Evaluating carbon reduction policy implementation in the Yangtze River Delta in China: A Smith model approach

ABSTRACT The digital creative industry has fostered emerging tourism formats, such as performance tourism and live-streamed travel; however, academic research remains behind industry advances. This study draws on data from digital creative firms in the Yangtze River Delta and domestic and inbound Chinese tourism statistics from 2013 to 2022. Linear and nonlinear models were employed to examine the influence of industry on tourism and spatial heterogeneity. The digital creative industry has significantly increased tourist numbers and revenue, showing an inverted U-shaped relationship with domestic tourism and a U-shaped relationship with inbound tourism. Moreover, the effects vary significantly across the provincial and municipal levels. Dynamic regression analysis confirms the robustness of the results. Mediation analysis indicates that the digital creative industry facilitates tourism development by improving urban attractiveness. The study concludes with a discussion of its theoretical contributions and practical implications.

Particulate matter-bound metals and chlorinated paraffins co-exposure: A population-based study on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in Chinese youth.

Do inter-governmental activities affect collaborative technological innovation? Evidence from Yangtze River Delta in China

The synergistic impact of green finance and digital economy on innovation agglomeration: Evidence from the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta in China

ABSTRACT This study examines the effect of financial agglomeration on green technology innovation and its spatial spillovers across 27 cities in China's Yangtze River Delta from 2009 to 2023. Financial agglomeration significantly promotes green technology innovation, with heterogeneous effects shaped by local conditions. This positive impact is amplified in cities facing tighter financing constraints and those with stronger human capital infrastructure. In contrast, more stringent environmental regulations weaken the marginal effect of financial agglomeration on innovation. We also found positive spatial spillovers: financial agglomeration in one city promotes green innovation in neighbouring areas. The results highlight the importance of aligning financial development with local institutional and structural conditions. Policymakers should enhance the allocative efficiency of financial clusters, invest in human capital, and improve cross‐city coordination to support green innovation diffusion.

How to reduce urban agglomeration carbon emissions through transportation management? A case study of the Yangtze River Delta in China.

Spatio-Temporal Evolution of Green Technology Innovation Networks and its Proximity Mechanism in the Context of Digital Transformation: The Case of Yangtze River Delta in China

River and tidal dynamics regulate delta water levels, underpinning their ecological and socio-economic stability. Deltaic water level resilience, the capacity to recover from disturbances, is vital amid growing climate and human pressures, necessitating a robust method to quantify and monitor it. Here we define water level resilience as the rate of water level recovery post-hydrodynamic disturbances. We quantify resilience trends using autocorrelation and propose a high-dimensional resilience transmission method based on a vine Copula model to estimate the spatial propagation of resilience loss across subsystems. Applying this framework to the Pearl River Delta in China reveals spatial heterogeneity and inter-subsystem transmission of resilience loss driven by anthropogenic activities. Our approach can be extended to other major deltas, despite differing hydrodynamic and human impacts. The findings underscore the need for tailored management strategies addressing specific drivers and subsystem interactions, offering critical insights into the global delta preservation amid escalating environmental challenges.

Research on the coupling and coordination of urbanization and flood disasters based on an improved coupling coordination model: A case study from the pearl river delta in China

The coastline of the Yellow River Delta in China has experienced significant dynamic changes due to both natural and human activities. Investigating its coastal dynamics and understanding the equilibrium with riverine runoff and sediment discharge is crucial for ecological balance and sustainable development in the region. In this study, a coastline extraction algorithm was developed by integrating water index and dynamic frequency thresholds based on the Google Earth Engine platform. Long-term optical remote sensing datasets from Landsat (1988–2016) and Sentinel-2 (2017–2023) were utilized. The End Point Rate (EPR) and Linear Regression Rate (LRR) methods were employed to quantify coastline changes, and the relationship between coastal evolution and runoff–sediment dynamics was investigated. The results revealed the following: (1) The coastline of the Yellow River Delta exhibits pronounced spatiotemporal variability. From 1988 to 2023, the Diaokou estuary recorded the lowest EPR and LRR values (−206.05 m/a and −248.33 m/a, respectively), whereas the Beicha estuary recorded the highest values (317.54 m/a and 374.14 m/a, respectively). (2) The cumulative land area change displayed a fluctuating pattern, characterized by a general trend of increase–decrease–increase, indicating a gradual progression toward dynamic equilibrium. The Diaokou estuary has been predominantly erosional, while the Qingshuigou estuary experienced deposition prior to 1996, followed by subsequent erosion. In contrast, the land area of the Beicha estuary has continued to increase since 1997. (3) Deltaic progradation has been primarily governed by runoff–sediment dynamics. Coastline advancement has occurred along active river channels as a result of sediment deposition, whereas former river mouths have retreated landward due to insufficient fluvial sediment input. In the Beicha estuary, increased land area has exhibited a strong positive correlation with annual sedimentary influx. The critical sediment discharge required to maintain equilibrium has been estimated at 79 million t/a for the Beicha estuary and 107 million t/a for the entire deltaic region. These findings provide a scientific foundation for sustainable sediment management, coastal restoration, and integrated land–water planning. This study supports sustainable coastal management, informs policymaking, and enhances ecosystem resilience.

How does ICT agglomeration promote green technology innovation? Evidence from Yangtze River Delta in China

Currently, major cities globally are universally and actively implementing strategies for the polycentric development of urban spatial structures. However, the impacts of this strategy on the ecological environment and residents' lives require further assessment. The urban spatial structure is believed to influence the urban heat island effect, but the specific mechanisms of this influence remain unclear. Exploring this topic can provide guidance for the development of ecological and residential environments. This paper primarily takes the rapidly developing Yangtze River Delta region in China as an example. It quantifies the degree of polycentricity and the heat island effect using population distribution data and land surface temperature data and finally analyzes the impact and mechanisms of polycentric development on the urban heat island effect using spatial econometric models. The results indicate that: (1) Between 2006 and 2020, the population distribution in the Yangtze River Delta region urban cluster exhibited a continuous trend toward polycentricity. The dispersion of population exhibited a slight increase but a relatively minor change overall. (2) Urban polycentricity significantly reduces the urban heat island effect. For every 1 % increase in urban polycentricity, the urban heat island in the city decreases by 0.697 %. Additionally, an increase in urban polycentricity alleviates the urban heat island effect in the surrounding areas, with a 1 % rise in urban polycentricity resulting in a 16.569 % reduction in urban heat island levels in the adjacent regions. (3) An increase in the degree of polycentricity will concentrate the urban population, increases the areas of impervious urban surfaces, and ultimately alleviate the urban heat island effect. At the same time, the growth of urban population and economic progress will further contribute to mitigating the urban heat island effect linked to polycentric urban development.

Simulation study of non-traveling pedestrian traffic in high-speed railway station areas: A case study of the Yangtze River Delta

Metagenomic analysis reveals the composition and sources of antibiotic resistance genes in coastal water ecosystems of the Yellow Sea and Yangtze River Delta.

ABSTRACT Cotton is a main cash crop in the Yellow River Delta in China. Although cotton is known for its high salt tolerance, cotton yield is severely affected by excessive salt accumulation in soil. A large amount of the Yellow River water is introduced annually to leach surface salts; however, it has limited effects likely due to poor soil physical quality. In this study, we aimed to investigate the impact of soil salinity on cotton growth and the usability of Amaranthaceae halophytes as alternative crops. Cotton and Amaranthaceae plants, including Suaeda salsa, Kochia scoparia, swiss chard, table beets and spinach, were planted in a large field in the Yellow River Delta that had spatial differentiation of soil electrical conductivity (EC). Our analysis on soil revealed that Na+ was the major cause of high EC; however, soil alkalization was not observed in highly salinized areas. Cotton biomass showed a strong negative correlation with field EC. Although all tested Amaranthaceae plants also decreased biomass in high EC areas, this effect was clearly less pronounced in S. salsa. Levels of major (K+, Ca2+ and Mg2+) or minor (Fe2+, Mn2+, Zn2+ and Cu2+) essential elements were not significantly decreased by the increase of field EC in any plant species, except for K+ in S. salsa, suggesting that ion imbalance may not be the primary factor contributing to growth reduction. All Amaranthaceae halophytes absorbed more Na+ but less Ca2+ than cotton, thus planting Amaranthaceae plants may be a better option to prevent the further progression of sail salinization.

How does Artificial Intelligence Affect Carbon Emission Efficiency? Empirical Evidence from the Pearl River Delta in China

The role of green spaces in ecological civilization construction has been increasingly recognized, particularly due to their multifaceted attributes and significant impact on economic development. Based on data from 2015 to 2020, this study constructs an evaluation index system to analyze the spatiotemporal evolution of green space quality and its coupling coordination with economic development in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), focusing on three core dimensions: green space quantity, supply potential, and accessibility. The results indicate that green space quality in the YRD exhibits a fluctuating growth trend, with notable north–south disparities. While the coupling coordination degree between green space quality and economic development has gradually improved, it remains in a state of mild imbalance or primary coupling. Grey relational analysis reveals that green space quantity has the greatest impact on economic development, though its expansion potential is limited, whereas the influence of supply potential and accessibility has significantly increased, fostering a growing equilibrium within the green space system. Based on these findings, this study recommends stabilizing green space quantity while prioritizing the enhancement of supply potential and accessibility, strengthening cross-regional ecological cooperation, maximizing the economic benefits of green spaces, and promoting high-quality green development in the region.

Soil microbial communities are integral to almost all terrestrial biogeochemical cycles, which are essential to coastal wetland functioning. However, how soil bacterial community assembly, composition, and structure respond to native and non-native plant invasions in coastal wetlands remains unclear. In this study of the coastal wetlands of the Yellow River Delta in China, the assembly, community composition, and diversity of soil bacterial communities associated with four wetland plant species (Phragmites australis, Spartina alterniflora, Suaeda salsa, and Tamarix chinensis) and four soil depths (0-10 cm, 10-20 cm, 20-30 cm, and 30-40 cm) were characterized using high-throughput sequencing. Plant species identity, as well as environmental factors, rather than soil depth, was found to play predominant roles in shaping the diversity and structure of wetland soil bacterial communities. S. alterniflora invasion altered bacterial community structure and increased bacterial diversity. Phragmites australis-associated bacterial communities were enriched with sulfate-reducing bacteria such as Desulfurivibrio and Desulfuromonas. In comparison, S. alterniflora-associated bacterial communities were enriched with both sulfate-reducing bacteria (SEEP-SRB1) and sulfate-oxidizing bacteria (Sulfurimonas), which maintained a dynamic balance in the local sulfur-cycle, and thereby enhanced S. alterniflora growth. In addition, stochastic processes dominated the assembly of soil bacterial communities associated with all four plant species, but were most important for the S. alterniflora community. The S. alterniflora-associated bacterial community also showed stronger interactions and more extensive connections among bacterial taxa; a co-occurrence network for this community had the greatest average clustering coefficient, average degree, modularity, and number of links and nodes, but the lowest average path length. Altogether, individual plant species had distinct effects on soil bacterial community assembly and structure, with the invasive species having the strongest impact. These results provide insights into microbial ecology and inform management strategies for coastal wetland restoration.

This study explores the impacts of PEC on green technology innovation (GTI), which includes both independent green technology innovation (IGTI) and cooperative green technology innovation (CGTI). It also analyzes the threshold effects of green finance (GF) and information and communication technology (ICT) to unlock the growth potential of GTI. To achieve this, we employ a two-way fixed-effects model and a threshold-effects model, utilizing city panel data from the Yangtze River Delta region of China, covering the years 2011–2020. The results indicate that PEC has a positive effect on GTI, IGTI, and CGTI. However, its impact on CGTI is relatively weaker. These findings remain valid after several robustness tests. Heterogeneity analysis shows that PEC promotes IGTI in research organizations, yet it fails to do so in firms. PEC enhances CGTI within cities, but not between them. Additionally, PEC positively affects GTI only when GF and ICT surpass certain thresholds. The threshold effect of GF is limited to IGTI, whereas ICT’s threshold effect is more stringent in CGTI. Based on these conclusions, we provide insights on leveraging public concerns to promote the growth of green innovation and how governments can create a favorable external environment for this.