scholarly journals The Adjustment of China’s Grain Planting Structure Reduced the Consumption of Cropland and Water Resources

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (14) ◽  
pp. 7352
Author(s):  
Yu Zhang ◽  
Jieyong Wang ◽  
Chun Dai
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Structural Adjustment ◽  
Land Reclamation ◽  
National Level ◽  
Cumulative Effect ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Semiarid Region ◽  
Market Demand ◽  
Continuous Growth ◽  
Northern Regions

Driven by technological progress and market demand, the optimization and adjustment of grain planting structure played an important role in increasing grain output. Due to the great difference between the yield per unit area of different types of food crops, the consumption of cropland and water resources has a significant change during the grain growth. From the perspective of structural adjustment, rather than the usual productive factor input, we analyze the process of adjustment for grain planting structure in China and its effect on the consumption of cropland and water resources by using the scenario comparative analysis method. The results show that: (1) From 2003 to 2019, China’s grain output has increased steadily and the planting structure has changed greatly. Rice was replaced by corn to become the grain crop with the maximum proportion of planting area since 2007. The increase of corn planting structure proportion is concentrated in the northern regions. (2) At the national level, according to the adjustment of grain planting structure, the saving of cropland and water resources consumption showed a “cumulative effect” as time went on. (3) The saving effects of structural adjustment in the northern regions on cropland and water resources consumption are better than that in the southern regions, such as Northeast China Plain, Northern arid and semiarid region and Loess Plateau. (4) In reality, although the adjustment of grain planting structure saved lots of cropland and water resources, the continuous growth of grain output has increased the pressure on the ecological environment in the northern regions according to theirs water limits. Therefore, it is necessary to continuously optimize the grain planting structure and restrict land reclamation in northern China. In addition, to ensure food security, it is feasible to encourage the southern regions with abundant water and heat resources to increase the grain planting area and meet its self-sufficiency in grain demand.

scholarly journals Water Footprint and Virtual Water Accounting for China Using a Multi-Regional Input-Output Model

Water ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuanying Zhang ◽  
Yimin Chen ◽  
Min Huang
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
Supply And Demand ◽  
National Level ◽  
Virtual Water ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Industrial Sector ◽  
Input Output ◽  
Water Accounting

Water footprint (WF) is a measure of the actual appropriation of water resources. WF accounting can provide a scientific basis for the managements of water resources. In this study, a multi-regional input-output model is employed to measure the quantity of blue WF (WF) and inter-provincial virtual water (VW) flows in China for the years of 2007 and 2010. The results show that: (1) China’s total WF increased from 205.42 billion m3 in 2007 to 229.34 billion m3 in 2010. Approximately 42% of the WF was attributed to VW embodied in inter-provincial trade. Xinjiang is the largest province of VW export, whereas Shanghai had the largest net VW inflows. (2) From 2007 to 2010, the share of the agricultural sector in the entire VW trade declined, but was still as high as 82.78%, followed by the industrial sector. (3) The north-to-south and south-to-south patterns were witnessed in the domestic VW flows. The provincial WF variations are found to be affected by the per capital GDP, total water resources, per capita water resources, and urban population. (4) By linking VW with an integrated WAVE+ (water accounting and vulnerability evaluation) factor, it was found that virtual scarce water (VSW) was mainly exported by the provinces in northern China. At the national level, the amounts of VSW inflows were consistently greater than those of VSW outflows for both years, 2007 and 2010, implying an increased pressure on the provinces with water deprivation issues. Overall, these results can provide a basis for refining the spatiotemporal allocation of water resources and mitigating the conflict between water supply and demand in China.

New advanced designed systems to ensure safeguard of the territory and preservation of water resources for irrigation

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Cinalberto Bertozzi ◽  
Fabio Paglione
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Drainage Basin ◽  
Land Reclamation ◽  
Land Area ◽  
Water Board ◽  
Management Schemes ◽  
Innovative Techniques ◽  
River Po ◽  
Crop Irrigation

The Burana Land-Reclamation Board is an interregional water board operating in three regions and five provinces. The Burana Land-Reclamation Board operates over a land area of about 250,000 hectares between the Rivers Secchia, Panaro and Samoggia, which forms the drainage basin of the River Panaroand part of the Burana-Po di Volano, from the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines to the River Po. Its main tasks are the conservation and safeguarding of the territory, with particular attention to water resources and how they are used, ensuring rainwater drainage from urban centres, avoiding flooding but ensuringwater supply for crop irrigation in the summer to combat drought. Since the last century the Burana Land-Reclamation Board has been using innovative techniques in the planning of water management schemes designed to achieve the above aims, improving the management of water resources while keeping a constant eye on protection of the environment.

scholarly journals Birth prevalence of tetrahydrobiopterin deficiency in China: data from the national newborn screening program, 2013–2019

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuelian Yuan ◽  
Jun Zhu ◽  
Hanmin Liu ◽  
Liangcheng Xiang ◽  
Yongna Yao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Screening Program ◽  
National Level ◽  
Recall Rate ◽  
Birth Prevalence ◽  
Live Births ◽  
Provincial Level ◽  
Tetrahydrobiopterin Deficiency ◽  
Total Prevalence ◽  
Entire Country ◽  
Northern Regions

Abstract Background Tetrahydrobiopterin deficiency (BH4D), a less common form of hyperphenylalaninemia (HPA), can lead to severe developmental retardation if untreated. Little has been reported on the prevalence of BH4D among live births worldwide. This study examined its prevalence across China and between geographical areas within the country. Methods We analyzed data from the Chinese national screening program for HPA in newborns between 2013 and 2019. BH4D prevalence was examined by province, region and the entire country. Provincial-level prevalence was estimated from the number of confirmed BH4D cases and screened newborns, after adjusting for HPA-positive recall rate. Regional- and national-level prevalences were estimated by summing provincial-level prevalences after weighting them by the number of live births. A Poisson distribution was assumed in order to calculate 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for prevalence. Results Among 107,078,115 newborns screened for HPA in China, 380 with BH4D were identified, corresponding to a total prevalence of 3.8 per 1,000,000 live births. Prevalence was higher in eastern regions (5.9 per 1,000,000) and northern regions (4.1 per 1,000,000) of China than in southern regions (1.6 per 1,000,000) or northwestern regions (1.7 per 1,000,000). Across the entire country, 3.9% cases of HPA were diagnosed as BH4D, and this proportion reached as high as 15.1% in the southern part of the country. Conclusions These first insights into BH4D prevalence across China suggest slightly higher prevalence than in other countries, and it varies substantially by region. More attention should be paid to early diagnosis and timely treatment of BH4D.

scholarly journals Toward sustainable water resources management: critical assessment on the implementation of integrated water resources management and water–energy–food nexus in Afghanistan

Water Policy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajmal Khan Shams ◽  
Nur Shazwani Muhammad
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Resources Management ◽  
Water Resource Management ◽  
National Level ◽  
Integrated Water Resources Management ◽  
Resources Management ◽  
Efficient Management ◽  
Current State ◽  
Sustainable Water Resources Management ◽  
State Of Affairs

Abstract Afghanistan has abundant water resources; however, the current state of affairs is dismal because of the lack of integrated water resources management (IWRM) practices and prolonged war and conflict in the country. Therefore, there is a need for a systematic approach to water management, which can be materialized by integrating IWRM and the water–energy–food (WEF) nexus approach to maintain a critical balance of available water resources and their various uses at the national level. This study provides a comprehensive assessment of Afghanistan's water resource management, including the current state, challenges, opportunities, and way forward. The identified challenges are categorized as social and environmental issues, engineering and technical and regulatory, policy and government role. These challenges are inter-connected and a novel framework toward the implementation of IWRM and the WEF nexus in Afghanistan is proposed. This framework can be used by the relevant stakeholders to prepare a roadmap for sustainable management of water resources. Such integrative approaches will enhance Afghanistan's water, food, and energy security and significantly contribute to its economic development. Moving forward, the Afghanistan government must play a crucial role with regards to the efficient management of the country's water resources in an integrated manner as suggested in this paper.

Changes in the water resources, soil use and spatial dynamics of Caatinga vegetation cover over semiarid region of the Brazilian Northeast

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 100372
Author(s):  
Jhon Lennon Bezerra da Silva ◽  
Geber Barbosa de Albuquerque Moura ◽  
Marcos Vinícius da Silva ◽  
Pabrício Marcos Oliveira Lopes ◽  
Roni Valter de Souza Guedes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
Spatial Dynamics ◽  
Semiarid Region ◽  
Caatinga Vegetation ◽  
Brazilian Northeast

scholarly journals Contrasting Performance of the Remotely-Derived GPP Products over Different Climate Zones across China

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (16) ◽  
pp. 1855 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanan Chen ◽  
Hongfan Gu ◽  
Munan Wang ◽  
Qing Gu ◽  
Zhi Ding ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Southern China ◽  
Gross Primary Production ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Semiarid Region ◽  
Interannual Variations ◽  
Climate Zones

Precise quantification of terrestrial gross primary production (GPP) has been recognized as one of the most important components in understanding the carbon balance between the biosphere and the atmosphere. In recent years, although many large-scale GPP estimates from satellite data and ecosystem models have been generated, few attempts have been made to compare the different GPP products at national scales, particularly for various climate zones. In this study, two of the most widely-used GPP datasets were systematically compared over the eight climate zones across China’s terrestrial ecosystems from 2001 to 2015, which included the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) GPP and the breathing Earth system simulator (BESS) GPP products. Additionally, the coarse (0.05o) GPP estimates from the vegetation photosynthesis model (VPM) at the same time scale were used for auxiliary analysis with the two products. Both MODIS and BESS products exhibited a decreasing trend from the southeast region to the northwest inland. The largest GPP was found in the tropical humid region with 5.49 g C m−2 d−1 and 5.07 g C m−2 d−1 for MODIS and BESS, respectively, while the lowest GPP was distributed in the warm temperate arid region, midtemperate semiarid region and plateau zone. Meanwhile, the work confirmed that all these GPP products showed apparent seasonality with the peaks in the summertime. However, large differences were found in the interannual variations across the three GPP products over different climate regions. Generally, the BESS GPP agreed better than the MODIS GPP when compared to the seasonal and interannual variations of VPM GPP. Furthermore, the spatial correlation analysis between terrestrial GPP and the climatic factors, including temperature and precipitation, indicated that natural rainfall dominated the variability in GPP of Northern China, such as the midtemperate semiarid region, while temperature was a key controlling factor in the Southern China and the Tibet Plateau area.

scholarly journals Nationwide Assessment of Urban Surface Water Environment Status in China

2019 ◽  
Vol 81 ◽  
pp. 01003
Author(s):  
Hongjie Gao ◽  
Peng Yuan ◽  
Ruixia Liu ◽  
Lu Han ◽  
Yonghui Song
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Population Density ◽  
National Level ◽  
Water Environment ◽  
National Standard ◽  
Impact Factors ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Class Iii ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
The Impact

In this study, the assessment of nationwide urban water environment status was conducted based upon a method of integrating both 70% of objective water quality and 30% of standard compliance percent compared with national standard limit of GB3838-2002 for Class III. The impact factors on urban water environment status were discussed. The results showed that the status of urban water environment could be graded into 5 types in China. The population density, water resources, urbanized areas and so on were key impact factors on water environment. The study found that population density and urban built-up area had significantly negative effect on urban water environment status, and there was positive relationship between per capita water resources and urban water environment status. The results would provide the guidance for effective governance and management of urban water environment at national level.

scholarly journals China’s South-to-North Water Diversion Project Empowers Sustainable Water Resources System in the North

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (13) ◽  
pp. 3735 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giri R. Kattel ◽  
Wenxiu Shang ◽  
Zhongjing Wang ◽  
John Langford
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Water Diversion ◽  
Water Infrastructure ◽  
Water Shortages ◽  
Water Resources System ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Water Diversion Project ◽  
North Water

Global freshwaters are severely depleted. Provision of improved water infrastructure technologies and innovation can address challenges posed by water shortages to environmental sustainability. China’s South-to-North Water Diversion Project has generated extensive debates over sustainability of water resources system in the northern drier region, which faces severe water scarcity hindering ecosystems, agriculture, industries and livelihoods. Some arguments extend the views that large infrastructure projects can have negative implications for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem goods and services. However, this study strengthens the opposite view, as such projects would resolve increasing environmental challenges northern China has been facing over many decades due to severe water shortages. The project empowers connectivity among individuals, community, and organizations that the sustainability of goods and services such as energy, irrigation and water supply are perceived, and livelihoods and the standard of peoples’ living is improved. A resilient, robust and adaptive water infrastructure framework can overcome the challenges of water shortages by meeting a long term social, economic and environmental goals for water resources systems in northern China. Such framework can also identify the thresholds of change and the threats associated with environmental sustainability.

scholarly journals COVID-19: update of the Italian situation

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 834-837
Author(s):  
Carla Prezioso ◽  
Valeria Pietropaolo
Keyword(s):  
Local Level ◽  
National Level ◽  
World Health ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Northern Regions ◽  
Containment Measures ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Restrictive Measures ◽  
Italian Territory

AbstractOn the March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak as a pandemic. The first cases in Italy were reported on January 30, 2020, and quickly the number of cases escalated. On March 20, 2020, according to the Italian National Institute of Health (ISS) and National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), the peak of COVID-19 cases reported in Italy reached the highest number, surpassing those in China. The Italian government endorsed progressively restrictive measures initially at the local level, and finally, at the national level with a lockdown of the entire Italian territory up to 3 May 2020. The complete Italian territory closing slowed down the contagion. This review retraces the main numbers of the pandemic in Italy. Although in decline, the new reported cases remain high in the northern regions. Since drugs or vaccines are still not available, the described framework highlights the importance of the containment measures to be able to quickly identify all the potential transmission hotspots and keep control subsequent epidemic waves of COVID-19.

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