Spatiotemporal variation characteristics analysis of infrastructure iron stock in China based on nighttime light data

Iron is one of the most important basic materials in infrastructure development, spatial and temporal variation characteristics analysis of infrastructure iron stocks is conducive to revealing its distribution and change patterns from different scales, which can provide a scientific basis for sustainable urban development and iron resource management in China. In this article, we first calculated provincial infrastructure iron stock data from 2000 to 2020. Then, fitting equations between nighttime lighting data and infrastructure iron stock are constructed to simulate the spatial distribution of China’s infrastructure iron stock at 500 m resolution from 2000 to 2020. Finally, the spatial and temporal dynamics of China’s infrastructure iron stock is analyzed from four scales: national, regional, provincial, and urban agglomeration. The results show as follows: (1) China’s infrastructure iron stock grew at an average annual rate of 26.42% from 2000 to 2020, with China’s infrastructure iron stock increasing 6.28 times over the 21 years. Construction facilities are the most important part of the infrastructure iron stock, and its share is still increasing. (2) On a regional scale, the high-growth type of infrastructure iron stock is mainly distributed in the eastern region, while the no-obvious-growth type is mainly distributed in the western region. The high grade of infrastructure iron stock is mainly distributed in the eastern region, while the low grade is mainly distributed in the western region. (3) On a provincial scale, the highest share of no-obvious-growth type of infrastructure iron stock is in Xinjiang. The highest proportion of infrastructure iron stock of high-growth type is in Jiangsu. The highest proportion of low-grade infrastructure iron stock is in Xinjiang. The highest proportion of infrastructure iron stock of high grade is in Beijing. (4) In terms of urban agglomerations, the high-growth type of infrastructure iron stock is mainly located in Shanghai–Nanjing–Hangzhou, while the no-obvious-growth type is mainly located in the Middle south of Liaoning. The high-grade infrastructure iron stock is mainly distributed in Shanghai–Nanjing–Hangzhou, while the low grade is mainly distributed in Sichuan–Chongqing.