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The spatial distribution of groundwater exploitation potential is crucial to the sustainable management of groundwater resources in arid regions. In this study, an effective approach is developed using a geographical information system (GIS) associated with the Dempster-Shafer (D-S) theory to explore the groundwater exploitation potential based on eight factors (i.e., slope, topography, distance to a river, canal density, lithology, land use, soil type, and groundwater depth)based on pumping test data. Different groundwater exploitation potential zones from the output map are classified as follows: very high (0.67–0.96, 8% of the total area), high (0.45–0.67, 8%), moderate (0.27–0.45, 14%), low (0.13–0.27, 24%), and very low (0.02–0.13, 46%), in the Hotan River basin of the Kunlun Mountains, China. The groundwater exploitation potential is highest in a gravel plain in the piedmont and gradually decreases from the piedmont to the desert. The predicted spatial variability of groundwater exploitation potential can explain 71% of the measured pumping test data. The uncertainty of the groundwater exploitation potential map ranges from

Soil organic matter plays a fundamental role in terrestrial ecosystems. However, little is known about the spectral characteristics and fluorescent components of soil dissolved organic matter (DOM) in peri-urban ecosystems and their influencing factors. In this study, we used the fluorescence excitation-emission matrix and parallel factor analysis (EEM-PARAFAC) to characterize soil DOM in a peri-urban Critical Zone Observatory watershed in Eastern China. Soil samples were collected at depths of 0–10 cm, 10–20 cm, and 20–40 cm from 82 sites (29 forest, 11 orchard, and 42 cropland). The results showed that soil organic carbon and water-soluble organic carbon content varied with land use type, and both were significantly higher in forest than cropland and orchard samples. Three fluorescent components, humic-, fulfic-, and protein-like substances, were derived from soil DOM using the PARAFAC model. All these components were distributed differently in the three land use types, as were their UV and fluorescence indices. The spatial distribution of soil DOM showed that the quantity and chemical composition of DOM were affected by environmental variables and human disturbance, among which pH and altitude significantly affected DOM content. Anthropogenic parameters such as distance to road and distance to town strongly influenced the chemical composition and characteristics of soil DOM. Negative correlations were observed between humic-like substances and distance to road or town, while positive correlations were observed between protein-like substances and these two parameters. These results demonstrate the pronounced influence of human activities on DOM composition and characteristics in the watershed area. The findings highlight the value of soil DOM characterization to better understand the origin, composition, and fate of DOM in soils in peri-urban critical zones.

Urbanization has significant effects to ecosystems in watersheds, but the link between surface water quality and the dissolved organic matter (DOM) composition is poorly understood. We investigated the fluorescent intensities (Fmax) of DOM components and examined their correlation with the water quality parameters in peri-urban (Zhangxi River) and urban (Lu River) watersheds in Ningbo, East China. DOM quality was measured by fluorescent excitation-emission matrices (EEMs) coupled with parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC). Terrestrial humic-like components (C1 and C2) and protein-like component (C3) were derived by the PARAFAC model. We found more serious water pollution (significantly higher values for most water quality parameters, i.e. chemical oxygen demand (COD), chlorophyll a (Chl-a), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), ammonia and total suspended solids (TSS)) in urban than peri-urban watersheds. However, there were no significant differences in the levels of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) between the urban and peri-urban watersheds. The results showed that the urban watershed had higher terrestrial humic-like C1 (39%) and lower protein-like C3 (30%) than the peri-urban watershed, while the peri-urban watershed showed an inverse trend (33% and 37%, respectively). The results also revealed that the DOM fluorescent indices were significantly different between the peri-urban and the urban watersheds. Redundancy analysis (RDA) was applied to evaluate the correlation between DOM fluorescent indices and water quality parameters (i.e., COD, TN, TP, DOC). It revealed that the pollution sources and water quality correlated to the fluorescent indices and the C1-C3 DOM fluorescent components. A significant linear relationship between COD and C2 was found in both watersheds, suggesting that C2 might be a good COD indicator. Our results suggest that the distinctive DOM composition between the watersheds could be attributed to different human activities at both sites. The correlation between DOM fluorescent components and water quality can be assessed by the EEM-PARAFAC method, indicating considerable potential for the use of this technique to monitor surface water quality.

Abundant data sets produced from long-term series of high-resolution remote sensing data have made it possible to explore urban issues across different spatiotemporal scales. Based on a 40-year impervious area data set released by Tsinghua University, a method was developed to map the speed and acceleration of urban built-up areas. With the mapping results of the two indices, we characterised the spatiotemporal dynamics of built-up area expansion and captured different types of expansion. Combined with socioeconomic data, we examined the temporal changes and spatial heterogeneity of driving forces with an ordinary least square (OLS) model and a panel data model, as well as exploring the environmental effects of the expansion. Our results reveal that China has experienced drastic urban expansion over the last four decades. Among all cities, megacities and large cities in eastern China, as well as megacities in central and northeast China have experienced the most dramatic urban expansion. A growing number of cities are categorised as thriving, which means that they have both high expansion speed and acceleration. The overall driving force of urban expansion has significantly increased. More specifically, it was associated with population increase in the early stages; however, since 2000, it has been substantially associated with increases in GDP and fixed asset investments. The major driving factors also differ between regions and urban sizes. Urban expansion is identified as being closely associated with environmental deterioration; thus, speed and acceleration should be included as key indicators in exploring the environmental effects of urban expansion. In summary, the results of the presented case study, based on a data set of China, indicate that speed and acceleration are useful in analysing the driving forces of urban expansion and its environmental effects, and may generate more interest in related research.

In the process of compact city development, the limited availability of the land resources for green space (GS) would represent a major challenge for urban environments. In this paper, the long-term compact urbanization process of an island city (Xiamen, China) was selected as an example to analyze the historical spatial patterns of GS within the built environment. This study focused on urban GS at a neighborhood scale to analyze GS on a fine scale. Urban GS was extracted using the normalized difference vegetation index based on GF-1 remote sensing images. The results revealed several trends: (1) Newer built-up areas had a larger proportion of GS, more diversified GS types, and larger per-capita GS area. (2) The proportion of GS within various urban functional land use types presented great differences, both at the class level (age of the built-up area) and at the landscape level (the entire built-up area). (3) Significant differences in the proportion of GS and per-capita GS area were identified among various residential land types. The results from this study can contribute to the practical application of urban planning and policy-making.

Urban agglomeration (the spread of cities into large agglomerations) has become the main form of urbanization in China, and natural ecosystems surrounding the urban areas are becoming degraded and fragmented as a result. Although ecological indicators have been widely used to assess the regional ecological stress resulting from urbanization, few of them consider spatial adjacency relationships between urban and natural landscapes. From this perspective a novel ecological indicator, the Eco-Erosion Index (EEI), was developed and applied to assess the regional ecological stress caused by urban agglomeration development across 26 cities in the Yangtze River Delta, China (YRD). We analyzed: i) temporal change in land use and land cover (LULC) and ecosystem services value (ESV) in YRD from 1990 to 2010, ii) spatiotemporal dynamics of EEI of YRD at different scales: provincial, municipal, and 5 km-grid, iii) inter-relationships between EEI and LULC and ESV to explore its effectiveness as an indicator. The results showed that urban agglomeration in YRD has led to increasing regional ecological stress from 1990 to 2010. EEI values increased from 0.197 in 1990 to 0.321 in 2010. The closer to Shanghai City, the greater the EEI values of the cities become. EEI is highly related with LULC and ESV but integrates these two variables as it represents both the spatial occupation and landscape adjacency effects. The EEI values demonstrate some scale effects, and EEI at fine scale provides useful information to guide sustainable urban landscape management.

Hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) are a class of widely used brominated flame retardants (BFRs) that exhibit strong hydrophobicity. The ubiquity and persistence of HBCDs in sediment have attracted significant attention because of public health concerns. The environmental fate and ecological risks of HBCDs closely depend on their phase distribution in sediments. However, little information is available regarding the freely dissolved concentrations (Cfree) of HBCDs in sediment porewater. In this study, we developed a method to measure Cfree of HBCDs in sediment porewater using triolein-embedded cellulose acetate membranes (TECAM). The TECAM-to-water partitioning coefficient (log KTECAM) was 4.69, 4.77, and 4.63 for α-HBCD, β-HBCD, and γ-HBCD, respectively. In sediments, HBCDs sorbed to the sediment solid phase accounted for more than 99% of the total chemical mass. The dissolved organic carbon (DOC)-water partition coefficient (KDOC) values were derived from TECAM measurements, and the log KDOC values ranged from 5.77 to 6.23 for the three HBCD diastereomers, suggesting a strong tendency for HBCDs to sorb to DOC. The high sorption of HBDCs for DOC implies a potential for DOC-facilitated transport which may enhance the environmental mobility of HBCDs.

Cities have become a major source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and controlling urban GHG emissions is a critical response to global climate change. Many previous studies on urban GHG emissions focused on inventories, changes and impact factors but few investigated the distribution of spatial sources within a city. Although inventories of a city can give information of GHG emissions from different sectors, urban government and planners need to know where emissions occur and how (or why) they occur where they do. It is thus important to spatially apportion GHG emission within a city for the practical application of GHG emission management and policies. In this study, we develop a framework for the spatial apportionment of urban GHG emissions. Xiamen is taken as a typical rapidly urbanizing city in China to demonstrate the framework of spatial apportionment. Results show that the ranking of GHG emission intensity for different land-use types of the city is manufacturing, mining, warehouse land, service industry land, transportation land, residential land and agriculture land with a ratio of 89:54:23:14:1. The vast majority of land for GHG sequestration was located in the peripheral area of the city and most land-use types in the central region of Xiamen had high GHG emissions. The implication for low-carbon urban planning is then discussed in terms of structure and connection strategies. Integrated with socioeconomic factors and urban land-use distribution, the spatial apportionment of GHG emission inventory can provide a more accurate analysis of emission sources and better management of emission sources through urban planning.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from urban office buildings energy usages (BEC) constitute a substantial component of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emission, and are set to rapidly increase with further urbanization. Establishing a concise, accurate, and realistic model that can predict future emissions is challenging but essential for strategies to develop low carbon construction and sustainable development in urban areas. In this paper, the operational energy use for 294 office buildings across China was collected and analyzed. We focus on four main variables, and analyze a further ten second-level variables, to elucidate the role that a building’s occupants, its structural characteristics, and localized natural conditions play in determining energy consumption. Using general regression neural network (GRNN), the factors’ direct and indirect effects on energy consumption were tested. A building’s structural attributes had the most impact on energy-related CO2 emissions, followed by the relevant socioeconomic conditions, the micro-climate, and finally the regional climate. A version of the model that was constructed with interaction between the four main variables was found to be the most precise. GRNN combined with urban development scenarios was used for the prediction of cities’ future CO2 emissions. Economic development and improving standards in the construction industry could have significant impacts on future CO2 emissions. This study provides a detailed method that could be used to explore the dynamics of office energy use and competing options for the construction of low-carbon office buildings.

Office buildings are now responsible for a large portion of the durable building stock's total energy consumption and play a key role in determining urban sustainability. Based on remote sensing and GIS data as well as statistical analysis methods, we found that building construction characteristics, socio-economic conditions, climate conditions, and microclimate contributed 32.27%, 18.37%, 13.84%, and 10.66%, respectively, to office building energy carbon emissions in China. Floor area, number of energy consumers, regional scientific investment, and heating degree days had positive relationships with office energy usages. Among these, the number of energy consumers had the greatest effect on OEC and heating degree day had the least effect. Technological progress may reduce energy demand, but the energy waste of office workers in buildings that adopt more energy-saving appliance, or admire for more comfortable temperature environment could offset these savings. Most of the taller buildings surveyed were constructed recently and equipped with energy-saving appliances, but these savings may have been offset by greater use of energy associated with higher income level, and greater support for energy spending from the government. These results provide baseline information for designing emission reductions programs and further studies.

Greenhouse gas emissions from buildings energy consumption increase disproportionate since the 21st century which would accelerate exhausting the fossil fuel supply and threatening the local climate. Using factor analysis, we study the contribution of four groups of influencing factors to office building energy consumption by integrating social economic, building, macro-climatic and micro-climate regulation factors. It showed that micro-climate controlling ability had the least contribution (with 9.64%) to the office building energy usages. Nevertheless, micro-climate regulation ability should not be ignored for its improvement process is relatively easier and the investment is lower when comparing with renovations on buildings, macro-climate or social-economic conditions. Using a geographical detector model, the effects of urban micro-climate regulation ability on office building energy consumption is further analyzed. The results showed that when integrated with green space and water body, the effect for carbon emission reduction was more obvious than using one of them alone. The green space had area threshold for office building energy usages carbon reduction but water body has not. If land area permitted, water body construction is more suitable than green space for reducing office building energy usage carbon emission. This study will provide urban low carbon building construction from the view of planning and layout of ecological land such as green-space and water space.

Household carbon emissions from energy use are rapidly increasing in conjunction with growing urbanization; their reduction is critical for local urban climate improvement and the sustainable development of cities. Low-carbon behavior is proved as a key element determining residents’ lifestyle. Understanding how that behavior affects household energy use will be useful in promoting low-carbon households. In this study, Xiamen, a coastal city was divided into areas at high and low risk of flooding. We used the path analysis method—integrated with behavior and socioeconomic factors—to explore the mechanisms of low carbon behavior effects on household direct energy use and related carbon emissions. We found that socioeconomic conditions combined with low-carbon behavior had direct and indirect impacts on household carbon emissions. Low-carbon behavior in the high-risk area contributed most to reducing carbon emissions. Education level was the important factors in the low-risk area. Government-led policies encouraging low-carbon behavior were effective in reducing household carbon emissions in the high-risk area. However, in low-risk areas, education about a low-carbon lifestyle is an effective means for reducing carbon emissions.

Food supply and consumption are critical for sustaining urban system functions, and are key determinants of the quantity and pathways of nutrient flow in cities. Nutrient elements from urban food consumption are becoming major pollutant sources in urban environments. Therefore, understanding flow magnitude and pathways, the role of a growing population, and changing dietary structure and technology in future nutrient metabolism are essential to understand cities as ecosystems and urban environmental management. Taking the city of Xiamen, a rapid urbanizing area of Southeast China as a case study, we simulated urban metabolism of three major food-sourced nutrient elements (carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus or CNP) over 1991–2010 and environmental emissions. Impacts of future population growth, dietary habit change, and waste treatment improvement on various environments were forecast by scenario analysis. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to test how different waste treatment technologies affect environmental emissions from food-sourced nutrients. Our results show that the food-sourced CNP had various metabolic fluxes through urban systems, with carbon mostly emitted into the air and nitrogen and phosphorus mostly discharged into landfills and water. Population growth and dietary structure change will accelerate increases of nutrient emissions to the environment, whereas enhancing current waste treatment technology can just alter emissions to different environments. Based on the results, we discuss how food-sourced nutrient metabolism can be better managed, to enhance connectivity between cities and their hinterlands and maintain environmental emissions within the carrying capacity of the cities. Keywords: Urban metabolism, Nutrient flows, Carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, China

The Aksu region within the Tarim Basin is a major source of windblown dust in China due to the arid climate and vast areas under intensive irrigated crop production. Despite the importance of crop production to human subsistence and the local economy, little is known about the amount of soil eroded by wind from agricultural lands in the region. Passive aeolian sediment collectors were used to measure soil loss from an irrigated cotton (Gossypium spp.) field and red date (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) orchard in the Aksu Oasis during high wind events in 2012 and 2013. Mass of sediment trapped by the collectors was best described as a power function of height above the surface in the cotton field and red date orchard. Soil loss from the cotton field ranged from 0 to 142 g m⁻², whereas soil loss from the red date orchard ranged from 0 to 71 g m⁻² for single- or multiple-day high wind events. Total soil loss from the cotton field and red date orchard, for the high wind events observed in this study, was 130 and 96 g m⁻², respectively, in 2012 and 305 and 165 g m⁻², respectively, in 2013. Soil loss was similar to that reported from agricultural lands in other regions of the world. Although soil loss is relatively small compared with the Gobi Desert in China, poor air quality in the Tarim Basin necessitates identifying crop and soil management practices for reducing windblown dust and conserving the soil resource.

Since there is an increasing demand for integrating landscape ecology and urban planning theories to study complex urban ecosystems and establish rational and ecological urban planning, we introduced a new concept-urban functional landscapes which can be reclassified based on detailed land use data to fulfill the various urban functions, such as residential, commercial, industrial, and infrastructure purposes. In this paper, urban functional landscapes were defined based on urban land use data produced from Pleiades images, and then landscape metrics and population density were combined to identify the urban functional zones along an urban–rural gradient. The features of urban functional landscape patterns and population density were also analyzed, and their relationship has been explored. The results showed that the pattern of urban functional landscapes and population density in the urban functional zones (Urban center, Urban peripheral area, Landscape barrier, Satellite city and Far-suburb) along the urban–rural gradient in Xiamen doesn't totally conform to the classical theories in spatial and social aspects. Urban functional landscapes is potential of acting as bridges between the landscape ecology and urban planning theories, providing scientific support for rational urban landscape planning and urban land use policy making.

The ecological indicator system (EIS) is widely used. It is vital to develop a scientific and rational EIS for practical application. Assessment of an EIS's effectiveness is important to understand the gaps between practical indicators and indicators that are considered theoretically ideal. In this paper we develop a conceptual method to quantitatively assess the effectiveness of a practical EIS by comparing it with the ideal EIS that is considered perfect by using three assessment indices: linkage, coverage and representation degrees. Linkage degree reveals the relevance of individual indicators to the ideal system. Coverage degree shows the integrity of the practical indicator system compared with the ideal system. Representation degree is the ultimate goal of the quantitative assessment and can detect the gap and overlap between the practical indicator system and the ideal one. Case study on the Ecological Province Construction Indicators (EPCI) proved that our conceptual method is useful to assess the effectiveness of a practical EIS. Compared with an ideal EIS, the EPCI has a high linkage and coverage degree but biased representation. Although the practical EIS covers most of the objectives detailed in the Fujian eco-province construction documents, many social development indicators are overlooked, including ecological culture and green consumption. Using the quantitative method will improve the practical application of an EIS by detecting its redundancy and weakness.

Peri-urban ecosystems are among the most intensive areas in terms of competition between different ecosystem components. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) plays a significant role in aquatic carbon cycling. The chemical composition of DOM and associated potential ecological risks in peri-urban aquatic ecosystems are poorly understood. Herein, we used fluorescence excitation-emission matrix and parallel factor analysis (EEM-PARAFAC) to characterize DOM in a peri-urban critical zone observatory watershed in Eastern China. According to the theory of natural disaster risk formation, we calculated the ecological risk of DOM in the peri-urban watershed. Seasonal variation in DOM concentrations was observed, whereas fluorescent DOM concentrations were site-specific across four sub-watersheds. The analysis of DOM absorption properties revealed the presence of DOM components with high aromatic content and large molecular weight in the watershed. Four fluorescent components (two humic-like and two protein-like substances) were identified using the PARAFAC model. Spatial distribution analysis showed that DOM quality was mainly influenced by human activities, and the proportion of protein-like substance (C3) was strongly correlated with anthropogenic parameters. The distribution of optical indices indicated diverse sources of DOM in the watershed. Ecological risk related to DOM was greater in the dry season than the wet season. There was a slight risk in most areas, with an extreme risk in areas experiencing the most intensive human disturbance, which were also extremely or heavily vulnerable. The results emphasize the strong influence of human disturbance on the ecological risk of DOM in peri-urban aquatic ecosystems. Our study provides useful information for ecological risk assessment of DOM that is difficult to obtain using traditional chemical analysis.

This paper is purposed to detect the spatial laws of gastric cancer in the rapid urbanization area and analyze relationships between gastric cancer and urbanization. Gastric cancer incidence data in Xiamen between 2006 and 2009 was collected from Xiamen CDC (Centre of Disease Control and Prevention). Urbanization age of Xiamen Island was calculated from remote images and terrain maps. Analysis results showed that 995 gastric cancer cases, accounting for 61.64 % was in Xiamen island, compared with 619 cases, accounting for 38.36 % outside. The average gastric cancer incidence was 32.98/1000,000 in Xiamen Island, compared to 16.13/1000,000 outside. The top ten sub-districts of gastric cancer all located in Xiamen Island, and urban areas have as more than twice gastric cancer incidence as rural area, with 28.62/100,000. The most likely spatial cluster of gastric cancer was Xiamen Island. Correlation analysis results indicated the urbanization age and spatial cluster degree had a significantly positive correlation relationship. Rapid urbanization in Xiamen changed the environment, namely acquired factors including land use change, air–water–soil pollution, less activity, electromagnetic radiation and contaminated sea foods. These are risk factors of gastric cancer. This research indicated that Xiamen Island was prevalent of gastric cancer with a positive correlation with urbanization age.

Fine-scale, accurate intra-urban functional zones (urban land use) are important for applications that rely on exploring urban dynamic and complexity. However, current methods of mapping functional zones in built-up areas with high spatial resolution remote sensing images are incomplete due to a lack of social attributes. To address this issue, this paper explores a novel approach to mapping urban functional zones by integrating points of interest (POIs) with social properties and very high spatial resolution remote sensing imagery with natural attributes, and classifying urban function as residence zones, transportation zones, convenience shops, shopping centers, factory zones, companies, and public service zones. First, non-built and built-up areas were classified using high spatial resolution remote sensing images. Second, the built-up areas were segmented using an object-based approach by utilizing building rooftop characteristics (reflectance and shapes). At the same time, the functional POIs of the segments were identified to determine the functional attributes of the segmented polygon. Third, the functional values—the mean priority of the functions in a road-based parcel—were calculated by functional segments and segmental weight coefficients. This method was demonstrated on Xiamen Island, China with an overall accuracy of 78.47% and with a kappa coefficient of 74.52%. The proposed approach could be easily applied in other parts of the world where social data and high spatial resolution imagery are available and improve accuracy when automatically mapping urban functional zones using remote sensing imagery. It will also potentially provide large-scale land-use information.

The ecology in the Tarim River Basin is influenced by inundation of its floodplain. To date, however, there is limited information about the infiltration properties of floodplain soils that are inundated by this river. The aim of this study was to investigate steady-infiltration rates of these soils under four different hydraulic heads (5, 10, 20, and 30 cm). Results showed that the mean infiltration rates were generally high and ranged from 3.17 to 3.50 cm h−1 when the hydraulic head was between 5 and 30 cm. The steady infiltration increased slightly as the hydraulic head increased. The relationship between the hydraulic head and the infiltration rate can be described by the equation y = 0.0122x + 3.072, (R 2 = 0.739), where y is the steady-infiltration rate and x is the hydraulic head. There was no significant difference between the infiltration rates for the four different hydraulic heads. The infiltration rate was highest for loamy sand, followed by sandy loam, and was lowest for silt soils. Infiltration was influenced by soil texture and crust, and was low (

Background China has the biggest population in the world, and has been experiencing the largest migration in history, and its rapid urbanization has profound and lasting impacts on local and national public health. Under these conditions, a systems understanding on the correlation among urbanization, environmental change and public health and to devise solutions at national, local and individual levels are in urgent need. Methods In this paper, we provide a comprehensive review of recent studies which have examined the relationship between urbanization, urban environmental changes and human health in China. Based on the review, coupled with a systems understanding, we summarize the challenges and opportunities for promoting the health and wellbeing of the whole nation at national, local, and individual levels. Results Urbanization and urban expansion result in urban environmental changes, as well as residents’ lifestyle change, which can lead independently and synergistically to human health problems. China has undergone an epidemiological transition, shifting from infectious to chronic diseases in a much shorter time frame than many other countries. Environmental risk factors, particularly air and water pollution, are a major contributing source of morbidity and mortality in China. Furthermore, aging population, food support system, and disparity of public service between the migrant worker and local residents are important contributions to China’s urban health. Conclusions At the national level, the central government could improve current environmental policies, food safety laws, and make adjustments to the health care system and to demographic policy. At the local level, local government could incorporate healthy life considerations in urban planning procedures, make improvements to the local food supply, and enforce environmental monitoring and management. At the individual level, urban residents can be exposed to education regarding health behaviour choices while being encouraged to take responsibility for their health and to participate in environmental monitoring and management. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12940-016-0104-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

In recent years, biochar has received a great attention due to its high application in different sectors of environment. The feasibility of biochar applications is depended on its physical and chemical properties and biochar-derived dissolved organic matter (DOM) characteristics. This study was conducted to investigate the spectroscopic characteristics of biochar-derived DOM and its binding capacity of hydrophobic organic chemicals (HOCs). DOM solutions were isolated from five different biochars prepared through pyrolysis and analyzed for dissolved organic carbon (DOC) contents. The optical analysis with UV-visible absorption and excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectroscopes and DOC water distribution coefficient (KDOC) were calculated in the presence of PAHs and DOM. The DOC contents and the estimated aromaticity (SUVA254) were different for selected biochars. The DOM derived from soybean straw biochar (SBBC) showed the highest DOC contents followed by rice straw biochar (RSBC). The SBBC and RSBC peak position in the fluorescence excitation/emission matrix at longer wavelength corresponded to the peak position of other three biochars indicating that SBBC and RSBC had relatively higher degree of humification. This was well correlated with the observed KDOC values, suggesting that the KDOC value(')s dominant factor was the degree of biochar-derived DOM humification. The results of this study indicate that the optical analysis may provide valuable information regarding the characteristics of biochar-derived DOM and its application as environmental amendments for minimization of toxic organic compounds.