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Cascade reservoirs were designed for the Yalong River basin, which ranks as the third-largest hydropower base in China. Reservoir impoundment has certain impacts on local climate, but few researches focus on this field. This paper integrates spatiotemporal analysis techniques and geostatistical methods to identify the reservoir projected meteorological indices (MIs) variations as well as the impact scope under different circumstances. Results show that the reservoir projected variations of moisture indexes were much more significant than temperatures. Anthropogenic disturbance has led to a dramatic decrease of relative humidity in the past decade, far beyond its periodic amplitude range. Moreover, dry valleys faced more serious drought risk, but reservoir impoundment of this region alleviated the local drought risk. The daily minimum temperature, relative to the maximum temperature, was more sensitive to catchment changes with an earlier appearance of temperature zone variation. Since impounding, the MIs' internal relationships in nondry valleys varied significantly more than that in dry valleys, with a positive correlation of 0.7 between the relative humidity and precipitation weakening greatly. The severe warming hotspots are distributed in the upper reach and have a probability of 0.95-1 to exceed the 1.5°C IPCC control target. This study provides references for the disturbance of reservoir impoundment to local climate at multiple temporal--spatial scales under different circumstances and contributes to the MIs variation pattern identification and quantitative risk assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new species of Pachypaederus Fagel, 1958, P. kongshuhensis Li, sp. nov., is described from Yunnan Province, China. This species represents the third member of the genus from the Oriental region. Color plates of the habitus, labrum, mandibles, sternites VII-IX of the male and female, as well as the aedeagal structures are provided. A key to Oriental Pachypaederus species is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new species of the genus Pseudolathra Casey, 1905 from mainland China are reported in this paper, namely Pseudolathra gansuensis Li & Zhou, sp. nov. and P. assingi Li & Zhou, sp. nov. This genus is reported for the first time from Gansu Province, Northwest China. Both species are described in detail and supplemented with color plates of normal light photos of the habitus, sternites VII-IX and details of aedeagal structures in different views. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new species, Queskallion saetosum sp. nov., is described herein from Sichuan Province, China. It is diagnosed from a closely related species, Q. tangi Smetana, 2015. Color images and line drawings of the adult of the new species, as well as its genitalia are provided. In addition, a checklist of species, an updated key to species and a geographical distribution map of all known species in the genus Queskallion Smetana are included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A male of the very rare and phylogenetically puzzling species, Quelaestrygon puetzi Smetana, 1999, is described for the first time based on a single specimen from Sichuan Province, China. High quality color images and line drawings of the male external and genitalic traits are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lasiochira wuzhishanensis Yin, sp. nov. is described herein from the island province of Hainan, China. It is diagnosed from a similar species, Lasiochira jianfengensis Yin, Wang & Park, 2014. Both species are sympatric in Hainan province, but the latter is also known in northern Vietnam. Lasiochira pallidiptera Yin, Wang & Park, 2014 is recorded for the first time from China. Color images of the adults and genitalia of the above three species are provided. In addition, a checklist and a geographical distribution map of all species of Lasiochira Meyrick are included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new species of Meleonoma Meyrick, 1914a (Gelechioidea, Xyloryctidae) from southeastern China are described: Meleonoma foliiformis Yin, sp. nov. from Guangxi Province and M. projecta Yin, sp. nov. from Fujian Province. Adults and male genitalia are described in detail. A list of the Meleonoma species occurring in China is given. The taxonomic position of Meleonoma has been unstable, and under debate. Nonetheless, it is here tentatively placed in the family Xyloryctidae, following the latest molecular phylogenetic study concerning this genus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy planning and policy development require an in-depth assessment of energy resources and long-term demand forecast estimates. Pakistan, unfortunately, lacks reliable data on its energy resources as well do not have dependable long-term energy demand forecasts. As a result, the policy makers could not come up with an effective energy policy in the history of the country. Energy demand forecast has attained greatest ever attention in the perspective of growing population and diminishing fossil fuel resources. In this study, Pakistan's energy demand forecast for electricity, natural gas, oil, coal and LPG across all the sectors of the economy have been undertaken. Three different energy demand forecasting methodologies, i.e., Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA), Holt-Winter and Long-range Energy Alternate Planning (LEAP) model were used. The demand forecast estimates of each of these methods were compared using annual energy demand data. The results of this study suggest that ARIMA is more appropriate for energy demand forecasting for Pakistan compared to Holt-Winter model and LEAP model. It is estimated that industrial sector's demand shall be highest in the year 2035 followed by transport and domestic sectors. The results further suggest that energy fuel mix will change considerably, such that oil will be the most highly consumed energy form (38.16%) followed by natural gas (36.57%), electricity (16.22%), coal (7.52%) and LPG (1.52%) in 2035. In view of higher demand forecast of fossil fuels consumption, this study recommends that government should take the initiative for harnessing renewable energy resources for meeting future energy demand to not only avert huge import bill but also achieving energy security and sustainability in the long run. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an effort pertaining to the simulation of the future production in Pakistan of different primary energy resources, i.e., coal, natural gas and crude oil, thereby constructing Hubbert peaks. In this context, the past 45 years' production data of primary energy resources of Pakistan have been analyzed and simulated using a generic STELLA (Systems Thinking, Experimental Learning Laboratory with Animation) model. The results show that the Hubbert peak of Pakistan's crude oil production has been somehow already achieved in 2013, with the highest production of 4.52 million toe, which is 1.51 times the production in 2000. Similarly, the natural gas peak production is expected in 2024 with a production of 32.70 million toe which shall be 1.96-fold the extraction of the resource in the year 2000. On the other hand, the coal production in the country has been historically very low and with a constant production rate that is gradually picking up, the peak production year for the coal is anticipated to be in the year 2080 with an estimated production of 134.06 million. Based on the results of this study, which provide a greater understanding of future energy patterns, it is recommended that an energy security policy be devised for the country to ensure sustained supplies in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy is crucial in supporting people's daily lives and the continual quest for human development. Due to the associated complexities and uncertainties, decision makers and planners are facing increased pressure to respond more effectively to a number of energy-related issues and conflicts, as well as GHG emission mitigation within the multiple scales of energy management systems (EMSs). This quandary requires a focused effort to resolve a wide range of issues related to EMSs, as well as the associated economic and environmental implications. Effective systems analysis approaches under uncertainty to successfully address interactions, complexities, uncertainties, and changing conditions associated with EMSs is desired, which require a systematic investigation of the current studies on energy systems. Systems analysis and optimization modeling for low-carbon energy systems planning with the consideration of GHG emission reduction under uncertainty is thus comprehensively reviewed in this paper. A number of related methodologies and applications related to: (a) optimization modeling of GHG emission mitigation; (b) optimization modeling of energy systems planning under uncertainty; and (c) model-based decision support tools are examined. Perspectives of effective management schemes are investigated, demonstrating many demanding areas for enhanced research efforts, which include issues of data availability and reliability, concerns in uncertainty, necessity of post-modeling analysis, and usefulness of development of simulation techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A mixed interval parameter fuzzy-stochastic robust programming (MIFSRP) model is developed and applied to the planning of solid waste management systems under uncertainty. The MIFSRP can explicitly address system uncertainties with multiple presentations. It can be used as an extension of the existing interval-parameter fuzzy robust programming, interval-parameter linear programming, and chance constraint programming methods. In this MIFSRP model, the hybrid uncertainties can be directly communicated into the optimization process and resulting solution through representing the uncertain parameters as interval numbers and fuzzy membership functions with random characteristics. Highly uncertain information arising from simultaneous appearance of fuzziness and randomness for the lower and upper bounds of interval parameters can be effectively addressed through integrating chance constraint programming, interval linear programming, and fuzzy robust programming methods into a general optimization framework. This can enhance the robustness of the optimization process and solution. Results of the case study indicate that useful solutions for planning municipal solid waste management practices have been generated. The compromise between optimality and stability of the study system, and the tradeoff between system costs and risk can be reflected with the introduction of fuzzy interval and fuzzy random parameters. The results also suggest that the proposed methodology is applicable to practical problems that are associated with hybrid uncertain information existing as randomness and fuzziness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three new species of Meleonoma Meyrick, 1914 (Gelechioidea, Xyloryctidae) from China, Yunnan Province, Meleonoma plicata sp. nov., M. scalprata sp. nov. and M. taeniata sp. nov., are described and illustrated. A key to Meleonoma species known from China is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water data is a crucial asset for sustainable water resource management. However, the availability of China's water datasets lags far behind modern expectations for open geoscientific data. This dataset is a part of the China Water Data Archive (CWDA), an upcoming national collection of water-related data covering all aspects of water data for boosting data sharing in China. The CWDA aims at providing free, clean, non-sensitive, coherent, and reliable water data within China for global researchers to support the national and global water resources management and the United Nations-Water Integrated Monitoring Initiative for Sustainable Development Goals 6 and 14. In this paper, we used Python and R language to collect, tidy, reorganize, and curate the publicly available inland and coastal/ocean surface water quality data in China, following a series of data quality dimensions (integrity, completeness, consistency, and accuracy). As the most comprehensive, publicly available, handy, and clean water quality dataset in China so far, it included water quality data for daily, weekly, and monthly in the period of 1980-2022, with 17 indicators for over 330,000 observations at 2384 sites from inland to coastal/ocean areas. This dataset will greatly support works relevant to the assessment, modelling, and projection of water quality, ocean biomass, and biodiversity in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a large-scale inexact two-stage waste-load allocation (ITS-WLA) model is developed to identify desired decision alternatives for supporting economic development and water quality management. In this model, uncertainties expressed as both probability distributions and discrete intervals are incorporated within a general optimization framework. A two-step interactive solution algorithm is used to generate interval solutions, and four scenarios are developed to examine tradeoffs between system benefits and system-failure risks. The ITS-WLA model applied to a case study in Xingshan County, China. Because of the extensive impacts of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR), the largest newly built reservoir worldwide, Xingshan County is facing many challenges in formulating development strategies. It is thus desired to develop effective decision-support tools to help local decision makers identify strategies to balance economic development and water-quality protection. This study represents a first attempt to apply inexact optimization approaches to a real-world waste-load allocation case at the watershed level in TGR. The results could provide scientific bases for supporting water-quality management and sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In view of the great contribution of coal-fired units to CO2 emissions, the coupled coal and power system with consideration of CO2 mitigation is a typical sub-system of the highly emitting Chinese energy system for low-carbon studies. In this study, an inexact mix-integer two-stage programming (IMITSP) model for the management of low-carbon energy systems was developed based on the integration of multiple inexact programming techniques. Uncertainties and complexities related to the carbon mitigation issues in the coupled coal and power system can be effectively reflected and dealt with in this model. An optimal CO2 mitigation strategy associated with stochastic power-generation demand under specific CO2 mitigation targets could be obtained. Dynamic analysis of capacity expansion, facility improvement, coal selection, as well as coal blending within a multi-period and multi-option context could be facilitated. The developed IMITSP model was applied to a semi-hypothetical case of long-term coupled management of coal and power within a low-carbon energy system in north China. The generated decision alternatives could help decision makers identify desired strategies related to coal production and allocation, CO2 emission mitigation, as well as facility capacity upgrade and expansion under various social-economic, ecological, environmental and system-reliability constraints. It could also provide interval solutions with a minimized system cost, a maximized system reliability and a maximized power-generation demand security. Moreover, the developed model could provide an in-depth insight into various CO2 mitigation technologies and the associated environmental and economic implications under a given reduction target. Tradeoffs among system costs, energy security and CO2 emission reduction could be analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a radial-interval linear programming (RILP) approach was developed for supporting waste management under uncertainty. RILP improved interval-parameter linear programming and its extensions in terms of input reasonableness and output robustness. From the perspective of modeling inputs, RILP could tackle highly uncertain information at the bounds of interval parameters through introducing the concept of fluctuation radius. Regarding modeling outputs, RILP allows controlling the degree of conservatism associated with interval solutions and is capable of quantifying corresponding system risks and benefits. This could facilitate the reflection of interactive relationship between the feasibility of system and the uncertainty of parameters. A computationally tractable algorithm was provided to solve RILP. Then, a long-term waste management case was studied to demonstrate the applicability of the developed methodology. A series of interval solutions obtained under varied protection levels were compared, helping gain insights into the interactions among protection level, violation risk, and system cost. Potential waste allocation alternatives could be generated from these interval solutions, which would be screened in real-world practices according to various projected system conditions as well as decision-makers' willingness to pay and risk tolerance levels. Sensitivity analysis further revealed the significant impact of fluctuation radii of interval parameters on the system. The results indicated that RILP is applicable to a wide spectrum of environmental management problems that are subject to compound uncertainties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With rapid economic growth and urbanization, self-sufficiency in crop production has become central to China's agriculture policy. Accurate crop production statistics are essential for research, monitoring, and planning. Although researchers agree that China's statistical authority has considerably modernized over time, China's economic statistics have still been viewed as unreliable and often overstated to meet growth targets at different administrative levels. Recent increases in crop production reported by national statistics have also come under increasing scrutiny. This paper investigates crop production data quality from a planetary boundary perspective--comparing net primary production (NPP) harvested obtained from national statistics with satellite-driven NPP estimates that are supported by detailed observation of land cover, combined with observations on physical factors that limit plant growth. This approach provides a powerful means to check the plausibility of China's grain production statistics at different administrative levels that can generate insights about their discrepancies and can contribute to improved crop production measurements. We find some evidence of potential misreporting problems from the lower administration level where the risk of manipulation of statistics is higher. We also find problems from provincial-level major grain producers. These values can also affect the national totals. Although the numbers are affected by large uncertainties, we find that improving the spatial resolution of key agricultural parameters can greatly improve the reliability of the indicator that in turn can help improve data quality. More reliable production data will be vital for relevant research and provide better insights into food security problems, the carbon cycle, and sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With support of GIS tools and Theil index, the spatial variance of urban energy consumption in China was discussed in this paper through the parallel comparison and quantitative analysis of the 30 provincial capital cities of mainland China in 2005, in terms of scale, efficiency and structure. The indicators associated with urban energy consumption show large spatial variance across regions, possibly due to diversities of geographic features, economic development levels and local energy source availability in China. In absolute terms, cities with the highest total energy consumption are mostly distributed in economic-developed regions as Beijing-Tianjin-Tangshan Area, Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta of China, however, the per capita urban energy use is significantly higher in the Mid-and-Western regions. With regard to the energy mix, coal still plays the dominant role and cities in Mid-and-Western regions rely more on coal. In contrast, high quality energy carrier as electricity and oils are more used in southeast coastal zone and northern developed areas. The energy intensive cities are mainly located in the northwest, while the cities with higher efficiency are in southeast areas. The large spatial variance of urban energy consumption was also verified by the Theil indices. Considering the Chinese economy-zones of East, Middle and West, the within-group inequalities are the main factor contributing to overall difference, e.g., the Theil index for per capita energy consumption of within-group is 0.18, much higher than that of between group (0.07), and the same applies to other indicators. In light of the spatial variance of urban energy consumptions in China, therefore, regionalized and type-based management of urban energy systems is badly needed to effectively address the ongoing energy strategies and targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evacuation management for large crowds after events involves a number of processes and factors with socioeconomic and environmental implications. These processes and factors, as well as their interactions, are associated with a variety of uncertainties. In this study, an inexact fuzzy robust programming model for evacuation management (IFR-EM) has been developed for supporting the management of event-related evacuation under uncertainty. Through the proposed method, parameters presented as interval numbers and/or fuzzy boundary intervals are acceptable as uncertain inputs, such that the uncertainties can be directly communicated into the optimization process. Programming robustness can thus be highly enhanced. The proposed method is applied to a case study and then solved through an interactive method. A number of decision alternatives could be directly generated based on results of the model, which might be favored by decision makers because of the increased flexibility and applicability. Results of the IFR-EM model can reflect a compromise between optimality and stability of the study system, and are also useful for gaining insights into trade-offs among objectives of system efficiency, environmental protection, and economic cost. Also, the results suggest that the proposed IFR-EM method can explicitly address complexities and uncertainties in evacuation management systems and is applicable to practical evacuation problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]