Publications | SongshGeo

The modeling framework of the coupled human and natural systems in the Yellow River Basin

This study presents a conceptual modeling framework for coupled human and natural systems (CHANS) in the Yellow River Basin, focusing on human-water dynamics through a system dynamics approach. The framework effectively captures interactions between key human and natural components, successfully reproducing historical trends and predicting future scenarios, thereby offering valuable insights for enhancing regional sustainability efforts.

Sang Shan, Li Yan, Shuang Song, Yu Lu, Wang Shuai

Scientifically improving integrated water governance for resilient flow of the Yellow River

The article highlights the ongoing challenges in the human-water relationship in the Yellow River basin, despite progress in controlling soil erosion and river flow interruptions. It identifies key issues such as decreased sediment transport, worsening water scarcity, and significant changes in human-water dynamics, while proposing future strategies focused on data collection, infrastructure development, integrated water management, and ecological restoration to ensure sustainable water resources and maintain the river’s flow.

Wang Shuai, Shuang Song, Liu Yanxu, Wu Xutong, Jiang Enhui

River stabilization reshaped human-nature interactions in the Lower Yellow River Floodplain

This study of the Lower Yellow River Floodplain reveals that hydrological changes since the 1990s have weakened the flood-prone nature of the area, leading to reduced surface water and inundation of cropland, while agricultural intensity has increased more rapidly within the floodplain compared to surrounding areas. The findings highlight the impact of river stabilization from upstream regulation on human-nature interactions, emphasizing the need for integrated river governance in floodplain management.

Jiao Chentai, Wu Xutong, Shuang Song, Wang Shuai, Xiang Bei

Empowering Human-Water System Analysis through ABSESpy: An Agent-Based Modeling Framework of SES

Shuang Song, Wang Shuai, Jiao Chentai, Mantilla Elías José

Ecological restoration in the Yellow River Basin enhances hydropower potential

This study evaluates the impact of ecological restoration (ER) on the hydropower potential of the Xiaolangdi Reservoir on China’s Yellow River, finding that while ER can enhance energy generation capacity by 57.3% due to extended sediment storage lifespan, it may also lead to a 6.9% reduction in average annual energy output. The findings highlight the complex interplay between ecosystem management and hydropower efficiency, providing insights for integrated watershed management.

Wu Xutong, Yan Zihan, Yang Haiyan, Wang Shuai, Zhang Haoyu

Crop irrigation water requirements mismatch the actual water allocation in the anthropogenic-regulated Yellow River Basin

This study quantifies the spatiotemporal variations in irrigation water requirements (IWR) for major crops in the Yellow River Basin, revealing significant mismatches between IWR and actual water supply, particularly in the middle and lower reaches, with future projections indicating that these discrepancies may worsen. The findings underscore the need for institutional adaptations to improve water resilience and sustainability in the region.

Hou Yueman, Wang Shuai, Shuang Song, Chen Peng, Wu Xutong

Bleak prospects and targeted actions for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

This study classifies 166 countries based on their performance in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into five groups, revealing that no country excels in all SDGs and highlighting the need for targeted actions and better-aligned development aid to facilitate sustainable transformations. The findings emphasize that prioritizing certain SDGs, like industry and innovation, can help lower-performing countries achieve more sustainable development.

Wu Xutong, Fu Bojie, Wang Shuai, Shuang Song, Lusseau David

Anthropogenic impacts on the Yellow River Basin

This review highlights the significant anthropogenic impacts on the hydrological cycle and sediment dynamics of the Yellow River Basin since the 1950s, noting a 90% reduction in sediment transport due to conservation efforts, which has led to increased evapotranspiration and reduced runoff. The findings emphasize the need for dynamic monitoring and a better understanding of human-hydrological interactions to address potential resource crises and ecosystem degradation in the region.

Wang Shuai, Shuang Song, Zhang Haoyu, Yu Lu, Jiao Chentai

ABSESpy: An agent-based modeling framework for social-ecological systems

ABSESpy is an innovative agent-based modeling framework designed to improve the fidelity of socio-ecological systems research by integrating complex decision-making, scaling, and data integration through its Branch-Leaf architecture. Its capabilities in modeling human behavior and accommodating diverse temporal scales make it a vital tool for addressing existing gaps in SES research and enhancing the applicability of ABMs to real-world issues.

Shuang Song, Shuai Wang, Bojie Fu, Chentai Jiao, Elías José Mantilla

ABSESpy: An agent-based modeling framework for social-ecological systems

Quantifying the Effects of Institutional Shifts on Water Governance in the Yellow River Basin: A Social-ecological System Perspective

We employ a Differenced Synthetic Control method to assess the impacts of the institutional shifts. Our analysis suggests that the 87-WAS unexpectedly increased water use by 5.75%, while the 98-UBR successfully reduced water use as anticipated.

Shuang Song, Shuai Wang, Bojie Fu, Yanxu Liu, Kevin Wang, Yikai Li, Yaping Wang

Quantifying the Effects of Institutional Shifts on Water Governance in the Yellow River Basin: A Social-ecological System Perspective

Identifying regime transitions for water governance at the Yellow River Basin, China

In the Yellow River Basin, the underlying causes of regime shifts were increasing water supply and demand before the governance transformation and re-allocation and regulation after the change. The IWGI offers a comprehensive and straightforward approach to linking water governance regimes to sustainability, providing valuable insights into hydrosocial transitions.

Shuang Song, Shuai Wang, Xutong Wu, Yongping Wei, Graeme Cumming, Yue Qin, Xilin Wu, Bojie Fu

Identifying regime transitions for water governance at the Yellow River Basin, China

Institutional impacts on the evolution of the Yellow River, China: a perspective from socio-hydrological modelling

An agent-based model was developed around the Yellow River’s most far-reaching water quota institution during the past half century, considering how factors such as human behaviour and environmental change have combined with the institutional shifts to lead to changes in the Yellow River’s water use.

Shuang Song, Shuai Wang, Bojie Fu

Institutional impacts on the evolution of the Yellow River, China: a perspective from socio-hydrological modelling

Decreased Virtual Water Outflows from the Yellow River Basin Are Increasingly Critical to China

The temporal increase of the complexity index indicated that the virtual water outflows (VWFs) from the YRB were becoming increasingly critical to China; i.e. the ability of YRB to produce crops boosted the difficulty of its water being replaced by water exporting from other basins.

Shuang Song, Shuai Wang, Xutong Wu, Yongyuan Huang, Bojie Fu

Decreased Virtual Water Outflows from the Yellow River Basin Are Increasingly Critical to China

Decoupling of SDGs followed by re-coupling as sustainable development progresses

SDG interactions showed nonlinear changes as the SDG Index increased:SDGs were both more positively and more negatively connected at low and high sustainable development levels, but they were clustered into more isolated positive connection groups at middle levels.

Xutong Wu, Bojie Fu, Shuai Wang, Shuang Song, Yingjie Li, Zhenci Xu, Yongping Wei, Jianguo Liu

Decoupling of SDGs followed by re-coupling as sustainable development progresses

Ecological Restoration Intensifies Evapotranspiration in the Kubuqi Desert

Understanding how ecological restoration affects the regional water balance is important for scientific desertification management. Using remote sensing satellite images and meteorological data, we analyzed the impacts of ecological restoration on water resources in the Kubuqi Desert during 1986–2017.

Peng Chen, Shuai Wang, Shuang Song, Yijia Wang, Yaping Wang, Dexin Gao, Zidong Li

Ecological Restoration Intensifies Evapotranspiration in the Kubuqi Desert

The contribution of ecosystem restoration to sustainable development goals in Asian drylands: A literature review

After reviewing the social-ecological effects of 23 ecosystem restoration programs in Asia’s drylands, we find that these programs mainly contribute to SDGs synergistically, but the tradeoffs between social-ecological effects still exists.

Ying Yao, Bojie Fu, Yanxu Liu, Yijia Wang, Shuang Song

The contribution of ecosystem restoration to sustainable development goals in Asian drylands: A literature review

A review of community-based socio-ecological system adaptation pathways

In the context of global change, the community, as the basic unit of a social-ecological system, is facing both potential or existing shocks and trends in the structure and function of the system. Community-based adaptation (CBA) provides an effective way for communities to mitigate change and even seize the opportunity for transformation.

Yijia Wang, Yanxu Liu, Shuang Song, Ying Yao

A review of community-based socio-ecological system adaptation pathways

Research Progress of the Water-Food-Energy-Ecosystem Nexus

Based on a review of recent international frameworks for Water-Food-Energy-Ecosystem （WFEE） nexus construction，we found that there was a need to integrate the social governance processes of water，food and energy resource sectors from the perspective of ecosystem services.

Yijia Wang, Yanxu Liu, Shuang Song, Bojie Fu

Research Progress of the Water-Food-Energy-Ecosystem Nexus

Threshold of Vapour– Pressure Deficit Constraint on Light Use Efficiency Varied with Soil Water Content

We quantified the relative roles of VPD and SMC in limiting LUE and analysed the interactions among VPD, SMC and LUE using data from CO2 and water flux stations and weather stations along a climatic gradient in the Heihe River Basin, China.

Dexin Gao, Shuai Wang, Zidong Li, Fangli Wei, Peng Chen, Shuang Song, Yaping Wang, Lixin Wang, Bojie Fu

Threshold of Vapour– Pressure Deficit Constraint on Light Use Efficiency Varied with Soil Water Content

Long-term and seasonal variation of open-surface water bodies in the Yellow River Basin during 1990–2020

During these 30 years, YRB surface waters were characterized by spatial and seasonal heterogeneities. The open-surface water coverage in the upper and middle reaches of the YRB was 8.74‰ and 4.24‰, respectively, less than the average coverage in the whole YRB of 9.45‰. Surface water area was significant larger in flood seasons than in dry seasons, while during 1990–2020, the surface water area increased by 27.5% in the flood season and by 58.9% in the dry season, reaching 7239.2 km2 (flood season) and 6654.8 km2 (dry season) in 2020.

Chentai Jiao, Shuai Wang, Shuang Song, Bojie Fu

Long-term and seasonal variation of open-surface water bodies in the Yellow River Basin during 1990–2020

The responses of Spinifex littoreus to sand burial on the coastal area of Pingtan Island, Fujian Province, South China

The adaptive capacity of psammophytes to sand burial is crucial for the ecological restoration of coastal dune systems. The responses of Spinifex littoreus to different sand burial depths and levels were examined on the coast of Pingtan Island, Fujian Province, South China.

Shuang Song, Jianhui Du, Qirui Wu, Mingyang Ni, Yijia Wang, Yingling Zhang

The responses of Spinifex littoreus to sand burial on the coastal area of Pingtan Island, Fujian Province, South China

Improving Representation of Collective Memory in Socio-hydrological Models and New Insights into Flood Risk Management

Collective memory plays a controlling role in adaptation to potential flood risks, by learning from past disasters. Based on survey data, we suggest that using the Universal Decay Model (UDM) proposed by previous researchers provides better fitting results for the decay of flooding memory.

Shuang Song, Shuai Wang, Bojie Fu, Yuxiang Dong, Yanxu Liu, Haibin Chen, Yaping Wang

Improving Representation of Collective Memory in Socio-hydrological Models and New Insights into Flood Risk Management

Achieving a Fit between Social and Ecological Systems in Drylands for Sustainability

By drawing on the cases of SES management in dryland areas, we propose three distinct but complementary approaches to promote SES fit based on comprehensive and systematic analyses, which can be summarized as structural, dynamic, and scale approaches.

Shuai Wang, Shuang Song, Junze Zhang, Xutong Wu, Bojie Fu

Achieving a Fit between Social and Ecological Systems in Drylands for Sustainability

Detecting Land Degradation in Southern Africa Using Time Series Segment and Residual Trend (TSS-RESTREND)

By eliminating positive effects from precipitation and including negative effects from breakpoints, TSS-RESTREND highlighted the potential overestimate of improvement by the linear regression method and the underestimate of degradation by the linear regression and RESTREND methods. These results showed that the land degradation detection with TSS-RESTREND method is useful for land conservation and restoration.

Zidong Li, Shuai Wang, Shuang Song, Yaping Wang, Walter Musakwa

Detecting Land Degradation in Southern Africa Using Time Series Segment and Residual Trend (TSS-RESTREND)

Sediment Transport under Increasing Anthropogenic Stress: Regime Shifts within the Yellow River, China

The Yellow River, once the world’s most sediment-rich river, has experienced dramatic regime shifts. We reanalyzed previous datasets to clarify the first historical sediment transport regime shift in the Yellow River. Our results suggest a regime shift occurred only under increased forcing from anthropogenic stresses (after 1900 AD).

Shuang Song, Shuai Wang, Bojie Fu, Yanxu Liu, Kevin Wang, Yikai Li, Yaping Wang

Sediment Transport under Increasing Anthropogenic Stress: Regime Shifts within the Yellow River, China

The Yellow River, once the world’s most sediment-rich river, has experienced dramatic regime shifts. We reanalyzed previous datasets to clarify the first historical sediment transport regime shift in the Yellow River. Our results suggest a regime shift occurred only under increased forcing from anthropogenic stresses (after 1900 AD).

Shuang Song, Shuai Wang, Bojie Fu, Yanxu Liu, Kevin Wang, Yikai Li, Yaping Wang

Structure Disentanglement and Effect Analysis of the Arid Riverscape Social-Ecological System Using a Network Approach

Our study demonstrated that network analysis could be one promising direction to untangle the complex SES and understand the relationship between SES structure and outcomes. We suggest comanaging the cross-boundary river and lands to further match the SES for basin sustainability.

Mengmeng Zhang, Shuai Wang, Bojie Fu, Xiaohua Wei, Cong Wang, Shuang Song, Fangli Wei

Structure Disentanglement and Effect Analysis of the Arid Riverscape Social-Ecological System Using a Network Approach

Study on adaptive governance of social-ecological system: Progress and prospect

Adaptive governance theory is influenced by “common pool resources management”, “resilience” and “governance”, and lays a foundation for the construction of transformative governance and collaborative governance.

Shuang Song, Shuai Wang, Bojie Fu, Haibin Chen, Yanxu Liu, Wenwu Zhao

Study on adaptive governance of social-ecological system: Progress and prospect

Diurnal variation characteristics of leaf water potential of Spinifex littoreus on the nebkhas in different succession periods on the coast of Pingtan Island，Fujian Province，China

Diurnal variation and its influencing factors of leaf water potential ( ψl ) of Spinifex littoreus on the nebkhas in two succession periods were measured on the coast of Pingtan Island, Fujian Province．

Xianji Yang, Jianhui Du, Jing Qin, Zhihua Chen, Lin Yang, Shuang Song

Diurnal variation characteristics of leaf water potential of Spinifex littoreus on the nebkhas in different succession periods on the coast of Pingtan Island，Fujian Province，China