Diversity-biomass relationships(DBRs)in terrestrial ecosystems tend to vary across spatial scales,but,particularly in hyperdiverse forests,the mechanisms driving these trends remain uncertain.Until now,few have simult...Diversity-biomass relationships(DBRs)in terrestrial ecosystems tend to vary across spatial scales,but,particularly in hyperdiverse forests,the mechanisms driving these trends remain uncertain.Until now,few have simultaneously investigated the connections between tree species diversity,stand structural diversity,mycorrhizal associations,and ecosystem functioning.In addition,DBRs have only been studied at limited spatial scales,with limited focus on the direct and indirect effects of environmental factors.We addressed these research gaps using a 30-ha forest dynamics plot located in Pu'er City,Southwest China.Through piecewise structural equation models,we quantified the direct effects of tree species diversity(α,β,γ),stand structural diversity,mycorrhizal associations(AM,EcM),and the environmental factors(soil fertility and topography),as well as the indirect effects of the environmental factors on aboveground tree biomass across spatial scales ranging from 400 to 230,400 m^(2).We hypothesized that complex interactions among these factors underpin the variation in DBRs in natural ecosystems across spatial scales.Our results showed that environmental conditions indirectly affected the tree biomass via changes in tree species diversity,and these effects became stronger as the spatial scale increased.At small to moderate spatial scales,environmental factors were more predictive of tree biomass than tree species diversity(or its components);the effects of stand structural diversity on biomass also gradually increased with spatial scale.Conversely,from the intermediate to the largest spatial scales,mycorrhizal associations gradually became the best predictors of DBR dynamics.Our research offers novel empirical evidence demonstrating the importance of environmental conditions,structural diversity,and mycorrhizal associations in shaping cross-scale DBRs.Future comprehensive studies should consider these factors to assess the mechanisms shaping scale-dependent DBRs in complex natural ecosystems.展开更多
This study aims to verify the concept of niches at multiple spatial scales in plant communities.To this end,we analyzed the niche characteristic of Rhododendron dauricum plant communities in Northeast China at three s...This study aims to verify the concept of niches at multiple spatial scales in plant communities.To this end,we analyzed the niche characteristic of Rhododendron dauricum plant communities in Northeast China at three spatial scales.At the local scale,we calculated the Importance Value(IV)of species in five communities in the north of the Da Hinggan Mountains.At the intermediate scale,we examined five communities in their entirety,calculated the niche breadth of the species,and integrated niche overlap and interspecific association to analyze interspecific relationships.Further,the generalized additive model(GAM)was used to analyze the impact of topography and soil factors on niche characteristics.At the regional scale,we analyzed the geographical distribution of dominant species of R.dauricum plant communities in Northeast China and used principal component analysis(PCA)to analyze the impact of geographical and climate factors on species distribution.The results show that at the local scale,the IV of the species in each community varies widely.At the intermediate scale,species with a wide niche breadth tend to have a high value for IV.Larix gmelinii,Betula platyphylla,R.dauricum,Ledum palustre,and Vaccinium vitis-idaea had a relatively wide niche breadth and a high niche overlap,and the interspecific associations were almost all positive.Elevation and soil nutrients were the most dominant environmental factors.At the regional scale,species with a wide niche breadth tend to have a wide range of distribution,and temperature and precipitation were the most dominant environmental factors.This study suggests that the niche characteristics at three scales are both related and different.Niche characteristics at the local scale were various and labile,and niche characteristics at the intermediate and regional scales were relatively regular.These results show some degree of consistency with previous studies from an evolutionary perspective.The action mechanisms of these communities are related to differences in the dominant environmental factors.In addition,the integration of niche overlap and interspecific association determine interspecific relationships more accurately.展开更多
Precipitation and associated cloud hydrometeors have large temporal and spatial variability, which makes accurate quantitative precipitation forecasting difficult. Thus, dependence of accurate precipitation and associ...Precipitation and associated cloud hydrometeors have large temporal and spatial variability, which makes accurate quantitative precipitation forecasting difficult. Thus, dependence of accurate precipitation and associated cloud simulation on temporal and spatial scales becomes an important issue. We report a cloud- resolving modeling analysis on this issue by comparing the control experiment with experiments perturbed by initial temperature, water vapor, and cloud conditions. The simulation is considered to be accurate only if the root-mean-squared difference between the perturbation experiments and the control experiment is smaller than the standard deviation. The analysis may suggest that accurate precipitation and cloud simulations cannot be obtained on both fine temporal and spatial scales simultaneously, which limits quanti- tative precipitation forecasting. The accurate simulation of water vapor convergence could lead to accurate precipitation and cloud simulations on daily time scales, but it may not be beneficial to precipitation and cloud simulations on hourly time scales due to the dominance of cloud processes.展开更多
Scale is the range or measurement unit of the characteristics of natural or human ontology in the temporal or spatial dimension and is widely used in daily life and the study of various disciplines.Scale effect pertai...Scale is the range or measurement unit of the characteristics of natural or human ontology in the temporal or spatial dimension and is widely used in daily life and the study of various disciplines.Scale effect pertains to certain laws and characteristics that can only be reflected on a specific scale,so choosing the appropriate scale remains the basic premise of scientific research.The concept of the urban spatial system is complex and has the characteristics of scale dependence,and the selection of an appropriate spatial scale is important for the accurate estimation and description of urban issues.In this paper,we discuss spatial scale in urban research using cases that primarily come from the Chinese experience,provide some examples that demonstrate the importance of appropriate scale in urban research,including urban shrinkage,and highlight problems in spatial research.Ultimately,we suggest that scale consciousness should be the basic consciousness required in empirical research.展开更多
Data from Goddard cumulus ensemble model experiment are used to study temporal and spatial scale dependence of tropical rainfall separation analysis based on cloud budget during Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere Couple...Data from Goddard cumulus ensemble model experiment are used to study temporal and spatial scale dependence of tropical rainfall separation analysis based on cloud budget during Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere Coupled Ocean Atmosphere Response Experiment （TOGA COARE）. The analysis shows that the calculations of model domain mean or time-mean grid-scale mean simulation data overestimate the rain rates of the two rainfall types associated with net condensation but they severely underestimate the rain rate of the rainfall type associated with net evaporation and hydrometeor convergence.展开更多
With the increasing proportion of wind power integration, the volatility of wind power brings huge challenges to the safe and stable operation of the electric power system. At present, the indexes commonly used to eva...With the increasing proportion of wind power integration, the volatility of wind power brings huge challenges to the safe and stable operation of the electric power system. At present, the indexes commonly used to evaluate the volatility of wind power only consider its overall characteristics, such as the standard deviation of wind power, the average of power variables, etc., while ignoring the detailed volatility of wind power, that is, the features of the frequency distribution of power variables. However, how to accurately describe the detailed volatility of wind power is the key foundation to reduce its adverse influences. To address this, a quantitative method for evaluating the detailed volatility of wind power at multiple temporal-spatial scales is proposed. First, the volatility indexes which can evaluate the detailed fluctuation characteristics of wind power are presented, including the upper confidence limit, lower confidence limit and confidence interval of power variables under the certain confidence level. Then, the actual wind power data from a location in northern China is used to illustrate the application of the proposed indexes at multiple temporal(year–season–month–day) and spatial scales(wind turbine–wind turbines–wind farm–wind farms) using the calculation time windows of 10 min, 30 min, 1 h, and 4 h. Finally, the relationships between wind power forecasting accuracy and its corresponding detailed volatility are analyzed to further verify the effectiveness of the proposed indexes. The results show that the proposed volatility indexes can effectively characterize the detailed fluctuations of wind power at multiple temporal-spatial scales. It is anticipated that the results of this study will serve as an important reference for the reserve capacity planning and optimization dispatch in the electric power system which with a high proportion of renewable energy.展开更多
The positive and negative terrains(P-N terrains) widely distributed across China's Loess Plateau constitute the dual structure characteristic of loess landforms. Analysis of loess P-N terrains at the watershed sca...The positive and negative terrains(P-N terrains) widely distributed across China's Loess Plateau constitute the dual structure characteristic of loess landforms. Analysis of loess P-N terrains at the watershed scale can serve to elucidate the structural characteristics and spatial patterns of P-N terrains, which benefits a better understanding of watershed evolution and suitable scales for loess landform research. The Two-Term Local Quadrat Variance Analysis(TTLQV) is calculated as the average of the square of the difference between the block totals of all possible adjacent pairs of block size, which can be used to detect both the scale and the intensity of landscape patches(e.g., plant/animal communities and gully networks). In this study, we determined the latitudinal and longitudinal spatial scale of P-N terrain patterns within 104 uniformly distributed watersheds in our target soil and water conservation region. The results showed that TTLQV is very effective for examining the scale of P-N terrain patterns. There were apparently three types of P-N terrain pattern in latitudinal direction(i.e., Loess Tableland type, Loess Hill type, and Transitional Form between Sand and Loess type), whereas there were both lower and higher values for P-N terrain pattern scales in all loess landforms in the longitudinal direction. The P-N terrain pattern alsoclearly presented anisotropy, suggesting that gully networks in the main direction were well-developed while others were relatively undeveloped. In addition, the relationships between the first scales and controlling factors(i.e., gully density, nibble degree, watershed area, mean watershed slope, NDVI, precipitation, loess thickness, and loess landforms) revealed that the first scales are primarily controlled by watershed area and loess landforms. This may indicate that the current spatial pattern of P-N terrains is characterized by internal force. In selecting suitable study areas in China' Loess Plateau, it is crucial to understand four control variables: the spatial scale of the P-N terrain pattern, the watershed area, the main direction of the watershed, and the loess landforms.展开更多
In 2014,a 40-ha undisturbed plot was established in the Beijing Songshan Nature Reserve.The spatial distribution and spatial associations of five dominant tree species of different height classes were examined using s...In 2014,a 40-ha undisturbed plot was established in the Beijing Songshan Nature Reserve.The spatial distribution and spatial associations of five dominant tree species of different height classes were examined using spatial point pattern analysis and the effects of these species on local community diversity assemblages were examined using the ISAR method.The dominant species were characterized by an aggregated distribution at spatial scales of 0–50 m.At smaller spatial scales,trees in larger height classes had significant positive and negative effects on the diversity of the lower height classes.However,at larger spatial scales this effect was diminished.At small scales(0–10 m),accumulator species had positive effects on species diversity,maintained an over-representative proportion of diversity in their proximity,and supported the ecological niche theory.At the larger scale(10–50 m),neutral species were dominant and had positive effects on species diversity,though repeller species,which had negative effects on species diversity,also contributed to diversity.Neutral and accumulator species together determined local species diversity,but the relative importance of the two was closely related to spatial scale.A combination of the ecological niche theory and neutral processes together determines species coexistence and biodiversity of an undisturbed pine forest.展开更多
By using a new economic geography model of multi-region to study the impact of market scale on spatial economic structure,we find that the home market effect plays a key role in it.At different development periods,und...By using a new economic geography model of multi-region to study the impact of market scale on spatial economic structure,we find that the home market effect plays a key role in it.At different development periods,under external shocks such as transportation costs and so on,industry shares will change due to the distribution of market scale.The spatial economic structure will gradually evolve into such forms as single core or dual-core structure,especially"central collapse"will be found in the process.Such results can be used to analyze the practical problems,including the"central collapse"in the east,central and west regions of China,the structure of city clusters,etc.With the rapid development of transportation infrastructures,China will form a variety of development patterns on different spatial scales owing to home market effect.The regional convergence can be reached through reducing the economic distance and promoting agglomerative economies,which will help achieve regional coordinated development.展开更多
Amid the escalating frequency of climate extremes,it is crucial to determine their impact on agricultural water scarcity to preserve agricultural development.Current research does not often examine how different spati...Amid the escalating frequency of climate extremes,it is crucial to determine their impact on agricultural water scarcity to preserve agricultural development.Current research does not often examine how different spatial scales and compound climate extremes influence agricultural water scarcity.Using an agricultural water scarcity index(Awsl),this study examined the effects of precipitation and temperature extremes on AwSl across secondary and tertiary river basins in China from 1971 to 2010.The results indicated a marked increase in Awsl during dry years and elevated temperatures.The analysis underscores that precipitation had a greater impact on Awsl than temperature variation.In secondary basins,AwsI was about 26%higher than the long-term average during dry years,increasing to nearly 49%in exceptionally dry conditions.By comparison,in tertiary basins,the increases were 28%and 55%,respectively.In hot years,AwSl rose by about 6.8%(7.3%for tertiary basins)above the average,surging to about 19.1%(15.5%for tertiary basins)during extremely hot periods.These results show that AwSl assessment at the tertiary basin level better captured the influence of climate extremes on Awsl than assessments at the secondary basin level,which highlights the critical importance of a finer spatial scale for a more precise assessment and forecast of water scarcity within basin scales.Also,this study has highlighted the paramount urgency of implementing strategies to tackle water scarcity issues under compound extreme dry and hot conditions.Overall,this study offers an in-depth evaluation of the influence of both precipitation and temperature variation,and research scale on water scarcity,which will help formulate better water resource management strategies.展开更多
In response to concerns over the recent expansion of the scope and content of urban design and the potential for“loss of focus”,this study uses the comprehensive urban design of Pudong New Area as a case study,empha...In response to concerns over the recent expansion of the scope and content of urban design and the potential for“loss of focus”,this study uses the comprehensive urban design of Pudong New Area as a case study,emphasizing a need to“refocus”urban design efforts.It traces the spatial evolution of Pudong New Area under national strategic guidance,addressing two primary issues from a“strategy-problem”perspective.Building on the link between municipal urban design and district-level master planning,the study proposes a key element system that integrates“significance,publicness,cultural relevance,and connectivity”and a control strategy based on unit typology and policy-guided zoning.By establishing a clear and concise district-level control framework focused on“element+scale”,the study aims to enhance Pudong’s modern spatial image and its holistic spatial order,reinforcing Pudong’s role as a“leading area for socialist modernization”.展开更多
The impact of vegetation coverage on erosion and sediment yield in the Loess Plateau has been extensively studied,but the research has been primarily based on observations from slope runoff plots or secondary forest r...The impact of vegetation coverage on erosion and sediment yield in the Loess Plateau has been extensively studied,but the research has been primarily based on observations from slope runoff plots or secondary forest regions;the scaling method remains unresolved when it is applied at a large spatial scale,and it is difficult to apply to regions with severe soil and water loss given the predominance of herbs and shrubs.To date,there is little data on the quantitative impact of changes to vegetation on sediment concentration at a large spatial scale.This paper is based on vegetation information from remote sensing images,measured rainfall and sediment data over nearly 60 years,and results from previous runoff and sediment variation research on the Yellow River.We introduce the concepts of a sediment yield coefficient and the percentage of effective vegetation and erodible area,analyze the impact of different vegetation conditions on the flood sediment concentration and sediment yield,and evaluate the effect of rainfall intensity on sediment yield under different vegetation conditions at the watershed scale.We propose models to evaluate the impact of vegetation on sediment yield in the loess gully hilly region,which are based on remote sensing data and support an application at a large spatial scale.The models can be used to assess sediment reduction that results from the current significant improvement of vegetation in the Loess Plateau.展开更多
The important role of spatial scale in exploring the geography of poverty as well as its policy implications has been noticed but with limited knowledge. To improve such limited understanding, we mainly investigated t...The important role of spatial scale in exploring the geography of poverty as well as its policy implications has been noticed but with limited knowledge. To improve such limited understanding, we mainly investigated the spatial patterns and influencing factors of rural poverty(indicated by poor population and poverty incidence) at three different administrative levels in the Liupan Mountain Region, one of the fourteen poorest regions in China. Our results show that from a global perspective, poor areas are clustered significantly at the county-, township-, and village-level, and more greatly at a lower level. Locally, there is spatial mismatch among poverty hotspots detected not only by the same indicator at different levels but also by different indicators at the same level. A scale effect can be found in the influencing factors of rural poverty. That is, the number of significant factors increases, but the degree of their association with poverty incidence decreases at a lower level. Such scale effect indicates that poverty incidence at lower levels may be affected by more complex factors, including not only the new local ones but also the already appeared non-local ones at higher levels. However, the natural conditions tend to play a scale-independent role to poverty incidence. In response to such scale-dependent patterns and factors, anti-poverty policies can be 1) a multilevel monitoring system to reduce incomplete or even misleading single-level information and understanding; 2) the village-based targeting strategy to increase the targeting efficiency and alleviate the mentioned spatial mismatch; 3) more flexible strategies responding to the local impoverishing factors, and 4) different task emphasises for multilevel policymakers to achieve the common goal of poverty reduction.展开更多
Riparian areas produce a variety of ecosystem service(ES)functions and play an important role in the coupled nature-human systems.Taking account of riparian ES in riparian greenspace planning framework and balancing t...Riparian areas produce a variety of ecosystem service(ES)functions and play an important role in the coupled nature-human systems.Taking account of riparian ES in riparian greenspace planning framework and balancing the ecological and social aspects of ES can help to achieve the composite goals for urban-rural sustainability.However,there is still a lack of research on the integration thinking and quantification approach for riparian ES to support riparian greenspace planning and decision-making.This research mainly discusses the possible way of incorporating the ES into riparian greenspace planning and presents an integrated framework of the interaction between riparian ES and riparian greenspace planning,including evaluating riparian ES supply-demand budget to support multi-scales(region,urban,and street)riparian greenspace planning.Taking the Nanchuan District of Chongqing in China as a case study,we aim to achieve the following three results:first,recognizing the relationship and building a link between riparian ES and riparian greenspace planning;second,establishing a multi-scale scoring system of two ES supply-demand indicators for mapping on three spatial scales;third,applying riparian ES supply-demand mapping into riparian greenspace planning from three aspects of balancing planning goals,multi-scale planning tasks,and planning strategies and policies.展开更多
In order to examine the effect of spatial scale and building exposure distribution on the pure rate of earthquake catastrophe insurance,this study described three modules for rate determination,put forward the general...In order to examine the effect of spatial scale and building exposure distribution on the pure rate of earthquake catastrophe insurance,this study described three modules for rate determination,put forward the general assumptions and principles for calculating the pure insurance rate,and introduced three types of building distribution and their calculation.Taking Tangshan City of Hebei Province in China as an example,we analyzed the pure rate of regional earthquake insurance in terms of spatial scale and building exposure distribution by using the method of control variables.The results show that for districts(or counties)with large differences in seismic risk,the risk areas can be further divided to apply differential rates.In areas with a diverse distribution of potential earthquake source areas and large differences in building density,there is a risk of overestimating or underestimating the pure rate of earthquake insurance when buildings are distributed evenly or partially evenly.This violates the break-even principle of rate setting.This study also provides a reference for earthquake catastrophe insurance companies to choose the spatial scale and the detailed level of exposure distribution in rate determination.展开更多
Aims Anthropogenic activities have drastically increased nutrient availabil-ity,resulting in declines in species richness in many plant communi-ties.However,most previous studies have explored only species-loss patter...Aims Anthropogenic activities have drastically increased nutrient availabil-ity,resulting in declines in species richness in many plant communi-ties.However,most previous studies have explored only species-loss patterns and mechanisms over small sampling areas,so their results might overestimate species loss at larger spatial scales.The aim of this research was to explore species diversity change patterns and species-loss rates at multiple scales in alpine meadow communities following nutrient enrichment.Specifically,we asked two closely related ques-tions:(i)do changes in species diversity and species-loss patterns differ among spatial scales?and(ii)how does community compositional dissimilarity and species turnover change among spatial scale?Methods This study was implemented in an alpine meadow community,which is regarded as one of the most sensitive and vulnerable ter-restrial ecosystems to anthropogenic nutrient enrichment.We conducted a fertilization experiment that involved the addition of nitrogen(N),phosphorus(P)and a mixture of both to a series of quadrats ranging from 1 to 16 m2 over 5 years to study the variations in the patterns of species diversity in response to nutrient additions at different spatial scales.Important Findings Our results showed that the changes in species diversity and species loss were dependent on the type of fertilization and the spatial scale.After N and NP fertilization,species diversity significantly decreased at the small scale but not at the large scale,and the rate of species loss decreased as the spatial scale increased.In contrast,the differences between the P addition and control communities were negligible at both the small and large spatial scales.N fertilization caused species to be lost from the small sampling scale,but because different species were lost from dif-ferent samples,there was an increase in compositional dissimilarity at larger spatial scales,which reduced the total number of species lost when measured at larger scales.These findings highlight spatial scale in evalu-ating the biodiversity loss after fertilization and suggest that the compo-sitional dissimilarity might play an important role in mediating species loss after fertilization.Our study significantly improved our understanding of changes in species diversity and species loss at different spatial scales under nutrient-enrichment scenarios.展开更多
The drastic decline in groundwater table and many other detrimental effects in meeting irrigation demand, and the projected population growth have force to evaluate consumptive use or evapo-transpiration (ET), the rat...The drastic decline in groundwater table and many other detrimental effects in meeting irrigation demand, and the projected population growth have force to evaluate consumptive use or evapo-transpiration (ET), the rate of liquid water transformation to vapor from open water, bare soil, and vegetation, which determines the irrigation demand. As underscored in the literature, Pen-man-Monteith method which is based on aerodynamic and energy balance method is widely used and accepted as the method of estimation of ET. However, the estimation of ET is oftentimes carried out using meteorological data from climate stations. Therefore, such estimation of ET may vary spatially and thus there exists a need to estimate ET spatially at different spatial or grid scales/resolutions. Thus, in this paper, a spatial tool that can geographically encompass all the best available climate datasets to produce ET at different spatial scales is developed. The spatial tool is developed as a Python toolbox in ArcGIS using Python, an open source programming language, and the ArcPy site-package of ArcGIS. The developed spatial tool is demonstrated using the meteorological data from Automated Weather Data Network in Nebraska in 2010.展开更多
The combination of spatial distribution,semantic characteristics,and sometimes temporal dynamics of POIs inside a geographic region can capture its unique land use characteristics.Most previous studies on POI-based la...The combination of spatial distribution,semantic characteristics,and sometimes temporal dynamics of POIs inside a geographic region can capture its unique land use characteristics.Most previous studies on POI-based land use modeling research focused on one geographic region and select one spatial scale and semantic granularity for land use characterization.There is a lack of understanding on the impact of spatial scale,semantic granularity,and geographic context on POI-based land use modeling,particularly large-scale land use modeling.In this study,we developed a scalable POI-based land use modeling framework and examined the impact of these three factors on POI-based land use characterization using data from three geographic regions.We developed a unified semantic representation framework for POI semantics that can help fuse heterogeneous POI data sources.Then,by combining POIs with a neural network language model,we developed a spatially explicit approach to learn the embedding representation of POIs and AOIs.We trained multiple supervised classifiers using AOI embeddings as input features to predict AOI land use at different semantic granularities.The classification performance of different land use classes was analyzed and compared across three geographic regions to identify the semantic representativeness of POI-based AOI embedding and the impact of geographic context.展开更多
The need to allocate the existing water in a sustainable manner, even with the projected population growth, has made to assess the consumptive use or evapotranspiration (ET), which determines the irrigation demand. As...The need to allocate the existing water in a sustainable manner, even with the projected population growth, has made to assess the consumptive use or evapotranspiration (ET), which determines the irrigation demand. As underscored in the literature, Penman-Monteith method which is a combination of aerodynamic and energy balance method is widely used and accepted as the method of estimation of ET. However, the application of Penman-Monteith relies on many climate parameters such as relative humidity, solar radiation, temperature, and wind speed. Therefore, there exists a need to determine the parameters that are most sensitive and correlated with dependent variable (i.e., ET), to strengthen the knowledge base. However, the sensitivity of ET using Penman-Monteith is oftentimes estimated using meteorological data from climate stations. Such estimation of sensitivity may vary spatially and thus there exists a need to estimate sensitivity of ET spatially. Thus, in this paper, based on One-AT-A-Time (OAT) method, a spatial sensitivity tool that can geographically encompass all the best available climate datasets to produce ET and its sensitivity at different spatial scales is developed. The spatial tool is developed as a Python toolbox in ArcGIS using Python, an open source programming language, and the ArcPy site-package of ArcGIS. The developed spatial tool is demonstrated using the meteorological data from Automated Weather Data Network in Nebraska in 2010. To summarize the outcome of the sensitivity analysis using OAT method, sensitivity indices are developed for each raster cell. The demonstration of the tool shows that, among the considered parameters, the computed ET using Penman-Monteith is highly sensitive to solar radiation followed by temperature for the state of Nebraska, as depicted by the sensitivity index. The computed sensitivity index of wind speed and the relative humidity are not that significant compared to the sensitivity index of solar radiation and temperature.展开更多
By taking 65 counties and cities of Jiangsu Province as empirical units, rurality indexes have been constructed based on regional urban-rural integration, and a quantitative evaluation has been conducted on the rurali...By taking 65 counties and cities of Jiangsu Province as empirical units, rurality indexes have been constructed based on regional urban-rural integration, and a quantitative evaluation has been conducted on the rurality of Jiangsu Province based on county scale. With the support of ArcGIS 9.3, GeoDA 095 and SPSS 16, by adopting Jenks best breakpoint classification and spatial autocorrelation analysis, quantitative analysis and research have been conducted on the spatial differentiation of rurality of Jiangsu Province. The results show that the rural difference of Jiangsu Province based on county scale is not remarkable, and the area with strong rurality takes a larger proportion; rurality increases from South Jiangsu to North Jiangsu progressively; rurality concentrates in general, seven counties and cities including Jiangyin and Kunshan City are "cold points" while seven counties and cities including Guanyun and Funing City are "hot points" of rurality.展开更多
基金funded by Fundamental Research Funds of Chinese Academy of Forestry(No.CAFYBB2021ZA002).
文摘Diversity-biomass relationships(DBRs)in terrestrial ecosystems tend to vary across spatial scales,but,particularly in hyperdiverse forests,the mechanisms driving these trends remain uncertain.Until now,few have simultaneously investigated the connections between tree species diversity,stand structural diversity,mycorrhizal associations,and ecosystem functioning.In addition,DBRs have only been studied at limited spatial scales,with limited focus on the direct and indirect effects of environmental factors.We addressed these research gaps using a 30-ha forest dynamics plot located in Pu'er City,Southwest China.Through piecewise structural equation models,we quantified the direct effects of tree species diversity(α,β,γ),stand structural diversity,mycorrhizal associations(AM,EcM),and the environmental factors(soil fertility and topography),as well as the indirect effects of the environmental factors on aboveground tree biomass across spatial scales ranging from 400 to 230,400 m^(2).We hypothesized that complex interactions among these factors underpin the variation in DBRs in natural ecosystems across spatial scales.Our results showed that environmental conditions indirectly affected the tree biomass via changes in tree species diversity,and these effects became stronger as the spatial scale increased.At small to moderate spatial scales,environmental factors were more predictive of tree biomass than tree species diversity(or its components);the effects of stand structural diversity on biomass also gradually increased with spatial scale.Conversely,from the intermediate to the largest spatial scales,mycorrhizal associations gradually became the best predictors of DBR dynamics.Our research offers novel empirical evidence demonstrating the importance of environmental conditions,structural diversity,and mycorrhizal associations in shaping cross-scale DBRs.Future comprehensive studies should consider these factors to assess the mechanisms shaping scale-dependent DBRs in complex natural ecosystems.
基金Under the auspices of National Key Research and Development Program of China(No.2016YFC0500306)。
文摘This study aims to verify the concept of niches at multiple spatial scales in plant communities.To this end,we analyzed the niche characteristic of Rhododendron dauricum plant communities in Northeast China at three spatial scales.At the local scale,we calculated the Importance Value(IV)of species in five communities in the north of the Da Hinggan Mountains.At the intermediate scale,we examined five communities in their entirety,calculated the niche breadth of the species,and integrated niche overlap and interspecific association to analyze interspecific relationships.Further,the generalized additive model(GAM)was used to analyze the impact of topography and soil factors on niche characteristics.At the regional scale,we analyzed the geographical distribution of dominant species of R.dauricum plant communities in Northeast China and used principal component analysis(PCA)to analyze the impact of geographical and climate factors on species distribution.The results show that at the local scale,the IV of the species in each community varies widely.At the intermediate scale,species with a wide niche breadth tend to have a high value for IV.Larix gmelinii,Betula platyphylla,R.dauricum,Ledum palustre,and Vaccinium vitis-idaea had a relatively wide niche breadth and a high niche overlap,and the interspecific associations were almost all positive.Elevation and soil nutrients were the most dominant environmental factors.At the regional scale,species with a wide niche breadth tend to have a wide range of distribution,and temperature and precipitation were the most dominant environmental factors.This study suggests that the niche characteristics at three scales are both related and different.Niche characteristics at the local scale were various and labile,and niche characteristics at the intermediate and regional scales were relatively regular.These results show some degree of consistency with previous studies from an evolutionary perspective.The action mechanisms of these communities are related to differences in the dominant environmental factors.In addition,the integration of niche overlap and interspecific association determine interspecific relationships more accurately.
基金supported from the National Key Basic Research and Development Projectof China(2009CB421505)the National Natural Sciences Foundation of China(40775031)the Project(No.2008LASW-A01)
文摘Precipitation and associated cloud hydrometeors have large temporal and spatial variability, which makes accurate quantitative precipitation forecasting difficult. Thus, dependence of accurate precipitation and associated cloud simulation on temporal and spatial scales becomes an important issue. We report a cloud- resolving modeling analysis on this issue by comparing the control experiment with experiments perturbed by initial temperature, water vapor, and cloud conditions. The simulation is considered to be accurate only if the root-mean-squared difference between the perturbation experiments and the control experiment is smaller than the standard deviation. The analysis may suggest that accurate precipitation and cloud simulations cannot be obtained on both fine temporal and spatial scales simultaneously, which limits quanti- tative precipitation forecasting. The accurate simulation of water vapor convergence could lead to accurate precipitation and cloud simulations on daily time scales, but it may not be beneficial to precipitation and cloud simulations on hourly time scales due to the dominance of cloud processes.
基金Under the auspices of National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.41871162)。
文摘Scale is the range or measurement unit of the characteristics of natural or human ontology in the temporal or spatial dimension and is widely used in daily life and the study of various disciplines.Scale effect pertains to certain laws and characteristics that can only be reflected on a specific scale,so choosing the appropriate scale remains the basic premise of scientific research.The concept of the urban spatial system is complex and has the characteristics of scale dependence,and the selection of an appropriate spatial scale is important for the accurate estimation and description of urban issues.In this paper,we discuss spatial scale in urban research using cases that primarily come from the Chinese experience,provide some examples that demonstrate the importance of appropriate scale in urban research,including urban shrinkage,and highlight problems in spatial research.Ultimately,we suggest that scale consciousness should be the basic consciousness required in empirical research.
基金supported by the National Key Basic Research and Development Project of China under Grant No.2011CB403405the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos.41075039 and 41175065the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions(PAPD)
文摘Data from Goddard cumulus ensemble model experiment are used to study temporal and spatial scale dependence of tropical rainfall separation analysis based on cloud budget during Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere Coupled Ocean Atmosphere Response Experiment （TOGA COARE）. The analysis shows that the calculations of model domain mean or time-mean grid-scale mean simulation data overestimate the rain rates of the two rainfall types associated with net condensation but they severely underestimate the rain rate of the rainfall type associated with net evaporation and hydrometeor convergence.
基金supported in part by the National Key R&D Program of China (No.2017YFE0109000)the project of China Datang Corporation Ltd
文摘With the increasing proportion of wind power integration, the volatility of wind power brings huge challenges to the safe and stable operation of the electric power system. At present, the indexes commonly used to evaluate the volatility of wind power only consider its overall characteristics, such as the standard deviation of wind power, the average of power variables, etc., while ignoring the detailed volatility of wind power, that is, the features of the frequency distribution of power variables. However, how to accurately describe the detailed volatility of wind power is the key foundation to reduce its adverse influences. To address this, a quantitative method for evaluating the detailed volatility of wind power at multiple temporal-spatial scales is proposed. First, the volatility indexes which can evaluate the detailed fluctuation characteristics of wind power are presented, including the upper confidence limit, lower confidence limit and confidence interval of power variables under the certain confidence level. Then, the actual wind power data from a location in northern China is used to illustrate the application of the proposed indexes at multiple temporal(year–season–month–day) and spatial scales(wind turbine–wind turbines–wind farm–wind farms) using the calculation time windows of 10 min, 30 min, 1 h, and 4 h. Finally, the relationships between wind power forecasting accuracy and its corresponding detailed volatility are analyzed to further verify the effectiveness of the proposed indexes. The results show that the proposed volatility indexes can effectively characterize the detailed fluctuations of wind power at multiple temporal-spatial scales. It is anticipated that the results of this study will serve as an important reference for the reserve capacity planning and optimization dispatch in the electric power system which with a high proportion of renewable energy.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NO. 41201464, 41371424)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China (GK201703042)
文摘The positive and negative terrains(P-N terrains) widely distributed across China's Loess Plateau constitute the dual structure characteristic of loess landforms. Analysis of loess P-N terrains at the watershed scale can serve to elucidate the structural characteristics and spatial patterns of P-N terrains, which benefits a better understanding of watershed evolution and suitable scales for loess landform research. The Two-Term Local Quadrat Variance Analysis(TTLQV) is calculated as the average of the square of the difference between the block totals of all possible adjacent pairs of block size, which can be used to detect both the scale and the intensity of landscape patches(e.g., plant/animal communities and gully networks). In this study, we determined the latitudinal and longitudinal spatial scale of P-N terrain patterns within 104 uniformly distributed watersheds in our target soil and water conservation region. The results showed that TTLQV is very effective for examining the scale of P-N terrain patterns. There were apparently three types of P-N terrain pattern in latitudinal direction(i.e., Loess Tableland type, Loess Hill type, and Transitional Form between Sand and Loess type), whereas there were both lower and higher values for P-N terrain pattern scales in all loess landforms in the longitudinal direction. The P-N terrain pattern alsoclearly presented anisotropy, suggesting that gully networks in the main direction were well-developed while others were relatively undeveloped. In addition, the relationships between the first scales and controlling factors(i.e., gully density, nibble degree, watershed area, mean watershed slope, NDVI, precipitation, loess thickness, and loess landforms) revealed that the first scales are primarily controlled by watershed area and loess landforms. This may indicate that the current spatial pattern of P-N terrains is characterized by internal force. In selecting suitable study areas in China' Loess Plateau, it is crucial to understand four control variables: the spatial scale of the P-N terrain pattern, the watershed area, the main direction of the watershed, and the loess landforms.
基金supported by the Beijing Common Construction Project Research and demonstrations on the regression technique for minimum populations of wild plants(2016YFC0503106)
文摘In 2014,a 40-ha undisturbed plot was established in the Beijing Songshan Nature Reserve.The spatial distribution and spatial associations of five dominant tree species of different height classes were examined using spatial point pattern analysis and the effects of these species on local community diversity assemblages were examined using the ISAR method.The dominant species were characterized by an aggregated distribution at spatial scales of 0–50 m.At smaller spatial scales,trees in larger height classes had significant positive and negative effects on the diversity of the lower height classes.However,at larger spatial scales this effect was diminished.At small scales(0–10 m),accumulator species had positive effects on species diversity,maintained an over-representative proportion of diversity in their proximity,and supported the ecological niche theory.At the larger scale(10–50 m),neutral species were dominant and had positive effects on species diversity,though repeller species,which had negative effects on species diversity,also contributed to diversity.Neutral and accumulator species together determined local species diversity,but the relative importance of the two was closely related to spatial scale.A combination of the ecological niche theory and neutral processes together determines species coexistence and biodiversity of an undisturbed pine forest.
文摘By using a new economic geography model of multi-region to study the impact of market scale on spatial economic structure,we find that the home market effect plays a key role in it.At different development periods,under external shocks such as transportation costs and so on,industry shares will change due to the distribution of market scale.The spatial economic structure will gradually evolve into such forms as single core or dual-core structure,especially"central collapse"will be found in the process.Such results can be used to analyze the practical problems,including the"central collapse"in the east,central and west regions of China,the structure of city clusters,etc.With the rapid development of transportation infrastructures,China will form a variety of development patterns on different spatial scales owing to home market effect.The regional convergence can be reached through reducing the economic distance and promoting agglomerative economies,which will help achieve regional coordinated development.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32361143871,52109071,and 52239002)the Chinese Universities Scientific Fund(2024RC033 and 2023RC026)the Pinduoduo-China Agricultural University Research Fund(Grant No.PC2023A02002).
文摘Amid the escalating frequency of climate extremes,it is crucial to determine their impact on agricultural water scarcity to preserve agricultural development.Current research does not often examine how different spatial scales and compound climate extremes influence agricultural water scarcity.Using an agricultural water scarcity index(Awsl),this study examined the effects of precipitation and temperature extremes on AwSl across secondary and tertiary river basins in China from 1971 to 2010.The results indicated a marked increase in Awsl during dry years and elevated temperatures.The analysis underscores that precipitation had a greater impact on Awsl than temperature variation.In secondary basins,AwsI was about 26%higher than the long-term average during dry years,increasing to nearly 49%in exceptionally dry conditions.By comparison,in tertiary basins,the increases were 28%and 55%,respectively.In hot years,AwSl rose by about 6.8%(7.3%for tertiary basins)above the average,surging to about 19.1%(15.5%for tertiary basins)during extremely hot periods.These results show that AwSl assessment at the tertiary basin level better captured the influence of climate extremes on Awsl than assessments at the secondary basin level,which highlights the critical importance of a finer spatial scale for a more precise assessment and forecast of water scarcity within basin scales.Also,this study has highlighted the paramount urgency of implementing strategies to tackle water scarcity issues under compound extreme dry and hot conditions.Overall,this study offers an in-depth evaluation of the influence of both precipitation and temperature variation,and research scale on water scarcity,which will help formulate better water resource management strategies.
基金Sponsored by National Key R&D Projects in the“14th Five-year Plan”(2022YFC3800205)Shanghai Philosophy and Social Sciences Planning Project(2024VSJ034).
文摘In response to concerns over the recent expansion of the scope and content of urban design and the potential for“loss of focus”,this study uses the comprehensive urban design of Pudong New Area as a case study,emphasizing a need to“refocus”urban design efforts.It traces the spatial evolution of Pudong New Area under national strategic guidance,addressing two primary issues from a“strategy-problem”perspective.Building on the link between municipal urban design and district-level master planning,the study proposes a key element system that integrates“significance,publicness,cultural relevance,and connectivity”and a control strategy based on unit typology and policy-guided zoning.By establishing a clear and concise district-level control framework focused on“element+scale”,the study aims to enhance Pudong’s modern spatial image and its holistic spatial order,reinforcing Pudong’s role as a“leading area for socialist modernization”.
基金supported by the National Key Technology R&D Program in the 12th Five-year Plan of China(Grant No.2012BAB02B05)National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.41301030)
文摘The impact of vegetation coverage on erosion and sediment yield in the Loess Plateau has been extensively studied,but the research has been primarily based on observations from slope runoff plots or secondary forest regions;the scaling method remains unresolved when it is applied at a large spatial scale,and it is difficult to apply to regions with severe soil and water loss given the predominance of herbs and shrubs.To date,there is little data on the quantitative impact of changes to vegetation on sediment concentration at a large spatial scale.This paper is based on vegetation information from remote sensing images,measured rainfall and sediment data over nearly 60 years,and results from previous runoff and sediment variation research on the Yellow River.We introduce the concepts of a sediment yield coefficient and the percentage of effective vegetation and erodible area,analyze the impact of different vegetation conditions on the flood sediment concentration and sediment yield,and evaluate the effect of rainfall intensity on sediment yield under different vegetation conditions at the watershed scale.We propose models to evaluate the impact of vegetation on sediment yield in the loess gully hilly region,which are based on remote sensing data and support an application at a large spatial scale.The models can be used to assess sediment reduction that results from the current significant improvement of vegetation in the Loess Plateau.
基金Under the auspices of National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.41401204,41471462)Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(No.lzujbky-2013-128)
文摘The important role of spatial scale in exploring the geography of poverty as well as its policy implications has been noticed but with limited knowledge. To improve such limited understanding, we mainly investigated the spatial patterns and influencing factors of rural poverty(indicated by poor population and poverty incidence) at three different administrative levels in the Liupan Mountain Region, one of the fourteen poorest regions in China. Our results show that from a global perspective, poor areas are clustered significantly at the county-, township-, and village-level, and more greatly at a lower level. Locally, there is spatial mismatch among poverty hotspots detected not only by the same indicator at different levels but also by different indicators at the same level. A scale effect can be found in the influencing factors of rural poverty. That is, the number of significant factors increases, but the degree of their association with poverty incidence decreases at a lower level. Such scale effect indicates that poverty incidence at lower levels may be affected by more complex factors, including not only the new local ones but also the already appeared non-local ones at higher levels. However, the natural conditions tend to play a scale-independent role to poverty incidence. In response to such scale-dependent patterns and factors, anti-poverty policies can be 1) a multilevel monitoring system to reduce incomplete or even misleading single-level information and understanding; 2) the village-based targeting strategy to increase the targeting efficiency and alleviate the mentioned spatial mismatch; 3) more flexible strategies responding to the local impoverishing factors, and 4) different task emphasises for multilevel policymakers to achieve the common goal of poverty reduction.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.52008062,51678087)the Chongqing Social Science Planning Project(Grant No.2019BS069)。
文摘Riparian areas produce a variety of ecosystem service(ES)functions and play an important role in the coupled nature-human systems.Taking account of riparian ES in riparian greenspace planning framework and balancing the ecological and social aspects of ES can help to achieve the composite goals for urban-rural sustainability.However,there is still a lack of research on the integration thinking and quantification approach for riparian ES to support riparian greenspace planning and decision-making.This research mainly discusses the possible way of incorporating the ES into riparian greenspace planning and presents an integrated framework of the interaction between riparian ES and riparian greenspace planning,including evaluating riparian ES supply-demand budget to support multi-scales(region,urban,and street)riparian greenspace planning.Taking the Nanchuan District of Chongqing in China as a case study,we aim to achieve the following three results:first,recognizing the relationship and building a link between riparian ES and riparian greenspace planning;second,establishing a multi-scale scoring system of two ES supply-demand indicators for mapping on three spatial scales;third,applying riparian ES supply-demand mapping into riparian greenspace planning from three aspects of balancing planning goals,multi-scale planning tasks,and planning strategies and policies.
基金funded by the National Key Research and Development Program(2022YFC3003500)the 111 Project(D21001).
文摘In order to examine the effect of spatial scale and building exposure distribution on the pure rate of earthquake catastrophe insurance,this study described three modules for rate determination,put forward the general assumptions and principles for calculating the pure insurance rate,and introduced three types of building distribution and their calculation.Taking Tangshan City of Hebei Province in China as an example,we analyzed the pure rate of regional earthquake insurance in terms of spatial scale and building exposure distribution by using the method of control variables.The results show that for districts(or counties)with large differences in seismic risk,the risk areas can be further divided to apply differential rates.In areas with a diverse distribution of potential earthquake source areas and large differences in building density,there is a risk of overestimating or underestimating the pure rate of earthquake insurance when buildings are distributed evenly or partially evenly.This violates the break-even principle of rate setting.This study also provides a reference for earthquake catastrophe insurance companies to choose the spatial scale and the detailed level of exposure distribution in rate determination.
基金The study was supported by the National Nature Science Foundation of China(grant no.31700355)the Scientific Research Start-up Foundation for Doctors of Xinjiang University(grant no.BS160260)。
文摘Aims Anthropogenic activities have drastically increased nutrient availabil-ity,resulting in declines in species richness in many plant communi-ties.However,most previous studies have explored only species-loss patterns and mechanisms over small sampling areas,so their results might overestimate species loss at larger spatial scales.The aim of this research was to explore species diversity change patterns and species-loss rates at multiple scales in alpine meadow communities following nutrient enrichment.Specifically,we asked two closely related ques-tions:(i)do changes in species diversity and species-loss patterns differ among spatial scales?and(ii)how does community compositional dissimilarity and species turnover change among spatial scale?Methods This study was implemented in an alpine meadow community,which is regarded as one of the most sensitive and vulnerable ter-restrial ecosystems to anthropogenic nutrient enrichment.We conducted a fertilization experiment that involved the addition of nitrogen(N),phosphorus(P)and a mixture of both to a series of quadrats ranging from 1 to 16 m2 over 5 years to study the variations in the patterns of species diversity in response to nutrient additions at different spatial scales.Important Findings Our results showed that the changes in species diversity and species loss were dependent on the type of fertilization and the spatial scale.After N and NP fertilization,species diversity significantly decreased at the small scale but not at the large scale,and the rate of species loss decreased as the spatial scale increased.In contrast,the differences between the P addition and control communities were negligible at both the small and large spatial scales.N fertilization caused species to be lost from the small sampling scale,but because different species were lost from dif-ferent samples,there was an increase in compositional dissimilarity at larger spatial scales,which reduced the total number of species lost when measured at larger scales.These findings highlight spatial scale in evalu-ating the biodiversity loss after fertilization and suggest that the compo-sitional dissimilarity might play an important role in mediating species loss after fertilization.Our study significantly improved our understanding of changes in species diversity and species loss at different spatial scales under nutrient-enrichment scenarios.
文摘The drastic decline in groundwater table and many other detrimental effects in meeting irrigation demand, and the projected population growth have force to evaluate consumptive use or evapo-transpiration (ET), the rate of liquid water transformation to vapor from open water, bare soil, and vegetation, which determines the irrigation demand. As underscored in the literature, Pen-man-Monteith method which is based on aerodynamic and energy balance method is widely used and accepted as the method of estimation of ET. However, the estimation of ET is oftentimes carried out using meteorological data from climate stations. Therefore, such estimation of ET may vary spatially and thus there exists a need to estimate ET spatially at different spatial or grid scales/resolutions. Thus, in this paper, a spatial tool that can geographically encompass all the best available climate datasets to produce ET at different spatial scales is developed. The spatial tool is developed as a Python toolbox in ArcGIS using Python, an open source programming language, and the ArcPy site-package of ArcGIS. The developed spatial tool is demonstrated using the meteorological data from Automated Weather Data Network in Nebraska in 2010.
文摘The combination of spatial distribution,semantic characteristics,and sometimes temporal dynamics of POIs inside a geographic region can capture its unique land use characteristics.Most previous studies on POI-based land use modeling research focused on one geographic region and select one spatial scale and semantic granularity for land use characterization.There is a lack of understanding on the impact of spatial scale,semantic granularity,and geographic context on POI-based land use modeling,particularly large-scale land use modeling.In this study,we developed a scalable POI-based land use modeling framework and examined the impact of these three factors on POI-based land use characterization using data from three geographic regions.We developed a unified semantic representation framework for POI semantics that can help fuse heterogeneous POI data sources.Then,by combining POIs with a neural network language model,we developed a spatially explicit approach to learn the embedding representation of POIs and AOIs.We trained multiple supervised classifiers using AOI embeddings as input features to predict AOI land use at different semantic granularities.The classification performance of different land use classes was analyzed and compared across three geographic regions to identify the semantic representativeness of POI-based AOI embedding and the impact of geographic context.
文摘The need to allocate the existing water in a sustainable manner, even with the projected population growth, has made to assess the consumptive use or evapotranspiration (ET), which determines the irrigation demand. As underscored in the literature, Penman-Monteith method which is a combination of aerodynamic and energy balance method is widely used and accepted as the method of estimation of ET. However, the application of Penman-Monteith relies on many climate parameters such as relative humidity, solar radiation, temperature, and wind speed. Therefore, there exists a need to determine the parameters that are most sensitive and correlated with dependent variable (i.e., ET), to strengthen the knowledge base. However, the sensitivity of ET using Penman-Monteith is oftentimes estimated using meteorological data from climate stations. Such estimation of sensitivity may vary spatially and thus there exists a need to estimate sensitivity of ET spatially. Thus, in this paper, based on One-AT-A-Time (OAT) method, a spatial sensitivity tool that can geographically encompass all the best available climate datasets to produce ET and its sensitivity at different spatial scales is developed. The spatial tool is developed as a Python toolbox in ArcGIS using Python, an open source programming language, and the ArcPy site-package of ArcGIS. The developed spatial tool is demonstrated using the meteorological data from Automated Weather Data Network in Nebraska in 2010. To summarize the outcome of the sensitivity analysis using OAT method, sensitivity indices are developed for each raster cell. The demonstration of the tool shows that, among the considered parameters, the computed ET using Penman-Monteith is highly sensitive to solar radiation followed by temperature for the state of Nebraska, as depicted by the sensitivity index. The computed sensitivity index of wind speed and the relative humidity are not that significant compared to the sensitivity index of solar radiation and temperature.
文摘By taking 65 counties and cities of Jiangsu Province as empirical units, rurality indexes have been constructed based on regional urban-rural integration, and a quantitative evaluation has been conducted on the rurality of Jiangsu Province based on county scale. With the support of ArcGIS 9.3, GeoDA 095 and SPSS 16, by adopting Jenks best breakpoint classification and spatial autocorrelation analysis, quantitative analysis and research have been conducted on the spatial differentiation of rurality of Jiangsu Province. The results show that the rural difference of Jiangsu Province based on county scale is not remarkable, and the area with strong rurality takes a larger proportion; rurality increases from South Jiangsu to North Jiangsu progressively; rurality concentrates in general, seven counties and cities including Jiangyin and Kunshan City are "cold points" while seven counties and cities including Guanyun and Funing City are "hot points" of rurality.
