Water Area Research Articles

Use of the SNOWED Dataset for Sentinel-2 Remote Sensing of Water Bodies: The Case of the Po River.

The paper demonstrates the effectiveness of the SNOWED dataset, specifically designed for identifying water bodies in Sentinel-2 images, in developing a remote sensing system based on deep neural networks. For this purpose, a system is implemented for monitoring the Po River, Italy's most important watercourse. By leveraging the SNOWED dataset, a simple U-Net neural model is trained to segment satellite images and distinguish, in general, water and land regions. After verifying its performance in segmenting the SNOWED validation set, the trained neural network is employed to measure the area of water regions along the Po River, a task that involves segmenting a large number of images that are quite different from those in SNOWED. It is clearly shown that SNOWED-based water area measurements describe the river status, in terms of flood or drought periods, with a surprisingly good accordance with water level measurements provided by 23 in situ gauge stations (official measurements managed by the Interregional Agency for the Po). Consequently, the sensing system is used to take measurements at 100 "virtual" gauge stations along the Po River, over the 10-year period (2015-2024) covered by the Sentinel-2 satellites of the Copernicus Programme. In this way, an overall space-time monitoring of the Po River is obtained, with a spatial resolution unattainable, in a cost-effective way, by local physical sensors. Altogether, the obtained results demonstrate not only the usefulness of the SNOWED dataset for deep learning-based satellite sensing, but also the ability of such sensing systems to effectively complement traditional in situ sensing stations, providing precious tools for environmental monitoring, especially of locations difficult to reach, and permitting the reconstruction of historical data related to floods and draughts. Although physical monitoring stations are designed for rapid monitoring and prevention of flood or other disasters, the developed tool for remote sensing of water bodies could help decision makers to define long-term policies to reduce specific risks in areas not covered by physical monitoring or to define medium- to long-term strategies such as dam construction or infrastructure design.

Impact of seasonal variations in fronts on suspended sediments transport off the coastal area of Fujian Province

The Zhejiang-Fujian (Zhe-Min) coastal muddy area plays a crucial role in facilitating sediment exchange through a cross-front. The mud depocenter off the Zhe-Min coastal area is a source of suspended sediment that can be transported to the continental shelf of the East China Sea (ECS). Although the front of the inner shelf of the ECS has been extensively reported, the cross-front material transport off the coastal area of Zhe-Min in summer has not been well studied, especially using measured data. To reveal how the front controls the transport of suspended sediment, this study focuses on the impact of fronts on the dispersion of suspended sediment off the coastal area of Fujian Province in different seasons. The results indicate that the front acts as a barrier, inhibiting the dispersion of suspended sediment into the sea. The high-concentration suspended sediment is mainly found to the northwest of the front, with an average SSC of 8.5 mg/L in winter and 3.1 mg/L in summer. The suspended sediment concentration (SSC) follows a V-shaped distribution along the cross-isobath transects, with lower SSC observed at the 50-m isobath compared with the shallow water area and the deep water area. The SSC at the front was the lowest, with an average concentration of 2.3 mg/L in winter and 1.9 mg/L in summer. The front is crucial for the development of the Zhe-Min coastal muddy area. The winter monsoon is strong, resulting in a sufficient supply of suspended sediments in the muddy area and a high transport flux of suspended sediments in the nearshore. The front hinders the dispersion of high-concentrated sediment from the nearshore to the offshore, resulting in the deposition of fine-grained sediments in the nearshore and the formation of an inner shelf muddy sedimentary zone. The findings of this study will help improve our understanding of the sediment source-to-sink processes in the ECS and land–sea interactions.

Land cover is the main driver of the distribution patterns of larval Odonata assemblages in freshwater wetlands of the Brazilian Pampa

AbstractAquatic insects are key to wetland ecological functioning, and the distribution of amphibious insects such as Odonata jointly depends on environmental conditions in the aquatic and terrestrial settings. Therefore, untangling the relative effects of within‐wetland and landscape composition can help predict the responses of Odonata to environmental alterations in wetlands. Using data from 19 wetlands spanning over the southern Brazilian Pampa (center‐western Rio Grande do Sul state), we assessed the relative importance of water chemistry and land‐cover variables to the richness and composition of larval Odonata assemblages (and suborders Anisoptera and Zygoptera). Anisoptera richness decreased with pH and bare soil area. Water pH and areas of bare soil, mosaic of agricultural land use, and waterbodies land cover were the main drivers of Odonata and Zygoptera composition. Our results indicate that land cover is the main driver of the assemblage structure of larval Odonata, although a complex interplay of mechanisms associated with land conversion and water quality drive the distribution of larval Odonata in freshwater wetlands of the Brazilian Pampa. The major implication of our findings is that land cover modification is the major threat to Odonata distribution in Pampean wetlands, with potential impacts on the trophic structure and functioning of these ecosystems.

Hybrid Models in Natural Engineering Structure of the City

The article discusses the first hybrid urban planning model including different functional zones on the right bank of the Moskva River. Hybridization of indicators includes renovation of the Crimean embankment and Gorky Park into a single pedestrian zone. Integration of public, business and recreational spaces with park areas are integrated in a single route along the embankment between Gorky Park, Neskuchny Sad landscape park with the Vorobyovy Gory nature reserve. The other part of the hybrid model is formed from the Crimean embankment with Muzeon Park to the public and business space of the Red October, and in 2021, to the famous GES-2 after reconstruction. The total length of the route is currently about 10 km for walking and cycling with excellent views of water and natural areas. The article examines the properties of the first hybrid model, their impact on the sociocultural scenario of space as well as economic, aesthetic and environmental development of the central part of Moscow. However, not all properties of the new model are actively manifested and some have negative indicators, that reduces the integrated development of both the model and the objects in its structure. At the same time, at the present stage of urban development, special attention is paid to the management of urbanization and climate through technological solutions with the replacement of a sustainable natural component in the city. Design solutions of such sustainable projects can be successfully used in different climatic zones. In this context, the author raises the issue of preserving natural areas in the city and analyzes international experience in "hybridity" of properties in models. The proposed approach to climate changes and the sustainability of newly created hybrid models emphasizes objects in which green and blue technologies (for replenishing nature and using rainwater) develop and support both the object formation in the structure of hybrid models and stabilize the new natural engineering structure of the city

Mechanically and accurately calculate river width in vegetation areas by coupling Sentinel-1 and -2 imageries within land-water-mixed pixels

Accurately measuring river width has been one of greatest challenges due to the presence of mixed land–water pixels intersecting river boundaries. Therefore, this study proposed a novel mechanical method (RW-vebasud), instead of traditionally empirical models, to estimate river width within a pixel in vegetation areas based on time series analysis of Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 spaceborne multispectral images. We initially explored the mechanism of variation in backscatter intensity (σ) with enhanced vegetation index (EVI) whereby we successfully removed noises in σ–EVI relationship resulted from vegetation growth. Then, for the first time a smooth functional relationship between water area proportion and backscatter intensity within a ROI (or region of interest) was constructed. Consequently, subpixel water–land separation based on the mechanism process was realized. The novel method could not only work at large-scaled rivers (satellite-visible) but perform well at small-scaled rivers within a water-land mixed pixel (satellite-invisible). A total of 197 measurements for river widths in China during 2016 ∼ 2021 were used for model verification, demonstrating a positive correlation between EVI and σ, with R2 ranging from 0.16 to 0.69 (P<0.05). The RW-vebasud exhibited superior accuracy in calculating river width compared to the widely used MNDWI (modified normalized difference water index). The Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) decreased by 4.32 ∼ 6.65 m when the river width was less than 90 m and by 66.12 % when it exceeded 90 m, compared to MNDWI. Remarkably, RW-vebasud maintains satisfactorily high accuracy (the Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient: NSE=0.70 and RMSE=3.19) even at the spatial scale less than 3 times the image resolution, breaking the internationally accepted limit that river width extraction can only be accurate when the river width is greater than 3 times the satellite resolution. Moreover, the accuracy of this method is better than that with the currently well-known global river width datasets GRWL and MERIT Hydro. For the RW-Vebasud/GRWL/MERIT Hydro datasets, the NSE=0.99 /0.93/0.87, the RMSE=5.99/42.33/54.27, and the R2 = 0.99/0.91/0.74, respectively. The application of RW-vebasud in China shows that river widths in wet and dry seasons exhibited an increasing trend over the previous six years (2016–2021), as global warming accelerated glacier melting and increased rainfall quantity, with an average growth rate of 2.26 m/year (wet, P<0.05) and 2.17 m/year (dry, P<0.05), respectively. In response to the summer/winter Asian monsoons, most rivers widen in summer. The largest river width occurs in the Yellow River Basin (YLRB, 155.28 m on average), while the smallest occurs in the Hai River Basin (HARB, 22.99 m on average). The method proposed in this study can provide efficient techniques for surface river-width reconstruction which can greatly facilitate global resource and environmental modelling.

Determination of Demand for LNG in Poland

This study was aimed at improving the energy efficiency of the distribution of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as shipping fuel in the southern Baltic Sea. The objective of this study was to determine the demand for LNG for maritime shipping by analyzing the distribution of the resource from the water side (ship-to-ship). LNG was chosen due to the location of the LNG terminal in Świnoujście within the analyzed water area, where a problem has arisen in the southern part of the Baltic Sea regarding fuel supply for vessels due to the lack of developed infrastructure along the coast. An analysis was conducted to optimize the size of the LNG fleet and infrastructure facilities. Seeking compliance with Annex VI to the MARPOL 73/78 Convention, adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), shipowners see potential in the switch from conventional fuels to LNG. As one of the alternative solutions, it will contribute to reducing harmful emissions. Determination of the LNG distribution volume requires the identification of LNG storage facility locations, specifying the number of LNG-powered ships (broken down by type) and the number of LNG bunkering ships. The first part of this study contains a detailed analysis of the number of sea-going ships that provide services in the southern part of the Baltic Sea and the world’s number of LNG bunkering ships. The database contains a set of the characteristics required to determine the optimal demand for LNG, where LNG bunkering vessels are capable of supplying fuel within the shortest possible time and covering the shortest possible distance to LNG-powered ships. The characteristics include the type of ship, requested LNG volume, the speed of LNG bunkering ships, the distance between LNG facilities, and the loading rate (the volume of fuel received per time unit). Based on the collected data, the volume of LNG distribution was determined using MATLAB R2019a software. The remainder of this study contains a description of the conducted research and results of an analysis of the traffic density in the Baltic Sea. The results were obtained on the basis of data from the Statistical Yearbook of Maritime Economy and IALA IWRAP Mk2 2020 software. The number of LNG-powered ships and number of LNG bunkering ships were specified, and the demand for LNG for the area under analysis was determined.

Ecological impacts and supply demand evolution of the Yangtze to Huaihe water transfer project in Anhui section

Human activities have profound impacts on land use and the supply–demand balance of ecosystem services (ESs). Various activities, such as urban construction, urban and rural planning, and inter-basin water transfer projects, continuously reshape land use patterns. This is a case study of the Anhui section of the Yangtze-Huaihe Water Diversion Project. Data from 2000, 2010, and 2020 is analyzed. Additionally, the patch-generating land use simulation (PLUS) model is utilized to quantify the specific impacts of the water diversion project construction on the supply and demand of ESs. The results indicate that the comprehensive dynamic attitude of land use during the project construction period significantly increased, rising from 0.16 to 13.79%, and mainly affected forest, water areas, construction land, and unused land. Specifically, the construction of the project led to significant changes in water purification, biodiversity, and, especially, hydrological regulation services. Additionally, the migration of residents significantly impacted the demand for ESs. The study also found a significant correlation between land use changes and the balance of ES supply and demand: the proportion of cultivated land and construction land is positively correlated with the balance, while the proportion of forest, grassland, and water areas is negatively correlated. This study provides empirical data for understanding the environmental and socio-economic impacts of large-scale water diversion projects and offers a scientific basis for local mitigation and control of adverse impacts. Through quantitative analysis and model prediction, this research effectively bridges the gap between theory and practice, providing important references for sustainable regional development.

Soil Characteristics and Response Mechanism of the Microbial Community in a Coal–Grain Compound Area with High Groundwater Levels

Coal mining has led to escalating ecological and environmental issues in significant coal and grain production areas, posing a severe danger to food security. This study examines the disturbance patterns of soil factors and microbial communities in coal and grain production areas, and attempts to understand the impact of subsidence and water accumulation stress on soil characteristics and microbial communities in coal mining subsidence areas with high subsidence levels. Five specific regions of Zhao Gu Yi Mine, situated in Henan Province and under the ownership of Jiaozuo Coal Group, were chosen. Aside from the control group (CK), the study blocks situated in the coal mining subsidence zones consisted of perennial subsidence ponding (PSP), seasonal subsidence ponding (SSP), the neutral zone (NZ), and the horizontal deformation zone (HDZ). The soil nutrient indices and the stoichiometric properties of soil C, N, and P were assessed on the surface of each block. The organization of the soil microbial community was identified using high-throughput sequencing. The findings indicate that: 1. Substantial disparities exist in soil properties and microbial community structure between the subsidence and non-subsidence zones. The levels of soil organic mater (SOM), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), available nitrogen (AN), and available phosphorus (AP) all decrease to different extents in the subsidence area. Additionally, the coal mining subsidence waterlogged area exhibits higher levels compared to the coal mining subsidence non-waterlogged area. Conversely, the soil water content (SWC), C/N ratio, C/P ratio, and N/P ratio all increase to varying degrees. 2. Regarding the composition of the community, the presence of Proteobacteria is considerably greater in the non-water-logged area of coal mining subsidence (NZ, HDZ) compared to the water-logged area and control group (p &lt; 0.05). The prevalence of Firmicutes in the subsidence water area was substantially greater compared to both the subsidence non-waterlogged area and the control group (p &lt; 0.05). The prevalence of Gemmatimonadota is markedly greater in the waterlogged area of mining subsidence compared to the non-waterlogged area and CK (p &lt; 0.05). The Ascomycota population reached its highest value in the neutral zone (NZ), which was significantly greater than the values observed in the seasonal subsidence ponding (SSP) and perennial subsidence ponding (PSP) regions (p &lt; 0.05). On the other hand, the Rozellomycota population had its highest value in the SSP region, which was significantly greater than the values observed in the other regions (p &lt; 0.05). 3. The abundance and variety of soil bacteria and fungi, as well as their important populations, are associated with different levels of soil characteristics. The primary elements that influence the alteration of microbial communities are soil nutrients and soil water content. The presence of coal mine subsidence and water accumulation has a notable impact on the properties of the soil in the surrounding area. This study offers a scientific foundation for reclaiming land affected by subsidence caused by coal mining in regions where coal and grain production are the dominant industries.

Heterogeneous palaeo‐ecogeography of brachiopods during the Late Ordovician mass extinction in South China

AbstractFollowing the first phase of the Late Ordovician mass extinction (LOME), the globally distributed Hirnantia brachiopod fauna exhibited homogeneity both latitudinally and longitudinally. The uniform global palaeobiogeography of the Hirnantia fauna, based solely on occurrence data, might obscure its heterogeneous nature during the glaciation. In this study, leveraging diversity and abundance data from well‐sampled collections in South China, along with non‐metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) using the Raup–Crick measure, network analysis (NA), and abundance models, we unveil the palaeo‐ecogeography of the Hirnantia fauna for the first time. The distribution of the Hirnantia fauna in South China is categorized into three areas: the deep water area, the shallower water area, and the very shallow water area, based on NMDS and NA. Drastically different benthic assemblages among these areas reveal diverse environmental settings, with an approximate westward shallower trend and a deeper trend extending both northward and southeastward. Analysis of species‐abundance models for eight well‐sampled collections demonstrates different best‐fitted models, suggesting that competitive ecology operated in varied contexts despite common BA3 environmental settings and close geographical proximity. While a substantial global sea level fall and climate cooling around the Katian–Hirnantian boundary played important roles in the LOME, the palaeo‐ecogeography of the Hirnantia fauna in South China was predominantly influenced by the expansion of the Cathaysian oldland and the Qianzhong uplift. The interval between the two LOME phases, marked by kinetic conditions, witnessed the heterogeneous development of the Hirnantia fauna.

Plastic litter is a part of the carbon cycle in an urban river: Microplastic and macroplastic accumulate with organic matter in floating debris rafts.

Watershed models of plastic export from rivers to oceans have large uncertainties, and improvements require direct measurements of riverine macroplastic (>5mm) and microplastic (<5mm). Also, plastic represents allochthonous carbon inputs to rivers but is rarely measured as carbon mass. We quantified plastic and organic matter within floating debris rafts and open water in an urban river. Macroplastics only occurred in debris rafts. Microplastics had higher concentrations in debris rafts relative to open water. Across sites, organic matter was positively correlated with microplastics and macroplastics. Last, carbon in plastic was 40% of the carbon mass in coarse particulate organic matter in debris rafts. Floating plastic litter accumulates with particulate organic matter in debris rafts. Plastic is an overlooked and ecological meaningful component of carbon standing stocks in urban rivers. Results will inform improved carbon budget calculation in rivers and watershed models of plastic export. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Plastic particles floating on the surface of an urban river accumulate in debris rafts compared to open water in terms of count and mass. Abundance and composition of plastic particles in debris rafts were distinct from those in open water areas. Plastic litter as units of carbon mass was in the same order of magnitude as carbon mass in course particulate organic matter. Plastic litter moves in similar ways to naturally occurring organic particles and should be measured as a part of the riverine carbon cycle.

A study on landscape feature and emotional perception evaluation of waterfront greenway

Waterfront greenway is important spatial carriers for urban residents to engage in walking tours and fitness activities. Improving the quality of its walking spaces can have a positive impact on the mental well-being of pedestrians. This enhancement is a crucial aspect of building healthy cities. This study focused on urban waterfront greenway landscapes. Field surveys combined with questionnaire scales were used to assess pedestrians’ emotional perceptions, while concurrently collecting image data of waterfront greenway walking spaces. Semantic segmentation was employed to identify elements, and landscape metrics were calculated using relevant formulas. Correlation analysis was used to investigate the relationship between landscape metric features and emotional perceptions. And established a multiple regression model of pedestrian spatial perception on waterfront greenways to investigate the influence mechanisms of emotional perception and landscape metrics. The study indicates that greenness, proportion of water area, and vegetation diversity positively impact emotional perception of waterfront leisure greenway walking spaces, whereas path width negatively affects emotional perception. Specifically, the magnitude of influence is ranked as follows: greenness (0.491), proportion of water area (0.356), proportion of trails (−0.272), and vegetation diversity (0.130). The design guidelines for urban waterfront greenway spaces were proposed, guided by quantitative studies on landscape elements of waterfront greenway spaces and based on the measurement features of these elements. Moreover, the environmental experience of the waterfront green walking spaces was further enhanced, satisfying the public’s visual perception and psychological needs. The contribution of this study is to lay the foundation for the development of spatial control items for urban waterfront greenway.

Research on the application of single effect evaporation regenerative solar seawater desalination device

Abstract In remote islands and brackish water areas, seawater desalination devices are needed, but existing product technologies are relatively complex and inflexible to use. In this paper, a single-effect evaporation regenerative solar seawater desalination device is introduced. In this device, a solar collector composed of a straight-through-all glass vacuum tube is used for heat collection, while single-effect evaporation is used for seawater desalination. Moreover, the latent heat generated during condensation is used to increase the temperature of seawater, which increases the operation efficiency. This device has a simple structure, low cost, and is suitable for water desalination in remote islands and brackish water areas.

Chlorophyll Production in the Amundsen Sea Boosts Heat Flux to Atmosphere and Weakens Heat Flux to Ice Shelves

AbstractThe Amundsen Sea in West Antarctica features rapidly thinning ice shelves, large polynyas, and sizable spring phytoplankton blooms. Although considerable effort has gone into characterizing heat fluxes between the Amundsen Sea, its associated ice shelves, and the overlying atmosphere, the effect of the phytoplankton blooms on the distribution of heat remains poorly understood. In this modeling study, we implement a feedback from biogeochemistry onto physics into MITgcm‐BLING and use it to show that high levels of chlorophyll—concentrated in the Amundsen Sea Polynya and the Pine Island Polynya—have the potential to increase springtime surface warming in polynyas by steepening the attenuation profile of solar radiation with depth. The chlorophyll‐associated warm anomaly (on average between +0.2C and +0.3C) at the surface is quickly dissipated to the atmosphere, by increases in longwave, latent and sensible heat loss from open water areas. Outside of the coastal polynyas, the summertime warm anomaly leads to an average sea ice thinning of 1.7 cm across the region, and stimulates up to 20% additional seasonal melting near the fronts of ice shelves. The accompanying cold anomaly, caused by shading of deeper waters, persists year‐round and affects a decrease in the volume of Circumpolar Deep Water on the continental shelf. This cooling ultimately leads to an average sea ice thickening of 3.5 cm and, together with associated changes to circulation, reduces basal melting of Amundsen Sea ice shelves by approximately 7% relative to the model scenario with no phytoplankton bloom.

Iterative processing of the noise coherence matrix to determine the acoustic properties of the water area

Abstract An expression is given for the coherence matrix of the acoustic field produced by random sources in an inhomogeneous medium in the Born approximation. An iterative algorithm is proposed to determine the wave number inside the inhomogeneity based on this expression. The reconstruction results are analyzed for the cases of precise input data, data with interference, and incomplete data.

Stakeholder perceptions of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources Marine Protected Area planning process

Establishing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in international waters is critical for the conservation of marine biodiversity. The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) is a global leader in high seas conservation, having established two international MPAs in Antarctica’s Southern Ocean, as part of a commitment to establish a representative system of MPAs for the CAMLR Convention Area. CCAMLR MPAs are adopted by consensus. However, consensus decision-making has slowed the MPA adoption process, and since 2016 the Commission has been unable to agree and implement further MPAs, which has stalled the development of the circumpolar representative system. The key aim of this study was to identify how features of the planning process contribute to outcomes, problems and solutions. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 18 scientists, policymakers, and expert observers from fisheries and environmental non-government organisations involved in CCAMLR MPA planning, to explore their perceptions (experiences, opinions, impressions) of the planning process. Our results identify four key features that are influential across multiple areas of the CCAMLR MPA planning and decision-making process: i) a lack of common understanding; ii) the influence of historical relationships and legacy in subsequent planning processes; iii) inconsistencies between expectations of and requirements for MPA planning; and iv) the degree to which CCAMLR principles and practices, norms, and values are shared. We demonstrate how these four features may help or hinder the effectiveness of the current planning process. We then make suggestions regarding how the planning process could be adapted to capitalise on these features.

Investigating the nexus of urban expansion, wetlands, and livelihoods from 1991 to 2021: evidence from Hawassa, Ethiopia

ABSTRACT Urban expansion in Ethiopia, particularly informal construction, has led to complex and dynamic changes in livelihoods and wetlands. This study examined the effects of urban expansion on the Cheleleka Wetland and the livelihood of the peripheral community in Hawassa. A mixed research design was used to quantitatively analyze Landsat imagery (1991, 2001, 2011, 2021) and socioeconomic data. Key informant interviews and focus group discussion data were narrated qualitatively. The built-up area substantially increased from 718.11 ha in 1991 to 4820.71 ha in 2021. However, agricultural and wetland areas decreased from 8807.58 ha and 8177.04 ha in 1991 to 6382.44 ha and 7030.26 ha in 2021, respectively. Water and forest areas fluctuated. Built-up areas had a significant advantage over other land use and cover classes, with agricultural, wetland, and forest areas being converted into built-up areas throughout the study period. As a result, the area of Lake Hawassa expanded. Currently, the Cheleleka Wetland has been negatively impaired by overgrazing, cutting of grass, animal dung dumps, eucalyptus plantations, agricultural expansion, and urban expansion. Urban expansion has exacerbated social and economic divisions, resulting in the concentration of poor-quality neighborhoods in the peripheral community. To protect the wetlands, alternative livelihoods and participatory land-use planning are crucial.

Current condition, geological structure and prospects of oil and gas resources in the Aral sea

The article presents the results of the analysis of the current state of study of the Aral Sea region by geological exploration works, and in more detail – of the Aral Sea aquatory. An attempt has been made to correlate new geological data based on the works of Uzbek geologists and materials of seismic surveys of the Kazakh part of the Aral Sea, since the West Aral oil and gas condensate field has been discovered in the Uzbek part of the Aral Sea water area, the productivity of which is associated with the Middle-Upper Jurassic deposits. Taking into account the history of geological development of the territory and formation of oil and gas bearing zones, it is necessary to carry out geological exploration works in the perspective of the unified model of the Aral Sea basin. On the basis of the discussed model of geological structure the prospects of oil and gas potential of separate structural-tectonic zones were predicted, and a series of recommendations were issued.

Investigating the Spatio-Temporal Evolution of Land Cover and Ecosystem Service Value in the Kuye River Basin

Land cover change influences the provision of regional ecosystem services, posing a threat to regional ecological security and sustainable development. The Kuye River Basin, a vital tributary of the Yellow River Basin, has experienced significant land cover changes due to intense human activity. Building on analysing the spatiotemporal evolution of land use cover and ecosystem service values from 1990 to 2022, this study predicted the land cover structure and ecosystem service value with two future scenarios, the NDC and the EPC, to provide insights into guiding sustainable policy interventions. We found the predominant land cover types were greensward and forest land, accounting for 67.22% of the total area. Forest land, greensward, and farmland have increased, while desert, water area, and other land types have decreased from 1990 to 2022. Forest land, greensward, farmland, and water areas are the main contributors to ecosystem service value in the Kuye River Basin. However, water area services have significantly decreased from 1990 to 2022. Under the NDC scenario, land development primarily relies on greensward and farmland, reducing forest and water areas and weakening the ecosystem’s regulatory and supporting functions. In contrast, the EPC scenario enhances ecosystem services by protecting critical ecological regions. Ecological protection measures significantly increase the ecosystem service values of the Kuye River Basin, and well-planned land use can effectively balance economic development with ecological preservation. This study provides scientific evidence to inform policies integrating ecological protection and economic growth, contributing to the sustainable development of the Kuye River Basin.

Determination of Priority Sectors in Economic Development in Maluku Province

This research aims to determine priority sectors in formulating economic development policies in Maluku Province. The methods used in this research are Location Quotient (LQ), Shift Share (SS), and Klassen Typology. The research results show that based on the three methods above, the priority sectors in economic development in Maluku Province are sectors that have superiority, and competitiveness and are among advanced and rapidly developing sectors (prime sectors). These sectors are the Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries sectors, the Wholesale and Retail Trade sector, Car and Motorcycle Repairs, the Government Administration, Defense and Mandatory Social Security sectors, and the Education Services sector. This sector is a sector that absorbs a lot of workers. Apart from that, the primary sector is a sector that plays an important role in economic development in Maluku Province. The contribution of the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sectors indirectly shows that the economic structure of Maluku province is still supported by the traditional economy. Then, geographically, the vast area of Maluku Province, the majority of which is water areas; however, this sub-sector has yet to become the main support for the economy of Maluku Province. For this reason, the Maluku provincial government should prioritize the superior sectors and commodities it owns while still paying attention to other industries and commodities according to their potential and development opportunities in order to encourage the growth of Maluku Province's GRDP for future regional development. The implications of this research can be recommendations for economic planning and development in Maluku Province. The implications of this study can be recommendations for economic planning and development in Maluku Province

An improved maritime traffic situation complexity model for intelligent maritime management in the inland ferry area

In increasingly busy inland ferry waterways, traditional maritime traffic situation awareness mainly relies on the experience of Officers on Watch (OOW) and Vessel Traffic Service Operators (VTSOs). Although advancements in science and technology can provide more navigational data to OOW and VTSOs, they often find it difficult to intuitively perceive navigation risks from the massive amounts of heterogeneous data. Current maritime traffic situation models mostly used in open waters make it hard to objectively grasp and understand the overall complexity of ferry water area traffic and to capture the most critical ship targets in local areas. Therefore, this study proposes an improved complexity model for maritime traffic situations in inland waters. It selects dynamic traffic density factor, ship approaching factor, and conflict area to assess the local complexity between ships. Then, the global complexity of traffic in the ferry water areas can be evaluated using the entropy weighting method. These promising results suggest that assessing maritime traffic complexity on different levels can help OOW and VTSOs manage traffic in ferry water areas and identify target vessels that require traffic services and control. The application of this method supports the construction of smart maritime management, enhancing the efficiency and automation of ferry water areas.