Spatial and Temporal Changes of Floating Population in China Between 1990 and 2000

By studying the county-level census data of 1990 and 2000, we analyzed the spatial and temporal changes in the floating population in China between 1990 and 2000. The results of the analysis revealed the following characteris- tics. First, the spatial distribution of the migrants (referred to as 'floaters' in this paper) became increasingly concentrated in the cities during the 1990s. Second, the number of floaters increased rapidly during this period, and the area in which the floaters settled expanded quickly into four population explosion belts: the coast, the Changjiang River Delta, the Beijing-Guangzhou Railway and national border belts. Third, the number of inter-province floaters increased rapidly and exceeded that of intra-province floaters in the 1990s. In addition, to obtain a quantitative relationship between the number of floaters and 10 socio-economic variables by using statistical methods and also to find the chiefly important pulling factors of the migration destination, the authors selected approximately 100 cities with the largest population of floaters. Consequently, we found that four factors-GDP, passenger trips per 10,000 persons, per capita GDP and foreign direct investment-could provide an explanation for 83.7% of the number of floaters in 2000. The GDP showed the highest correlation with the number of floaters, suggesting that a highly developed economy is the most important factor that attracts floaters. Furthermore, a fairly close relationship between the number of floaters and the GDP was also found in 2000 for all the counties.

Spatial and Temporal Changes of Wetlands on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau from the 1970s to 2010s

Wetlands on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau （QTP） perform a dazzling array of vital ecological functions and are one of the most fragile ecosystems in the world. Timely and accurate information describing wetland resources and their changes over time is becoming more important in their protection and conservation. By using remote sensing data, this study intended to investigate spatial distribution and temporal variations of wetlands on the QTP at different watershed scales from 1970s to 2010s. Results show that wetlands on the QTP have undergone widespread degradation from 1970s to 2010s, with nearly 6.4% of their area being lost. Areas of freshwater marsh, salt marsh and wet meadow declined by 46.6%, 53.9% and 15.6%, respectively, while lake area increased by 14.6%. The most extensive losses of natural wet/ands have occurred in endorheic basins, such as in the Kunlun-Altun-Qilian Drainage Basin and Qiangtang Basin, which shrank by 44.5% and 33.1%, respectively. A pronounced increase in temperature tends to facilitate the evaporation process and reduce water availability for wetlands, One-third of the wetlands on the QTP are under threat of being submerged due to lakes rising in recent years. More research is needed to gain insight into the interaction mechanisms behind observed variations and potential impacts from further warming in the future.

Analysis on Spatial and Temporal Changes of Extreme Precipitation Events in Ningxia in Recent 50 Years

[ Objective] The aim was to study the spatial and temporal changes of extreme precipitation events in Ningxia in recent 50 years. [ Method] Using dally precipitation data at 20 stations in Ningxia from 1961 to 2010, and defining the threshold value of extreme precipitation in each sta- tion by percentage method, choosing indicators such as precipitation, frequency and intensity of extreme precipitation events, the characteristics of the spatial and temporal distribution and linear trend of extreme precipitation events in Ningxia were analyzed based on linear regression and M-K non-parameter statistical test method. [ Result] The percentage method suggested the threshold value of average extreme precipitation in Ningxia in recent 50 years decreased from south to north. The large threshold value was in southern Haiyuan, Tongxin and northern Yancheng, which was similar to the distribution of mean annual precipitation in Ningxia. In recent 50 years, extreme precipitation frequency and extreme precipitation de- creased in most part of Ningxia but the intensity tended to strengthen. Study of extreme precipitation in Mahuang Mountain and Liupan Mountain in- dicated that precipitation frequency, intensity and extreme precipitation reduced. Annual extreme precipitation frequency narrowed and then in- creased after 1994 and had mutation in 2003. Annual extreme precipitation intensity enhanced since 1984. Mutation took place in 1984. Intensity in Liupan Mountain had weakened since 1978. [ Conclusion] The study provided theoretical basis for the mutation of climate in Ningxia.

Spatial and temporal variation of water clarity in typical reservoirs in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region observed by GF 1-WFV satellite data

Rapidly monitoring regional water quality and the changing trend is of great practical and scientific significance,especially for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei(BTH)region of China where water resources are relatively scarce and inland water bodies are generally small.The remote sensing data of the GF 1 satellite launched in 2013 have characteristics of high spatial and temporal resolution,which can be used for the dynamic monitoring of the water environment in small lakes and reservoirs.However,the water quality remote sensing monitoring model based on the GF 1 satellite data for lakes and reservoirs in BTH is still lacking because of the considerable differences in the optical characteristics of the lakes and reservoirs.In this paper,the typical reservoirs in BTH-Guanting Reservoir,Yuqiao Reservoir,Panjiakou Reservoir,and Daheiting Reservoir are taken as the study areas.In the atmospheric correction of GF 1-WFV,the relative radiation normalized atmospheric correction was adopted after comparing it with other methods,such as 6 S and FLAASH.In the water clarity retrieval,a water color hue angle based model was proposed and outperformed other available published models,with the R 2 of 0.74 and MRE of 31.7%.The clarity products of the four typical reservoirs in the BTH region in 2013-2019 were produced using the GF 1-WFV data.Based on the products,temporal and spatial changes in clarity were analyzed,and the main influencing factors for each water body were discussed.It was found that the clarity of Guanting,Daheiting,and Panjiakou reservoirs showed an upward trend during this period,while that of Yuqiao Reservoir showed a downward trend.In the influencing factors,the water level of the water bodies can be an important factor related to the water clarity changes in this region.

Community structure and spatial-temporal variation of netzphytoplankton in the Bering Sea in summer

Marine biodiversity is changing in response to altered physical environment, subsequent ecological changes as well as anthropogenic disturbances. In this study, phytoplankton samples in situ collected in the Bering Sea in July of 1999 and 2010 were analyzed to obtain phytoplankton community structure and spatial-temporal variation between the beginning and end of this decade, and the correlation of phytoplankton community dynamics and environmental factors was investigated. A total of 5 divisions, 58 genera and 153 species of phytoplankton belonging to 3 ecological groups were identified. The vast majority of phytoplankton consisted of diatoms accounting for 66.7% of the total species and 95.2% of the total abundance. Considering differentiation in spatial extent and phytoplankton sample types, there were subtle changes in species composition, large altering in abundance and significant variation in spatial distribution between two surveys. The abundance peak area was located at the Bering Strait while sub peak was found at the Bering Sea Basin. The boreal-temperate diatom was the dominant flora, which was subsequently replaced by eurythermal and frigid-water diatom. Phytoplankton community in the Bering Sea was not a simplex uniform community but composed of deep-ocean assemblage and neritic assemblage. The deep-ocean assemblage was located in the northwestern Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea Basin, dominated by boreal-temperate species（Neodenticula seminae, Thalassiothrix longissima, Amphiprora hyperborean, Chaetoceros atlanticus, Thalassiosira trifulta, etc.） and eurychoric species（Thalassionema nitzschioides, Ch. compressus, Rhizosolenia styliformis, etc.）, and characterized by low abundance, even interspecies abundance allocations, diverse dominant species and high species diversity. The neritic assemblage was distributed on the continental shelf and slope of Bering Sea and was mainly composed of frigid-water species（Th.nordenski？ldii, Ch. furcellatus, Ch. socialis, Bacteriosira fragilis, etc.） and eurythermal and euryhaline species（L.danicus, Ch. curvisetus, Coscinodiscus curvatulus, etc.）, and it was characterized by high abundance, uneven interspecies allocations, prominent dominant species and low species diversity. Spatial-temporal variation of species composition and abundance of phytoplankton in the Bering Sea was directly controlled by surface circulation,nutrient supply and ice edge.

Surface coal mining impacts on land use change and ecological service value:a case study in Shengli coalfield,Inner Mongolia

Coal plays a crucial role in global economic development and remains the most common and widely distributed fossil fuel worldwide.As the world's largest developing country,China's mining and utilization of coal resources have contributed signifcantly to the country’s rapid economic growth.Inner Mongolia is an ecologically fragile arid and semi-arid area of China.The exploitation of opencast mining has seriously hindered the sustainable use of regional land and the residents'well-being.Using ENVI-based remote sensing images from 2000,2005,2010,2015,and 2020,this study employed a random forest algorithm to divide land utilization types into construction land,vegetation,cultivated land,bare land,and water areas and analyzed the characteristics of land use and ecosystem service value changes over the past 20 years.The results were as follows:(1)Construction land in the mining area changed minimally from 2000 to 2020;vegetation and water bodies showed a decreasing trend,whereas bare and cultivated lands showed an increasing trend.Bare land exhibited the largest change in area proportion and water bodies the smallest.(2)The total ecosystem service value of the mining area declined from 10.939 to 9.527 billion Yuan.Vegetation ecosystem service value was the highest,followed by cultivated land and water,with the bare land ecosystem service value the lowest.(3)On a spatial scale,the total ecosystem service value of the Shengli mining area decreased year by year,indicating that land use changes in the mining area do have an impact on ecosystem service value.

Vegetation Coverage Changes in the West Qinling Region from 2000 to 2010:A Case Study of Longnan City

As the main content of terrestrial ecosystem study,vegetation coverage change has gained extensive attention in the process of global climate change and sustainable development recently.Based on MODIS NDVI data from June to October during 2000-2010,taking Longnan City as a case area,this paper develops the calculation method of vegetation coverage(VC) by using Pixel Dichotomy model and analyzes the spatial-temporal variation of vegetation coverage in the West Qinling region by using simple linear regression and standard deviation method.The results show that vegetation coverage remains stable and is significantly correlated with temperature and precipitation during the decade.The vegetation coverage of 90% of study area shows stability with small annual variation and also is consistent with the spatial distribution of forest land;the vegetation coverage in the remaining study areas shows a growing trend with significant variation and also is consistent with the spatial distribution of farmland and grassland,especially in Huicheng Basin,Xili Basin and adret slope of Bailongjiang River Valley,indicating that Project about the Conversion of Degraded Farmland into Forest has made a great contribution to vegetation coverage increase.This paper proves the effect of ecology construction in the West Qinling region since the late 20 th century.All the findings also provide references for local ecological environment construction and sustainable development.

Air Pollution in Kolkata: Emerging Challenges and Dynamics

In 2016 WHO reported that Kolkata is the second most polluted city inIndia behind Delhi. Albeit the number of registered vehicles in Kolkatais much less compare to Delhi. Kolkata has encountered a decade longbattle against change of old vehicles and fuel types. So, this paper madean attempt to explore the dynamics of air pollution in the city speciallypre and post period of vehicle and fuel change in the city. The objectivesof the paper include looking at spatiotemporal change of air pollution inthe city. Besides, the paper additionally illuminates on the role of landuse functions and pollution in the city. The analysis shows that after theimplementation of regulatory measures air pollution in the city reduced tosome extent but effects of the measure gradually diminished. It is foundthat land use function as well as dynamics of metropolitan area plays crucialrole in the air pollution of the city.

Evaluating changes in ecological land and effect of protecting important ecological spaces in China

It is important to quantitatively analyze the effects of protection of important ecological spaces in China to ensure national ecological security.By considering changes in the ecological land,this study examines the effects of protecting three types of important natural ecological spaces in China from 1980 to 2018.Moreover,considering important ecological spaces and their surroundings yields differences in the effects of protection between internal and external spaces,where this can provide a scientific basis for the categorization and zoning of China’s land.The results show the following:(1)In 2018,the ratio of ecological land to important natural ecological spaces accounted for 92.64%.This land had a good ecological background that reflects the developmental orientation of important ecological spaces.(2)From 1980 to 2018,the area of ecological land in important ecological spaces shrank but the rate of reduction was lower than the national average,which shows the positive effect of regulating construction in natural ecological spaces.The restorative effects of ecological projects to convert farmland into forests and grasslands have been prominent.The expanded ecological land is mainly distributed in areas where such projects have been implemented,and the reduced area is concentrated in grain-producing areas of the Northeast China Plain and agricultural oases of Xinjiang.In the future,the government should focus on strengthening the management and control of these areas.(3)The area ratio of ecological land was the highest in national nature reserves.The rate of reduction in its area was the lowest and the trend of reduction was the smallest in national nature reserves,which reflects differences in the status of ecological protection among different spaces.(4)The ratio of ecological land to important ecological spaces was higher than that in the surrounding external space,and the rate of reduction in it was lower.Thus,the effects of internal and external protection had clear differences in terms of gradient.

Degrading river network due to urbanization in Yangtze River Delta

Evolution of river systems under the background of human activities has been a heated topic among geographers and hydrologists. Spatial and temporal variations of river systems during the 1960s-2010s in the Yangtze River Delta （YRD） were investigated based on streams derived from the topographic maps in the 1960s, 1980s and 2010s. A list of indi- ces, drainage density （Dd）, water surface ratio （WSR）, ratio of area to length of main streams （R）, evolution coefficient of tributaries （K） and box dimension （D）, were classified into three types （quantitative, structural, and complex indices） and used to quantify the variations of stream structure. Results showed that： （1） quantitative indices （Dd, WSR） presented de- creasing trend in the past 50 years, and Dd in Wuchengxiyu, Hangjiahu and Yindongnan have decreased most, about 20%. Structurally, the Qinhuai River basin was characterized by sig- nificant upward R, and K value in Hangjiahu went down dramatically by 46.8% during the 1960s-2010s. Decreasing tendency in D was found dominating across the YRD, and de- creasing magnitude in Wuchengxiyu and Hangjiahu peaks for 7.8% and 6.5%, respectively in the YRD. （2） Urbanization affected the spatial pattern of river system, and areas with high level of urbanization exhibited least Dd （2.18 km/km2）, WSR （6.52%）, K （2.64） and D （1.42）, compared to moderate and low levels of urbanization. （3） Urbanization also affected the evo- lution of stream system. In the past 50 years, areas with high level of urbanization showed compelling decreasing tendency in quantitative （27.2% and 19.3%） and complex indices （4.9%） and trend of enlarging of main rivers （4.5% and 7.9% in periods of the 1960s-1980s and the 1980s-2010s）. In the recent 30 years, areas with low level of urbanization were detected with significant downward trend in Dd and K. （4） Expanding of urban land, construction of hydraulic engineering and irrigation and water conservancy activities were the main means which degraded the river system in the YRD.