Environmental Capacity Research Articles

Heavy metals impact environmental capacity of oasis soils in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau dry zone

The Tibetan Plateau is known as the “third pole of the world,” and plateau oases are a key component of plateau ecosystems. Under natural conditions, the ecosystems on the Tibetan Plateau contain relatively low levels of heavy metals. However, the overexploitation of resources by humans for production and living has affected the quality of soils in the Qinghai-Tibet region, whereby the environmental capacity is decreasing. The oases in the arid zone of Delingha-Wulan County were selected as the study area for determining the environmental capacity of soil heavy metals in the Tibetan Plateau. The results indicated that the six key heavy metals in the study region ranked in the following overall order of static environmental capacity: Zn > Pb > Cu > As > Hg > Cd. High values of the elemental residual capacity occurred mainly in the Chachaxiangka area, whereas low values occurred mainly in the Wulan area. The geological background of the research area had a statistically significant on the residual capabilities of all six elements. Except for Pb, the other five elements were significantly affected by soil type and land use. This study revealed the soil-carrying capacity of oases in arid zones. The findings reported herein provide a scientific foundation for safeguarding the ecosystem in the oases of the arid zone in the Qinghai-Tibetan region.

Recent Advances in the Performance and Mechanisms of High-Entropy Alloys Under Low- and High-Temperature Conditions

High-entropy alloys, since their development, have demonstrated great potential for applications in extreme temperatures. This article reviews recent progress in their mechanical performance, microstructural evolution, and deformation mechanisms at low and high temperatures. Under low-temperature conditions, the focus is on alloys with face-centered cubic, body-centered cubic, and multi-phase structures. Special attention is given to their strength, toughness, strain-hardening capacity, and plastic-toughening mechanisms in cold environments. The key roles of lattice distortion, nanoscale twin formation, and deformation-induced martensitic transformation in enhancing low-temperature performance are highlighted. Dynamic mechanical behavior, microstructural evolution, and deformation characteristics at various strain rates under cold conditions are also summarized. Research progress on transition metal-based and refractory high-entropy alloys is reviewed for high-temperature environments, emphasizing their thermal stability, oxidation resistance, and frictional properties. The discussion reveals the importance of precipitation strengthening and multi-phase microstructure design in improving high-temperature strength and elasticity. Advanced fabrication methods, including additive manufacturing and high-pressure torsion, are examined to optimize microstructures and improve service performance. Finally, this review suggests that future research should focus on understanding low-temperature toughening mechanisms and enhancing high-temperature creep resistance. Further work on cost-effective alloy design, dynamic mechanical behavior exploration, and innovative fabrication methods will be essential. These efforts will help meet engineering demands in extreme environments.

Unlocking the potential of the Blue Economy in Bangladesh

The Blue Economy offers Bangladesh a transformative pathway for sustainable development by leveraging its extensive 710-kilometer coastline and 118,813 square kilometers of Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the Bay of Bengal. Key sectors such as fisheries, hydrocarbons, maritime trade, renewable energy, and coastal tourism present significant opportunities for economic growth, employment, and environmental conservation. Marine resources, including the culturally and economically vital hilsa fish, and untapped offshore energy reserves, highlight the untapped potential of this sector. Despite these opportunities, challenges such as institutional capacity limitations, environmental degradation, insufficient research and technology, and geopolitical dynamics hinder progress. Addressing these requires a multi-sectoral approach, including establishing a dedicated Blue Economy authority, enhancing marine research, fostering public-private partnerships, and promoting regional cooperation under frameworks like BIMSTEC. Environmental sustainability and capacity building for coastal communities are critical to achieving long-term benefits. Aligning the Blue Economy with global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) further ensures its role in diversifying the economy, ensuring energy security, and uplifting communities. With strategic investments, visionary leadership, and sustainable practices, Bangladesh can harness its maritime potential, positioning itself as a model for sustainable ocean governance and a thriving maritime economy. The Bay of Bengal holds the promise of a brighter future, waiting to be navigated wisely.

The Optimization of River Network Water Pollution Control Based on Hydrological Connectivity Measures

Urbanization, driven by socio-economic development, has significantly impacted river ecosystems, particularly in plain city regions, leading to disruptions in river network structure and function. These changes have exacerbated hydrological fluctuations and ecological degradation. This study focuses on the central urban area of Changzhou using a MIKE11 model to assess the effects of four hydrological connectivity strategies—water diversion scheduling, river connectivity, river dredging, and sluice connectivity—across 13 different scenarios. The results show that water diversion, river dredging, and sluice connectivity scenarios provide the greatest improvements in water environmental capacity, with maximum increases of 54.76%, 41.97%, and 25.62%, respectively. The spatial distribution of improvements reveals significant regional variation, with some areas, particularly in Tianning and Zhonglou districts, experiencing declines in environmental capacity under sluice diversion and river-connectivity scenarios. In addition, the Lao Zaogang River is identified as crucial for improving the overall water quality in the network. Based on a multi-objective evaluation, combining environmental and economic factors, the study recommends optimizing water diversion scheduling at sluices (Weicun, Zaogang, and Xiaohe) with flow rates between 20–40 m3/s, enhancing connectivity at key river hubs, and focusing management efforts on the Lao Zaogang and Xinmeng rivers to strengthen hydrological and water quality linkages within the network.

Assessment of vegetation restoration potential in central Asia.

Vegetation restoration potential (VRP) assessment is an important aspect and foundation of ecological restoration projects. Neglecting the carrying capacity of the natural environment in the formulation and implementation of ecological restoration projects often leads to diminished effectiveness or even environmental damage. Existing models for VRP either overly rely on empirical knowledge, resulting in low efficiency and reproducibility, or fail to consider the nonlinear relationship between the natural environment and vegetation cover, leading to low accuracy in assessment results. Building upon existing models, this study proposes a new Vegetation Restoration Potential Mapping (VRPM) model based on a dual-variable discretization method for habitat similarity division and machine learning. Focused on Central Asia as the research area, the study evaluates the vegetation restoration potential of the region and validates the model. The results demonstrate that this model efficiently produces high-resolution and high-precision vegetation restoration potential maps. The average VRP in Central Asia is relatively low, around 36%, with most areas already having vegetation cover close to or reaching their restoration potential The regions with a higher degree of unrealized vegetation restoration potential (VRPU) are mainly distributed near human settlements, while VRPU is negative in some areas around the desert-oasis boundaries and artificial structures in the desert. The findings of this research demonstrate that the model can provide a basis for planning and implementing ecological restoration projects, thereby aiding in the health and sustainable development of ecosystems in arid regions.

Study on the Stage Method of the Water Environmental Capacity Flood Season in the Ningxia Section of the Yellow River

Study on the Stage Method of the Water Environmental Capacity Flood Season in the Ningxia Section of the Yellow River

Do circular innovations and carrying capacity of natural environment enhance circular economy in the European Union? Evidence from simulation and machine learning methods.

The longevity of the natural environment is fundamental for sustainable production and consumption. The circular economy conserves natural resources, ensures sustainable production and consumption, and protects the natural environment. The role of circular innovations, particularly the carrying capacity of nature, is ignored in literature. This study analyses the impact of circular innovations and the carrying capacity of the natural environment on the circular economy for 27 European Union countries. Panel data from 2010 to 2022 were analyzed using simulation and machine learning methods. Empirical estimates revealed that circular innovations and resource productivity have been instrumental in propelling circular practices, while the carrying capacity of nature and per capita output have a detrimental impact. More specifically, the carrying capacity of the natural environment signifies potential threats to the adoption of circular practices. This study suggests that innovation in recycling technologies and reuse processes is mandatory for enhancing the adoption of circular practices. Furthermore, the European Union must limit the use of naturally occurring endowments and increase the use of recycled resources. Concludingly, this study provides unique insight into the sustainable and circular landscape in the European Union.

Towards sustainability balance in water-food-land nexus global development

The significant differences between quality of life and resource use characterise a sustainability imbalance in current global development. Evidence shows that infrastructure development, environmental capacity, and resource dependence are three driving factors. These three factors should be investigated to reduce the imbalance in future development, so that people in all countries can live a better life supported by adequate resources, without causing significant environmental degradation over the globe. This study conceptualises and quantifies the three driving factors in the water-food-land nexus based on the global social-environmental datasets. The three factors are aggregated into a sustainability imbalance index as a national-scale indicator. Then we investigate statistical correlations among the factors to uncover their interdependencies as driving mechanisms. Results indicate that achieving a sustainability balance at a global scale needs to significantly narrow the infrastructure development gap, with countries’ resource dependence informed by their environmental capacity. We propose ‘responsible’, ‘moderate’, ‘ambitious’, and ‘flexible’ development pathways towards the sustainability balance and discuss their practical implementation constraints. Our results highlight the importance of coordinating the key development drivers, which should be supported by systems-level information. Implementing the pathways needs more enhanced global collaborations towards a brighter future for people and our precious planet.

Assessment of microplastic ecological risk and environmental carrying capacity of agricultural soils based on integrated characterization: A case study.

Microplastic pollution in agricultural soils poses a significant threat to soil quality and environmental sustainability. This study investigated the composition, abundance, distribution, ecological risk, and environmental carrying capacity of microplastic pollution in the Tarim River Basin (TRB), China. The risk quotient combined with soil environmental carrying capacity (SECC) approaches was proposed to evaluate ecological risks and soil sustainability. Microplastic abundances ranged from 0 to 4000 items/kg (average=570 items/kg), with polyethylene (PE) polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and polypropylene (PP) as dominant polymers. In addition, various factors affecting the occurrence of microplastics were analyzed. Agricultural mulching and drip irrigation were associated with higher microplastic levels. The risk assessment showed that among the different shapes, size ranges and categories of microplastics, fragmented (film), large-sized microplastics and PE had the highest risk, respectively. While current levels are within SECC limits, early warning model predicts PE and PP may reach threshold limits in recent years. This study provides crucial insights for managing microplastic pollution in agricultural regions, emphasizing the need for targeted mitigation strategies to maintain soil ecology sustainability.

Dynamic estimation of the soil environmental carrying capacity for Benzo(a)pyrene in an industrial city, China: Insight from both duration and rate of regional emission.

An in-depth investigation of the maximum environmental load is crucial for soil security and pollution prevention. This research focused on soil environmental carrying capacity (SECC) for different risk receptors in a Chinese industrial city. By determining risk threshold for various land use types, we integrated mass balance and iterative models to capture dynamic net input fluxes with spatial heterogeneity. This enabled quantitative characterization of Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) SECC through top-down and bottom-up approaches (corresponding to duration (D) and rate of regional emission, respectively). The thresholds were in the order of agricultural land<residential land<forest<industrial land<park. The top-down analysis showed D increased ∼1.5x with a 5% input flux decline until 2031. The bottom-up analysis suggested industrial emissions decreased by approximately 10% as the pollution control period was extended from 20 to 50 years. Both methods showed that at maximum background values (C0), D was ∼4x and the industrial emission rate was ∼10% higher than at minimum C0. SECC values near industrial areas significantly decreased, even reaching negative values, signifying complete carrying capacity loss. This study provided an approach to the dynamics of SECC under diverse scenarios, aiding informed decision-making for sustainable land management.

Shifting Student Attitudes of Gerontology Nursing: A Quasi-Experimental Evaluation of a Clinical Educator Programme.

Enduring shortages in the gerontology nursing workforce are projected to increase as demand for services for older persons grows. Recruitment of Registered Nurses in gerontology is further hindered by negative perceptions held by students towards nursing older people. To determine whether a professional development activity designed to assist clinical supervisors to build the mentorship capacity of care staff in residential aged care facilities could positively improve their clinical learning environment and improve student attitudes towards working with older adults. A quasi-experimental, non-equivalent pretest-posttest control group design. Clinical settings in which participants were undertaking an older person-focused clinical placement. A purposive sample of 466 first-year undergraduate nursing students. Forty-seven students responded to both the pre- and post-placement surveys. The intervention comprised four professional development sessions delivered to clinical supervisors supervising nursing students during clinical placement across three residential aged care facilities. Pre- and post-placement surveys measured Student Perceptions of Working with Older People (SPWOP). The modified Clinical Learning Environment Inventory (CLEI) was included in the post-placement survey to measure student perceptions of the clinical placement learning environment. Control group participants reported higher pre-placement SPWOP scores yet showed no significant improvement in score post-placement; however, the intervention group reported a statistically significant increase in SPWOP score post-placement. Modified CLEI results revealed the control group reported higher levels of engagement in the learning environment, yet the intervention group reported greater motivation to learn. An intervention designed to build staff mentorship capacity in gerontology care settings can positively influence student perceptions of working in gerontology. Despite these positive gains, results indicated that students who undertook placement at the intervention sites were less engaged. This disparity illuminates the need for continued efforts to build staff mentorship capacity in older person-focused clinical learning environments to improve student experiences and perceptions of gerontology nursing. Further research that engages directly with unregulated healthcare workers in geronotological care settings could provide new insights into what this cohort need to become effective mentors and shift student nurse attitudes towards caring for older adults.

Atmospheric environmental resources and corporate green innovation: Blessing or curse of the weather?

Green technology innovation is an important way to realize corporate green transformation and sustainable economic development. Regional resource endowments can influence local policies and corporate innovation decisions. This paper examines whether and how atmospheric environmental resources, that is, the capacity of the atmospheric environment to accommodate and purify pollutants, have an impact on corporate green innovation. Using the data of China's A-shares listed heavily polluting firms from 2012 to 2022, we find that the atmospheric environmental resources inhibit corporate green technology innovation, indicating a “resource curse” effect. The mechanism test reveals that regional environmental resources affect corporate green technological innovation by influencing local governments' environmental protection concern, economic concern, environmental enforcement and public concern. Further analysis shows that the impact of atmospheric environmental resources on corporate green technology innovation differs before and after the Paris Agreement, and varies across different levels of financial development, industry competition, corporate characteristics, and executive traits. This paper presents a new perspective of regional atmospheric environmental resources and its impact on corporate green technology innovation, revealing the mechanisms behind corporate green innovation from an external perspective, which has implications for governmental departments and corporate environmental governance decision-making.

Modelling indoor radical chemistry during the HOMEChem campaign.

In the indoor environment, occupants are exposed to air pollutants originating from continuous indoor sources and exchange with the outdoor air, with the highest concentration episodes dominated by activities performed indoors such as cooking and cleaning. Here we use the INdoor CHEMical model in Python (INCHEM-Py) constrained by measurements from the House Observations of Microbial and Environmental Chemistry (HOMEChem) campaign, to investigate the impact of a bleach cleaning event and cooking on indoor air chemistry. Measurements of the concentrations of longer-lived organic and inorganic compounds, as well as measured photolysis rates, have been used as input for the model, and the modelled hydroxyl (OH) radicals, hydroperoxyl radicals, and nitrous acid (HONO) concentrations compared to the measured values. The peak modelled OH, , and HONO concentrations during cooking and cleaning activities are about 30%, 10%, and 30% higher than the observations, respectively, within experimental uncertainties. We have determined rates for the rapid loss of HONO formed through cooking activities onto a wet surface during the cleaning events and also for the subsequent slow release of HONO from the cleaned surface back into the gas-phase. Using INCHEM-Py we have also predicted peak concentrations of chlorine (Cl) atoms, (0.75-2.3) × 105 atom per cm3 at the time of cleaning. Model predictions of the Cl atom and OH radical reactivities were also explored, showing high Cl atom reactivity throughout the day, peaking around 5000-9000 s-1. The OH reactivity was found to increase from a background value close to urban outdoor levels of 20-40 s-1, to levels exceeding observations in outdoor polluted areas following cooking and cleaning activities (up to 160 s-1). This underlines the high oxidation capacity of the indoor atmospheric environment through determining the abundance of volatile organic compounds.

Evaluation of resources, environment, and ecological carrying capacity from the perspective of “production-living-ecology” spaces: A case study of western Jilin Province, China

Evaluation of resources, environment, and ecological carrying capacity from the perspective of “production-living-ecology” spaces: A case study of western Jilin Province, China

Revaluation of the genetic diversity–area relationship by integrating nucleotide and haplotype diversity

Abstract Understanding the genetic diversity–area relationship (GAR) is essential for comprehending how species adapt to environmental changes, as genetic diversity is an indicator of a species' adaptive potential. Variation in environmental adaptation capacity exists among species and animal taxa with different distribution areas, highlighting the importance of understanding the GAR. To obtain a more comprehensive understanding of the GAR in terrestrial vertebrates, we assessed both haplotype diversity–area and nucleotide diversity–area relationships using 25,453 cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences from 142 amphibian species, 574 bird species, and 342 mammal species. We found that both measures of genetic diversity increased with species range size across major animal groups. Nevertheless, the GAR did not differ among animal groups, while haplotype diversity performed better than nucleotide diversity in profiling the GAR, as indicated by higher R2 values. The difference in the modelling fit may stem from the distinct biological and mathematical significance of nucleotide diversity and haplotype diversity. These results suggest that the GAR follows similar rules among different animal taxa. Furthermore, haplotype diversity may serve as a more reliable indicator for assessing the potential effects of area size changes on animal populations and provide better guidance for conserving genetic diversity.

Succession and Driving Factors of Macrophytes During the Past 60 Years in Lake Erhai, China

Macrophytes play a crucial role in maintaining the health of lake ecosystems. A thorough understanding of their long-term evolutionary processes and patterns is of great theoretical and practical significance for ecosystem restoration and mitigation of lake eutrophication. The succession process and driving factors of macrophytes in the Lake Erhai aquatic ecosystem were systematically analyzed using the investigation of macrophytes, literature research, and classification. A survey conducted in July 2022 showed that the macrophyte community in Lake Erhai is seriously degraded, with species numbers notably lower than historical levels from a decade ago (2011). The distribution area declined by over 70% compared to its peak in the 1980s. Over the past 60 years, the macrophyte community of Lake Erhai has undergone successive processes, including expansion, peak, decline, and stabilization. The dominant populations gradually transitioned from being indicative of clean water to pollution-tolerant species. The driving factors of the macrophytes succession of Lake Erhai were the development of cascade hydropower projects on the Xi’er River and the increased outflow capacity of Lake Erhai; these have resulted in substantial fluctuations in water levels, the eutrophication of the lake, pollutant discharge exceeding Lake Erhai’s environmental capacity, and substantial climate change in the Lake Erhai basin. Our research provides important theoretical references for ecological restoration and management of early eutrophic lakes in China.

Quantitative Evaluation of the Impact of Sustainable Eco-Tourism Policy on Tourism Environmental Capacity in Dali City

The sustainable eco-tourism policies of Dali City represent a pivotal foundation for fostering the harmonious integration of local ecology and tourism. To appraise the effectiveness of these policies, this study formulates an evaluation framework utilizing the PMC index model. The analysis encompasses 16 sustainable ecotourism policies and their associated environmental indicators in Dali City, subsequently constructing an evaluation system that integrates the PMC index with tourism environmental capacity. Evaluation proceeds via the PMC index and its surface map representation. The results reveal a commendable average PMC index of 6.176 for the 16 policies, indicating a generally high level of performance. This underscores Dali City's substantial commitment to the conjoined development of ecology and tourism, as evidenced by the preliminary establishment of a comprehensive policy system and operational network spanning the entire city. Incorporating the tourism environmental capacity model, the policies pertaining to facilities and ecological environment indicators score 5.440 and 5.638 respectively, falling below the average benchmark for similar-level assessments. These findings suggest that while the overarching design of Dali City's sustainable ecotourism policies is sound, there is scope for enhancement in focusing policy efforts on ecological and facility environment capacity. Future policy formulations should prioritize advancements in policy timeliness, scope, incentives, and constraints, fostering interdepartmental collaboration for coordinated governance. Furthermore, enhancing the comprehensiveness and efficacy of policies will contribute to fostering eco-tourism in Dali City and fostering a mutually beneficial relationship between ecological preservation and economic prosperity.

Geometric Approach to Predator-Prey Model with Carrying Capacity on Prey Population

In this paper, we explore a classical predator-prey model where the birth rate of the prey is significantly lower than the mortality rate of the predators, while also considering a limited prey population. We incorporate an environmental carrying capacity factor for the prey to account for this. Given the different timescales of the predator and prey populations, some system solutions may exhibit a fast-slow structure. We analyze this fastslow behavior using geometric singular perturbation theory (GSPT), which allows us to separate the system into fast and slow subsystems. Our research investigates the existence and stability of equilibrium solutions and the behavior of solutions near the critical manifold. Additionally, we use an entry-exit function to analytically establish the connection between the solutions of the slow subsystem and those of the fast subsystem.

DEVELOPING POST-PANDEMIC LIVABLE AND SUSTAINABLE CITIES: PROVIDING SPACE FOR URBAN ACTIVITIES IN BANDUNG

Providing space for urban activities and preserving the environment are contradictory issues in urban development, including Bandung City, which COVID-19 exacerbates. With limited carrying capacity, the impact of COVID-19, and high levels of urban activity, there are issues regarding the impact of urban activity on the quality of the post-pandemic urban environment. Therefore, it is necessary to research the limitation of Bandung City's carrying capacity to accommodate post-pandemic urban activities. This research aims to formulate a post-pandemic development concept and framework for Bandung City based on the environment's ability to accommodate urban activities. The approach and analytical method used in this research is descriptive-qualitative analysis, which can explore and focus on deepening the literature used as a basis for drafting the concept. In general, this research results in the concept of a livable and sustainable post-pandemic development, including formulating indicators for Bandung that reflect what Bandung City needs to develop after the pandemic. This research is quite important because it can see the characteristics of Bandung City and formulate its development by the conditions of Bandung City so that the government or planner can use these results as evaluation material or suggestions for the Bandung City and West Java Provincial Government in monitoring and evaluating the implementation of strategies, policies, and programs inappropriate development with environmental capacity in the Bandung Basin Urban Area and North Bandung Area.

Absorptive capacity, organizational creativity, organizational agility, organizational resilience and competitive advantage in disruptive environments

Absorptive capacity, organizational creativity, organizational agility, organizational resilience and competitive advantage in disruptive environments