From 1981 to 2010,the effects of climate change on evapotranspiration of the alpine ecosystem and the regional difference of effects in the Tibetan Plateau(TP)were studied based on the Lund-Potsdam-Jena dynamic vegetation model and data from 80 meteorological stations.Changes in actual evapotranspiration(AET)and water balance in TP were analyzed.Over the last 30 years,climate change in TP was characterized by sig- nificantly increased temperature,slightly increased precipitation,and decreased potential evapotranspiration(PET),which was significant before 2000.AET exhibited increasing trends in most parts of TP.The difference between precipitation and AET decreased in the south- eastern plateau and increased in the northwestern plateau.A decrease in atmospheric water demand will lead to a decreased trend in AET.However,AET in most regions increased be- cause of increased precipitation.Increased precipitation was observed in 86%of the areas with increased AET,whereas decreased precipitation was observed in 73%of the areas with decreased AET.

Using the daily temperature data of 95 meteorological stations from Sichuan- Chongqing Region and its surrounding areas, this paper adopted these methods (e.g., linear regression, trend coefficient, geographical statistics, gray relational analysis and spatial analysis functions of GIS) to analyze the relations of temperature variability with topography, latitude and longitude. Moreover, the rank of gray correlation between temperature variability and elevation, longitude, latitude, topographic position and surface roughness also was measured. These results indicated: (1) The elevation affected temperature variability most obviously, followed by latitude, and longitude. The slope of the linear regression between temperature change rate and elevation, latitude and longitude was 0.4142, 0.0293 and -0.3270, respectively. (2) The rank of gray correlation between temperature change rate and geographic factors was elevation > latitude > surface roughness > topographic position > longitude. The gray correlation degree between temperature change rate and elevation was 0.865, followed by latitude with 0.796, and longitude with 0.671. (3) The rate of temperature change enhanced with the increase of elevation. Especially, the warming trend was significant in the plateau and mountain areas of western Sichuan, and mountain and valley areas of southwestern Sichuan (with the warming rate of 0.74℃/10a during the 1990s). However, there was a weak warming trend in Sichuan Basin and its surrounding low mountain and hilly areas. (4) The effects of latitude on temperature change rate presented the specific regulation, which the warming rate of low-latitude areas was more significant than that of high-latitude areas. However, they were consistent with the regulation that the increasing of low temperature controlled most of the warming trend, due to the effects of terrain and elevation on annual mean temperature. (5) Basically, temperature variability along longitude direction resulted from the regular change of elevation along longitude. It was suggested that, in Sichuan-Chongqing Region, special features of temperature variability largely depended on the terrain complexity (e.g., undulations, mutations and roughness). The elevation level controlled only high or low annual mean temperature and the range of temperature change rate in the macro sense.

By decomposing and reconstructing the runoff information from 1965 to 2007 of the hydrologic stations of Tuotuo River and Zhimenda in the source region of the Yangtze River, and Jimai and Tangnaihai in the source region of the Yellow River with db3 wavelet, runoff of different hydrologic stations tends to be declining in the seasons of spring flood, summer flood and dry ones except for that in Tuotuo River. The declining flood/dry seasons series was summer > spring > dry; while runoff of Tuotuo River was always increasing in different stages from 1965 to 2007 with a higher increase rate in summer flood seasons than that in spring ones. Complex Morlet wavelet was selected to detect runoff periodicity of the four hydrologic stations mentioned above. Over all seasons the periodicity was 11-12 years in the source region of the Yellow River. For the source region of the Yangtze River the periodicity was 4-6 years in the spring flood seasons and 13-14 years in the summer flood seasons. The differences of variations of flow periodicity between the upper catchment areas of the Yellow River and the Yangtze River and between seasons were considered in relation to glacial melt and annual snowfall and rainfall as providers of water for runoff.

Ecological compensation is a hot subject in academic studies, and the determination of the spatial allocation of compensation payments is a key point in the research of ecological compensation. There are two kinds of thoughts in the determination of regional spatial allocation at present: “evaluation of ecological construction cost” and “evaluation of ecosystem services value”. This paper analyzes the relationships between social ecological compensation and regional socio-economic development, and establishes two econometric models with the data of 2007 from various provinces in China. Through these models, the impacts of geographical endowments on the regional socio-economic development in various provinces are analyzed from the social justice viewpoint and the concept of “equivalent value of geographical endowments” (EGE for short) is proposed. This paper analyzes the application prospect of EGE in the policy making of regional ecological compensation. The results showed that: (1) the implementation of social ecological compensation is not only an effective guarantee for each region to obtain the equal rights of survival, development and decent environment, but also an essential assurance to the coordinated, balanced and sustainable development among various regions; (2) the regional difference in geographical endowments is an important factor affecting the regional spatial variation of socio-economic development. Therefore, geographical endowments are important bases for the determination of the spatial allocation of compensation payments in social ecological compensation; (3) based on the EGE, the government can determine the spatial allocation of social ecological compensation scientifically, and avoid the “sweeping approach” phenomenon in the policy making process of ecological compensation.

The agricultural reclamations in the Xiliao River Valley since the Holocene have led to a huge landscape change from grassland to farmland. In this paper we reconsider the man-land relationship in the Xiliao River Valley by analyzing three major agricultural reclamations in prehistory, the Liao-Jin Dynasty and the period since the Qing Dynasty. We argue that when the demographic pressure appears in this area, especially during the last reclamation, the intraregional migration (second migration) is the major response to relieve such pressure, which also distinguishes two different settlement locations: “the initial area” and “the secondary area”. Due to the environmental differences between these two areas, the cultivation on the latter one has caused more serious disturbance to the local environment. Thus the secondary area has become the key region which needs environmental management seriously.

Karamay City is a typical mining city, relying on oilfield exploration and development. After 60 years of construction and development, Karamay has become the first large oilfield and an important base of the national petroleum and petrochemical industry in China. Based on spatial analysis, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) grid computing and overlay techniques, whilst considering the effect of oilfield development and aimed at the ecological problems of Karamay City in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China, we conducted research on the spatial characteristics of the comprehensive ecological sensitivity of Karamay. The ecological problems of natural environment evolution include soil erosion, land desertification, soil salinization, and biodiversity reduction. The most significant disturbance factor from the activities of humans in this area is oilfield exploitation. This study carries out an analysis of single factor ecological problem sensitivity and integrated ecological sensitivity. The results of the research are as follows: (1) Soil erosion is relatively sensitive, especially in Karamay district, Dushanzi district, north of Urho district and west of Baijiantan district, which is mainly a result of the vertical dropping slopes, serious rainfall erosion and the distribution of scattered woodland. (2) The main types of land desertification are represented by high and moderate grade sensitivities, and high and extremely high sensitive areas are distributed in the intersection of Karamay and Baijiantan districts. This is due to evaporation exceeding rainfall in these areas, and the soil mainly consists of sand and is seldom covered by vegetation. (3) The soil salinizatiion sensitivity grades are mainly moderate, high and extremely high. The highly sensitive areas are mainly distributed in southeast of Baijiantan district, north and east of Karamay district and east of Urho district. The primary causes are evaporation exceeding rainfall and extreme human activities. (4) The main types of biodiversity sensitivity are light and moderate grade. Highly sensitive areas are located in the east and south of Karamay district, north of the Baiyang River basin and parts of the wetland areas. (5) Oil fields development areas are highly ecologically sensitive, which are located in the northern oilfields of Urho district, western oilfields of Baijiantan district, northwestern oilfields of Karamay district and central oilfields of Dushanzi district. (6) The main types of integrated ecological sensitivity are high and moderate. The high and extremely highly sensitive areas are located in the central and northern parts of Karamay district, and southwest of Baijiantan district. The evaluation results will provide guidance for the future planning and development, the protection of the ecological environment and the realization of harmonious social, economic, and ecological development in Karamay City.

The IGU Regional Conference (UGI 2011) was held on November 14-18, 2011 in Santiago, Chile. It was organized by the Military Geographic Institute (IGM). Nearly 1000 geographers across the world participated in this event. The Geographical Society of China (GSC) sent a delegation consisting of more than 40 members to attend the conference.

Carrying capacity research has been carried out for a long time. However, synthesized carrying capacity researches based on systematic views began only in the 1970s. There is even less work done in China. This paper tries to address both synthesized carrying capacity research and its utilization in China. State spaces method from the systematic science was borrowed to construct the conceptual model of regional carrying capacity. Based on the conceptual model and the surveys in the Bohai Rim area, we construct a representative indicators system for quantifying regional carrying capacity in the Bohai Rim. While employing system dynamic models we simulated the evolving trend of both the regional carrying states and regional carrying capacity from 1999 to 2015. The results proved the statement that Bohai Rim is overall over-capacity for a long time and will be over-capacity in the foreseeable future. Among all the restriction factors, water shortage and environmental pollution stand out to be the two primary obstacles for Bohai Rim’s sustainable development. Regional differentiation analysis further indicates that coastal areas of the Bohai Rim burden more than its overall level. However, Shandong province shows some good signs in addressing the regional carrying capacity issues. The research is successful in addressing the quantification of regional carrying capacity issues, but nonetheless it needs further refinery and more information.

In this study, a monthly dataset of temperature time series (1961-2010) from 12 meteorological stations across the Three-River Headwater Region of Qinghai Province (THRHR) was used to analyze the climate change. The temperature variation and abrupt change analysis were examined by using moving average, linear regression, Spline interpolation, Mann-Kendall test and so on. Some important conclusions were obtained from this research, which mainly contained four aspects as follows. (1) There were several cold and warm fluctuations for the annual and seasonal average temperature in the THRHR and its three sub-headwater regions, but the temperature in these regions all had an obviously rising trend at the statistical significance level, especially after 2001. The spring, summer, autumn and annual average temperature increased evidently after the 1990s, and the winter average temperature exhibited an obvious upward trend after entering the 21st century. Except the standard value of spring temperature, the annual and seasonal temperature standard value in the THRHR and its three sub-headwater regions increased gradually, and the upward trend for the standard value of winter average temperature indicated significantly. (2) The tendency rate of annual average temperature in the THRHR was 0.36℃10a^-1, while the tendency rates in the Yellow River Headwater Region (YERHR), Lancangjiang River Headwater Region (LARHR) and Yangtze River Headwater Region (YARHR) were 0.37℃10a^-1, 0.37℃10a^-1 and 0.34℃10a^-1 respectively. The temperature increased significantly in the south of Yushu County and the north of Nangqian County. The rising trends of temperature in winter and autumn were higher than the upward trends in spring and summer. (3) The abrupt changes of annual, summer, autumn and winter average temperature were found in the THRHR, LARHR and YARHR, and were detected for the summer and autumn average temperature in the YERHR. The abrupt changes of annual and summer average temperatures were mainly in the late 1990s, while the abrupt changes of autumn and winter average temperatures appeared primarily in the early 1990s and the early 21st century respectively. (4) With the global warming, the diversities of altitude and underlying surface in different parts of the Tibetan Plateau were possibly the main reasons for the high increasing rate of temperature in the THRHR.

Employing DEA model and Malmquist productivity index, this paper probes into the urban efficiencies of 24 typical resources-based cities in China and their changes from 2000 to 2008. The research finds that the overall efficiencies of the resources-based cities are just at a general level, and only a few of them reach the optimal level. The scale efficiency is the major determining factor of the achievement of overall efficiency, the effect of which, nevertheless, is reducing. From the perspective of classification characteristics, the resources- based cities in northeastern region have been in the front rank in terms of overall efficiency, pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency. There is a certain positive correlation between urban population scale and urban efficiency. The analysis of urban efficiency changes shows that the changes in overall efficiency of resources-based cities from 2000 to 2008 had a weak improving tendency. Both the technical change index and productivity change index decreased, indicating that the urban efficiency did not improve during this period, and the tendency of technical recession and productivity decline was obvious. In terms of the classification of urban efficiency changes, the urban overall efficiency improved in each of the four regions from 2000 to 2008, among which western region witnessed the greatest increase. Cities with different resource types have improved their urban overall efficiencies except steel-based cities. The urban overall efficiency increased in resources-based cities of different scales, with greater improvement in small and medium-sized cities than in big cities.

Ecosystem services, which include water yield services, have been incorporated into decision processes of regional land use planning and sustainable development. Spatial pattern characteristics and identification of factors that influence water yield are the basis for decision making. However, there are limited studies on the driving mechanisms that affect the spatial heterogeneity of ecosystem services. In this study, we used the Hengduan Mountain region in southwest China, with obvious spatial heterogeneity, as the research site. The water yield module in the InVEST software was used to simulate the spatial distribution of water yield. Also, quantitative attribution analysis was conducted for various geomorphological and climatic zones in the Hengduan Mountain region by using the geographical detector method. Influencing factors, such as climate, topography, soil, vegetation type, and land use type and pattern, were taken into consideration for this analysis. Four key findings were obtained. First, water yield spatial heterogeneity is influenced most by climate-related factors, where precipitation and evapotranspiration are the dominant factors. Second, the relative importance of each impact factor to the water yield heterogeneity differs significantly by geomorphological and climatic zones. In flat areas, the influence of evapotranspiration is higher than that of precipitation. As relief increases, the importance of precipitation increases and eventually, it becomes the most influential factor. Evapotranspiration is the most influential factor in a plateau climate zone, while in the mid-subtropical zone, precipitation is the main controlling factor. Third, land use type is also an important driving force in flat areas. Thus, more attention should be paid to urbanization and land use planning, which involves land use changes, to mitigate the impact on water yield spatial pattern. The fourth finding was that a risk detector showed that Primarosol and Anthropogenic soil areas, shrub areas, and areas with slope <5° and 25°-35° should be recognized as water yield important zones, while the corresponding elevation values are different among different geomorphological and climatic zones. Therefore, the spatial heterogeneity and influencing factors in different zones should be fully considered while planning the maintenance and protection of water yield services in the Hengduan Mountain region.

Accumulation occurs widely in fluvial processes. Accurately accounting for the effects of previous water and sediment conditions on accumulation is essential for studying riverbed evolution. In this study, to reveal the physical mechanisms of accumulation, various geometric observations of both the upstream and downstream reaches of dams on several typical fluvial channels were analyzed. The changes in water and sediment conditions were defined as external disturbances. Assuming that the probability of an external disturbance conforms to a Poisson distribution, and that the response intensity induced by an individual disturbance decays exponentially over time, a mathematical description of the accumulation of internal responses to external disturbances is given. Furthermore, a corresponding theoretical model for simulating the spatiotemporal readjustments of characteristic river variables is proposed based on stochastic theory. The proposed models are then applied to investigate spatiotemporal readjustment in the upper and lower reaches of dams following their construction. The results indicate that temporally, the vertical, lateral, and overall readjustment rates of the reaches are relatively fast in the early period following dam construction but then decrease rapidly over time. Accumulated riverbed degradation, channel width, and sedimentation continuously increase until a new dynamic equilibrium is reached. These phenomena reflect the representative accumulation characteristics of fluvial processes. Spatially, the erosion intensities in downstream reaches decrease nonlinearly along the channel until eventually diminishing. The unbalanced spatial distribution of erosion intensity arises from the system response characterized by propagation in space but decay over time, which is characteristic of accumulation phenomena after disturbances. The results of the developed model show that the spatiotemporal readjustments of the studied cross-sections and channel reaches can be accurately described by the unified theoretical formula derived herein. The model predictions show good agreement with observed field data with determination coefficients of 0.92, 0.93, 0.76, and 0.95 for vertical, lateral, longitudinal, and overall readjustments, respectively. The proposed theoretical models account for both the accumulation characteristics of fluvial processes and their spatial distributions. In demonstrating the proposed approach, this study provides a theoretical basis and new calculation method for quantitatively describing the spatiotemporal readjustments of non-equilibrium fluvial channels following external disturbances.

Alluviation and sedimentation of the Yellow River are important factors influencing the surface soil structure and organic carbon content in its lower reaches. Selecting Kaifeng and Zhoukou as typical cases of the Yellow River flooding area, the field survey, soil sample collection, laboratory experiment and Geographic Information System (GIS) spatial analysis methods were applied to study the spatial distribution characteristics and change mechanism of organic carbon components at different soil depths. The results revealed that the soil total organic carbon (TOC), active organic carbon (AOC) and nonactive organic carbon (NOC) contents ranged from 0.05-30.03 g/kg, 0.01-8.86 g/kg and 0.02-23.36 g/kg, respectively. The TOC, AOC and NOC contents in the surface soil layer were obviously higher than those in the lower soil layer, and the sequence of the content and change range within a single layer was TOC>NOC>AOC. Geostatistical analysis indicated that the TOC, AOC and NOC contents were commonly influenced by structural and random factors, and the influence magnitudes of these two factors were similar. The overall spatial trends of TOC, AOC and NOC remained relatively consistent from the 0-20 cm layer to the 20-100 cm layer, and the transition between high- and low-value areas was obvious, while the spatial variance was high. The AOC and NOC contents and spatial distribution better reflected TOC spatial variation and carbon accumulation areas. The distribution and depth of the sediment, agricultural land-use type, cropping system, fertilization method, tillage process and cultivation history were the main factors impacting the spatial variation in the soil organic carbon (SOC) components. Therefore, increasing the organic matter content, straw return, applying organic manure, adding exogenous particulate matter and conservation tillage are effective measures to improve the soil quality and attain sustainable agricultural development in the alluvial/sedimentary zone of the Yellow River.

In order to explore the water level variations of Caizi Lake under river-lake isolation, the monthly water level of the Chefuling station in Caizi Lake from 1989 to 2018 and the daily water level, rainfall and flow of local hydrological stations in 2018 were analyzed by using the Mann-Kendall trend test and wavelet analysis. Results showed that the difference of the average water level of Caizi Lake between the flood and dry seasons was 3.34 m, with a multi-year average water level of 10.42 m above sea level. The first and second main periods of the water level of Caizi Lake were 128 and 18 months, respectively, with 4 and 29 “up-down” cycles, respectively. From 2018, the next 3?4 years were likely to be the low water level period. The water level of Caizi Lake was significantly correlated with that of the Anqing hydrological station of the Yangtze River (r=0.824, P<0.01). In addition, the current hydrological staging of Caizi Lake was about 30 days behind than before the sluice was built. Under the dual influences of the river-lake isolation and the Yangtze-to-Huaihe Water Diversion Project (YHWD), the hydrological regime change of Caizi Lake and its eco-environmental effect needed long-term monitoring and research.

Understanding the driving forces of regional air pollution and its mechanism has gained much attention in academic research, which can provide scientific policy-making basis for economy-environment sustainability in China. Being an important energy and industrial base, the North China Plain region has been experiencing severe air pollution. Therefore, understanding the relationship between industrialization and air quality in this region is of great importance for air quality improvement. In this study, the average annual concentrations of SO₂, NO₂ and PM₁₀ in 47 sample cities at and above the prefecture level in the North China Plain region from 2007 to 2016 were used to illustrate the spatiotemporal characteristics of air pollution within this region. Furthermore, panel data model, panel vector autoregression model, and impulse response function were used to explore the correlation and driving mechanism between energy-intensive industries and regional air quality. The results show that：first, overall air quality improved in the study area between 2007 and 2016, with a significant greater fall in concentration of SO₂ than that of NO₂ and PM₁₀; second, provincial border areas suffered from severe air pollution and showed an apparent spatial agglomeration trend of pollution; and third, the test results from different models all proved that energy-intensive industries such as the chemical, non-metallic mineral production, electric and thermal power production and supply industries, had a significant positive correlation with concentrations of air pollutants, and indicated an obvious short-term impulse response effect. It concludes that upgradation of industrial structure, especially that of energy-intensive industries, plays a very important role in the improvement of regional air quality, which is recommended to be put in top priority for authorities. Therefore, policies as increasing investments in technological innovation in energy-intensive industries, deepening cooperation in environmental governance between different provinces and cities, and strengthening supervision and entry restrictions are suggested.

Urban planning construction land standard is the technical specification for scientifically allocating various types of urban construction land, and it is the basis for drawing up and revising the overall urban planning scheme. Considering China’s current urban planning construction land standard, many problems exist, such as the gap in the land use control threshold, the lack of regional differences in the climate revision, and failing to consider the topographic factors. To resolve these problems, this study proposed a step-by-step process framework and quantitative calculation method for the establishment and revision of standards in accordance with the principle of Total-Structure control. By setting the conditions, a universal basic standard for construction land was established. Quantitative analysis was then conducted on the relationship between the basic standard and the selected key indicators, such as urban population size, sunshine spacing coefficient, the width of river valleys or inter-montane basins, and terrain slope, among others. Finally, revised standards were formed for climate conditions, topography, and geomorphologic conditions, which were matched with the basic standards. The key results are three-fold: (1) The per capita construction land standard of 95 m ²/person can be used as the total indicator of China’s urban planning basic standard, and the corresponding per capita single construction land comprises 32.50% of residential land, 7.42% of public management and public service land, 22.50% of industrial land, 17.50% of transportation facilities, 12.50% of green space, and 7.58% of other land-use types. The results of the revision of the urban population size indicate that the difference in population size has little effect on the total amount of per capita construction land. (2) The climate revision results of per capita residential land and per capita construction land in major cities reveal that the revised climate value varies greatly between north and south China. The revised climate values of the per capita area of construction land vary by latitude as follows: the value at 20°N is 93 m ²/person, the value at 30°N is 97 m ²/person, the value at 40°N is 103 m ²/person, and the value at 50°N is 115 m ²/person. The basic standard land value of 95 m ²/person is generally distributed across the Xiamen-Guilin-Kunming line. (3) The cities located in mountainous areas, hilly valleys, or inter-montane basins can reduce the allocation of community parks and comprehensive parks when the average width of an existing river valley or inter-montane basin is less than 2 km. When the average width of the valley or inter-montane basin is between 2 km to 4 km, the allocation of the comprehensive parks can be reduced. The revised results of per capita sloping construction land reveal that the terrain slope greatly affects the revised value of per capita construction land. Specifically, the revised value at 3° is 3.68% higher than the basic standard value, and the increase rates at 8°, 15°, and 25° are 11.25%, 26.49%, and 68.47%, respectively.

The development of overseas industrial parks is a key component of the Belt and Road Initiative and a practical way of promoting inclusive globalization by introducing new forms of cooperation between China and the host countries. In this paper, the Thai-Chinese Rayong Industrial Zone (TCRIZ), and the China-Indonesia Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone (KITIC) are discussed in the context of the evolving development strategies and trajectories through three interrelated conceptual lenses - policy mobility, actor networks, and partnerships. The actor-network theory provides a lens to analyze how policy mobility and partnerships develop for two industrial zone case studies. The development, which involves a multi-scalar process, is shaped by the interactions among the national states, the regional governments and corporations against a background of globalization. Three types of transnational actor partnership networks have been identified, namely, hierarchical partnership, spontaneous partnership, and hybrid partnership. A highlight of the study is the role that the partnerships play in the process of policy mobility when it comes to the overseas industrial zones. It is argued that the partnerships are the key to achieving technology transfer on a cross-national basis, and the effectiveness of the technology transfer is dependent on partner selection and the roles of the actors in policy mobility.

Modern railway projects, characterized by “natural monopoly”, large investment, and far-reaching influences, are highly dependent on the institutional and cultural environments in China. The countries along the Belt and Road are characterized by weak institutions, unstable politics, and poor technology foundations, which are largely different from China. These factors are severe obstacles to international technology transfer. By summarizing the experiences from the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard-Gauge Railway (SGR) project, this study proposes a framework for embedded technology transfer with a technology-institution-culture nexus. The results indicate that technology localization, including technology standards, management mode, and industrial chain, should be realized in the process of technology transfer. Then, the host government ought to overhaul its institutional and policy framework to support the infrastructure projects. Moreover, the cultural conflicts between the transferor and transferee should be taken seriously. This experience could provide references for other international infrastructure technology transfers.

The implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative and the increasing frequency of the China-Europe Railway Express (CER Express) have brought new improvement to the production system of enterprises along the Belt and Road regions. On the basis of summarizing the evolution of production system of enterprises, this paper takes TCL Poland Plant as an example to conduct an in-depth study on the characteristics of the plant's current production system and its differences from the original production system, and analyzes the impact of the CER Express on its current production system. Some conclusions can be drawn as follows. (1) CER Express had a great impact on the production system of TCL Poland Plant, which is mainly manifested in the following aspects. First, the transport of raw materials by CER Express improves the time efficiency and shortens the whole supply chain. Second, CER Express acts as a “moving inventory”, which realizes the flexibility of raw material inventory and “zero inventory” effect based on the punctual transport. Third, the time and inventory effects brought by CER Express speed up the response to European market. The comprehensive benefits brought by CER Express lead to a more punctual and lean production system, meet the diversified needs of consumers on account of product quality and diversification, and improve ability to expand European market. (2) On the basis of abandoning the original “Rigid Mass Production” system, we argue that TCL Poland Plant formed a unique production system—“Global Fluid Just-in-Time” which absorbed the essence of Toyota Production System based on the punctual transnational transportation of CER Express. (3) The differences between the current and the original production systems of TCL Poland Plant are mainly focused on the following aspects: the difference of transport and storage mode of raw materials, and the changes of production line, production mode and quality inspection organization, etc.

China’s overseas industrial parks contribute to political and economic cooperation, cultural exchange between home and host countries. Current studies mainly discuss the effect of overseas industrial parks from the perspective of institutional and cultural difference, multi-scale coupling, as well as key partnerships, while little attention has been paid to the comprehensive analysis of overseas industrial parks. Based on a theoretical framework, this paper explores the overall effect of China’s overseas industrial parks from the geo-effects perspective by using field interviews and a case study approach. The research shows that: (1) the geo-effects reveal the over effect of overseas industrial parks from the multiple and complementary dimensions of geopolitics, geo-economics, geo-society and geo-culture; (2) the Cambodia Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone, as a flagship BRI project, has produced the prominent and positive geo-effects; (3) the institutional-economic-cultural-environmental adaptability of overseas industrial parks is becoming important. Overseas industrial parks must be rooted in the politics, economy, society, and culture of host country; embedded in local social networks; balance the rights and interests of all stakeholders; and form the community of interests, community of destiny, and community of responsibility with political mutual trust, economic integration, cultural inclusiveness, and social harmony. The paper not only deepens the understanding about the overall effect of overseas industrial parks, but also provides decision support and theoretical reference for government policy makers and the overseas investment of enterprises.

As an innovative mode of China’s foreign direct investment, China’s overseas industrial parks are not only the main content of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) but also the practical carrier of policy transfer. However, most of the academic literature on the policy transfer of overseas industrial parks has regarded the host country as a passive learner and seldom considers the two-way interactions between the host country and the home country. Using the Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park (MCKIP) and the “Two Countries, Twin Parks” model as case studies, we discuss the applicability and innovative development of the policy transfer theory of China’s overseas industrial parks under the background of BRI. This article systematically analyzes the developmental background of the MCKIP and the cooperative framework between the governments. We consider the problems encountered in the policy transfer process and the solutions, as well as the two-way interactions between China and Malaysia in terms of the flow of people, logistics, capital, information, and technology. The study sheds light on the construction of the “Two Countries, Twin Parks” overseas industrial park.

This article contributes to a small but growing body of multi-sited and multi-scalar research on the Belt and Road Initiative. We focus on relations at the national, regional and international scales, and present original research from China and Turkey, to show how the Istanbul-Ankara high-speed railway has served as a testing ground for China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Its construction was initially funded by the European Investment Bank, but it is now part of the backbone of the Turkish Government’s Middle Corridor plan which enhances west-east connectivity and integration with the Caucasus and Central Asia. We show that in contrast to multinational corporations from the OECD that seek to remain footloose, Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs) seek to adapt to, apprehend and ultimately shape local institutions. In the case of Turkey this proved difficult given its institutional alignment with the European Union. Thus, while the railway project was completed successfully by a consortium led by a Chinese SOE, Turkey’s dynamic and complex regulatory environment discourages Chinese SOEs in the infrastructure sector. We conclude that the Turkish and Chinese governments are currently pursuing complementary territorial visions yet their cooperation is project-based and pragmatic.

Lake water level is an essential indicator of environmental changes caused by natural and human factors. The water level of Poyang Lake, the largest freshwater lake in China, has exhibited a dramatic variation for the past few years, especially after the completion of the Three Gorges Dam (TGD*However, there is a lack of more accurate assessment of the effect of the TGD on the Poyang Lake water level (PLWL) at finer temporal scales (e.g., the daily scale*Here, we used three machine learning models, namely, an Artificial Neural Network (ANN), a Nonlinear Autoregressive model with eXogenous input (NARX), and a Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU), to simulate the daily lake level during 2003-2016. We found that machine learning models with historical memory (i.e., the GRU model) are more suitable for simulating the PLWL under the influence of the TGD. The GRU-based results show that the lake level is significantly affected by the TGD regulation in the different operation stages and in different periods. Although the TGD has had a slight but not very significant impact on the yearly decline of the PLWL, the blocking or releasing of water at the TGD at certain moments has caused large changes in the lake level. This machine-learning-based study sheds light on the interactions between Poyang Lake and the Yangtze River regulated by the TGD.

It is of necessity to investigate the adjustment of flood discharge capacity in the Lower Yellow River (LYR) because of its profound importance in sediment transport and flood control decision-making, and additionally its magnitude is influenced by the channel and upstream boundary conditions, which have significantly varied with the ongoing implementation of soil and water conservation measures in the Loess Plateau and the operation of the Xiaolangdi Reservoir. The braided reach between two hydrometric stations of Huayuankou and Gaocun in the LYR was selected as the study area. Different parameters in the study reach during the period 1986-2015 were calculated, covering bankfull discharge (the indicator of flood discharge capacity), the pre-flood geomorphic coefficient (the indicator of channel boundary condition), and the previous five-year average fluvial erosion intensity during flood seasons (the indicator of incoming flow and sediment regime*Functional linkages at scales of section and reach were then developed respectively to quantitatively demonstrate the integrated effects of channel and upstream boundary conditions on the flood discharge capacity. Results show that: (1) the reach-scale bankfull discharge in the pre-dam stage (1986-1999) decreased rapidly by 50%, accompanied with severe channel aggradation and main-channel shrinkage. It recovered gradually as the geometry of main channel became narrower and deeper in the post-dam stage, with the geomorphic coefficient continuously reducing to less than 15 m^-1/2*2) The response of bankfull discharge to the channel and upstream boundary conditions varied at scales of section and reach, and consequently the determination coefficients differed for the comprehensive equations, with a smallest value at the Jiahetan station and a highest value (0.91) at reach scale. Generally, the verified results calculated using the comprehensive equations agreed well with the corresponding measured values in 2014-2015*3) The effect of channel boundary condition was more prominent than that of upstream boundary condition on the adjustment of bankfull discharge at the Jiahetan station and the braided reach, which was proved by a larger improvement in determination coefficients for the comprehensive equations and a better performance of geomorphic coefficient on the increase of bankfull discharge.

Tidal creeks are the main channels of land-sea ecosystem interactions, and their high dynamics are an important factor affecting the hydrological connectivity of tidal flats. Taking the Yellow River Delta as the research area, we selected remote sensing images obtained during five periods from 1998 to 2018 as the data sources. Based on the spatial analysis function in GIS, the typical morphological characteristics of tidal creeks, such as the level, length, density, curvature, bifurcation ratio, and overmarsh path length (OPL), were extracted to characterize the degree of development of the tidal creeks in the Yellow River Delta wetlands. The spatio-temporal evolution of the tidal creeks was studied, and the development process and the characteristics of the tidal creeks during the different stages of development were investigated. The results revealed that (1) The number, density, and bifurcation ratio of tidal creeks exhibit an increasing trend, but the growth of the trend is slowing. The number of tidal creeks increased by 44.9% from the initial stage of the Yellow River diversion to the late stage of the wetland restoration, but it only increased by 26.2% from the late stage of the wetland restoration to the slow expansion of the Spartina alterniflora*2) The curvature of the tidal creeks on the landward side is greater than that on the seaward side*3) The development degree of tidal creek has spatial heterogenetiy, which is Area III > Area II > Area I*4) The drainage efficiency is significantly correlated with the tidal creak density and bifurcation ratio. Based on the analysis of the various morphological parameters and the drainage efficiency, it was found that after the rapid change in the tidal creek system in the early stage, the tidal creeks entered a state of slow change, and the development state of the tidal creeks tends to be in dynamic balance. The results of this study are expected to provide scientific support for the sustainable development and utilization of coastal tidal flats.

Heavy metal pollution is hazardous for the environment and human health. However, there are few studies of heavy metal pollution caused by historic metallurgical activity. The Laoniupo site in the Bahe River valley, Guanzhong Basin, China, was an important settlement of the Shang Culture (1600-1046 BCE*We studied two stratigraphic profiles at the Laoniupo site, which were used for measurements of magnetic susceptibility, heavy metal concentrations, and AMS ¹⁴C ages to provide evidence of copper smelting activity at the site during the Shang Dynasty. The Nemerow Pollution Index and Geoaccumulation Index were calculated to assess the heavy metals record (Cu, Zn, Ni, Pb, Cr, and As) in the topsoil on the loess tableland. According to the Single Pollution Index, the topsoil was slightly polluted by As and unpolluted by Cu, Zn, Ni, Pb and Cr; according to the Nemerow Composite Pollution Index the topsoil was mildly polluted; and according to the Geoaccumulation Index, the topsoil was moderately polluted by As, slightly polluted by Cu, and unpolluted by Zn, Ni, Pb and Cr. The main cause of the heavy metal pollution in the topsoil is the presence of copper slag in the cultural layers that was disturbed by modern farming activity.

Background vales (mg/kg)

The construction of channel regulation projects, reservoirs, and other human activities have led to significant changes in channel geometry and hydrodynamic conditions in mountainous macrotidal estuaries. However, their impact on the long-term evolution of the turbidity maximum zone (TMZ) in these estuaries is still unclear. Therefore, the Minjiang Estuary (ME) was selected as the study area and using the Gabor filter and surface suspended sediment concentration (SSSC) data retrieved from GF PMS/WFV and Landsat-TM/ETM+/ OLI images in the flood season from 1986 to 2020, the flow direction of Chuanshi Waterway, the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of TMZ in the ME, and the influence of human activities on these were analyzed. The results indicate that during flood tides in the past 35 years, the TMZ was mainly distributed in sections from the Changmen to the Chuanshi and Meihua waterways. The construction of the Shuikou Reservoir caused the SSSC to decrease by 65 mg/L at the Chuanshi Tidal Gauge Station in the ME. The TMZ in the ME waterway channel notably migrated toward the sea due to the waterway regulation project, with the landward and seaward boundaries moving by 2.5 km and 3 km seaward, respectively. The main distribution area moved from Jinpaimen to the section from Chuanshi Waterway to the mouth of the ME. These variation characteristics were basically consistent with the annual average TMZ in the flood season. Through the interactions between nature and human interventions, the flow regime of the ME tended to converge in the flood season. Therefore, human activities have significantly impacted the long-term evolution of the TMZ in the ME.

Understanding the hydrological effects of the Three Gorges Dam operation in the entire reservoir area is significant to achieving optimal dam regulation. In this paper, a large-scale coupled hydrological-hydrodynamic-dam operation model is developed to comprehensively evaluate the hydrological effects of the river-type Three Gorges Reservoir. The results show that the coupled model is effective for hydrological, hydrodynamic regime and hydropower simulations in the reservoir area. Dam operation could have a notable positive effect on flood control and could reduce the maximum daily flood peak by up to 26.2%. It also contributes a large amount of hydropower, approximately 94.27 TWh/year, and a water supply increase for the downstream area of up to 22% during the dry season. In the flood season, the water level at Cuntan would increase under the condition that the water level of the dam is higher than approximately 158 m due to dam operation. In the dry season, attention should be paid to the low flow velocity near the dam in the reservoir area.

Geopolitics of energy transition has increasingly become the frontier and hot research area of world energy geography and global political science. Different historical periods are characterised by obvious differences in energy connotations, attributes, and geopolitical characteristics. In the new energy era, energy geopolitics becomes more diversified, complex, and comprehensive. In this paper, we compare the geopolitical characteristics of energy in the fossil fuel and renewable energy periods, and provide an overview of current study trends in new energy geopolitics. Recent research shows that the global energy transition will intensify the reconstruction of geopolitical patterns, change the relationship between geopolitical security and conflict dominated by traditional energy security, alter the role of different countries in global energy geopolitical games, reshape national energy relationships formed in the traditional oil and gas era. In addition, geopolitics will be affected by new energy technologies, availability of key rare materials, and energy cybersecurity measures. Despite considerable attention to this research topic, the likely geopolitical impact of energy transition remains uncertain, and there is still room for the development and improvement of the theoretical framework, technical methods, and research perspective. Looking forward to the future, the research into geopolitics of energy transition urgently needs to strengthen its theoretical basis and rely on the scientific and quantitative methods. The practical conclusions of the research into geopolitics of energy transition should strengthen major national energy security decisions, explore the geographical effect of energy transition, and determine the impact of energy transition on energy security. Research into geopolitics of energy transition should be carried out taking into account international academic frontiers such as climate change, “carbon peak” and “carbon neutral” goals, and global energy governance, to enrich the research perspective of world energy geography.

Cross-domain research and development has prevailed in regional transformation and disruptive innovation in the last 15 years. Recently, a new concept, termed combinatorial knowledge bases (CKBs), offers insights into combining knowledge dynamics and is considered a good approach to explore recombinant innovative activities. Here, we review the literature on CKBs in Western economic geography, and we introduce a research agenda for CKBs in China’s economic geography. Concerning the latter, four aspects are elaborated: the co-evolution of the innovation chain and industrial chain, the geography of innovative activities, innovative entrepreneurship and new path development, and innovation system reconfiguration. This paper contributes to theoretical studies of China’s geography by linking CKBs to Chinese-specific phenomena.