,000 inhabitants in Spain. The high spatial resolution of the evaluation has also made it possible to identify the city areas with the worst access to GUA and the least amount of GUA per inhabitant. In consequence, the results allow determining zones with high potential to improve. Additionally, the quantification of the CO 2 fixed by the GUA carried out for the evaluation of SDG 13, shows that the fixed carbon is equivalent to 0.04% of total gross GHG emissions of the city and is 36% higher than the total GHG emissions of the annual fuel consumption of the total fleet in the city. Finally, the monitoring of the indicators applied allows evaluating the evolution of the GUA to improve the sustainable development of the city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Transfers of wetland cover types lead to indirect impacts on water conservation. • Climate change is a dominant and direct factor impacting wetland water conservation. • The Dongting and Poyang Lake wetlands exhibited different evolution patterns of water conservation. • The InVEST model is applicable for quantitatively evaluating lake wetland water conversation. Water conservation is the core wetland ecological function. The pattern of water conservation in geography often exhibits local spatial heterogeneity. In this paper, the Dongting Lake (DT) and Poyang Lake (PY) wetlands were taken as research objects, and the water yield (WY) module of the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs (InVEST) model was used to spatially quantify water conservation, with the aim of revealing the differences in water conservation in homogeneous wetlands. We observed spatio-temporal changes in the WY over six periods from 1998 to 2018 and used multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and the system cluster method to explore the patterns and driving factors of water conservation in the DT and PY wetlands. The research results were as follows: (1) the WY in the two wetlands showed declining trends, but the trend in the DT wetland was more obvious. (2) Water conservation in the PY wetland exhibited a more sensitive response to climate than water conservation in the DT wetland. (3) From the perspective of the WY level, the PY wetland was generally high, while the DT wetland was generally low. (4) Climate change was the main contributor to and direct driving factor of water production, while wetland changes and socio-economic factors were indirect driving factors. (5) The effect of wetland cover changes on the WY showed significant differences among wetland cover types, indicating that the drivers of the WY changes had a clear relationship with landscape changes and transfers in wetland cover types. (6) The InVEST model was applicable for evaluating lake wetland water conservation. In summary, paying more attention to the differences in the changes in heterogeneous and homogenous regions can help us understand the factors that impact water conservation. Additionally, rational adjustment of indirect driving forces is conducive to ecological safety management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Nonlinearity and interaction of drivers of runoff and nitrate were identified. • Agricultural expansion and climate change offset positive effect of forest restoration. • Landscape configuration determined surface runoff and nitrate load in wet season. • Cropland fragmentation is crucial to alleviate nitrate load. Climate variability and landscape modifications directly influence watershed hydrology and processes of nonpoint source pollution, while remedial action requires distinguishing their effects. However, nonlinearity and multiple causality limit our ability to diagnose causes. Therefore, this study developed an approach that integrates hydrological modeling, random forests, regression trees, and variation partitioning analysis, to identify the effects of climate and landscape pattern changes upon runoff and nitrate loading in two typical watersheds in the Three Gorges Reservoir area of China. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was used to track the spatiotemporal dynamics of runoff and nitrate loading (2000–2015). The findings showed that drylands and orchards were the dominant sources of nitrate and baseflow was the key mode of nitrate transport. Water yield and baseflow were mainly influenced by precipitation change, while the surface runoff and nitrate load were affected primarily by landscape pattern changes, especially in the wet season. Although ecological restoration programs have improved forest cover and forest fragmentation, the effects of forest restoration on the reduction of surface runoff and nitrate at the watershed scale have been offset by increased precipitation and agricultural expansion. Nevertheless, the role of landscape configuration is so dramatic that it can override variation in nitrate losses driven by changes in land cover and precipitation. Effective control of nitrate loss under intensive ecological restoration can be achieved by using a mosaic of "sink" patches to divide larger areas of cropland into smaller patches, maintaining cropland fragmentation, and limiting the increase in edge density of cropland. This paper's proposed and implemented approach provides a new understanding of the interactions and nonlinear relationship between hydrological processes and environmental change, providing explicit ideas and useful insights for landscape planners and managers for improving eco-hydrological functions of watershed at the practical level. We emphasize that the impact of land use change cannot be assumed to be linear in restoration strategies, instead nonlinear impacts, clear details of landscape configuration, and seasonal climatic characteristics should be explicitly considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Net daily CO 2 emissions mainly occurred in non-thawing periods in this peatland (68.4%). • CO 2 emissions in non-thawing periods was on average 2.5 times that found in thawing period. • Increased soil temperature and rainfall promote CO 2 emissions in freeze–thaw periods. Changes in freeze–thaw processes as a result of climate change significantly affect the carbon balance of terrestrial ecosystems, especially peatlands. The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau contains substantial permafrost and seasonal frozen soils and its peatlands feature a huge carbon stock highly sensitive to global change. In this paper, we used an eddy covariance flux tower to monitor carbon fluxes on the Zoige peatlands with seasonal frozen soils on the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau from 2013 to 2017. Total net emissions (g C m−2 yr−1) over the monitoring period were 64.1, 106.7, 126.5 and 103.2 in the frozen, frozen-thawing, thawing and thawing-freezing periods; the corresponding weighted mean emission rates (g C m−2 d−1) were 0.36, 0.44, 0.64 and 0.38. Although net CO 2 emissions were highest in the thawing period, emissions during the other periods accounted for approximately 68.4% of annual emissions. In fact, emissions during the two freeze–thaw periods were 1.7 times those during the thawing period despite the freeze–thaw periods lasting fewer days. CO 2 emission correlated significantly with volumetric water content and soil temperature in the frozen period, with soil temperature and precipitation in the frozen-thawing period, and with precipitation in the thawing and thawing-freezing periods. Annual net CO 2 emissions during each of the years were 57.2 g C m−2 yr−1 (2013), 108.3 g C m−2 yr−1 (2014), 41 g C m−2 yr−1 (2015), 62.9 g C m−2 yr−1 (2016) and 131.1 g C m−2 yr−1 (2017), and hydrological conditions were the primary determinant of interannual variations. Long-term continuous monitoring of carbon is essential to understand how freeze–thaw processes affect the ability of alpine peatland ecosystems to act as carbon sources and sinks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Grassland degradation is the main reason for the decline in carbon storage. • The carbon storage of farmland has increased significantly. • The risk of carbon storage reduction in the future is still high. The carbon storage of terrestrial ecosystems is closely related to global climate change. Therefore, assessing the impact of land-use changes on carbon storage is instructive to reduce global carbon emissions. Taking an arid region in northwest China as an example, this paper analyzed the land-use changes in arid region from 1980 to 2015. It used the CA-Markov model to predict the land-use pattern from 2020 to 2050, the carbon storage and sequestration module in Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (Invest) mode to assess and predict ecosystem carbon storage over the past 35 years and in the next 30 years and discusses the impact of land-use changes on the carbon storage of terrestrial ecosystems. The results showed that: (1) The high-value areas of carbon storage in arid region were primarily concentrated in grassland, forests and farmland, and the low-value areas of carbon storage were mainly in desert areas. (2) The carbon storage in arid region showed a downward trend. From 1980 to 2015, the carbon reserves of terrestrial ecosystems in arid region decreased by 90.95 Tg, and the net loss of carbon reserves from 2020 to 2050 was 14.72 Tg. Grassland degradation was the main reason for the reduction of carbon storage in arid region. (3) The carbon storage of farmland had increased significantly, but the expansion of farmland dominated by high carbon density grassland, wetland and forest, had reduced the overall carbon storage of the arid region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An attempt to Modify SPEI based on Thiessen's polygon weighting. • Quantify the scope and extent of drought and the alternating cycles of dry and wet changes. • Predict the dry and wet conditions based on the neural network model. Understanding monitor accurately and predicting drought conditions are necessary to prevent economic losses and natural disasters. Now, there is still a lack of comprehensive assessment of drought prediction in Xinjiang. In order to better predict the future drought trend, firstly we analyzed the trends of SPEI and the magnitude and frequency of drought in selected surface meteorological stations from 1960 to 2017. Secondly, we compared drought trends and spatial distribution characteristics of SPEI and PDSI. Based on historical data from 1960 to 2017, the paper predicted the trends of SPEI and PDSI in the next five years. The results show that the winter SPEI has risen significantly, and there was a SPEI value mutation in 1994. The Spring, Summer and Autumn SPEI show an insignificant downward trend. It is relatively stable on other time scales , and there is no significant sudden change. It is inferred thatthe increasing trend of wetting that may occur under different time scales at NRX in 2021, winter and annual scales will continue to be humidified, and spring, summer, and autumn will continue to be arid. Droughts in NRX occur at least once every three years, which is a high frequency event. The prediction results of the artificial neutral network (ANN) method based on multilayer feed forward network show that probability of humidification at NRX is more likely in the future, and the prediction results of wavelet and Hurst index are basically consistent with that of ANN method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• China's water use efficiency showed an increasing trend from 2001 to 2017. • The water use efficiency of forest land is higher than that of low vegetation. • Human activities have a greater contribution to the increase in water use efficiency. • China has more areas with positive correlation between water use efficiency and meteorology. In the context of increasing global carbon emissions, and the relative shortage of water resources, research on the relationships between climate change, human activities and the carbon–water coupling response of China's ecosystems is crucial. Water use efficiency (WUE) is an important indicator reflecting the coupling of ecosystem carbon and water cycles. Based on trend analysis, correlation analysis and multiple regression residual analysis, this paper analyzes the spatiotemporal distributions, change trends, correlations with meteorological factors, changes in different vegetation coverage types, and relative contributions of the main driving factors of China's vegetation WUE from 2001 to 2017. The results show the following: (1) For the past 17 years, the multiyear average value of vegetation WUE in China is 1.08 g C m - 2 mm - 1 , the average annual growth rate is 0.003 g C m - 2 mm - 1 a - 1 . The area with increasing trend of WUE accounts for 59.09% of the total area. (2) The seasonal WUE is highest in autumn, followed by summer, spring and winter. (3) The areas in which vegetation WUE is positively correlated with temperature and precipitation account for approximately 50.21% and 66.16% of the total area, respectively. (4) In terms of the relative annual average value of the WUE, the different vegetation cover types, in descending order, are mixed forests > needleleaf forests > broadleaf forests > shrublands > grasslands > croplands > wetlands > barren lands. (5) Human activities and climate change contributed 66.75% and 33.25%, respectively, to the increase in vegetation WUE in China in the past 17 years. The research results have important scientific significance for clarifying the impacts of climate change and human activities on the carbon–water cycle of the terrestrial ecosystems of China and assessing regional differences in the potential of terrestrial ecosystems to increase carbon sinks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• High spatial resolution data has a higher accuracy in acquiring SOS. • The SOS changes are mainly affected by spring temperature and winter precipitation. • At lower elevations, advancing SOS increased spring and summer growth. • At higher elevations, delayed SOS leads to decreased spring growth and increased summer growth. • The effect of SOS on vegetation growth weakens from the spring to summer seasons. Vegetation spring phenology in mountains has undergone profound changes due to climate change. In this paper, which made use of the Harmonic Analysis of Time Series (HANTS) smoothing algorithm and logistic models, the start of the vegetation growing season (SOS) inferred from MODIS datasets with different spatial resolutions from 2001 to 2018 was extracted. The MODIS data closest to the ground-truth observation data were then selected to reflect spring phenology. Combined with temperature and precipitation data, the spatio-temporal patterns and elevation-dependent change mechanisms of the SOS and its legacy effect on vegetation growth in the mountains of northwest Mongolia was examined and the following results were obtained: (1) Compared with the MOD13A1 and MOD13A2 datasets, the high spatial resolution MOD13Q1 dataset provided stronger correlations and the lowest errors with ground-truth observation data. (2) In this study, the SOS usually occurred between 120 and 152 day-of-year (DOY) with the earlier SOS detected in the low-elevation areas. Later SOS occurred mostly in the higher elevation areas. (3) The spatio-temporal variations in the SOS are mainly influenced by both spring temperature and winter precipitation, with increasing precipitation in winter tending to delay the SOS, while increasing spring temperature tended to advance the SOS. (4) At elevation gradient, the spring temperature showed a significant negative effect on SOS at all elevations, except between 1037 m and 1137 m and 3337 m to 3437 m above sea level (ASL), with a significant positive correlation between SOS and winter precipitation between 1337 m and 2937 m ASL. It is expected that spring temperature is closely linked to the heat accumulation of plants, while winter precipitation indirectly affects the temperature in spring. (5) In lower elevation areas (below 1437 m ASL), the SOS was found to be negatively correlated with spring and summer growth, with advancing SOS leading to increased vegetation growth during spring and summer. In higher elevation areas (above 1437 m ASL), the SOS was significantly negatively correlated with spring growth and positively correlated with summer growth. Hence, delayed SOS leads to decreased spring growth and increased summer growth. Also, we found the effect of SOS on vegetation growth gradually weakened from spring to summer. These findings can help to determine the mechanisms and functional consequences of spring phenological changes in mountain regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The proposition of transition cycles for a low-carbon economy based on human development and climate action. • A climate justice index in line with the United Nations' concepts of sustainable development. • A climate justice index that benchmarks nations with the same level of economic development. • The proposed index can help policy-makers and national government to identify synergy between climate actions and human development policies. Since the climate change context is increasingly the focus of decision-makers, indices capable of helping them in the transition to a low-carbon economy are considered necessary. Therefore, the objective of this work is to propose an index of climate justice that includes factors of human development and climate action. The index was developed using the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) technique and, in this study, assessed the climate justice of 198 nations. After the calculation, statistical analysis was used to compare the climate justice of the aforementioned countries, grouped by level of development and geographical location. The results obtained were: a) there is currently no nation that fully guarantees climate justice to its population; b) there is a difference in the performance of climate justice between the Annex I, Non-Annex I and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) groups; c) nations located in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and Eastern Europe are similar in terms of climate justice index performance. The main contribution of this paper is in the fact that the proposed index can help policy-makers and national governments to define climate and development policies, creating a synergy between such policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• In the Mongolian Plateau, wildfires occurred frequently from 2001 to 2015. • Advancing spring phenology more obvious in the Inner Mongolian than in Mongolia. • Preseason temperature has the greatest impact on the spring phenology. • In a typical fire area, the SOS in the fire zone shifted to earlier in the year. The variation of land surface phenology (LSP) in natural ecosystems has received much attention at the regional and global scales. In this paper, we explore the relationship between variations in the start of the growing season (SOS) and their direct and indirect drivers for the Mongolian Plateau. Our results show that wildfire events mainly occurred in 2001, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2011, and 2016. The frequency of Mongolian wildfires is lower in the south and west, but higher in the east and north. The frequency of wildfires in Inner Mongolia (China) shows a spatial gradient, with a higher frequency in the northeast and a lower frequency in the southwest. Late SOS was most widely distributed in the southeast of Mongolia and the south of Inner Mongolia. The vegetation in the grassland or forest areas showed a comparatively early SOS, between the 110th and 130th day-of-year (DOY). The advancing trends of the SOS were mainly distributed around the northeast Mongolian Plateau, which is more obvious in Inner Mongolia (China) than in Mongolia. Under the control of precipitation (pre) and solar radiation, the preseason average temperature (T mean) in most areas of the study area is from 0 to 3 months. In the Mongolian Plateau, negative partial correlations between the SOS and preseason T mean was mainly concentrated in the northern and northeastern parts of the study area, while positive correlations were mainly distributed in the central and southeastern parts. We also found that in addition to climate factors, wildfires have an impact on the SOS. After wildfires, the enhanced vegetation index (EVI), T mean and SOS showed a significant difference in the greening period between the reference region and the burned area. Compared with the reference zone, the SOS in the fire zone shifted to being earlier. This study, therefore, provides a scientific basis and reference for understanding variations in the SOS in the study area and the response of the SOS to climate change and wildfires. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]