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The transfer of land plays a crucial role in revitalizing land resources, acting as a catalyst for promoting the high-quality development of agriculture. The land transfer ratio is a crucial metric for assessing the progress of rural land transfer and the effective allocation of rural land resources. Thus, this study examines the rural land transfer ratio across 30 provinces in China from 2005 to 2020. The study explores the distribution characteristics of the ratio using the rank-size rule and trend surface analysis. The LISA space-time transition method is employed to analyze the spatial and temporal dynamics of the rural land transfer ratio and examine its convergence. The study aims to comprehensively analyze the spatial distribution characteristics and evolutionary patterns of rural land transfer in China, illustrating the convergence and influencing factors during the development process. The results indicate that: (1) The rural land transfer ratio in China is generally increasing, with a spatial pattern showing an upward trend from west to east and from north to south. The main spatial contrast is between the eastern and western regions, with a relatively minor distinction between the southern and northern regions. (2) The LISA space-time transition highlights a significant spatial locking effect in China's rural land transfer ratio, suggesting strong spatial integration in its evolution. (3) Clear indications of σ convergence, absolute β convergence, and club convergence are evident in China's rural land transfer ratio. This suggests a gradual reduction in internal disparities among provinces and regions, where areas with higher land transfer ratios influence spatial spillover effects on adjacent lower areas. (4) Factors such as transportation infrastructure, irrigation, water conservancy construction, and farmers' per capita income collectively influence the spatial and temporal evolution of China's rural land transfer ratio, with dominant driving factors varying across different periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's commitment to attaining carbon neutrality by 2060 has galvanized research into carbon sequestration, a critical approach for mitigating climate change. Despite the rapid urbanization observed since the turn of the millennium, a comprehensive analysis of how urbanization influences urban carbon storage throughout China remains elusive. Our investigation delves into the nuanced effects of urbanization on carbon storage, dissecting both the direct and indirect influences by considering urban-suburban gradients and varying degrees of urban intensity. We particularly scrutinize the roles of climatic and anthropogenic factors in mediating the indirect effects of urbanization on carbon storage. Our findings reveal that urbanization in China has precipitated a direct reduction in carbon storage by approximately 13.89 Tg of carbon (Tg C). Remarkably, urban sprawl has led to a diminution of vegetation carbon storage by 8.65 Tg C and a decrease in soil carbon storage by 5.24 Tg C, the latter resulting from the sequestration of impervious surfaces and the elimination of organic matter inputs following vegetation removal. Meanwhile, carbon storage in urban greenspaces has exhibited an increase of 6.90 Tg C and offsetting 49.70% of the carbon loss induced by direct urbanization effects. However, the indirect effects of urbanization predominantly diminish carbon storage in urban greenspaces by an average of 5.40%. The degree of urban vegetation management emerges as a pivotal factor influencing the indirect effects of urbanization on carbon storage. To bolster urban carbon storage, curbing urban sprawl and augmenting urban green spaces are imperative strategies. Insights from this study are instrumental in steering sustainable urban planning and advancing towards the goal of carbon neutrality. [Display omitted] • - Analyzed 30 m resolution urban carbon storage changes from 2000 to 2020. • - Evaluated direct and indirect urbanization impacts on carbon storage. • - Identified a direct urban expansion carbon loss of 13.89 Tg. • - Noted a 6.90 Tg C increase in urban greenspaces, mitigating 49.70% of the loss. • - −5.40% indirect effect on greenspaces, aggravating decline in carbon storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 outbreak has injured the global industrial supply chain, especially China as the world's largest manufacturing base. Since 2020, China has implemented a rigorous lockdown policy, which has sternly damaged sectoral trade in export-oriented coastal areas. Fujian Province, which mainly processes imported materials, has a more profound influence. Although the COVID-19 lockdown has had some detrimental consequences on the world economy, it also had some favorable benefits on the global ecology. Previous studies have shown that the lockdown has altered the physical water quantity and quality, but the lack of total, virtual, and physical water research that combines water quantity and water quality simultaneously to pinpoint the subject and responsibility of water resources consumption and pollution. This research quantified the physical, virtual, and total water consumption and water pollution among 30 sectors in Fujian Province based on the theory of water footprint and the Economic Input-Output Life Cycle Assessment model. SDA model was then used to investigate the socioeconomic elements that underpin variations in the water footprint. The results show that after the lockdown, the physical water quantity and the physical grey WF in Fujian Province decreased by 2.6 Gm3 (−6.7%) and 0.4 Gm3 (−1.3%) respectively. The virtual water quantity decreased by 2.3 Gm3 (−4.5%), whereas the virtual grey WF rose by 1.5 Gm3 (4.3%). The total water quantity dropped by 3.3 Gm3 (−4.9%), while the grey WF increased by 1.2 Gm3 (2.5%), i.e. the COVID-19 lockdown decreases physical water quantity and improves local water quality. More than 50% of the water comes from virtual water trade outside the province (virtual water is highly dependent on external), and around 60% of the grey WF comes from physical sewage in the province. The COVID-19 lockdown reduced water outsourcing across the province (paid nonlocally decrease) but increased pollution outsourcing (paid nonlocally increase). And gross capital formation's contribution to the growth in water footprint will continue to rise. As a result, this study suggested that Fujian should take advantage of sectoral trade network to enhance the transaction of green water-intensive intermediate products, reduce the physical water consumption of blue water-intensive sectors, and reduce the external dependence on water consumption. Achieving the shared responsibility of upstream and downstream water consumption and reducing the external dependence on water in water-rich regions is crucial to solving the world's water problems. This research provides empirical evidence for the long-term effects of COVID-19 lockdown on the physical and virtual water environment. [Display omitted] • The impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on Fujian's water footprints (WFs) is explored. • The lockdown measures reduce physical water consumption with water quality improved. • Over 50% of water consumption is external and 60% of grey WF is local-based. • Fujian should leverage sectoral trade network to enhance its water sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A multi-scale gully erosion monitoring method was developed. • Long-term gully morphology changes from 1959 to 2018 were monitored. • Impact of land use and topographic factors on gully-head retreat was evaluated. • Topographic thresholds of gully initiation were determined. Gully erosion has been widely regarded as an extreme process of land degradation around the world. Gully development rate and topographic thresholds obtained by measuring the morphological parameters of multiple gullies and their influencing factors are important indicators used to characterize gully activity and potential locations of gully initiation. However, existing gully measurement and observation methods are time-consuming and labor-intensive, and usually only a single or several gullies can be measured at a time. The objectives of this study are to develop a multi-scale gully erosion monitoring method by combining unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology with historical aerial photogrammetry and a field survey, achieve the measurement of gully morphological parameters (length, width, depth, area, width-depth ratio, cross-sectional area and volume) and environmental factors (land use, slope gradient and drainage basin area) for numerous gullies in larger regions, and finally, solve the issue of the accurate calculation of regional topographic thresholds and gully development rates. We applied a multi-scale gully erosion monitoring method in the marginal zone of the Chinese Loess Plateau to investigate the gully changes from 1959 to 2018 and further identified long-term gully development patterns and their main control factors. We identified 46 permanent gullies via a field survey. Long-term developments in 30 permanent gullies were obtained using historical aerial photographs and UAV images. The topographic threshold relationship between the upslope drainage basin area (A) and local slope gradient (S) was determined using the remaining 16 incipient gullies derived from UAV images. The results indicated that the gully dimensions experienced significant expansion; the linear gully-head retreat was considerably stronger than the gully widening and deepening. The contribution of the eroded volume from the gully-head retreat to the total eroded volume was 6.1 times that of the gully sidewall retreat, indicating that gully-head retreat was the primary mechanism for gully development during the study period. The area of the gully-head drainage basin played a more significant role than the slope gradient and land use to explain the gully-head retreat. The S-A topographic threshold relationship was S = 0.0478 A −0.4915, implying that overland flow erosion was the dominant gully erosion process in the study area. Our results provide the gully development rate and topographic threshold relationship in the marginal zone of the Loess Plateau and clarify the potential location of gully development, while proposing that effective reduction of the drainage basin area can aid in curbing gully erosion. This study suggests a multi-scale gully erosion monitoring method for rapidly and precisely obtaining long-term gully development characteristics in various regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]