Research in Cold and Arid Regions最新文献

{"title":"Efficiency accounting for the conversion of \"Green Mountains and Clear Water\" into \"Gold and Silver Mountains\": An empirical study of Qilian Mountain national park in China","authors":"Na Wu ,&nbsp;Xiang Pan ,&nbsp;XiaoYu Song ,&nbsp;RuiDong Zhao ,&nbsp;YuanGuo Long","doi":"10.1016/j.rcar.2024.12.009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rcar.2024.12.009","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The research on the conversion efficiency of \"Green Mountains into Clear Water\" (Green) and \"Gold and silver Mountains\" (Gold) is of great significance to promote the coordination between natural resource conservation in national park and the local economic and social development. This paper pays attention to the linking role of ecosystem services in different stages of the conversion process between the Green and Gold. Based on the two-stage division, this paper constructs the accounting framework for conversion efficiency of Green and Gold. That is, the comprehensive conversion efficiency of Green and Gold is decomposed into the I-stage efficiency of ecological inputs conversion to Green and the II-stage efficiency of ecosystem services conversion to economic output. Furthermore, the Qilian Mountain National Park in China and its surrounding area Zhangye City, is taken as an example. Using a two-stage non-oriented super-efficiency network EBM model and panel data from 2007 to 2018 to empirically analysis the dynamic evolution characteristics of the conversion efficiency of Green and Gold. Based on this, the heterogeneity improvement strategy is proposed. The results show that: (1) the comprehensive efficiency of the Two Mountains conversion in Zhangye City decreased first and then increased. The highest was 1.715 in 2007; the lowest was 1.367 in 2012; since 2012, the development has gradually improved. The main reason for the decrease in the comprehensive efficiency from 2007 to 2012 is the lower conversion efficiency in II-stage. (2) Spatial difference analysis shows that the areas with low the comprehensive efficiency were concentrated in Sunan, Minle, and Shandan Counties along the Qilian Mountains. The comprehensive efficiency was 0.406, 0.489 and 0.482 respectively. The key to improving the comprehensive efficiency of Sunan County and Minle County is II-stage, while the focus of improving Shandan County is I-stage. (3) Redundancy analysis found that the main factor affecting the comprehensive efficiency of the Two Mountains conversion is insufficient output. In the future, we should focus on expanding effective pathways for the Two Mountains conversion and innovating institutional mechanisms for realizing ecological value.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":53163,"journal":{"name":"Research in Cold and Arid Regions","volume":"17 4","pages":"Pages 251-260"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144888841","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mechanical behavior and improved hypoplastic constitutive model for saturated frozen sand","authors":"ZhaoMing Yao,&nbsp;XiangBin Fu,&nbsp;Nan Li","doi":"10.1016/j.rcar.2024.12.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rcar.2024.12.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The artificial ground-freezing method is the main technical means for the excavation of mines and tunnels through the water-rich sand layer, and the comprehensive understanding of the mechanical properties of frozen saturated sand and the stress-strain relationship under complex stress can provide important guidance. In this study, a series of true triaxial tests of frozen saturated sand samples were conducted. Combined with the test data, the effects of temperature and medium principal stress ratio (<em>b</em>) on the strength and deformation characteristics of frozen saturated sand are discussed. In addition, a cohesion tensor is introduced to the Wu-Lin hypoplastic model. A scalar value is used to characterize the effect of temperature on the strength of frozen soil. The defect that the original model cannot describe the tensile capacity of frozen soil under low stress conditions is clearly solved. In addition, the cumulative deformation state variable is introduced to improve the response performance of the model in triaxial compression tests. The hypoplastic model of frozen soil has shown good performance in simulating triaxial compression tests at different temperatures and medium principal stress ratios.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":53163,"journal":{"name":"Research in Cold and Arid Regions","volume":"17 4","pages":"Pages 195-204"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144889017","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Perceived value, awe, and place attachment: Influencing tourists' environmentally responsible behavior in desert tourism","authors":"Shan Huang ,&nbsp;LiJuan Shi ,&nbsp;DanHua Sheng ,&nbsp;TianTian He ,&nbsp;Xing Guo ,&nbsp;JianHua Xiao","doi":"10.1016/j.rcar.2025.02.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rcar.2025.02.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study explores the impact of perceived value, awe, and place attachment on tourists' environmentally responsible behavior (ERB) in desert tourism contexts, using the Singing Sands Mountain and Crescent Spring scenic area in Dunhuang, China as a case study. Data were collected from 315 tourists using a structured questionnaire and analyzed through a structural equation model. Results show that perceived value and awe significantly influence ERB both directly and indirectly via place attachment. Specifically, perceived value has a stronger direct effect on ERB compared to awe, highlighting the importance of tourists' overall evaluation of the destination in promoting sustainable behaviors. The mediating role of place attachment underscores the significance of emotional connections to the environment in fostering ERB. These findings provide valuable insights for sustainable tourism management in fragile desert ecosystems. The study also highlights the importance of enhancing perceived value through high-quality services and leveraging awe-inspiring experiences to promote sustainable behaviors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":53163,"journal":{"name":"Research in Cold and Arid Regions","volume":"17 4","pages":"Pages 261-268"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144889020","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Optimized ultrasonic assisted flavonoids extraction from an annual desert plant of Agriophyllum squarrosum and its implications for natural antimicrobial agent","authors":"ChaoJu Qian ,&nbsp;ShanShan Zhou ,&nbsp;Xia Yan ,&nbsp;XiaoYue Yin ,&nbsp;TingZhou Fang ,&nbsp;XingKe Fan ,&nbsp;XiaoFei Ma","doi":"10.1016/j.rcar.2024.12.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rcar.2024.12.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sand rice (<em>Agriophyllum squarrosum</em>), a pioneering annual plant thriving in deserts and sandy regions throughout the Asian interior, is believed to be a potential food and forage crop due to its significant nutritional and medicinal values. Previous metabolomics analyses have revealed that sand rice contains abundant flavonoid components, which are known for their wide applications in cosmetics, food, and pharmaceuticals. To optimize the use of flavonoids in sand rice, in this study, the response surface methodology (RSM) was selected to determine the optimal ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) criteria for flavonoids extraction from the aerial part of sand rice firstly. Statistical analyses unveiled the optimum parameters for flavonoids extraction from sand rice could be 62% of ethanol concentration, 1:43 solid-to-liquid ratio, 160 W for ultrasound power, and 52 °C for extraction temperature with extraction time of 12 min. Under this condition, the experiment optimum total flavonoid yield could reach at 15.24 mg/g, which was correspond to the maximum predicted value of RSM with 15.22 mg/g. Subsequently, the antifungal efficacy of these extracts was evaluated against three common plant pathogenic fungi, showing a significant inhibitory effect with the highest rate of inhibition reaching 25.3% at a concentration of 4 mg/mL, underscoring its potential as a natural antimicrobial agent. This study will not only provide a powerful method to extract flavonoids from a desert resource plant, but also pave the way for industrial development and application of the promising desert plants with high nutritional and medicinal values.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":53163,"journal":{"name":"Research in Cold and Arid Regions","volume":"17 4","pages":"Pages 242-250"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144888895","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Strength deterioration law and microstructural mechanism in concrete sprayed with inorganic coatings under the freeze–thaw cycle","authors":"ZhaoXia Zhu ,&nbsp;Jing Luo ,&nbsp;WuJian Yan","doi":"10.1016/j.rcar.2025.05.008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rcar.2025.05.008","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Based on compressive strength analysis, ultrasonic velocity testing and microstructural damage of three groups of concrete sprayed with inorganic coatings with different mix ratios were carried out under the freeze and thaw cycles (F-T). The strength attenuations of three groups of concrete were investigated, and a linear regression model showing the relationship model between acoustic parameters of three groups of concrete and their physico-mechanical properties were constructed, and the micro-mechanism behind the strength decay of concrete was explained via scanning electron microscopy. The results show that in case of the same F-T cycles concrete sprayed inorganic coating adding a polypropylene fibre leads to a good anti-freezing performance. The trend in ultrasonic velocity decay in concrete under the F-T cycles is consistent with the trend in compression strength change. The ultrasonic velocity (UV) of the concrete shows a great correlation with compression strength: the greater the compression strength of concrete, the higher the UV. The losses in compressive strength of concrete in the three kinds (A, B and C, A is with silica fume, B is plain concrete, C is with polypropylene fibres) after 300 freeze–thaw cycles are 54.55%, 62.25% and 22.26%, respectively, which of ultrasonic compressive wave velocities are 13.81%, 16.65% and 3.77%, respectively. Concrete strength decreases during the freeze–thaw process; this is microscopically manifested as large pores, an increase in cracks, and the development of scattered primary pores affecting the centralised connectivity. The cracks of A group have a width of 5–10 μm, which of B group have a width of 5–20 μm), which of C group have a width of 1–2 μm. The whole process of F-T is the process of generating and enlarging cracks in the inner microstructure of the concrete, which results in a markedly reduction in the mechanical characteristics of concrete.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":53163,"journal":{"name":"Research in Cold and Arid Regions","volume":"17 4","pages":"Pages 205-216"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144889018","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fracture characteristics and process zone evolution in sandstone under freeze-thaw cycles","authors":"MeiLu Yu ,&nbsp;ZhongWen Wang ,&nbsp;Ding Ma ,&nbsp;JinJin Ge ,&nbsp;YaTing Wang ,&nbsp;HaoTian Xie ,&nbsp;GenShui Wu ,&nbsp;YaoYao Meng","doi":"10.1016/j.rcar.2025.03.010","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rcar.2025.03.010","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the fracture characteristics and the fracture process zone (FPZ) of mode Ⅰ fracture in sandstone, aiming to analyze the propagation behaviors of mode Ⅰ crack under different freeze-thaw cycles. Semi-circular bending tests (SCB) were conducted using different freeze-thaw cycles to evaluate mode Ⅰ fracture toughness, FPZ dynamics, and macroscopic microscopic features. Digital image correlation (DIC) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques were employed for detailed analysis. Experimental results reveal that freeze-thaw cycling leads to the widening of both preexisting and newly formed microcracks between internal particles. Under external loading, crack propagation deviates from prefabricated paths, forming serrated crack patterns. The FPZ initiates at the prefabricated crack tip and extends toward the loading end, exhibiting an arc-shaped tip shape. The FPZ length increases with loading but decreases after reaching a peak value. With additional freeze-thaw cycles, the maximum FPZ length first increases and then diminishes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":53163,"journal":{"name":"Research in Cold and Arid Regions","volume":"17 4","pages":"Pages 217-228"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144888893","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The role of agricultural water trade in alleviating water scarcity: A case study of Northwest China","authors":"ShunKe Wang ,&nbsp;Jie Xue ,&nbsp;DongLei Mao ,&nbsp;JingJing Chang ,&nbsp;XinXin Li ,&nbsp;Xin Liu ,&nbsp;QiangYan Lei","doi":"10.1016/j.rcar.2025.03.008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rcar.2025.03.008","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Agricultural trade promotes the transfer of water resources, which has an impact on regional water scarcity, particularly in arid regions. Nevertheless, the understanding of how agricultural trade influences water scarcity and the populations under different water scarcity levels is still insufficient. This study examines the impact of domestic agricultural (food crop) trade on water scarcity in Northwest China by integrating a grid-based dynamic water balance model with a linear programming model. The results indicate that the agricultural blue water (surface and groundwater) footprint and green water (soil water) footprint in the Northwest region peaked in 2014, with the green water footprint being 17% higher than the blue water footprint. The increase in trade volume has effectively alleviated water scarcity in Northwest China, with green water playing a greater role than blue water, especially in Shaanxi and Ningxia. As trade volumes rise, the population facing mild water scarcity continues to grow after trade, with increases of 4.56%, 6.70%, and 5.36% in 2000, 2010 and 2014. Agricultural trade significantly alleviates the pressure of severe water scarcity and boosts the region's population carrying capacity. This study provides scientific evidence to support stronger coordination of water resources between regions, especially agricultural water trade between water-rich and water-scarce areas, and to inform the formulation of rational allocation policies for balancing regional water resource distribution and benefits.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":53163,"journal":{"name":"Research in Cold and Arid Regions","volume":"17 4","pages":"Pages 229-241"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144888894","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Identification and assessment of avalanche hazards in Aerxiangou section of Duku expressway in TianShan mountainous region based on unmanned aerial vehicle photography","authors":"QiuLian Cheng ,&nbsp;Jie Liu ,&nbsp;Qiang Guo ,&nbsp;JiaHui Liu ,&nbsp;ZhiWei Yang ,&nbsp;ChangTao Hu","doi":"10.1016/j.rcar.2025.01.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rcar.2025.01.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this study, avalanches in the Aerxiangou section of the Duku Expressway in the Tianshan Mountain area of Xinjiang were taken as the research object, and 92 avalanches were accurately identified through onsite research. A high-resolution three-dimensional model was established by collecting images from unmanned aerial vehicles for an in-depth understanding of the avalanche danger of the region, according to the sample set selection of different uses of machine learning support vector machines to establish the S1-RBFKSVM, S1-PKSVM, S2-RBFKSVM, and S2-PKSVM avalanche susceptibility coupling models. On the basis of the avalanche point susceptibility, the impact velocity, impact force, avalanche volume, and throw distance constitute the hazard evaluation system. The study results revealed that slopes in the range of 26.6°–46.9° are more prone to avalanches, and sample set 2 improved the accuracy by approximately 30% compared with sample set 1 trained in the avalanche susceptibility model. Principal component analysis revealed a total of 16 high-risk avalanches, which were distributed mainly on the southern side of the route. This study provides data support for avalanche simulations as well as early warning and prevention and provides theoretical and methodological guidance for the construction and operation of the Duku Expressway.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":53163,"journal":{"name":"Research in Cold and Arid Regions","volume":"17 3","pages":"Pages 145-158"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144489456","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparison of two data fusion methods from Sentinel-3 and Himawari-9 data for snow cover monitoring in mountainous areas","authors":"RuiRui Yang ,&nbsp;YanLi Zhang ,&nbsp;Qi Wei ,&nbsp;FengYang Liu ,&nbsp;KeGong Li","doi":"10.1016/j.rcar.2024.12.010","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rcar.2024.12.010","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Snow cover in mountainous areas is characterized by high reflectivity, strong spatial heterogeneity, rapid changes, and susceptibility to cloud interference. However, due to the limitations of a single sensor, it is challenging to obtain high-resolution satellite remote sensing data for monitoring the dynamic changes of snow cover within a day. This study focuses on two typical data fusion methods for polar-orbiting satellites (Sentinel-3 SLSTR) and geostationary satellites (Himawari-9 AHI), and explores the snow cover detection accuracy of a multi-temporal cloud-gap snow cover identification model (Loose data fusion) and the ESTARFM (Spatiotemporal data fusion). Taking the Qilian Mountains as the research area, the accuracy of two data fusion results was verified using the snow cover extracted from Landsat-8 SR products. The results showed that both data fusion models could effectively capture the spatiotemporal variations of snow cover, but the ESTARFM demonstrated superior performance. It not only obtained fusion images at any target time, but also extracted snow cover that was closer to the spatial distribution of real satellite images. Therefore, the ESTARFM was utilized to fuse images for hourly reconstruction of the snow cover on February 14–15, 2023. It was found that the maximum snow cover area of this snowfall reached 83.84% of the Qilian Mountains area, and the melting rate of the snow was extremely rapid, with a change of up to 4.30% per hour of the study area. This study offers reliable high spatiotemporal resolution satellite remote sensing data for monitoring snow cover changes in mountainous areas, contributing to more accurate and timely assessments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":53163,"journal":{"name":"Research in Cold and Arid Regions","volume":"17 3","pages":"Pages 159-171"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144489457","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Projected evolution of the Qiyi Glacier in the Qilian Mountains using the PyGEM with the calibration of glaciological mass balance","authors":"YiXue Huo ,&nbsp;AnAn Chen ,&nbsp;NingLian Wang ,&nbsp;YuWei Wu ,&nbsp;Wei Wang ,&nbsp;HaiChen Zhao ,&nbsp;SiYu Bai","doi":"10.1016/j.rcar.2024.09.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rcar.2024.09.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Owing to glacial retreat and associated future runoff variations, major concerns have been raised over the sustainability of water resources in the Qilian Mountains. Based on the Python Glacier Evolution Model, we present projections of the Qiyi glacier for shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs) calibrated with the glaciological mass balance. The results indicate the air temperature as the dominant factor in the continuous mass loss of the Qiyi Glacier in the future. Glacier area and volume are projected to decline to 0.16 ± 0.11 km² (6.4% ± 4.4%, relative to 2015) and 0.0023 ± 0.0006 km³ (2.1% ± 1.5%, relative to 2015), respectively, by 2100, for SSP1-2.6. For SSP5-8.5, the glacier will disappear by 2088. The mass loss of the Qiyi Glacier will accelerate before 2050 for all SSPs but will decelerate after 2050 for SSP1-2.6 and SSP2-4.5. The peak water of glacier runoff will occur between 2034 and 2045, with the duration of high water from 7 to 18 years. Thereafter, the runoff will rapidly decline till 2070–2080 and remain low afterward. Compared with the existing projections, the present projections indicate that the Qiyi Glacier will experience more drastic shrinkage and ice loss in the coming decades. Finally, the glacier runoff is expected to reach its peak water earlier with a shorter duration of high water.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":53163,"journal":{"name":"Research in Cold and Arid Regions","volume":"17 3","pages":"Pages 172-183"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144489458","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}