Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Effects of Urbanization on Landscape Patterns in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River Region

This remote sensing study analyzed how urbanization changed land use and landscape patterns in the middle Yangtze River region of China over several decades. Rapid urbanization replaced natural vegetation with impervious surfaces, reducing ecosystem services like water filtration. Urban expansion is closely linked to increases in plastic consumption and microplastic pollution in adjacent water bodies.

2021 Land 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Urbanization and the Emerging Water Crisis: Identifying Water Scarcity and Environmental Risk with Multiple Applications in Urban Agglomerations in Western China

Researchers developed a comprehensive index system to evaluate water scarcity and environmental risk across three major urban regions in Western China. They found that rapid urbanization has significantly worsened water resource shortages and ecological vulnerability in these areas. The study provides a framework for understanding how urban growth intensifies water stress and suggests approaches for sustainable water resource management.

2023 Sustainability 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Landscape Ecological Risk Assessment Based on Land Use Change in the Yellow River Basin of Shaanxi, China

Researchers assessed landscape ecological risk in the Yellow River Basin of Shaanxi, China using land use change data, finding that fragmentation and conversion of natural habitats driven by urbanization and agriculture have substantially increased ecological risk across the basin over recent decades.

2022 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of watershed habitat quality based on land use: a case study of taking Ciyao River Basin

Land use change analysis in the Ciyao River Basin from 1985 to 2020 showed that habitat quality declined in areas with increased agricultural and urban expansion, highlighting land use as a key driver of watershed ecological health. The findings support land use planning as a tool for biodiversity and water resource protection.

2023 Quality Assurance and Safety of Crops & Foods 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Spatiotemporal changes in land use and residential satisfaction in the Huai River-Gaoyou Lake Rim area

Researchers used two decades of satellite data to track land use changes and ecological risks in China's Jiangsu Province, focusing on shifts between agricultural, urban, and wetland areas. Land use changes alter how plastic waste and microplastics are transported and deposited in freshwater ecosystems.

2023 Open Geosciences 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Rural Ecological Problems in China from 2013 to 2022: A Review of Research Hotspots, Geographical Distribution, and Countermeasures

This review analyzed a decade of research on rural ecological problems in China from 2013 to 2022, identifying key hotspots including soil contamination, water pollution, and biodiversity loss driven by rapid urbanization and industrial development, and summarizing proposed countermeasures.

2022 Land 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecological Zoning Based on Value–Risk in the Wuling Mountains Area of Hunan Province

Researchers assessed ecological zoning in China's Wuling Mountains region based on ecosystem service value and ecological risk from 2000 to 2020. They found that both overall ecosystem value and ecological risk increased over the study period, with forests providing over 77% of the total ecosystem service value. The study provides a framework for ecological planning that accounts for environmental risks, including those from pollution and land use changes.

2024 Sustainability 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Analysis of Land Use Evolution of Suzhou Wetlands Based on RS and GIS

Researchers used satellite remote sensing and GIS to track changes in land use and wetland coverage in Suzhou, China over time. Understanding how wetland ecosystems change is important for assessing their capacity to filter pollutants, including microplastics carried by stormwater and runoff.

2023 International Journal of Environment Agriculture and Biotechnology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Dynamic Changes of Local Climate Zones in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area and Their Spatio-Temporal Impacts on the Surface Urban Heat Island Effect between 2005 and 2015

Researchers mapped changes in local climate zones in China's Greater Bay Area between 2005 and 2015 and quantified how urban land cover shifts drove increases in surface urban heat island intensity, finding that compact urban development produced the greatest warming contributions.

2021 Sustainability 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Conditions of Mainland China’s Island Ecosystems and Associated Influencing Factors: Integrated Assessment of 42 Typical Island Ecosystems

Researchers assessed the ecological condition of 42 representative islands along China's coast using a framework integrating environmental quality, biological structure, and landscape patterns, finding that island ecosystem health varied significantly by size, location, and human land use intensity.

2022 Frontiers in Marine Science 4 citations
Article Tier 2

A Comprehensive Method for Water Environment Assessment considering Trends of Water Quality

Researchers developed a comprehensive water quality assessment method that accounts for both current pollution levels and trends over time, applying it to rivers feeding a major Chinese reservoir. Water quality assessment frameworks are increasingly being adapted to include microplastic contamination as a standard monitoring parameter.

2021 Advances in Civil Engineering 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring the spatiotemporal effects of urban scale and urban vitality on S&D balance in the Yangtze River Delta, China from 2015 to 2025

Researchers analyzed how city growth and economic activity affect the balance between what ecosystems provide (like clean water and clean air) and what people demand in China's Yangtze River Delta, finding that larger urban areas strain this balance while targeted development strategies can help certain regions maintain healthier ecosystems.

2025 Scientific Reports 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Spatiotemporal Variations of Human Pressure on Key Biodiversity Areas in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau: A Comparative Analysis

Researchers analyzed spatiotemporal changes in human pressure on key biodiversity areas across the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau from 1990 to 2017, finding that conservation policies enacted after 2010 helped slow but not fully reverse increasing anthropogenic pressures on these ecologically sensitive zones.

2022 Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Long-term human expansion and the environmental impacts on the coastal zone of China

This study analyzed long-term expansion of reclamation, aquaculture ponds, and urban land cover in the Circum-Bohai Coastal Zone of China from satellite data using Google Earth Engine. Human coastal expansion accelerated significantly over the study period and was associated with declining ecosystem services including carbon storage, water purification, and biodiversity habitat.

2022 Frontiers in Marine Science 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecological Waves at Tourist Attractions on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Promote Greenness of Surrounding Vegetation

Analysis of NDVI data around tourist attractions on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau found that high-traffic sites generated positive "ecological wave" effects within 20 km—improving surrounding vegetation greenness—attributable to conservation infrastructure and local ecological management at protected destinations.

2025 Land 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Urban Water Quality Assessment Based on Remote Sensing Reflectance Optical Classification

Researchers developed an urban water quality assessment method combining remote sensing reflectance optical classification with traditional water quality grading principles, enabling spatially and temporally continuous monitoring of urban water bodies.

2021 Remote Sensing 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics pollution in inland freshwaters of China: A case study in urban surface waters of Wuhan, China

Researchers characterized microplastic pollution in inland freshwaters across urban suburban areas of China, finding contamination that reflected land use intensity and population density in the surrounding catchments.

2016 The Science of The Total Environment 1061 citations
Article Tier 2

Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Spatial Differentiation of Urban Black and Odorous Waters in China

This Chinese study analyzed the geographic distribution of urban black and odorous water bodies — severely polluted urban waterways — and the factors driving their spatial patterns. Urban waterways are major pathways for microplastics from cities to receiving water bodies and coastal zones.

2018 Sustainability 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Application of Remote Sensing Technology in Ecological Engineering—A Case Study of Phase I Tao River Water Diversion Project

Researchers used remote sensing satellite imagery to monitor ecological restoration and erosion control during a large Chinese water diversion project. While focused on construction impacts, remote sensing methods are also being developed to detect and map microplastic pollution from satellite data.

2021 E3S Web of Conferences 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Urbanisation and specifically impervious cover alter riparian plant communities in a rapidly urbanising landscape in the Himalayas

Researchers studied how urbanization and impervious surfaces like roads and buildings affect riparian plant communities along rivers in the Himalayas. The study found that expanding impervious cover along riverbanks significantly alters species diversity and composition, threatening these important transitional ecosystems in a rapidly developing region.

2025 Urban forestry & urban greening 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Development of Ecosystem Health Assessment (EHA) and Application Method: A Review

This review traces the development of ecosystem health assessment methods, comparing biological indicator approaches and index system methods and analyzing how they have been applied to assess the health of aquatic, terrestrial, and urban ecosystems under anthropogenic stress.

2021 Sustainability 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Spatiо-Temporal Study of the Ecological State of Water Bodies Located within the Detached Objects of the Urbanized Territory of Ukraine

This paper examines how urbanization affects the ecological health of water bodies over time, finding that various types of human activity degrade water quality. Urban runoff is a major pathway by which microplastics and other pollutants enter aquatic ecosystems.

2021 Ecological Engineering & Environmental Technology 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Eco-Asset Variations and Their Driving Factors in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, China, under the Context of Global Change

This paper is not relevant to microplastics research — it analyzes ecological asset changes and their environmental drivers on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau using remote sensing data.

2023 Sustainability 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Land Use Changesand Their Impacts on Ecosystem ServiceValue in the Qinghai Lake Basin, 2003-2023

Researchers examined spatiotemporal land use changes and their effects on ecosystem service value in the Qinghai Lake Basin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau over a 20-year period from 2003 to 2023. The study found that land use alterations significantly disrupted biodiversity, soil retention, water conservation, and overall ecosystem service value in this important inland saltwater lake region.

2025 Polish Journal of Environmental Studies