Shifting agricultural land use and its unintended water consumption in the North China Plain.

Agricultural land use (ALU) critically influences food production and water resource allocation. This study examines the dynamics of ALU in the North China Plain (NCP), a region characterized by intensive agriculture and severe groundwater over-exploitation, focusing on the multidimensional drivers and their implications for water resource management. By employing an elaborate classification scheme based on satellite imagery and extensive first-hand field data, we identified significant shifts in crop patterns.

Future population exposure to heatwaves in 83 global megacities.

Global warming leads to more frequent and intense heatwaves, putting urban populations at greater risk. Previous related studies considered only surface air temperature or one or two Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) and were limited to specific regions. Moreover, no research focused on heatwave exposure in highly-populated global megacities facing severe threats.

Improving surface water quality of the Yellow River Basin due to anthropogenic changes.

Understanding of how changes in diverse human activities and climate contribute to water quality dynamics is crucial for sustainable water environment management especially in the arid and semi-arid regions. This study conducted a comprehensive estimation of the surface water quality change in the Yellow River basin during 2003-2017 and its responses to varied pollution sources and water volumes under socioeconomic and environmental influences. Basin-wide measurements of chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonium nitrogen (NH-N) and dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations were used in trend detection.

Multi-Temporal Effects of Urban Forms and Functions on Urban Heat Islands Based on Local Climate Zone Classification.

Urban forms and functions have critical impacts on urban heat islands (UHIs). The concept of a "local climate zone" (LCZ) provides a standard and objective protocol for characterizing urban forms and functions, which has been used to link urban settings with UHIs. However, only a few structure types and surface cover properties are included under the same climate background or only one or two time scales are considered with a high spatial resolution.

Satellite-derived subsurface urban heat island.

The subsurface urban heat island (SubUHI) is one part of the overall UHI specifying the relative warmth of urban ground temperatures against the rural background. To combat the challenge on measuring extensive underground temperatures with in situ instruments, we utilized satellite-based moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer data to reconstruct the subsurface thermal field over the Beijing metropolis through a three-time-scale model. The results show the SubUHI's high spatial heterogeneity.