Search Results (7)

The scientific site selection for pallet pooling systems is pivotal to enhancing logistics efficiency and environmental performance. However, previous studies mainly adopt single-objective optimization approaches, which fail to simultaneously account for economic, environmental, and operational performance factors. The contribution of this paper lies in proposing an integrated decision-making method based on BWM-GIS-DEA to address the site selection problem for pallet pooling service centers. First, the Best-Worst Method (BWM) determines the weights of 13 criteria across 5 dimensions: economic, transportation, geographical location, technological, and service coverage. These criteria include factors such as the distribution density of pallet manufacturers and potential customers. Then, suitability maps are generated using Geographic Information System (GIS) spatial overlay technology to identify 6 alternative cities. Finally, a two-layer Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model is applied to measure the efficiency of the alternative sites. This method is applied in Inner Mongolia, China, and Ejin Horo Banner is identified as the optimal site with an efficiency score of 1.156, demonstrating superior resource allocation characterized by lower land costs and higher pallet turnover rates. The proposed framework not only fills a methodological gap in sustainable facility location research but also provides a replicable and policy-ready tool to guide practical decision-making. Full article

Maowusu sandy land is characterized by a fragile ecological environment and extreme sensitivity to external disturbances such as climate change and human activities. Identifying and zoning ecological spaces in this region are crucial for maintaining eco-environmental safety and promoting sustainable regional development. With Maowusu sandy land as the study object, the temporal and spatial characteristics of land use and the driving forces were explored via spatial analysis technology—the geographic information system. Then, a 2D relation judgment matrix was constructed by evaluating the importance of ecosystem service functions and ecological sensitivity. Next, restoration zoning of natural ecological space was performed, and relevant restoration suggestions were put forward accordingly. Results show that the land use in Maowusu sandy land has significantly changed in the past 30 years, with construction land and forest continuously expanding, cropland and grassland being squeezed, and some areas of unutilized land being transformed into other land use types. Ecosystem service functions tend to weaken from southwest to northeast, whereas the ecologically sensitive zones are mainly distributed in the middle of Maowusu sandy land. The high-importance and high-sensitivity zones of natural ecological space account for 3.60% of the total area of natural ecological space, mainly distributed near Ejin Horo Banner. A comprehensive restoration project of soil and water conservation should be conducted in this zone to alleviate soil erosion and maintain the management and restoration of ecological protection red lines. Moderately important sensitive zones account for the largest proportion (80.42%) of the total area of natural ecological space, being widely distributed. In such zones, water resources should be taken as constraints, with emphasis on ecological protection and improvement measures. Low-importance and low-sensitivity zones account for the smallest proportion, in which ecosystem protection, near-natural restoration, and moderate development and utilization should be carried out. This study aims to provide a scientific basis for reasonably protecting natural ecological resources and promoting the healthy and ordered development of natural ecosystems. Full article

Soil moisture is key in maintaining surface energy balance and the hydrological cycle. However, the patterns of soil moisture change at different altitudes and their response to rainfall are not fully understood. The aim of this study is to analyze the changes in soil moisture at different altitudes in the Mu Us Sandy Land, assess the soil moisture response to various rainfall events, and evaluate the factors affecting this response. To achieve this, we set up two soil moisture and precipitation monitoring systems in the Ejin Horo Banner, located at the northern edge of the Mu Us Sandy Land. Results show that the annual precipitation at the site was 342.6 mm, with most rain falling between July and September. The region experiences soil drought from June to October. At the lower X1 test site, the increase in soil moisture in the 0–90 cm layer during rainfall was greater than the amount of precipitation, suggesting that lateral water flow from higher areas influences soil moisture at lower positions. This study used Grey Relational Analysis to identify the key factors influencing soil moisture changes; the result showed that the initial soil moisture and total precipitation have the strongest correlation with changes in soil moisture, making them the main factors controlling soil moisture response at the site. These findings enhance our understanding of soil moisture dynamics and provide a foundation for vegetation restoration in semi-arid sandy areas and ecosystem rehabilitation. Full article

In the context of the global decline in the capacity of ecosystem services (ESs) to meet increasing human demands, assessing and quantifying ESs is crucial for ecological policy formulation. To address this, our study employs an adjusted land-use matrix method and the patch-generating land-use simulation (PLUS) model for a quantitative analysis of the ES balance in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei–Inner Mongolia (JJJM) region from 2000 to 2020, projecting to 2040. Focusing on the JJJM region, a focal area for ecological policy exhibits significant socioeconomic disparities, revealing a synergistic interplay in the ESs balance. Areas with high vegetation cover, like forests and grasslands, demonstrate an elevated ESs balance, with Inner Mongolia having the highest total ESs balance at 71.40. Conversely, highly urbanized areas, such as Beijing and Tianjin, face deficits in the ESs balance, with Tianjin recording the lowest at 17.83. Our results show an upward trend in total ESs balance in the JJJM region (slope: 0.08 year⁻¹). In particular, regulating services are declining (slope: −0.04 year⁻¹), cultural services are increasing (slope: 0.08 year⁻¹), and provisioning services remain relatively stable. Projecting to 2040, our analysis indicates a slight decline in ESs balance, attributed to Inner Mongolia’s urban expansion. This emphasizes the need for industrial transfers and proactive urbanization promotion to enhance ESs balance and support sustainable management and ecological civilization development in the JJJM region. Full article

Over-exploitation of coal mines leads to surface subsidence, surface cracks, collapses, landslides, and other geological disasters. Taking a mining area in Nalintaohai Town, Ejin Horo Banner, Ordos City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, as an example, Sentinel-1A data from January 2018 to October 2019 were used as the data source in this study. Based on the high interference coherence of the permanent scatterer (PS) over a long period of time, the problem of the manual selection of ground control points (GCPs) affecting the monitoring results during refinement and re-flattening is solved. A DInSAR-PS-Stacking method combining the PS three-threshold method (the coherence coefficient threshold, amplitude dispersion index threshold, and deformation velocity interval) is proposed as a means to select ground control points for refinement and re-flattening, as well as a means to obtain time-series deformation by weighted stacking processing. A SBAS-PS-InSAR method combining the PS three-threshold method to select PS points as GCPs for refinement and re-flattening is also proposed. The surface deformation results monitored by the DInSAR-PS-Stacking and SBAS-PS-InSAR methods are analyzed and verified. The results show that the subsidence location, range, distribution, and space–time subsidence law of surface deformation results obtained by DInSAR-PS-Stacking, SBAS-PS-InSAR, and GPS methods are basically the same. The deformation results obtained by these two InSAR methods have a good correlation with the GPS monitoring results, and the MAE and RMSE are within the acceptable range. The error showed that the edge of the subsidence basin was small and that the center was large. Both methods were found to be able to effectively monitor the coal mine, but there were also shortcomings. DInSAR-PS-Stacking has a strong ability to monitor the settlement center. SBAS-PS-InSAR performed well in monitoring slow and small deformations, but its monitoring of the settlement center was insufficient. Considering the advantages of these two InSAR methods, we proposed fusing the time-series deformation results obtained using these two InSAR methods to allow for more reliable deformation results and to carry out settlement analysis. The results showed that the automatic two-threshold (deformation threshold and average coherence threshold) fusion was effective for monitoring and analysis, and the deformation monitoring results are in good agreement with the actual situation. The deformation information obtained by the comparison, and fusion of multiple methods can allow for better monitoring and analysis of the mining area surface deformation, and can also provide a scientific reference for mining subsidence control and early disaster warning. Full article

Coal mining can cause significant local environmental damage while driving the regional economy of an area. The key index of net primary productivity (NPP) measures the amount of energy made available in an ecosystem and serves as a useful metric for understanding vegetation restoration in mining areas. This study used a CASA model to estimate the vegetation NPP of the Ordos area of the Shendong coal fields from 2000 to 2019. Model output, human factors, and regional meteorological data were subjected to trend analysis, significance testing, partial correlation analysis, and residual analysis. The NPP data generated by a CASA model inversion approximated measured data to a reasonable degree. The average annual NPP of the vegetation in the study area from 2000 to 2019 was 44.51 g C/m² a. In general, NPP showed a fluctuating upward trend, with slower increases before 2011 and more rapid increases after 2011. The trend exhibited considerable spatial heterogeneity. Areas with increasing NPP accounted for 21.54% of the study area and occurred mainly in the Dongsheng District, the Kangbashi District, and areas bordering the Ejin Horo Banner. Analysis detected consistent spatial variation between NPP and each factor in the study area. NPP is positively correlated with precipitation and human activities and negatively correlated with air temperature. The change in vegetation cover depended on both human activity and meteorological conditions. In terms of the strength of influence on vegetation NPP, human activity exceeded climate, followed by temperature and precipitation. Although the NPP of vegetation in the region directly affected by coal mining shows a trend of improvement, it is still lower than that in the natural growing region. In the next step, the ecological restoration of vegetation should be further strengthened to achieve regional ecological balance. Full article

To achieve carbon neutrality in our country, studying the carbon emissions of rural residents in ecologically fragile energy areas is an important way to scientifically explore a green and low-carbon development mechanism of rural regional systems. Taking Ejin Horo Banner as an example, and based on the survey data drawn from it, this paper analyzes the characteristics and mechanism of carbon emissions in rural regional systems by using the methods of the carbon emissions factor method and multiple stepwise regression. The result showed that: (1) in the total composition of carbon emissions in Ejin Horo Banner, the sources of rural carbon emissions had remarkable characteristics. Energy consumption and livestock and poultry breeding accounted for the largest proportion, 63.89% and 22.72%, respectively. (2) In the family attributes of the rural villages in Ejin Horo Banner, the two factors that had the greatest correlation with the total carbon emissions were age and income. In energy consumption, the largest correlation coefficient with carbon emissions was 0.804 for coal, and the lowest was 0.550 for gasoline. In agricultural inputs, chemical fertilizer had the strongest correlation with carbon emissions, with a correlation coefficient of 0.734, and irrigation had the weakest, with a correlation coefficient of 0.657. In livestock production, cattle had the strongest correlation with carbon emissions, with a correlation coefficient of 0.724. In family life, the factors of daily diet consumption had a strong correlation with carbon emissions, among which the highest was the liquor consumption at 0.784, and the lowest was wastewater treatment at 0.442. (3) The multiple stepwise regression result showed that in the three production and living sectors of energy consumption, agricultural and animal husbandry investment, and household life, 21 factors had a significant predictive power on the carbon emissions in the rural regional systems of Ejin Horo Banner. Through the analysis, it was found that accelerating the popularization of green energy-saving technology, promoting the transformation of rural traditional energy utilization, improving energy efficiency, and advocating a green lifestyle are the important ways to realize rural green development in ecologically fragile energy areas. Full article