Coupling relationship and genetic mechanisms of shelf-edge delta and deep-water fan source-to-sink:A case study in Paleogene Zhuhai Formation in south subsag of Baiyun Sag,Pearl River Mouth Basin,China

The coupling relationship between shelf-edge deltas and deep-water fan sand bodies is a hot and cutting-edge field of international sedimentology and deep-water oil and gas exploration.Based on the newly acquired high-resolution 3D seismic,logging and core data of Pearl River Mouth Basin(PRMB),this paper dissected the shelf-edge delta to deep-water fan(SEDDF)depositional system in the Oligocene Zhuhai Formation of Paleogene in south subsag of Baiyun Sag,and revealed the complex coupling relationship from the continental shelf edge to deep-water fan sedimentation and its genetic mechanisms.The results show that during the deposition of the fourth to first members of the Zhuhai Formation,the scale of the SEDDF depositional system in the study area showed a pattern of first increasing and then decreasing,with deep-water fan developed in the third to first members and the largest plane distribution scale developed in the late stage of the second member.Based on the development of SEDDF depositional system along the source direction,three types of coupling relationships are divided,namely,deltas that are linked downdip to fans,deltas that lack downdip fans and fans that lack updip coeval deltas,with different depositional characteristics and genetic mechanisms.(1)Deltas that are linked downdip to fans:with the development of shelf-edge deltas in the shelf area and deep-water fans in the downdip slope area,and the strong source supply and relative sea level decline are the two key factors which control the development of this type of source-to-sink(S2S).The development of channels on the continental shelf edge is conducive to the formation of this type of S2S system even with weak source supply and high sea level.(2)Deltas that lack downdip fans:with the development of shelf edge deltas in shelf area,while deep water fans are not developed in the downdip slope area.The lack of“sources”and“channels”,and fluid transformation are the three main reasons for the formation of this type of S2S system.(3)Fans that lack updip coeval deltas:with the development of deep-water fans in continental slope area and the absence of updip coeval shelf edge deltas,which is jointly controlled by the coupling of fluid transformation at the shelf edge and the“channels”in the continental slope area.

Impact of Hinterland Manufacturing on the Development of Container Ports: Evidence from the Pearl River Delta, China

Container ports and hinterland manufacturing are two important forces of the local participation in economic globalization.This study,taking the Pearl River Delta(PRD),China with an export-oriented economy as an example,applies Huff and panel regres-sion models to evaluate the impact of hinterland manufacturing on the development of container ports during the period of 1993–2019.The results show that 1)the spatial patterns of hinterlands for hub ports help to determine the distribution range and scale of economic variables that affect port throughput;2)the hinterland’s gross manufacturing output has universally positive influence on port through-put,wherein export-oriented processing and the entire manufacturing industry have significantly positive impact on port throughput in 1993–2011 and 2001–2019,respectively;3)the two internal structural factors related to an export-oriented economy,labor-intensive sectors and foreign-funded terminals,have positively moderate the direct influence of hinterland manufacturing on port throughput.Our results highlight the importance of local context in understanding port-manufacturing relationship in developing economies.Based on our findings,policy implications are further proposed to enhance port network organization in PRD.

Leave or Stay?Antecedents of High-level Talent Migration in the Pearl River Delta Megalopolis of China:from a Perspective of Regional Differentials in Housing Prices

Rapid urbanization and population growth have triggered an increase in urban housing demand and rising housing prices,which can influence the migration intention of high-level talents.Much work within the literature has focused more on the migration of the general public.However,antecedents of migration intention and the impact of housing prices on the migration of high-level talents remain unclear.Therefore,based on the push-pull theory,this study investigates the influencing factors of talent migration intention and explores the role of housing prices.This study reveals a complex mechanism underlying migration decisions by using logistic regression models and survey data of high-level talents in the Pearl River Delta(PRD)megalopolis of China.The results indicate that:1)in high house-price regions,social integration is the primary push factor,and the main factors for retaining talents are the expectation of future work and intimate family relationships;2)in medium house-price regions,the main factors that attract talents are the current salary level and close family ties;3)in low house-price regions,living convenience is a determining factor in retaining talents.This study provides a new perspective for talent mobility research and offers valuable inputs for retaining and attracting talents in different economic development regions.Findings are of great significance for formulating talent introduction policies and forming a new pattern of rational spatial docking and effective allocation of human resources.

Spatially Heterogeneous Response of Carbon Storage to Land Use Changes in Pearl River Delta Urban Agglomeration, China

Carbon storage of terrestrial ecosystems plays a vital role in advancing carbon neutrality. Better understanding of how land use changes affect carbon storage in urban agglomeration will provide valuable guidance for policymakers in developing effective regional conservation policies. Taking the Pearl River Delta Urban Agglomeration(PRDUA) in China as an example, we examined the heterogeneous response of carbon storage to land use changes in 1990–2018 from a combined view of administrative units and physical entities. The results indicate that the primary change in land use was due to the expansion of construction land(5897.16 km2). The carbon storage in PRDUA decreased from 767.34 Tg C in 1990 to 725.42 Tg C in 2018 with a spatial pattern of high wings and the low middle. The carbon storage loss was largely attributed to construction land expansion(55.74%), followed by forest degradation(54.81%). Changes in carbon storage showed significant divergences in different sized cities and hierarchical boundaries. The coefficients of geographically weighted regression(GWR) reveal that the alteration in carbon storage in Guangzhou City was more responsive to changes in construction land(-0.11) compared to other cities, while that in Shenzhen was mainly affected by the dynamics of forest land(8.32). The change in carbon storage was primarily influenced by the conversion of farmland within urban extent(5.05) and the degradation of forest land in rural areas(5.82). Carbon storage changes were less sensitive to the expansion of construction land in the urban center, urban built-up area, and ex-urban built-up area, with the corresponding GWR coefficients of 0.19, 0.04, and 0.02. This study necessitates the differentiated protection strategies of carbon storage in urban agglomerations.

An Overall Urban System: Integrating Central Place Theory and Urban Network Idea in the Greater Pearl River Delta of China

Following a half century of popularity, central place theory experienced 20 years of neglect when the new urban system theory of network modeling gained attention at the beginning of the 1990s. However, central place theory remains valid, and it seems there has been a reemergence with it. Using the Greater Pearl River Delta (Greater PRD) as an experimental study region, this paper intends to present an empirical study that validates central place theory and shows that it can be integrated into an overall regional urban system. The study uses the compound Central Place Importance (CPI) to evaluate whether there is a hierarchy among the urban centers within the study area. The results indicate the existence of a hierarchy. Furthermore, empirical observation finds distinct complementarity relationships, rank-size distributions, and co-operative actions between the different cities, thus substantiating the claim that central place theory can be incorporated into an overall regional urban system. Besides, the presence of the densely distributed modern infrastructure system also appears to constitute a dimension of the overall urban system. There need further theoretical and empirical studies in order to support this proposition.

Analysis of the Image Space of Rural Landscape of the Pearl River Delta

Through questionnaires and perceptual maps,we made a variation analysis of landscape spatial image to the people in the Pearl River Delta from the viewpoint of the subjective perception.It is found that the people of different ages and different education levels from different areas hold diversified perceptions towards rural landscape space,and they have different ideal rural landscapes.However,there is a common point that the development of rural landscape should retain its excellent local landscape features and the local spirit,which will provide references for building the ideal rural landscape model.

Impacts of Weather Conditions Modified by Urban Expansion on Surface Ozone: Comparison between the Pearl River Delta and Yangtze River Delta Regions

In this paper, the online weather research and forecasting and chemistry （WRF-Chem） model is used to explore the impacts of urban expansion on regional weather conditions and its implication on surface ozone concentrations over the Pearl River Delta（PRD） and Yangtze River Delta（YRD） regions. Two scenarios of urban maps are used in the WRF-Chem to represent the early 1990s （pre-urbanization） and the current urban distribution in the PRD and the YRD. Month-long simulation results using the above land-use scenarios for March 2001 show that urbanization increases both the day- and night-time 2-m temperatures by about 0.6℃and 1.4℃, respectively. Daytime reduction in the wind speed by about 3.0 m s-1 is larger than that for the nighttime （0.5 to 2 m s-1）. The daytime increase in the PBL height （〉 200 m） is also larger than the nighttime （50-100 m）. The meteorological conditions modified by urbanization lead to detectable ozone-concentration changes in the PRD and the YRD. Urbanization increases the nighttime surface-ozone concentrations by about 4.7%-8.5% and by about 2.9%-4.2% for the daytime. In addition to modifying individual meteorological variables, urbanization also enhances the convergence zones, especially in the PRD. More importantly, urbanization has different effects on the surface ozone for the PRD and the YRD, presumably due to their urbanization characteristics and geographical locations. Even though the PRD has a smaller increase in the surface temperature than the YRD, it has （a） weaker surface wind speed, （b） smaller increase in PBL heights, and （c） stronger convergence zones. The latter three factors outweighed the temperature increase and resulted in a larger ozone enhancement in the PRD than the YRD.

Heavy metal concentrations in edible bivalves and gastropods available in major markets of the Pearl River Delta

Molluscs are able to accumulate heavy metals and impose health hazard to consumers. The main objective of the present study is to investigate the heavy metal concentrations in edible bivalves and gastropods available in major markets of the Pearl River Delta. Fourteen species of edible molluscs were purchased from six markets in Hong Kong and Guangdong Province. The fresh of these biota were tested for their cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), antimony (Sb) and tin (Sn) concentrations (based on wet weight). The results indicated that amongst the 14 edible molluscs, only Cd, Pb, Ni, Cr, Sb and Sn concentrations in three species (Ruditapes philippinarum, Perna viridis and Hemifusus tuba) were within the local regulatory limits. Over 60% of bivalve species exceeded maximum permitted levels of Cd (2 mug/g) and Cr (1 mug/g), while over 40% of gastropod species exceeded the maximum levels of Sb (1 mug/g) and Cr (1 mug/g). Most of the samples collected from Hong Kong had significantly higher contents of Pb and Sb, but similar levels of Cd, Cu and Zn when compared with samples collected across the border ( p < 0.05; p 0.01; p < 0.001 respectively). In general, the molluscs purchased in Guangdong markets had higher metal contents than those purchased from the Hong Kong markets. When compared with the Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake or Maximum Acceptable Daily Load recommended by FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, Cd levels of five species (Anadara ferruginea, Pinna pectinata, Chlamys nobilis, Babylonia lutosa and Hemifusus terntanus) and Cr levels of seven species ( Anadara ferruginea, Paphia undulata, Pinna pectinata, Babylonia lutosa, Hemifusus terntanus, Cymbium melo and Cipangopaludina chinensis) were higher than both the human daily acceptable limits (for Cd and Cr respectively) and the local regulatory levels (for Cd and Cr respectively).

Spatial and Temporal Variations of Pneumoconiosis in the Pearl River Delta Region in 2006–2015

Pneumoconiosis is a restrictive lung disease mostly caused by occupational exposure to dust,including silica dust,asbestos,and other fibers.Inhalable particles smaller than 10μm can enter the bronchioles,injure lung cells,and induce lung fibrosis.This hard-to-cure disease places a substantial burden on patients and society[1].

Evidences and implications of vegetation damage from ceramic industrial emission on a rural site in the Pearl River Delta of China

Community structure characteristics and vegetation damage degree were investigated and analyzed in a forest around village, which had been long term exposed to ambient atmospheric pollution stress, to study the influence of airborne pollutant emissions from the concentrated ceramic industries on vegetation. Field survey was carried out in a semi natural secondary forest on hilly land, Nanhai District of Guangdong Province, for the tree layer in ten quadrates with the total area of 10 × （10 m×10 m）, and for shrub and herb layers in eight subquadrates with the total area of 4 × （5 m×5 m）. Results showed that exotic Eucalyptus exserta and Eucalyptus urophylla were dominated over the community, followed by native tree species, Scheffiera octophylla and Bambusa gibba, with the importance value （Iv） of 26.75, 17.08, 16.27 and 11.50, respectively. Among all tree species, Eucalyptus exserta and Pinus massoniana were most severely damaged with nearly 100% damaged rate. Bambusa gibba and Dalbergia balansae were injured with damaged rate of 85.1% 68.3%, however, Eucalyptus urophylla, Celtis sinensis, Helicia cochinchinensis, Cinnamomum burmanni and Vitex negundo revealed moderate injuries （45%-57.5%）. Most of other indigenous species including Schefflera octophylla, Viburnum odoratissimum, Desmos chinensis, etc. showed less injured symptoms under the pollution stress. Compared with species in tree layer, damages of undergrowths were largely less. These results suggested that attention and concern should be paid on those introduced Eucalyptus species which had ever been widely used for forest restora tion in degraded hilly lands of south China since 1970-1980s, due to their last growing aspect, The results also demonstrated the potentials and perspectives by developing native species as target plants for restoration of degraded area at similar polluted location, which may provide scientific base for scientists to study and understand the functional aspects of native species and process-based interactions with pollution stress.

Impact of the Built Environment on the Spatial Heterogeneity of Regional Innovation Productivity:Evidence from the Pearl River Delta,China

With the global economy increasingly dependent on innovation,urban discourse has shifted to consider what kinds of spatial designs may best nurture innovation.We examined the relationship between the built environment and the spatial heterogeneity of regional innovation productivity(RIP)using the example of China's Pearl River Delta(PRD).Based on a spatial database of 522546 patent data from 2017,this study proposed an innovation-based built environment framework with the following five aspects:healthy en-vironment,daily interaction,mixed land use,commuting convenience,and technology atmosphere.Combining negative binomial regression and Geodetector to examine the impact of the built environment on RIP,the results show that the spatial distribution of innovation productivity in the PRD region is extremely uneven.The negative binomial regression results show that the built environment has a significant impact on the spatial differentiation of RIP,and,specifically,that healthy environment,mixed land use,commuting convenience,and technology atmosphere all demonstrate significant positive impacts.Meanwhile,the Geodetector results show that the built environment factor impacts the spatial heterogeneity of RIP to varying degrees,with technology atmosphere demonstrating the greatest impact intensity.We conclude that as regional development discourse shifts focus to the knowledge and innovation economy,the innovation-oriented design and updating of built environments will become extremely important to policymakers.

Legislation on protection of drinking water sources and local management practices in the Pearl River Delta region of China

The protection of drinking water sources is vital to urban development and public health.In this study,the current situation of the mandatory protection area for drinking water source in the Pearl River Delta region was investigated using a method combining Google Earth with the field survey.The gaps between management practices and legislation requirements were analyzed.Finally,several countermeasures for water resource protection were proposed as follows:to promote delineation in a more scientific way,to safeguard the sanctity of the law,to make better plan on water saving,and to encourage public participation in supervision and management.

A Closure Study of Aerosol Hygroscopic Growth Factor during the 2006 Pearl River Delta Campaign

Measurements of aerosol physical, chemical and optical parameters were carried out in Guangzhou, China from 1 July to 31 July 2006 during the Pearl River Delta Campaign. The dry aerosol scattering coefficient was measured using an integrating nephelometer and the aerosol scattering coefficient for wet conditions was determined by subtracting the sum of the aerosol absorption coefficient, gas scattering coefficient and gas absorption coefficient from the atmospheric extinction coefficient. Following this, the aerosol hygroscopic growth factor, f（RH）, was calculated as the ratio of wet and dry aerosol scattering coefficients. Measurements of size-resolved chemical composition, relative humidity （RH）, and published functional relationships between particle chemical composition and water uptake were likewise used to find the aerosol scattering coe？cients in wet and dry conditions using Mie theory for internally- or externally-mixed particle species [（NH_4）_2SO_4, NH_4NO_3, NaCl, POM, EC and residue]. Closure was obtained by comparing the measured f（RH） values from the nephelometer and other in situ optical instruments with those computed from chemical composition and thermodynamics. Results show that the model can represent the observed f（RH） and is appropriate for use as a component in other higher-order models.

Projection of the Zhujiang(Pearl) River Delta's potential submerged area due to sea level rise during the 21st century based on CMIP5 simulations

Projections of potential submerged area due to sea level rise are helpful for improving understanding of the influence of ongoing global warming on coastal areas. The Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition method is used to adaptively decompose the sea level time series in order to extract the secular trend component. Then the linear relationship between the global mean sea level （GMSL） change and the Zhujiang （Pearl） River Delta （PRD） sea level change is calculated： an increase of 1.0 m in the GMSL corresponds to a 1.3 m （uncertainty interval from 1.25 to 1.46 m） increase in the PRD. Based on this relationship and the GMSL rise projected by the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 under three greenhouse gas emission scenarios （representative concentration pathways, or RCPs, from low to high emission scenarios RCP2.6, RCP4.5, and RCP8.5）, the PRD sea level is calculated and projected for the period 2006-2100. By around the year 2050, the PRD sea level will rise 0.29 （0.21 to 0.40） m under RCP2.6, 0.31 （0.22 to 0.42） m under RCP4.5, and 0.34 （0.25 to 0.46） m under RCP8.5, respectively. By 2100, it will rise 0.59 （0.36 to 0.88） m, 0.71 （0.47 to 1.02） m, and 1.0 （0.68 to 1.41） m, respectively. In addition, considering the extreme value of relative sea level due to land subsidence （i.e., 0.20 m） and that obtained from intermonthly variability （i.e., 0.33 m）, the PRD sea level will rise 1.94 m by the year 2100 under the RCP8.5 scenario with the upper uncertainty level （i.e., 1.41 m）. Accordingly, the potential submerged area is 8.57x103 km2 for the PRD, about 1.3 times its present area.

The Age of the Old Transgression Sequence in the Pearl River Delta, China

The Pearl River Delta （PRD） is located in the north coast area of the South China Sea （SCS）. As one of the largest delta in China, only the two latest events among the several tens of eustatic fluctuations occurring in the Quaternary were recorded in almost whole area of the PRD.

Characterization of Soil Available Nitrogen in the Major Vegetable Production Areas of Pearl River Delta,China

A macro scale survey was performed to investigate the content of soil available nitrogen (N) and its spatial distribution in the main vegetable production areas of the Pearl River Delta.Preliminary enrichment-deficient index of available N was then developed,which was a base for increasing fertilizer application efficiency and vegetable yield as well as for constructing soil testing and fertilizing formula.In general,most of the vegetable growth areas in Pearl River Delta were N-deficient or medium-N-deficient.There was 30%-62% increase in yield of Chinese cabbage on the N-deficient soil after application of N; when soil available N content was less than 145 mg/kg,the yield increased with application of N fertilizer at a rate of 60-70 kg/hm2.

ATMOSPHERIC BOUNDARY LAYER CONCEPT MODEL OF THE PEARL RIVER DELTA AND ITS APPLICATION

Based on the geographical circumstance, climate and the boundary layer meteorology features of the Pearl River Delta, a boundary layer concept model of the Pearl River Delta was built. The concept model consists of four fundamental factors that affect the boundary layer meteorology of the Pearl River Delta and can convincingly explain the reason of the air quality change in the Pearl River Delta. The model can be used to the diffusion capability analysis, the air pollution potential forecasting or haze forecasting, etc.

Aerosol Optical Properties and Radiative Impacts in the Pearl River Delta Region of China during the Dry Season

Aerosol optical properties and direct radiative effects on surface irradiance were examined using seven years （2006-2012） of Cimel sunphotometer data collected at Panyu--the main atmospheric composition monitoring station in the Pearl River Delta （PRD） region of China. During the dry season （October to February）, mean values of the aerosol optical depth （AOD） at 550 nm, the Angstrom exponent, and the single scattering albedo at 440 nm （SSA） were 0.54, 1.33 and 0.87, respectively. About 90% of aerosols were dominated by fine-mode strongly absorbing particles. The size distribution was bimodal, with fine-mode particles dominating. The fine mode showed a peak at a radius of 0.12 μm in February and October （- 0.10 μm3 μm-2）. The mean diurnal shortwave direct radiative forcing at the surface, inside the atmosphere （FATM）, and at the top of the atmosphere, was -33.4± 7.0, 26.1 ± 5.6 and -7.3 ±2.7 W m-2, respectively. The corresponding mean values of aerosol direct shortwave radiative forcing per AOD were -60.0 ±7.8, 47.3 ± 8.3 and -12.8 ±3.1 W m-2, respectively. Moreover, during the study period, FATM showed a significant decreasing trend （p 〈 0.01） and SSA increased from 0.87 in 2006 to 0.91 in 2012, suggesting a decreasing trend of absorbing particles being released into the atmosphere. Optical properties and radiative impacts of the absorbing particles can be used to improve the accuracy of inversion algorithms for satellite-based aerosol retrievals in the PRD region and to better constrain the climate effect of aerosols in climate models.

Regional Geochemical Characteristics and Influence Factors of Soil Elements in the Pearl River Delta Economic Zone, China

Soil heavy metal pollution is one of the main environmental problems in Pearl River Delta Economic?Zone of China. Based on multi-purpose regional geochemical survey, regional eco-geochemical assessment, local eco-geochemical assessment and comprehensive appraisal, the eco-geochemical survey and assessment in Pearl River Delta Economic Zone of 41,698 km2?were completed. Samples from soils were collected in accordance with the two-layer grid method. Totally 54 elements and indicators for soils were determined. Compared to deep soils, the sampled surface soils are enriched in OrgC, N, P, Cd, S,Hg, Ag, B, Au, S and poor with As, Ni, I, Co, Cr, V, MgO, Sc, Al2O3, Fe2O3?etc. The characteristics of geochemical reference value of element in soil that inherited soil parent material and regional elements combined features reflected that the elements enriched in the soil was interrelated with acid rock, sandstone and shale. The spatial distribution characteristics of element regional geochemistry were conditional by regional environmental geological conditions,and effected by human activities. The Pearl River Delta plain is a typical geochemical landscape area with regional anomaly of multiple-elements. The north, western and eastern parts of the Pearl River Delta Economic Zone are quite different in geochemical features due to regional geological background, soil parent materials, geomorphic characteristics and human activities. Environment quality evaluation results show that the grade I and grade II soil accounted for 19.9% and 57.3% of the total area. Many samples that widely distributed in the economic developed of Pearl River Delta Plain area reached the third-grade of national soil environment standard. The soil enriched in Cd, Hg, As, and the area ratio accounting for 22.8% of the total area. It is mainly controlled by the geochemical background, the Pearl River Delta formation evolution process, especially the marine transgression process lead to Cd, Cu, Zn and Pb enrichment in Pearl River Delta plain. At the same time, under the influence of higher pressure of human activities, all kinds of exogenous input material carrying heavy metal pollutants on soil environmental quality also could not to ignore.

Gene abundances of AOA,AOB,and anammox controlled by groundwater chemistry of the Pearl River Delta,China

Ammonia-oxidizing archaea(AOA),ammonia-oxidizing bacteria(AOB),and anaerobic ammonia-oxidation(anammox)bacteria are very important contributors to nitrogen cycling in natural environments.Functional gene abundances of these microbes were believed to be well relevant to N-cycling in groundwater systems,especially in the Pearl River Delta(PRD)groundwater with unique high intrinsic ammonia concentrations.In this research,20 sediment samples from two in the PRD were collected for porewater chemistry analysis and quantification of N-cycling related genes,including archaeal and bacterial amoA gene and anammox 16S ribosomal Ribonucleic Acid(rRNA)gene.Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction(qPCR)results showed that gene abundances of AOA,AOB,and anammox bacteria ranged from 3.13×10^(5)to 3.21×10^(7),1.83×10^(4)to 2.74×10^(6),and 9.27×10^(4)to 8.96×10^(6)copies/g in the sediment of the groundwater system,respectively.Anammox bacteria and AOA dominated in aquitards and aquifers,respectively,meanwhile,the aquitard-aquifer interfaces were demonstrated as ammonium-oxidizing hotspots in the aspect of gene numbers.Gene abundances of nitrifiers were analyzed with geochemistry profiles.Correlations between gene numbers and environmental variables indicated that the gene abundances were impacted by hydrogeological conditions,and microbial-derived ammonium loss was dominated by AOA in the northwest PRD and by anammox bacteria in the southeast PRD.