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.

Industrial Carbon Emission Distribution and Regional Joint Emission Reduction:A Case Study of Cities in the Pearl River Basin,China

China’s low-carbon development path will make significant contributions to achieving global sustainable development goals.Due to the diverse natural and economic conditions across different regions in China,there exists an imbalance in the distribution of car-bon emissions.Therefore,regional cooperation serves as an effective means to attain low-carbon development.This study examined the pattern of carbon emissions and proposed a potential joint emission reduction strategy by utilizing the industrial carbon emission intens-ity(ICEI)as a crucial factor.We utilized social network analysis and Local Indicators of Spatial Association(LISA)space-time trans-ition matrix to investigate the spatiotemporal connections and discrepancies of ICEI in the cities of the Pearl River Basin(PRB),China from 2010 to 2020.The primary drivers of the ICEI were determined through geographical detectors and multi-scale geographically weighted regression.The results were as follows:1)the overall ICEI in the Pearl River Basin is showing a downward trend,and there is a significant spatial imbalance.2)There are numerous network connections between cities regarding the ICEI,but the network structure is relatively fragile and unstable.3)Economically developed cities such as Guangzhou,Foshan,and Dongguan are in the center of the network while playing an intermediary role.4)Energy consumption,industrialization,per capita GDP,urbanization,science and techno-logy,and productivity are found to be the most influential variables in the spatial differentiation of ICEI,and their combination in-creased the explanatory power of the geographic variation of ICEI.Finally,through the analysis of differences and connections in urban carbon emissions under different economic levels and ICEI,the study suggests joint carbon reduction strategies,which are centered on carbon transfer,financial support,and technological assistance among cities.

Landsat Image-Based Spatiotemporal Variation Analysis of Erosion and Deposition off the Qingshuigou of the Yellow River Delta from 1984 to 2021

Owing to climate change and human activity,the Qingshuigou of the Yellow River Delta(YRD)has undergone dynamic changes in erosion and deposition.Therefore,studying these changes is important to ensure ecological protection and sustainable development.In this study,the trend of erosion-deposition evolution in the Qingshuigou was investigated based on 38 coastline phases extracted from Landsat series images of the YRD at one-year intervals from 1984 to 2021.The periodicity of the scouring and deposition evolution was also analyzed using wavelet analysis.Results showed that the total area of the Qingshuigou was affected by deposition and erosion and that the fluctuation first increased and then decreased.The total area reached a maximum in 1993.The depositional area first increased and then decreased,whereas the overall erosion area decreased.Deposition and erosion areas showed periodic changes to some extent;however,the periodic signal intensity decreased.Furthermore,factors including channel morphological evolution and variations in water and sediment discharge affect the spatiotemporal dynamics of erosion and deposition processes.The application of nonconsistency tests finally revealed that deposition area and flushing magnitude exhibited non-stationarities,which are potentially attributed to impacts from climatic change drivers.

Occurrence,Spatial Distribution,Sources and Risk Assessment of Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Surface Sediments of the Yellow River Delta Wetland

Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances(PFASs)are emerging persistent organic pollutants(POPs).In this study,47 surface sediment samples were collected from the Yellow River Delta wetland(YRDW)to investigate the occurrence,spatial distribution,potential sources,and ecological risks of PFASs.Twenty-three out of 26 targeted PFASs were detected in surface sediment samples from the YRDW,with totalΣ23PFASs concentrations ranging from 0.23 to 16.30 ng g^(-1) dw and a median value of 2.27 ng g^(-1) dw.Perfluorooctanoic acid(PFOA),perfluorobutanoic acid(PFBA)and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid(PFOS)were the main contaminants.The detection frequency and concentration of perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids(PFCAs)were higher than those of perfluoroal-kanesulfonic acids(PFSAs),while those of long-chain PFASs were higher than those of short-chain PFASs.The emerging PFASs substitutes were dominated by 6:2 chlorinated polyfluoroalkyl ether sulfonic acid(6:2 Cl-PFESA).The distribution of PFASs is significantly influenced by the total organic carbon content in the sediments.The concentration of PFASs seems to be related to human activities,with high concentration levels of PFASs near locations such as beaches and villages.By using a positive matrix factorization model,the potential sources of PFASs in the region were identified as metal plating mist inhibitor and fluoropolymer manufacturing sources,metal plating industry and firefighting foam and textile treatment sources,and food packaging material sources.The risk assessment indicated that PFASs in YRDW sediments do not pose a significant ecological risk to benthic organisms in the region overall,but PFOA and PFOS exert a low to moderate risk at individual stations.

Examining the evolution of tidal creeks in the Huanghe River delta using multi-temporal Landsat images

Coastal tidal creeks are important channels for exchanges of material and energy between sea and land,and play an important role in the ecological protection of tidal flats.Although tidal creeks have evolved differently in various regions,the evolutionary process of tidal creeks in the Huanghe(Yellow)River delta of China,one of the most active deltas worldwide,is not entirely clear.Therefore,the evolution of tidal creeks in the delta from 1981 to 2021 was investigated by quantitatively analysing the tidal creeks and developing a standard for dividing their evolution periods.Visual interpretation and supervised classification methods were applied to the Landsat images to extract the tidal creek network,and 17 groups of tidal creek systems were selected.Results indicate that Creek S 1 was the most developed creek for having 113 tidal creeks totaling 65.8 km in length,while Creek E 3 had the fastest growth rate for having average annual increase of 1.9 km.Meanwhile,the level of tidal creeks increased,the average and median lengths of tidal creeks increased,and the number of tidal creeks decreased since 1981.The evolution of the tidal creek system could be divided into four stages,namely,rising,developing,stabilizing,and degrading.Analyses of a representative tidal creek show that there was no degenerated tidal creek during the rising period,with an increase in the number of 50 and a length increase of 57.9 km between 1981 and 1989.The proportion of new tidal creeks in the developing period was more than 50%and the new tidal creeks in the stabilizing period were equal to the degraded tidal creeks.Extinct tidal creeks were greater than 50%during the degrading period.There was no fixed order of tidal creek evolution in each period,and there may be a skip in evolution.Our findings provided a reference for studying the evolution of tidal creeks.

Activity Pattern and Habitat Use of Shorebirds in an Artificial Wetland Complex:A Case Study of Breeding Pied Avocet in the Yellow River Delta,China

With the loss of substantial natural wetlands in coastal zones,artificial wetlands provide alternative habitats for many shorebirds.Scientific management of artificial wetlands used by shorebirds plays an important role in maintaining the stability of shorebird population.Satellite tracking technique can obtain high-precision location information of individuals day and night,providing a good technical support for the study of quantitative relationship between waterfowls and their habitats.In this study,satellite tracking method,Remote Sensing(RS)and Geographic Information System(GIS)technology were used to analyze the activity pattern and habitat utilization characteristics of Pied Avocet during breeding period in an artificial wetland complex in the Yellow River Delta(YRD),China.The results showed that the breeding Pied Avocets had a small range of activity,with a total core and main home range of 33.10 km^(2) and 216.30 km^(2),respectively.This species tended to forage in the pond and salt pan during the day and night,respectively,with an unfixed staying time in the breeding ground.The distance between breeding ground and feeding ground was less than 6 km.It is emphasized that in addition to improving the conditions of the remaining natural habitats,effective managing artificial habitats is a priority for shorebird conservation.This research could provide reference for the management of artificial wetlands in coastal zones and supply technique support for the protection of shorebirds and their habitats,and alleviate human-bird conflicts and sustainable development of coastal zones.

Geometry and 3D seismic characterisation of post-rift normal faults in the Pearl River Mouth Basin,northern South China Sea

Based on high-resolution 3D seismic data acquired in the Pearl(Zhujiang)River Mouth Basin of the northern South China Sea,this study investigated the geometry,spatial extension,and throw distribution of the post-rift normal fault through detailed seismic interpretation and fault modeling.A total of 289 post-rift normal faults were identified in the study area and can be classified into four types:(1)isolated normal faults above the carbonate platform;(2)isolated normal faults cutting through the carbonate platform;(3)conjugate normal faults,and(4)connecting normal faults.Throw distribution analysis on the fault planes show that the vertical throw profiles of most normal fault exhibit flat-topped profiles.Isolated normal faults above the carbonate platform exhibit roughly concentric ellipses with maximum throw zones in the central section whereas the normal faults cutting through the carbonate platform miss the lowermost section due to the chaotic seismic reflections in the interior of the carbonate platform.The vertical throws of conjugate normal faults anomalously decrease toward their intersection region on the fault plane whereas the connecting normal faults present two maximum throw zones in the central section of the fault plane.According to the symmetric elliptical distribution model of fault throw,an estimation was made indicating that normal faults cutting through the carbonate platform extended downward between-1308 s and-1780 s(two-way travel time)in depth and may not penetrate the entire Liuhua carbonate platform.Moreover,it is observed that the distribution of karst caves on the top of the carbonate platform disaccord with those of hydrocarbon reservoirs and the post-rift normal faults cutting through the carbonate platform in the study area.We propose that these karst caves formed most probably by corrosive fluids derived from magmatic activities during the Dongsha event,rather than pore waters or hydrocarbons.

Discovery and inspiration of large-and medium-sized glutenite-rich oil and gas fields in the eastern South China Sea:An example from Paleogene Enping Formation in Huizhou 26 subsag,Pearl River Mouth Basin

Based on the practice of oil and gas exploration in the Huizhou Sag of the Pearl River Mouth Basin,the geochemical indexes of source rocks were measured,the reservoir development morphology was restored,the rocks and minerals were characterized microscopically,the measured trap sealing indexes were compared,the biomarker compounds of crude oil were extracted,the genesis of condensate gas was identified,and the reservoir-forming conditions were examined.On this basis,the Paleogene Enping Formation in the Huizhou 26 subsag was systematically analyzed for the potential of oil and gas resources,the development characteristics of large-scale high-quality conglomerate reservoirs,the trapping effectiveness of faults,the hydrocarbon migration and accumulation model,and the formation conditions and exploration targets of large-and medium-sized glutenite-rich oil and gas fields.The research results were obtained in four aspects.First,the Paleogene Wenchang Formation in the Huizhou 26 subsag develops extensive and thick high-quality source rocks of semi-deep to deep lacustrine subfacies,which have typical hydrocarbon expulsion characteristics of"great oil generation in the early stage and huge gas expulsion in the late stage",providing a sufficient material basis for hydrocarbon accumulation in the Enping Formation.Second,under the joint control of the steep slope zone and transition zone of the fault within the sag,the large-scale near-source glutenite reservoirs are highly heterogeneous,with the development scale dominated hierarchically by three factors(favorable facies zone,particle component,and microfracture).The(subaqueous)distributary channels near the fault system,with equal grains,a low mud content(<5%),and a high content of feldspar composition,are conducive to the development of sweet spot reservoirs.Third,the strike-slip pressurization trap covered by stable lake flooding mudstone is a necessary condition for oil and gas preservation,and the NE and nearly EW faults obliquely to the principal stress have the best control on traps.Fourth,the spatiotemporal configuration of high-quality source rocks,fault transport/sealing,and glutenite reservoirs controls the degree of hydrocarbon enrichment.From top to bottom,three hydrocarbon accumulation units,i.e.low-fill zone,transition zone,and high-fill zone,are recognized.The main area of the channel in the nearly pressurized source-connecting fault zone is favorable for large-scale hydrocarbon enrichment.The research results suggest a new direction for the exploration of large-scale glutenite-rich reservoirs in the Enping Formation of the Pearl River Mouth Basin,and present a major breakthrough in oil and gas exploration.

Impacts of multi-scenario land use change on ecosystem services and ecological security pattern: A case study of the Yellow River Delta

The Yellow River Delta(YRD), a critical economic zone along China's eastern coast, also functions as a vital ecological reserve in the lower Yellow River. Amidst rapid industrialization and urbanization, the region has witnessed significant land use/cover changes(LUCC), impacting ecosystem services(ES) and ecological security patterns(ESP). Investigating LUCC's effects on ES and ESP in the YRD is crucial for ecological security and sustainable development. This study utilized the PLUS model to simulate 2030 land use scenarios, including natural development(NDS), economic development(EDS), and ecological protection scenarios(EPS). Subsequently, the InVEST model and circuit theory were applied to assess ES and ESP under varying LUCC scenarios from 2010 to 2030. Findings indicate:(1) Notable LUCC from 2010 to 2030, marked by decreasing cropland and increasing construction land and water bodies.(2) From 2010 to 2020, improvements were observed in carbon storage,water yield, soil retention, and habitat quality, whereas 2020–2030 saw increases in water yield and soil retention but declines in habitat quality and carbon storage. Among the scenarios, EPS showed superior performance in all four ES.(3) Between 2010 and 2030, ecological sources, corridors, and pinchpoints expanded, displaying significant spatial heterogeneity. The EPS scenario yielded the most substantial increases in ecological sources,corridors, and pinchpoints, totaling 582.89 km^(2), 645.03 km^(2),and 64.43 km^(2), respectively. This study highlights the importance of EPS, offering insightful scientific guidance for the YRD's sustainable development.

Analysis of factors influencing carbon emissions in the Yangtze River Delta region and projections of carbon peak scenarios

Based on the supply-side perspective,the improved STIRPAT model is applied to reveal the mechanisms of supply-side factors such as human,capital,technology,industrial synergy,institutions and economic growth on carbon emissions in the Yangtze River Delta(YRD)through path analysis,and to forecast carbon emissions in the YRD from the baseline scenario,factor regulation scenario and integrated scenario to reach the peak.The results show that:(1)Jiangsu's high carbon emission pattern is the main reason for the YRD hindering the synergistic regulation of carbon emissions.(2)Human factors,institutional factors and economic growth factors can all contribute to carbon emissions in the YRD region,while technological and industrial factors can generally suppress carbon emissions in the YRD region.(3)Under the capital regulation scenario,the YRD region has the highest level of carbon emission synergy,with Jiangsu reaching its peak five years earlier.Under the balanced regulation scenario,the YRD region as a whole,Jiangsu,Zhejiang and Anhui reach the peak as scheduled.

Evaluation of Ecological Sustainable Development in the Yangtze River Delta Region Based on Ecological Footprint Theory

The ecological footprint was employed as a quantitative indicator of resource inputs,enabling a detailed account of the structure of biological resources and energy occupancy,as well as the variation of resource productivity in the Yangtze River Delta(YRD)Region.From 2004 to 2018,there were notable variations in the ecological productivity of different types of land on basis of China’s equilibrium factor across the three provinces and one city in the YRD region.Jiangsu Province exhibited the highest ecological productivity of arable land,while Anhui Province exhibited the highest ecological productivity of forest land.Shanghai City exhibited the highest ecological productivity of pasture land,while Zhejiang Province exhibited the highest ecological productivity of water area.In 2018,the proportion of arable land within the total ecological carrying capacity of the YRD region reached 74.35%.Furthermore,the contribution of Jiangsu and Anhui provinces to the YRD’s total ecological carrying capacity was 41.36%and 41.26%,respectively.In the construction of a new development pattern in the YRD region,which is dominated by the domestic cycle as the main body and mutually reinforced by domestic and international double-cycle,the YRD region should combine the utilization of natural forces with innovation in science,technology and cooperation mechanisms.Furthermore,the government should guide the concentration of social capital towards green industries.It is also recommended that the moderate reduction of ecological footprints should be encouraged,and that the security of biological resources and energy,the leadership in the field of cutting-edge science and technology should be ensured in YRD region.This will facilitate the formation of a new development pattern of higher-quality integration at the national level firstly.

High-quality Development of the Pearl River Night Tour in the Context of Deep Integration of Culture and Tourism

Urban night tourism is a new form of urban tourism development and an important driving force for the prosperity of urban night economy.As the most prestigious business card among many night tour projects in Guangzhou,the Pearl River water night tour has contributed to the development of Guangzhou s night economy,which cannot be underestimated.However,in the process of rapid development,there are also problems such as diversified operators,insufficient integration of intangible cultural elements,excessive commercial attributes,issues of tourism facilities and service facilities.Under the new stage of integrated development of culture and tourism,how to use mutual promotion of culture and tourism in the Pearl River night tour to seek innovative paths for high-quality development in the future is the main problem expected to be solved in this paper.Therefore,based on the perspective of culture and tourism integration,this paper analyzes the general situation and development status of the Pearl River night tour,and proposes five development strategies:the overall planning of culture and tourism integration,the deep integration of intangible cultural elements,the balance of commercial attributes and tourism attributes,the high integration of culture,business,tourism and education,and the creation of tourism atmosphere,in order to provide inspiration for the healthy,orderly and high-quality development of the Pearl River night tour.

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.

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.

Characteristics of transfer zones under the influence of preexisting faults and regional stress transformation:Wenchang A subsag,Zhujiang River Mouth Basin,northern South China Sea

A transfer zone in rift basins preserves important information on regional tectonic evolution and plays significant roles in hydrocarbon accumulation.Based on the systematic analysis of 3D seismic data and hydrocarbon accumulation conditions,the geometry,kinematics,and reservoir control of a large synthetic overlapping transfer zone in the south of the Wenchang A subsag in the Zhujiang(Pearl)River Mouth basin were investigated.Results indicate that the development and evolution of the transfer zone was controlled by the interaction between pre-existing faults and regional stress transformation.The intense rifting of the main faults of the transfer zone controlled the development of source rocks and faultcontrolled slope break paleogeomorphology.The strike-slip overprint since the Oligocene is conducive to the formation of a large-scale fault-anticline trap,and the secondary faults in the transfer zone contribute to the hydrocarbon transportation.The conjugate intersection area of the NE-and NW-trending faults offers more opportunity for hydrocarbon migration and accumulation.

Numerical study on local scour characteristics around submarine pipelines in the Yellow River Delta silty sandy soil under waves and currents

Due to their high reliability and cost-efficiency,submarine pipelines are widely used in offshore oil and gas resource engineering.Due to the interaction of waves,currents,seabed,and pipeline structures,the soil around submarine pipelines is prone to local scour,severely affecting their operational safety.With the Yellow River Delta as the research area and based on the renormalized group(RNG)k-εturbulence model and Stokes fifth-order wave theory,this study solves the Navier-Stokes(N-S)equation using the finite difference method.The volume of fluid(VOF)method is used to describe the fluid-free surface,and a threedimensional numerical model of currents and waves-submarine pipeline-silty sandy seabed is established.The rationality of the numerical model is verified using a self-built waveflow flume.On this basis,in this study,the local scour development and characteristics of submarine pipelines in the Yellow River Delta silty sandy seabed in the prototype environment are explored and the influence of the presence of pipelines on hydrodynamic features such as surrounding flow field,shear stress,and turbulence intensity is analyzed.The results indicate that(1)local scour around submarine pipelines can be divided into three stages:rapid scour,slow scour,and stable scour.The maximum scour depth occurs directly below the pipeline,and the shape of the scour pits is asymmetric.(2)As the water depth decreases and the pipeline suspension height increases,the scour becomes more intense.(3)When currents go through a pipeline,a clear stagnation point is formed in front of the pipeline,and the flow velocity is positively correlated with the depth of scour.This study can provide a valuable reference for the protection of submarine pipelines in this area.

Evaluation of the water conservation function in the Ili River Delta of Central Asia based on the InVEST model

The Ili River Delta(IRD)is an ecological security barrier for the Lake Balkhash and an important water conservation area in Central Asia.In this study,we selected the IRD as a typical research area,and simulated the water yield and water conservation from 1975 to 2020 using the water yield module of the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs(InVEST)model.We further analyzed the temporal and spatial variations in the water yield and water conservation in the IRD from 1975 to 2020,and investigated the main driving factors(precipitation,potential evapotranspiration,land use/land cover change,and inflow from the Ili River)of the water conservation variation based on the linear regression,piecewise linear regression,and Pearson's correlation coefficient analyses.The results indicated that from 1975 to 2020,the water yield and water conservation in the IRD showed a decreasing trend,and the spatial distribution pattern was"high in the east and low in the west";overall,the water conservation of all land use types decreased slightly.The water conservation volume of grassland was the most reduced,although the area of grassland increased owing to the increased inflow from the Ili River.At the same time,the increased inflow has led to the expansion of wetland areas,the improvement of vegetation growth,and the increase of regional evapotranspiration,thus resulting in an overall reduction in the water conservation.The water conservation depth and precipitation had similar spatial distribution patterns;the change in climate factors was the main reason for the decline in the water conservation function in the delta.The reservoir in the upper reaches of the IRD regulated runoff into the Lake Balkhash,promoted vegetation restoration,and had a positive effect on the water conservation;however,this positive effect cannot offset the negative effect of enhanced evapotranspiration.These results provide a reference for the rational allocation of water resources and ecosystem protection in the IRD.

Tectonic-thermal history and hydrocarbon potential of the Pearl River Mouth Basin,northern South China Sea:Insights from borehole apatite fission-track thermochronology

The Pearl River Mouth Basin(PRMB)is one of the most petroliferous basins on the northern margin of the South China Sea.Knowledge of the thermal history of the PRMB is significant for understanding its tectonic evolution and for unraveling its poorly studied source-rock maturation history.Our investigations in this study are based on apatite fission-track(AFT)thermochronology analysis of 12 cutting samples from 4 boreholes.Both AFT ages and length data suggested that the PRMB has experienced quite complicated thermal evolution.Thermal history modeling results unraveled four successive events of heating separated by three stages of cooling since the early Middle Eocene.The cooling events occurred approximately in the Late Eocene,early Oligocene,and the Late Miocene,possibly attributed to the Zhuqiong II Event,Nanhai Event,and Dongsha Event,respectively.The erosion amount during the first cooling stage is roughly estimated to be about 455-712 m,with an erosion rate of 0.08-0.12 mm/a.The second erosion-driven cooling is stronger than the first one,with an erosion amount of about 747-814 m and an erosion rate between about 0.13-0.21 mm/a.The erosion amount calculated related to the third cooling event varies from 800 m to 3419 m,which is speculative due to the possible influence of the magmatic activity.

Controlled drainage in the Nile River delta of Egypt:a promising approach for decreasing drainage off-site effects and enhancing yield and water use efficiency of wheat

North Africa is one of the most regions impacted by water shortage.The implementation of controlled drainage(CD)in the northern Nile River delta of Egypt is one strategy to decrease irrigation,thus alleviating the negative impact of water shortage.This study investigated the impacts of CD at different levels on drainage outflow,water table level,nitrate loss,grain yield,and water use efficiency(WUE)of various wheat cultivars.Two levels of CD,i.e.,0.4 m below the soil surface(CD-0.4)and 0.8 m below the soil surface(CD-0.8),were compared with subsurface free drainage(SFD)at 1.2 m below the soil surface(SFD-1.2).Under each drainage treatment,four wheat cultivars were grown for two growing seasons(November 2018–April 2019 and November 2019–April 2020).Compared with SFD-1.2,CD-0.4 and CD-0.8 decreased irrigation water by 42.0%and 19.9%,drainage outflow by 40.3%and 27.3%,and nitrate loss by 35.3%and 20.8%,respectively.Under CD treatments,plants absorbed a significant portion of their evapotranspiration from shallow groundwater(22.0%and 8.0%for CD-0.4 and CD-0.8,respectively).All wheat cultivars positively responded to CD treatments,and the highest grain yield and straw yield were obtained under CD-0.4 treatment.Using the initial soil salinity as a reference,the soil salinity under CD-0.4 treatment increased two-fold by the end of the second growing season without negative impacts on wheat yield.Modifying the drainage system by raising the outlet elevation and considering shallow groundwater contribution to crop evapotranspiration promoted water-saving and WUE.Different responses could be obtained based on the different plant tolerance to salinity and water stress,crop characteristics,and growth stage.Site-specific soil salinity management practices will be required to avoid soil salinization due to the adoption of long-term shallow groundwater in Egypt and other similar agroecosystems.

Factors Influencing the Thermal Conductivity of Silt in the Yellow River Delta

The thermal conductivity of marine sediments is an important thermophysical parameter in the study of seafloor heat flow and marine engineering construction.Understanding the effect of thermal conductivity of marine sediments in the environment has a major engineering value and theoretical significance.In this work,a modified test method was used to measure the thermal conductivity of silt in the Yellow River Delta under different void ratios,moisture contents,temperatures,and salinities.Results showed that the thermal conductivity of silt in the Yellow River Delta decreased with the increase in the void ratio and increased with the water content.Compared with sand and clay,silt in the Yellow River Delta was the least affected by the void ratio and moisture content.Under low temperatures,the heat transfer of soil was controlled by the average velocity of the phonons;therefore,the thermal conductivity of silt in the Yellow River Estuary increased with temperature.The thermal conductivity of pore water decreased with increasing salinity.Moreover,certain salinity levels resulted in a phenomenon known as the‘compressing twin electrical layer’,which led to an increase in the contact area between soil particles.With the increase in salinity,the thermal conductivity of silt in the Yellow River Delta experiences an initial decline and a subsequent increase.The proposed thermal conductivity test method is more accurate than the existing technique,and the findings provide a basis for further study on the thermal characteristics of submarine sediments.