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The Chinese government's use of fiscal policy, which includes fiscal income and spending, is crucial in its fight against environmental pollution and climate change. Innovation‐driven has arisen as a new alternative to reconcile economic success with environmental conservation in light of tighter resource restrictions and the suggestion of the Chinese High‐quality Development policy. The paper uses an econometric model to examine the connection between institutional resource consumption efficiency and carbon neutrality, using a data set consisting of Chinese inter‐provincial panel data from 2007 to 2020 as a research sample; fiscal decentralization is also discussed as a potential moderating factor. Collaborative innovation positively boosts ecological efficiency and produces geographical spillovers, and the findings suggest so long as the economic distance is considered. When it comes to increasing ecological efficiency, collaborative innovation plays a more important role than financial decentralization alone. Among these is the improvement of carbon neutrality, which is best achieved via the joint promotion of ecological efficiency and industrial organizations. By reducing the intensity of the positive effect of innovative cooperation on ecological efficiency, the moderating effect suggests that fiscal decentralization is a critical factor in this relationship. Promoting China's ecological efficiency necessitates a fair distribution of local budgetary spending. China should also actively encourage the degree of synergy between institutional resource consumption efficiency and associated institutions to improve eco‐efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global climate changes have led to frequent and recurrent heat stress, which has seriously affected the world maize production. The experiment presented in this paper was carried out during the maize‐growing season in 2021 and 2022 at the Huang–Huai–Hai Region Maize Science and Technology Innovation Center (36°09′N, 117°09′E) in Tai'an, Shandong province, China. The test site is located in the semi‐humid warm temperate continental monsoon climate zone, soil is brown loam. We selected different heat‐sensitive maize varieties: heat‐tolerant variety Zhengdan 958 (ZD958) and heat‐sensitive variety Xianyu335 (XY335) to study the stress effects of high temperature on the development of tassel in the key stage of its differentiation (the 12‐leaf stage, V12). We found that exposure to heat stress during the V12 stage significantly reduced the tassel size and the anther dehiscence area, making it difficult to disperse pollen, thus effectively reducing pollen production. In addition, heat stress had significant negative effects on pollen development, resulting in deformed pollen and lower pollen viability and germination rate. Our results also showed that heat stress significantly increased the activities of key reactive oxygen species‐scavenging enzymes including superoxide dismutase, peroxidase and catalase, and that the malondialdehyde and H2O2 content in tassels exposed to heat stress were significantly higher than those control group, where it should be noted that for the XY335, these effects were more pronounced than for the ZD958. The endogenous hormone content of tassels exhibited a variety of responses. After heat stress, the zeatin and salicylic acid content in tassels of both maize varieties were significantly lower than those in the respective control groups, while the abscisic acid and gibberellin acid content were significantly higher. With respect to the jasmonic acid and 3‐indoleacetic acid content, the two maize varieties exhibited opposite responses: in tassels from ZD958 plants subjected to heat stress were higher than those in the respective control group, while in tassels from XY335 plants, they were lower. The observed changes in protective enzyme activities and endogenous hormone contents induced by heat stress significantly affected the development of maize tassels and significantly reduced the amount, activity and germination rate of pollen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought seriously endangers the development of agro‐pastoral ecotone in arid and semi‐arid regions. However, drought evolution characteristics of semi‐arid sandy grassland and its drivers are not well understood in the complex climate change context. Thus, in this paper, the revised standardized precipitation evaporation indices on one‐month (SPEI‐1) and growing‐season (SPEI‐6) scale, flash drought and dry spells (DS) were calculated as drought indicators, and the temporal variabilities and meteorological drivers of drought in Horqin Sandy Land during the growing period (April–September) from 2007 to 2021 were studied. The results showed that SPEI‐1 and SPEI‐6 exhibited negative trends and periodic change. This drought aggravation was manifested in increased grades and numbers of drought months. Flash droughts can occur every month during the growing season. And its occurrence was not only positively correlated with all drought events in frequency but also synchronized in time. The increased number of DS showed an asymmetrical shift towards 7‐day‐and‐longer DS. SPEI sensitivity to precipitation (P) was noticeably higher than to atmospheric evapotranspiration demand (AED) at both monthly and growing season scales. SPEI sensitivity to AED was modulated by P amounts, which was higher during low P period. Apart from the amounts of P and AED, their temporal variability also strongly determined how they affect the drought severity. P was also the main driver for flash drought and long DS, but AED with larger amount and higher variability is the reason for their aggravation. Our results demonstrate the complexity of drought intensification in semi‐arid sandy grasslands and highlight the important role of AED anomalies in it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sanjiang Plain is the largest marsh distribution area of China, and marshes in this region significantly affect regional carbon cycle and biodiversity protection. The vegetation phenology of marsh significantly affects the energy exchange and carbon cycle in that region. Under the influence of global climatic change, identifying the changes in phenology and their responses to climatic variation in marshes of Sanjiang Plain is essential for predicting the carbon stocks of marsh ecosystem in that region. Using climate and NDVI data, this paper analyzed the spatiotemporal variations in the start (SOS), end (EOS), and length (LOS) of vegetation growing season and explored the impacts of climatic variation on vegetation phenology in marshes of Sanjiang Plain. Results showed that the SOS advanced by 0.30 days/a, and EOS delayed by 0.23 days/a, causing LOS to increase significantly (p <.05) by 0.53 days/a over marshes of Sanjiang Plain. Spatially, the large SOS advance and EOS delay resulted in an obvious increasing trend for LOS in northern Sanjiang Plain. The rise of spring and winter temperatures advanced the SOS and increased the LOS, and the rise in temperature in autumn delayed the EOS in marshes of Sanjiang Plain. Our findings highlight the necessity of considering seasonal climatic conditions in simulating marsh vegetation phenology and indicate that the different influences of climatic variation on marsh vegetation phenology in different regions should be fully considered to assess the marsh ecosystem response to climatic change in Sanjiang Plain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Yangtze River Basin (YRB), a key biodiversity area and a major economic zone in China, the biodiversity of the area is confronted with severe challenges. In this paper, we analyzed species distribution patterns based on a dataset with 18,538 seed plant species to identify hotspots and evaluate conservation effectiveness and gaps of the YRB. We calculated distribution patterns of species richness with the top 5% richness algorithm and complementarity algorithm, and reconstructed a phylogenetic tree and elucidated spatial phylogenetics. There were 214 hotspot grid cells covering only 6.8% of the study region, but containing 88% seed plant species. Then, we conducted correlation analysis on distribution patterns of different algorithms and species categories, which showed moderate or weak correlations between the top 5% richness algorithm and complementary algorithm. Conservation effectiveness analysis indicated there were 116 hotspot grid cells (accounting for 73.6% of the total species) protected by current conservation networks and there are many conservation gaps remaining. Finally, we used the maximum entropy model (MaxEnt) to predict suitable habitat areas of threatened species under current and future climate scenarios. Prediction analysis results indicated future expansion of suitable habitat to the southeast, and reduction in the central and western portions of the study area. When we considered anthropogenic areas, the suitable habitat was severely decreased, indicating the importance of optimizing the layout of conservation networks and comprehensive biodiversity conservation planning in the YRB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Understanding the formation and maintenance of biogeographical breaks is fundamental for developing analyses related to biodiversity and conservation. Biogeographical patterns along China's coast are changing dramatically in the face of climate change and alterations in land‐use. In this paper, we sought to clarify the mechanisms responsible for the formation and maintenance of a biogeographical barrier on China's coast. Location: Coastline of northern China. Methods: We have reviewed literature of research related to biogeographical and phylogeographical patterns of intertidal macrobenthos along the coast of Jiangsu Province and adjacent areas, summarized the distribution patterns and biogeographical breakers. We have also reviewed literature about the processes and drivers on coastal biogeographical breaks, to clarify the mechanisms acting to the northward shift of the biogeographical break. Results: The Yangtze (Changjiang) River Estuary Biogeographical Barrier (YREBB) at 30°–31°N, which serves as a coastal biogeographical boundary for the Cold Temperate Northwest Pacific Province and the Warm Temperate Northwest Pacific Province for marine species, has moved northward to ~33°–34°N due to the changes in habitat continuity, oceanographic circulation and climate factors. Consequently, a new biogeographic barrier for intertidal macrobenthos, the Subei Biogeographical Barrier (SBB) on the central coast of Jiangsu Province, has emerged. Main conclusions: The formation and maintenance of the SBB are closely related to the larval dispersal potential, larval settlement success and post‐settlement population establishment, all of which have been profoundly influenced by anthropogenic environmental changes. The northward shift of the YREBB and the appearance of the SBB provide an excellent model system for investigating the impacts of climate change and land‐use change on coastal biogeographic patterning and for clarifying the mechanisms underlying the formation and maintenance of biogeographical barriers in the face of the unprecedented environmental changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hydrological projections provided by the outputs of Global Climate Models (GCMs) combining hydrological models include multi‐source uncertainties, which may challenge the formulation of relevant adaption and mitigation policies. In this paper, the overall uncertainty and the relative contribution of each uncertainty component were investigated for hydrological projections over 408 watersheds in China by using 3 shared socioeconomic pathway emission scenarios (SSP1‐2.6, SSP2‐4.5, and SSP5‐8.5), 21 GCMs, 8 bias correction methods, 4 hydrological models, and 2 sets of optimized hydrological model parameters. The results show that the total uncertainty (T) is mainly contributed by uncertainty related to global climate models (G), with the mean percentage ranging from 60.4 to 64.1%, followed by the interaction uncertainties among all components, with the mean percentage ranging from 22.0 to 26.4%. The uncertainty contribution of hydrological models (H) (6.1–9.4%) ranks third, followed by emission scenarios (S) (2.9–5.9%) and bias correction methods (B) (0.2–1.1%). The uncertainty contribution of the optimized hydrological model parameters (P) (0.2–0.3%) is almost negligible. In terms of spatial variability, the relative contribution of uncertainty related to global climate models (G) is the highest in the near future for northern China (67.5–70.6%) and in the far future for southern China (66.1–66.7%). However, it was found to be lower for the Tibetan Plateau and northwestern China (45.3–57.9%) in the near and far future. The relative contribution of hydrological model uncertainty is higher for southwestern and northwestern China and the Tibetan Plateau (7.2–19.5%) and lower for northern, eastern, and southern China (2.5–6.6%). This study highlights the importance of including multiple GCMs and hydrological models in hydrological impact studies to consider their overall uncertainty. The development of global climate models and hydrological models is still the best way to reduce the uncertainty of climate change impact studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reduction of the runoff to lake has become a common phenomenon of the inland lakes in northwest China, and the quantitative calculation of the driving factors affecting the runoff change has always been a challenge in lake research. In this pursuit, the present study was performed on Lake Daihai as an example, based on the relevant data from 1960 to 2018. The quantitative calculations of the runoff driving factors of Lake Daihai from 1982 to 2004 and from 2004 to 2017 were based on the slope change ratio of cumulative quantity (SCRCQ). It was concluded that human activities were the main factors affecting runoff change after 1982. The SCRCQ method was improved, which could carry out the quantitative calculations on the driving factors affecting the runoff change of the Lake Daihai from 1961 to 2017 on a yearly basis. The results show that the dominant factor of runoff changes in Lake Daihai was found to be the climate change before 1975, and it changed into human activities after 1975. Finally, based on the comparative analysis of the results of SCRCQ and improved SCRCQ, the advantages of improved SCRCQ were discussed. In addition, the reasons for the variation of the runoff to lake dominated by different factors in different periods for Lake Daihai were analyzed. Key Points: This paper analyzes the influence of climate change and human activities on the change in runoff volume of Lake Daihai according to the slope change ratio of cumulative quantity (SCRCQ)The SCRCQ method was improved, which could carry out the quantitative calculations on the driving factors affecting the runoff change of the Lake Daihai from 1961 to 2017 on a yearly basisThe reasons for the variation of the runoff to lake dominated by different factors in different periods for Lake Daihai were analyzed [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lidar is an active remote sensing instrument, and it has been widely used in the detection of atmospheric environmental parameters and meteorological parameters. In recent years, climate change has been widely concerned by the public, and the corresponding atmospheric detection technology has also been developed rapidly. Atmospheric Lidar has been developed rapidly in China, and has achieved good research achievements. The research progress and development status of Lidar for atmospheric detection in recent years are introduced and summarized in this invited paper. The advantages and disadvantages of all kinds of atmospheric detection Lidars and their applications in different detection objects are comprehensively introduced in this article. Finally, the bottlenecks of Lidar technology are summarized, and the development trend of Lidar is also prospected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]