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Based on the data of 59 prefecture-level cities in the Yellow River Basin from 2011 to 2019, this paper uses the Slack Based Measure-Global Malmquist Luenberger (SBM-GML) model to measure green total factor productivity (GTFP) of the cities. Under the space–time concept of the Basin, heterogeneity analysis of the upper, middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River Basin is conducted. On this basis, a panel Tobit model is constructed to analyze the impact of environmental regulation on GTFP in the whole basin, upstream region, middle region and downstream region. The results show that the intensity of environmental regulation in the Yellow River Basin increases gradually, which is the highest in the lower reaches, followed by the middle reaches; spatially, the intensity of environmental regulation shows a certain aggregation trend. The green economic growth is realized in the whole basin, and the green technology progress effect is the driving factor of GTFP. The GTFP distribution in the upstream region is relatively concentrated, showing a slow upward trend. The distribution of GTFP in the middle reaches is discrete, and the annual difference is large. In the downstream region, it shows a trend of decline first and then increase. Environmental regulation promotes GTFP in the whole basin, upper, middle and lower reaches, accompanied by certain spatial differences. The Yellow River Basin breaks through the cost effect brought by environmental regulation and triggers technological innovation, thereby enhancing GTFP; the "Porter hypothesis" has been verified in the Yellow River Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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• Digital inclusive finance effectively promotes industrial upgrading in the the Yellow River Basin. • Using advanced, rational, and ecological dimensions to construct an industrial structure evaluation system is reasonable. • Factor flow emerges as a positive influencer in modulating the effect of digital inclusive finance on the enhancement of industrial structure upgrading. • The driving role of digital inclusive finance in upgrading industrial structure is not significant in the midstream regions, directly traversed areas, and provincial capital cities. This paper empirically investigates the impact and pathways of digital inclusive finance on the upgrading of industrial structure, drawing upon data collected from 114 cities in the Yellow River Basin of China spanning the period from 2011 to 2020. The study unveils that the advancement of digital inclusive finance in the Yellow River Basin notably accelerates the upgrading of industrial structure, with discernible regional heterogeneity. Furthermore, factor flow emerges as a positive influencer in modulating the effect of digital inclusive finance on the enhancement of industrial structure upgrading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clarifying the temporal and spatial differentiation characteristics and influencing factors of economic development in the Yellow River Basin at different scales is of great significance to the implementation of the major national strategy of ecological protection and high quality development in the Yellow River Basin. By collecting the economic data （including GDP, per capita GDP, primary industry value, secondary industry value and tertiary industry value） of 7 urban agglomerations,9 provinces （regions） and 73 city regions in the Yellow River Basin in recent 20yeard, this paper uses mathematical statistical analysis methods and spatial statistical analysis methods to study the temporal and spatial differentiation characteristics and influencing factors of economy at three different scales. The results show that （a） on the whole, there are great differences in GDP among urban agglomerations, provinces and cities in the Yellow River Basin, and this gap is becoming larger and larger with the rapid development of economy. （b） The GDP and the three major industries value in 1999 and 2019 showed agglomeration effect in space, and Moran’s I passes the test. The cities with “high concentration” distribution are mainly distributed in Shandong peninsula urban agglomeration in the east of the Yellow River Basin, and the cities with " low concentration" distribution are mainly distributed in and near Lanxi urban agglomeration in the west of the Yellow River Basin.（c）The GDP of urban agglomeration is mainly related to topographic factors and the amount of foreign investment; Provincial GDP is mainly related to the number of on-the-job employees, the total post and telecommunications business and highway mileage, and the amount of foreign investment. Urban GDP is mainly related to the amount of foreign investment, the number of on-the-job employees, the total postal and telecommunications business and railway operating mileage and topographic factors. The amount of foreign investment has a significant impact on the economy at different scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The building of the evaluation method and the evaluation index system for the high quality development of the Yellow River Basin has been the focus of current research. Considering that the DPSIR model has strong advantages of comprehensiveness, integrity and systemicity, according to the characteristics of the Yellow River Basin and based on the improved DPSIR model, a high-quality development evaluation index system of the Yellow River Basin was built, which consisted of five logical criteria, such as driving force, pressure, state, influence and response, and 12 elements and 20 indicators. Entropy weight method was used to determine the weight of each index and evaluate the current situation of high quality development in the Yellow River Basin. The results show that the current high quality development index GDI of the Yellow River Basin is 2.589, the high quality development level is 3, and the state is ordinary. According to the scores of each criterion, each element and each index, the paper puts forward the shortcomings that should be made up for for the high quality development of the Yellow River Basin increasing the financial support to the tertiary industry, raising the income level of residents and increasing the proportion of labor factors control urban population density, reduce urban building planning density, create more job opportunities consolidate the achievements of returning farmland to forests and grasslands, increase forest coverage, optimize export industries, and promote the development of import and export trade promote the sustainable growth of technology market turnover, introduce scientific and technological talents and information technology, and promote the development of the information industry address employment and social security issues and increase support for small and medium-sized enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to provide decision-making support for further promoting ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin and other regions, based on the panel data of 136 districts and counties in the Yellow River Basin in 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014, this paper made a preliminary discussion on the temporal and spatial differentiation and influencing factors of high-quality green devel opment level in the Yellow River Basin. The results show that from the perspective of time sequence change, the level of rural high-quality green development is increasing year by year, among which the lower reaches of the rural high-quality green development level is the fastest. From the perspective of difference analysis, the overall difference changes is in an inverted-U shape, which is mainly due to the increase of internal differences in the upstream, middle and downstream, among which the internal contradiction in the upper reaches is the biggest. From the perspective of spatial structure, the level of high-quality green development in rural areas has significant spatial differentiation and has relatively olivious convergence characteristics of spatial clubs. Resources endowment, environmental quality, urbanization level and eco nomic development are the leading factors of high-quality green development in rural areas. The interaction types of driving factors are double factor enhancement or nonlinear enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the pivotal water resource region of the Yellow River Basin in China, precise prediction of water resources is essential for their effective and rational management. This study introduces a novel approach to water resource prediction by employing the Harris Hawks Optimization-Long Short-Term Memory (HHO-LSTM) model. This method overcomes the constraints faced by traditional techniques in processing time series data and various variable factors. It encompasses a comprehensive description of the multi-source hydrological data collection process within the Yellow River Basin, followed by meticulous data preprocessing. The data set for this study includes estimates of four critical water quality parameters, and the efficacy of the model is gauged through the mean squared error (MSE) and root mean squared error (RMSE) metrics. This facilitates the projection of future water quality trends in specific areas by leveraging historical water quality data. The HHO-LSTM model has demonstrated outstanding accuracy and robustness in predicting water quality across diverse temporal scales and water resource variables, marking a significant advancement in water resource management within the Yellow River Basin. This approach not only enhances current management strategies but also contributes valuable insights for ongoing water resource research and decision-making processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continued urban expansion (UE) has long been regarded as a huge challenge for climate change mitigation. However, much less is known about how UE affects carbon emissions (CEs), especially in the urban agglomerations of the Yellow River Basin (UAYRB), China. In this regard, this study introduced kernel density analysis, the Gini coefficient, and Markov chains to reveal the UE patterns and carbon emissions intensity (CEI) in the UAYRB at the county level, and explored the spatial heterogeneity of the impact of UE on CEI with the geographically and temporally weighted regression model. The results show that both CEI and UE in the UAYRB showed a steady growing trend during the study period. The kernel density of CEI and UE revealed that CEI in the UAYRB was weakening, while the UE rate continuously slowed down. The Gini coefficients of both CEI and UE in the UAYRB region were at high levels, indicating obvious spatial imbalance. The Markov transfer probability matrix for CEI with a time span of five years showed that CEI growth will still occur over the next five years, while that of UE was more obvious. Meanwhile, counties with a regression coefficient of UE on CEI higher than 0 covered the majority, and the distribution pattern remained quite stable. The regression coefficients of different urban landscape metrics on CEI in the UAYRB varied greatly; except for the landscape shape index, the regression coefficients of the aggregation index, interspersion and juxtaposition index, and patch density overall remained positive. These findings can advance the policy enlightenment of the high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decoupling agricultural economic growth from agricultural water pollution is of great importance to regional sustainable development. It is necessary to further explore the decoupling state and key driving factors connecting agricultural water pollution and agricultural economic growth on the basis of accurate measurement of agricultural water pollution. Accordingly, taking the Yellow River Basin (YRB) as the research object, this study combined the water footprint theory, the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) model and the Tapio decoupling model (TDM) to conduct an in-depth decoupling analysis of the connection between the agricultural grey water footprint (AGWF) and agricultural economic growth in the YRB. Specifically, this study first calculated the AGWF of the YRB during 2016–2021 and objectively evaluated the water resource utilization in this region based on the AGWF. Then, the LMDI model was used to explore the driving factors of the AGWF in the YRB. Finally, the decoupling states between the AGWF and its driving factors with agricultural GDP (AGDP) were studied using the TDM. The main results are as follows: (1) The overall AGWF in the YRB showed a decreasing trend and a slow increase, decreasing by 5.39% in 2021 compared to 2016. (2) The primary promoting factor and inhibiting factor of AGWF reduction are the efficiency effect and agricultural economic effect, respectively. (3) The decoupling states of the AGWF and AGDP presented strong decoupling (SD) and then weak decoupling (WD) in the YRB during the research period. The decoupling states between the agricultural grey water footprint intensity (AGWFI) and AGDP changed from expansive negative decoupling (END) to SD. The decoupling state of population and AGDP remained SD. This study will contribute to alleviating agricultural water pollution in the YRB and help policymakers in water-stressed countries to formulate agricultural water management policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The watershed system has a complex game relationship between the benign operation and coordinated development of various elements of flood-sediment transportation, eco-environment, and socio-economy (FES). With the increasing breadth, depth, and intensity of human activities in watersheds, it is urgent to coordinate the FES. The relationship of water–sediment in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) is complex, with a prominent contradiction in water supply and a fragile ecosystem. This research tries to build a comprehensive evaluation model for FES and explore the complex interaction between FES in the YRB from 2000 to 2020. The results demonstrated that (1) the comprehensive flood-sediment transportation index (CFTI) and comprehensive eco-environment index (CEI) presented fluctuating growth. In contrast, the comprehensive socio-economy index (CSI) revealed a linear growth trend. The CFTI of Sanmenxia, CEI of Toudaokuan, and CSI of Ningxia had the highest growth rates, with 36.03%, 6.48%, and 107.5%, respectively. (2) FES's positive and negative effects were alternating, with heterogeneity in both time and space. (3) The coupling coordination degree (CCD) in the YRB indicated an increasing trend, ranging from 0.53 to 0.87, from reluctantly coordinated development to good coordinated development. The lagging subsystem was CFTI (2000–2001 and 2008–2020) and CSI (2002–2007), and the CEI was not lagging. (4) Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA) demonstrated significant differences in the CCD of the YRB, and areas with similar CCD within the basin tend to be centrally distributed in space. At the same time, there was negative spatial autocorrelation in coordination. The results provide a scientific theoretical and methodological framework for strategic research on the YRB system's governance, protection, and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecotourism is vital for coordinating regional ecological protection with socio-economic development. The Gansu section of the Yellow River Basin is a typical ecologically fragile area in China, and it holds a distinctive position in ecological protection and high-quality development. This study explores spatial differentiation in ecotourist perceptions and their distinct effects on ecotourist satisfaction, revisitation, and recommendation. It uses four cities (Gannan, Linxia, Lanzhou, and Baiyin) in the Gansu section of the Yellow River (mainstream) as examples, employing a questionnaire survey to collect ecotourists' perception data and applying a random forest model and one-way ANOVA for analysis. It was found that: (1) rich ecotourism potential exists in the Gansu section of the Yellow River Basin as an ecologically fragile area; (2) there is spatial differentiation in ecotourist perceptions, and among the four regions, Baiyin stands out for its nature and atmosphere perception, and Lanzhou excels in accessibility and service perception; (3) spatial disparities exist in the influencing factors of ecotourist satisfaction, revisitation, and recommendation. Ecotourists in districts with unique natural resources, such as Gannan and Baiyin, prioritize nature perception, whereas districts with abundant natural resources and an established foundation for ecotourism development, such as Linxia and Lanzhou, emphasize service and atmosphere perception. This study constructs a new research framework to explore spatial variations in ecotourists' perceptions, assisting ecotourism destinations to meet the needs of ecotourists from the supply side, and presents distinctive strategies and recommendations for the development of ecotourism in similar ecologically fragile areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The urgency of enhancing agricultural productivity within the Yellow River Basin cannot be overstated, given its critical role in ensuring food security amidst the challenges posed by climate change, natural disasters, and the increasing demand for food crops. Utilizing panel data from nine provinces within the Yellow River Basin for the period 2001 to 2020, this study examines the temporal characteristics and spatial distribution of Total Factor Productivity (TFP) for key grain crops—namely wheat, corn, and soybean—through the application of the Malmquist index which can be decomposed through the DEA-Malmquist index methodology. The empirical results demonstrate that TFP growth rates for these crops have exhibited significant phase variations, with soybean recording the highest TFP growth rate in the basin. Additionally, this study underscores marked regional disparities in soybean productivity. TFP decomposition reveals that the primary drivers of TFP improvement across these crops are attributed to technical progress, with gains in overall technical efficiency largely due to scale efficiency enhancements, whereas pure technical efficiency has shown limited progress. Regional analysis indicates that Inner Mongolia leads in TFP growth for all crops, while Ningxia, Sichuan, and Shaanxi lag behind in wheat, corn, and soybean. Additionally, our analysis delineates natural disasters as a significant barrier to Total Factor Productivity (TFP), notably obstructing technological advancements in wheat cultivation. The investigation further reveals a positive relationship between regional per capita income and the growth of wheat TFP, in contrast to a negative relationship with the TFP growth of corn and soybeans. Moreover, investing in agriculture, forestry, water management, and road infrastructure supports the growth of wheat TFP, while urbanization levels pose constraints. Conclusively, an uptick in annual rural electricity usage, along with improved per capita postal and telecommunication services, exerts a favorable influence on TFP for corn and soybeans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's digital economy has been expanding rapidly in the past decade. This expansion is having a profound impact on the country's economy. Using panel data on 97 prefecture-level cities in the Yellow River Basin from 2011 to 2020, this study investigates the multifaceted relationship between the digital economy and total-factor carbon emission efficiency. The research yields three key findings: (1) The digital economy positively enhances overall carbon emission efficiency. This conclusion is drawn with robustness tests. (2) Green technology innovation serves as a partial mediator between the digital economy and total-factor carbon emission efficiency, and this mediation role is influenced by government intervention, which negatively moderates the relationship between the digital economy and green technology innovation but positively impacts the mediation role of green technology innovation between the digital economy and total-factor carbon emission efficiency. (3) The positive impact of the digital economy on total-factor carbon emission efficiency is more significant in the upper reaches, lower reaches, and resource-based cities of the Yellow River Basin. These findings provide new perspectives and empirical evidence for better understanding the relationship between digital economy development and total-factor carbon emission efficiency. They also provide policy recommendations for achieving strategic objectives, including digital economy development, carbon emission reduction, carbon peaking, and carbon neutrality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Yellow River Basin has been considered to have the most serious soil erosion in the world, and identifying and mapping the spatial controlling factors would be of great help in adopting targeting strategies for soil erosion prevention. This study used the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) to estimate the spatial and temporal changes in soil erosion from 1985 to 2020 and analyzed the controlling factors. The results indicated that from 1985 to 2020, the average erosion modulus in the Yellow River Basin was 1160.97 t∙km−2∙yr−1, and the erosion modulus in the middle reach was significantly greater than in the lower and upper reaches. Changes in vegetation coverage, rainfall and land use controlled 38.95%, 40.87% and 9.21% of soil erosion changes, respectively. Among them, the area in which soil erosion was decreased due to increased vegetation coverage accounted for 70.77% of the area controlled by vegetation coverage, while the area in which soil erosion was increased due to increased rainfall accounted for 86.62% of the area controlled by rainfall. These results prove the effectiveness of vegetation restoration projects in controlling soil erosion in the Yellow River Basin, but more attention needs to be paid to the impact of rainfall on soil erosion in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoting green development (GD) is key for the Yellow River Basin (YRB) to step into the phase of high-quality development. This study constructs a green development level (GDL) evaluation system based on the PSR (Pressure-State-Response) model, and estimates the GDL of urban agglomerations (UAs) in the YRB from 2008 to 2019 using the entropy weight-TOPSIS model. Then the Moran'I and the Theil index are adopted to explore the spatio-temporal patterns of the GDL, and the Geo-detector is used to investigate the driving factors of the GDL. The results suggest that: (1) The GDL of UAs in the YRB is characterized by "low growth" and "unbalanced," with a general pattern of "east-west prominence but central collapse". (2) The GDL in the YRB shows significant spatial correlation characteristic. (3) The main sources of regional variation of the GDL in the UAs is inter-group differences in 2008–2013 and intra-group differences in 2014–2019. (4) The main driver of the differences of the GDL is economic development, and the effect of the interaction of any two driving factors is greater than that of the single factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the regional variations and mechanisms of rural hollowing-out in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) is crucial to guiding regional rural revitalization. However, further quantitative evaluation and analysis are essential to address the issue of rural hollowing-out caused by the decrease in rural population and expansion of residential land in the YRB at different spatio-temporal scales. Based on China's census data and residential areas extracted from remote sensing images, the rural hollowing-out in the YRB is classified into five types: smart development type (SDT), human–-land recession type (HRT), population loss type (PLT), land expansion type (LET), and human–land–vacant waste type (HLW). Then, the influential features shaping the spatial diversity of rural hollowing-out types are examined, and the feature importance values at different spatio-temporal scales are assessed using the XGBoost model. The results of rural hollowing-out in the YBR indicate that (1) the geographical types of rural hollowing-out in the YRB are dominated by the HRT type and show significant heterogeneity and distribution at different spatio-temporal scales. At different time stages, the number of counties dominated by HRT in lower reaches accounts for 57% of the total counties, whereas the number of counties in the middle reaches is only 37%. Compared to the rural hollowing-out results from 2000 to 2010, the number of counties dominated by PLT and HLW from 2010 to 2020 in the middle reaches increased by 19% and 16%, respectively. (2) Precipitation had a positive effect on the variability of the rural hollowing-out distribution results based on the feature importance values, whereas agricultural productivity had a negative effect and exhibited a decreasing trend. In the entire study area, economic non-agriculturalization had a negative impact, but the topographic relief was positively correlated with the rural hollowing-out results of regional areas, and the intensity of its effect showed an increased trend from 2000 to 2020. (3) The evaluation results in the entire study area show that the main functional type and the distance from provincial capitals are the most important factors affecting rural hollowing out. Compared to other factors, the level of non-agricultural economic development has a greater impact on the spatio-temporal differentiation of rural hollowing types in different Yellow River basins. Given the significant effect of non-agricultural economic development in the evaluation of regional rural hollowing-out, it can provide methodological and indicator references for the evaluation of rural hollowing-out in different regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Taking the high-quality development of the Yellow River basin as the background. • Proposing principles for the initial water rights allocation in Yellow River basin. • Analyzing the priority of Industry water use in the Yellow River basin. • Constructing a model for initial water rights allocation with water-use priorities. • Calculated the initial water rights of Hetao Irrigation District. In September 2019, the Chinese government elevated ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin to a major national strategy. However, the scarcity and inequitable distribution of water resources in the basin remain a tough and urgent problem. Therefore, this study probed into the initial water rights allocation (IWRA) of Industry in the Yellow River basin driven by high-quality development. First, based on the status quo of water resources in the basin, this study proposed principles of IWRA of Industry were total quantity control, safeguard, fairness, and efficiency. Next, the paper set the Industry water priority based on the configuration rules, constructed a goal programming model for IWRA of Industry, anticipated the ideal value via the gray model(1,1)(GM (1,1)), and suggested IWRA for end-users through both quota method and water-demand proportion. Last, this study calculated that the initial water rights (IWR) for Hetao Irrigation District in Bayannur city of Inner Mongolia should be 4.38 billion m3. Theories and methods put forward in this paper helps enhance water resources management and improve the high-quality development of the Yellow River basin. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the multiplicity of factors including weather, the underlying surface and human activities, the complexity of parameter optimization for a distributed hydrological model of a watershed land surface goes far beyond the capability of traditional optimization methods. The genetic algorithm is a new attempt to find a solution to this problem. A genetic algorithm design on the Distributed-Hydrology-Soil-Vegetation model (DHSVM) parameter optimization is illustrated in this paper by defining the encoding method, designing the fitness value function, devising the genetic operators, selecting the arithmetic parameters and identifying the arithmetic termination conditions. Finally, a case study of the optimization method is implemented on the Lushi Watershed of the Yellow River Basin and achieves satisfactory results of parameter estimation. The result shows that the genetic algorithm is feasible in optimizing parameters of the DHSVM model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grassland is the most important land use/cover type in the Yellow River basin. Studying its ecosystem services and the trade-off and synergistic relationships between its various functions is of great significance to high-quality development and the protection of the ecological environment in the Yellow River basin. This paper evaluates the five typical functions of grassland in the Yellow River basin quantitatively, including water yield, carbon storage, soil conservation, habitat quality, and NPP by adopting the InVEST model and the CASA model. It analyzes changes in the trade-offs and the synergistic relationships between the five ecosystem functions from 1990 to 2018 by adopting the correlation coefficient method. The paper also analyzes and explores the spatial heterogeneity of the trade-offs and synergistic relationships by adopting the bivariate spatial autocorrelation method. The results show that from 1990 to 2018, the average water yield depth, carbon storage, and NPP of the grassland in the Yellow River basin tended to increase; soil conservation and habitat quality showed a decreasing trend; and the spatial distribution of the five functions were clearly in line with zonal law. The five ecological functions were synergistic; the synergistic relationship between water yield and the other functions was relatively weak, and there was a strong synergistic relationship between the other four functions. The trade-offs and synergistic relationships between the five functions demonstrated significant spatial heterogeneity in space. This research provides a scientific basis for determining the optimal utilization and sustainable development of grassland resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the regional water resources character, the concept of soil water resources is first redefined, and then associated with their transfer relationship in the hydrological cycle, Evapotranspiration ( ET)-based consumption structure and consumption efficiency of soil water resources are analyzed. According to ET’s function in productivity, the consumption efficiency of soil water resources is divided into three classes: high efficient consumption from vegetation transpiration, low efficient consumption from soil evaporation among plants with high vegetation coverage and inefficient consumption from soil evaporation among plants with low vegetation coverage and bare soil evaporation. The high efficient and low efficient consumption were further classified as productive consumption. The inefficient consumption is considered non-productive consumption because it is significant in the whole hydrological cycle process. Finally, according to these categories, and employing a WEP-L distributed hydrological model, this paper analyzes the consumption efficiency of soil water resources in the Yellow River Basin. The results show that there are 2078.89×108 m3 soil water resources in the whole basin. From the viewpoint of consumption structure, the soil water resources are comprised of 381.89×108 m3 transpiration consumption from vegetation and 1697.09×108 m3 evaporation consumption from soil among plants and bare soil. From the viewpoint of consumption efficiency, soil water resources are composed of 920.11×108 m3 efficient consumption and 1158.86×108 m3 of inefficient consumption. High efficient consumption accounts for 41.5 percent of the total efficient consumption of the whole basin, low efficient for 58.5 percent. Furthermore, consumption efficiency varies by region. Compared with ET from different land use conditions, the whole basin appears to follow the trend of having the greatest proportion of consumption as inefficient consumption, followed by low efficient consumption, and then the least proportion as high efficient consumption. The amount of inefficient consumption in some regions with vegetation is less than in other regions without vegetation. The amount of inefficient consumption in grasslands is much greater than in forestlands. However, the proportion of low efficient consumption is the greatest in crop fields. The amount of high efficient consumption in grasslands and forelands is similar to the corresponding low efficient consumption. However, the low efficient consumption in grasslands is larger than in the forelands. Therefore, when adjusting the utilization efficiency of soil water resources, vegetation coverage and plant structure should be modulated in terms of the principle of decreasing inefficient consumption, improving low efficiency ET and increasing high efficiency ET according to area character. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving the efficiency of agricultural technology innovation is an inevitable requirement for ecological protection and sustainable agricultural development in the Yellow River Basin. Under the background of prominent water resources constraints in the Yellow River Basin, the actual level and regional differences of agricultural technology innovation efficiency in the basin are analyzed, which will provide theoretical basis and data reference for the development plan of agricultural modernization in the Yellow River Basin. The construction of evaluation index system and the choice of method are the main factors that affect the measurement results. Therefore, this paper first selects input indicators such as water-saving technology level and output indicators such as total agricultural output value to construct an innovative evaluation index system of agricultural technology innovation efficiency in the Yellow River Basin under the consideration of water resources constraints. Secondly, the three-stage DEA model was used to eliminate the interference of external environmental variables, and the overall and regional agricultural technology innovation efficiency of the Yellow River Basin during 2011–2020 was measured with the data of prefecture-level cities under the constraint of water resources. Finally, from the perspective of the whole and the region, the spatio-temporal dynamic evolution law is analyzed and evaluated. The results show that: on the whole, the agricultural technology innovation efficiency in the Yellow River Basin is good and rising in a wave trend, the adjusted pure technology efficiency increases, while the scale efficiency decreases. From the regional perspective, although there is regional heterogeneity, the overall development trend is good, and the lower Yellow River has the highest efficiency, followed by the upper reaches and the middle reaches. From the perspective of the change law, the spatio-temporal evolution distribution shows a multi-polarization trend, and the different regions in the upper, middle and lower reaches show great differences. Therefore, promoting the innovation of water-saving technology and the integration of agricultural science and technology, promoting the integration of production, study and research, and strengthening the regional linkage mechanism are helpful to improve the competitiveness of agricultural science and technology and achieve sustainable agricultural development in the Yellow River Basin.

Under the new development concept, promoting the high?quality economic development of the Yellow River Basin is the strategic choice to resolve the inadequacy and imbalance of China's economic development. In order to help solve the puzzlement of economic development and environmental governance, and provide new ideas for retaining "green mountains and clear water" and creating "silver mountains and golden mountains", based on the spatial Durbin model and instrumental variable method, and based on the environmental and economic data of 58 cities above prefecture level in the Yellow River Basin from 2007 to 2018, this paper systematically investigated the impact of environmental regulation and industrial upgrading on the high?quality economic development of the Yellow River Basin. The results show that the environmental regulation and industrial upgrading have a significant role in promoting the high-quality economic development of the Yellow River Basin, environmental regulation has a significant negative spatial spillover effect, and the spatial spillover effect of industrial upgrading is not significant. At the same time, the environmental regulation and industrial upgrading have a synergistic effect in promoting the high-quality economic development of the Yellow River Basin. The heterogeneity test in different periods shows that since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the effect of environmental regulation and industrial upgrading on improving the high-quality economic development of the Yellow River Basin has become more and more significant, and the industrial upgrading also presents a significant spatial interaction effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

Understanding ecosystem services(ESs)and their interactions will help to formulate effective and sustainable land use management plans, and clarifying the balance and synergy between watershed ecosystem services can provide a basis for the regulation of the ecological environment in different regions of the watershed and the maximization of overall ecological benefits. This paper takes the Yellow River Basin as the research object and uses the Ecosystem Services and Trade Offs (InVEST)model to evaluate the water yield (WY), soil conservation (SC), carbon storage (CS) and habitat quality (HQ) of the Yellow River Basin. The paper adopts the Carnegie-Ames-Stanford Approach (CASA)model to evaluate the net primary productivity (NPP), draws the spatial distribution map of the five ecosystems, analyzes the trade-off and synergy between the five ecosystems using correlation and binary spatial correlation, and expresses it in space. In addition, it adopts self-organizing mapping (SOM) method to identify ecosystem service clusters. The results show that: (1) ES is generally higher in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, and lower in the middle reaches. (2) WY and NPP, HQ, CS and WY are trade-off relationships, and other ecosystem services are synergistic relationships. Trade-offs and synergy show obvious spatial heterogeneity. (3) The ecosystem services of the Yellow River Basin, driven by different factors, can be divided into three areas, namely WY and SC service leading functional areas, HQ and CS service leading functional areas, and NPP service leading functional areas. Finally, it discusses the driving factors of the spatial heterogeneity of the balance of the ecosystem service functions of the Yellow River Basin and the suggestions of land use management in the basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve comprehensively water security capability, conside ring the existing problems of flood risk threat, the stortage of water resources, fragile ecological environment and insufficient capacity for water management that the Yellow River Basin is facing with, the water security layout with coordinated protection of five zones including the source area, the upper, middle and lower areas of the Yellow River, the Yellow River estuary and delta areas was proposed based on the idea of "Focus on Protection and Key on Management". Then, the water security measures were put forward from the five aspects of promoting the economical and intensive use of water resources to improve the support ability of water resources, perfecting the flood control and disaster reduction system to ensure the peace and stability of the Yellow Rive r, strengthening the protection of water ecological environment to safeguard the healthy life of the Yellow River, systematically implementing the integrated prevention and control of soil erosion to improve the ecological environment in the Loess Plateau and promoting the river basin management ability to support the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin. Also, this paper could provide an important basis for the water security work of the ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study the inconsistency of evaporation series and increase the certainty of hydrological frequency calculation, this paper took the evaporation series of typical third-level regions in the Yellow River Basin as the research object. Based on the GAMLSS model, it selected five typical water resources third-level regions in the Yellow River Basin, introduced the time t as an explanatory variable to fit the parameters, and analyzed the non-uniform characteristics of the evaporating sequences in the three-stage regions of the year, flood season and non-flood period. The Kendall method was used for trend test and the mutation test was performed by using Mann-kendall and 5-year sliding T method. The results show that: a) the evaporation sequence of the Yiluo River, Sanmenxia-Xiaolangdi reach and the main stream below the Huayuankou is more obvious and the mutations of evaporation sequence of Daxia, Taohe and Huangshui Rivers are different; b) the evaporation sequence at different time scales in the third-level region is the most optimal distribution with the most Generalized Gamma, and the Logistics is the least; c) the evaporation sequence on the different time scales of the five tertiary regions is negatively correlated with the time t except for some sequences. Most of the evaporation data are included in the confidence interval of 5% and 95% confidence level, indicating that the GAMLSS model of the evaporation sequence on different time scales has a better fitting effect; d) the five third-level evaporation sequences are not consistent. The sexual characteristics are more obvious. The non-uniform characteristics of the annual and non-flood season evaporation sequences in the main stream below the Huayuankou are the most obvious. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to reveal the spatial and temporal evolution and internal mechanism of high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin, and to provide policy reference for the high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin, taking nine provinces ( regions) of the Yellow River Basin as the research object, based on the five development concepts of innovation, coordination, green, opening and sharing of high - quality development, the multi-dimensional gravitational entropy model was constructed. The paper analyzed the structural characteristics of high-quality development network in the Yellow River Basin from 2008 to 2017 from three aspects of network density, degree centrality and block model by Social Network Analysis method. The results show that Shandong, Shaanxi, Sichuan and Henan provinces have a large central control power, which belongs to the bidirectional overflow module of high-quality development, and have obvious external spillover effect on other provinces ( regions), It has a strong motive for ce for improving the overall high quality development level of the Yellow River Basin; Shanxi Province is an important province connecting the upstream and the downstream. However, the high-quality development level of Shanxi Province is not high in the research period. In the future, we should actively promote the construction of technological innovation system, increase the strength of production, study and research, actively develop and use new energy, realize green development and strengthen the bridge role in the high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin; The indicators of innovation, coordination, green and sharing have been improved in four provinces (regions) including Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Gansu and Qinghai, but the dependence on foreign trade has decreased and the degree of openness has been reduced. In the future, the degree of opening should be further expanded, high-tech talents should be introduced and cultivated, core competitiveness and high-quality development level should be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Delineation of the ecological protection redline is significant to the construction of ecological civilization. It is imperative to carry out the work in ecological protection redlines of small watersheds at provincial levels. Taking Leitan River small watershed in the gullied rolling loess area of the upper Yellow River as an example, the paper discussed the general method for delineating ecological protection redlines. Firstly, it established the evaluation index system of ecological effect, including river system structure function, land ecological sensitivity and economic-social influence. Secondly, it adopted analytic hierarchy process and expert scoring method to determine the weight of evaluation index field. Finally, it calculated the comprehensive index of ecological carrying capacity by weighted superposition method. The results show that the comprehensive index field of ecological carrying capacity is [0.36,6.60], taking the field of [3.00,6.60] as ecological redline zone, field of [1.50,3.00) as yellow line zone and [0.36,1.50) as green line area. Thus, the determined area of redline zone is 46.7 km², accounting for 18.0%, the area of yellow line is 95.7 km², accounting for 36.9% and the area of green line zone is 116.9 km², accounting for 45.1% correspondingly. Overall, the small watershed is a better ecological base one in similar small watersheds of the Yellow River basin, having good ecological protection conditions and development value. Therefore, it suggests taking it as a typical ecological small watershed for special protection and developed in order to establish a model for similar ecological small watershed construction and accumulate experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the data of the nine provinces and administrative regions in the Yellow River basin from 2004 to 2018, this paper constructed an evaluation index system for water resources carrying capacity from the four aspects of water resources, society, economy, and ecological environment. In addition, the entropy weight method and analytic hierarchy process were applied to generate comprehensive index weights; the water resources carrying capacity of the Yellow River basin was evaluated by using the comprehensive evaluation model; and the major obstacles to the improvement of the water resources carrying capacity of the basin were quantitatively identified by the obstacle degree function. The results show that: a)from 2004 to 2018, the water resources carrying capacity of the Yellow River basin presents a slow upward trend, with an overall orderly pattern; b) obvious spatial fluctuation characteristics and differences are found, while the gaps between the investigated provinces and regions decrease on a yearly basis; c)the water resources carrying capacity of the nine provinces and regions in the Yellow River basin has been impaired by the following major factors of over-exploitation and utilization of water resources and destruction of the ecological environment, as well as the amount of water resources per capita and degree of water resources development. Based on the results, relevant authorities should improve the transformation of water use patterns and institutions of water resources management in the Yellow River basin, thus promoting the ecological protection of the Yellow River basin and achieving high-quality development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to analyze the variation of pan evaporation and the influencing factors of the Yellow River basin in the context of climate change, this paper used linear regression, Mann-Kendall and EOF to analyze the pan evaporations of 95 meteorological stations in the Yellow River basin from 1961 to 2019. The results show that the pan evaporation has shown a significant downward trend in the past 59 years. The climate inclination rate of the whole basin is -60.4 mm/10 a. However, the decline in evaporation has been accelerated, with an evaporation value of -219.4 mm / 10 a since 2004. For seasonal variation, the climate inclination rates in spring, summer, autumn and winter are -12.7, -24.5, -10.4 and -1.9 mm/10 a respectively. The climate inclination rate in the upper reaches (-59.3 mm/10 a) is the highest, followed by the middle reaches (-49.2 mm/10 a) and the lower reaches (-74.9 mm/10 a). Two spatial distribution modes in the basin are identified, including consistent distribution and the anti-phase distribution of central and eastern and western. Based on partial correlation, grey correlation and multiple regression analysis, the main factors influencing the pan evaporation in the Yellow River basin are the annual mean daily temperature range, annual sunshine duration, annual precipitation and relative humidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to explore the coupling degree and interactive stress between ecological environment and economic development of the Yellow River basin and provide reference for the ecological protection and high-quality development decision-making of the basin, This paper analyzed the relationship between the ecological environment and economic development of nine provinces (regions) in the basin from 2007 to 2017 by using coupling coordination and interactive stress model. The results show that in terms of time series, the coupling coordination between the ecological environment and economic development of the Yellow River basin is in a serious maladjustment state in the early stage, and in a good coordination state in the late stage, and it is more and more coordinated in the whole researched period; in terms of spatial pattern, the coordination degree between the ecological environment and economic development of the upper and middle reaches of the Yellow River is higher than that of the lower reaches of the Yellow River in the early stage, and the coordination degree of the upper and lower reaches of the Yellow River is higher than that of the middle reaches of the Yellow River, the relationship between ecological environment and economic development in the middle reaches of the Yellow River needs further adjustment; through the verification of the stress relationship, there is a certain interactive stress relationship between ecological environment and economic development in the Yellow River basin. In the early stage of the study period, the comprehensive index of ecological environment is larger than that of economic development, in the later stage, the comprehensive index of economic development is larger than that of ecological environment and the improvement of ecological environment has a certain lag. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to explore the research hotspots and frontier trends of ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River basin, this paper collected data from CNKI database in the period of 1992-2021. It used CiteSpace software to analyze the cooperation network of authors and institutions, keywords, keywords in LLR clustering and Burst. Combining with the time, periodicals and subjective distribution map of published articles, the relevant knowledge maps were drawn. It is indicated that the research of ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin is closely related to policy evolution. The research focus and frontier can be divided into four aspects of ecological environment, water pollution and restoration, ecological control and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin. However, there is a lack of close cooperation between major researchers. Research on ecological protection and high-quality development of the basin can be deepened from the aspects of perfecting the policy support system and the cooperation network of scientific research institutions in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to provide reference for regional coordination and high-quality development decision-making in the Yellow River Basin, based on the panel data of 50 major cities in the Yellow River Basin from 2008 to 2017, two spatial matrices of geographical distance and e conomic distance were constructed, and the spatial Dubin model was used to analyze the differences of production factors and the spillover I effect of each factor. From the spatial perspective, this paper discussed the path to promote the high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin. The results show that the main cities in the Yellow River Basin have strong spatial correlation and agglomeration characteristics, cap ital is the main factor of production to promote regional economic development, labor force is the main restraining factor, technology has no significant positive effect on the basin economy, the secondary and tertiary industries, especially the tertiary industry, can promote the re gional economic growth, and excessive government intervention is unfavorable regional economic growth. It suggests that we should actively explore the road of coordinated development of river basins, tap their own economic growth points while undertaking industries in other re gions, establish a long-term talent mining and cultivation mechanism, further release the positive spillover effect of various production factors, improve the utilization efficiency of economic factors, improve the innovation ability, do a good job in the long-term accumulation and evolution of technology, cultivate innovative cities, and construct a long-term innovation oriented city the Yellow River Basin industrial coop eration alliance will be built by taking the Yellow River as the link, the city as the carrier, the products as the core, the market as the guide and the mutual benefit cooperation as the premise, so as to realize the optimization and adjustment of the industrial structure of the whole basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Climate change has become an unavoidable problem in achieving sustainable development. As one of the major industries worldwide, tourism can make a significant contribution to mitigating climate change. The main objective of the paper is to assess the development level of low-carbon tourism from multi-aspect, using the Yellow River Basin as an example. Firstly, this study quantified tourism carbon dioxide emissions and tourism economy, and analyzed their evolution characteristics. The interaction and coordination degree between tourism carbon dioxide emissions and tourism economy were then analyzed using the improved coupling coordination degree model. Finally, this study analyzed the change in total factor productivity of low-carbon tourism by calculating the Malmquist–Luenberger productivity index. The results showed that: (1) the tourism industry in the Yellow River Basin has the characteristics of the initial environmental Kuznets curve. (2) There was a strong interaction between tourism carbon dioxide emissions and tourism economy, which was manifested as mutual promotion. (3) The total factor productivity of low-carbon tourism was increasing. Based on the above results, it could be concluded that the development level of low-carbon tourism in the Yellow River Basin has been continuously improved from 2000 to 2019, but it is still in the early development stage with the continuous growth of carbon dioxide emissions.

Air-Space-Ground integrated big data along the Yellow River Basin is multi-source and heterogeneous ecological environment big data, which involves spaces section, skyline section and surface section. It covers a wide range and has serious ecological problems. In order to alleviate the pressure of ecological protection and explore the development and change law of the mother river in China, this paper analyzed the necessity of building an air-space-ground integrated big data platform for the ecological protection in the Yellow River Basin, designed the overall framework and analyzed the technical framework and key technologies. Finally, it discussed the application of the big data platform in the protection of the Yellow River Basin. It is hoped that the platform could provide technical ideas and decision support for the whole basin management, scientific allocation of water resources, early warning of flood disasters and development of cultural tourism along the Yellow River Basin and then make some contributions to the ecological protection and high quality development in the Yellow River Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The social development of the Yellow River Basin is one of the main factors affecting the management and protection of the Yellow River. In order to objectively and comprehensively grasp the scale and current situation of the social and economic development of the Yellow River Basin, provide effective decision-making basis for the relevant regions and departments to formulate the economic development strategy of the basin, better support the construction practice of the happiness river, and serve the implementation of the national strategy of ecological conservation and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin, from the four aspects of population characteristics, the quality of life of residents, the level of economic growth and the regional economic development and industrial structure, this paper selected 12 indicators of social and economic characteristics, calculated the social development index SDI by entropy weight method and quantitatively analyzed the so cial development characteristics of the Yellow River Basin from 1980 to 2019. The results show that the social development index of the Yellow River Basin has shown a trend of downward-steady-upward in the past 40 years, especially since 2012, with the gradual maturity of e conomic transformation, the social development of the Yellow River Basin has been improved as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin is a major national strategy. The use of PPP mode can alleviate the funding gap and make up for the lack of skills. Based on the existing ecological water conservancy PPP projects, this paper identified 115 risk factors affecting China’s ecological water conservancy PPP projects through literature analysis and interviews and constructed a risk list of ecological water conservancy PPP projects. Then, questionnaire surveys and statistical analysis were used to evaluate the probability, detectability and impact of the factors, which provided a reference for the design of ecological management of the Yellow River basin by using PPP model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Terrestrial gross primary production (GPP) changes due to impervious surfaces significantly impact ecosystem services in watersheds. Understanding the asymmetric response of vegetation GPP to impervious surface expansion is essential for regional development planning and ecosystem management. However, the asymmetric response of vegetation GPP to the impacts of impervious surface expansion is unknown in different watersheds. This paper selected the Yellow River and Yangtze River basins as case studies. We characterized the overall change in GPP based on changes in impervious surface ratio (ISR), determined impervious surface expansion's direct and indirect impacts on GPP in the two watersheds, and further analyzed the asymmetric response of the compensatory effects of indirect influences on the impervious surface expansion in different watersheds. The results showed that: (1) The vegetation GPP decreased with increasing ISR in the Yangtze River Basin, while that in the Yellow River Basin first increased and then reduced. (2) The direct impacts of increased ISR reduced vegetation GPP, while the indirect impacts both had a growth-compensating effect. Growth compensation stabilized at approximately 0.40 and 0.30 in the Yellow and Yangtze River Basins. (3) When the ISR was 0.34–0.56, the growth compensation could offset the reduction of GPP due to direct impact and ensure that the background vegetation GPP was not damaged in the Yellow River Basin. In contrast, the background vegetation GPP was inevitably impaired with increased ISR in the Yangtze River Basin. Therefore, this study suggests that the ISR should be ensured to be between 0.34 and 0.56 to maximize the impervious surface of the Yellow River Basin without compromising the background vegetation GPP. While pursuing impervious surface expansion in the Yangtze River Basin, other programs should be sought to compensate for the loss to GPP. [Display omitted] • Vegetation GPP decreases with an increase in the impervious surface ratio. • Indirect impacts in different watersheds have growth compensation effects. • Growth compensation can offset the reduction in GPP caused by direct impacts in the Yellow River Basin. • Background vegetation GPP inevitably impairs as impervious surfaces increase in the Yangtze River Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper refines a comprehensive index of urban low-carbon innovation based on urban low-carbon innovation concept and an urban low-carbon innovation community structure and function. This index is complemented by an indicator reflecting equity in terms of urban-rural income gap, some indicators of low-carbon knowledge and technology innovation, as well as an indicator of the characteristics of a carbon circular economy, and a further refinement of the indicator of low-carbon innovation system. We use the entropy value method, kernel density analysis, gravity model, and social network analysis to study the low-carbon innovation spatial pattern in urban agglomerations (UAs) of the Yellow River Basin (YRB). Innovations in the findings are: (1) the low-carbon innovation level in the UAs in the YRB decreases in spatial distribution from the downstream to the midstream to the upstream UAs. (2) Reveal the spatial pattern laws of low-carbon innovation levels in different types of UAs in the YRB. The spatial pattern in regional level UAs is more complex and hierarchical than that in area level UAs; but there are still gaps in the hierarchy of spatial patterns of low-carbon innovation levels between UAs at the regional level, as well as between UAs at the area level. The spatial pattern of two regional-level UAs in the YRB is transitioning from a low-carbon innovation point-axis to a low-carbon innovation network structure, and the spatial pattern of one regional-level UAs is at the embryonic stage of the low-carbon innovation point-axis structure. The spatial pattern of one area-level UA is at the embryonic stage of a low-carbon innovation point-axis structure, and the spatial pattern of three area-level UAs is at the stage of low-carbon innovation pole. The spatial pattern of low-carbon innovation becomes more complex and hierarchical as we move from upstream to midstream to downstream UAs. (3) Use social network analysis and the study show that the low-carbon innovation network is dominated by the internal correlations among the UAs in the upstream, midstream, and downstream. The low-carbon innovation linkages between upstream, midstream and downstream UAs are weak. Finally, we put forward corresponding policy recommendations. • Improve concept and comprehensive evaluation index system of urban low-carbon innovation. • Reveal low-carbon innovation spatial patterns in different urban agglomerations in Yellow River Basin. • Using social network analysis study low-carbon innovation spatial correlation pattern in Yellow River Basin urban agglomerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The evaluation index system of water resources intensive use is constructed. • The potential for water conservation and purification phases needs to be tapped. • The structure of spatial association network is sparse on the whole. • The technological element is the main reason for the formation of a spatially linked. Achieving the efficient, synergistic and sustainable utilization of water resources is a necessary precondition and an important means through which to protect the ecological environment of the Yellow River Basin (YRB) and promote the high-quality development of the basin's economy. This paper innovatively defines water-intensive utilization efficiency (WIUE) and constructs an appropriate evaluation index system. A superefficiency network slacks-based measure (SBM) model is introduced for measurement. The gravity model is improved, and the spatial clustering and spatial association network characteristics of water use efficiency (WUE) and water conservation and purification efficiency (WCPE) are analysed using exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA) and social network analysis (SNA). Finally, the formation mechanism of the spatial network of WCPE is explored by using quadratic assignment procedure (QAP) regression. The following conclusions are obtained. (1) The WIUE of the YRB shows a divergent trend over time, with fluctuations in the water conservation and purification stage being the main factors influencing WIUE changes in each province. (2) Currently, the spatial association network structures of WUE and WCPE are sparse. However, with the government's basin-wide water conservation policy, the spatial relationships within the basin have gradually become more closely linked. The local clustering effect of WUE in space and the communication of technical elements in the WCPE stage in the basin are the main reasons for this network formation. Focusing on the WCPE stage, this study not only proposes policy suggestions to improve the efficiency of water resource intensification in the YRB by promoting the exchange of factors but can also be used as a reference for other basins with great regional differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A framework was proposed for the allocation of PES funds under future scenarios. • The ESV is highest in ecological conservation scenario, while fund is the lowest. • In the future, financial investment in the Qinghai Province needs to be increased. • The exploration of horizontal compensation mechanisms should be encouraged. Reasonable payments of Ecosystem Services (PES) standards are crucial to provide eco-environment management countermeasures. However, existing research on the unified coordination of future PES from the overall perspective is insufficient. This paper proposes a framework derived from the patch-generating land-use simulation (PLUS) model and the ecosystem services value (ESV) assessment method for allocation PES funds. The Yellow River Basin (YRB) was taken as a case study, which is a highly integrated and interconnected entity. The PLUS model was used to analyze various land-use situations from 2010 to 2020, and predict future land-use status under different development scenarios including natural development (ND), cropland conservation (CC) and ecological conservation (EC). The ESV approach was applied to calculate the ESV in nine provinces of the YRB, and propose optimized fund distribution schemes. The results showed that (1) The most significant land-use changes during 2010–2020 were impervious, forests, grasslands, and croplands, where the impervious increased by 22.47 % (4642 km2) and the forest increased by 9 % (7623 km2). (2) The total ESV in the YRB will be highest under EC scenario in 2030, at 729.16 billion CNY, and Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu and Shandong will have the highest ESV under EC scenario. (3) The funds will reach lowest under EC scenario, at 13.35 billion CNY, while reach highest under CC scenario, at 13.58 billion CNY. (4) In any scenario, Qinghai and Gansu province will get the highest PES funds among nine provinces, and financial investment in the Qinghai Province needs to be increased. Based on our results, it is recommended to foster the exploration of horizontal compensation between the downstream provinces of Henan and Shandong, and the upstream provinces of Qinghai, Sichuan, and Gansu, in order to enhance the protection of the eco-environment. The findings can provide scientific guidance for improvement of the PES funds allocation in the YRB, and methodological references for other river basins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the digital economy increasingly dominates a substantial portion of the national economy, comprehending its role in promoting sustainable development has become an imperative research question -- particularly in the context of the Yellow River Basin, where there exists an urgent need to shift toward more sustainable modes of economic growth. Utilizing panel data spanning from 1999 to 2020 for 114 cities in the Yellow River Basin, this study develops a comprehensive evaluation framework for sustainable development, incorporating economic, social, and ecological dimensions. The empirical findings reveal that the digital economy acts as a catalyst for sustainable development. Importantly, these results withstand both endogeneity tests and robustness checks. Further heterogeneity analysis indicates that the positive impact of the digital economy on sustainable development is more pronounced in regions directly traversed by the Yellow River and in areas with higher sustainability levels. Moreover, the enactment and implementation of the 13th Five-Year National Information Plan have emphasized the role of the digital economy in enhancing sustainable development. Mechanism tests also illustrate those elevated levels of personal digital acceptance and government intervention contribution to amplify the digital economy's positive impact on sustainable development. In conclusion, policy recommendations are put forward, including optimizing industrial structure, strengthening data governance and environmental monitoring, promoting innovation-driven development, and fostering collaborative growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the growing influences of anthropogenic activities and climatic change, the problem concerning the vulnerability of the Water-Energy-Food-Carbon (WEFC) system in the Yellow River Basin is prominent. Using the VSD framework, the WEFC system vulnerability evaluation index system was constructed with 60 cities in the Yellow River Basin as the samples, and the WEFC system vulnerability of each city was measured from 2010 to 2019. Kernel density estimation, Theil index, and spatial correlation analysis were employed to investigate spatio-temporal evolution characteristics. Geodetector was utilized to analyze the driving factors of WEFC system vulnerability. The results demonstrate that: (1) The vulnerability of the WEFC system in the Yellow River Basin tends to decrease, with a spatial pattern of "low in the middle and high on both sides"; the vulnerability is largest in the upper and lower reaches, while smallest in the middle reaches. (2) The spatial difference in vulnerability narrows in the middle and lower reaches, while expanding in the upper reaches. The differences among the three major regions mainly originate from within the region, with the upper reaches having the largest difference and contribution; the vulnerability is featured with a significant spatial correlation, with the upper and lower reaches cities mostly displaying a "high-high" agglomeration and the middle reaches mainly showing a "low-low" one. (3) Factors, including the carbon and ecological carrying capacity coefficient, water resource development and utilization rate, and urbanization rate, mainly influence the WEFC system vulnerability; the spatial heterogeneity of core drivers at the regional scale is obvious, with the upper reaches regions being more strongly influenced by factors of the water resources system, while the middle and lower reaches regions are more sensitive to factors concerning industrial pollution of the energy subsystem. The explanatory power of carbon ecological carrying capacity reaches its peak in the middle reaches. The interaction of factors increases the strength of the impact on vulnerability. This study provides decision support and policy suggestions for achieving a balanced and coordinated development of water resource utilization, energy development, food production, and carbon cycle system in the Yellow River Basin. Investigating WEFC system vulnerability to support SDG 11 provided valuable insights and policy strategies for building cities that are inclusive, secure, resource-efficient, and resilient in the face of climate change and disaster risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evapotranspiration (ET) plays a key role in water cycle and energy balance, and the construction of large areas of vegetation in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) will cause an increase in regional ET and changes in water use in the basin. Based on GLEAM evapotranspiration products, meteorological stations and land use data, this study used slope trend analysis, Mann-Kendall (M-K) test and partial correlation analysis to analyse changes in evapotranspiration and water use in the YRB before and after reforestation from 1980 to 2019. The results showed that the annual average ET of the YRB from 1980 to 2019 ranged from 363 to 447 mm with an average change rate of 10.2 mm/10a. The actual evapotranspiration/potential evapotranspiration (ET/PET) growth rate of the YRB decreased after the Grain for Green Project (GGP), and the actual evapotranspiration/precipitation (ET/P) decreased extremely significantly. Water use efficiency in the YRB was significantly reduced, and grassland was subjected to greater water stress. This study provides scientific support for future water balance, landscape restoration, ecological protection and quality development of the YRB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global warming and extreme climate events (ECEs) have grown more frequent, and it is essential to investigate the influences of ECEs on vegetation in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) and other environmentally fragile areas. This study was based on data from 86 meteorological stations in the YRB for the period 2000–2020. Twenty-five extreme climate indices (ECIs) were chosen, encompassing four dimensions: extreme value, intensity, duration, and frequency. The trend analysis approach was used to examine the spatiotemporal characteristics of extreme climate conditions. Additionally, geographical detectors and Pearson correlation analysis methods were employed to quantitatively assess the influence of ECEs on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). The Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression (MGWR) method was adopted to analyze the regression of twenty-five ECIs. The findings revealed the following: (1) Over the last 21 years, there has been a distinct rise in both the extreme precipitation indices (EPIs) and the extreme temperature indices (ETIs). (2) The spatial distribution of the NDVI throughout the year displayed the characteristic of being high in the south and low in the north. The annual NDVI demonstrated a noteworthy increase at a rate of 0.055/decade, with the enhancement encompassing an extensive area of 87.33%. (3) The investigation revealed that EPIs, including PRCPTOT, R10mm, CWD, R95p, and CDD, had explanatory values surpassing 0.4. This implied that the intensity, frequency, and duration of extreme precipitation played pivotal roles in steering vegetation alterations in the YRB. (4) The correlation between the EPIs and vegetation was greater than the ETIs. Grassland meadows exhibited greater sensitivity to precipitation than woody plants. The EPIs (excluding CDD and SDII) and the ETIs (TXn) displayed a substantial positive correlation with the NDVI in regions hosting grasslands, broadleaf forests, and shrubs. Desert vegetation and cultivated plants were less affected by ECEs. This study underscores the importance of the interplay between extreme climate and vegetation in the YRB. Additionally, it provides a scientific basis for formulating environmental safeguarding strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]