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Objective and methods In this study, the hydrochemical method and self-organized neural network (SOM-KM) coupling method were employed to identify recharge sources and reveal the water-rich mechanism in the karst groundwater-rich area of the Changxiao karst water system in Jinan City. The contribution ratio of karst groundwater recharge sources in the karst groundwater-rich area was quantitatively calculated using the end-element mixed model. The enrichment mechanism of karst groundwater is explored by combining with topography, geological structure, stratigraphic lithology, and catchment conditions. Results The results showed that the karst groundwater in the catchment drainage area had similar water chemistry to that in the southern recharge area, the karst groundwater in the lateral runoff area, and the Yellow River, indicating a close hydraulic connection. This implies that the karst groundwater in the catchment drainage area is recharged by three sources: The southern mountain area, the karst groundwater in the lateral runoff area, and the Yellow River. The contribution ratios of the three components are 75.09%, 21.02%, and 3.89%, respectively. Carbonate rocks are widely distributed, and fissured karst is well developed in the accumulation and discharge areas, especially in the Maji-Xiaoli-Guide area. Moreover, there are abundant karst groundwater recharge sources in this area. During the runoff process of karst groundwater from southeast to northwest, it is impeded by sandstone and mudstone in the north. As a result, it accumulates in the contact zone between soluble rock and insoluble rock, thus forming impeded-type karst groundwater-rich structures. Conclusion Revealing the enrichment mechanism of karst groundwater in the Changxiao karst water system can provide scientific support for accurate calculations of recoverable resources and the protection of the springs in Jinan.

The fundamental disputes in urban heritage regeneration stem from variations in power dynamics and inherent value systems among stakeholders. Addressing conflicts and power differentials involving governmental bodies, market forces, community residents, experts, and scholars is crucial for fostering sustainable urban heritage development. Recently, these contradictions have grown more pronounced as China's urbanization has transitioned from rapid expansion to a phase focused on existing urban assets. In the present research, the typical traditional courtyard-style residential buildings in Jinan, a historic city in northern China, were selected as the object of study. These houses often suffer from problems such as outdated infrastructure and low living conditions and have become difficult to adapt to contemporary urban life. A case study approach was employed focusing on a representative courtyard house to develop models for renewing and regenerating urban heritage, specifically tailored to traditional courtyard houses. The aim was to address conflicts and power disparities among urban heritage stakeholders through diverse mechanisms. Methodologically, the research integrates historical study and field investigation, participatory analysis, and policy analysis. Primary data sources include field surveys, historical research, oral interviews, and drone aerial photography. Models were constructed in the present study—namely, the heritage self-renewal, heritage revitalization, and heritage transformation models—for traditional courtyard houses. These models were designed to foster sustainable urban heritage development through collaborative efforts across various stakeholders and administrative levels. They will optimize the renewal mechanism of urban heritage, thus providing diversity and multiple possibilities for the preservation and reuse of architectural heritage in China. They aim to realize comprehensive urban heritage values, including vitality, health, efficiency, and equity, while accommodating the interests of diverse stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultural ecosystem services(CES) are the link between human society and natural systems. The way perceiving and quantifying cultural ecosystem services through the use of social media networks is an effective method for decision-making and management of urban parks. Daming Lake Park in the World's First Spring Landscape was selected for the study. Web data such as social media texts, star ratings and photos are used as data sources. Machine learning models, kernel density analysis, correlation analysis and cultural service diversity analysis are used. The developmental evolutionary patterns of cultural ecosystem services are studied, the spatial distribution patterns of cultural ecosystem services are quantitatively identified, and the relevance and diversity of cultural ecosystem services are assessed. The relevance and diversity of cultural ecosystem services are assessed. The results show that the pattern of cultural services for visitors shows an‘ increasing -decreasing - increasing' trend, with the distribution of cultural services perceived by visitors in the ecosystem in the following order: aesthetic>recreation>cultural diversity>inspiration>social relations>spiritual and religions visitors' perceptions of different cultural services have different characteristics, and the overall distribution of cultural services is ‘trapezoidal' ; the correlation coefficient between recreation and social relations is the highest at r = 0. 69, followed by the correlation coefficient between social relations and cultural diversity at r = 0. 62, and the correlation coefficient between aesthetic services and recreation services at r = 0. 50. The diversity of cultural services at different points of interest varies significantly, and the diversity indexes of 28 points of interests are greater than 0. 6. This shows the importance of optimising the planning and development of urban parks based on visitor perceptions and quantifying cultural ecosystem services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study enhances the understanding of the evolution of water transport in karst water flow systems. This paper explores the karst water flow system from a hydrogeochemical perspective. It has been discovered that in the recharge area, the hydrochemical effect of karst water is primarily influenced by dissolution and filtration. In the fault zone and concentrated discharge area, it is primarily influenced by mixing. In the geothermal area, the dominant factors are dissolution, precipitation, and dolomitization. From the southern to the northern area, the hydrochemical type of karst water gradually changes from HCO3-Ca type to SO4·Cl-Ca·Na type. Atmospheric precipitation is the primary recharge source of karst water, with a recharge elevation range of 181–1,495 m. According to geological drilling statistics, the groundwater transport depth transits from the shallow transport in the south to the deep transport in the north, with a depth range of 3,000–3,500 m, and using isotope data to obtain the groundwater retention time range is 6–27,000 years. The groundwater transport mode is divided into three levels: open-shallow transport karst cold water phreatic flow, semi-open-medium-deep transport karst cold water confined flow, and weak open-deep transport geothermal water confined water flow. HIGHLIGHTS This study has revealed the hydrochemical evolution and transport patterns of karst water in the Jinan spring area.; The transport mode of the karst water flow system in the monoclinic structure of the Jinan spring area has been classified.;

Sponge City Construction (SCC) can effectively solve urban areas' water problems. Green infrastructure (GI), the core of SCC, exhibits a multifaceted capacity to deliver many co-benefits, while grey infrastructure primarily serves the single function of controlling rainfall runoff. However, existing assessment indicator systems fail to either consider or evaluate comprehensive impacts. In this work, a comprehensive indicator system has been established to assess the co-benefits of five different GI measures. The system includes twelve indicators from four aspects, i.e., disaster reduction, economic, environmental, and social benefits. This newly established assessment system is applied to Jinan as a case study. Six out of twelve indicators are evaluated using the self-developed Flood Risk Analysis Software and empirical equations. The results show that the inundation reduction ratios are 11.02%, 9.32%, and 8.02% under the 24-h design rainfall with a 5-year, 10-year, and 20-year return period, respectively. In addition, the corresponding direct flood loss reduction rates are 13.86%, 4.28%, and 4.09%. That is, as the rainfall return periods increase, the disaster reduction benefits become less pronounced. On the contrary, other benefits, e.g., groundwater recharge volumes, are more obvious. The corresponding groundwater recharge volumes are 2.23 million m3, 2.86 million m3, and 2.87 million m3, respectively. The proposed indicator system can be adopted to assess the performances of the different GI combinations, which provides effective support and reference to decision-makers in SCC at the planning and design stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quality of travel for residents has improved in China's urban renewal development, but there are still barriers to the activities of disadvantaged groups like people with disabilities in the city, including challenges with accessible travel and a lack of accessible design. All urban people should have access to services and be guaranteed equal rights, according to the inclusive development theory. This study examines the travel requirements and behavioural patterns of the barrier-free groups to safeguard the right of underprivileged groups to participate equally in the urban space. It also determines the impact of various types of urban land use and service facilities on the distribution of barrier-free facilities. An evaluation system based on the needs of the disabled group is established to evaluate the degree of barrier-free facilities in the surveyed areas, summarise the problems shown by the evaluation scores, and propose improvement strategies for the shortcomings of accessibility to residential areas and the controversy through web data crawling and a geographically weighted analysis. From the standpoint of inclusive development, the goal is to lessen the travel issues faced by underprivileged groups and to improve their capacity to take advantage of opportunities and have access to resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the integrated development of culture and tourism in China has shown a promising trend, but there are still some shortcomings in the development of tourism resources. Jinan is prosperous and famous for its springs. As a landmark of Jinan, spring has played an indispensable role in Jinan's tourism. The unique spring culture is an important component of Chinese water culture and has significant development value. At present, there is still shortcoming of spring tourism resources development in Jinan. In this paper, combining market demand and utilizing RMCP analysis, Jinan spring water resources are further analyzed and integrated, and targeted development strategies and suggestions for Jinan's characteristic spring resources are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to obtain the chemical composition characteristics and source apportionment of PM2.5 in a western industrial region of Jinan, manual sampling and analysis of PM2.5 in Pingyin County was conducted during 2019. The results showed that the total concentration of 29 species of PM2.5 was 53.8 μg·m−3. The NO3− concentration (14.6 ± 14.2 μg·m−3) was the highest, followed by OC (9.3 ± 5.5 μg·m−3), SO42− (9.1 ± 6.4 μg·m−3) and NH4+ (8.1 ± 6.8 μg·m−3). Concentrations of OC, NO3− and SO42− were highest in winter and lowest in summer. The concentration of NH4+ was highest in winter and lowest in spring. The annual SOR and NOR were 0.30 ± 0.14 and 0.21 ± 0.12, respectively. SO2 emission and conversion ratio was highest in winter, leading to the highest SO42− concentration. SO2 emission in summer was low, but the conversion ratio was high. NOR in winter and autumn were close and higher than spring and summer. The high NOR in autumn caused a higher NO3− concentration compared with that in spring and summer. The average concentration of SOC during 2019 was 2.8 ± 1.9 μg·m−3, accounting for 30% of OC. The PMF results showed that coal emission accounted for 36.5% of PM2.5 concentration, followed by mobile sources (32.6%), industry emission (17.4%), dust emission (7.1%) and other emissions (6.4%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of the rapid growth in urbanization over recent decades, urban aquatic ecosystems have been subjected to unprecedented threats and challenges. In this study, we visited 48 sites, of which 14 were reservoir sites, in water bodies in Jinan, China, on six occasions in May, August, and October of 2014 and 2015. We sampled fish, macroinvertebrates, and phytoplankton assemblages and physicochemical factors at each site. We used the richness and diversity of fish, macroinvertebrates, and phytoplankton to evaluate the condition of the aquatic ecosystems of the river sites. We also evaluated the water quality of the reservoir sites using the physicochemical factors of the State Environmental Protection Administration of China. We classified the results into five levels—excellent, good, moderate, poor, and bad—with the comprehensive evaluation index (CEI). More than 40% of the sampling sites were in either poor or bad condition. Nearly half of the excellent or good sites were in the south of Jinan. The CEI was significantly different between the reference and impaired sites; it was significantly and positively correlated with the qualitative habitat evaluation index and was significantly and negatively correlated with conductivity, total alkalinity, and ammonia nitrogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quality of travel for residents has improved in China’s urban renewal development, but there are still barriers to the activities of disadvantaged groups like people with disabilities in the city, including challenges with accessible travel and a lack of accessible design. All urban people should have access to services and be guaranteed equal rights, according to the inclusive development theory. This study examines the travel requirements and behavioural patterns of the barrier-free groups to safeguard the right of underprivileged groups to participate equally in the urban space. It also determines the impact of various types of urban land use and service facilities on the distribution of barrier-free facilities. An evaluation system based on the needs of the disabled group is established to evaluate the degree of barrier-free facilities in the surveyed areas, summarise the problems shown by the evaluation scores, and propose improvement strategies for the shortcomings of accessibility to residential areas and the controversy through web data crawling and a geographically weighted analysis. From the standpoint of inclusive development, the goal is to lessen the travel issues faced by underprivileged groups and to improve their capacity to take advantage of opportunities and have access to resources.

Understanding the speciation and related influence factors of Hg in wet deposition is important to predict the fate and transport of mercury in the atmosphere. In this study, event-based samples of rainwater were collected for one year in Jinan, a northern city in eastern China. The volume-weighted mean concentration of total mercury (THg) in rainwater was 34.8 ng L−1, comparable to levels in some inland cities in China and were significantly higher than those in North America, Korea and Japan. Most of the Hg in rainwater was associated with particulates, accounted for 15.2–92.9% of THg with a mean of 66.9%, which might be attributed to the scavenging effects of high particulate-bound mercury concentrations in ambient air in urban Jinan. Dissolved mercury (DHg) accounted for 33.1% of THg, in which Hg(OH)2, HgClOH, HgCl2 and Hg(NH3)22+ are the dominant species based on the chemical equilibrium modeling simulations. THg concentrations in rainwater decreased as the rainfall amount increased owing to the dilution effect and 5 mm rainfall might be a threshold for the full wash-out capability of atmospheric Hg. For a continuous rain event, the proportion of DHg in THg could increase from 7.1% to 84.8% with the rainfall processing, especially for the species of HgClOH and HgCl2 under the influence of rainwater pH. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) analysis suggested that the major sources of Hg in rainwater were combustion emissions, marine sources, industrial emissions, as well as complexation process, which contributed to 51.4%, 24.7%, 12.2%, and 11.7% of the THg, respectively. For the specific species, the main sources varied with different Hg species, in which combustion emissions contributed one third to one half of each species sum to particulate mercury (PHg), HgClOH, HgCl2, HgBrOH and HgBrCl followed by marine sources and industrial emissions. Cluster analysis of backward trajectories revealed that polluted air masses, transported from southeast Shandong, Anhui and Jiangsu Provinces, as well as Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, contributed to high Hg concentration in rainwater in Jinan.

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This study takes Jinan City as the research area, the landscape elements of the core area which are most suitable for the survival of species are extracted by the method of morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA); Through the analysis of landscape connectivity, the importance of the extracted patches in the core area to the overall connectivity is evaluated, and 19 patches in the core area with the greatest effect on the connectivity are selected as the ecological source areas; Based on the minimum resistance model (MCR), 171 potential ecological corridors are calculated; Based on the gravity model, the importance of corridors is quantitatively evaluated, and 51 important corridors and 120 general corridors are classified. Removing redundant parts, the ecological network of Jinan is constructed, and the characteristics and landscape composition of the network are analyzed. The results show that the green space in Jinan City is relatively concentrated and seriously broken, with obvious characteristics of distribution along the ridge and except for some source patches, the overall connectivity of its ecological network is in sound condition, so it is necessary to build stepping stone patches for protection. The results of this study can provide basis for the protection and improvement of ecological environment in Jinan City, and also have some reference significance for the construction of ecological network in other areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to predict the dynamic change in the spring water level more precisely, to provide timely solutions for karst spring protection. Using the Jinan spring region as a case study, this study established a numerical model of a karst groundwater system, and optimized the mining layout. The calculated maximum extraction volume following the optimized exploitation layout was 0.69 m3/s, in order to ensure the continuous flow of spring water in the median water year. A coupled karst groundwater numerical model with dual structure was developed using the MODFLOW-Conduit Flow Process (CFP), which simulates and then precisely predicts changes in the water level of the karst springs. Here, the plane extension direction of the karst conduit was determined by a tracer test and correlation analysis of the spring water levels and groundwater levels of the observation wells. Meanwhile, the vertical location of the karst conduit was determined by layered monitoring of the groundwater temperature and conductivity. Based on this, a coupling model of seepage and conduit flow was created to simulate the dynamic change in the spring water level, and the dual-media coupling model improved the simulation accuracy of the spring water level. The current study confirmed that, compared to the porous media seepage model, the dual-media coupling model can simulate the groundwater level dynamic change more accurately in a heterogeneous karst aquifer in northern China. The coupling model was used to analyze the effect of supplementation and optimize mining, to ensure that spring water continues to flow during the dry season while supplying the mining demand.

Extreme precipitation triggered by climate change is a hot issue of global concern. This study investigates changes in temporal trends of precipitation at Jinan City, Shandong Province over the last six decades. It first constructs a long series of measured daily precipitation data (1951–2017) and then exploits the relative variability, Mann–Kendall, and rescaled range analysis (R/S analysis) methods to update precipitation characteristics. Results indicate that: (1) annual precipitation varies over 116%, with 74.1% of total precipitation concentrated from June to September, especially for heavy rains and storm days; (2) at the 95% confidence level, the annual rainfall does not increase significantly (U = 1.15), but there is a significant upward trend in the spring (U = 2.08), whereas there is no significant downward trend in the fall (U = −1.03); (3) precipitation sequence mutates in 1990, consistent with spring precipitation series, while there are two to four mutations in summer, autumn, and winter. The above results will provide the theoretical basis and data support for the rational development of water resources in Jinan; meanwhile, studying the law of precipitation changes in Jinan City has important practical significance for flood disaster prevention. HIGHLIGHTS A latest measured long-sequence precipitation data set (over 60 years) is established;; Precipitation characteristics in Jinan are updated;; Annual precipitation varies over 116%, with 74.1% of total precipitation concentrated from June to September, especially for heavy rains and storm days;; Precipitation sequence mutates in 1990, consistent with spring precipitation series;; Future precipitation trends continue to increase.;

In order to obtain the chemical composition characteristics and source apportionment of PM2.5 in a western industrial region of Jinan, manual sampling and analysis of PM2.5 in Pingyin County was conducted during 2019. The results showed that the total concentration of 29 species of PM2.5 was 53.8 μg·m−3. The NO3− concentration (14.6 ± 14.2 μg·m−3) was the highest, followed by OC (9.3 ± 5.5 μg·m−3), SO42− (9.1 ± 6.4 μg·m−3) and NH4+ (8.1 ± 6.8 μg·m−3). Concentrations of OC, NO3− and SO42− were highest in winter and lowest in summer. The concentration of NH4+ was highest in winter and lowest in spring. The annual SOR and NOR were 0.30 ± 0.14 and 0.21 ± 0.12, respectively. SO2 emission and conversion ratio was highest in winter, leading to the highest SO42− concentration. SO2 emission in summer was low, but the conversion ratio was high. NOR in winter and autumn were close and higher than spring and summer. The high NOR in autumn caused a higher NO3− concentration compared with that in spring and summer. The average concentration of SOC during 2019 was 2.8 ± 1.9 μg·m−3, accounting for 30% of OC. The PMF results showed that coal emission accounted for 36.5% of PM2.5 concentration, followed by mobile sources (32.6%), industry emission (17.4%), dust emission (7.1%) and other emissions (6.4%).

An evaluation index system of urban water resource vulnerability was constructed to objectively reflect the sustainable development capacity of water resources and provide reference for the construction of sustainable development cities. The improved analytic hierarchy process and entropy weight method were adopted to determine the combined index weights to achieve a unification of subjectivity and objectivity and make the calculation more accurate and reliable. A comprehensive evaluation method was used to build the water resource vulnerability evaluation model. The annual water resource vulnerability index and vulnerability grade were calculated and determined. The results showed that the water resource vulnerability index of Jinan showed a fluctuant trend from 2008 to 2017. The annual vulnerability grade was severe, moderate, or mild vulnerability, and there was a gradual reduction in vulnerability overall, which was consistent with the actual situation. In the future, the water resource vulnerability grade will be reduced if the industrial structure can be further reformed and optimized, and the level of water resource management and the utilization efficiency of water resources can be further improved by strengthening the construction of smart water systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid and accurate evaluation of ecological environmental quality and analysis of spatio-temporal changes has important practical significance for Jinan, China, which is in a critical period of rapid economic and social development, leading to the contradiction between ecological environment and urban development increasingly prominent. In this study, we utilized Landsat 5/TM and Landsat 8/OLI images to construct the remote sensing ecological index (RSEI) for evaluating and analyzing the ecological quality of Jinan from 2006 to 2018. The results indicate that the ecological environmental quality of Jinan is in a satisfied order. The RSEI of Jinan increased slightly from 2006 to 2018 and the area of improving environmental quality accounted for 32.78%. By contrast, the area of decreasing ecological environmental quality only accounted for 18.40%, indicating that the overall ecological environmental quality of Jinan was in an improving trend in recent years. The ecological quality of the southern mountainous area changed greatly and the ecological environment improved obviously, while the ecological environmental quality of the central urban area was relatively stable. The results provide a guidance for local government and data support for ecological protection in the context of rapid urbanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From 26 March to 30 March 2021, a severe mixed haze and dust pollution process occurred in Jinan, China. Ground light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and satellite radar were used to observe and analyze the mixed pollution. In this study, a variety of data, including the pollutant concentration, meteorological factors, radiosonde data, and Cloud–Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) satellite data, as well as back-trajectory analysis, were employed to analyze the causes of the mixed pollution. The results show that, at the beginning of this weather process, fine particulate matter such as PM2.5 was the main source of pollution, and the low air mass transporting the main pollution originated from nearby cities and polluted industrial areas. After 28 March, due to the influence of a high-altitude Mongolian air mass, the concentration of coarse particulate matter such as PM10 increased significantly. The surface temperature, humidity, and wind speed also affected the accumulation of pollutants, which affected the timely diffusion of the pollution. In this study, ground LiDAR and satellite-based radar were used to detect the pollution. On the basis of a comprehensive analysis of the various meteorological factors, the formation and influence of the pollution were investigated from various perspectives. The extinction coefficient reflected the PM2.5 concentration, verifying the effectiveness of LiDAR in pollution concentration detection. The variation in the boundary layer height also had an important effect on pollution dissipation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land ecological security plays an important role in the sustainable land resources utilization and social economic development. In this study, the Pressure-State-Response (PSR) model was constructed to measure the land ecological security pattern based on grids scale of Jinan from 2006 to 2016. Then, Moran’s index was used to explore the spatial autocorrelation of the land ecological security score. Finally, the driving factors of land ecological security pattern differentiation in Jinan were revealed by using geographical detector method. The results showed that the level of land ecological security in Jinan, generally, decreased at the beginning and then gradually increased during the research periods. More specifically, land ecological security was represented as a downward trend in the central region and an upward trend in the southern mountainous area. The apparent regional heterogeneity of land ecological security level in Jinan showed the overall distribution pattern “low in the middle and high around” and the direction of urban expansion consistent with the low-level land ecological security. Land ecological security presented a significant spatial autocorrelation. The differentiation of land ecological security pattern was mainly driven by social and economic development factors, among which urban expansion was most important, so urban development should try to avoid occupying those areas with high level of land ecological security. From the study, the valuable information could be provided in the improvement of land ecosystem environment and in the facilitation of sustainable development.

Eight national air quality monitoring stations were selected to examine the environmental effects of prohibiting fireworks and firecrackers since January 1, 2018, in Jinan, China, by using an air quality index (AQI) on three time scales. In 2014–2018, the average annual AQI decreased year on year, but a downward trend in 2018 was only found by applying a Daniel trend test. The change in monthly data for 2016–2018 followed a "W" pattern. The overall AQI value was lower on New Year's Eve than during Spring Festival, and the 2-day AQI in 2018 was lower than that in 2017. The GIS analysis method was used for spatial visualization. The AQI in the built-up part of Jinan was high in the west and low in the east on New Year's Eve and Spring Festival of 2017, being lowest in the Development Zone. The AQI spatial distribution was high in the city core but low in its periphery; in 2018, the high-AQI center appeared near the Provincial Seed Warehouse on New Year's Eve and Spring Festival. Multiple linear regression was used to analyze the relationship between AQI and pollutants. Six pollutants were found to be positively correlated with the AQI. PM2.5 and PM10 had the strongest correlations on New Year's Eve and Spring Festival, for which the correlations of SO2, CO, and NO2 were significantly weaker in 2018 than in 2017. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atmospheric extinction is impacted by the chemical composition of particles. To better understand the chemical composition of PM 2.5 (particles with diameters of less than 2.5 μm) and its relationship with extinction, one-month sampling campaigns were carried out in four different seasons from 2013 to 2014 in Jinan, China. The seasonal average concentrations of PM 2.5 were 120.9 (autumn), 156.6 (winter), 102.5 (spring), and 111.8 μg/m3 (summer). The reconstructed PM 2.5 chemical composition showed that sulfate, nitrate, chlorine salt, organic matter (OM), mineral dust, elemental carbon (EC) and others accounted for 25%, 14%, 2%, 24%, 22%, 3% and 10%, respectively. The relationship between the chemical composition of PM 2.5 and visibility was reconstructed by the IMPROVE method, and ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, OM and EC dominated the visibility. Seven main sources were resolved for PM 2.5 , including secondary particles, coal combustion, biomass burning, industry, motor vehicle exhaust, soil dust and cooking, which accounted for 37%, 21%, 13%, 13%, 12%, 3% and 1%, respectively. The contributions of different sources to visibility were similar to those to PM 2.5. With increasing severity of air pollution, the contributions of secondary particles and coal combustion increased, while the contribution of motor vehicle exhaust decreased. The results showed that coal combustion and biomass burning were still the main sources of air pollution in Jinan. Image, graphical abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From 26 March to 30 March 2021, a severe mixed haze and dust pollution process occurred in Jinan, China. Ground light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and satellite radar were used to observe and analyze the mixed pollution. In this study, a variety of data, including the pollutant concentration, meteorological factors, radiosonde data, and Cloud–Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) satellite data, as well as back-trajectory analysis, were employed to analyze the causes of the mixed pollution. The results show that, at the beginning of this weather process, fine particulate matter such as PM2.5 was the main source of pollution, and the low air mass transporting the main pollution originated from nearby cities and polluted industrial areas. After 28 March, due to the influence of a high-altitude Mongolian air mass, the concentration of coarse particulate matter such as PM10 increased significantly. The surface temperature, humidity, and wind speed also affected the accumulation of pollutants, which affected the timely diffusion of the pollution. In this study, ground LiDAR and satellite-based radar were used to detect the pollution. On the basis of a comprehensive analysis of the various meteorological factors, the formation and influence of the pollution were investigated from various perspectives. The extinction coefficient reflected the PM2.5 concentration, verifying the effectiveness of LiDAR in pollution concentration detection. The variation in the boundary layer height also had an important effect on pollution dissipation.

PM2.5 aerosols from Jinan (36°256′N, 117°106′E) in the North China Plain region were investigated for water-soluble organic acids (WSOAs, i.e., oxalic acid, formic acid, acetic acid, methanesulfonic acid (MSA), and lactic acid) during 30 December 2016 to 21 February 2017. The average PM2.5 concentration was 168.77 μg/m3 with about 90.74% samples beyond the National Ambient Air Quality (NAAQ) standards (Grade II). The total concentration of the measured WSOAs averaged at 1.34 μg/m3, contributing to 0.80% of PM2.5 mass. In the observation, acetic acid was the most abundant WSOA, followed by oxalic acid, lactic acid, formic acid, and MSA. During the period, serious haze events frequently happened. The average concentrations of PM2.5 and every WSOA species were higher in haze than those in non-haze. The correlations among species suggested that WSOAs in haze had complicated sources and secondary pathways, especially aqueous-phase reactions which played an important role on WSOAs. The concentrations of WSOAs declined in the Spring Festival compared with those in the non-Spring Festival due to holiday effect. Fireworks burning during the Spring Festival had different influences on WSOAs with slight increases for acetic acid and lactic acid. Five source factors were identified by positive matrix factorization (PMF) model for five WSOAs, respectively, and the results revealed that secondary reactions were the main sources of WSOAs in haze. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban parks have been proven to cool the surrounding environment, and can thus mitigate the urban heat island to an extent by forming a park cooling island. However, a comprehensive understanding of the mechanism of park cooling islands is still required. Therefore, we studied 32 urban parks in Jinan, China and proposed absolute and relative indicators to depict the detailed features of the park cooling island. High-spatial-resolution GF-2 images were used to obtain the land cover of parks, and Landsat 8 TIR images were used to examine the thermal environment by applying buffer analysis. Linear statistical models were developed to explore the relationships between park characteristics and the park cooling island. The results showed that the average land surface temperature (LST) of urban parks was approximately 3.6 °C lower than that of the study area, with the largest temperature difference of 7.84 °C occurring during summer daytime, while the average park cooling area was approximately 120.68 ha. The park cooling island could be classified into four categories—regular, declined, increased, and others—based on the changing features of the surrounding LSTs. Park area (PA), park perimeter (PP), water area proportion (WAP), and park shape index (PSI) were significantly negatively correlated with the park LST. We also found that WAP, PP, and greenness (characterized by the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI)) were three important factors that determined the park cooling island. However, the relationship between PA and the park cooling island was complex, as the results indicated that only parks larger than a threshold size (20 ha in our study) would provide a larger cooling effect with the increase in park size. In this case, increasing the NDVI of the parks by planting more vegetation would be a more sustainable and effective solution to form a stronger park cooling island.

Delimitation of an urban growth boundary (UGB) can effectively curb disorderly urban expansion, optimize urban development space and protect the ecological environment. Eco-environmental sensitivity was evaluated and areas prohibiting construction expansion were extracted by establishing an index system. Point of interest (POI) and microblog data were utilized to analyze the expansion of residential activity space. Urban space expansion potential was calculated using a comprehensive evaluation model, and an urban growth boundary for Jinan in 2020 was delimited combining the predicted urban expansion scale. The results showed that: (1) An evaluation of eco-environmental sensitivity can effectively protect ecological land and provide an ecological basis for urban expansion. Regions with high eco-environmental sensitivities in Jinan are located along the banks of the Yellow River and Xiaoqing River and in southeast mountainous areas, but eco-environmental sensitivities in the central, north and southeast areas are relatively low; (2) The model to evaluate urban residential activity expansion can quantify the spatial distribution of urban residents' activities. Regions with high potential for residential activity space expansion in Jinan are mainly concentrated in the middle of Jinan and most are part of existing built-up areas and surrounding areas; (3) The method that delimits urban growth boundaries based on the coordination of ecology and residential activity space is reasonable. Spatial expansion in Jinan mainly extends towards the east and west wings, and the boundary conforms to the spatial strategy guiding Jinan's development and is consistent with the overall layout in related plans. Considering both ecological protection and the internal forces driving urban expansion, the method of urban growth boundary delimitation used in this study can provide a reference and practical help for studies and management of urban development in the new era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of plant species richness on the function and stability of ecosystems have been an area of focus in recent decades. Arthropod community is one of the most important components in agroecosystems and can provide multiple ecosystem services, including biocontrol and pollination. In particular, species composition and biocontrol function can be sensitive to changes in plant species richness. Here, we designed 50 plots with five levels of plant species richness to examine arthropod distribution and composition over 4 yr. Arthropod richness was found to be positively correlated with plant species richness. High plant species richness can enhance the temporal stability of the arthropod community but can also lead to a decline in the population stability of some species. The species richness and biomass of environmentally friendly insects (EFI), such as honeybees, ants and flies, were found to be positively correlated with those of the natural enemies. As such, high levels of EFI could sustain food web robustness by serving as alternative prey/hosts for natural enemies. The mediation of EFI in the interaction between crops and pests has implications for successful biocontrol practices using natural enemies. Planting diverse plant species with a certain level of spatial turnover could benefit the biocontrol function of natural enemies and safeguard multiple ecosystem services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) was simultaneously collected from the indoor and outdoor environments in urban area of Jinan in North China from November to December 2018 to evaluate the characteristics and sources of indoor PM2.5 pollution. The concentrations of indoor and outdoor PM2.5 were 69.0 ± 50.5 µg m−3 and 128.7 ± 67.9 µg m−3, respectively, much higher than the WHO-established 24-h standards for PM2.5, indicating serious PM2.5 pollution of indoor and outdoor environments in urban Jinan. SO42−, NO3−, NH4+, and organic carbon (OC) were the predominant components, which accounted for more than 60% of the PM2.5 concentration. The total elemental risk values in urban Jinan for the three highly vulnerable groups of population (children (aged 2–6 years and 6–12 years) and older adults (≥70 years)) were nearly 1, indicating that exposure to all of the elements in PM2.5 had potential non-carcinogenic risks to human health. Further analyses of the indoor/outdoor concentration ratios, infiltration rates (FINF), and indoor-generated concentration (Cig) indicated that indoor PM2.5 and its major chemical components (SO42−, NO3−, NH4+, OC, and elemental carbon) were primarily determined by outdoor pollution. The lower indoor NO3−/SO42− ratio and FINF of NO3− relative to the outdoor values were due to the volatility of NO3−. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) was performed to estimate the sources of PM2.5 using the combined datasets of indoor and outdoor environments and revealed that secondary aerosols, dust, cement production, and coal combustion/metal smelting were the major sources during the sampling period.

As one of the biggest cities in North China, Jinan has been suffering heavy air pollution in recent decades. To better characterize the ambient particulate matter in Jinan during heavy pollution periods, we collected daily PM2.5 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters equal to or less than 2.5 μm) filter samples from 15 October 2017 to 31 January 2018 and analyzed their chemical compositions (including inorganic water-soluble ions (WSIs), carbonaceous species, and inorganic elements). The daily average concentration of PM2.5 was 83.5 μg/m3 during the sampling period. A meteorological analysis revealed that both low wind speed and high relative humidity facilitated the occurrence of high PM2.5 pollution episodes. A chemical analysis indicated that high concentrations of water-soluble ions, carbonaceous species, and elements were observed during heavy pollution days. The major constituents of PM2.5 in Jinan were secondary aerosol particles and organic matter based on the results of mass closure. Chemical Mass Balance (CMB) was used to track possible sources and identified that nitrate, sulfate, vehicle exhaust and coal fly ash were the main contributors to PM2.5 during heavy pollution days in Jinan, accounting for 25.4%, 18.6%, 18.2%, and 13.3%, respectively.

Microencapsulated phase change materials (MEPCMs) have been recognized as potential energy storage materials for applications such as balancing of heating and cooling loads in buildings. However, current MEPCMs do suffer from low thermal conductivity and low mechanical strength thus limiting their full potential. Past investigations have shown that nanomaterials could be used as a surfactant for the preparation of O/W emulsion and for thermal enhancement in encapsulation processes of phase change materials. For that reason nanosilicon dioxide hydrosol was selected as a surfactant for the encapsulation of samples of n -octadecane due to its excellent thermal stability and good combination properties with both organic and inorganic phase change materials. To this end, the focus of the study was on the synthesis and characterization of the fabricated MEPCM samples. Analysis of the results did show good particle dispersion and shell integrity with the best fabricated sample (MF-2) achieving a significant increase in thermal stability temperature by approximately 78°C (i.e. from 133°C to 211°C) and also higher core material content ranging from 8% to 25% in comparison with other samples. However, there was a reduction of about 17% in the energy storage capacity and a slight reduction of 0.57°C in its melting temperature when compared with the original sample of n -octadecane. The results also revealed that the nucleating agent (ammonium chloride) did affect the morphology, particle size distribution and the content of the base materials. Further enhancement studies are therefore encouraged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background This study estimated the effects of ambient temperature on hospital admissions for hemorrhagic stroke during 2004–2009 in Jinan, China, and the effect modification of hypertension status. Methods The exposure–response relationship between temperature and hemorrhagic stroke was firstly examined, and then the association between daily mean temperature and hemorrhagic stroke was investigated using a generalized additive model. Stratified analyses were conducted to examine the potential effect modification of hypertension. Results A total of 1577 hemorrhagic stroke cases were observed between 2004 and 2009, among which, 1058 were hypertensive and 519 were non-hypertensive. We found an approximately linear relationship between ambient temperature and hemorrhagic stroke. Each 1 °C decrease in the current day's temperature was associated with 1.63% (95% CI: 0.33%, 2.95%) increase in daily hemorrhagic stroke. The stratified analyses observed that the association was significant among hypertensive hemorrhagic stroke, each 1 °C decrease in the current day's temperature was associated with 2.26% (95% CI: 0.57%, 3.98%) increase in daily hypertensive hemorrhagic stroke. While no significant effect was observed for non-hypertensive hemorrhagic stroke. Conclusions Low temperature might be one risk factor for hemorrhagic stroke and hypertension may be one effect modifier of this association in Jinan, China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arsenic (As) is a ubiquitous carcinogen in the environment. Its bio-toxicity is significantly correlated with its chemical forms. In this study, As accumulation and speciation of PM2.5 was investigated in Jinan. The high PM2.5 levels fluctuated between 69.67 μg·m-3 and 211.25 μg·m-3 in winter, and ranged from 63.46 μg·m-3 to 125.50 μg·m-3 in summer. The total As concentration of PM2.5 in winter and summer varied from 4.23 to 15.47 ng·m-3 and from 4.59 to 11.69 ng·m-3. As(V) accounted for 70~100% of the extractable speciation in the PM2.5 samples. Exposure levels of total As for the general public were 63.45~232.05 ng d-1, and 68.85~175.35 ng d-1 by inhalation in winter and summer. The mean of cancer risk (CR) of As in PM2.5 for winter and summer were 7.30×10-6±0.89×10-6 and 5.26×10-6±0.58×10-6, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Measurements of atmospheric particulate mercury (PHg) were conducted at a suburban site in Jinan, China from June 2014 to December 2015. The average PHg concentration was 508.5 ± 402.7 pg m − 3 , and the average Hg content in PM 2.5 (particles with a diameter of 2.5 μm or less) was 6.60 ± 5.82 μg g − 1 . Both PHg and Hg content in PM 2.5 aerosols were comparable to levels in some cities in China and were much higher than in cities in North America and Europe. Weak correlations were found between PHg and meteorological parameters. The correlations between PHg and other pollutants in ambient air, including SO 2 , CO and NO χ , together with their wind dependence were used for source analysis, which suggested coal-fired industries, cement plants and traffic emissions as potential local sources for the site. Cluster analysis of 36-h backward trajectories suggested that the regional transport from southwestern Shandong Province also contributed to PHg in Jinan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the speciation and related influence factors of Hg in wet deposition is important to predict the fate and transport of mercury in the atmosphere. In this study, event-based samples of rainwater were collected for one year in Jinan, a northern city in eastern China. The volume-weighted mean concentration of total mercury (THg) in rainwater was 34.8 ng L−1, comparable to levels in some inland cities in China and were significantly higher than those in North America, Korea and Japan. Most of the Hg in rainwater was associated with particulates, accounted for 15.2–92.9% of THg with a mean of 66.9%, which might be attributed to the scavenging effects of high particulate-bound mercury concentrations in ambient air in urban Jinan. Dissolved mercury (DHg) accounted for 33.1% of THg, in which Hg(OH) 2 , HgClOH, HgCl 2 and Hg(NH 3) 2 2+ are the dominant species based on the chemical equilibrium modeling simulations. THg concentrations in rainwater decreased as the rainfall amount increased owing to the dilution effect and 5 mm rainfall might be a threshold for the full wash-out capability of atmospheric Hg. For a continuous rain event, the proportion of DHg in THg could increase from 7.1% to 84.8% with the rainfall processing, especially for the species of HgClOH and HgCl 2 under the influence of rainwater pH. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) analysis suggested that the major sources of Hg in rainwater were combustion emissions, marine sources, industrial emissions, as well as complexation process, which contributed to 51.4%, 24.7%, 12.2%, and 11.7% of the THg, respectively. For the specific species, the main sources varied with different Hg species, in which combustion emissions contributed one third to one half of each species sum to particulate mercury (PHg), HgClOH, HgCl 2 , HgBrOH and HgBrCl followed by marine sources and industrial emissions. Cluster analysis of backward trajectories revealed that polluted air masses, transported from southeast Shandong, Anhui and Jiangsu Provinces, as well as Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, contributed to high Hg concentration in rainwater in Jinan. [Display omitted] • High THg concentrations in rainwater were observed in Jinan, eastern China. • Particulate Hg, Hg(OH) 2 and HgClOH were the most abundant Hg species in rainwater. • Dissolved Hg ratio increased with enhanced HgClOH and HgCl 2 by rainfall processing. • Combustion and marine sources significant influence Hg species in rainwater in Jinan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to develop a new approach for delineating urban growth boundaries (UGBs) by applying the weight of evidence (WOE) method to land suitability assessments. Rapid urbanization is causing urban areas to encroach on agricultural land in China, posing a threat to national food security. Land use planning with clear delineation of UGBs is an effective method for controlling urban expansion. However, existing methods for delineating UGBs are typically complex or involve arbitrary decision-making. To address these drawbacks, we introduced the WOE method to develop a new UGB delineation approach, and applied this approach to a case study in the city of Jinan, China. This application achieved satisfactory accuracy; therefore, we concluded that the WOE method was an objective and effective approach to land use suitability assessments and UGB delineation. Land use planning could be benefitted considerably from the application of this method to land allocation and other planning decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

It is of great significance to study the interactive relationship between urban transportation and land use for promoting the healthy and sustainable development of cities. Taking Jinan, China, as an example, this study explored the interactive relationship between street centrality (SC) and land use intensity (LUI) in the main urban area of Jinan by using the spatial three-stage least squares method. The results showed that the closeness centrality showed an obvious "core-edge" pattern, which gradually decreased from the central urban area to the edge area. Both the betweenness centrality and the straightness centrality showed a multi-center structure. The commercial land intensity (CLUI) showed the characteristics of multi-core spatial distribution, while the residential land intensity (RLUI) and public service land intensity (PLUI) showed the characteristics of spatial distribution with the coexistence of large and small cores. There was an interactive relationship between SC and LUI. The closeness centrality and straightness centrality had positive effects on LUI, and LUI had a positive effect on closeness centrality and straightness centrality. The betweenness centrality had a negative impact on LUI, and LUI also had a negative impact on betweenness centrality. Moreover, good location factors and good traffic conditions were conducive to improving the closeness and straightness centrality of the regional traffic network. Good location factors, good traffic conditions and high population density were conducive to improving regional LUI.

Land use conflicts exacerbate soil erosion and reduce biodiversity, which is detrimental to sustainable development. Multiple methods such as multi-criteria evaluation and landscape pattern indexes can identify land use conflicts, but few studies conform to the concept of green development. The concept of green development gives priority to ecological protection and coordinates the relationship between production development, food production and ecological protection to achieve sustainable development. Taking Jinan City (China) as the study area, we identified the ecological source areas by evaluating the importance of ecosystem service functions and ecological sensitivity, then extracted and optimized the ecological corridor network (using the minimum cumulative resistance model and gravity model), and constructed the ecological security pattern. Spatial overlay analysis of cultivated land, construction land, and the ecological security pattern was performed to identify the types and intensity of land use conflicts. Spatially, we found that ecological land was in more serious conflict with cultivated land than construction land. Different types of land use conflicts have significant differences in spatial distribution. The key to land use conflict mediation in Jinan City is to balance food security with the improvements in the quality of the ecological environment. Hence, it is necessary to delineate the main functional zones and formulate tailored land use conflict mediation strategies in each zone. The method for land use conflict identification proposed here follows the principle of giving priority to ecological protection, providing a scientific reference for the utilization and protection of territorial space in other similar areas.

Carbonate rock thermal reservoirs are important geothermal resources but lack systematical study on a regional scale. This paper integrated hydrochemical and isotopic data to outline thermal water resources in carbonate rock aquifers as part of deep regional groundwater flow system. Hydrochemical characteristics of thermal groundwater in northern Jinan geothermal field, where Ordovician carbonate rocks are the main thermal reservoir, were examined and characterized by SO 4 –Ca, SO 4 –Ca·Na, SO 4 ·Cl–Ca·Na and Cl·SO 4 –Na·Ca types. Hydrochemical evolution was revealed by analyzing correlation between different chemical constituents and their relative changes in various waters. Isotopic data allowed the origin of thermal water to be determined and presented different recharge elevations. Thermal groundwater was originated from precipitation in the northern piedmont of Tai Mountain with elevation of 708–1493 m.a.s.l.. Reservoir temperature was estimated by chemical geothermometry and validated by fluid–mineral equilibria calculations. The feasibility of different geothermometers was verified, indicating that quartz geothermometers were more suitable for the geothermal system and yielded reservoir temperatures of 60–80 °C. Finally, a conceptual hydrogeological model of the geothermal field was proposed: thermal groundwater was derived from regional flow system with high recharge areas, deep circulation depth and slow flow velocities, confirmed by its depleted stable isotopic contents, high chloride and TDS concentrations and long residence time. The improved understanding of this geothermal system is fundamental for the better management of this karst geothermal resource. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the distribution and grade of topsoil nutrients of the cucumber greenhouse with different cultivating years in Jinan were investigated, and their relationships with cultivating years were analyzed. The results showed that the nutrients of cucumber greenhouses in seedling stage were highly enriched. The mean values of alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen, rapidly available phosphorus and potassium were 176. 8, 197. 3, 745. 4 mg • kg-1, respectively, and their ratio was 1：1. 12:4.22. The topsoil nutrients of the cucumber greenhouse were out of tone, and the ratio of phosphorus and potassium was maladjustment. The contents of organic matter was 31.4 g • kg-1, the electrical conductivity was 1. 068 ms • cm-1, and saline matter content was overriched. The soil appeared to be alkaline, and the mean value of pH was 7. 56. From the nutrients grade, the contents of alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen, rapidly available phosphorus, rapidly available potassium and organic matter were respectively in the levels ≥ 150 mg • kg-1， ≥150 mg • kg-1， ≥ 300 mg • kg-1 ，20 - 40 g • kg-1； The electrical conductivity and pH value was respectivel y in the levels ≥ 1. 0 ms • cm-1, ≥ 7. 5 . Except for organic matter，other nutrients were in the highest level. The association of the soil nutrients with cultivating years was not obvious, and the soil nutrients increase of greenhouse in seedling stage distinctively associated with cultivating years and could be illustrated by quadratic equations. With the increase of cultivating years, the augment of soil nutrient contents decreased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stormwater management model (SWMM) was adapted and calibrated to Jinan, a typical piedmont city in China, to verify the large-scale applicability of the model to piedmont cities. Fourteen storms were used for model calibration and validation. The calibrated model predicted the measured data with satisfactory accuracy and reliability. A sensitivity analysis was then conducted to evaluate the impact of the model parameters; it showed that: (1) the model outputs were most sensitive to imperviousness and conduit roughness; and (2) infiltration parameters and depression storage play an important role in total runoff and peak flow. The urban drainage system of Jinan was assessed using urban design storms with the calibrated model, and the effects of engineered flood control measures were evaluated. The overall results demonstrate that SWMM is applicable on a large scale to piedmont cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Measurements for size distribution and chemical components (including water-soluble ions, OC/EC and trace elements) of particles were taken in Jinan, China, during the 2008 Chinese New Year (CNY) to assess the impacts of firecracker burning on aerosol chemical characteristics and human health risk levels. On the eve of the CNY, the widespread burning of firecrackers had a clear contribution to the number concentration of small accumulation mode particles (100–500nm) and PM2.5 mass concentration, with a maximum PM2.5 concentration of 464.02μg/m3. The firecracker activities altered the number size distribution of particles, but had no influence on the mass size distribution of major water-soluble ions. The concentrations of aerosol and most ions peaked in the rush hour of firecracker burning, whereas the peaks of NO3 − and NH4 + presented on the day following the burning of firecrackers. K+, SO4 2− and Cl− composed approximately 62% of the PM2.5 mass, and they existed as KCl and K2SO4 during the firecracker period. However, during the non-firecracker period, organic matter (OM), SO4 2−, NO3 − and NH4 + were the major chemical components of the PM2.5, and major ions were primarily observed as (NH4)2SO4 and NH4NO3. Estimates of non-carcinogenic risk levels to human health showed that the elemental risk levels during the firecracker period were substantially higher than those observed during the non-firecracker period. The total elemental risk levels in Jinan for the three groups (aged 2–6years, 6–12years and ≥70years) were higher than 2 during the firecracker period, indicating that increased pollutant levels emitted from the burning of firecrackers over short periods of time may cause non-carcinogenic human health risks. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Studies on the factors that influence farmers' pro-environmental behavior could promote environmental management in rural areas. Jinan of China was selected as the case study area in this study. A structural equation model and multiple hierarchical regression analysis were applied to analyze the influence mechanism of ecological value cognition on pro-environmental behavior. Environmental attitudes were set as the mediating variable and place attachment was selected as the moderating variable. The results showed that (1) ecological value cognition exhibited a positive influence on pro-environmental behavior in both direct and indirect ways. The indirect influence was mediated by environmental attitude. (2) Place identity and place dependence showed a positive direct influence on pro-environmental behavior. (3) It is suggested that in order to improve pro-environmental behavior, enhancing ecological value cognition, cultivating farmers' positive environmental attitude, increasing farmers' place attachment, and releasing reward and punishment measures are good strategies. The findings in this study are important to the improvement of the rural ecological environment and the quality of life of farmers. Meanwhile, the findings shed light on the construction process of ecological civilization and the improvement of public welfare.

Pro-environmental behavior can promote the optimization of the living environment and sustainable social development. This paper constructs a theoretical analysis framework of "environmental consciousness, habitat environment-social capital- pro-environmental behavior". By using structural equation modeling and 1005 instances of microscopic research data, we analyzed the influence of environmental awareness and habitat environment on the pro-environmental behavior of community residents. The results of the analysis were combined with the Bootstrap method to verify the mediating role of social capital dimensions in the influence of environmental awareness and habitat quality on the pro-environmental behavior of community residents. The results show that: Firstly, environmental awareness, habitat quality, and social capital have positive effects on the pro-environmental behavior of community residents. Secondly, environmental awareness and habitat quality have positive effects on the five dimensions of social capital. Thirdly, among the five dimensions of social capital, four dimensions of social trust, social norms, sense of community belonging, and community voluntarism play a partially mediating role between environmental awareness, habitat quality, and pro-environmental behavior. This paper enriches the research on the influence of environmental awareness and habitat environment on pro-environmental behavior, reveals the mediating effect of each dimension of social capital, and broadens the horizon for the study of pro-environmental behavior. The results of the study can provide a reference for decision making to promote the implementation of pro-environmental behavior among community residents., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Actively promoting the orderly and voluntary withdrawal of idle rural house bases and effectively activating "sleeping" land assets are considered important measures to accelerate the modernization of agriculture and rural areas, as well as promoting the integrated development of urban and rural areas. However, few studies have focused on the superimposed effects of negative psychological and social environmental factors on the willingness of farmers to withdraw from their homestead. Therefore, we conducted this study in order to clarify the logical ideas of rural home base withdrawal, analyze the factors that influence the decision of home base withdrawal behavior of interest subjects, and provide a scientific decision basis for promoting rural home base withdrawal and accelerating the process of transferring citizens of agricultural population in terms of policies, measures, and paths, so as to design and develop an incentive mechanism for home base withdrawal of citizens of agricultural transfer population. The results of the study show that: (1) the findings indicate that social deprivation, economic deprivation, and emotional deprivation all significantly and negatively affect farmers' willingness to withdraw from their homesteads; (2) social trust plays a mediating role between relative deprivation and farmer homestead withdrawal behavior; and (3) urban integration plays a moderating role between social and emotional deprivation and the social trust of farmers, but does not have a significant moderating role in the relationship between economic deprivation and social trust. Furthermore, it plays a moderating role between all deprivation factors (i.e., economic, social, and emotional deprivation) and farmer homestead withdrawal behavior. This study aims to provide useful guidance and policy suggestions for optimizing policies related to farmer homestead withdrawal behaviors, and for scientifically designing the homestead withdrawal mechanism and policy system.

Abstract: Positive matrix factorization (PMF) was applied to identify the types of PM2.5 sources and corresponding mass contributions to PM2.5 mass concentrations using PM2.5 measurements obtained from Dec. 2007 to Oct. 2008 in Jinan, which is a highly polluted city in China. The reconstructed mass concentrations from six sources matched the observations, and the resolved sources constituted 98.91% of the PM2.5 mass concentrations. Secondary sources, the major source contributor, accounted for 55.15% of PM2.5 mass concentration, while several other sources, including coal burning (20.98%), soil dust (9.30%), motor vehicles (6.06%), biomass burning (4.55%), and industry (2.87%), contributed a total of 43.76%. The non-carcinogenic risk estimates showed the elemental risk for Mn, Co, S and Cr were high, with values larger than 0.1 being observed for the three groups. The total elemental risk in Jinan for the three groups was higher than 1, and the largest risk was present for children between the age of 6–12 followed by that for children between 2 and 6 years of age, indicating that citizens in Jinan, particularly children, faced more serious potential non-carcinogenic health risks. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Octylphenols, considered as xenoestrogens, mainly exist as 4-tert-octylphenol (OP) in aquatic environments. The high stability and accumulation of OP in aquatic systems have caused endocrine disruption. The OP in surface water in Jinan, China was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) coupled with solid phase extraction (SPE). Water samples were extracted by SPE on a cartridge system containing C-18 as sorbent. To increase sensitivity and selectivity, OP was derivatized to 4-tert-octyl-phenoxy silane. With the use of phenanthrene-d10 as internal standard, the detection limit based on signal-to-noise ratio ( S/N = 3) was 0.06 ng/mL. The average recovery was from 84.67% to 109.7%. The precision of the method given as the relative standard deviations (RSD) was within the range 6.24%–12.96%. In the target water samples, the concentrations of OP were as follows: 15.88–71.24 ng/L for Jinxiuchuan Reservoir, 3.850–26.68 ng/L for the city moat, 6.930–41.56 ng/L for Daming Lake, 66.03–474.2 ng/L for Xiaoqing River, 14.66–17.72 ng/L for the Yellow River, and 10.60–26.43 ng/L for Queshan Reservoir. The Xiaoqing River was seriously polluted due to the discharge of wastewater from Jinan. Jinxiuchuan Reservoir had a higher concentration of OP compared with the Yellow River and Queshan Reservoir, which is ascribed to the surrounding human activities. These data are reported for the first time, providing strong support for the control of OP pollution in Jinan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

E-bike, characterized as a low-carbon and health-beneficial active travel mode, is gradually becoming popular in China. Although built environment factors are considered to be key parameters that can facilitate or hinder active transportation, such as cycling or walking, few studies have explored the impact of built environment on e-bikes. To fill this gap, this study was the first to explore the relationship between e-bike usage and built environment factors based on population level travel survey in central Jinan, China. Both macro and micro levels of built environment were measured using multi-source data. We employed ordinary least squares (OLS) and geographically weighted regression (GWR) models to explore the aggregation patterns of e-bike trips. Besides, the local Moran's I was employed to classify the aggregation patterns of e-bike trips into four types. The results from OLS model showed that eye-level greenery, building floor area, road density and public service POI were positive significantly related to e-bike trips, while open sky index and NDVI had negative association with e-bike trips. The usage of GWR model provided more subtle results, which revealed significant spatial heterogeneity on the impacts of different built environment parameters. Road density and public service POI posed positive effects on e-bike travel while NDVI and open sky index were found mainly pose negative impacts on e-bike travel. Moreover, we found similar coefficient distribution patterns of eye-level greenery, building floor area and distance to bus stop. Therefore, tailored planning interventions and policies can be developed to facilitate e-bike travel and promote individual's health level., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Yu, Jiang, Qiu, Guo, Han and Guo.)

The objective of this study was to predict the dynamic change in the spring water level more precisely, to provide timely solutions for karst spring protection. Using the Jinan spring region as a case study, this study established a numerical model of a karst groundwater system, and optimized the mining layout. The calculated maximum extraction volume following the optimized exploitation layout was 0.69 m 3 /s, in order to ensure the continuous flow of spring water in the median water year. A coupled karst groundwater numerical model with dual structure was developed using the MODFLOW-Conduit Flow Process (CFP), which simulates and then precisely predicts changes in the water level of the karst springs. Here, the plane extension direction of the karst conduit was determined by a tracer test and correlation analysis of the spring water levels and groundwater levels of the observation wells. Meanwhile, the vertical location of the karst conduit was determined by layered monitoring of the groundwater temperature and conductivity. Based on this, a coupling model of seepage and conduit flow was created to simulate the dynamic change in the spring water level, and the dual-media coupling model improved the simulation accuracy of the spring water level. The current study confirmed that, compared to the porous media seepage model, the dual-media coupling model can simulate the groundwater level dynamic change more accurately in a heterogeneous karst aquifer in northern China. The coupling model was used to analyze the effect of supplementation and optimize mining, to ensure that spring water continues to flow during the dry season while supplying the mining demand., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2022 The Author(s).)

Abstract: Secondary inorganic aerosols play important roles in visibility reduction and in regional haze pollution. To investigate the characteristics of size distributions of secondary sulfates and nitrates as well as their formation mechanisms under hazes, size-resolved aerosols were collected using a Micro-Orifice Uniform Deposit Impactor (MOUDI) at an urban site in Jinan, China, in all four seasons (December 2007–October 2008). In haze episodes, the secondary sulfates and nitrates primarily formed in fine particles, with elevated concentration peaks in the droplet mode (0.56–1.8 μm). The fine sulfates and nitrates were completely neutralized by ammonia and existed in the forms of (NH4)2SO4 and NH4NO3, respectively. The secondary formation of sulfates, nitrates and ammonium (SNA) was found to be related to heterogeneous aqueous reactions and was largely dependent on the ambient humidity. With rising relative humidity, the droplet-mode SNA concentration, the ratio of droplet-mode SNA to the total SNA, the fraction of SNA in droplet-mode particles and the mass median aerodynamic diameter of SNA presented an exponential, logarithmic or linear increase. Two heavily polluted multi-day haze episodes in winter and summer were analyzed in detail. The secondary sulfates were linked to heterogeneous uptake of SO2 followed by the subsequent catalytic oxidation by oxygen together with iron and manganese in winter. The fine nitrate formation was strongly associated with the thermodynamic equilibrium among NH4NO3, gaseous HNO3 and NH3, and showed different temperature-dependences in winter and summer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]