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Li, Y.; Wei, B.; Suo, A.; Zhang, Z.; Xu, Y., and Liang, Y., 2020. Spatial and temporal coupling relationships of coastline exploitation and environmental carrying safety in Ningbo, China. Journal of Coastal Research, 36(6), 1292–1301. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Spatial correlations and conflicts arise between the intensity of the spatial exploitation of the coastal zone and its environmental carrying safety, which refers to the ability of resources in the coastal zone and the environment to withstand human activities and disasters. To study the spatial and temporal coupling relationships between the suitability of exploitation of the coastal space and its environmental carrying safety, a model to assess the suitability of the coastline was established using spatial difference, overlay analysis, cluster analysis, and the analytic hierarchy process, a coastline carrying safety model was constructed according to a standard for the intensity of coastline exploitation and an artificial index, a model for spatial–temporal coupling was used to analyze the correlation between the suitability of the coastline and results of the assessment of its carrying safety. The results for the Ningbo coastline showed the following: (1) The length of the productive coastline increased from 176.09 km to 218.82 km and that of the ecological coastline decreased from 329.99 km to 305.74 km, which shows that the Ningbo coastline is being developed more intensely. (2) The length of the coastal carrying safe zone in Ningbo increased from 488.78 km to 568.05 km and that of the critical carrying and unsafe zone decreased from 311.32 km to 255.15 km which shows that Ningbo has gradually achieved sustainable development by upgrading its industrial infrastructure and raising ecological awareness. (3) In terms of space, the suitability of exploitation of the coastline of Ningbo had a significant negative correlation with its level of carrying safety. This indicates that the exploitation of the coastal zone in Ningbo has put pressure on carrying safety in the region in recent years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal zones are affected by ocean–land interaction and furthermore, are areas of intense human activity. Exploitation and utilisation of coastal zones directly affect the sustainable development of coastal cities; therefore, it is necessary to conduct space suitability evaluation of such areas to facilitate the rational allocation and sustainable development of coastal resources. In this study, we selected the following factors for a relevant evaluation index, namely land and ocean natural conditions, resource and environmental bearing capacity, exploitation intensity, economic foundation, and social structure. We constructed a guidance and constraint model to evaluate the land and marine spaces of the coastal zone and, subsequently, established criteria for land–sea coordination and integration to facilitate optimum utilisation of coastal zones. Finally, we established an optimal land-use allocation model and relative deviation index to evaluate the scientificity and feasibility of our results. Taking the coastal zone of Ningbo in Zhejiang province, China, as an example, our results showed that (1) The ecological space comprises 5984 km2, accounting for 49.58% of the coastal zone in Ningbo, urban and construction space comprises 997.76 km2, accounting for 8.27%, and agriculture and fishery space comprises 5088.15 km2, accounting for 42.16%, with the ratio of the three types of space being 5:4:1. (2) Generally, the development intensity of the coastal zone in Ningbo is strong in the north and weak in the south, and the overall spatial pattern is urban exploitation in the north, industrial and port traffic areas in the east, and ecological, agricultural, and fishery areas in the south. (3) The relative deviation index of urban and construction space is 1.21, the planned land use exceeds the reasonable demand, the relative deviation indices of ecological space and agricultural and fishery spaces are 0.13 and −0.08, respectively, with the land area showing a decreasing trend. Clearly, development in the coastal zone in Ningbo is too intense. Consequently, it is necessary to strengthen the management and control of land use in this coastal zone to protect its ecological, agricultural, and fishery resources. [Display omitted] • Simultaneous development and protection of land and ocean coastal resources. • Evaluation index system according to the characteristics of both land and ocean. • Municipal-scale model for suitability evaluation of coastal zone development. • Suitability evaluation results optimised according to land–sea integration criteria. • Optimal allocation model of land use and relative deviation index verified results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]