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The Yangtze River is the mother river of China. To promote the aquatic ecosystem protection of the great river, the Project of Yangtze Fisheries Resources and Environment Investigation (2017–2021) supported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, P. R. China carried out by 24 institutes and universities that located in the Yangtze River basin surveys the status of (1) fish species composition and spatial distribution, (2) current fish abundance, (3) endangered fishes, (4) Yangtze finless porpoise, (5) aquatic eco-environments, (6) water-level fluctuation areas, (7) capture fisheries and recreational fisheries of the Yangtze River mainstream and 10 of its main tributaries, including Yalong River, Heng River, Min River (including Dadu River), Chishui River, Tuo River, Jialing River, Wu River, Han River, Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake. The results showed that there were 443 fish species (belonging to 163 genus, 37 families, and 18 orders) before 2017, but only 323 fish species (including 15 new recorded exotic species) were recorded in the project of 2017–2021. Among them, Cyprinus carpio, Carassius auratus, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, Pelteobagrus fulvidraco, Coilia brachygnathus, Silurus asotus, Saurogobio dabryi, Ctenopharyngodon idellus, Pelteobagrus nitidus, Hemiculter leucisculus, Siniperca chuatsi, Coreius heterodon, Culter alburnus, Parabramis pekinensis, and Aristichthys nobilis were the dominant species across the whole Yangtze River system. It is estimated that there were 886 million individuals weighing 124.8 million kg, merely equivalent to 27.3% of the resources in 1950s, 30.9% of the resources in 1960s, or 58.7% of the resources in 1980s. In the new list of protected fishes that recorded in the Yangtze River system, only 15 of 29 were collected in this project of 2017–2021. Psephurus gladius has been affirmed to be Extinct by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The wild individuals of Tenualosa reevesii and Luciobrama macrocephalus have disappeared for many years and maybe have been extinct already. Acipenser dabryanus has been affirmed to be Extinct in the Wild by IUCN. The natural propagations of A. sinensis, Myxocyprinus asiaticus and Trachidermus fasciatus have been interrupted for many years. The populations of Yangtze finless porpoise in the Yangtze River mainstream, Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake have steadily rising sizes and expanding distributions in 2017–2021. Parts of them migrate from one region to another with the seasons, which would result in the fluctuation of Yangtze finless porpoise population within some regions. The conventional indicators of water quality in the Yangtze River system were good and conformed to the water quality criteria of fishery in 2017–2021. In the last 40 years, the maximum surface water area in the Yangtze River basin extended to approximately 63,360 km2, the minimum surface water area covered approximately 26,396 km2, and the seasonal water-level fluctuation areas occupied approximately 36,964 km2. Compared with 1984–2000 period, the 2001–2020 period witnessed an overall decreasing trend in the frequency of surface water occurrence within about 25,869 km2 of aquatic areas. From 1984 to 2000 period to 2001–2020 period, permanent surface water has decreased by nearly 8,750 km2. In 2017, the fishermen were mainly 40–60 years old and their educational levels were mainly lower than junior high school. In 2017, most anglers were older than 40 and used hand rod and/or sea rod. Their average catch of each time was mainly less than 1 kg. Results suggested that the fishing ban in key waters of the Yangtze River basin is not only an ecological project of aquatic ecosystem conservation, but also a livelihood project for the fisherman to embrace industrial transformation and improve their living conditions. After the implementation of the fishing ban, the fisheries resources would gradually recover, and the Yangtze finless porpoise population size would also see a steady increase. However, the endangered species would remain threatened for a long time. The degraded waterbodies and water-level fluctuation areas would be the key restrictive factors for future aquatic ecosystem recovery in the Yangtze River basin. Since this survey was carried out before the fishing ban, the current results could provide a baseline for future evaluation of the effect of the Yangtze River fishing ban.

Diverse land use patterns exhibit varying effects on water quality across different seasons and spatial scales. However, current studies on the correlation between land use and water quality in single small-scale basins no longer meet the needs of regional coordinated development. Simultaneous comparative analysis of multiple large-scale basins can promote water environmental protection in different basins, but there is currently limited relevant research. In this study, the data from 86 sampling points across seven major river basins in China were analyzed. Multivariate statistical analysis and the redundancy analysis (RDA) were employed to investigate the influence of land use patterns on water quality at different seasons and spatial scales. The results indicated notable differences in water quality across various seasons and locations. Except for higher pH and permanganate index (COD) concentrations in the wet season in the Songhua River Basin and higher COD concentrations in the Pearl River Basin, the concentrations of all parameters in other basins are higher in the dry season. PH and COD exhibited considerable spatial variations within basins, while dissolved oxygen (DO) and ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N) showed smaller variations. RDA showed that land use had a more pronounced effect on water quality during the dry season in the Yangtze, Liao and Pearl River Basins, while the impact was greater in the wet season in the four basins of the Yellow, Huai, Hai and Songhua River Basins. At the spatial scale, the 2000 m buffer zone had the most significant impact within the Yangtze, Hai and Liao River Basins, while the 1000 m buffer zone had the greatest impact in the Huai and Pearl River Basins. For the Yellow and Songhua River Basins, the buffer zone was 500 m during the wet season and 1000 m and 2000 m during the dry season, respectively. The research findings can offer a scientific foundation for the development of basin-specific land management policies and water quality protection measures in different basins from a multi-scale perspective.

Since the new century, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has managed to sustain stable economic growth, drawing global attention due to its robust performance. Nighttime light (NTL) observations have been recognized as a useful tool for monitoring the long-term socioeconomic development trends over large areas. Therefore, this study focused on analyzing the spatial and temporal distribution of NTL data in ASEAN countries from 2000 to 2022. The results reveal that NTL data are closely correlated with four key socioeconomic factors, including population, gross domestic product, industrial output, and service industry output. This demonstrates the viability of using NTL data as a proxy for assessing socioeconomic development levels in ASEAN countries. The study also observes significant variations in the spatial distribution of NTL within the ASEAN. Since 2000, there has been a continuous increase in NTL data across ASEAN countries, with a particularly rapid growth phase commencing post-2010. Notably, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam exhibited the fastest growth rates, with annual averages of 15.79%, 14.95%, and 14.81%, respectively. Furthermore, the relative changes in NTL values in ASEAN countries significantly surpassed those observed in South Korea, Japan, and the United States. The main reasons may be the implementation of open policies, optimized industrial structure, enhanced infrastructure development, and abundant labor resources in ASEAN countries. The insights from this study provide local governments and policymakers with a scientific basis to inform regional sustainable development planning in ASEAN countries, highlighting the importance of integrating NTL data analysis in socioeconomic development strategies.

As an emerging contaminant, the spatial distribution characteristics of microplastics in source water reservoirs warrant further attention from researchers. In this study, the Luhun Reservoir, which is situated in the middle reaches of the Yellow River, was selected as the object. Field sampling and detection were conducted to ascertain the presence of microplastics in water and sediment. The results indicated that the abundance of microplastics in the water varied from 1.60 to 13.26 items/L, while in the sediment it ranged from 792.38 to 2352.00 items/kg. Polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, and polyamides exhibited higher levels in the water, whereas polyamides and polyethylene were more predominant in the sediments. Additionally, the surface layer exhibited the highest abundance of microplastics, followed by the bottom, while the intermediate layer displayed the lowest. As the depth increased, there was a gradual decrease in the proportion of polyethylene and an increase in the proportions of polyethylene terephthalate and polyamides. The risk assessment results showed that the Pollution Risk Index value of the water was 201.79, while the sediment had a value of 184.98, indicating a moderate potential ecological risk. This study provides valuable insights into the spatial distribution patterns of microplastics at different water depths and provides crucial data support for understanding the migration patterns of microplastics in source water reservoirs.

The issue of global nitrogen overload is widely acknowledged as a pressing concern, with excessive nitrogen input resulting from human activities posing a significant threat to regional security. Notably, China emerges as a prominent contributor, exhibiting one of the highest anthropogenic nitrogen inputs worldwide. This study employs the Net Anthropogenic Nitrogen Input (NANI) as a pivotal tool to scrutinize the spatial and temporal patterns of nitrogen input in China spanning from 1990 to 2020. The total NANI reached its zenith in 2020 at 723,378.80 kg·km−2·yr−1, marking a noteworthy 54.41 % increase from 1990. Among the various nitrogen sources, food/feed nitrogen input prevails, constituting 62.30 % of NANI, followed by atmospheric nitrogen deposition at 30.05 %. In less developed regions, primary contributors to NANI include nitrogen fertilizer application and crop nitrogen fixation. The spatial distribution of NANI exhibits a diminishing trend from east to west and north to south. Conducting a quantitative analysis, this study elucidates the impact of socioeconomic factors on NANI in China. Population density (r = 0.97) and GDP (r = 0.91) emerge as primary influencers, with agricultural factors such as livestock breeding (r = 0.70), grain production (r = 0.40), and fertilizer application (r = 0.65) following suit. In addressing the environmental challenges posed by excessive nitrogen, future mitigation strategies should prioritize enhancements in manure management practices and the implementation of pollution reduction facilities.

The escalation in carbon dioxide concentration has precipitated global climate warming, accentuating ecological and environmental concerns. Notably, China stands as the world’s largest carbon emitter, with the Taihu Lake basin emerging as a carbon-intensive region within the country. This paper undertakes a comprehensive analysis spanning 2005 to 2020, calculating the economic contribution coefficient of carbon emissions and the ecological carrying coefficient of carbon absorption in the Taihu Lake basin. The study includes a delineation of carbon balance zones and an exploration of the geographical and spatial influences of both ecosystem and economic factors. The overarching trend in carbon emissions within the Taihu Lake Basin initially exhibited rapid growth, followed by a fluctuating decline, with the pivotal year being 2012, recording the apex of emissions at 575.8293 million tons. Concurrently, total carbon absorption demonstrated a fluctuating growth trajectory, ascending from 82.3503 million tons in 2005 to 85.6488 million tons in 2020. The carbon emission intensity in the basin manifested a pattern of high concentration in the northeast and low concentration in the southwest, while the carbon absorption intensity displayed the inverse pattern. The carbon balance across the Taihu Lake Basin revealed a spatial incongruity, characterized by a suboptimal pattern in the northeast and a favorable pattern in the southwest. Zhejiang Province emerged as an ecological stronghold within the basin, acting as the primary carbon sink functional area. Urban built-up areas and forested regions emerged as principal influencers of carbon balance in the Taihu Lake basin. Urban construction land, population density, and arable land area were identified as primary contributors to carbon emissions, whereas per capita GDP, forests, grasslands, and water bodies were identified as main contributors to carbon absorption in the watershed.

Non-point source (NPS) pollution has become a primary threat to the water environment. With the implementation of numerous control projects, striking a balance between economic costs and efficiency has become an urgent issue for decision-makers. To identify the optimization solutions for best management practices (BMPs) at the watershed scale, a genetic algorithm and the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model were combined to evaluate the trade-offs of NPS control strategies. The BMPs considered in this model included soil testing and fertilizer application technology, integrated pest management projects, conservation tillage, lakeside belt ecological construction, forest construction, and vegetation filter strips. The decision variables are the type and size of the BMPs, with the objective of minimizing costs while simultaneously maximizing both total phosphorus (TP) reduction and ecosystem service value. TP reduction was simulated usinga calibrated SWAT model that successfully assessed NPS pollution in the Dianchi lake watershed. Considering NPS generation and transfer, three NPS control scenarios were designed: source reduction, process retention, and integrated control. The upper limits of the costs for three scenarios were 157, 4921, and 5013 million yuan, respectively. It is suggested that the ecological benefits should be taken into account in the BMPs design. This finding is conducive to generating optimized control schemes that can effectively balance the trade-offs between socioeconomic costs and environmental sustainability.

Abstract Rivers are among the most diverse, dynamic, and productive ecosystems on Earth. River flow regimes are constantly changing, but characterizing and understanding such changes have been challenging from a long-term and global perspective. By analyzing water extent variations observed from four-decade Landsat imagery, we here provide a global attribution of the recent changes in river regime to morphological dynamics (e.g., channel shifting and anabranching), expansion induced by new dams, and hydrological signals of widening and narrowing. Morphological dynamics prevailed in ~20% of the global river area. Booming reservoir constructions, mostly skewed in Asia and South America, contributed to ~32% of the river widening. The remaining hydrological signals were characterized by contrasting hotspots, including prominent river widening in alpine and pan-Arctic regions and narrowing in the arid/semi-arid continental interiors, driven by varying trends in climate forcing, cryospheric response to warming, and human water management. Our findings suggest that the recent river extent dynamics diverge based on hydroclimate and socio-economic conditions, and besides reflecting ongoing morphodynamical processes, river extent changes show close connections with external forcings, including climate change and anthropogenic interference.

The safety, inclusivity, accessibility, and green communities emphasized in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) play a vital role in the establishment of child-friendly cities. The governments are actively promoting the development of sustainable, child-friendly cities that prioritize people’s needs and aim to enhance the well-being of residents, from children to families. However, there is limited research utilizing GIS analysis techniques and internet big data to analyze spatial equity in children’s spatial accessibility. Therefore, this study introduces an innovative approach focusing on the community level. Drawing on data from the popular social networking platform mobile application “Xiaohongshu” and employing network analysis methods based on walking and driving modes, this study analyzed and investigated the accessibility of children’s spaces in the city of Hangzhou, China. Regarding spatial characteristics, the distribution of children’s space resources in the main urban area of Hangzhou exhibited a “peripheral low and central high” trend, which was closely linked to the distribution of population space. This pattern indicates potential significant disparities in the allocation of children’s space resources. Notably, the core area of Hangzhou demonstrated the highest level of accessibility to children’s spaces, with Gongshu District exhibiting the best accessibility. Conversely, non-core urban areas generally had relatively poor accessibility. Furthermore, different types of children’s spaces, such as indoor cultural spaces, indoor entertainment spaces, outdoor parks, and outdoor nature areas, all exhibited the highest accessibility in the city center, which gradually decreased towards the periphery. Additionally, this study evaluated the convenience of children’s spaces in various communities by combining population size and accessibility levels. The findings revealed that communities in the core area had higher accessibility levels in the northwest–southeast direction, while accessibility decreased towards the northeast–southwest direction. Consequently, the relative convenience of these communities tended to be lower. By examining spatial equity, this study provides valuable insights into the promotion of sustainable, child-friendly cities that prioritize people’s needs and contribute to the well-being of residents, from children to families.

Measurement(s) Hydrology, Topography, Climate, Anthropogenic, and Soils for China’s lake basins Technology Type(s) spatial analysis and mathematical statistics Factor Type(s) CODCLAB_Level1 • CODCLAB_Level2 • CODCLAB_Level3 Sample Characteristic - Location China’s lake basins

As an emerging contaminant, the presence of microplastics is widespread in the environment. However, current research regarding the removal of microplastics by drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) remains insufficient. This study aims to investigate microplastics in water and sludge in four DWTPs in Zhengzhou; these DWTPs have different water sources. The results revealed that the abundance of microplastics in raw water ranged from 12.80 ± 0.80 to 25.07 ± 1.67 n/L. Overall, fibers and fragments ranging from 10 to 100 μm constituted the primary components. The proportion of white and transparent microplastics was the highest. Among the ten polymer types detected, polyvinyl chloride, polyphenylene oxide, and polyethylene terephthalate were the predominant ones in raw water; polyethylene terephthalate emerged as the prevalent polymer type in treated drinking water, with both polyethylene terephthalate and polyvinyl chloride being primarily present in sludge. The removal rate of microplastics ranged from 45.8% to 74.5%. Furthermore, the removal rates at the sedimentation tank outlet accounted for more than 50.0% of the total removal rate. The abundance of microplastics in sludge was significantly higher than that in water, indicating a concentrated environment for the persistence of microplastics. The proper disposal of sludge has emerged as one of the challenges requiring our attention.

In the context of rural development and transformation, it is crucial to identify the impact of rural multifunctionality on non-point source (NPS) pollution. This study applies the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), geographical detector, and principal component analysis in Liyang, a typical hilly subbasin in China, in order to assess the rural multifunctional development that influences the spatial differentiation of NPS pollution and detect the interactive effects of rural multifunctionality. The R2 and NSE demonstrated that the calibrated SWAT model successfully simulated NPS pollution in Liyang. The village scale was identified as the optimal research scale for examining the rural multifunctional development on NPS pollution distribution. The rural multifunctional indicators, such as the proportion of vegetable farming, sowing area, and grain farming, would influence NPS distribution. The number of family farming cooperatives, the area of pond farming, and the nature reserves area were also significant. The rural multifunctionality in Liyang could be classified into five categories: grain production, mixed agriculture, ecological conservation, leisure tourism, and industry and business function. The superposition of rural multifunctionality has a strengthening effect on NPS pollution, especially when the ecological conservation function is combined with the grain production or modern agriculture function. The study could provide NPS pollution control strategies for policymaking in rural multifunctional development.

Food security has received extensive academic attention in recent years. However, research results analyzing cultivated land pressure from the perspective of urbanization are relatively few. This study used Jiangsu Province as the study area and analyzed the spatial pattern evolution of cultivated land pressure from 2005 to 2019 by constructing a formula for a cultivated land pressure index. The study used a spatial econometric approach to analyze the spatial relationship between urbanization and cultivated land pressure. Based on the spatial Durbin model, the impact of urbanization on the pressure on cultivated land is analyzed. According to the results, Jiangsu Province showed an obvious north–south divergence in the spatial distribution of the cultivated land pressure index, with the low-value areas of the cultivated land pressure index mainly distributed in northern and central Jiangsu, and the high-value areas mainly distributed in southern Jiangsu. The urbanization level and cultivated land pressure level in Jiangsu Province showed obvious spatial clustering characteristics, and there was a certain overlap between the high- and low-value clustering areas of the two, with significant positive spatial correlation features. The total urbanization had no significant effect on the cultivated land pressure. Population urbanization and industry urbanization showed a significant negative effect on cultivated land pressure in Jiangsu Province, while land urbanization showed a positive effect. Both population and land urbanization had a significant negative spatial spillover effect on cultivated land pressure. Plausible explanations of these results were provided and policy implications were drawn.

Assessing the impacts and drivers of urban expansion on terrestrial carbon storage (TCS) is important for urban ecology and sustainability; however, a unified accounting standard for carbon intensity and research on the drivers and economic value of TCS changes are lacking. Here, urban expansion and TCS in the Yangtze River Delta were simulated based on Patch-generating Land Use Simulation and Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs models; scenario simulation; Literature, Correction, Ratio, Verification carbon intensity measurement; and land use transfer matrix methods. The results showed that (1) from 2000 to 2020, urbanization and TCS loss accelerated, with 61.127% of TCS loss occurring in soil, and land conversion was prominent in riverine and coastal cities, mainly driven by the urban land occupation of cropland around suitable slopes, transportation arteries, and rivers. (2) From 2020 to 2030, urban land expansion and TCS loss varied under different scenarios; economic losses from the loss of the carbon sink value under cropland protection and ecological protection were USD 102.368 and 287.266 million lower, respectively, than under the baseline scenario. Even if urban expansion slows, the loss of TCS under global warming cannot be ignored. Considering the indirect impacts of urbanization, the failure to establish a regional development master plan based on ecosystem services may affect China’s carbon targets.

As an economic pillar, major resource consumer, and polluter of cities, the chemical industry determines many cities’ transformation, prosperity, and decay. It is thus a major concern for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In China, which is at the stage of accelerated industrialization that is varied across regions, the chemical industry has gradually retreated from developed cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai, in the eastern region, and has become the inevitable choice for industrialization of less-developed cities, such as Xi’an, Chengdu, and Chongqing, in the western region. This study took the perspectives of chemical industrial sectors and their spatial differences to understand the changing patterns of the chemical industry and its dominant cities. It identified chemical industrial cities (CICs), examined their spatial-temporal patterns with respect to their industry scale and structure, and accounted for factors influencing the spatial evolution from coastal areas to inland regions. The results show that large CICs were mainly located in coastal port regions with balanced industrial sectors, while small CICs were mainly distributed in inland areas with abundant oil and coal resources and a single dominant industrial sector. The location factors of ports, markets, and technology play important roles in the eastern region, while resource conditions and foreign direct investment promote the chemical industry’s development in the central, western, and northeastern cities. These findings improve the understanding of CICs’ spatial transformation and shed light on the policy-making of chemical industrial development in China and other developing countries.

The paper presents the data that is related in the research paper entitled “High-speed rail network development and winner and loser cities in megaregions: The case study of Yangtze River Delta, China” (Wang and Duan, in press) [1]. This data article describes the modelling results of spatially continuous accessibility surfaces through transport modes of the highway, conventional rail and high-speed rail networks in the Yangtze River Delta mega-region, China. By using a door-to-door approach to integrate intra- and inter-city travel, the data is stimulated in the geographic information system environment. It is calculated by the datasets of transport networks, land-use types and transport speeds which are mainly collected from the OpenStreetMap and GlobeLand30 and relevant design specifications on transport infrastructures, respectively. The data is stored in raster format and provides high spatial resolution at 100 m. The data can be used as a baseline in the studies of transport economics and planning.

This paper explores the urban-geographical potential of simulation approaches combining spatial and topological processes. Drawing on Vértes et al.'s (2012) economical clustering model, we propose a generative network model integrating factors captured in traditional spatial models (e.g., gravity models) and more recently developed topological models (e.g., actor-oriented stochastic models) into a single framework. In our urban network-implementation of the generative network model, it is assumed that the emergence of inter-city linkages can be approximated through probabilistic processes that speak to a series of contradictory forces. Our exploratory study focuses on the outline of the infrastructure networks connecting prefecture-level cities in the highly urbanized Yangtze River Delta (China). Possible hampering factors in the emergence of these networks include distance and administrative boundaries, while stimulating factors include a measure of city size (population, gross domestic product) and a topological rule stating that the formation of connections between cities sharing nearest neighbors is more likely (i.e., a transitive effect). Based on our results, two wider implications of our research are discussed: (1) it confirms the potential of the proposed method in urban network simulation in that the inclusion of a topological factor alongside geographical factors generates an urban network that better approximates the observed network; (2) it allows exploring the differential extent to which driving forces influence the structure of different urban networks. For instance, in the Yangtze River Delta, transitivity plays a less important role in the Internet-network formation; GDP and boundaries more strongly affect the rail network; and distance decay effects play a more prominent role in the road network.