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Special Issue "Topical Advisory Panel Members’ Collection Series: Environmental Science and Environmental Factors That Affect Health"

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 8631

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yu-Sheng Shen

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Guest Editor

1. Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China
2. Xiamen Key Laboratory of Urban Metabolism, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China
3. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101408, China
Interests: urban science and sustainability; healthy city and public health; suicide and mental health; climate change and environmental management; quantitative methodology and artificial intelligence
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Jinyao Lin

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Guest Editor

School of Geographical Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Interests: urban expansion; cellular automata; land use planning; land management; artificial intelligence; urban sustainability; nighttime light; remote sensing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Wei Chen

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Guest Editor

School of Geographical Science, Shanxi Normal University, Taiyuan 030031, China
Interests: soil science; soil health; soil moisture; soil nutrient conversion; soil microorganisms

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce this Special Issue titled “Topical Advisory Panel Members’ Collection Series: Environmental Science and Environmental Factors That Affect Health”. This issue will be a Special Issue of papers from researchers invited by the Topical Advisory Panel Members.

This Special Issue aims to provide a venue for networking and communication between IJERPH and scholars in the field of Environmental Science and Environmental Health. It welcomes papers focused on human-health-related environmental issues and the relationship between the physical, social, socio-economic, soil, water, air, and other environmental factors and heath. All papers will be published with fully open access after peer review.

Dr. Yu-Sheng Shen
Dr. Jinyao Lin
Dr. Wei Chen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

social and economic environment
physical and natural environment
built environment
community environment
green space
urban form
urban environment
food environment
environmental exposure
physical health
mental health
soil environment on plant health
soil microbes and environmental safety
water health

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 6870 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatio-Temporal Development of Vegetation Carbon Sinks and Sources in the Arid Region of Northwest China

and

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(4), 3608; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043608 - 17 Feb 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1242

Abstract

Drylands, which account for 41% of Earth’s land surface and are home to more than two billion people, play an important role in the global carbon balance. This study analyzes the spatio-temporal patterns of vegetation carbon sinks and sources in the arid region of northwest China (NWC), using the net ecosystem production (NEP) through the Carnegie–Ames–Stanford approach (CASA). It quantitatively evaluates regional ecological security over a 20-year period (2000–2020) via a remote sensing ecological index (RSEI) and other ecological indexes, such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), fraction of vegetation cover (FVC), net primary productivity (NPP), and land use. The results show that the annual average carbon capacity of vegetation in NWC changed from carbon sources to carbon sinks, and the vegetation NEP increased at a rate of 1.98 gC m⁻² yr⁻¹ from 2000 to 2020. Spatially, the annual NEP in northern Xinjiang (NXJ), southern Xinjiang (SXJ) and Hexi Corridor (HX) increased at even faster rates of 2.11, 2.22, and 1.98 gC m⁻² yr⁻¹, respectively. Obvious geographically heterogeneous distributions and changes occurred in vegetation carbon sinks and carbon sources. Some 65.78% of the vegetation areas in NWC were carbon sources during 2000–2020, which were concentrated in the plains, and SXJ, the majority carbon sink areas are located in the mountains. The vegetation NEP in the plains exhibited a positive trend (1.21 gC m⁻² yr⁻¹) during 2000–2020, but this speed has slowed since 2010. The vegetation NEP in the mountain exhibited only intermittent changes (2.55 gC m⁻² yr⁻¹) during 2000–2020; it exhibited a negative trend during 2000–2010, but this trend has reversed strongly since 2010. The entire ecological security of NWC was enhanced during the study period. Specifically, the RSEI increased from 0.34 to 0.49, the NDVI increased by 0.03 (17.65%), the FVC expanded by 19.56%, and the NPP increased by 27.44%. Recent positive trends in NDVI, FVC and NPP have enhanced the capacity of vegetation carbon sinks, and improved the eco-environment of NWC. The scientific outcomes of this study are of great importance for maintaining ecological stability and sustainable economic development along China’s Silk Road Economic Belt. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Topical Advisory Panel Members’ Collection Series: Environmental Science and Environmental Factors That Affect Health)

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12 pages, 1749 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Global Trends in Green Space and Senior Mental Health Studies: Bibliometric Review

Xialu Wu

Yu-Sheng Shen

and

Shenghui Cui

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(2), 1316; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20021316 - 11 Jan 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1636

Abstract

The Sustainable Development Goals and the World Health Organization have prioritized senior mental health as an important goal. Senior mental health is a critical issue within the global public health sphere. Notably, green spaces are a useful alternative for improving senior mental health. Many studies have focused on green space and senior mental health, especially on their connection and relationship. However, this research topic lacks a comprehensive and systematic review. Owing to the lack of critical reviews, this study clarified the trend, progress, status, and focus of studies on green spaces and senior mental health using bibliometric analysis of literature within the Web of Science database. The literature analysis within this study specifically focused on the following, including the country/region contribution analysis, institution contribution analysis, keyword analysis, and highly productive journal analysis. Furthermore, this study systematically recorded the content of green space and senior mental health, identified the gap that exists, and provided future frontier directions or issues for research. These contribute toward comprehending the progress and content of this research topic and further provide a guide, reference, and inspiration for possible future research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Topical Advisory Panel Members’ Collection Series: Environmental Science and Environmental Factors That Affect Health)

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16 pages, 8464 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Differences in Carbon Sequestration Ability of Diverse Tartary Buckwheat Genotypes in Barren Soil Caused by Microbial Action

Wei Chen

Zhiwei Zhang

and

Congjian Sun

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(2), 959; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20020959 - 05 Jan 2023

Viewed by 862

Abstract

Planting plants to increase soil carbon input has been widely used to achieve carbon neutrality goals. Tartary buckwheat not only has good barren tolerance but is also rich in nutrients and very suitable for planting in barren areas. However, the effects of different genotypes of Tartary buckwheat roots and rhizosphere microorganisms on soil carbon input are still unclear. In this study, ozone sterilization was used to distinguish the sources of soil organic acids and C-transforming enzymes, and the contribution of root and rhizosphere microorganisms to soil carbon storage during the growth period of two genotypes of tartary buckwheat was studied separately to screen suitable varieties. Through the analysis of the experimental results, the conclusions are as follows: (1) The roots of Diqing tartary buckwheat have stronger carbon sequestration ability in a barren environment than Heifeng, and the microorganisms in Diqing tartary buckwheat soil will also increase soil carbon input. Therefore, Diqing tartary buckwheat is more suitable for carbon sequestration than Heifeng tartary buckwheat in barren soil areas. (2) In the absence of microorganisms, the rhizosphere soil of tartary buckwheat can regulate the storage of soil organic carbon by secreting extracellular enzymes and organic acids. (3) The structural equation model showed that to promote carbon sequestration, Heifeng tartary buckwheat needed to inhibit microbial action when planted in the barren area of Loess Plateau, while Diqing tartary buckwheat needed to use microbial-promoting agents. Adaptive strategies should focus more on cultivar selection to retain carbon in soil and to assure the tolerance of fineness in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Topical Advisory Panel Members’ Collection Series: Environmental Science and Environmental Factors That Affect Health)

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18 pages, 5872 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Measuring the Non-Linear Relationship between Three-Dimensional Built Environment and Urban Vitality Based on a Random Forest Model

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Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(1), 734; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010734 - 30 Dec 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2295

Abstract

Urban vitality is a major indicator used for evaluating the sustainability and attractiveness of an urban environment. Global experience indicates that urban vitality can be stimulated through a reasonable urban design. However, it remains incompletely understood in the literature which building-related indicators can substantially affect urban vitality in Asian countries. To give an insight into this question, our study took a step forward by focusing specifically on the influence of the three-dimensional built environment on urban vitality, based on which decision makers could enhance urban vitality from the perspective of vertical building design. A machine-learning-based framework was developed in this study. First, we utilized several building-related indicators to thoroughly measure the spatial characteristics of buildings at the township level. Second, the relationship between a three-dimensional built environment and urban vitality was revealed based on a combined use of the correlation method, scatter charts, and a random forest. In the random forest, both a benchmark and a new model were constructed to evaluate the importance of those building-related indicators. The results suggested that urban vitality was closely related to the three-dimensional built environment, which played an even more important role than common benchmark factors in stimulating urban vitality. The building coverage ratio, density of tall buildings, and floor area ratio were essential spatial drivers behind urban vitality. Therefore, urban designers and decision makers should not only take traditional factors into account but also carefully consider the potential influence of high-rise buildings and the outdoor thermal environment so that urban vitality can be enhanced. Our study’s results can offer practical recommendations for improving urban vitality from the perspective of vertical building design. The proposed framework can also be used for measuring the potential influence of the three-dimensional built environment in other areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Topical Advisory Panel Members’ Collection Series: Environmental Science and Environmental Factors That Affect Health)

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19 pages, 1829 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Strategies for Restoring and Managing Ecological Corridors of Freshwater Ecosystem

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Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(23), 15921; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192315921 - 29 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1414

Abstract

Along with accelerating urbanization and associated anthropogenic disturbance, the structure and function of freshwater ecosystems worldwide are substantially damaged. To improve ecosystem health, and thus enhance the ecosystem security of the urban ecosystem, numbers of management approaches and engineering projects have been applied to mitigate the degradation of freshwaters. Nevertheless, there is still a lack of comprehensive and systematic research on the ecological corridor restoration of freshwater ecosystems; especially for Suzhou Grand Canal, one section of the world’s longest and ancient Grand Canal which is inclined to severe ecosystem degradation. Through investigating the adjacent land use characteristics, habitat quality, vegetation cover, instream water quality, and habitat composition, we aimed to: (i) assess the water quality of the Suzhou Grand Canal; (ii) evaluate the ecological characteristics of the canal ecosystem; (iii) develop strategic countermeasures to restore the ecological corridors for the mitigation of ecological problems. The results demonstrated: a large built area, a smaller ecological zone, a low habitat quality and habitat connectivity, and a high degree of habitat fragmentation within the canal corridor, also a simplified instream habitat composition, and greater nutrient and COD concentrations in the surface water—especially in the upstream and midstream canal. All urbanization-induced multiple stressors, such as land use changes, altered hydrology, and the simplified riparian zone et al., contributed synergistically to the degradation of the canal ecosystem. To alleviate the ecosystem deterioration, three aspects of recommendations were proposed: water pollution control, watershed ecosystem restoration, and ecological network construction. Basically, building a comprehensive watershed ecological network—on the basis of associated ecosystem restoration, and the connection of multi-dimensional ecological corridors—would dramatically increase the maintenance of aquatic–terrestrial system biodiversity, and improve the regional ecological security pattern and watershed resilience toward stochastic future disturbances. This study contributes to the understanding of the ecological challenges and related causes of the canal ecosystem. The integrated strategy introduced in this study provides policymakers, water resource managers, and planners with comprehensive guidelines to restore and manage the ecological corridor of the canal ecosystem. This can be used as a reference in freshwater ecosystems elsewhere, to improve ecosystem stability for supporting the sustainable development of urban ecosystems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Topical Advisory Panel Members’ Collection Series: Environmental Science and Environmental Factors That Affect Health)

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