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• EMD is applied to reduce the complexity of the prediction subsequence. • The SE of the decomposed sub-sequence is induced to improve the prediction precision of wind speed. • LSTM is applied to predict the high frequency sub-sequences. • The ARIMA is employed to predict the low frequency sub-sequences and one residual. • A hybrid EMD-LSTM-ARIMA model is successfully proposed for wind speed prediction. Wind speed is the key factor of wind power generation. With the increase of the proportion of wind power generation in total power generation, the accurate prediction of wind speeds plays an important role in the stable operations of power grids. However, the strong randomness of wind speeds makes it difficult to accurately predict wind speeds. Thus, a wind speed prediction model combining empirical mode decomposition (EMD) with some novel recurrent neural networks (RNN) and the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) is proposed to solve the problem. The selected RNNs are long short-term memory network (LSTM) and the gated recurrent unit (GRU) network. In this model, EMD is used to decompose the wind speed sequence to reduce the complexity and non-stationary of the series. The entropy of the samples of the sub-sequences after decomposition is calculated. Consequently, LSTM is applied to predict the high frequency sub-sequences with large entropy while the ARIMA is employed to predict the remaining low frequency sub-sequences and one residual. Finally, the prediction results of each sub series are combined to obtain the final prediction results. To verify the accuracy and stability of the model, four wind speed data sets form Inner Mongolia, China, are used to test the proposed methods. Five models are established in four practical cases and their performances are compared with the performances of the proposed model. The results in this paper show the following: (1) the EMD method can improve the wind speed prediction performance when it is combined with LSTM; (2) after decomposition, LSTM is suitable for predicting high complexity subsequences and the ARIMA is suitable for effectively predicting low complexity subsequences based on the different sample entropies; and (3) the root mean squared errors (RMSEs) of the hybrid model on the four wind speed data sets are 0.4163, 0.2085, 0.1613, and 0.2790, respectively, which are basically lower than those of the five models compared. Therefore, it is feasible to apply the hybrid model to wind speed prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction of fast electric vehicle (EV) charging stations is critical for the development of EV industry. The integration of renewable energy into the EV charging stations comprises both threats and chances. A successful and reasonable capacity configuration and scheduling strategy is beneficial and significant. This paper studies the optimal design for fast EV charging stations with wind, PV power and energy storage system (FEVCS-WPE), which determines the capacity configuration of components and the power scheduling strategy. Firstly, an EV charging load simulation model considering demand response is built, which dynamically modified charging expectation under time-of-use electricity price. Secondly, based on the system design, a multi-objective optimization model is proposed with minimum objectives of cost of electricity and pollution emissions. Then, this model is solved by a hybrid optimization algorithm which combines multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) algorithm and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method. Finally, the proposed optimization framework is applied to a case in Inner Mongolia, China. A scenario analysis is conducted and concludes that the renewable energy supplies, the connection with utility grid and demand response can help improve the performance on optimization objectives. A sensitivity analysis is also performed to verity the model's effectiveness. In addition, the proposed method is compared with simulated annealing and genetic algorithm to show its faster computation speed and higher solution quality. • A fast EV charging station with renewable energies and ESS is proposed. • An EV charging load simulation model based on demand response is built. • An optimization design model for FEVCS-WPE is proposed with two objectives. • A hybrid optimization algorithm combining MOPSO and TOPSIS method is used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the entropy weight method is applied to quantitatively measure the energy security levels of 30 provinces in China from 2004 to 2017. Then, functional data analysis is used to investigate the changes in energy security from a dynamic perspective. Results show that the energy security level of Inner Mongolia (0.7080), Shanxi (0.6713), and Shaanxi (0.5878) ranked in the top three in 2017. From 2004 to 2017, China's energy security experienced five stages: Increasing—decreasing—increasing—decreasing—increasing. Until now, energy security is in the recovery period. According to the similarity of the energy security function curve, the 30 provinces can be divided into three categories: Leading area, Medium area, and Backward area. These findings have great significance in ensuring regional energy security. • China's energy security goes through five stages. • There are great differences in energy security level among 30 provinces. • The energy security of 30 provinces can be divided into three categories. • There are differences in potential conversion laws of energy security. • The top three provinces of energy security are Shanxi, Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The creation of an efficient and environmentally friendly irrigation canal schedule strongly depends on the accuracy of the prespecified water demand (PSWD) process in existing scheduling practices and modeling studies. Overestimating water demand would result in spillage losses from over-irrigation, while underestimating water demand would lead to crop yield losses due to deficit water supply. However, prespecifying an accurate water demand often poses various challenges for both farmers and canal administrators, as it involves the temporal variability in agrometeorological conditions, the spatial diversity of soil properties, and the sensitivity of crops to water stress at different growth stages. Therefore, to reduce the uncertainty of prespecifying water demand and avoid the adverse effects of an inaccurate water demand on canal water allocation, this paper proposes an alternative canal scheduling model that maximizes canal scheduling service quality by targeting the ultimate objectives of the irrigation system (UOIS) without considering the prespecified water demand as the model input. The UOIS canal scheduling (UOIS-CS) model aims to optimize the canal water delivery schedule via simulation of soil water and salt migration using the Simultaneous Heat and Water (SHAW) model, to provide the most suitable soil moisture content and soil salinity for crops. The UOIS-CS model is used for the Hetao Irrigation District, Inner Mongolia, a typical agricultural watershed in China, where supplementary irrigation is performed after the autumn harvest (i.e., autumn irrigation) to leach excessive soil salt and preserve a moderate amount of soil moisture for the beginning of the next spring sowing period. To evaluate the irrigation performance of the UOIS-CS model further, a comparative analysis between the UOIS-CS model and the widely used PSWD-based canal scheduling (PSWD-CS) model is conducted. Compared with the PSWD-CS model, the proposed UOIS-CS model exhibits a superior irrigation performance in terms of leaching soil salt and preserving soil water, and a lower risk of canal overload operation during a higher water demand period. The improved performance of the UOIS-CS model is attributed to its greater adaptability to the spatial diversity of soil properties and the temporal variability in agrometeorological conditions, which originates from the full use of the equifinality of model performance metrics and model inputs. The UOIS-CS model provides managers with an effective approach to formulate a canal water delivery schedule with improved irrigation efficiency and lower overload risk. The proposed framework is generic and can be applied to non-crop growing seasons. • The canal scheduling method based on the ultimate objectives of irrigation system is well adapted to the environment. • Scheduling canals with prespecified water demand processes has a higher risk of canal overload operation. • Adopting the SHAW model to simulate soil water and salt migration in canal water allocation optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Airborne eddy covariance (EC) measurement is one of the most effective methods to directly measure the surface mass and energy fluxes at the regional scale. It offers the possibility to bridge the scale gap between local- and global-scale measurements by ground-based sites and remote-sensing instrumentations, and to validate the surface fluxes estimated by satellite products or process-based models. In this study, we developed an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based EC system that can be operated to measure the turbulent fluxes in carbon dioxides, momentum, latent and sensible heat, as well as net radiation and photosynthetically active radiation. Flight tests of the developed UAV-based EC system over land were conducted in October 2020 in Inner Mongolia, China. The in-flight calibration was firstly conducted to correct the mounting error. Then, three flight comparison tests were performed, and we compared the measurement with those from a ground tower. The results, along with power spectral comparison and consideration of the differing measurement strategies indicate that the system can resolve the turbulent fluxes in the encountered measurement condition. Lastly, the challenges of the UAV-based EC method were discussed, and potential improvements with further development were explored. The results of this paper reveal the considerable potential of the UAV-based EC method for land surface process studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

Unanticipated environmental shocks impact the livelihoods of many resource users around the world. These shocks are likely to be more unpredictable as the effects of climate change continue to mount. Yet how households adapt to these changing climatic conditions especially in the context of rapidly changing market conditions in most areas of the world, is poorly understood. These interactions have wide implications for both smallholder livelihoods and sustainable use of natural resources. In this paper, we examine the relationship between environmental shocks and stocking rates in livestock herds in the Inner Mongolian grasslands of northern China. We uniquely examine three types of shocks and how households adapt livestock production strategies in response to each. Separately and in aggregate, we look at three common shocks in Inner Mongolia: droughts, snowstorms, and locust outbreaks. We use a difference-in-differences approach to estimate changes in stocking rates among households that experience shocks versus those that do not with a panel dataset from 2009 to 2014 of 597 households. While we find no clear impact from locusts, our results suggest droughts and snowstorms have opposite effects: droughts are associated with increases in herd sizes, but snowstorms result in decreased herds. We suggest these differences are due to interactions between shocks, emerging options to borrow on credit, and livestock markets. Household adaptation to climate change will be strategic and take advantage of both available resources as well as market conditions. • Climate change is causing stronger and more unpredictable environmental shocks. • We use a difference-in-differences model to estimate the impact of shocks on stocking rate. • Drought relates to bigger herds; snowstorms relate to smaller herds. • Households adapt to shocks taking advantage of both available resources and market conditions. • Shaping well-functioning market may reduce opportunistic resource exploitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies indicate the Hetao Basin in Inner Mongolia, northern China, controlled the erosion base level of the upper Yellow River before 1.5 Ma. The late Cenozoic extensional rifting in the Hetao Basin in response to the northeastward growth of the Tibetan Plateau may be an plausible mechanism that initiated the headward erosional signal along the Yellow River at the northeastern margin of Tibetan Plateau ~1.8 Ma ago. However, little attention has been paid to establish the relationship between the late Cenozoic tectonic evolution in the Hetao Basin and integration of the upper Yellow River. In this paper, we explore the tectonic mechanism that can drive headward erosion along the Yellow River and the timescales over which it occurred by reconstructing the late Cenozoic tectonic history in the Hetao Basin. We applied linear inversion of bedrock channel profiles and late Cenozoic sedimentary strata in the Daqing Shan to explore the late Cenozoic tectonic evolution in the Hetao Basin. Results show that the accelerated vertical slip between the Daqing Shan and the Hetao Basin initiated at 2.8 ± 0.8 Ma, and the average relative uplift rate was 0.18 ± 0.04 mm/yr since 2.8 Ma. The lowering of erosion base level in the Hetao Basin since 2.8 ± 0.8 Ma produced a headward erosional signal along the Yellow River that initiated fluvial incision at the northeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau ~1.8 Ma ago. That indicates the accelerated extensional rifting in the Hetao Basin has been responsible for the integration of the upper Yellow River since the late Pliocene. Our study improved understanding how the Yellow River responds to the late Cenozoic rifting around the Ordos Block, as well as the northeastward growth of the Tibetan Plateau. Meanwhile, these tectonic processes were also linked together by the Yellow River evolution. • Rapid relative uplift between Hetao Basin and Daqing Shan started at 2.8 ± 0.8 Ma. • The average relative uplift rate is 0.18 ± 0.04 mm/yr since 2.8 Ma. • Rifting in Hetao Basin since 2.8 ± 0.8 Ma triggered integration of Yellow River. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The Bilihe shares similar hydrothermal alterations with porphyry-type deposit. • The typical hydrothermal veins host about one quarter of total gold reserves. • UST quartz formed near melt-fluid interface at the roof of host intrusion • Tiny fluid inclusion-rich UST quartz zones are proposed to grow from the fluid medium. The Bilihe gold deposit is a rare example that economical gold mineralization occurred in unidirectional solidification textures (UST) quartz at the cupola of middle Permian granodioritic intrusion. However, there is a key dispute about whether gold precipitated from low-diffusion silicate melt or high-activity fluid phase. In this paper, based on in-situ trace elements analyzing, SEM-CL mapping, and infra-red and Raman spectroscopy, the magmatic fluids are supposed to play a critical role in the gold mineralization by metal extraction from below magma at magmatic-hydrothermal transition stage. At Bilihe, the UST quartz represents the most fertile unit. Statistic results show the quartz–K-feldspar (KV) and gray banded quartz veins (GBV) also host about 22–27% of total reserves. A decreasing trend in Au/Ag, and Au/S, but elevated Au/Cu ratios of gold compositions indicate a relatively continuous fluid evolution in the Bilihe system. Petrography and spectroscopy studies show that the Bilihe UST quartz can be divided into two different domains, gold-rich brownish and barren colorless zones. The former can contain more water, occurring as tiny fluid inclusion or as structural OH– in muscovite, corresponding to sector CL zones (UQ1) or euhedral oscillatory bands (UQ2). The latter usually contain melt inclusions and correspond to obscure CL-textures (UQ3). Besides, the LA-ICP-MS trace elements show that there is a significant decreasing trends on fluid-mobile elements (e.g., K, Fe, B, and Li) from UQ1 over UQ2 to UQ3. In particular, the trace elements in UQ3 show greater affinity with magmatic quartz phenocrysts but with higher Ge, B, and Li contents, and higher Ge/Ti and Ge/Al, but lower Li/Ti ratios, indicating a highly evolved and fluid-rich environment. Based on previous model, we consider that the Bilihe UST quartz grew in the variable growth mediums, namely fluctuant alternation between fluid-dominant pocket (for UQ1 + UQ2) and silicate melt phase (for UQ3) near the melt-fluid interface at the apex of magma body. The relatively H 2 O-poor nature of parent magma is an important factor to cause the specific crystal growth environment. Mineral thermobarometers demonstrate that the parent magma from deep reservoir has experienced a significant ascent or decompression (from ~ 3–5 kbar to ~ 0.5–1.8 kbar). In addition, high fluxing volatiles, such as B, F and P, effectively protract magma crystallization to form highly evolved melt, and finally resulting in water saturation at shallow level. Thus, gold saturation might reach in earlier exsolving low-salinity fluids at low pressure (as low as 0.5 kbar) and high temperature (~660–700 °C) condition. Then voluminous fluids get release accompanying with hydrofracturing, and some gold sequentially precipitate in the KV with fluids cooling (<550 °C) and later in the GBV with further cooling and flashing during transition from lithostatic to hydrostatic loads. With increasing sulfur fugacity by fluid condensation and further cooling in fluid temperature, secondary gold can precipitate with possible Cu-(Fe) or As-Sb sulfides associated with pervasive intermediate argillic alteration, which intensively overprinted on earlier potassic alteration zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development and utilization of mining resources are basic requirements for social and economic development. Both open-pit mining and underground mining have impacts on land, ecology, and the environment. Of these, open-pit mining is considered to have the greatest impact due to the drastic changes wrought on the original landform and the disturbance to vegetation. As awareness of environmental protection has grown, land reclamation has been included in the mining process. In this study, we used the Shengli Coalfield in the eastern steppe region of Inner Mongolia to demonstrate a mining and reclamation monitoring process. We combined the Google Earth Engine platform with time series Landsat images and the LandTrendr algorithm to identify and monitor mining disturbances to grassland and land reclamation in open-pit mining areas of the coalfield between 2003 and 2019. Pixel-based trajectories were used to reconstruct the temporal evolution of vegetation, and sequential Landsat archive data were used to achieve accurate measures of disturbances to vegetation. The results show that: (1) the proposed method can be used to determine the years in which vegetation disturbance and recovery occurred with accuracies of 86.53% and 78.57%, respectively; (2) mining in the Shengli mining area resulted in the conversion of 89.98 km2 of land from grassland, water, etc., to barren earth, and only 23.54 km2 was reclaimed, for a reclamation rate of 26.16%; and (3) the method proposed in this paper can achieve fast, efficient identification of surface mining land disturbances and reclamation, and has the potential to be applied to other similar areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We propose ICTP to coordinate between tourism development and ecological protection. • Areas with higher ICTP are more prone to nature-based tourism vs. ecological protection conflicts. • Considerable proportion of studied areas (ca. 13.79%) have very high ICTP. • These areas are characterized with both high landscape attractiveness and high ecological sensitivity. Developing spatial regulation strategies is important for nature-based tourism, and this procedure could be more rational and scientific with the understanding of the spatial distribution of conflicts tendency between tourism development and ecological protection. In this study, we developed an Indicator of Conflict tendency between nature-based Tourism development and ecological Protection (ICTP), based on the combination of landscape attractiveness and ecological sensitivity. By integrating land cover, topography, climate and other datasets, this paper presents the spatial distribution of the ICTP in the study area in China. The results show that most areas of China have a low or medium ICTP. Areas with very high ICTP account for 13.79% of the studied areas, including the central part of the Inner Mongolia Plateau, northern part of the Loess Plateau, southwestern part of the Northeast Plain, north and south sides of Tianshan Mountains, coast of Bohai Bay and coastal areas of Jiangsu and Zhejiang Province. These areas are mainly confronted with problems of desertification, salinization and soil erosion. 11.09% of studied areas have very low ICTP, mainly located in the Tarim Basin and western part of Inner Mongolia Plateau, characterized by low landscape attractiveness and low ecological sensitivity. Our results can inform decision makers with regard to where are most likely to suffer from ecological problems caused by nature-based tourism activities, and to which types of problems that are likely to arise. Such information can help decision makers forecast the developmental trend of the relationship between nature-based tourism development and ecological protection, further determine the degree of control on nature-based tourism. The study developed the basic framework for measuring the conflict tendency of nature-based tourism development and ecological protection, which can inspire researchers to think about factors that should be considered when measuring such tendency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

District heating (DH) is rapidly expanding in China, which consumes a significant share of the national energy and aggravates pollution problems. Among the Northern provinces, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (IMAR) has a large area of district heating which relies heavily on coal boilers. In order to achieve the clean heating development goal, this paper first presents a detailed investigation and mapping of the clean heating resources at county levels in the IMAR. Combined with the different energy-saving strategies, four pathways for future DH were proposed. Considering the forecasted scenarios of DH for years 2025 and 2035, this study compares the proposed pathways in terms of primary energy consumption and economic benefits. It was observed that by replacing coal boilers with clean heating resources, the clean heating sources pathway could reduce coal consumption by about 41%, with 33% annual cost savings in 2018 compared with the reference pathway. However, when taking building renovation into account, the economically optimal renovation plan lies between the proposed SHRP and FHRP. The conclusions from this study provide valuable suggestions for clean heating developments in the IMAR and other parts of Northern China. • Clean heating resources in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region are investigated and mapped in details. • 4 district heating pathways combining renovations in heating sources and buildings are proposed. • Heat demand for years 2025 and 2035 are forecasted. • Replacing coal boilers with clean heating resources can reducing both energy consumption and annual cost. • The economically optimal building renovation plan lie between the proposed pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an investigation of fracture evolution of surrounding rock with different supporting conditions during excavation period in Hulusu coal mine, Inner Mongolia, China. Fractures of surrounding rock were measured by borehole images obtained with a digital panoramic borehole camera, and surface displacement of roadway was measured using the intersection point method. Based on the rock properties, original support method and constructional process of bolter miner, a simple and fast support system was proposed, which realized the complete parallel operation between bolt support and coal cutting. According to the data obtained from field monitoring and construction situation, the array pitch was extended from 1.0 m to 1.5 m gradually. Field measurements indicated that the overall effect of roadway under new support was more satisfactory than under original support, with no exception in all the five test stages. When the array pitch extended up to 1.5 m, the roof and rib convergence were 11 mm and 16 mm, a reduction of 66.7% and 57.9%, respectively. Under new supporting condition, fractures were distributed only within the bolt anchorage zone and both the number and opening of fractures were small. By contrast, under original supporting condition, fractures were distributed both in and out of the bolt anchorage zone. New support can make full use of deep strata by constructing thick anchorage rock beam, and large displacement of shallow strata can be inhibited through small displacement of deep strata. The realization of co-movement between large-small displacements ensures the safety control of roadway. New support can greatly improve support efficiency, providing a solution to the imbalance between excavation speed and production needs widely existing in coal mines producing 10 million tons a year. New support has already been successful applied in another roadway with top coal in Hulusu coal mine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

Simple Summary: The Eurasian lynx has a wide distribution range in China, but lynx field studies in China are rare compared to those for European populations. Using camera trapping data, this paper reports the lynx population size, activity patterns, and variation within the prey community at a nature reserve in Inner Mongolia. The results found that there were at least 20 lynx in this reserve, and the population has increased steadily over years. There is a seasonal difference in the daily activity rhythms of lynx. The total activity rhythm of lynx is synchronous with five mammal species: hare, red deer, wild boar, raccoon dog, and badger. Red fox and roe deer showed a timed avoidance of lynx to some extent. The present study sets an example for biodiversity conservation; the recovery of prey communities through habitat management should be a priority in determining the restoration of large carnivore populations in China. Revealing the behavioral relationships between predators and their prey is fundamental in understanding the community structure and ecosystem functions of such animals. This study aimed at detecting the population size and activity patterns of Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) (along with its prey) by camera trapping monitoring from 2014 to 2017 at the Saihanwula nature reserve in central Inner Mongolia. The total effective trapping days were 29,892 and 20 lynx were identified from 343 trapping photos based on the inner side patterns of their forelimbs. The daily activity rhythms of the lynx overlapped with those of different prey in different seasons. The yearly activity pattern of the lynx was influenced by its main prey's biology. In conclusion, this study reveals that the activity patterns of the top predator matched those of its prey in different time periods. Habitat management strategies promoting the restoration of prey communities would benefit the lynx in maintaining a stable community structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A kernel density estimation (KDE) model for the probability distribution of wind speed (PDWS) is proposed in this paper for application to wind energy assessment (WEA) in China. Four bandwidth selectors, including normal scale (NS), plug in, biased cross-validation, and least-square cross validation, are proposed for the KDE model. Popular parametric distribution models are also introduced for comparisons with the KDE models. Based on five-year day-average wind speed data from 698 nationwide wind stations in China, the performance and robustness of both parametric and KDE models were evaluated comprehensively on the regional scale. Wind power density (WPD) and wind turbine power output (WTPO), which are the priorities in WEA, are subsequently calculated based on the estimated PDWS models. The ranking results of four individual metrics and one comprehensive metric indicate that the four KDE models outperform the parametric models in fitting the PDWS. The KDE-NS model performs the best compared to the other three KDE models. In addition to the KDE models, the generalized gamma and generalized extreme values were considered as better parametric models in fitting the PDWS. KDE models also performed well in WPD estimation, especially the KDE-NS model with a mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) value as low as 2%. Some parametric models, i.e., Johnson SB and Wakeby, which are not outstanding in PDWS fitting, however perform well in WPD estimation, and their MAPE values can be controlled to remain within 3%. This indicates that the result of the PDWS is not completely equivalent to that of WPD estimation. The WPD and WTPO in most of China's interior areas are less than 40 W / m 2 and 1.2 GWh, respectively. In the eastern coastal areas, middle and eastern Inner Mongolia, and some western provinces, the WPD and WTPO are relatively higher, and can reach or exceed 240 W / m 2 and 3.5 GWh, respectively. • Four KDE models with various bandwidth selectors are proposed for fitting PDWS. • Popular parametric models are introduced for comparisons with the KDE models. • Performance of parametric and KDE models are evaluated on the regional scale. • KDE models generally outperform the parametric models in fitting PDWS. • KDE models also performs well in WEA analysis, especially for the KDE-NS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With increasing consumption, plastic mulch benefits agriculture by promoting crop quality and yield, but the environmental and soil pollution is becoming increasingly serious. Therefore, research on the monitoring of plastic mulched farmland (PMF) has received increasing attention. Plastic mulched farmland in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) remote images due to the high resolution, shows a prominent spatial pattern, which brings difficulties to the task of monitoring PMF. In this paper, through a comparison between two deep semantic segmentation methods, SegNet and fully convolutional networks (FCN), and a traditional classification method, Support Vector Machine (SVM), we propose an end-to-end deep-learning method aimed at accurately recognizing PMF for UAV remote sensing images from Hetao Irrigation District, Inner Mongolia, China. After experiments with single-band, three-band and six-band image data, we found that deep semantic segmentation models built via single-band data which only use the texture pattern of PMF can identify it well; for example, SegNet reaching the highest accuracy of 88.68% in a 900 nm band. Furthermore, with three visual bands and six-band data (3 visible bands and 3 near-infrared bands), deep semantic segmentation models combining the texture and spectral features further improve the accuracy of PMF identification, whereas six-band data obtains an optimal performance for FCN and SegNet. In addition, deep semantic segmentation methods, FCN and SegNet, due to their strong feature extraction capability and direct pixel classification, clearly outperform the traditional SVM method in precision and speed. Among three classification methods, SegNet model built on three-band and six-band data obtains the optimal average accuracy of 89.62% and 90.6%, respectively. Therefore, the proposed deep semantic segmentation model, when tested against the traditional classification method, provides a promising path for mapping PMF in UAV remote sensing images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal is an important energy resource in the world, especially in China. Extensive coal exploitation seriously damaged the grassland and its fragile ecosystem. However, temporal and spatial impact laws of open-pit coal exploitation on Landscape Ecological Health (LEH) of semi-arid grasslands are still not clear. Therefore, the main objective of this paper is to study impact of Large-scale Open-pit Coal Base (LOCB) on the LEH of semi-arid grasslands from the perspectives of temporal and spatial. Taking Shengli LOCB of Xilinguole grassland in Inner Mongolia as an example, we demonstrate a conceptual model of LOCB impact on LEH of semi-arid grasslands, and establish a research system called landscape Index-pattern Evolution-Driving force-Spatial statistics (IEDS). A complete process integrated from investigation, monitoring, and evaluation to the analysis of impact laws was developed. Result indicated that coal mining causes gradual increase of landscape patches, landscape fragmentation, gradual decline of landscape connectivity, complexity and irregularity of landscape shape, enhancement of landscape heterogeneity and complexity, gradual decline of landscape stability, gradual decrease of grassland landscape and annual increase of unhealthy grassland landscape. The LEH of grassland basically belongs to the state of slight deterioration. In the past 15 years, the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of LEH in the study area are similar. This study provides scientific reference for ecological disturbance research, environmental protection, landscape planning, restoration and renovation of ecological environment in mining areas. At the same time, future research should integrate geological, hydrological, soil, vegetation, microorganisms, animals, climate, and other perspectives to study the impact of mining on landscape ecology deeply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Element geochemistry in coals varies notably in a laterally correlated coal seam. • Various geological factors are responsible for the difference in the elemental geochemistry of the coals. • Some critical metals including REY are redeposited within the coal section as a result of acidic leaching. • The Datanhao coal seam has potential in industrial utilization of certain critical metals. This paper discusses the modes of occurrence of critical elements and their origins in the studied coal and associated rock samples (partings and roof strata) from the Datanhao coal mine, Daqingshan Coalfield, Inner Mongolia, northern China. The studied coals are enriched in trace elements including Zr, Hf, Th, Be, F, Zn, Ga, Nb, Mo, Cd, In, Sn, Ta, Hg, W, Pb, and rare earth elements and Y (REY). Zirconium, Nb, Ta, and Hf are largely associated with anatase in the studied coal and non-coal samples. The main carriers of REY, Th, and U in both coal and non-coal samples are Ca-bearing REE-phosphate minerals, most likely monazite, although U is partly associated with organic matter. Fluorine in the Datanhao coals is mainly associated with kaolinite. Most partings identified as volcanic ash-derived tonsteins from the Datanhao Mine exhibit negative Eu anomalies that, along with the common presence of equant-shaped euhedral volcanic quartz (beta-quartz), indicate a felsic volcanic source located in the Xing'an-Mongolia Orogenic Belt. Other probable sources of clastic material into the basin include the pre-Cambrian granites from the adjacent uplands, which may be responsible for the light rare earth element enrichment of the studied deposits, and associated metamorphic rocks from the adjacent uplands. Owing to acidic hydrothermal fluids, which are most likely related to the Yanshanian (Jurassic to Early Cretaceous) intrusive activity and/or low-temperature basinal waters circulating within the coal-bearing unit during the epigenetic stage, most of the coal benches from the Datanhao mine are also relatively enriched in middle rare earth elements. On the other hand, some coal and non-coal bench samples from the middle Datanhao section are enriched in heavy REE. This, along with the presence of abundant syngenetic or early diagenetic carbonate minerals, indicates deposition in an episodic alkaline environment, the origin of which is mostly probably attributed to evaporation and/or saline water inputs resembling a playa lake environment. As the concentrations of Zr, Hf, Nb, and Ta are all close to or higher than the respective industry cut-off grades or standards for these critical elements, the Datanhao coal seam has potential economic significance for these as an important by-product of the coal mining. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a research paper evaluating the geological characteristics and ore genesis of Bayanhar and Baiyinbaolidao gold Deposit in Sonid Zuoqi in Inner Mongolia, China. It suggests that Bayinbaolidao gold deposit was formed in early Paleozoic island arc environment and is of the mesothermal type. The fluid inclusions reveals that the magmatic water is dominated and the meteoric waters is limited in the deposit.

The article focuses on a research paper evaluating the geological characteristics and genesis of Badaguan copper-molybdenum (Cu-Mo) deposit in Chen Barag Qi in Inner Monglia, China. It discusses the rock geochemical characteristic including the major elements, trace elements and rare earth elements (REE), tectonic environment discrimination mad isotope age.