Features of the long-term transformation of the Krasnodar reservoir,near the mouth of the Kuban River,Russia

The article considers the long-term(1941–2018) transformation of the Krasnodar valley reservoir, the largest in the North Caucasus. The main functions of the Krasnodar reservoir are irrigation of rice systems and flood protection of land in the Krasnodar reservoir region and the Republic of Adygea. According to topographic maps, Landsat satellite images(1974–2018) and field observations(2016–2018), four stages of transformation of the floodplain reservoir are identified. The selected stages are characterized by both natural causes(the transformation of the filling deltas into the extended deltas, etc.) and man-made causes(runoff diversions in the delta areas, etc.). The key factor of transformation is the formation of deltas of rivers flowing into the reservoir. Each of the selected stages, against the background of a gradual reduction in the area and volume of the reservoir, is characterized by the peculiarities of the formation of river deltas with the formation of genetically homogeneous sections of delta regions. During the period of operation of the reservoir, the delta of the main Kuban River moved up to 32.4 km and took away an area of 35.4 km~2 of the reservoir. During the formation of the deltas of the Kuban and Belaya rivers, a bridge was formed on the Krasnodar reservoir. The evolution of the delta regions led to the division of the reservoir into two autonomous reservoirs. The total area of the delta regions was 85.9 km~2 by 2018, i.e., 21% of the initial area of the reservoir. The transformation of the Krasnodar reservoir leads to a decrease in its regulated volume and gradual degradation.     

中国东部舟山群岛的沉积物入海通量（英文）

Knowledge of the sediment flux derived from different sources is critical for interpreting the sedimentary records associated with large river sedimentary systems. For the Changjiang River system, previous studies hardly focused on the sediment load from the adjacent Zhoushan Archipelago(ZA). Based on four prediction models, aiming to improve the understanding of the sediment load from the ZA during the Holocene, we show that the predicted sediment flux of the ZA ranges from ~0.7 to 26.5 Mt·yr~(-1), with an average value of 10.7 Mt·yr~(-1), and the islands with a relatively large area or high relief contribute greatly to the total flux. This sediment load is an order of magnitude lower than that of the Changjiang River, but it is similar to those of the local small rivers. Located in the core area of the southward dispersal path of the Changjiang River plume, the ZA also influences the sediment transport into Hangzhou Bay and over the Zhejiang-Fujian coastal seas. On the Holocene temporal scale, e.g., for the period from 6 ka BP to 2 ka BP, the sediments discharged from the ZA had a considerable effect on the shelf sedimentary system. This study provides evidence for an important role an archipelago can play in terms of sediment supply and transport in coastal and inner continental shelf regions.     

The coastal erosion and evolution of the Yellow River Delta abandoned lobe

1IntroductionThe river deltas are generally those areas with a wealth of natural resources, and lots of ports, moreover they are important locations of human activity. Therefore, deltaic areas around the world, such as the Mississippi River delta, the Nile River delta, and the Yangtze River delta, have attracted the attentions of governments, scientists and common people. There are three big deltas in China, i.e., the Yangtze River, the Zhujiang River and the Yellow River deltas. The for…     

苏北废黄河三角洲近岸沉积物分异特征及输运趋势(英文)

The delta evolution and erosion process of the abandoned Yellow River Delta(AYRD) have been extensively studied. However, the variation of sediment at a large littoral scale along the north coast of Jiangsu is less understood. In this study, the data of surface sediment samples obtained in the littoral area of the Yellow River Delta in 2006 and 2012 is used to study the sediment variability and sediment transport trends by using the geostatistics analysis tool and the grain size trend analysis model. In order to ensure the applicability of the model, the geostatistics method is used to determine the characteristic distance(Dc) with the average range value(Ao) of grain size parameter. Filtering method(removing data that not at a sampling station) is used to improve accuracy of data selection. The results show that sedimentary spatial correlation in Lianyun Port area and southern part of the abandoned Yellow River Delta(AS) is better than that in the northern part of the abandoned Yellow River Delta(AN). Sediment in the area is found to be anisotropy at the northeast–southeast direction. The grain size trend analysis reveals that the sediment trend is towards bayhead and southerly in the Haizhou Bay, southeasterly along the shoreline in the south Lianyun Port, northwesterly in AN and easterly–southeasterly in AS respectively. The investigation of possible relationships between Dc, Ao, sediment transport and delta evolution shows a close link between Dc and Ao of one sediment combination. It is also found that sediment transport trends could reasonably represent the delta evolution to a certain degree.     

黄河三角洲潮滩潮沟近期变化遥感监测

Integrating remote sensing, geographic information system (GIS) and fractal theory, change characteristics of tidal flats and tidal creeks in the Huanghe (Yellow) River Delta over the period of 1986-2001 were discussed. The results show that evolutions of tidal fiats throughout the Huanghe River Delta are influenced by various factors, and that progressive succession and regression of tidal flats concur in different coastal segments of the delta. Human activities have played an increasingly important role in the succession process of tidal flats. Due to land reclamation in coastal zones of the delta in the last 15 years, lots of tidal flats were occupied, the artificial coastline migrated seaward (the maximum change rate was 0.8 kmyr^-1) and tidal creeks became sparser (the highest decreasing rate of length of tidal creeks was 14.9 kmyr^-1). Except for two coastal segments from the Tiaohe Estuary to the 106 Station and from the south of the Huanghe River mouth to the north of the Xiaodao River Estuary,fractal dimension values of tidal creeks in the remaining coastal segments of the delta decreased. In addition, the time dimension, sediment fluxes into the sea, waves and tidal-currents have profound influences on the evolution process of tidal flats. Four types of tidal flats-river-dominated tidal flats,tide-dominated tidal flats, wave-dominated tidal flats and man-dominated tidal flats can be identified.Owing to the intensification of human activities in coastal zones of the delta, man-dominated tidal flats have become the main kind of tidal flats.     

长江中游马口-田家镇河段40年来河道演变

Quantitative analysis was performed on the filling-scouring process for the river reach within Makou and Tianjiazhen, the middle Yangtze River with the help of GIS and DEM techniques. The research results indicate that the river reach between Makou and Tianjiazhen was dominated by the scouring process, and the magnitude of scouring is increasing over time. The intensity of scouring process is more in the deep and narrower river reach than shallower and wider ones. The river reach in the Makou and Tianjiazhen river knot is in fre-quent scouring and filling process, however the river reach upper to the Makou and lower to the Tianjiazhen river knot is in moderate scouring and filling process. The river reach just upstream or downstream to the river knot (e.g. Makou and Tianjiazhen river knot in this research) is dominated by filling process and the river reach in the river knot is dominated by the scouring process. Research results indicate no changes in the boundary of the river but the scouring and the filling magnitude in specific river channel is strong. The filling and the scouring process of the study river reach is greatly impacted by the sediments and water from the upstream of the study river reach. The construction of the Three Gorges Dam just upstream to Yichang will cause further decrease of the release of the sediment load to the middle and the lower Yangtze River basin, which will further intensify the scouring process of the river channel in the study river reach.     

快速城市化过程中的深圳东部海岸地貌环境与可持续发展

The geomorphological environment is one of the most fundamental variables af-fecting the development of human society.The mission of geomorphological environment research is to explore the most basic environment and features of our Earth’s surface mor-phology.The results can be applied to resource evaluation,environmental protection and reducing and preventing geological disasters.Thus,it can serve to help achieve sustainable development.This paper examines the Shenzhen east coastal zone as a case strongly in-fluenced by urban expansion.We use modern geomorphological theory and methods,along with GIS and RS techniques,to reveal key characteristics of the geomorphological environ-ment and landform classification.Furthermore,coastal ecosystem evaluation and regional resources sustainable utilization should be considered relative to the corresponding geo-morphological environment.Based on this study,we conclude that modern geomorphological theory and methods,supported by "3S" techniques including GIS,RS and GPS,can play an important role in resolving the environment,resources and population problems as well as sustainable development challenges facing humankind at present.     

黄河废弃三角洲叶瓣海岸侵蚀与岸线演化

A statistic analysis predicting coastal change of the Yellow River abandoned delta lobe formed from 1964 to 1976 using Landsat TM imagery was conducted by calculating the coastal erosion/accumulation rates obtained flom four different classic profiles and plotting the change curves of coastline with time. The studies showed that the regularity of the evolution of the coastline was very obvious after the delta lobe was abandoned. The coastal evolution can be divided into three different phases: erosion phase, transition phase and cyclical change phase. At present, the coast has evolved to the cyclical change phase. The natural coastline change cycle is 4 years between the dam and is 5 years to the west of the dam. In the cyclical change phase, the quasi-equilibrium line of the coast was located near the coastline of 1996, the current coast may recede 1.79 km to reach the natural equilibrium coastline. Therefore, some measures must be taken to protect the dam or the dam will be destroyed by the force of nature. The curves also revealed the magnitude of erosion/accumulation rates would decrease gradually with time. The results of the study offer guidance for coast protection, and proves that the evolution of silty coast actually was a cyclical change process too.     

2000年以来华北平原植被生产力和蒸散变化的归因分析（英文）

Quantifying the contributions of climate change and human activities to ecosystem evapotranspiration(ET)and gross primary productivity(GPP)changes is important for adaptation assessment and sustainable development.Spatiotemporal patterns of ET and GPP were estimated from 2000 to 2014 over North China Plain(NCP)with a physical and remote sensing-based model.The contributions of climate change and human activities to ET and GPP trends were separated and quantified by the first difference de-trending method and multivariate regression.Results showed that annual ET and GPP increased weakly,with climate change and human activities contributing 0.188 mm yr~(–2) and 0.466 mm yr~(–2) to ET trend of 0.654 mm yr~(–2),and–1.321 g C m~(–2) yr~(–2) and 7.542 g C m~(–2) yr~(–2) to GPP trend of 6.221 g C m~(–2) yr~(–2),respectively.In cropland,the increasing trends mainly occurred in wheat growing stage;the contributions of climate change to wheat and maize were both negative.Precipitation and sunshine duration were the major climatic factors regulating ET and GPP trends.It is concluded that human activities are the main drivers to the long term tendencies of water consumption and gross primary productivity in the NCP.     

近60年黄河水沙变化及其对三角洲沉积的影响

In order to find out the variation process of water-sediment and its effect on the Yellow River Delta, the water discharge and sediment load at Lijin from 1950 to 2007 and the decrease of water discharge and sediment load in the Yellow River Basin caused by human disturbances were analyzed by means of statistics. It was shown that the water discharge and sediment load into the sea were decreasing from 1950 to 2007 with serious fluctuation. The human activities were the main cause for decrease of water discharge and sediment load into the sea. From 1950 to 2005, the average annual reduction of water discharge and sediment load by means of water-soil conservation practices were 2.02×109 m3 and 3.41×108 t respectively, and the average annual volume by water abstraction for industry and agriculture were 2.52×1010 m3 and 2.42×108 t respectively. The average sediment trapped by Sanmenxia Reservoir was 1.45×108 t from 1960 to 2007, and the average sediment retention of Xiaolangdi Reservoir was 2.398×108 t from 1997 to 2007. Compared to the data records at Huanyuankou, the water discharge and sediment load into the sea decreased with siltation in the lower reaches and increased with scouring in the lower reaches. The coastline near river mouth extended and the delta area increased when the ratio of accumulative sediment load and accumulative water discharge into the sea (SSCT) is 25.4–26.0 kg/m3 in different time periods. However, the sharp decrease of water discharge and sediment load into the sea in recent years, especially the Yellow River into the sea at Qing 8, the entire Yellow River Delta has turned into erosion from siltation, and the time for a reversal of the state was about 1997.     

黄河银川平原段河岸摆动速率变化及其影响因素(英文)

It is important to examine the lateral shift rate variation of river banks in different periods. One of the challenges in this regard is how to obtain the shift rate of river banks, as gauging stations are deficient for the study of river reaches. The present study selected the Yinchuan Plain reach of the Yellow River with a length of 196 km as a case study, and searched each point of intersection of 153 cross-sections(interval between two adjacent cross-sections was 1.3 km) and river banks in 1975, 1990, 2010 and 2011, which were plotted according to remote sensing images in those years. Then the shift rates for the points of intersection during 1975–1990, 1990–2010 and 2010–2011 were calculated, as well as the average shift rates for different sections and different periods. The results show that the left bank of the river reach shifts mostly to the right, with the average shift rates being 36.5 m/a, 27.8 m/a and 61.5 m/a in the three periods, respectively. Contemporarily, the right bank shifts mostly to the right in the first period, while it shifts to the left in the second and third periods, with the average shift rates being 31.7 m/a, 23.1 m/a and 50.8 m/a in the three periods, respectively. The average shift rates for the left and right banks during the period 1975–2011 are 22.3 m/a and 14.8 m/a, respectively. The bank shift rates for sections A, B and C are different. The shift rate ratio of the left bank in the three sections is 1:7.6:4.6 for shift to the left and 1:1.7:3.8 for shift to the right, while that of the right bank is 1:1.8:1.2 for shift to the left and 1:5.6:17.7 for shift to the right during the period 1975–2011. Obviously, the average shift rate is the least in section A, while it is maximum in section B for shift to the left and in section C for shift to the right. The temporal variation of the shift rate is influenced by human activities, while the spatial variation is controlled by the local difference in bank materials.     

长江口最大浑浊带悬沙浓度变化趋势及成因（英文）

Based on the analysis of suspended sediment elements at estuaries,influence of human activities and estuarine regulation projects on the turbidity maximum zone was studied according to the measurement data between 1959 and 2011.It was found that human activities had little effect on the seaward water while the sharp decrease of sediment volume and concentration in runoff led to the sharp decrease of turbidity maximum zone in the estuary.The concentration at outside sea and Hangzhou Bay did not change,and that along the Subei coast also decreased a little,which had no influence on the turbidity maximum zone.Compared with the concentration between 1959 and 1999,the peak of concentration moved upstream in the estuary,and the concentration in 2000–2009 decreased by about 24.73% with a narrower variation range along the river to the sea.The suspended sediment concentration in North Passage was low in upstream and downstream because of the decrease of seaward sediment and coarsening of bed material,while it was relatively high in the middle due to the influence of sediment cross the north jetty.     

黄河巴彦高勒到头道拐河段冲淤演变的驱动因子分析（英文）

The Inner Mongolia reaches of the Yellow River face problems of severe sedimentation caused by a variety of complex factors. The sedimentation process in those reaches has been characterized using the sediment balance method, and the key factors affecting the process have been analyzed using the correlation analysis method. The results show that during the period 1952–2012 the Bayangaole(Bayan Gol) to Toudaoguai reaches in Inner Mongolia have undergone successive processes of accumulative sedimentation, then relative balance, and then accumulative sedimentation once again. The total annual sedimentation is 12.0341×10~8 m~3, of which accumulations from July to October account for 95.1% and the reaches from Sanhuhekou to Toudaoguai account for 98.5%. The main factor affecting scouring and sedimentation of the Bayangaole to Sanhuhekou reaches is the combined water and sediment condition. The critical conditions for equilibrium are an incoming sediment coefficient 0.007 kg·s·m~(–6) and a flow discharge 700 m~3·s~(–1). The main factor affecting scouring and sedimentation of the Sanhuhekou to Toudaoguai reaches is the incoming sediment from the tributaries on the south bank and the combined water and sediment condition of the main stream. The critical conditions of the main stream for maintaining equilibrium status are a flow discharge of the main stream exceeding 800 m~3·s~(–1) and a comprehensive incoming sediment coefficient 0.005 kg·s·m~(–6). The incoming sediment from the tributaries has little impact on the main stream when the annual sediment load is less than 0.1×10~8 t. The incoming sediment coefficient of the main stream and the incoming sediment from the tributaries both play vital roles in the riverbed evolution of the Inner Mongolia reaches, but the latter contributes the most.     

长江中下游阻隔性河段作用机理初步研究（英文）

Alluvial channel has always adjusted itself to the equilibrium state of sediment transport after it was artificially or naturally disturbed.How to maintain the equilibrium state of sediment transport and keep the river regime stable has always been the concerns of fluvial geomorphologists.The channel in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River is characterized by the staggered distribution of the bifurcated river and the single-thread river.The change of river regime is more violently in the bifurcated river than in the single-thread river.Whether the adjustment of the river regime in the bifurcated river can pass through the single-thread river and propagate to the downstream reaches affects the stabilities of the overall river regime.Studies show that the barrier river reach can block the upstream channel adjustment from propagating to the downstream reaches;therefore,it plays a key role in stabilizing the river regime.This study investigates 34 single-thread river reaches in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.On the basis of the systematic summarization of the fluvial process of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River,the control factors of barrier river reach are summarized and extracted:the planar morphology of single-thread and meandering;with no flow deflecting node distributed in the upper or middle part of the river reach;the hydraulic geometric coefficient is less than 4;the longitudinal gradient is greater than 12‰,the clay content of the concave bank is greater than 9.5%,and the median diameter of the bed sediment is greater than 0.158 mm.From the Navier-Stokes equation,the calculation formula of the bending radius of flow dynamic axis is deduced,and then the roles of these control factors on restricting the migration of the flow dynamic axis and the formation of the barrier river reach are analyzed.The barrier river reach is considered as such when the ratio of the migration force of the flow dynamic axis to the constraint force of the channel boundary is less than 1 under different flow levels.The mechanism of the barrier river reach is such that even when the upstream river regime adjusts,the channel boundary of this reach can always constrain the migration amplitude of the flow dynamic axis and centralize the planar position of the main stream line under different upstream river regime conditions,providing a relatively stable incoming flow conditions for the downstream reaches,thereby blocking the upstream river regime adjustment from propagating to the downstream reaches.     

Suspended sediment load in the turbidity maximum zone at the Yangtze River Estuary:The trends and causes简

Based on the analysis of suspended sediment elements at estuaries, influence of human activities and estuarine regulation projects on the turbidity maximum zone was studied according to the measurement data between 1959 and 2011. It was found that human activi- ties had little effect on the seaward water while the sharp decrease of sediment volume and concentration in runoff led to the sharp decrease of turbidity maximum zone in the estuary. The concentration at outside sea and Hangzhou Bay did not change, and that along the Subei coast also decreased a little, which had no influence on the turbidity maximum zone. Com- pared with the concentration between 1959 and 1999, the peak of concentration moved up- stream in the estuary, and the concentration in 2000-2009 decreased by about 24.73% with a narrower variation range along the river to the sea. The suspended sediment concentration in North Passage was low in upstream and downstream because of the decrease of seaward sediment and coarsening of bed material, while it was relatively high in the middle due to the influence of sediment cross the north jetty.     

An optimized baseflow separation method for assessment of seasonal and spatial variability of baseflow and the driving factors

Baseflow is an important component of river or streamflow. It plays a vital role in water utilization and management. An improved Eckhardt recursive digital filter(IERDF) is proposed in this study. The key filter parameter and maximum baseflow index(BFImax) were estimated using the minimum smoothing method to improve baseflow estimation accuracy. The generally considered BFImax of 0.80, 0.50 and 0.25 according to the drainage basin's predominant geological characteristics often leads to significant errors in the regions that have complex subsurface and hydrologic conditions. The IERDF improved baseflow estimation accuracy by avoiding arbitrary parameter values. The proposed method was applied for baseflow separation in the upstream of Yitong River, a tributary of the Second Songhua River, and its performance was evaluated by comparing the results obtained using isotope-tracer data. The performance of IERDF was also compared with nine baseflow separation techniques belonging to filter, BFI and HYSEP methods. The IERDF was also applied for baseflow separation and calculation of rainfall infiltration recharge coefficient at different locations along the Second Songhua River's mainstream for the period 2000–2016. The results showed that the minimum smoothing method significantly improved BFImax estimation accuracy. The baseflow process line obtained using IEDRF method was consistent with that obtained using isotope 18 O. The IERDF estimated baseflow also showed stability and reliability when applied in the mainstream of the Second Songhua River. The BFI alone in the river showed an increase from the upstream to the downstream. The proportion of baseflow to total flow showed a decrease with time. The intra-annual variability of BFI was different at different locations of the river due to varying climatic conditions and subsurface characteristics. The highest BFI was observed at the middle reaches of the river in summer due to a water surplus from power generation. The research provided valuable information on baseflow characteristics and runoff mode determination, which can be used for water resources assessment and optimization of economic activity distribution in the region.     

淮河流域水文随机方法的径流图化(英文)

Theoretical difficulties for mapping and for estimating river regime characteristics in a large-scale basin remain because of the nature of the variable under study: river flows are related to a specific area, i.e. the drainage basin, and are hierarchically organized in space through the river network with upstream-downstream dependencies. Another limitation is there are not enough gauge stations in developing countries. This presentation aims at de-veloping the hydro-stochastic approach for producing choropleth maps of average annual runoff and computing mean discharge along the main river network for a large-scale basin. The approach applied to mean annual runoff is based on geostatistical interpolation proce-dures coupled with water balance and data uncertainty analyses. It is proved by an applica-tion in the upstream at Bengbu in the Huaihe River Basin, a typical large-scale basin in China. Hydro-stochasitic approach in a first step interpolates to a regular grid net and in a second step the grid values are integrated along rivers. The interpolation scheme includes a con-straint to be able to account for the lateral water balance along the rivers. Grid runoff map with 10 km × 10 km resolution and the discharge map along the river with the 1 km basic length unit are the main results in this study. This kind of statistic approach can be widely used be-cause it avoids the complexity of hydrological models and does not depend on the meteoro-logical data.     

雅鲁藏布江流域1961-2005年气候变化趋势

The Yarlung Zangbo River (YR) is the highest great river in the world, and its basin is one of the centers of human economic activity in Tibet. Using 10 meteorological stations over the YR basin in 1961–2005, the spatial and temporal characteristics of temperature and precipitation as well as potential evapotranspiration are analyzed. The results are as follows. (1) The annual and four seasonal mean air temperature shows statistically significant increasing trend, the tendency is more significant in winter and fall. The warming in Lhasa river basin is most significant. (2) The precipitation is decreasing from the 1960s to the 1980s and increasing since the 1980s. From 1961 to 2005, the annual and four seasonal mean precipitation is increasing but not statistically significant, especially in fall and spring. The increasing precipitation rates are more pronounced in Niyangqu and Palong Zangbo river basins, the closer to the upper YR is, the less precipitation increasing rate would be. (3) The annual and four seasonal mean potential evapotranspiration has decreased, especially after the 1980s, and most of it happens in winter and spring. The decreasing trend is most significant in the middle YR and Nianchu river basin. (4) Compared with the Mt. Qomolangma region, Tibetan Plateau, China and global average, the magnitudes of warming trend over the YR basin since the 1970s exceed those areas in the same period, and compared with the Tibetan Plateau, the magnitudes of precipitation increasing and potential evapotranspiration decreasing are larger, suggesting that the YR basin is one of the most sensitive areas to global warming.     

青藏高原东北部河流地貌过程对构造和气候变化的响应（英文）

The geomorphological evolution of the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau(NETP)could provide valuable information for reconstructing the tectonic movements of the region.And the considerable uplift and climatic changes at here,provide an opportunity for studying the impact of tectonic and monsoon climate on fluvial morphological development and sedimentary architecture of fluvial deposits.The development of peneplain-like surface and related landscape transition from basin filling to incision indicate an intense uplift event with morphological significance at around 10–17 Ma in the NETP.After that,incision into the peneplain was not continuous but a staircase of terraces,developed as a result of climatic influences.In spite of the generally persisting uplift of the whole region,the neighbouring tectonic blocks had different uplift rates,leading to a complicated fluvial response with accumulation terraces alternating with erosion terraces at a small spatial and temporal scale.The change in fluvial activity as a response to climatic impact is reflected in the general sedimentary sequence on the terraces from high-energy(braided)channel deposits(at full glacial)to lower-energy deposits of small channels(towards the end of the glacial),mostly separated by a rather sharp boundary from overlying flood-loams(at the glacial-interglacial transition)and overall soil formation(interglacial).Pronounced incision took place at the subsequent warm-cold transitions.In addition,it is hypothesized that in some strongly uplifted blocks energy thresholds could be crossed to allow terrace formation as a response to small climatic fluctuations(10~3–10~4 year timescale).Although studies of morpho-tectonic and geomorphological evolution of the NETP,improve understanding on the impacts of tectonic motions and monsoonal climate on fluvial processes,a number of aspects,such as the distribution and correlation of peneplain and the related morphological features,the extent and intensity of tectonic movements influencing the crossing of climatic thresholds,leading to terrace development,need to be studied further.     

基于多尺度单元的城市化水平时空测度——以中国环渤海地区为例（英文）

Urbanization is a complex process reflecting the growth, formation and development of cities and their systems. Measuring regional urbanization levels within a long time series may ensure healthy and harmonious urban development. Based on DMSP/OLS nighttime light data, a human–computer interactive boundary correction method was used to obtain information about built-up urban areas in the Bohai Rim region from 1992 to 2012. Consequently, a method was proposed and applied to measure urbanization levels using four measurement scale units: administrative division, land-sea location, terrain feature, and geomorphological types. Our conclusions are: 1) The extraction results based on DMSP/OLS nighttime light data showed substantial agreement with those obtained using Landsat TM/ETM+ data on spatial patterns. The overall accuracy was 97.70% on average, with an average Kappa of 0.79, indicating that the results extracted from DMSP/OLS nighttime light data were reliable and could well reflect the actual status of built-up urban areas. 2) Bohai Rim's urbanization level has increased significantly, demonstrating a high annual growth rate from 1998 to 2006. Areas with high urbanization levels have relocated evidently from capital to coastal cities. 3) The distribution of built-up urban areas showed a certain degree of zonal variation. The urbanization level was negatively correlated with relief amplitude and altitude. A high level of urbanization was found in low altitude platforms and low altitude plains, with a gradual narrowing of the gap between these two geomorphological types. 4) The measurement method presented in this study is fast, convenient, and incorporates multiple perspectives. It would offer various directions for urban construction and provide reference values for measuring national-level urbanization.