Shanxi Area Research Articles

The Phylogeography of Deciduous Tree Ulmus macrocarpa (Ulmaceae) in Northern China

Disentangling how climate oscillations and geographical events significantly influence plants’ genetic architecture and demographic history is a central topic in phytogeography. The deciduous ancient tree species Ulmus macrocarpa is primarily distributed throughout Northern China and has timber and horticultural value. In the current study, we studied the phylogenic architecture and demographical history of U. macrocarpa using chloroplast DNA with ecological niche modeling. The results indicated that the populations’ genetic differentiation coefficient (NST) value was significantly greater than the haplotype frequency (GST) (p < 0.05), suggesting that U. macrocarpa had a clear phylogeographical structure. Phylogenetic inference showed that the putative chloroplast haplotypes could be divided into three groups, in which the group Ⅰ was considered to be ancestral. Despite significant genetic differentiation among these groups, gene flow was detected. The common ancestor of all haplotypes was inferred to originate in the middle–late Miocene, followed by the haplotype overwhelming diversification that occurred in the Quaternary. Combined with demography pattern and ecological niche modeling, we speculated that the surrounding areas of Shanxi and Inner Mongolia were potential refugia for U. macrocarpa during the glacial period in Northern China. Our results illuminated the demography pattern of U. macrocarpa and provided clues and references for further population genetics investigations of precious tree species distributed in Northern China.

Assessment of Artificial Forest Restoration by Exploring the Microbial Community Structure and Function in a Reclaimed Coal Gob Pile in a Loess Hilly Area of Shanxi, China

In this study, soil obtained from a reclaimed coal gob pile was expected to be rapidly improved with the use of artificial vegetation restoration practices, such as artificial forests, which increase the taxonomic variety in the soil microbial community and its functions. In order to successfully identify the effect of artificial forest restoration project on the soil’s quality, a field study was conducted on soil reclaimed from a coal gob pile in a loess hilly area located in Shanxi to assess the effects of five commonly used artificially restored coniferous forest species (i.e., Platycladus orientalis: PO, Sabina chinensis: SC, Pinus sylvestris: PS, Picea asperata: PA and Pinus tabuliformis: PT) on the soil’s physico-chemical properties, the bacterial community and functional gene attributes. The results showed that significant differences were observed in the bacterial community’s diversity and structure, as well as in functional genes, among the different artificial tree species. PS and PA presented lower pH and bulk density levels and higher soil alkaline protease (PRO), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and urease (URE) activities, in comparison to other tree species. The bacterial community’s diversity and functional genes were noticeably higher in both PS and PA. In addition, soil bulk density and pH can directly affect the soil keystone bacteria and microbial functions and can indirectly affect the soil keystone genus and microbial functions by affecting the soil nutrient elements and enzyme activity. Moreover, soil bacterial keystone bacteria significantly affect these functions. Finally, compared to the other coniferous tree species, PS and PA presented a significantly higher integrated fertility index (IFI) score. Therefore, PS and PA might be more suited to the forest restoration project using reclaimed soil obtained from a coal gob pile located in Shanxi’s mining region. The present research contributes to the understanding of how various tree species affect microbial populations and functions in similar mining zones and/or hilly terrains.

Natural Evolution of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Viruses Isolated from Maternally Immunized Piglets.

The porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) can cause severe piglet diarrhea or death in some herds. Genetic recombination and mutation facilitate the continuous evolution of the virus (PEDV), posing a great challenge for the prevention and control of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED). Disease materials of piglets with PEDV vaccination failure in some areas of Shanxi, Henan and Hebei provinces of China were collected and examined to understand the prevalence and evolutionary characteristics of PEDV in these areas. Forty-seven suspicious disease materials from different litters on different farms were tested by multiplex PCR and screened by hematoxylin-eosin staining and immunohistochemistry. PEDV showed a positivity rate of 42.6%, infecting the small and large intestine and mesenteric lymph node tissues. The isolated strains infected Vero, PK-15 and Marc-145 multihost cells and exhibited low viral titers in all three cell types, as indicated by their growth kinetic curves. Possible putative recombination events in the isolates were identified by RDP4.0 software. Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis showed that compared with the classical vaccine strain, PEDV SX6 contains new insertion and mutations in the S region and belongs to genotype GIIa. Meanwhile, ORF3 has the complete amino acid sequence with aa80 mutated wild strains, compared to vaccine strains CV777, AJ1102, AJ1102-R and LW/L. These results will contribute to the development of new PEDV vaccines based on prevalent wild strains for the prevention and control of PED in China.

Coal Structure Prediction Based on Type-2 Fuzzy Inference System for Multi-Attribute Fusion: A Case Study in South Hengling Block, Qinshui Basin, China

The accurate prediction of coal structure is important to guide the exploration and development of coal reservoirs. Most prediction models are interpreted for a single sensitive coal seam, and the selection of sensitive parameters is correlated with the coal structure, but they ignore the interactions between different attributes. Part of it introduces the concept of the geological strength index (GSI) of coal rocks in order to achieve a multi-element macroscopic description and quantitative characterization of coal structure; however, the determination of coal structure involves some uncertainties among the properties of coal, such as lithology, gas content and tectonic fracture, due to their complex nature. Fuzzy inference systems provide a knowledge discovery process to handle uncertainty. The study shows that a type-2 fuzzy inference system (T2-FIS) with multi-attribute fusion is used to effectively fuse pre-stack and post-stack seismic inversion reservoir parameters and azimuthal seismic attribute parameters in order to produce more accurate prediction results for the Hengling block in the Shanxi area. The fuzzy set rules generated in this paper can provide a more reliable prediction of coal structure in the GSI system. The proposed system has been tested on various datasets and the results show that it is capable of providing reliable and high-quality coal structure predictions.

Uncovering Stakeholders’ Participation to Better Understand Land Use Change Using Multi-Agent Modeling Approach: An Example of the Coal Mining Area of Shanxi, China

Recent decades have witnessed increasing human disruption and the acceleration of fragile natural habitats, especially in coal mining areas in developing countries or regions, which will inevitably lead to sharp land use and cover change (LUCC). Most LUCC models focus more on the research of “land” than “human” in human-land coupled systems, while the simulation and prediction of LUCC involving stakeholders are still deficient. Aiming to reveal the shaping process of LUCC through the stakeholders’ participation, we conducted an in-depth interview in a typical coal mining area of Shanxi, China, and developed an agent-based model by quantifying the stakeholders’ land-use decision-making rules to simulate and predict land use change in different scenarios. The analysis illustrated that the stakeholders’ participation in different periods had shaped the land use pattern in the coal mine area. The area of cultivated land has decreased from 272.34 hm2 to 118.89 hm2, while industrial and mining land increased dramatically by 78.66 hm2 from 2012 to 2019. The attitude and willingness of farmers towards land use varied greatly and were affected by livelihood capital. Part-time farmers whose agricultural income only accounted for 20–80% of the total income were in favor of farmland requisition by coal mining enterprises compared to full-time farmers. We quantified the rules between the attributes of the stakeholders at the micro level and land use changes at the macro level and proposed the multi-agent simulation model, which was effective and verified by a fitting test where the overall accuracy of the Kappa coefficient was 0.83 and could be used to predict future LUCC in research areas by setting the decision parameters in specific scenarios. These outcomes provided a scientific reference for landscape simulation and the prediction of a human-land coupling system while promoting the effectiveness of spatial planning policies.

Garnet: The archive of prograde metamorphic records of granulite-facies terranes

<p indent="0mm">Whether granulite terranes can preserve prograde metamorphic records is a perturbing topic in metamorphic petrology, and related research is rare. This is mainly because the metamorphic records of the granulite terranes have information asymmetry. Generally, the mineral assemblages and compositions of granulite-facies rocks are considered to reflect peak and retrograde metamorphism, rather than prograde metamorphism. However, this assumption must be made with caution. Case studies of granulites from the junction area of Shanxi and Hebei province in the North China Craton suggest that garnet could serve as “temperature and pressure resistant containers” under granulite-facies conditions, and retain the evidence of pre-peak metamorphism. For pelitic granulites, their protoliths are supracrustal rocks, and must have undergone prograde metamorphic processes from the Earth’s surface to the deep crust. Therefore, a confirmatory study seeking prograde metamorphic records for pelitic granulites from the Huai’an-Datong area was conducted. In the studied pelitic granulites, inclusions in garnet display well-preserved microstructural zoning, with radical zonal distribution patterns: Crowded quartz grains in the core, a few K-feldspar-kyanite-bearing assemblages in the mantle, and some sillimanite flakes in the rim. The major element zoning (here, major endmember proportions X_Sps, X_Alm, X_Pyr, and X_Grs are used) of garnet is relatively homogeneous. However, the high rare earth elements (HREEs) exhibit bell-shaped profiles decreasing from the core to the rim. This suggests that even if the major elements of garnet are homogenous due to high-temperature diffusion, microstructural zoning and some trace elements with slow diffusion rates could be protected from peak- and retro-grade high-temperature modification. For garnet mafic granulites, their protoliths are considered as gabbro dykes, and there is no robust evidence of prograde metamorphism from the upper to lower crust; therefore, their tectonic significance is unclear. Here, an exploratory study of prograde metamorphism for garnet mafic granulites from the Huai’an-Hengshan area was conducted based on the study experience of pelitic garnet. In the investigated mafic granulites, garnet also displays a zoned distribution of various mineral assemblages from its center to rim, including quartz- and titanite/ilmenite-bearing assemblages in the core, rutile-bearing assemblages in the outer mantle to the inner rim, and a resorbed rim. Fortunately, garnet of the mafic granulites displays well-preserved compositional growth zoning patterns, with bell-shaped X_Sps, increasing X_Pyr from core to mantle, and a resorbed rim (X_Sps). The HREEs (for example, Yb) show bell-shaped patterns similar to those of the X_Sps. Both textural and compositional zoning patterns in the studied mafic granulites documented multiple generations of garnet growth history from the prograde to peak metamorphic stages. These findings provide robust metamorphic evidence for the Paleoproterozoic subduction and assembly of the Jin-Yu Mobile Belt in the North China Craton. The above two case studies suggest that high-temperature granulite-facies metamorphism may not completely reset the multi-generation growth information retained in the garnet. In contrast, minerals in the matrix only record the history of intensive re-equilibration at the peak or rehydration retrogression metamorphism. Thus, garnet is an important archive of prograde metamorphic information. This study further suggests that caution should be exercised when determining the peak<italic> P-T</italic> conditions of granulites using garnet core compositions.

The toxicity emissions and spatialized health risks of heavy metals in PM2.5 from biomass fuels burning

The widespread and high use of biomass fuels (BF) by farmers contribute to air pollution-associated health impacts. However, the toxicity and spatial health risks of heavy metals in PM2.5 from BF burning, especially for elements (Cr, As, Cd, Hg, and Pb) listed as hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) in China, remain unknown on the national scale. This study tested the emission factors (EFs) of 18 heavy metals in PM2.5 for 23 BF sources throughout China. Then, complete emission results for heavy metals in PM2.5 from BF burning in China were estimated using the measured EFs and a field survey. Finally, the GEOS-Chem and Risk Quotients models were utilized to calculate the spatialized health risks from heavy metals in PM2.5 for the first time, including the gridded hazard index (HI) and carcinogenic risk (CR). Overall, the measured total EFs of 18 heavy metals in PM2.5 for 23 BF sources ranged from 5.13 mg kg−1 to 24.14 mg kg−1, and the sum EFs of hazardous elements (Cr, As, Cd, Hg, and Pb) varied from 0.45 mg kg−1 to 7.26 mg kg−1. The results indicated that the emissions of Fe, Zn, Pb, Cd, and Cu in PM2.5 from BF burning were the highest, with emissions of 1440.4, 801.8, 434.8, 399.5, and 397.4 Mg, respectively, in 2014. The emissions of other hazardous elements (Cr, As and Hg) in PM2.5 from BF burning were 203.7, 68.67, and 6.36 Mg, respectively. Compared with other anthropogenic sources, the emissions of As (66.7 Mg) from domestic coal burning were similar to those from BF burning, while the emissions of Cr (98.7 Mg) and Cd (102.7 Mg) were much lower for coal. Former studies might have underestimated the toxicity of Cr, As, and Cd by ignoring the emissions from BF burning. Spatially, the hazardous elements exhibited higher emission intensities in the Sichuan Basin, Northeast China Plain, and North China Plain, which exceeded 200, 55, 350, 5 and 350 g yr−1 for Cr, As, Cd, Hg, and Pb, respectively. The monthly emissions of hazardous elements were the highest in winter (January, February, and December), accounting for 41% of the total emissions. On the national scale, the gridded health risk of hazardous elements attributable to BF burning exhibited a relatively high level and spatial heterogeneity. The national HI for children (≤2.8 × 10−2) and adults (≤1.5 × 10−2) were all far lower than the acceptable level (HI ≤ 1). However, the CR in rural areas of Shanxi, Hebei, Beijing, and Henan (1 × 10−6 to 2.7 × 10−6) reached 2.7 times higher than the acceptable level (CR ≤ 1 × 10−6). These results highlighted that when aiming to mitigate the heavy metals exposure risk in the general population, BF burning emissions should be carefully considered. The governments should improve the awareness of the toxicity and health risks from BF burning. which may reduce the willingness of farmers to use BF sources and further promote the rural energy transition and utilization systematically.

Distribution characteristics of 46 elements in drinking water in Ankang area in 2020

To understand the distribution characteristics of 46 elements in drinking water in Ankang area of Shanxi Province. A total of 46 elements in drinking water samples collected in Ankang area during dry and wet seasons in 2020 were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry(ICP-MS). According to the "drinking water hygiene standards"(GB 5749-2022) and "food safety national standards". the 46 elements were classified As general chemical indexes(Al, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn), toxicological indexes(Cr, As, Cd, Hg, Pb, Ba, B, Mo, Ni, Sb, Be, Ag, Tl), new reference indexes(U, V), and major elements(K, Ca, N) A, Mg), trace elements(Li, Co, Se, Sr, Sn) and rare earth elements(Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Th) were analyzed and described. The maximum values of Al and Fe in drinking water in Ankang area were 1.21 and 0.98 mg/L, exceeding the limits of 0.2 and 0.3 mg/L. In dry season, the median content of Fe in drinking water of different water sources was higher in groundwater than in surface water. The Al and Fe of surface water were higher than that of groundwater in wet season. The toxicological indexes all met the standard requirements, and there was no significant difference among districts and counties. The median content of Na in drinking water of different water sources was higher in groundwater than in surface water, while Mg, K and Ca were higher in surface water than in groundwater. The maximum value of the newly added reference index U was 0.015 mg/L lower than the limit standard 0.03 mg/L, and the maximum value of V was 0.019 mg/L higher than the limit standard 0.01 mg/L, but the median of both indexes were low. The median content of Li in drinking water of different water sources was that surface water was higher than groundwater, while Se and Sr were higher in groundwater than surface water. The maximum content of Se was 0.016 mg/L in Ziyang County, and Sr content was generally higher. The content of rare earth elements was low, mostly below the detection. The drinking water quality in Ankang area is excellent and rich in strontium. However, the general chemical indexes Al, Fe and the newly added appendix index V in some sampling points exceed the limit standard, so supervision and monitoring should be strengthened.

Characteristics of spatio-temporal distribution of frost/snow disasters in North China during 1644–1911

This paper presents an analysis based on the use of historical data of frost/snow disasters in North China in combination with ArcGIS and other technical applications. Specifically, the frequency and intensity of frost/snow disasters in North China during the study period, 1644–1911 from the perspective of time and space, were analyzed. We applied the moving average, polynomial fitting, and CEEMD methods. The study yielded the following results: Frost/snow disasters occurred 1982 times during this period. Season wise classification revealed that fall recorded the highest frequency. Based on their annual frequency, the study period was divided into four stages. The CEEMD decomposition of annual frequency sequence revealed a cycle of 2.8 years and 5.3 years on the inter-annual time scale, and 119.4 years on the century-scale. Furthermore, an analysis of spatial distribution of the disasters depicted an uneven frequency distribution; however, an absolute degree of spatial consistency was observed between their grade and the frequency distribution. In Hebei and Henan areas, disasters were lower in frequency and were mainly classified under as mild or moderate grades; however, in Shanxi area, disasters were higher in frequency and corresponded mainly to the severe grade.

Talaromyces funiculosus, a Novel Causal Agent of Maize Ear Rot and Its Sensitivity to Fungicides.

Ear rot is one of the most prevalent and destructive diseases of maize. During field surveys, it was found that a Penicillium ear rot broke out in some areas of Shanxi, Shaanxi, Hebei, and Tianjin in China, with an incidence of 3 to 90%. A Penicillium sp. was isolated from diseased kernels covered with greyish green mold, and three isolates were identified by morphologic and molecular characteristics. The pathogenicity of isolate ZBS205 to maize ears was further determined by artificial inoculation in a field. Furthermore, the sensitivity of isolate ZBS205 against six commonly used fungicides was also evaluated. According to macro- and micromorphologic characteristics, isolate ZBS205 was generally identical to Talaromyces funiculosus (teleomorph of Penicillium funiculosum). The partial gene sequences of the nuclear ribosomal ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 (ITS) region, β-tubulin, putative ribosome biogenesis protein (Tsr1), and the second largest subunit of the RNA polymerase II (RPB2) from isolates ZBS205, D49-1, and S73-1 showed the highest nucleotide identity to T. funiculosus strain X33, and the phylogenetic analysis conducted by the neighbor-joining method with the combined data of the four genes demonstrated that these three isolates clustered with T. funiculosus strain X33. These results suggested that the fungus isolated from diseased maize kernels was T. funiculosus. Pathogenicity testing showed that the T. funiculosus isolate ZBS205 was pathogenic to maize ears, which showed symptoms of rotted cob and deteriorated kernels. This is the first report of T. funiculosus as the definitive pathogen causing maize ear rot. The result of fungal sensitivity against fungicides showed that pyraclostrobin exhibited the highest toxicity to mycelial growth and could be used as a candidate agent for the prevention and control of T. funiculosus ear rot. The results of the present study provide a basis for understanding ear rot caused by T. funiculosus, and they should play an important role in disease management.

Performance Analysis of Sulfate Pisha-Sandstone Cement Soil Based on the Grey Entropy Theory

The exploitation of Pisha sandstone is one of the most significant strategies for environmental protection and resource saving in the border areas of Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Inner Mongolia, where Pisha sandstone is widely distributed. The goal of this research was to develop a method by which to transform Pisha sandstone cement soil into a new type of material which could be applied in saline regions, thereby achieving a wider application. The micro-pore and structural characteristics of cement soil samples which had been soaked in 0.5 mol/L of sodium sulfate solution were analyzed using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy methods (SEM). The results showed that the compressive strength of the sandstone cement soil decreased with the increase in the sulfate intrusion days. Under the erosion of sodium sulfate solution, the lower the cement content was, the more quickly the strength decreased. The main mineral composition diffraction peaks of sulfate sandstone, along with the diffraction peaks of sulfate corrosion products, tended to change during salt invasion. The mineral components in the sandstone can provide a material basis for the formation of the sulfate erosion products of cement soil. In addition, the grey entropy theory can be utilized to explore the correlation degree of the porosity, T2 spectrum area, bound fluid saturation, free fluid saturation, and unconfined compressive strength of the specimen. The results obtained in this research investigation provided a theoretic basis for the practical engineering applications of Pisha-sandstone cement soil in saline regions.

Effects of Nitrogen Fertilizer and Straw Returning Methods on N2O Emissions in Wheat-Maize Rotational Soils

In order to explore the impacts of nitrogen fertilizer and straw returning methods on N2O emissions, a two-factor split-zone design was adopted for experimentation under the winter wheat-summer maize rotation model in the Guanzhong area of Shanxi, China. The main areas of interest were conventional nitrogen (G) and reduced nitrogen (70% G); the sub-areas were straw no return (N), straw return (S), and straw return + biochar (SB); we analyzed their impacts on N2O emissions and crop yield, and the relationships with related impact factors. The results showed that the N2O emissions peaks appeared in the wheat season and maize season treatments within 5-16 days after fertilization, and also appeared after rainfall. The N2O flux was significantly and positively correlated with soil temperature and NH4+-N content. Regardless of the wheat season, maize season, or annual total N2O emissions, the 70% GSB treatment was the lowest and the GS treatment was the highest. At the same level of nitrogen application, S treatment increased N2O emissions, SB treatment could reduce N2O emissions, both S and SB treatments could significantly increase crop yields, and SB production increased more; 70%G-level annual N2O emissions, when compared with the G level, had been reduced by 40% to 48%, while the yield has not decreased significantly. Through comprehensive consideration, a reduction of nitrogen by 30% was achieved through the combination of straw + biochar on the basis of conventional nitrogen application, while ensuring high crop yields and the best N2O emissions reduction.

Population Data Spatial Analysis in the Border Area of Shanxi, Hebei and Inner Mongolia in China

Spatialization of population statistics is an effective way to solve the problem of data fusion between statistics and natural factors. In order to solve the problems of data aging and inadequate spatial precision of population data in Inner Mongolia Bureau, this study used NPP/VIIRS night light data, residential population statistics and land use data as data sources, and selected appropriate models to simulate population spatial distribution at county level in the border area of Shanxi, Hebei and Mongolia. Based on land use data, a stepwise regression model is established to generate spatialized population data of each county in the border area, and then the accuracy of the evaluation data is tested with the standard of resident population statistics. Finally, the goal of the transformation of population statistics from administrative divisions to kilometer grids is realized.

Repairing effects of sulfate-reducing bacteria on the dissolved pollutant of coal gangue based on leaching experiments

ABSTRACT Coal is the main energy source in China, which can produce a large amount of coal gangue in the process of mining. In the process of accumulation, coal gangue can release a variety of harmful ions and pollute the mine environment. In this study, four kinds of coal gangue were used as experimental material to determine the maximum amount of pollutants dissolved from different kinds of coal gangue in different areas, and the repairing effects of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) on the dissolved pollutants of gangue were comparatively analyzed. Results show that the maximum dissolution amount of pollutants in the four gangue leaching solutions in order was: spontaneous combustion gangue from Gaode area > gangue from Shanxi area > spontaneous combustion gangue from Haizhou area > gangue from Haizhou area. The pollutants dissolved from four gangues could be inhibited and repaired by SRB with different repairing effects, namely, gangue from Haizhou area > gangue from Gaode area > gangue from Shanxi area.

Coal resource and industrial structure nexus in energy-rich area: The case of the contiguous area of Shanxi and Shaanxi Provinces, and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China

Energy-rich areas often rely on energy resources for economic growth, but ignore structural transformation for sustainable development. Over recent years, the coal market has been depressed, leading to a decrease in economic growth along with a difficult structural transition in the contiguous area of Shanxi and Shaanxi Provinces, and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (SSIM), which is one of the most important national energy bases in China. To examine whether industrial structure has suffered from coal resource curse and find feasible transformation paths, a panel data model is constructed to analyze coal resource and industrial structure nexus in this contiguous area. The results show that there is a significant U-shape or inverted U-shape relationship between coal resource and industrial structure. Excessive exploitation of coal resource impedes the transformation of industrial structure to a more advanced level and could even deteriorate the rational allocation of resources among industries in energy-rich areas. “Dutch disease” and crowding out capital and technology caused by coal exploitation are the primary channels aggravating the dilemma of industrial structure transformation. Our findings highlight the significance of coordinating energy resource exploitation and industrial structure evolution in energy-rich areas.

Economic Structure Transformation and Low-Carbon Development in Energy-Rich Cities: The Case of the Contiguous Area of Shanxi and Shaanxi Provinces, and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China

Energy-rich cities tend to rely on resource-based industries for economic growth, which leads to a great challenge for its low-carbon and sustainable economic development. The contiguous area of Shanxi and Shaanxi Provinces, and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (SSIM) is one of the most important national energy bases in China. Its development pattern, dominated by the coal industry, has led to increasingly prominent structural problems along with difficult low-carbon transition. Taking energy-rich cities in the contiguous area of SSIM as examples, this study analyzes the main drivers of CO2 emissions and explores the role of economic structure transformation in carbon emission reduction during 2002–2012 based on structural decomposition analysis (SDA). The results show that CO2 emissions increase significantly with the coal industry expansion in energy-rich cities. Economic growth and structure are the main drivers of CO2 emission increments. An energy structure dominated by coal and improper product allocation structure can also cause CO2 emission increases. Energy consumption intensity is the main factor curbing CO2 emission growth in energy-rich cities. The decline of agriculture and services contributes to carbon emission reduction, while the expansion of mining and primary energy processing industries has far greater effects on CO2 emission growth. Finally, we propose that energy-rich cities must make more efforts to transform energy-driven economic growth patterns, cultivate new pillar industries by developing high-end manufacturing, improve energy efficiency through more investment in key technologies and the market-oriented reform of energy pricing and develop natural gas and renewable energy to accelerate low-carbon transition.

Detection and Characterization of Active Slope Deformations with Sentinel-1 InSAR Analyses in the Southwest Area of Shanxi, China

A catastrophic landslide happened on 15 March 2019 in Xiangning County of Shanxi Province, causing 20 fatalities. Such an event makes us realize the significance of loess slope instability detection. Therefore, it is essential to identify the potential active landslides, monitor their displacements, and sort out dominant controlling factors. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Interferometry (InSAR) has been recognized as an effective tool for geological hazard mapping with wide coverage and high precision. In this study, the time series InSAR analysis method was applied to map the unstable areas in Xiangning County, as well as surrounding areas from C-band Sentinel-1 datasets acquired from March 2017 to 2019. A total number of 597 unstable sites covering 41.7 km2 were identified, among which approximately 70% are located in the mountainous areas which are prone to landslides. In particular, the freezing and thawing cycles might be the primary triggering factor for the failure of the Xiangning landslide. Furthermore, the nonlinear displacements of the active loess slopes within this region were found to be correlated significantly with precipitation. Therefore, a climate-driven displacement model was employed to explore the quantitative relationship between rainfall and nonlinear displacements.

Characteristics of MERRA-2 black carbon variation in east China during 2000–2016

The spatial-temporal distributions, historical trends and affecting factors of black carbon (BC) concentration both for the surface and atmospheric column in East China (110°E ~ 123°E, 23°N ~ 42°N) during 2000–2016 were investigated through MERRA-2 (Modern-era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, Vision2) reanalysis data. Although a little overestimate at most inland stations and underestimate at most coastal ones, BC concentrations of MERRA-2 generally presented a good correlation (R = 0.83) compared with 598 monthly samples from ground-based observations at 14 stations. From the long-term records, the variation characteristics of BC surface concentration and column density over East China can be summarized as follow: The overall annual mean of BC surface concentration, column density and the concentration ratio of surface BC and PM2.5 (BC/PM2.5) over East China were 3.41 μg m−3, 3.78 mg m−2 and 8.71%, respectively. The highest annual mean (~6.00 μg m−3) and the fastest growth rate (~0.06 μg m−3•a−1) of surface concentration were both shown in the region of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) and Henan area. The seasonal mean BC surface concentrations of this region were between 5.00 and 9.00 μg m−3, with the highest in winter and the lowest in summer. As to column density, the highest annual mean (~6.00 mg m−2) and the fastest growth rate (~0.02 mg m−2•a−1) appeared in BTH and the border area of Hebei, Henan and Shandong. Unlike the surface concentration, the high-density center moved toward south and extended its coverage from summer to winter, but shrunk to north from winter to summer. The region of relatively high (14.00%–16.00%) BC/PM2.5 ratio was over BTH area and central Shanxi area, while the lowest (2.00%–6.00%) regions were in part of Inner Mongolia and south coastal area. The yearly BC concentration increased rapidly since 2000 and reached the peak in 2007. It decreased obviously in the south part of East China during 2008-2016. The BC/PM2.5 ratios experienced a “increase-decrease-increase” variation, with the maximum and minimum in 2005 and 2010, respectively.

A study on a stone lantern from Dongzhang village in medieval China

ABSTRACTThe lamp platform was one of the most interesting architectural designs in medieval Chinese Buddhism. Its history could be dated back to the late Northern dynasties and Shanxi area could be the place where it was invented. In the Tang dynasty, stone lamp platforms became flourishing in North China. As a Buddhist center in the medieval period, Mount Wutai attracted numerous pilgrims and it developed very rich and diverse Buddhist culture. Interestingly, one stone lamp platform from this area survived today. It was first commissioned in the Kaiyuan period in the early eighth century by a group of Buddhist adherents under the leadership of two Buddhist masters and renovated in the Song dynasty, in 997 by local Buddhist patrons. The inscription written by Zhang Chuzhen is mostly extant, which offers us an opportunity of understanding the historical context in which this platform was constructed. This article aims to examine the significance of this lamp platform by looking into its position with a comparison with other lamp platforms discovered in Shanxi area. It will investigate the Buddhist connections between Mount Wutai and Taiyuan, as well as the Ye City by reading a group of lamp platforms in these areas as a monastic network. In the meantime, given that the Shanxi area was a stronghold of Zoroastrians from Central Asia in the medieval period as recent archeological findings demonstrate, this article will attempt to analyze the rituals of lighting lamp platforms in Buddhism and worshipping fire temples in Zoroastrianism from cross-cultural and cross-religious perspectives.

Cancer risk assessment of soils contaminated by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Shanxi, China

To assess the human cancer risk exposed to soil contaminated by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Shanxi province, China, the total 33 samples in the surface soil were collected from 11 cities, and the priority 15 PAHs were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry after the soxhlet extraction and silica-alumina column purification. As a result, the levels of ∑15PAH in soil varied from 66.2 to 2633 ng/g dry weight (dw) with a mean of 732 ng/g dw, and seven carcinogenic PAHs made up 42–69% of the total priority PAHs and had an average value of 367 (in the range of 33.2 to 1181) ng/g dw. Accordingly, the total concentrations of benzo[a]pyrene equivalents (BaPeq) for 15 PAHs ranged from 10.3 to 358 (average 98.3) ng/g dw, and the seven carcinogenic BaPeq accounted for above 90%. Subsequently, the possible sources of PAHs in soil were identified by isomer ratios, demonstrating that the combustion contributed to the main source. Finally, the incremental lifetime cancer risks (ILCR) of soil contaminated by 15 priority PAHs were estimated using the targeted chemical-specific approach. ILCR values were considered to be greater than 1 × 10−6 in 16 of 33 sites and followed a decreasing trend of adulthood > childhood > adolescence. Subsequently, the analysis of variance was performed by average ILCR value among the 11 cities (n = 3, p < 0.01), which indicated that the potential low cancer risk significantly increased for nearby residents in two areas, including Datong and Xinzhou, with the ILCR values of 4.61 ± 1.93 and 3.92 ± 2.54 per million, respectively. Therefore, the consumption of traditional coal should be controlled and partially replaced with the alternative energy sources. And the rigorous monitoring should be termly warranted to avoid the cancer risk for human being in agricultural area of Shanxi, China.