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19 pages, 3694 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study on the Response of the Summer Land Surface Temperature to Urban Morphology in Urumqi, China

by Jiayu Fan, Xuegang Chen, Siqi Xie and Yuhu Zhang

Sustainability 2023, 15(21), 15255; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152115255 - 25 Oct 2023

Viewed by 799

Increases in urban temperature affect the urban ecological environment and human health and well-being. In urban morphology, building characteristics are important factors affecting the land surface temperature (LST). Contemporary research focuses mainly on the effects of land use, urban tissue configuration, and street [...] Read more.

Increases in urban temperature affect the urban ecological environment and human health and well-being. In urban morphology, building characteristics are important factors affecting the land surface temperature (LST). Contemporary research focuses mainly on the effects of land use, urban tissue configuration, and street networks on the LST, and the effects of building characteristics on the LST need to be further understood. The mean LST and the urban morphology indicators of a single grid were calculated via a remote sensing inversion and a spatial analysis, and a geographically weighted regression (GWR) model was established to explore the influence of the building coverage ratio (BCR), mean building height (BH_mean), floor area ratio (FAR), and mean sky view factor (SVF_mean) on the LST. The results show that the correlations between the urban morphology indicators and the LST at a scale of 100~500 m are of different degrees, and the correlations are more significant at a scale of 200 m. Therefore, the optimal spatial scale for studying the influence of urban morphology indicators on the LST is 200 m. The fitting effect of the GWR model is significantly better than that of the ordinary least squares (OLS) method, and the effects of each indicator on the thermal environment have spatial non-stationarity. The BCR, BH_mean, FAR, and SVF_mean differ in their ability to raise and lower the temperature in different spatial zones, and the order of influence is as follows: BCR > SVF_mean > FAR > BH_mean. This study will provide a reference for the urban planning of Urumqi. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscape and Ecosystem Services Change in Arid Regions)

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27 pages, 6383 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Characteristics of Land-Use Carbon Emissions and Carbon Balance Zoning in the Economic Belt on the Northern Slope of Tianshan

by Gulmira Abbas and Alimujiang Kasimu

Sustainability 2023, 15(15), 11778; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151511778 - 31 Jul 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 928

Abstract

How to identify variables for carbon reductions was considered as one of the most important research topics in related academic fields. In this study, the characteristics of landuse carbon emissions of the economic belt on the northern slope of Tianshan (NST) were tentatively [...] Read more.

How to identify variables for carbon reductions was considered as one of the most important research topics in related academic fields. In this study, the characteristics of landuse carbon emissions of the economic belt on the northern slope of Tianshan (NST) were tentatively investigated. Taking 12 cities in NST as the case study, land use carbon emissions and carbon intensities were estimated and analyzed based on the Landsat remote sensing image and socio-economic statistical data in 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020. Moreover, Moran’s I model was applied to study spatial autocorrelation between carbon emissions and carbon intensities. Results show that (1) urban land and cropland were increased rapidly during the past three decades; (2) carbon emissions were increasing significantly, and the urban land was responsible for the majority of the carbon emission; (3) negative spatial correlations on both net carbon emissions and carbon intensities were obtained between 12 cities; and (4) based on carbon balance zoning analysis, NST could be divided into four different zones. The rising ratio of carbon emissions and intensities was significantly higher than urbanization expending speed. Results could provide references and useful insights into related arrangements of policies and attempts on carbon reduction for cities in NST. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscape and Ecosystem Services Change in Arid Regions)

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14 pages, 3567 KiB

Open AccessArticle

FLUS Based Modeling of the Urban LULC in Arid and Semi-Arid Region of Northwest China: A Case Study of Urumqi City

by Yusuyunjiang Mamitimin, Zibibula Simayi, Ayinuer Mamat, Bumairiyemu Maimaiti and Yunfei Ma

Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 4912; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15064912 - 9 Mar 2023

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1394

Abstract

Modeling land use and land cover (LULC) change is important for understanding its spatiotemporal trends and plays a crucial role in land use planning and natural resources management. To this end, this study assessed the spatiotemporal characteristics of the LULC changes in Urumqi [...] Read more.

Modeling land use and land cover (LULC) change is important for understanding its spatiotemporal trends and plays a crucial role in land use planning and natural resources management. To this end, this study assessed the spatiotemporal characteristics of the LULC changes in Urumqi city between 1980 and 2020. In addition, future LULC was successfully projected for 2030 and 2050 under different scenarios based on the FLUS model. This model was validated using actual and simulated land use data for 2020. The kappa coefficient and figure of merit of the simulation results for 2020 were 0.87 and 0.114, respectively, indicating that the simulation accuracy was satisfactory. The results demonstrated that grassland was the major land use type, with the area accounting for more than 50% of the study area. From 1980 to 2020, urban land greatly expanded, while grassland decreased significantly. Urban land increased from 353.51 km² to 884.27 km², while grassland decreased from 7903.4 km² to 7414.92 km² from 1980 to 2020. In addition, significant transitions mainly occurred between grasslands, cultivated lands and urban lands. Grassland and cultivated land were converted into urban land, resulting in rapid urban expansion over the last 40 years. From 1990 to 2000, grassland was converted into urban land with an area of 341.08 km². Finally, the simulation results of the LULC showed that urban land is expected to increase under all three scenarios, and cultivated land, grassland and forest land are effectively protected under the Cultivated Land Protection Scenario (CPS) and Ecological Protection Scenario (EPS) compared to the Baseline Scenario (BLS). This study assessed the spatiotemporal characteristics and transitions of LULC between 1980 and 2020, and successfully projected LULC for 2035 and 2050 in Urumqi City in the arid and semi-arid regions of northwest China based on the FLUS model, which has not been investigated in previous studies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscape and Ecosystem Services Change in Arid Regions)

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17 pages, 4845 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of the Hydrochemical Characteristics and Genesis of Bosten Lake, China

by Xiaolan Wang, Dilinuer Aji and Saimire Tuoheti

Sustainability 2023, 15(5), 4139; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15054139 - 24 Feb 2023

Viewed by 1278

Abstract

The hydrogeochemical evolution of Bosten Lake has an important impact on the lake’s ecology and water environment. Kriging interpolation, principal component analysis and Piper and Gibbs charts were used to analyze the hydrochemical characteristics and genesis of Bosten Lake in summer and autumn. [...] Read more.

The hydrogeochemical evolution of Bosten Lake has an important impact on the lake’s ecology and water environment. Kriging interpolation, principal component analysis and Piper and Gibbs charts were used to analyze the hydrochemical characteristics and genesis of Bosten Lake in summer and autumn. The following are the main conclusions: (1) In summer and autumn, the hydrochemistry of the lake follows the order of SO₄²⁻ > Cl⁻ > HCO₃⁻ > Na⁺ > Mg²⁺ > Ca²⁺ > K⁺. (2) The concentrations of TDS, Ca²⁺, Na⁺, Mg²⁺, Cl⁻ and HCO₃⁻ in Bosten Lake increased significantly in autumn. Ion concentrations in most of the Little Lake District were higher than those in the Great Lake District. (3) In summer, ion correlation was strong, the evaporation effect was strong and the TDS contribution rate was high. Evaporation was weak in autumn, and Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺ contributed more. (4) The hydrochemical type (SO₄·Cl-Na·Mg) was the same in both seasons; in summer, the Great and Little lakes were mainly characterized by evaporation and crystallization; in autumn, evaporation crystallization was dominant in the Great lake. (5) The ions mainly came from the dissolution of gypsum, salt rock, calcite, etc. Cationic alternating adsorption occurred in summer. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscape and Ecosystem Services Change in Arid Regions)

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16 pages, 7420 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Coupling Coordination Development of Urbanization and Ecological Environment in the Urban Agglomeration on the Northern Slope of the Tianshan Mountains, China

by Pariha Helili and Mei Zan

Sustainability 2023, 15(5), 4099; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15054099 - 23 Feb 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1914

Abstract

With rapid urbanization and increasingly prominent environmental issues, objective evaluation of the quality of the ecological environment is crucial for environmental protection and sustainable development. Most remote sensing ecological indices (RSEI) used for ecological environmental quality evaluation include only four indicators (greenness, humidity, [...] Read more.

With rapid urbanization and increasingly prominent environmental issues, objective evaluation of the quality of the ecological environment is crucial for environmental protection and sustainable development. Most remote sensing ecological indices (RSEI) used for ecological environmental quality evaluation include only four indicators (greenness, humidity, heat, and dryness), and many studies have ignored the impact of air quality on urban ecological environmental quality in arid areas. This study used the urban agglomeration on the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains (UANSTM), China, as the research area based on the Google Earth Engine platform via Landsat remote sensing images and NPP/VIIRS data to establish a new remote sensing ecological index (RSEI_new) and compounded night light index of urbanization level. The coupling coordination degree model was used to quantitatively analyze the characteristics of the coordinated development of the ecological environment and urbanization in UANSTM and major cities from 2015 to 2020. The results showed that: (1) compared to RSEI, RSEI_new is more suitable for assessing the ecological quality of arid zones because it accounts for air quality; (2) the RSEI_new value for the eco-environmental quality of UANSTM from 2015 to 2020 improved and then deteriorated with an overall declining trend. The variation in the RSEI_new rating was between “strongly bad” and “neutral,” and there were differences in the quality of the ecological environments among cities; (3) the level of urbanization in the economic zone of UANSTM from 2015 to 2020 increased significantly, and the degree of coordination between urbanization and ecological environmental quality coupling steadily increased but remained moderately imbalanced. The results of this study provide a scientific reference for the economic development and ecological environmental protection of the study area. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscape and Ecosystem Services Change in Arid Regions)

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18 pages, 5469 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Vegetation Index in an Oasis-Desert Transition Zone and Relationship with Environmental Factors

by Jiaqi Lu, Xifeng Zhang, Shuiming Liang and Xiaowei Cui

Sustainability 2023, 15(4), 3503; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043503 - 14 Feb 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1969

Abstract

The oasis-desert transition zone (TZ) is an ecological buffer zone between a mobile desert and an oasis, which are important in reducing the forward mobility of sand dunes and wind and sand hazards in an oasis. In this study, the Dunhuang Oasis and [...] Read more.

The oasis-desert transition zone (TZ) is an ecological buffer zone between a mobile desert and an oasis, which are important in reducing the forward mobility of sand dunes and wind and sand hazards in an oasis. In this study, the Dunhuang Oasis and its TZ in the Hexi Corridor (China) were examined. Based on the annual normalized vegetation index (NDVI) at each buffer distance of the TZ from 1987 to 2015, combing the watershed hydrology, oasis crop cultivation structure and industrial economic status, partial least squares regression models and a correlation analysis were used to examine the spatial and temporal changes in the vegetation gradient of the oasis TZ and the factors influencing those changes. (1) Spatially, the NDVI values in the TZ generally decreased gradually before stabilizing with a buffer distance (average decrease of 0.01–0.03 per 300 m). (2) Temporally, the mean values of the NDVI in the TZ show an overall wavelike variation across years. The annual average maximum NDVI value was 0.11 in 1987, whereas the annual average minimum value was 0.07 in 2014. (3) During the 1987–2015, runoff, tourist populations and water consumption for orchards were significantly and positively correlated with the NDVI; the year-end arable land area and the total industrial output value were significantly and negatively correlated with the NDVI; the rural per capita net income and water consumption for grain planting were not significantly and positively correlated with the NDVI; water consumption for the sum of vegetable and melon planting, water consumption for cotton planting, urbanization and rural populations were not significantly and negatively correlated with the NDVI. (4) The farm TZ NDVI is more strongly influenced by human activities than the undisturbed natural TZ. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscape and Ecosystem Services Change in Arid Regions)

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14 pages, 1457 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Response of Plant Species Diversity to Flood Irrigation in the Tarim River Basin, Northwest China

by Yonghui Wang, Jin Li, Kaixuan Qian and Mao Ye

Sustainability 2023, 15(2), 1243; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021243 - 9 Jan 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1447

Abstract

This study quantitatively analyzes the effects of flooding on the growth and species diversity of riparian forests along the Yarkant River and the Tarim River, Xinjiang, in northwest China, and provides important information for the efficient utilization of water and water resource management [...] Read more.

This study quantitatively analyzes the effects of flooding on the growth and species diversity of riparian forests along the Yarkant River and the Tarim River, Xinjiang, in northwest China, and provides important information for the efficient utilization of water and water resource management in arid regions. Monitoring of species diversity of riparian forests was conducted every year from 2016 to 2019 in the Xiamale forest district in the lower reaches of the Yarkant River, and in the Shaya forest district and the lunnan forest district in the upper and middle reaches of the Tarim River. The Pielou index, Shannon–Wiener index, Simpson index, and importance value were used to analyze the influence of flooding. The results showed the following: (1) After three years of flooding, indices for the lower reaches of the Yarkant River and Tarim River were significantly increased and 11 new plant species appeared. (2) With increasing distance from the river channel, plant density and species diversity decreased. Flooding trends are the main factors affecting the distribution of plant species and water is the main restricting factor that influences plant growth in arid areas; thus, desert riparian forests improved significantly after flooding. (3) Flooding increases the regeneration capacity and species diversity of plant communities in desert riparian forests. In order to maintain the current trend of ecological improvement, flooding irrigation must continue. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscape and Ecosystem Services Change in Arid Regions)

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20 pages, 1486 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Tourists’ Perceived Restoration of Chinese Rural Cultural Memory Space

by Xueyu Chang and Zhenting Li

Sustainability 2022, 14(22), 14825; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142214825 - 10 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1898

Abstract

In the face of the growing demand for stress reduction among urban residents, research on the restorative effect of cultural environments and cultural landscape is currently limited. This paper aims to explore the perceived restoration of rural cultural memory space in a Chinese [...] Read more.

In the face of the growing demand for stress reduction among urban residents, research on the restorative effect of cultural environments and cultural landscape is currently limited. This paper aims to explore the perceived restoration of rural cultural memory space in a Chinese cultural context and to investigate the role of situational involvement and place attachment in this respect. The results show that rural cultural memory space can directly produce restorative effects, but each perceptual dimension has internal variability. According to appraisal theory and self-regulation theory, revealing the complex pathways of tourists’ perceptions of rural cultural memory space can be generated through a process of situational involvement and placing attachment to produce tourists’ restorative perceptions. The research results highlight the predictors of restorative environment in the context of the Chinese vernacular culture and provide references for rural tourism landscape design. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscape and Ecosystem Services Change in Arid Regions)

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21 pages, 3684 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatiotemporal Dynamics and Driving Factors of Ecosystem Services Value in the Hexi Regions, Northwest China

by Yongge Li, Wei Liu, Qi Feng, Meng Zhu, Jutao Zhang, Linshan Yang and Xinwei Yin

Sustainability 2022, 14(21), 14164; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142114164 - 30 Oct 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1435

Abstract

Land-use and climate changes can exert significant influences on ecosystem services value (ESV). However, interactions of these drivers in shaping the ESV remain unclear in arid inland regions. In this study, dynamic changes in ESV from 1980 to 2050 in the Hexi Regions [...] Read more.

Land-use and climate changes can exert significant influences on ecosystem services value (ESV). However, interactions of these drivers in shaping the ESV remain unclear in arid inland regions. In this study, dynamic changes in ESV from 1980 to 2050 in the Hexi Regions were evaluated by integrating land-use change and other environmental factors using the equivalent factor method, local spatial autocorrelation analysis, and a geographical detector. Our results showed that the spatial distribution of ESV increased in the northwest to southeast regions of the study area. The area-weighted mean ESV of the Qilian Mountains (i.e., mountainous regions) was about 10.27–11.97-fold higher than that of the Hexi Corridor (i.e., plain regions) during the study period. As for the ecological protection (EP) scenario, from 2020 to 2050, the total ESV increase was estimated to be larger than that under the natural development (ND) and rapid urbanization (RU) scenarios. Particularly, under the EP scenario, by 2050, the enhancement of ESV in the Qilian Mountains mainly resulted from the expansion of forests, shrubs, grasslands, and water. The geographical detector indicated that LUCC was the dominant driver of the spatial heterogeneity of ESV, followed by climate and vegetation. Specifically, LUCC explained 35.39% and 80.06% of the total variation in the ESV for the Hexi Corridor and the Qilian Mountains, respectively. Natural drivers, such as temperature, precipitation, evapotranspiration, and soil organic carbon, were assumed to exert larger impacts on ESV in the mountainous regions than in the corridor. By contrast, anthropogenic factors played more significant roles in altering the ESV patterns for the corridor. Our research highlighted the importance of ecological protection in improving ESV in the future and emphasized that the difference in driving factors of ESV between mountainous and plain regions should be considered in terms of the ecosystem management for the inland regions of northwestern China. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscape and Ecosystem Services Change in Arid Regions)

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13 pages, 4697 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Dynamic Changes of Soil Moisture and Salinity on Plant Community in the Bosten Lake Basin

by Jiawen Hou and Mao Ye

Sustainability 2022, 14(21), 14081; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142114081 - 28 Oct 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1293

Abstract

To estimate the potential risks of plant diversity reduction and soil salinization in the Bosten Lake Basin, the dynamic changes in the plant community and species diversity affected by soil moisture and salinity were analyzed from 2000 to 2020 based on remote sensing [...] Read more.

To estimate the potential risks of plant diversity reduction and soil salinization in the Bosten Lake Basin, the dynamic changes in the plant community and species diversity affected by soil moisture and salinity were analyzed from 2000 to 2020 based on remote sensing technology and field experiments. A model for simulating soil moisture, salinity, and the productivity of the plant communities was proposed. The results demonstrated that: (1) The soil moisture index (SMI) increased but the soil salinity index (SSI) decreased from 2000 to 2020 in the study areas. Accordingly, the plant community productivity indices, including the vegetation index (NDVI), enhanced vegetation index (EVI), and ratio vegetation index (RVI), exhibited an increasing trend. It was found that the Alpine meadow, Alpine steppe, and temperate steppe desert were the main types of plant communities in the study areas, accounting for 69% of its total area. (2) With increasing SMI or decreasing SSI, the vegetation productivity such as NDVI, RVI, and EVI all exhibited an increasing trend. With the increment of SMI, the species diversity indices of the Simpson, Shannon–Wiener, and Margalef exhibited a distinctly increasing trend. However, the indices of the Simpson, Shannon–Wiener, and Alatalo increased with the decreasing SSI. (3) The study discovered from the SVM model that the species diversity index was optimal when the soil salinity was 0–15 g/kg and the soil moisture was 12–30% in the study areas. It was found that soil moisture, not soil salinity, controls the plant species diversity change in the study areas. (4) A multiple linear regression model was established for simulating the effect of soil water-salinity on the vegetation productivity index at the watershed scale. The model indicated that higher salinity would reduce vegetation productivity and higher soil moisture would promote vegetation growth (except for RVI). The SSI had a higher impact on NDVI and EVI than the SMI in the study areas. This study would support decision-making on grassland ecosystem restoration and management in the other arid areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscape and Ecosystem Services Change in Arid Regions)

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27 pages, 6651 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Species-Abundance Distribution Patterns of Plant Communities in the Gurbantünggüt Desert, China

by Zexuan Zang, Yong Zeng, Dandan Wang, Fengzhi Shi, Yiyang Dong, Na Liu and Yuejia Liang

Sustainability 2022, 14(20), 12957; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142012957 - 11 Oct 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2561

Abstract

It is important to study the species-abundance distribution pattern in a community to reveal the mechanism of community assembly. Six abundance models (log-normal distribution model, Zipf model, Zipf–Mandelbrot model, broken stick model, niche preemption model, and Volkov model) were used to fit the [...] Read more.

It is important to study the species-abundance distribution pattern in a community to reveal the mechanism of community assembly. Six abundance models (log-normal distribution model, Zipf model, Zipf–Mandelbrot model, broken stick model, niche preemption model, and Volkov model) were used to fit the species-abundance distribution pattern of six scales (10 m × 10 m, 20 m × 20 m, 40 m ×40 m, 60 m × 60 m, 80 m × 80 m, 100 m × 100 m) in fixed, semifixed, and mobile sand dunes in the Gurbantünggüt Desert, respectively. The best-fitting model was determined using the K-S test, the Chi-square test, and the Akaike information criterion. The results showed that the values of soil salinity, nutrients, water content, Shannon–Wiener diversity index (H′), Pielou evenness index (E), and Simpson index (D) were ranked in all three habitats as fixed dunes > semifixed dunes > mobile dunes. The rank curves span a narrow range on the horizontal axis at scales of 10 m × 10 m and 20 m × 20 m, and species richness is minimal. As the scale increases, the span range of the curve gradually increases, and species richness becomes higher at scales of 40 m × 40 m, 60 m × 60 m, 80 m × 80 m, and 100 m × 100 m. At the 10 m × 10 m and 20 m × 20 m scales, the broken stick model fits best in the three dune habitats. At the 40 m × 40 m and 60 m × 60 m scales, the niche preemption model fits best in the three dune habitats. At the 80 m × 80 m and 100 m × 100 m scales, the Volkov neutral model fits best in the fixed and semifixed dune habitats, and the niche preemption model fits best in the mobile dune habitats. In fixed, semifixed, and mobile dunes, both niche and neutral processes played important roles in community construction, reflecting the manifestation of the community niche-neutral continuum. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscape and Ecosystem Services Change in Arid Regions)

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