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The vast Dongting Lake in the middle Yangtze River basin, China, was occupied by Chinese Neolithic settlements starting 10 000 years ago, and rice cultivation there is probably the earliest in the world. The numerous Neolithic settlements identified by previous archaeological surveys represent the five major Neolithic cultural stages, i.e. the Pengtoushan (9000–7900 cal. yr BP), Zaoshixiaceng (7900–6800 cal. yr BP), Daxi (6800–5500 cal. yr BP), Qujialing (5500–5000 cal. yr BP), and Shijiahe (5000–4000 cal. yr BP). Using sedimentological and geoarchaeological approaches, this paper analyses the drivers of basin-scale settlement relocation in relation to lake-level fluctuations and monsoon climate variations in the Holocene. The relocation of Neolithic sites around the lake shoreline and on the adjacent floodplain, together with radiocarbon-dated stratigraphy, clearly indicates that the shape of the lake basin was an incised and elongated valley occupied by a lake in the early Holocene, which became a broader and shallower depression in the mid to late Holocene. The established lowest habitable base of the settlements positioned on the lake shore assists reconstruction of the change in lake level from 22 m at 9000 cal. yr BP to 26 m at 5500–4000 cal. yr BP, although higher and lower lake levels occurred during the intervening cultural stages. The pollen spectra reveal a warming trend throughout the Holocene with at least four major temperature cycles, driven by monsoon variations between temperate- and warm-humid conditions. In the early Holocene the climate changed from cool-dry to warm-humid, and this played a key role in developing the earliest Pengtoushan culture in the region. Subsequent climate fluctuations fit well with the advance and retreat of the lake shore, also coevally with Neolithic site movements in the lake region. In this study we show how geoarchaeological evidence can be used in environmental reconstruction during the Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: China plays an increasingly important role on the international economic scene and in global supply chains. Initially only coastal regions participated in global supply chains, but in recent years comparative cost advantages have led to an increased participation of inland destinations in China’s economic development. The growth of some inland regions has urged logistics players to revise and reconfigure their extensive logistics networks. This has been particularly the case in the Yangtze region. Upstream cities such as Chongqing are emerging as potential important production centres for the international markets. This paper discusses the challenges for container barge services on the Yangtze River to Chongqing. It is argued that a further strengthening of the global market position of Chongqing and other upstream locations demands further improvements in transport-related and logistical cost control and reliability. The performance of container river services on the Yangtze River is crucial for upstream economic regions to take part in world trade. The paper analyzes the costs aspects linked to transporting goods to the world markets and makes a comparison to gateway region Shanghai. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Copyright of Bulletin of Engineering Geology & the Environment is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Bulletin of Engineering Geology & the Environment is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

江苏省张家港市东山村崧泽文化早中期大墓的发现, 证明长江下游在距今 五千七、八百年以前已存在明显的社会分化, 初级王权已经产生, 社会已进入“古 国”1阶段。在中国古代文明演进过程中, 率先开始社会重大转型的不是黄河中游的 中原地区, 也不是以古长城地带为中心的北方地区, 而是崧泽文化所在的长江下游地 区。该遗址的发现还表明, 在文明化进程中, 中国古代最早出现的 “古国” 的性质和 表现形式并不完全一样, 有的是神权至上, 有的是王权至上, 从而导致其发展方向和 发展前途的不同。 1 “古国” (guguo), a concept put forward by Su Bingqi, literally means “ancient state.” This literal translation is adopted in this paper. However, the author believes that in Su’s theory, guguo is roughly equivalent to “chiefdom” in the West. 关键词: 崧泽文化 社会分化 王权 The discovery of large burial sites belonging to the early and middle stages of Songze Culture at Dongshan Village, Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu Province, shows that distinct social polarization had already emerged in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River 5,700 or 5,800 years ago, when the initial stage of kingly power had taken shape and society had entered the stage of the “ancient states.” In the course of the evolution of ancient Chinese civilization, this area—rather than the Central Plains in the middle reaches of the Yellow River or the northern area centered around the ancient Great Wall—was the first to experience significant social transformation. This discovery also indicates that when the “ancient states” first appeared, they varied in form and character: some took the form of theocracies while others were dominated by kingly power. These differences meant that they developed in different directions and had different outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses projections of heavy rainfall events in China during the 21st century based on daily precipitation data from the Fourth Assessment Report's (AR4) Coupled General Circulation Models (CGCM). Results show that all three experimental scenarios (scenarios A2, A1B, and B1) project consistent changes in frequency and intensity of heavy rainfall at the end of 21st century. In the regions of Northeast China and North China, there are no significant changes in frequency but there are remarkable increases in intensity of heavy rainfall, indicating that enhanced intensity is the main contributor to increased ratios of heavy rainfall to total annual precipitation in these regions. In regions of the lower reaches of Yangtze River and South China, increases in the amount of heavy rainfall are closely associated with increased frequency and increased intensity. Projected frequencies of heavy rainfall at the end of 21st century increase by 30.9 ∼ 56.6% in the Yangtze River and 35.9 ∼ 50.2% in South China compared to the period of 1980-1999, and projected intensities increase by 1.0 ∼ 5.7% and 2.8 ∼ 6.3%, respectively. Additionally, the ratios of heavy rainfall to total annual precipitation increase by 2.3 ∼ 5.4% in the Yangtze River and 1.8 ∼ 3.8% in South China. The significant increases of heavy rainfall ratios indicate that as the climate warms, heavy rainfall events are expected to increase at rates that are much faster than increases in total precipitation amounts, indicating that China will experience increased amounts of flooding. These results are substantially consistent among the three IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) scenarios. The increased probability of heavy rainfall events in China is closely connected with increased transportation of water vapour from the Arabian Sea and the South China Sea. Additionally, atmosphere stratification has become increasingly unstable, which has provided a favorable background for the initiation of heavy rainfall at the end of the 21st century. Copyright © 2010 Royal Meteorological Society [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With population increase and economic growth, the flow regime of the Yangtze River has been altered to some extent by human activities, particularly dam construction. Dam-induced alterations in the flow regime of the Yangtze River will unavoidably influence water allocation among different water users and instream ecological water requirements may not be guaranteed during some months, particularly during phases of reservoir storing water. To assess the impacts of the Three Gorges reservoir operation on the downstream minimum instream ecological water requirements, this paper selected the Three Gorges reservoir and Yichang hydrological station below the reservoir as case study sites. On the basis of long-term time series of daily discharge data, the reservoir outflow was simulated under two water storing schemes and the degree to which the downstream minimum ecological flow was satisfied was computed. The results of this paper could provide references for the integrated management of the Yangtze River water resources and the assessment of dam-induced impacts on the Yangtze River ecosystem health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Bulletin of Engineering Geology & the Environment is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Solar radiation (Rs), a critical variable in agricultural and eco-environmental processes, is not measured at many meteorological stations. Prediction of Rs has drawn increasing attention in the recent years. However, due to the dynamic nature of atmosphere, accurate estimation of Rs from routinely measured meteorological variables is a challenging task. Studies have demonstrated that machine-learning approaches outperformed traditional statistical methods. This paper presents an application of Support Vector Machines (SVMs) for monthly mean daily Rs estimates using measured maximum, minimum, and mean air temperatures (Tmax, Tmin, and Tmean, respectively). Twenty-four stations covering different climatic regions-cold (C), severe cold (SC), mild (M), hot summer and cold winter within the Yangtze River Plain (HSCW-A), and hot summer and cold winter within the Sichuan Basin (HSCW-B)-across China were gathered and analysed. Five SVM models with different input attributes were created. These models were also compared with two empirical temperature-based methods. Root mean squared error (RMSE), Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient (NSE), and coefficient of residual mass (CRM) were employed to compare the performances of different methods. The newly developed model, SVM using Tmax-Tmin, and Tmean, outperformed other models with an averaged RMSE of 1.637 MJ m−2 and NSE of 0.813. On a regional scale, when Rs was estimated using the parameters developed at other sites, estimation of Rs within HSCW-B and SC regions were more reliable than in other zones. Especially in HSCW-B region, estimates of Rs using the parameters developed at Zunyi gave better performance (RMSE = 1.117 MJ m−2, NSE = 0.922) than that using the parameters obtained from their own data (RMSE = 1.309 MJ m−2, NSE = 0.894). The results showed that the SVM methodology may be a promising alternative to the traditional approach for predicting solar radiation at any locations where the records of air temperatures are available. Copyright © 2010 Royal Meteorological Society [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shortage and uneven distribution of water resources in China is becoming a serious constraint of sustainable development of the society and its economy. Being based on the systems theory, this paper discusses the coordinated relationship between the social-economic development, the ecological environment and the water resources of China. A special evaluation model has been developed and applied in order to compute the comprehensive evaluation index of water resource carrying capacity on the basis of selecting available annual data for each province of China, describe the water resource carrying capacity for each province, and, next, evaluate the total resource carrying capacity for China. As obvious from the results, the water resources do not match with the distribution of the population and with the state of economy. Chinese southwestern provinces have a relatively large potential of water carrying capacity. The Yangtze River basin, the Pearl River basin and the eastern coastal areas no longer possess an advantage in the water carrying capacity. Some regions, such as the North China Plain, and Northwestern China, e.g. Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, and Gansu Province experience severe shortage of water resources, since the water supply system is overloaded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The occurrence of rice high-temperature damage (HTD) has increased with global warming. Cultivation of rice is seriously affected by the HTD in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, which directly affects food security in this region and in the whole of China. It is important to monitor and assess crop HTD using satellite remote sensing information. This paper reviews the recent development of monitoring rice HTD using optical remote sensing information. It includes the use of optical remote sensing information to obtain the regional spatial distribution of high temperatures, mixed-surface temperature retrieval for rice fields based on mixed decomposition information, the development of field and thermal infrared testing and modeling, and the satellite/ground-based remote sensing coupled method for monitoring rice HTD. Finally, the prospects for monitoring crop HTD based on remote sensing information are summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change and human disturbance drive catchment erosion and increase riverine sediment load sensitively in small and medium-sized watersheds. This is not always true in large basins, where aggregation and buffering effects have dampen the ability to determine the driving forces of sedimentation. Even though there are significant responses to sedimentation in large river basins, it is difficult to get a precise quantitative assessment of specific drivers. This paper develops a methodology to identify driving forces that change suspended sediment load in the Upper Yangtze river. Annual runoff and sediment load data from 1954 to 2005 at the Yichang gauging station in the Upper Yangtze basin, daily precipitation data from 60 meteorological stations, and survey data on reservoir sediment were collected for the study. Sediment load/rainfall erosivity (S/R), is a new proxy indicator introduced to reflect human activities. Since the mid-1980s, S/R in the Upper Yangtze has dramatically declined from 0.21 to 0.03 (×10 t ha h MJ mm), indicating that human activity has played a key role in the decline of the suspended sediment load. Before the mid-1980s, a higher average S/R is attributed to large-scale deforestation and land reclamation. A significant sediment decrease occurred from 1959 to 1961 during an extreme drought condition, and an increase in sedimentation in 1998 coincided with an extreme flood event, which was well recorded in the S/R curve. This indicates that the S/R proxy is able to distinguish anthropogenic from climate impacts on suspended sediment load, but is not necessarily indicatory in extreme climate events. In addition, typical drivers of riverine sediment load variation including soil conservation projects, reservoirs construction, and land use/cover change are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By 9000 cal BP, the first sedentary villages, marking the Early Neolithic, are present in Northeast China, North China, and the Middle and Lower Yangtze regions, but plant and animal domesticates do not make a substantial contribution to subsistence until after several more millennia, when domesticated millet or rice agricultural production is finally in place. While archaeobotanical approaches have been the primary focus of recent studies, this paper looks specifically at the cultural developments in these four regions leading up to the emergence of agriculture in each. It is hypothesized that agriculture does not emerge independently in each of these regions but rather in interrelated steps through variable forms of interaction and information and social exchange within and between these regions. Interaction is currently evidenced through shared forms of material culture and by parallel and contemporaneous cultural developments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past 10 years, flotation techniques have been introduced and implemented in Chinese archaeology. As a result, a tremendous quantity of plant remains have been recovered from archaeological sites located all over China. These plant remains include crops that might have been domesticated in China—such as rice, foxtail millet, broomcorn millet, and soybean—as well as crops that were introduced into China from other parts of world—such as wheat and barley. The new archaeobotanic data provide direct archaeological evidence for the study of the origins and development of agriculture in China. This paper attempts a synthesis of these new archaeobotanic data while presenting some new ideas about the origins and development of ancient agriculture in China, including the rice agriculture tradition that originated around the middle and lower Yangtze River areas; the dry-land agriculture tradition, with millets as major crops, centered in North China; and the ancient tropical agriculture tradition located in the tropical parts of China, where the major crops seem to be roots and tubers, such as taro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an effective method from time series to complex network via phase space reconstruction is introduced. We reconstruct the phase space from a time series by the time-delay coordinate method. Each state vector of phase space is regarded as a vertex of network and the connection is based on the distance of the vertices in phase space. The networks corresponding to various time series, the x component of the chaotic Rössler system, noisy periodic time series and random series, display different topology feature. So we can determine whether a time series is chaotic series by the topology feature of corresponding network. Finally, the daily stream-flow series of Yangtze River is investigated to validate the effective of our method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper sheds an empirical light on port development patterns by discussing the structure and the development of the Yangtze River ports system. We argue that the Yangtze River system is going through a regionalization phase, mainly in relation to the port of Shanghai. This process started on the lower Yangtze but is now also moving upstream. The transition towards the port regionalization phase is typically a gradual and market-driven process that mirrors the increased focus of market players on logistics integration. This paper builds on the existing literature on port systems and adapts port development models to river ports. Furthermore, we employ some statistical techniques that are common to the analysis of port systems, and introduce some techniques that have not been used much by transport geographers in ports. This paper will address the dynamics in the Yangtze River ports system by analyzing the level of cargo concentration and the degree of inequality in operations of the container ports. The paper also assesses observed differences in development of ports in different areas along the river (upstream/downstream) and reflects on the role of ownership structures in shaping regional load centre networks. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper studies the relationship between net primary productivity (NPP) and annual average air temperature (GT) at 0cm above ground in permafrost regions by using revised Chikugo NPP model, cubic spline interpolating functions, and nonlinear regression methods. The source regions of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers were selected as the research areas. Results illustrate that: (1) There is significant non-linear relationship between NPP and GT in various typical years; (2) The maximum value of NPP is 6.17, 5.87, 7.73, and 5.41 DM·t·hm·a respectively, and the corresponding GT is 7.1, 10.0, 21.2, and 8.9°C respectively in 1980, 1990, 2000 and 2007; (3) In 1980, the sensitivity of NPP to GT is higher than in 1990, 2000 and 2007. This tendency shows that the NPP presents change from fluctuation to an adaptation process over time; (4) During 1980∼2007, the accumulated NPP was reduced to 8.05, and the corresponding carrying capacity of theoretical livestock reduced by 11%; (5) The shape of the demonstration region of ecological compensation system, livelihood support system, and science appraisal system in the source regions of Yangtze and Yellow Rivers are an important research for increasing the adaptation capacity and balancing protection and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the morphological development of the Yangtze River mouth, which has been diverting southeasterly (dextrally), according to historical (150 years) chart-based digital evolution model and on-site measured tidal flow data. We reveal a significantly narrowing of the northern river mouth branch from formerly >30 km wide to presently 10 km wide due to rapid siltation. Net siltation there, however, decreases gradually, which largely contrasts with the fact that the siltation has shifted to the southern river mouth area, as shown by many newly-emerged estuarine islands, sandy shoals and bifurcated branches. Our data have further demonstrated that the ebb flow that dominates in the study area changes its direction gradually from east to southeast from the inner to outer river mouth area, and its duration is much longer than the flood flow in the inner river mouth area, but nearly equal at the river mouth area. Accordingly, the sediment transport pathway has been diverted from east to southeast. We examine whether the Coriolis Force could explain the dextral diversion of the ebb flow and the altered morphodynamical processes. Although too weak to strengthen the tidal flows, the Coriolis Force can drag the ebb flow southeasterly, and so influence sediment transport paths at the estuarine scale. The Coriolis Force is limited in the inner river mouth, but substantial at and in the outer river mouth area when gradually free of estuarine topographic constraints. The Coriolis Force causes an offset in propagation of in-out flow directions at the river mouth area to form a slack water setting prone to estuarine siltation. Using the present approach also enables explanation of the morphological development of the Holocene Yangtze delta-coast that extends to the southeast. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Jianghan Plain and the Dongting lake area, located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River are famous for their abundant freshwater lakes. The lakes have undergone changes in size and number over thousands of years due to natural causes and human activities. The 20th century particularly, witnessed dramatic changes in the freshwater resources of this region. This paper traces and analyzes lake evolution in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River over the past century. Lakes greater than 0.1 km2 in size are mapped using Geographic Information System. Data is acquired and integrated from drainage network maps, relief maps, historical maps and remotely sensed images for different time periods. The results indicate that while there has been little change in the number of lakes over the past century, the lake area has experienced a dramatic decrease of 58.06%. The paper also examines the natural processes and human activities that may have contributed to the decrease in lake area. The results show that the decrease in total lake area appears to coincide with periods of rapid land reclamation in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. Moreover, uncontrolled land reclamation activities can create an increase in sediment deposition in lakes thereby further reducing the lake size. Reduction of the lake area directly affects flood-control and has a negative ecological impact on the environment and on human life and property. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract This paper develops a new paradigm to analyze the eco-efficiency of Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) in China and makes a first empirical attempt at examining whether the eco-efficiency in urban agglomerations (UA-s) outperform Non-urban agglomerations (Non-UA-s), or driving the Non-UA-s in promoting eco-efficiency using a dataset of 108 prefectural-level cities during 2003–2014. The main findings are as follows. First, the eco-efficiency of YREB gradually increases during the study period. Cities in UA-s with higher eco-efficiency experience an increasing spatial agglomeration while those in Non-UA-s show a slight downward shift. Second, in terms of eco-efficiency, both statistical test and econometrical test confirm that cities in UA-s outperform those in Non-UA-s. Third, the global and club convergence of eco-efficiency in YREB is ascertained. Forth, the eco-efficiency of UA-s exerts backwash effects on those in Non-UA-s, along with decreasing the convergence speed of eco-efficiency. Special issues are briefly discussed, lastly. Highlights • A new analysis paradigm is developed to explore the YREB's eco-efficiency. • Temporal-spatial evolution and empirical tests are conducted, indicating a proof that eco-efficiency in urban agglomerations outperform that in Non-urban agglomerations. • Urban agglomerations have backwash effects and slight constraints to Non-urban agglomerations in terms of eco-efficiency. • Some special issues are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we estimate the inputs of nitrogen (N) and exports of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) from the Changjiang River to the estuary for the period 1970-2003, by using the global NEWS-DIN model. Modeled DIN yields range from 260 kg N km-2 yr-1 in 1970 to 895 kg N km-2 yr-1 in 2003, with an increasing trend. The study demonstrated a varied contribution of different N inputs to river DIN yields during the period 1970-2003. Chemical fertilizer and manure together contributed about half of the river DIN yields, while atmospheric N deposition contributed an average of 21% of DIN yields in the period 1970-2003. Biological N fixation contributed 40% of DIN yields in 1970, but substantially decreased to 13% in 2003. Point sewage N input also showed a decreasing trend in contribution to DIN yields, with an average of 8% over the whole period. We also discuss possible future trajectories of DIN export based on the Global NEWS implementation of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment scenarios. Our result indicates that anthropogenically enhanced N inputs dominate and will continue to dominate river DIN yields under changing human pressures in the basin. Therefore, nitrogen pollution is and will continue to be a great challenge to China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Changjiang River is well-known to channel significant anthropogenic influences to the estuary. However, long-term changes in plankton community related to anthropogenic eutrophication in the estuarine water are not well documented. In this paper, data from a nine year study (1996, 1998-2005) on suspended matter, chemical oxygen demand, nutrients and plankton community were collected and analyzed by principal component analysis. These data reveal that N/P ratio was always much higher than 40 and Si/N ratio decreased from 1.35 to 0.94 between 1996 and 2005. As an ecological consequence to such nutrient balance changes, phytoplankton species diversity and the dominance of diatoms decreased, dinoflagellates increasingly dominated the phytoplankton population, and the frequency of harmful algal blooms caused by dinoflagellates also increased. Furthermore, due to the reduced diatom availability, the dominance of copepods decreased, zooplankton diversity increased, and medusae increasingly dominated the zooplankton population. Water column nutrient ratios, therefore, are also important factors affecting anthropogenic eutrophication, as are the contamination loadings from land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  This paper presents a new kind of material for use in highway embankments in the soft soil of the Yangzi River delta. The experimental study was carried out first to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed material, using different mixtures of river sand, cement and expanded polystyrene beads. This was confirmed by numerical modeling which indicated both its suitability as regards strength and a reduced settlement compared with the general lime stabilized soil embankments. The environmental advantage is that it utilized river sand which has to be removed to retain the profile of the river bed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates a series of projects for the improvement of shipping conditions of the Upper Yangzi in 1805-'40. The enterprise was undertaken by two Hankou merchants, one of whom published his 'Brief Account of the Taming of the Rapids'. An analysis of the detailed data of this source provides insights into navigation conditions and rates of environmental change on a major river, and into a major infrastructure project undertaken as merchant philanthropy. This paper proposes a perspective on water transport in pre-industrial China against a wider temporal and cultural backdrop, with a particular reference to private philanthropy as a set item within the moral economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2002, China launched the South-to-North Water Transfer Project after completing a 50-year feasibility study. By 2050, the three-route (i.e., East, Middle, and West) project will be capable of transferring 44.8 billion m3/year of water from the water rich Yangtze River to the arid north to alleviate water shortage and help secure a balanced social and economic development across the nation. However, diversion of such a large quantity of water could profoundly change the riverine environment of the upper Yellow River and the lower reach of the Han River, a tributary of the Yangtze River and the water supplying area of the project’s Middle Route, because of changes in the annual discharge. Secondary salinization seems inevitable in the water receiving areas of the North China Plain, and decrease in the discharge of the Yangtze River will result in seawater intrusion into the Yangtze Delta. This paper describes the project and discusses its environmental implications. Additionally, a long-term monitoring strategy under the umbrella of the Chinese Ecological Research Network is proposed for environmental monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formation and geomorphic evolution of the Jiuduansha Shoal are investigated over the past 50 years in this paper. The sedimentary processes, formation, and geomorphic evolution of the Jiuduansha Shoal in the Yangtze River Estuary, eastern China, are analyzed based on digitized sea maps from 1945 to 2001, satellite images from 1975 to 2001, and field survey data in the spring-neap tidal cycle in the dry and flood seasons in 2003. The suspended sediment concentration and hydrodynamics of the North Passage and South Passage during the dry and flood seasons in the spring-neap tidal cycle in 2003 were investigated, and relations between the North Passage and South Passage of the Jiuduansha Shoal are analyzed. Results show that seasonal and spring-neap tidal cycle variations in sediment and water discharge from the drainage basin correspond to erosion and deposition on the Jiuduansha Shoal. The results and data can provide useful information for the management of the Yangtze River Estuary and restoration of the estuarine tidal flat ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new static-based method for damage detection of cable-stayed bridges using the changes in cable forces is presented in this paper. In recognizing the fact that damage incurring in bridge girders will cause a redistribution of forces in stay cables, the proposed method uses the measured changes in cable forces to detect the damage in bridge girders. In this method, the damage identification is formulated as an optimization problem in which the cable force error between measurement results and analytical model predictions is minimized. The sensitivities of cable forces with respect to the structural parameters of bridge girders for the linear and geometrically nonlinear bridge structures are obtained by using the direct differentiation method and the finite difference method, respectively, and are used to solve the optimization problem. Regularization technique is used to alleviate ill-conditioning in the solution course of the optimization problem. The validity of the method is illustrated by numerical studies of damage detection of the cable-stayed Sutong Bridge with a main span of 1,088 m. The effect of measurement noises and the number of measured cable forces on the accuracy of damage quantification is investigated. The proposed method correctly identifies the damage locations and damage magnitudes in bridge girders when using noise-free cable forces. It is also shown that structural damage can be quantified with acceptable accuracy in the case of low-level measurement noises and the damaged members being well spaced, and the identification accuracy is greatly improved when the forces in the cables connected to the damaged members are available for damage quantification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a water quantity operation scheme to resolve series of environmental problems which some waterfront bodies are faced with, such as frequent water-level fluctuation, sediment deposition, water quality degradation, water transparency depravation, and submerged aquatic plant disappearing. Neijiang, which is a typical tide-influenced waterfront body located within the Changjiang Delta, China has been considered as the research area. A 2-D environmental and ecological model coupled with water current, water quality, suspended sediment, algae growth, and water transparency is established and validated against the field investigated data, and the model can well reflect the dynamic processes of these factors in Neijiang. Three water quantity operation modes including self-introducing, pumping, and keeping quiescence are proposed. Based on different kinds of water demand of Neijiang and the actual water exchange ability, detailed water quantity operation schemes under different hydrologic conditions are studied with the established numerical model, and the changes of some living condition factors after water operation are forecasted and evaluated. Results show that water exchange and sediment deposition in Neijiang are apparently reduced after water operation in different level years. In addition, the water quality and transparency in Neijiang can keep a good status, and the living environment is improved for submerged aquatic plant restoration. This study provides an example to resolve environmental problems, improve living conditions and keep a healthy ecosystem for similar waterfront bodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the fourth phase of the Three Gorges reservoir project commenced in 2008, the rate of water flow in the Yangtze River has obviously decelerated further downstream and water clarity within the storage facility has decreased. Meanwhile, the rate of urbanization in the region is adding to the amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) being generated by every day life. The composition of the waste is becoming more diversified and complicated, thereby presenting an increasing threat to the ecological environment and water resources of the Three Gorges region. This paper is a probe into MSW in terms of its characteristics as well as methods of storage, collection, transportation, recycling, treatment and disposal, the protection of environmental ecosystems. Municipal solid waste management (MSWM) is one of the major environmental problems in the Three Gorges region, and indeed the whole of China. Based on the analysis of the present situation of MSWM and its treatment/disposal, some methods of sorting, recycling, decomposing, incineration and reuse are described, sanitary landfill as the main disposal method in Chongqing city, incineration being the second. Sanitary landfill or dump was also used for MSW treatment in the Three Gorges region, and this paper also provides some suggestions for improving MSWM in the Three Gorges region. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper reviews the land cover changes on the Tibetan Plateau during the last 50 years partly caused by natural climate change and, more importantly, influenced by human activities. Recent warming trends on the plateau directly influence the permafrost and snow melting and will impact on the local ecosystem greatly. Human activities increased rapidly on the plateau during the last half century and have significant impacts on land use. Significant land cover changes on the Tibetan Plateau include permafrost and grassland degradation, urbanization, deforestation and desertification. These changes not only impact on local climate and environment, but also have important hydrological implications for the rivers which originate from the plateau. The most noticeable disasters include the flooding at the upper reaches of Yangtze River and droughts along the middle and lower reaches of Yellow River. Future possible land cover changes under future global climate warming are important but hard to assess due to the deficits of global climate model in this topographically complex area. Integrated investigation of climate and ecosystems, including human-beings, are highly recommended for future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Inter-city cooperation in the Yangtze River Delta region is a new phenomenon and has received much governmental and scholarly attention in recent years. This paper examines inter-city cooperation from partnership perspective. In this study, three typical cases of inter-city cooperation, Suzhou–Wuxi–Changzhou City-region Planning, the Forum for the Coordination of Urban Economy of Yangtze River Delta Region and Jiangyin Economic Development Zone in Jingjiang are selected to examine three types of partnership arrangements, namely, hierarchical partnership, spontaneous partnership and hybrid partnership. This research applies the partnership approach to regional scale based on Chinese experiences. The research focus of this paper is the effectiveness of three types of inter-city cooperation. Through tracing the process of partnership formation and investigating stakeholder interactions, this paper argues that the effectiveness of inter-city cooperation depends on cooperation mechanism, the nature and scope of the cooperation, and partner selection and the roles of actors in partnership formation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Eurocentric growth model has been the basic workhorse for numerous Chinese economic historians. This deep seated Eurocentric paradigm is concerned mainly with conterfactuals and tends to ignore past reality. To illustrate the problems of this Eurocentric approach, this paper examines the rural economy of Jiangnan, also known as the Yangzi Delta, during late imperial times. A main characteristic of the villages in the Wuxi county in Jiangnan were the mixture of the rural–urban lifestyle and development. Jiangnan's developmental patterns, in the Song and the Qing dynasty, from the Maoist period (pre-1979) to post-1979 development, contrast sharply with the predictions of the Western development models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a response, both to Fuller et al.'s recent criticism of Chinese research on rice domestication, as lacking evidence, and to their argument for the beginning of rice domestication around 4000 BC in the lower Yangzi River. We first survey previous publications that discuss the process from wild rice collection to rice domestication in China, and then examine early rice remains from the perspectives of rice morphology and archaeological context. We focus on three aspects: the timing of the initial rice domestication in the Yangzi River region; the earliest presence of domesticated rice in the Lower Yangzi and Huai River regions; and the implications of changes in rice grain sizes in archaeological assemblages. We also discuss problems relating to the presence of immature rice remains in the archaeological record, grain size increase and overall grain shape, which are three of the criteria used by Fuller et al. for distinguishing domesticated from wild rice. Based on published data and our research on rice, we demonstrate that by the early Holocene (9000 cal. BP), Neolithic people in both north and south China may have been harvesting wild rice and initiating rice cultivation that eventually led to domestication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Container ports located in a delta of navigable waterways generally strive to develop the inland river services as a competitive transport mode, with a view to serving local and distant hinterland regions. The spatial and functional development of river-based container networks is location-specific and time-specific. While each barging network and associated seaport system has its own dynamics, similarities in development patterns cannot be excluded. This paper discusses similarities and dissimilarities between the spatial and the functional development of the container river service networks of the Yangtze River and the Rhine River. It is shown that the Yangtze service network has the tendency to converge, in more than one aspect, with the (historical) development pattern of inland container services in the Rhine basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lower Yangtze, eastern China, was colonized by several Neolithic and Bronze Age cultures giving rise to possibly the highest concentration of prehistoric sites in the world. Early Neolithic cultures in the delta region cultivated rice (Oryza sativa) and agricultural developments appear to have occurred throughout the Neolithic with abrupt socio-economic changes possibly associated with the terminal Neolithic. Given the extensive history of environmental exploitation and well-preserved archaeological sites, the Yangtze delta is an ideal setting to explore the complex interactions between humans and their environment. Multiproxies of environmental changes, namely pollen, charcoal and phytoliths, in a 14C AMS-dated sequence of sediments from an exposed profile at Qingpu, Yangtze delta, were investigated. 14C AMS dating indicates that the age range of the sedimentary sequence analysed is from c. 1800 to 6000 BP, and therefore encompasses the terminal Neolithic and subsequent Bronze Age in the region. This paper reviews this sediment-based evidence in the light of current understanding of human-environment interactions during a critical phase of the development of the Yangtze delta and associated human cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residues of hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs) and their environmental risks in surface sediments collected from the rivers and lakes in Yangtze River Catchment of Wuhan, China, are investigated in this paper. Based on dry weight (dw), the concentrations of ΣHCH ( α-, β-, and γ-HCH) and ΣDDT ( p p′-DDT, o p′-DDT, p p′-DDE, p p′-DDD) in sediments ranged from 0.10 to 21.10 ng g−1 (mean, 4.03 ng g−1 dw) and 0.79 to 35.61 ng g−1 dw (average, 6.93 ng g−1 dw), respectively. Compared with some published guideline values of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in sediments, the concentrations of HCHs were at safe levels while the DDT residues would pose adverse biological effects in this studied catchment. The distribution of OCPs in sediments indicated that the input of tributaries was an important factor for OCP residues in the mainstream of the Yangtze River. Levels of OCPs in the sediments were influenced by total organic carbon contents, clay contents, water contents, and pH values of sediments. The present study suggested that historical usage of technical HCH and DDT was the main reason for OCP residues in the sediments from both rivers and lakes. Furthermore, the composition of OCPs reflected additional sources of the holding usage of lindane and fresh inputs of dicofol mixture in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to extract mitochondrial and nuclear DNA from ancient remains has enabled the study of ancient DNA, a legitimate field for over 20 years now. Recently, Y chromosome genotyping has begun to be applied to ancient DNA. The Y chromosome haplogroup in East Asia has since caught the attention of molecular anthropologists, as it is one of the most ethnic-related genetic markers of the region. In this paper, the Y chromosome haplogroup of DNA from ancient East Asians was examined, in order to genetically link them to modern populations. Fifty-six human remains were sampled from five archaeological sites, primarily along the Yangtze River. Strict criteria were followed to eliminate potential contamination. Five SNPs from the Y chromosome were successfully amplified from most of the samples, with at least 62.5% of the samples belonging to the O haplogroup, similar to the frequency for modern East Asian populations. A high frequency of O1 was found in Liangzhu Culture sites around the mouth of the Yangtze River, linking this culture to modern Austronesian and Daic populations. A rare haplogroup, O3d, was found at the Daxi site in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, indicating that the Daxi people might be the ancestors of modern Hmong-Mien populations, which show only small traces of O3d today. Noticeable genetic segregation was observed among the prehistoric cultures, demonstrating the genetic foundation of the multiple origins of the Chinese Civilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Very often, inexact, uncertain, or vague hydrological data are encountered in water researches. Statistical and fuzzy set theories are applied to deal with hydrological uncertainty problems. In this paper, the basic concept of the rough set theory is introduced and its application to hydrological data is illustrated. The proposed method is applied to water environment and environment quality evaluation of the Hang Jiang River, a major branch of the Yangtze River, in China. Our numerical applications suggest that the rough set theory is a useful tool for analysis of inexact, uncertain, or vague hydrological data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil erosion in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River in China is a major concern and the Central Government has initiated the Grain-for-Green Programme to convert farmland to forests and grassland to improve the environment. This paper analyses the relationship between land use and soil erosion in Zhongjiang, a typical agricultural county of Sichuan Province located in areas with severe soil erosion in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. In our analysis, we use the ArcGIS spatial analysis module with detailed land-use data as well as data on slope conditions and soil erosion. Our research shows that the most serious soil erosion is occurring on agricultural land with a slope of 10∼25 degrees. Both farmland and permanent crops are affected by soil erosion, with almost the same percentage of soil erosion for corresponding slope conditions. Farmland with soil erosion accounts for 86⋅2 percent of the total eroded agricultural land. In the farmland with soil erosion, 22⋅5 percent have a slope of <5 degrees, 20⋅3 per cent have a slope of 5∼10 degrees, and 57⋅1 percent have a slope of >10 degrees. On gentle slopes with less than 5 degrees inclination, some 6-percent of the farmland had strong (5000∼8000 t km-2y-1) or very strong (8000∼15000 t km-2y-1)erosion. However, on steep slopes of more than 25 degrees, strong or very strong erosion was reported for more than 42 per cent of the farmland. These numbers explain why the task of soil and water conservation should be focused on the prevention of soil erosion on farmland with steep or very steep slopes. A Feasibility Index is developed and integrated socio-economic assessment on the feasibility of improving sloping farmland in 56 townships and towns is carried out. Finally, to ensure the success of the Grain-for-Green Programme, countermeasures to improve sloping farmland and control soil erosion are proposed according to the values of the Feasibility Index in the townships and towns. These include: (1) to terrace sloping farmland on a large scale and to convert farmland with a slope of over 25 degrees to forests or grassland; (2) to develop ecological agriculture combined with improving the sloping farmland and constructing prime farmland and to pay more attention to improving the technology for irrigation and cultivation techniques; and (3) to carry out soil conservation on steep-sloping farmland using suggested techniques. In addition, improving ecosystems and the inhabited environment through yard and garden construction for households is also an effective way to prevent soil erosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sand extraction from the mid-lower Yangtze has increased rapidly since the 1980s, in contrast to a rapid decrease in sediment discharge from the Yangtze River into the sea. In-channel sand extraction poses great risks to flood protection, navigation channels and railway bridges. This paper reviews the recent history of in-channel sand extraction, discussing the present status and potential problems in legislation and management. It is concluded that the share of interests, the involvement of local criminal gangs and official corruption were the main difficulties for the ban on illegal sand extraction. It is proposed that the sites and amounts permitted for in-channel sand extraction should be re-evaluated under the new sediment budget after closure of the Three-Gorges Dam. It is necessary to explore the use of alternative materials in order to reduce the demand for natural sand while meeting the market needs for socio-economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents major findings from a recent study aiming to systematically determine suitable river sections for local domestic water supply along the Yangtze River in Jiangsu Province, China. On the basis of analysis on the current riverbank utilization and bank stability, accessible and stable river sections in the region were selected. The water quality in these river sections was then studied using a two-dimensional unsteady flow and pollutant transport/transformation model, RBFVM-2D. The model was calibrated and verified against the hydrodynamic data, water quality data and remote sensing data collected from the river. The investigation on the pollution sources along the river identified 56 main pollution point sources. The pollution zones downstream of these point sources are the main threat for the water quality in the river. The model was used to compute the pollution zones. In particular, simulations were conducted to establish the relationship between the extent of the pollution zone and the wastewater discharge rate of the associated point source. These water quality simulation results were combined with the riverbank stability analysis to determine suitable river sections for local domestic water supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a flood-prone region, quick and accurate flood forecasting is imperative. It can extend the lead time for issuing disaster warnings and allow sufficient time for habitants in hazardous areas to take appropriate action, such as evacuation. In this paper, two hybrid models based on recent artificial intelligence technology, namely, the genetic algorithm-based artificial neural network (ANN-GA) and the adaptive-network-based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), are employed for flood forecasting in a channel reach of the Yangtze River in China. An empirical linear regression model is used as the benchmark for comparison of their performances. Water levels at a downstream station, Han-Kou, are forecasted by using known water levels at the upstream station, Luo-Shan. When cautious treatment is made to avoid overfitting, both hybrid algorithms produce better accuracy in performance than the linear regression model. The ANFIS model is found to be optimal, but it entails a large number of parameters. The performance of the ANN-GA model is also good, yet it requires longer computation time and additional modeling parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper reviews changes in the use of short-term climate information for water management in China after the 1998 Great Flood in the Yangtze River basin. This devastating flood is now believed to have been caused mainly by the 1997–98 El Niño event. Although the short-term climate forecasts and weather forecasts are considered to be useful in planning for flood prevention activities and for making key decisions during combating floods, the gap between the meteorological services (producers of climate forecasts) and water management agencies (users of climate forecasts) has grown in terms of credibility given to climate forecasting: weather services put more efforts on improving the technology for increasing forecast accuracy, whereas water managers put their efforts and investment into upstream ecological restoration and flood control systems. By reviewing the published and ‘gray’ (unpublished) literature, we found that assessments of the 1998 Great Flood in the Yangtze River basin really helped the central government and water resources agencies to recognize the weaknesses of the existing flood control system, the mismanagement in the ecological systems, and the need for developing a national water resource management plan to deal with the problems of ‘too much water, too little water, and very polluted water’. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the demographic impacts of the implementation of the "Grand Development in West China" policies and environmental rehabilitation projects in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. It analyses the interaction between the environmental reconstruction and environment-related migration in this region. The intertwined nature of environmental, ethnic, and poverty problems not only bears negatively upon the "alleviation of poverty conducing to the accruement of wealth" of the poverty-stricken population, but also hinders the rehabilitation of the environment. It brings forth some opinions regarding improving the capacity of regional sustainable development through environmental migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an evaluation of current arrangements made for compensation and resettlement to farmers who will be displaced by the construction of the Three Gorges Project (TGP) on the Yangtze River. Kaixian County is used as a case study. Under present regulations the specific value of peri–urban land is underestimated, neither cash–in–hand arrangements nor land–for–land swaps are adequate. There are other problems. The availability of suitable land for resettlement is scarce and rarely of equivalent quality. The inflexibility of the ‘household responsibility system’ contributes to the problem. It is suggested that some of those facing displacement should be encouraged to accept resettlement in places at considerable distance from their current homes and that a more creative approach should be taken to the issue of compensation to enable people to develop their trade and business skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) is the prior region for achieving China’s strategic development with both economic and ecological goals. Since YREB covers more than 500 million people within a large area, the unbalanced urban sustainable development cannot be neglected. Different from the previous studies, this paper adopts an index of urban state carrying capacity (USCC) to assess the sustainable development in YREB. USCC can reflect the positive effects clearly, and evaluate the carrying capacity without the distortion from the opposite side. The assessment method combines the framework of Indicator-Benchmark Comparison (IBC) and the method of Analytical hieratical process (AHP), and sets up the indicator system for USCC from four perspectives. Based on the panel data for the years 2006–2014 in three scale levels, the analyses of temporal and spatial differentiation are conducted to discuss the unbalanced development in YREB. The results present that the eastern sub-UAs have much higher USCC values than the western ones significantly. The provincial cities and municipalities with higher USCC have strong impacts on their neighborhood cities around them. Further policies are suggested to support for other unbalanced sustainable development urban agglomerations like YREB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the first attempt to investigate the emission source control of the Middle Reaches of Yangtze River Urban Agglomerations (MRYRUA), one of the national urban agglomerations in China. An emission inventory of the MRYRUA was developed as inputs to the CAMx model based on county-level activity data obtained by full-coverage investigation and source-based spatial surrogates. A classification technology method for priority control of atmospheric emission sources was introduced and applied in the MRYRUA for the evaluation of the emission sources control on the region-scale and city-scale, respectively. The results demonstrated that the emission sources in the Hefei-centered urban agglomerations contributed the biggest on the mean PM 2.5 concentrations of the MRYRUA and should be taken the priority to control. The emission sources in the Ma'anshan city, Xiangtan city, Hefei city and Wuhan city were the bigger contributors on the mean PM 2.5 concentrations of the MRYRUA among the cities and should be taken the priority to control. In generally, emission sources in cities along the Yangtze River and the tributary should be given the special attention for the regional air quality target attainments. This study can give an understanding of Chinese emissions and provide a valuable preference to policy makers for finding effective mitigation measures and control strategies for reducing national and regional air pollution in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Yangtze River is one of the largest and most important rivers in the world. Over the past several decades, the natural sediment regime of the Yangtze River has been altered by the construction of dams. This paper uses multi-scale entropy analysis to ascertain the impacts of large dams on the complexity of high-frequency suspended sediment dynamics in the Yangtze River system, especially after impoundment of the Three Gorges Dam (TGD). In this study, the complexity of sediment dynamics is quantified by framing it within the context of entropy analysis of time series. Data on daily sediment loads for four stations located in the mainstem are analyzed for the past 60 years. The results indicate that dam construction has reduced the complexity of short-term (1–30 days) variation in sediment dynamics near the structures, but that complexity has actually increased farther downstream. This spatial pattern seems to reflect a filtering effect of the dams on the on the temporal pattern of sediment loads as well as decreased longitudinal connectivity of sediment transfer through the river system, resulting in downstream enhancement of the influence of local sediment inputs by tributaries on sediment dynamics. The TGD has had a substantial impact on the complexity of sediment series in the mainstem of the Yangtze River, especially after it became fully operational. This enhanced impact is attributed to the high trapping efficiency of this dam and its associated large reservoir. The sediment dynamics “signal” becomes more spatially variable after dam construction. This study demonstrates the spatial influence of dams on the high-frequency temporal complexity of sediment regimes and provides valuable information that can be used to guide environmental conservation of the Yangtze River. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the background of global warming, occurrence of heat waves has increased in most part of Europe, Asia and Australia along with enhanced ozone level. In this paper, observational air temperature and surface ozone in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region of China during summer of 2013, and the regional chemistry-climate model (RegCM-CHEM4) were applied to explore the relationship between heat wave and elevated ground-level ozone. Observations indicated that YRD experienced severe heat waves with maximum temperature up to 41.1 °C, 6.1 °C higher than the definition of heat wave in China, and can last for as long as 27 days. Maximum ozone reached 160.5 ppb, exceeding the national air quality standard (secondary level) as 74.7 ppb. Moreover, ozone was found to increase at a rate of 4–5 ppb K − 1 within the temperature range of 28–38 °C, but decrease by a rate of − 1.3 ~ − 1.7 ppb K − 1 under extremely high temperature. A typical heat wave case (HW: 24/7–31/7) and non-heat wave case (NHW: 5/6–12/6) were selected to investigate the mechanism between heavy ozone and heat waves. It was found that chemical reactions play the most important role in ozone formation during HW days, which result in 12 ppb ozone enhancement compared to NHW days. Chemical formation of ozone can be influenced by several factors. During heat waves, a more stagnant condition, controlled by anti-cyclone with sink airflow, led to less water vapor in YRD from south and contributed to less cloud cover, which favored a strong solar radiation environment and ozone significantly increasing. High temperature also slightly promote the effect of vertical turbulence and horizontal advection, which beneficial to ozone remove, but the magnitude is much smaller than chemical effect. Our study suggests that the chemical reaction will potentially lead to substantial elevated ozone in a warmer climate, which should be taken into account in future ozone related issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Applying a parameterized directional distance function approach, this paper estimates the regional eco-efficiency and pollutants' marginal abatement costs in China based on provincial panel data covering the years 2003–2012. We find that China could potentially save capital, labor, land, energy and water by 18.07%, 11.47%, 11.20%, 12.28% and 11.19%, and reduce emissions of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), household refuse and waste water by 11.75%, 11.02% and 11.46%, respectively, on condition that all provinces produced fully efficiently, The south and east coastal areas were the most eco-efficient, while the middle Yangtze River and southwest areas performed relatively poor. For the whole country, the average shadow prices of CO 2 , household refuse and waste water were 717.27 Yuan/tonne, 42,936.98 Yuan/tonne and 306.65 Yuan/tonne, respectively. The shadow price of CO 2 revealed significant regional disparities and that of household refuse showed a rapid increase throughout the study period. Our estimates suggest that policymakers should take measures to avoid ineffective capital investment and improve economic output efficiency in inland provinces, especially in the middle Yangtze River, northwest and southwest areas, and facilitate technological cooperation between developed and undeveloped areas. The regional heterogeneity and flexible price mechanism of various pollutants should be taken into consideration when making the reduction allocations among different areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]