Research on natural resources and environmental geology for urban sustainable development: a case study of Kunming

There exists synchronous growth in resources consumption and environment pollution in Kunming urbanization in recent years, which has led to the increasing pressure of urban sustainable development. Considering the environmental and social benefits in Kunming’s water resources sustainable development, the authors provided a research finding the optimal urban population scale in different stages for urban water supply based on the sustainable development groundwater evaluating theoretical model. Through the research on the availability of construction site as well as the risk in underground space exploitation with the extenics theory method, we get a suitable partition map of land for urban construction and a risky partition map of underground space development. The results show that the appropriate population scale of Kunming will be less than 2.96×106 by 2020, and will reach (4.34--2.96)×106 optimized population scale after 2020 under the condition of economic-socially and environmentally sustainable development. It is significant to optimize urban construction land and use underground space under the condition of land resources sustainability in Kunming.     

Environmental effects of foreign trade and its spatial variations in mid-eastern provinces and cities of China

The studies on environmental effects of foreign trade and its spatial variations are helpful to design and implement environmental protection countermeasures.In order to eliminate the adverse effects of insufficient observation values on the accuracy of regression results and dynamic information quantity of fitting equation during empirical study,panel data of the mid-eastern provinces and cities of China from 1985 to 2007 were selected based on the adjustment of classical regression model in this paper.Panel unit root test and panel cointegration analysis method were applied to investigating the environmental effects of foreign trade and its spatial variations in the mid-eastern provinces and cities of China and its three groups divided by foreign trade dependence.The results show that all scale effects are positive,while all technical effects are negative and unable to counteract positive scale effects.Foreign trade development is regarded as an important cause for outstanding eco-environmental problems in the mid-eastern provinces and cities of China.Total effects and structural effects are significantly different among different groups because of spatial variations in environmental policies,export destinations,source of FDI,etc.Following the principle of′coordinating generality and considering differences comprehensively′,it is essential to issue a series of policies and countermeasures corresponding to differences in regional environmental effect of foreign trade,in order to coordinate the relationship between foreign trade development and eco-environment in each region.     

Scale issues of wetland classification and mapping using remote sensing images: A case of Honghe National Nature Reserve in Sanjiang Plain,Northeast China

Wetland research has become a hot spot linking multiple disciplines presently. Wetland classification and mapping is the basis for wetland research. It is difficult to generate wetland data sets using traditional methods because of the low accessibility of wetlands, hence remote sensing data have become one of the primary data sources in wetland research. This paper presents a case study conducted at the core area of Honghe National Nature Reserve in the Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China. In this study, three images generated by airship, from Thematic Mapper and from SPOT 5 were selected to produce wetland maps at three different wetland landscape levels. After assessing classification accuracies of the three maps, we compared the different wetland mapping results of 11 plant communities to the airship image, 6 plant ecotypes to the TM image and 9 landscape classifications to the SPOT 5 image. We discussed the different characteristics of the hierarchical ecosystem classifications based on the spatial scales of the different images. The results indicate that spatial scales of remote sensing data have an important link to the hierarchies of wetland plant ecosystems displayed on the wetland landscape maps. The richness of wetland landscape information derived from an image closely relates to its spatial resolution. This study can enrich the ecological classification methods and mapping techniques dealing with the spatial scales of different remote sensing images. With a better understanding of classification accuracies in mapping wetlands by using different scales of remote sensing data, we can make an appropriate approach for dealing with the scale issue of remote sensing images.     

Wave interaction with a partially reflecting vertical wall protected by a submerged porous bar

This study gives an analytical solution for wave interaction with a partially reflecting vertical wall protected by a submerged porous bar based on linear potential theory. The whole study domain is divided into multiple sub-regions in relation to the structures. The velocity potential in each sub-region is written as a series solution by the separation of variables. A partially reflecting boundary condition is used to describe the partial reflection of a vertical wall. Unknown expansion coefficients in the series solutions are determined by matching velocity potentials among different sub-regions. The analytical solution is verified by an independently developed multi-domain boundary element method(BEM) solution and experimental data. The wave run-up and wave force on the partially reflecting vertical wall are estimated and examined, which can be effectively reduced by the submerged porous bar. The horizontal space between the vertical wall and the submerged porous bar is a key factor, which affects the sheltering function of the porous bar. The wave resonance between the porous bar and the vertical wall may disappear when the vertical wall has a low reflection coefficient. The present analytical solution may be used to determine the optimum parameters of structures at a preliminary engineering design stage.     

RELATIVITY AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

From the realism of science, and taking the guide of EINSTEIN‘s Relativity as guide, this article called in question the present theory of the sustainable development by the rational thinking of philosophy and a close logic inference. It is found that there are many paradoxes to the theory. Through more deepening and meticulous inference, we arrived at philosophic language of science about the sustainable development. The sustainable development is “non-sustainable development”, and the non-sustainable development is “the best sustainable development”. While carrying out philosophical principle thinking and repeating science demonstration for the sustainable development, this article got further confirmation that the existence of human being at the minimum environment cost may help them obtain motive power of the sustainable development. In fact, this foundation motive power exists in the flow of development in different organization levels, meanwhile it exists in strategy of intuition living of the ancient people. Only in relative lower environment cost to live can we get the support system of science for the sustainable develooment, and be able really to achieve the basic goal of the sustainable development.     

Identification and categorization of climate change risks

The scientific evidence that climate is changing due to greenhouse gas emission is now incontestable, which may put many social, biological, and geophysical systems in the world at risk. In this paper, we first identified main risks induced from or aggravated by climate change. Then we categorized them applying a new risk categorization system brought forward by Renn in a framework of International Risk Governance Council. We proposed that ＂uncertainty＂ could be treated as the classification criteria. Based on this, we established a quantitative method with fuzzy set theory, in which ＂confidence＂ and ＂likelihood＂, the main quantitative terms for expressing uncertainties in IPCC, were used as the feature parameters to construct the fuzzy membership functions of four risk types. According to the maximum principle, most climate change risks identified were classified into the appropriate risk types. In the mean time, given that not all the quantitative terms are available, a qualitative approach was also adopted as a complementary classification method. Finally, we get the preliminary results of climate change risk categorization, which might iay the foundation for the future integrated risk management of climate change.     

Effects of normalized difference vegetation index and related wavebands’ characteristics on detecting spatial heterogeneity using variogram-based analysis

Spatial heterogeneity is widely used in diverse applications, such as recognizing ecological process, guiding ecological restoration, managing land use, etc. Many researches have focused on the inherent scale multiplicity of spatial heterogeneity by using various environmental variables. How these variables affect their corresponding spatial heterogeneities, however, have received little attention. In this paper, we examined the effects of characteristics of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and its related bands variable images, namely red and near infrared (NIR), on their corresponding spatial heterogeneity detection based on variogram models. In a coastal wetland region, two groups of study sites with distinct fractal vegetation cover were tested and analyzed. The results show that: 1) in high fractal vegetation cover (H-FVC) area, NDVI and NIR variables display a similar ability in detecting the spatial heterogeneity caused by vegetation growing status structure; 2) in low fractal vegetation cover (L-FVC) area, the NIR and red variables outperform NDVI in the survey of soil spatial heterogeneity; and 3) generally, NIR variable is ubiquitously applicable for vegetation spatial heterogeneity investigation in different fractal vegetation covers. Moreover, as variable selection for remote sensing applications should fully take the characteristics of variables and the study object into account, the proposed variogram analysis method can make the variable selection objectively and scientifically, especially in studies related to spatial heterogeneity using remotely sensed data.     

Spatial scale effects of water erosion dynamics: Complexities, variabilities, and uncertainties

Severe water erosion is notorious for its harmful effects on land-water resources as well as local societies. The scale effects of water erosion, however, greatly exacerbate the difficulties of accurate erosion evaluation and hazard control in the real world. Analyzing the related scale issues is thus urgent for a better understanding of erosion variations as well as reducing such erosion. In this review article, water erosion dynamics across three spatial scales including plot, watershed, and regional scales were selected and discussed. For the study purposes and objectives, the advantages and disadvantages of these scales all demonstrate clear spatial-scale dependence. Plot scale studies are primarily focused on abundant data collection and mechanism discrimination of erosion generation, while watershed scale studies provide valuable information for watershed management and hazard control as well as the development of quantitatively distributed models. Regional studies concentrate more on large-scale erosion assessment, and serve policymakers and stakeholders in achieving the basis for regulatory policy for comprehensive land uses. The results of this study show that the driving forces and mechanisms of water erosion variations among the scales are quite different. As a result, several major aspects contributing to variations in water erosion across the scales are stressed: differences in the methodologies across various scales, different sink-source roles on water erosion processes, and diverse climatic zones and morphological regions. This variability becomes more complex in the context of accelerated global change. The changing climatic factors and earth surface features are considered the fourth key reason responsible for the increased variability of water erosion across spatial scales.     

Geographical Space Development Zone Classification:An Essential Guide for Transformation of Mountain Resource Cities

Sustainable development of mountain areas and resource cities has been a significant issue worldwide. Transformation of mountain resource cities is facing tremendous difficulties. In the context of National Major Function-oriented Zone Planning raised to a national strategic level in China, it is important to effectively implement the planning by studying geographical space development zone classification of prefecture- and county-level cities based on their major function orientation. This research is even more critical for the transformation of mountain resource cities. In this study, we evaluated geographical space development suitability, and classified geographical space development zones for Dongchuan Distric in Kunming City of Yunan Province, China, a typical mountain resource city. A quantitative grid-based evaluation was conducted using key-factor identification and restrictive-supportive comprehensive index determinati based on a geographic information system framework with different source data. The results included a classification of geographical space of Dongchuan into five types: the prohibited development zone, the inappropriate development zone, the controlled development zone, the moderate development zone and the preferential development zone. The distribution characteristics of geographical space development zones showed that the proportion of the prohibited development zone is the highest, while that of the other four development zones is comparatively lower and significantly fragmented. The geographical space development suitability is greatly controlled by the geomorphic pattern. Although Dongchuan is extremely restrained in terms of suitable geographical space for industrialization and urbanization, it still has the certain preferential and moderate development zones with an area of 207.81 km2 with large parts being concentrated and contiguous, which makes these areas the most favorable for development. Only by adapting to this reality and implementing centralized development strategy in the regions with higher suitability may Dongchuan achieve smooth transformation from expansion mode to compact mode and its sustainable development capacity may be improved. Suggestions with an angle of industrial and spatial development pattern were put forward for the transformation of the city in future.     

3D joint inversion of controlled-source audio-frequency magnetotelluric and magnetotelluric data

Different geophysical exploration methods have significant differences in terms of exploration depth,especially in frequency domain electromagnetic(EM)exploration.According to the definition of skin depth,this difference will increase with the effective detection frequency of the method.As a result,when performing three-dimensional inversion on single type of EM data,it is not possible to effectively distinguish the subsurface geoelectric structure at the full scale.Therefore,it is necessary to perform joint inversion on different type of EM data.In this paper we combine the magnetotelluric method(MT)with the controlled-source audio-magnetotelluric method(CSAMT)to study the frequency-domain three-dimensional(3D)joint inversions,and we use the unstructured finite-element method to do the forward modeling for them,so that the numerical simulation accuracies of different electromagnetic methods can be satisfied.By combining the two sets of data,we can obtain the sensitivity of the electrical structure at different depths,and depict the full-scale subsurface geoelectric structures.In actual mineral exploration,the 3D joint inversion is more useful for identifying subsurface veins in the shallow part and blind mines in the deep part.It can delineate the morphological distribution of ore bodies more completely and provide reliable EM interpretations to guide the mining of minerals.     

A time-dependent stochastic grassland fire ignition probability model for Hulun Buir Grassland of China

Grassland fire is one of the most important disturbance factors in the natural ecosystems.This paper focuses on the spatial distribution of long-term grassland fire patterns in the Hulun Buir Grassland located in the northeast of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in China.The density or ratio of ignition can reflect the relationship between grassland fire and different ignition factors.Based on the relationship between the density or ratio of ignition in different range of each ignition factor and grassland fire events,an ignition probability model was developed by using binary logistic regression function and its overall accuracy averaged up to 81.7%.Meanwhile it was found that daily relative humidity,daily temperature,elevation,vegetation type,distance to county-level road,distance to town are more important determinants of spatial distribution of fire ignitions.Using Monte Carlo method,we developed a time-dependent stochastic ignition probability model based on the distribution of inter-annual daily relative humidity and daily temperature.Through this model,it is possible to estimate the spatial patterns of ignition probability for grassland fire,which will be helpful to the quantitative evaluation of grassland fire risk and its management in the future.     

A Vector-based Cellular Automata Model for Simulating Urban Land Use Change

Cellular Automata(CA) is widely used for the simulation of land use changes. This study applied a vector-based CA model to simulate land use change in order to minimize or eliminate the scale sensitivity in traditional raster-based CA model. The cells of vector-based CA model are presented according to the shapes and attributes of geographic entities, and the transition rules of vector-based CA model are improved by taking spatial variables of the study area into consideration. The vector-based CA model is applied to simulate land use changes in downtown of Qidong City, Jiangsu Province, China and its validation is confirmed by the methods of visual assessment and spatial accuracy. The simulation result of vector-based CA model reveals that nearly 75% of newly increased urban cells are located in the northwest and southwest parts of the study area from 2002 to 2007, which is in consistent with real land use map. In addition, the simulation results of the vector-based and raster-based CA models are compared to real land use data and their spatial accuracies are found to be 84.0% and 81.9%, respectively. In conclusion, results from this study indicate that the vector-based CA model is a practical and applicable method for the simulation of urbanization processes.     

Spatial pattern and regional types of rural settlements in Xuzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China

This paper principally focuses on the morphological differences,spatial pattern and regional types of rural settlements in Xuzhou City of Jiangsu Province in China.Using satellite images of Xuzhou City taken in 2007 and 2008 and models of exploratory spatial data analysis(ESDA) and spatial metrics,the paper conducts a quantitative analysis of the morphological pattern of rural settlements,and finds significant characteristics.First,rural settlements in Xuzhou City are significantly agglomerated in terms of their spatial distribution;meanwhile,there is significant variation in the geographical density distribution.Second,the scale of rural settlements in Xuzhou City is larger than the average in Jiangsu Province,and the histogram of the scale data is more even and more like a gamma distribution.There are a significant high-value cluster in the scale distribution,and local negative correlation between the scale and density distribution of rural settlements in Xuzhou City.Third,the morphology of rural settlements in Xuzhou City shows relative regularity with good connection and integrity,but the spatial variation of the morphology is anisotropic.Finally,according to the characteristics of density,scale,and form of rural settlements,the rural settlements of Xuzhou City are divided into three types:A high-density and point-scattered type,a low-density and cluster-like type and a mass-like and sparse type.The research findings could be used as the scientific foundation for rural planning and community rebuilding,particularly in less-developed areas.     

Spatial Pattern and Development of Protected Areas in the North-south Transitional Zone of China

The north-south transitional zone in China mainly consists of the Qinling-Daba Mountains. It is the most important West-East geo-ecological space in China, containing protected areas vital for biodiversity conservation and ecological security of China. The protection and rational development of its natural habitat is of great significance to China’s ecological security and integration of protected areas based on mountain forest ecosystems on a global scale. In this study, five important types of protected areas in the transitional zone were selected, and their spatial patterns were analysed. Spatial analysis methods, such as kernel density estimation and accessibility analysis, were employed for both point and areal data, and focused on four aspects: land use scale, shift in the centre of gravity, spatial agglomeration, and accessibility. In addition, policy background and evolution of spatial and temporal characteristics of the protected area system in the transitional zone from 1963 to 2017 were also examined. We analysed the characteristics and geographical significance of the West-east corridor using the spatial pattern of the protected area system from the perspective of ecological and economic spaces. We focused on spatial shape, type intersection, and key areas to analyse the spatial overlap of the protected areas. Protected area establishment was divided into three stages: initial(1956–1980), rapid development(1981–2013), and national park transformation(2014–present). These stages reflected the change in the concept of ‘simple protection—sustainable use—integration and upgrade’ for protected areas of China. The spatial centre of gravity of the protection zone system was located in the west Qinling-Daba Mountains, and its high-density core exhibited a relatively stable N-shaped structure composed of four gathering areas. Affected by factors such as geographic environment and socio-economic development density, the average access time for protected areas was high(1.56 h);wetland parks and scenic areas are located closer to the city centre. As the West-east corridor in the transitional zone extends from west to east, there is a clear spatial dislocation between the development of protected areas and the intensity of human activities. During development, differentiated goal orientation should be adopted based on the idea of zoning and classified governance. With the advancement of the construction of protected areas, the spatial overlap of protected areas in the transition zone has become more prominent. At present, the spatially overlapped protected areas in the transitional zone remain prominent, with inclusion overlap being the most common, and forest parks exhibiting the highest probability of overlap with other protected areas, we should focus on in the integration process of the corridor-type ecological space based on the mountain forest ecosystem.     

An estimation model for the fragmentation properties of brittle rock block due to the impacts against an obstruction

Mountain hazards with large masses of rock blocks in motion – such as rock falls, avalanches and landslides – threaten human lives and structures. Dynamic fragmentation is a common phenomenon during the movement process of rock blocks in rock avalanche, due to the high velocity and impacts against obstructions. In view of the energy consumption theory for brittle rock fragmentation proposed by Bond, which relates energy to size reduction, a theoretical model is proposed to estimate the average fragment size for a moving rock block when it impacts against an obstruction. Then, different forms of motion are studied, with various drop heights and slope angles for the moving rock block. The calculated results reveal that the average fragment size decreases as the drop height increases, whether for free-fall or for a sliding or rolling rock block, and the decline in size is rapid for low heights and slow for increasing heights in the corresponding curves. Moreover, the average fragment size also decreases as the slope angle increases for a slidingrock block. In addition, a rolling rock block has a higher degree of fragmentation than a sliding rock block, even for the same slope angle and block volume. Finally, to compare with others' results, the approximate number of fragments is estimated for each calculated example, and the results show that the proposed model is applicable to a relatively isotropic moving rock block.     

APPLICATION OF GEOGRAPHICAL PARAMETER DATABASE TO ESTABLISHMENT OF UNIT POPULATION DATABASE

Now GIS is turning into a good tool in handling geographical, economical, and population data, so we can obtain more and more information from these data. On the other hand, in some cases, for a calamity, such as hurricane, earthquake, flood, drought etc., or a decision-making, such as setting up a broadcasting transmitter, building a chemical plant etc., we have to evaluate the total population in the region influenced by a calamity or a project. In this paper, a method is put forward to evaluate the population in such special region. Through exploring the correlation of geographical parameters and the distribution of people in the same region by means of quantitative analysis and qualitative analysis, unit population database (1km× 1km) is established. In this way, estimating the number of people in a special region is capable by adding up the population in every grid involved in this region boundary. The geographical parameters are obtained from topographic database and DEM database on the scale of     

Approach to delimiting metropolitan regions’ boundary and grading urban hierarchy within a metropolitan region—A case study of Shanghai metropolitan region

In metropolitan regions, the change in the strength of＂flows＂ between a core city and surrounding cities reflects the range of the core city＇s influence, while the gravity between core city and other cities reflects the strength of potential relation between them. This article firstly attempts to delimit the boundary of metropolitan regions with the two dimensions measure combining ＂flows＂ and gravitation. The former is measured through the flow of people between the core city and surrounding cities, and the latter is measured through both population and gross domestic products （GDP） of the core city and surrounding cities. The hierarchy of the cities within a metropolitan region is classified in order to emphasize the roles of the cities belonging to the metropolitan regions, different from the general way through population scale and administrative level, and is typical in China. This paper uses the Shanghai metropolitan region as a research case, determining boundary of this metropolitan region clearly and classifying hierarchy of the cities within the region. The final results are significantly different to previous work, even overthrowing the traditional system of urban hierarchy partly. It is helpful to highlight the function of cities in organizing the regional economy, the level structure of metropolitan regions, and each city＇s relative importance in a metropolitan region, which can be taken as scientific basis for planning integrated regions or urban systems.     

Early warning for geo-hazards based on the weather condition in China

According to national early warning practice for geo-hazards from 2003 .to 2005, it is systematically concluded that the basic characteristics of geo-hazards, early warning method and forecast result based on the geological maps of China in a scale 1：6 000 000. With the contrast of different characters between sustained rainfall and typhoon rainfall inducing geo-hazards, the disaster reduction result and some problems are preliminarily analyzed. Some basic recognition is that early warning to geo-hazards is feasible, national scale forecast is only to call attention, but can＇ t immediately be used to disaster reduction decision-making. And, the future direction is to build a united disaster reduction framework of early warning system including national, provincial and county levels based on weather factors in different scale of area.     

Evaluating the impact of spatio-temporal scale on CPUE standardization

This study focused on the quantitative evaluation of the impact of the spatio-temporal scale used in data collection and grouping on the standardization of CPUE(catch per unit effort).We used the Chinese squid-jigging fishery in the northwestern Pacific Ocean as an example to evaluate 24 scenarios at different spatio-temporal scales,with a combination of four levels of temporal scale(weekly,biweekly,monthly,and bimonthly)and six levels of spatial scale(longitude×latitude:0.5°×0.5°,0.5°×1°,0.5°×2°,1°×0.5°,1°×1°,and 1°×2°).We applied generalized additive models and generalized linear models to analyze the24 scenarios for CPUE standardization,and then the differences in the standardized CPUE among these scenarios were quantified.This study shows that combinations of different spatial and temporal scales could have different impacts on the standardization of CPUE.However,at a fine temporal scale(weekly)different spatial scales yielded similar results for standardized CPUE.The choice of spatio-temporal scale used in data collection and analysis may create added uncertainty in fisheries stock assessment and management.To identify a cost-effective spatio-temporal scale for data collection,we recommend a similar study be undertaken to facilitate the design of effective monitoring programs.     

Evolution of Jobs-housing Spatial Relationship in Beijing Metropolitan Area:A Job Accessibility Perspective

With the urban expansion and economic restructuring, the jobs-housing relationship has become an important issue in studies on urban spatial structure. This paper employed a job accessibility model, which is an evaluation instrument to measure the jobs-housing relationship in Beijing Metropolitan Area from a job accessibility perspective. The results indicate that the population in the central city is declining, whereas the population in the suburbs is consistently growing and forming new population centers. However, the distribution pattern of employment is still highly centralized. Job accessibility varies in different locations, but the inner-city areas(within the Third Ring road) have seen improved job accessibility over time while job accessibility in the suburbs(especially outside the Fourth Ring road) has decreased, and this has led it to become a primary area of residential and employment mismatch. At the same time, the new towns in the outer suburbs have not yet demonstrated great potential to attract more jobs. In addition we find that, to some extent, urban planning changes the jobs-housing relationship, but a polycentric urban spatial structure is not yet evident. The floating population and related housing policy also affect the jobs-housing relationship. We propose some measures to resolve the spatial mismatch as well as some future research directions.