Paleogene transgression process and environmental evolution in the deepwater area of the Baiyun Depression in the northern South China Sea

Multiple borehole samples are collected from the Baiyun Depression in deep-water area of the northern South China Sea(SCS)in an effort to reconstruct transgression processes during the Paleogene based on palynalgal analysis.This study indicates that the Baiyun Depression generated a large group of palynopore assemblages and fluvial/lacustrine-related algae during the early and middle Eocene when the Wenchang Formation was deposited.The entire depression was dominated by fluvial and lacustrine facies before transgression.Its eastern and southeastern sags transitioned to shallow marine environment by generating a large abundance of marine dinoflagellates during the Enping deposition of the late Eocene.Meanwhile,the southern uplift zone simply yielded fluvial/lacustrine-related palynopores and algae,and was dominated by the fluvial and lacustrine environment during the early stage of the Enping Formation,prior to shifting into transitional setting in the later period.Northwestern sags remained extensive fluvial and delta facies without existence of marine dinoflagellates.It was until the depositional stage of the Zhuhai Formation(Oligocene)that the overall depression was strongly impacted from transgression process.Both eastern and southeastern sags were mainly under deep marine setting on a continental slope while northwestern and southern areas developed transitional facies.Although distribution and accumulation patterns varied greatly among sub-sags,the overall Baiyun Depression was characterized by widespread development of marine dinoflagellates.It should be noted that the northwestern sag also partly generated large-scale river delta deposits.Due to the eustatic rise and change of SCS spreading axis,the overall Baiyun Depression was mostly influenced by the deep marine environment on a continental slope during the early Miocene.Both northwestern sag and southern uplift zone were found plentiful marine dinoflagellates.In summary,transgression initiated from the eastern and southeastern Baiyun Depression before subsequently progressing into the farther west.Evolution of transgression process is also greatly consistent with the gradual westward expansion of the SCS.

Ecological environment response of benthic foraminifera to heavy metals and human engineering: A case study from Jiaozhou Bay, China

The estuary and coastal zone are the key areas for socio-economic development,and they are also the important channels for pollutants transported to the sea.The construction of the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge changed the hydrodynamic condition of the bay,which made the self-purification capacity of the bay weakened and the pollution in the estuary and adjacent coastal zone become more serious.In this study,55 surface sediment samples were collected from the three seriously polluted estuaries and the adjacent coastal zone of Jiaozhou Bay to comprehensively study how the benthic foraminifera response to heavy metal pollution and human engineering,and to assess the ecological risks of the bay.A total of 80 species,belonging to 42 genera,were identified in this study.The results showed that Cu,Pb,Cr,Hg,Zn,and As had low to median ecological risks in the study area which would definitely affect the ecological system.The construction of the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge has resulted in pollutants accumulated at the river mouth of Loushan River,which has adverse effects on the survival and growth of benthic foraminifera.The lowest population density and diversity as well as the highest FAI(Foraminiferal Abnormality Index)and FMI(Foraminiferal Monitoring Index)occurred at Loushan River Estuary which indicated that the ecological environment of the northeastern part of Jiaozhou Bay(Loushan River Estuary)had been seriously damaged.Licun River and Haipo River estuaries and the adjacent coastal zone were slightly polluted and had low ecological risk.As a consequence,it suggested that the supervision of industrial and domestic waste discharge and the protection of the ecological environment in northeast Jiaozhou Bay should be paid more attention.

Path Choice of New Countryside Construction in Western Region of China under the Perspective of Ecological Environment

General situation of ecological environment in western region is introduced,as well as its relationship with new countryside construction.Result shows that ecological conditions of western region not only play an important role in the achievement of new countryside construction in western region,but also directly affect the ecological safety of eastern region and the sustainable development of China.Problems in new countryside construction in western region are analyzed under the perspective of ecological environment,which are the weak concept of ecological protection,the ecological environment which needs to be improved,the difficulty in agriculture development,and the backward plan for human settlement.According to these problems,path of new countryside construction in western China is pointed out under the perspective of ecological environment,such as promoting ecological economy,developing competitive industries,speeding up spatial planning,optimizing the living environment,changing the traditional concept into scientific and rational development,and restoring the ecological environment by making use of agricultural support.

Environmental Monitoring in Northern Aksu, China Based on Remote Sensing Ecological Index Model

In order to understand the development status of ecological environment quality in the Aksu region of China, to effectively adjust the ecological environment quality, so as to promote the sustainable development of its social economy and ecological environment protection. This paper selects the Landsat series remote sensing images of the northern Aksu region in 2013, 2016, and 2019, and uses the tools such as ENVI5.3 and ArcGIS 10.8.1 to process the image data accordingly. The principal component analysis method is used to calculate the Remote Sensing Ecological Index (RSEI) of the northern Aksu region. The data show that: 1) The ecological environment quality index in the northern Aksu region in 2013, 2016, and 2019 was 0.706087, 0.25243 and 0.362991 respectively;2) The areas where the ecological environment quality declined significantly in the northern Aksu region were the human settlements and the Gobi, fan-shaped land and other special terrain areas;3) The humidity index and the heat index are the two factors that have the greatest impact on the ecological environment quality in the northern Aksu area. The data as a whole show that the ecological environment in the northern part of the Aksu region has deteriorated seriously, and the severely deteriorated area is close to the human living area.

Geological environment in the South China Sea

The South China Sea(SCS),situated in southern China,at the junction of the Pacific Plate,the Eurasian Plate,and the Indian Ocean Plate,is a northeast-southwest trending semi-enclosed sea.It spans an area of approximately 3.5 million square kilometers and has an average water depth of about 1200 m,its deepest point reaching 5559 m.In 2021,a scientific expedition(called as U1 voyage)in the South China Sea was organized by the Innovation Research Team of Guangdong Special Key Program from March to April,this marks the first comprehensive scientific research voyage to the southern Uboundary corridor.Consisting of a total of 30 papers,this special issue is to share a portion of the research findings from this scientific expedition U1 voyage,covering six aspects:1)characteristics of the marine ecosystem in the SCS and its response to marine dynamic processes;2)multi-scale marine dynamic processes,sea-air interactions,and forecasting techniques in the SCS;3)geomorphology and geological structure;4)sedimentary processes and resource potential in the SCS;5)geostrategy,rights and interests maintenance and strategic countermeasures in the SCS;6)marine scientific instruments.By integrating the scientific research with the study of history,jurisprudence and international strategies,this issue presents new insights into the formation history and scope evolution of the SCS,and it also seeks to establish a new scientific framework based on the marine governance and development of the SCS.

Changes of groundwater flow field of Luanhe River Delta under the human activities and its impact on the ecological environment in the past 30 years

The Luanhe River Delta is located in the center of the Circum-Bohai Sea Economic Zone.It enjoys rapid economic and social development while suffering relatively water scarcity.The overexploitation of groundwater in the Luanhe River Delta in recent years has caused the continuous drop of groundwater level and serious environmental and geological problems.This study systematically analyzes the evolution characteristics of the population,economy,and groundwater exploitation in the Luanhe River Delta and summarizes the change patterns of the groundwater flow regime in different aquifers in the Luanhe River Delta according to previous water resource assessment data as well as the latest groundwater survey results.Through comparison of major source/sink terms and groundwater resources,the study reveals the impacts of human activities on the groundwater resources and ecological environment in the study area over the past 30 years from 1990 to 2020.The results are as follows.The average annual drop rate of shallow groundwater and the deep groundwater in the centers of depression cones is 0.4 m and 1.64 m,respectively in the Luanhe River Delta in the past 30 years.The depression cones of shallow and deep groundwater in the study area cover an area of 545.32 km^(2)and 548.79 km^(2),respectively,accounting for more than 10%of the total area of the Luanhe River Delta.Overexploitation of groundwater has further aggravated land subsidence.As a result,two large-scale subsidence centers have formed,with a maximum subsidence rate of up to 120 mm/a.The drop of groundwater level has induced some ecological problems in the Luanhe River Delta area,such as the zero flow and water quality deterioration of rivers and continuous shrinkage of natural wetlands and water.Meanwhile,the proportion of natural wetland area to the total wetland area has been decreased from 99%to 8%and the water area from 1776 km^(2)to 263 km^(2).These results will provide data for groundwater overexploitation control,land subsidence prevention,and ecological restoration in plains and provide services for water resources management and national land space planning.

Dynamic Analysis of Coupling Relationship between Economic Development and Ecological Environment Based on Entropy Method——A Case Study of Xi'an City

[Objective] The aim was to study the coupling relationship between economic development and ecological environment. [Method] Firstly, the evaluation index system for the coupling system of economic development and ecological environment in Xi’an City was established, then the dynamic variation of coupling relationship between economic development and ecological environment in Xi’an City from 2001 to 2010 was analyzed by using entropy method, finally some corresponding suggestions were put forward according to the problems in the current development model. [Result] The economic development and ecological environment of Xi’an have made a significant upgrading and improvement from 2001 to 2010, namely showing a stable upward trend on the whole, and were in a well-coordinated development state in 2010. However, the development level of ecological environment obviously lagged behind economic development level. In addition, there were obvious differences in the development rate of sub-systems, that is, economic efficiency and economic level developed rapidly, while the carrying capacity of ecological environment and economic vitality grew slowly and unstably. [Conclusion] The research could provide theoretical bases for the establishment of strategies for the coordinated development economy and environment in Xi’an City.

Research on Coupling Relationship between Social Economy and Ecological Environment in Jinghe County of Aiby Lake Basin,Xinjiang

Based on the theory of sustainable development,using the theory and method of coupling relationship,the main city of Aiby Lake basin——Jinghe County in Xinjiang is selected. Based on the analyses of natural condition,population growth,land use type and ecological environment,the comprehensive evaluation index systems of socio-economic development level and eco-environment quality in Jinghe County are constructed. Using principal component analysis,a comprehensive evaluation of socio-economic development level and ecological environment quality in Jinghe County is conducted by combining with Excel. Their coupling relationship is studied,and quantitative coordination degree between social economy and ecological environment in Jinghe County is obtained. The results show that in recent 50 years,socio-economic development level in Jinghe County is rising,but the ecological environment quality is falling. Their coupling degree C changes during [- 1. 260, ＋ 0. 482],in other words,their coupling relationship is changing between ＂ reluctant coordination＂ and ＂ not coordination＂. After entering into the 21 stcentury,their coupling relationship is basically ＂ reluctant coordination＂. On this basis,the existing problems in the process of sustainable development in Jinghe County are analyzed,and the suggestions about promoting coordinated development between social economy and ecological environment are put forward.

Study on Changes of Industrial Structure and Its Ecological Environment Benefit in Shaanxi Province

[Objective] To reduce influences of adjustment of regional industrial structure on ecological environment,promote coordinated development of regional economy and ecological environment,and improve the relationship between human beings and natural environment. [Method]Based on the statistical data of Shaanxi Province during 1978- 2013,the ecological environmental impact index and effect index of industrial structure in Shaanxi Province were calculated,and then the ecological environment benefit of changes in industrial structure in Shaanxi Province from1978 to 2013 was assessed quantitatively. [Result]The impact of changes in industrial structure on ecological environment in Shaanxi Province was moderate,but later changes in industrial structure had greater influences on ecological environment than before. [Conclusion]Industrial structure in Shaanxi Province should be optimized further to ensure the healthy development of ecological environment.

Counterm easures to Ensure the Soil Ecological Environm ent Security in China

In this paper,the situation of soil pollution prevention and control in foreign countries was discussed,then the present situation of soil pollution in China was analyzed,and the countermeasures to ensure the soil ecological environment security in China were proposed.

Risk Identification for the Ecological Environment of Flood Disasters Based on the Life Cycle

Aiming at the complexity of ecological environment risk of flood disaster, the life cycle of flood disaster is defined based on the relevant literatures, which is divided into incubation period, development period, outbreak period, recession period and extinction period. The characteristics of each period are analyzed. Further, the main risks for ecological environment faced at each stage under the life cycle of flood disaster are studied systematically to form the systematic ecological environment risk system for flood disaster.

Analysis on the Choice of Economic Development Mode for an Area with Good Ecological Environment——A Case Study of Economically Coordinated Region of Wuling Mountain

[Objective] The study aimed at choosing a suitable economic development mode for an area with good ecological environment. [Method] Taking the economically coordinated region of Wuling Mountain as an object, two economic development ways existing in the region, namely the traditional and low-carbon economic development mode, were compared from development prospects, policy support and so forth. [Result] Given the development prospects and policy support, it is necessary to choose low-carbon development mode in an area with good ecological environment. Moreover, developing clean energy industry and tourism industry, and changing traditional ideas are the main measures to develop low-carbon economy. [Conclusion] The research could provide references for the selection of economic development mode for an area with good ecological environment.

Evaluation of Ecological Environment in Jingxin Wetland Using Analytic Hierarchy Process

[Objective] The study aimed to assess the ecological environment in Jingxin wetland using analytic hierarchy process (AHP). [Method] Based on the field survey on Jingxin wetland in the downstream of Tumen River, as well as domestic and international indicators and methods of wetland ecological evaluation, ten indicators reflecting the environmental protection function, functions of the ecological system and social and cultural value of the wetland were selected to evaluate the ecological environment of Jingxin wetland using AHP. [Result] The comprehensive evaluation index ( CEI ) of Jingxin wetland was 0.7124, namely 0.7<CEI≤1.0, showing that the ecological environment in Jingxin wetland was better on the whole. Among the ten indicators, the functions of regulating flood, water supply, climate regulation, tourism and being an important animal habitat played important roles in the determination of the wetland value. [Conclusion] The research could provide theoretical foundations for the protection of ecological environment in Jingxin wetland.

Effects of Tibetan Traditional Ecological Culture on Ecological Environment of Tibetan Areas

Firstly, the characteristics and roles of Tibetan traditional ecological culture were introduced, and then the predicament of Tibetan traditional ecological culture when facing modem ecological problems was analyzed, finally some suggestions giving full play to the active roles of Tibetan traditional ecological culture were put forward, such as paying more attention to the beneficial factors of Tibetan traditional ecological culture, capturing the bonding point of Tibetan traditional ecological culture and modern science, and meeting legitimate development demand and rationally developing and utilizing natural resources.

Study of poverty alleviation strategy based on labor force quality improvement and ecological protection in Western China

Fragile ecological environment and poverty correlate to and reinforce each other closely in Western China.At the same time,Western China is also the most prominent area of the knowledge and human poverty with very low labor force quality.On the basis of analyzing the characteristics of poverty in Western China,this paper studies the coupling relationship between fragile ecological environment and poverty in Western China,including the impacts of fragile environment on poverty occurrence and the effects of ecological construction on poverty alleviation.It also analyzed how low labor quality causes persistent poverty in the western region.At the end of the paper,strategies of diversity poverty alleviation in Western China are suggested based on sustainable development,including education improvement,ecological construction,industries development,infrastructure construction,planning institution innovation,and so on.

Thoughts on the Construction of Urban Water Ecological Civilization in Northeast China

Based on the ongoing construction of water ecological civilization in China,the connotation and specific requirements of ecological civilization and ecological civilized city are analyzed in detail. Combining with present situation and characteristics of water resources,water environment and water culture in Northeast China,the main contents to be considered in the construction of water ecological civilization in Northeast China are discussed,which could provide the reference for construction of water ecological civilization city.

Existing Problems in Energy Exploitation and Eco-environment Sustainable Development and Their Countermeasures in Northern Shaanxi

The exploitation of coal, petroleum and natural gas in northern Shaanxi not only promoted the rapid development of economy, but also brought about enormous pressure to fragile ecology and resulted to severe water pollution, water and soil loss, vegetation destruction and other ecological environmental problems, so many countermeasures were put forward according to these problems, such as greatly developing circular economy, conducting cleaner production in petroleum enterprises, continuously renewing mining technology and so on.

Comprehensive Assessment of Eco-environment Vulnerability in Hebei Province Based on ArcGIS

[Objective] This study aimed to assess the vulnerability of ecological environment in Hebei Province.[Method] Based on ArcGIS,by using the dominant factor and maximum limits factor method,we established the sensitivity-reality indicator system and assessment model of the eco-environment vulnerability in Hebei Province to quantitatively evaluate its eco-environment vulnerability,and analyzed its spatial distribution.[Result] The status quo of environmental degradation was inconsistent with the sensitivity of eco-environment in Hebei Province.The area of severely vulnerable region accounted for only 4.1% of total area in Hebei Province,mainly distributed in nine counties or districts of Baxia region,Zhangjiakou,northwestern Hebei,which was covered with mountains and basins,showing bands,which resulted from the vulnerability of soil erosion and land desertification.In addition,the moderately vulnerable region made up 38.4%,having the largest proportion,and mainly distributed in the mountain and basin region in northwestern Hebei,Yanshan Mountain and the most regions of Taihang Mountain,due to the vulnerability of soil erosion.At the same time,there were also large patches of moderately vulnerable region in Bashang and Baxia of Zhangjiakou,owning to the vulnerability of land desertification.Besides,most plains were mildly vulnerable and slightly vulnerable regions,and their areas accounted for 25.1% and 32.4% respectively of total area.[Conclusion] The research could provide scientific references for safeguarding the ecological security and main functional district planing of Hebei Province.