Analysis on the relationship between fisheries economic growth and marine environmental pollution in China's coastal regions

The relationship between high-quality development and ecosystem health in China's urban agglomerations

China's rapid urbanization and economic development have significantly improved living standards and industrial capabilities. However, these advancements have also exerted pressure on the environment and ecosystem health (EH). Urban agglomerations (UAs)-clusters of interconnected cities-play a crucial role in driving high-quality development (HQD) and serve as hubs for economic growth, innovation, and social progress. Understanding the relationship between HQD and EH is essential for ensuring ecological security and promoting regional sustainable development. This study examines 17 UAs in China, each at different stages of development, and analyzes their HQD and EH levels from 2000 to 2021. The HQD index shows a steady upward trend over this period, increasing from 0.086 in 2000 to 0.236 in 2021, a cumulative rise of 174.42%. In contrast, EH levels remained relatively stable throughout this period, with moderate variations across different regions. On average, local-level UAs exhibited higher EH levels than national-level UAs, with regional-level UAs falling in between. A U-shaped relationship between HQD and EH was observed in most UAs. The coupling coordination degree between HQD and EH has gradually improved, with many areas achieving high or intermediate levels of coordination. Over time, the number of regions with serious or slight maladjustment in the coupling coordination has decreased. High-level coordination hotspots were primarily located in eastern and northern UAs, while cold spots were mainly found in the coastal areas of southeastern China. These findings provide valuable insights for policymakers to better balance economic development and environmental protection.

Transformation of agriculture to inland aquaculture in the coastal plains of West Bengal, India

Traditional agriculture has a notable shift towards inland aquaculture driven by geo-environmental hazards and socio-economic choices. This shift is crucial for ensuring economic resiliency and food security. Therefore, the present study examines the transformation of agricultural land to inland aquaculture among the three community development (C.D.) blocks Egra-II, Patashpur-I, and Moyna of Purba Medinipur district in West Bengal, India, from 1990 to 2020. The expansion of aquacultural land and future prediction for 2030 has been executed using Landsat data and the Markov chain model. The results exhibit that the cultivated area (29.3 km2) has been converted into inland aquaculture for Moyna followed by Egra-II (20.61 km2) and Patashpur-I (15. 04 km2) during the period of 1990-2020. Thus, the rapid agricultural land transformation into inland aquaculture has been discussed from the perspective of push factors of geo-environmental hazards such as riverine floods, stagnation of water and riverbank migration, and pull factors of socio-economic drivers such as higher benefit-cost ratio from the inland aquaculture compared to conventional agriculture and role of microfinance and self-help groups. The field survey grounds that the per capita income of the study villages (e.g., Dakshin Chanra Chak, Gokulpur, Dubda) having positive transformation are found to record an escalating income portfolio (INR 2500-3000 in 2000 to 5000-7000 in 2022-23; 1 USD = INR 82.24 on 31 July 2023) while the villages (e.g., Dobandi, Kulrakhi, Nayapara) having negative transformation are found to register a relatively stable income profile (INR 2500-3000 in 2000 to 4000-5000 in 2022-23). An increasing trend of per capita income is found to induce a higher level of food security in the positive transformation area. Therefore, the present study would be useful to address the food security and future challenges due to the land transformation.

Investigating the determinants of marine environmental degradation in Africa: What roles can economy, population, capture and energy play?

This study firstly examines the quality of marine eco-environment in Africa using Tapio decoupling model, and analyzes the sustainability level of the development of "population agglomeration - marine environment - economic growth". Secondly, a series of econometric tools, such as ARDL, FMOLS, AMG model and DH panel causality test, are used to investigate the long- and short-term impacts of economic growth, population agglomeration, marine capture and energy consumption on the African marine eco-environment, and to analyze the differences between the sub-regions in Africa. The results indicate that: Adebayo and Kirikkaleli (2021) (Adebayo and Kirikkaleli, 2021) the decoupling state of "population-environment" has shifted from expansive negative decoupling to more optimized strong decoupling, and "economy-environment" has gradually changed from strong negative decoupling and expansive negative decoupling to strong decoupling. Ali et al. (2017) (Ali et al., 2017) There existed a bi-directional causal relationship between the degree of marine environment degradation and economic growth, population agglomeration, marine capture and energy consumption. Al-Mulali and Sab (2012) (Al-Mulali and Sab, 2012) In the short term, the economic EKC hypothesis does not hold in North and West Africa, while Central, East and Southern Africa are consistent with the EKC hypothesis. In the long term, the EKC hypothesis is valid in Central, East and Southern Africa, while is not valid in North and West Africa. Overall, reducing population agglomeration levels, marine fishing and energy consumption might mitigate marine environmental degradation in Africa.

Evaluation of the coordinated development level in the coastal eco-environmental complex system: A case study of Jiaozhou Bay, China

Given the exponential population growth and remarkable socio-economic advancements, coastal areas face increasingly complex challenges in eco-environmental management due to anthropogenic pressures. With the current emphasis on high-quality economic development, there is an urgent need to establish and evaluate a comprehensive indicator system to ensure the sustainable development of the coastal eco-environment and to meet evolving management demands. Research on the coordinated development level of coastal eco-environmental complex system, based on the concept of land-sea coordination, plays a pivotal role in promoting the resolution of eco-environmental issues in coastal areas, achieving sustainable socio-economic development in these regions. In this study, we construct an indicator system for the eco-environmental complex system in Jiaozhou Bay (JZB) coastal zone, China, comprising six sub-systems and thirty indicators. The comprehensive development level and coupling coordination degree model (CCDM) are employed in this study to analyze the indicator system in 1980-2020, aiming to elucidate the processes involved in the improvements in this complex system. The findings indicate: (i) the system's comprehensive development level evaluation and coupling coordination degree (CCD) exhibit a two-stage pattern: a declining trend in 1980-2005, followed by a rising trend in 2005-2020. (ii) despite improvements, the comprehensive development level and the CCD of the system in 2020 still hold potential for further enhancement compared to 1980; and (iii) policymaking and changes in anthropogenic pressures in coastal areas are the primary factors influencing the performance of the system. In the future, policymaking can reduce anthropogenic pressures on the coastal eco-environment, improve the comprehensive development level and CCD of the complex system, and encourage a commitment to sustainable development.

Comparative assessment of the environmental pollution and marine economic growth of Guangxi and China by using the environmental Kuznets curve fitting model

This study examined the nexus between per capita gross ocean product (GOP) growth and total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and chemical oxygen demand (COD) discharged from land-based sources in Guangxi and China. Multiple pollution indicators, such as red tide area (RTA), seawater quality area (SWQA), and eutrophication area (EA), were used as marine environmental quality indicators, and annual time series data during the period 2010-2019 were employed. The data were analyzed using the environment Kuznets curve fitting model. Results showed that the average annual growth rates of the GOP and gross domestic product (GDP) of China were 9.88% and 10.79%, respectively, and those of Guangxi were 13.62% and 10.02%, respectively. The average annual GOP ratio in GDP for Guangxi and China was 6.59 and 9.47, respectively. The marine tertiary industry was the most dominant marine industry; it accounted for 41.12-50.01% (mean: 46.12%) of Guangxi's GDP and 47-60% (mean: 52.47%) of China's GDP. The TP, COD, SWQA, and EA of Guangxi and the TP, TN, COD, SWQA, and EA of China displayed inverted U-shaped GOP growth. These findings indicate that the marine economic growth and marine environmental quality of Guangxi and China are harmonious. However, TN increased synchronously with marine economic growth in Guangxi. Therefore, the industrial structure must be further optimized, pollutant discharge management must be strengthened, and the harmonious development of Guangxi's marine economy and marine environment needs to be promoted.

Relationship among marine pollution, outdoor activities, and climate change: Fresh evidence from panel threshold regression analysis from coastal regions of China

The mitigation of oceanic pollution is believed to be influenced by the expansion of marine economies and advancements in technology, as per existing research. Nevertheless, the current body of research on this topic is lacking in terms of exploring the potential nonlinearity of the relationship and fully understanding the extent to which the observed effects have been demonstrated. The present study endeavors to bridge the existing research void by investigating the coastal regions of China spanning the time from 2000 to 2020. The present study utilizes a panel threshold model to examine the non-linear effects of marine patents and per capita gross ocean product on marine pollution. The measure of marine pollution is based on the quantity of industrial wastewater that is discharged directly into the ocean. The research findings suggest that there is a notable association between the increase in per capita GOP and the worsening of marine pollution across the three stages of the panel threshold model. The impact of China's environmental issues appears to be decreasing over time, indicating that the country is currently in the early stages of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) before reaching its peak. Based on the analysis of current trends, it is possible to deduce that a potential negative correlation between the GOP and pollution could emerge if these patterns continue. The implication arises that the expansion of the marine economy has the potential to alleviate environmental stressors on the ocean. In the context of marine patents, the research findings did not reveal any significant correlations at the lower and intermediate stages. During the analysis of the high-level phase, it was observed that marine patents exerted a significant impact on pollution, indicating the growing importance of technological advancements in the marine industry for addressing and reducing marine pollution. The process of identifying the number of provinces and municipalities has been completed for all three phases. The development of the marine economy has garnered considerable attention due to its numerous policy implications.

An Analytical Method for Mechanical Analysis of Offshore Pipelines during Lifting Operation

The lifting operation of offshore pipelines is an important step in ocean pipeline engineering. An effective analytical method is developed for investigating the mechanical properties of the pipeline based on mechanical, physical, and geometric relationships. By using the shooting and the secant methods to transform the boundary value problem into an initial value one and then solving them with the Runge-Kutta method, the deformation and mechanical properties of the pipeline are calculated. Furthermore, based on the Det Norske Veritas (DNV) offshore standard, the mechanical properties of the pipeline are checked. The finite element method (FEM) by Orcaflex is employed to verify the accuracy of the analytical model. The effects of some factors such as the current velocity and lifting point position on the mechanical properties of the pipeline are analyzed based on the analytical model. The results indicate that the change in current velocity during the lifting process has a minimal effect on the pipeline, but the change in lifting point position significantly affects the deformation and mechanical properties of the pipeline.

Comparison of Pollution Levels, Biomagnification Capacity, and Risk Assessments of Heavy Metals in Nearshore and Offshore Regions of the South China Sea

Seawater and fish were collected from nearshore (Pearl River Estuarine, PRE) and offshore (middle of the South China Sea, MSCS) regions of the South China Sea (SCS) to determine the heavy metals (HMs) pollution status and biomagnification characteristics. Results show that Cu in PRE seawater was moderately contaminated. Overall pollution risk of seawater were PRE (3.32) > MSCS (0.56), whereas that of fish was MSCS (0.88) > PRE (0.42). δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N exhibited distinguished characteristics for PRE and MSCS fish, indicating the diverse energy sources, nitrogen sources, and food web structures of nearshore and offshore regions. Cu was biomagnified whereas Pb and Ni were biodiluted in offshore fish. Hg presented significant biomagnification in both of nearshore and offshore fish. Finally, the target hazard quotient of Hg (1.41) in MSCS fish exceeded the standard limit, which was posed by high Hg concentration and consumption rate of offshore fish.

Using Sociological Theories and Methods to Analyze the Solutions and Measures of Environmental Pollution Problems

In order to further improve the effectiveness of environmental pollution control and improve the quality of the atmospheric ecological environment, this article discusses regional environmental pollution control from the perspective of sociological theories and methods. Therefore, the article starts with the characteristics of environmental air pollution, combined with linear regression analysis and PSR model principal component analysis, focuses on the impact factors of environmental pollution, and concludes that the weights of pressure layer, state layer, and response layer for the impact of environmental state are 0.4824, 0.261, and 0.1207, respectively. On this basis, from the perspective of social, collaborative governance, and public management, this article focuses on the political measures of environmental pollution.

Impact of Coastal Urbanization on Marine Pollution: Evidence from China

The increasing marine pollution in China's coastal areas has seriously affected the sustainable development of the economy and the living standards of residents. It is of great significance to explore the relationship between urbanization and marine pollution in coastal areas for the sustainable development of coastal cities. Based on the marine pollution data and nighttime light (NTL) data of 46 coastal cities from 2006 to 2015, the paper discusses the impact of urbanization on marine pollution by using the generalized spatial two-stage least square method (GS2SlS), and analyzes the role of technological innovation, financial development, and human capital in the impact of urbanization on marine pollution by using the three-stage least square method (3SLS). Results show that China's coastal marine pollution has a strong spatial spillover effect, and a U-shaped relationship exists between urbanization and marine pollution. Regional heterogeneity analysis shows that an inverted U-shaped relationship was found between coastal urbanization and marine pollution in the northern marine economic circle, while the eastern and southern marine economic circles have a U-shaped correlation. The heterogeneity of the urbanization pattern indicates that the relationship between different urbanization patterns and marine pollution in coastal areas is generally in a positive correlation stage, but the depth of urbanization occupies a dominant position. Further mechanism tests show that urbanization can effectively reduce coastal marine pollution and improve the marine environment through the technological innovation effect, financial development effect, and human capital effect.

Improvement of Monitoring Technology for Corrosive Pollution of Marine Environment under Cloud Computing Platform

In view of the increasingly serious problem of marine ecological environmental pollution, the traditional marine environmental corrosive pollution monitoring technology has poor monitoring accuracy and poor monitoring timeliness, and the improvement of the marine environmental corrosive pollution monitoring technology under the cloud computing platform is proposed. The research significance and corrosion influence factors of steel corrosion in the marine environment are described, and the research progress of corrosion mechanism in five different zones of the marine environment is reviewed. Cloud computing parallelizes the processing of corrosive pollution data in the marine environment through virtualization and distributed technology, which greatly improves the efficiency of the algorithm. This paper studies the existing cloud computing platform and ocean monitoring system architecture, uses the distributed architecture to design a cloud computing-oriented ocean monitoring system and meets the design requirements in data collection and data processing. The experimental results show that the precision of marine environmental corrosion pollution monitoring technology proposed in this paper is 96% on average, and the completion rate of monitoring images is 82% on average, which can effectively realize marine environmental corrosion pollution monitoring.

The Application of Internet of Things Data Analysis in the Development of International Trade

There are some problems in the application of current data analysis methods in international economy and trade, such as low service efficiency, low data utilization, and low degree of intelligence. Based on this, this paper studies the application of the Internet of things data analysis method in international trade development and economic and industrial growth. Firstly, the Internet of things economic data analysis model (IOT-EET model) based on simulated annealing early warning algorithm is established to store and analyze the data in the whole chain of international trade. Then, combined with the analysis methods of international trade economic data over the years, it is fed back to the IOT-EET model for error calibration. Finally, relevant experiments are designed to analyze the correlation between international trade development and national economic growth. The results show that compared with the traditional method based on module data analysis, this IOT-EET model can realize the correlation matching analysis of the data involved in the development of international trade in combination with the Internet of things technology and analyze the factors affecting international trade transactions. Therefore, it has the advantages of good reliability and strong pertinence.

Decoupling Analysis of Net Carbon Emissions and Economic Growth of Marine Aquaculture

Decoupling carbon emissions from economic growth is the key for the sustainable development of developing countries. Based on the panel data of marine aquaculture in China from 2010 to 2019, this paper employs the Tapio decoupling index model to analyze the decoupling characteristics of net carbon emissions and the economic growth of marine aquaculture. The logarithmic average weight decomposition method (LMDI model) and Tapio decoupling effort index model are also introduced to explore the contribution of various areas, provinces, and factors to the decoupling of net carbon emissions and the economic growth of marine aquaculture. Empirical results show that: (1) Net carbon emissions have a decoupling trend from the economic growth of marine aquaculture, but there is a large regional difference. (2) Regarding the degree of decoupling efforts, it is much stronger in the eastern and southern ocean economic zones than that in the northern ocean economic zone. (3) In terms of the decoupling contributions of various factors, carbon emission intensity > aquaculture scale > aquaculture efficiency > aquaculture structure, but there is heterogeneity among the different regions. Among the reasons for the inter-regional differences, carbon emission intensity > aquaculture scale > aquaculture structure > aquaculture efficiency. A further redundancy efficiency analysis explains the source of the differences. On this basis, strategies are proposed to improve the efficiency of marine aquaculture, including the construction of a modern three-dimensional aquaculture system, the improvement of the market-oriented mechanism, and the establishment of a modern marine aquaculture economic system.

COVID-19 pandemic: impacts on air quality and economy before, during and after lockdown in China in 2020

ABSTRACTThis paper comprehensively evaluates the dynamic effects on China's environment and economy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results show that the COVID-19 lockdown resulted in a temporary improvement in air quality. Furthermore, nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) levels in the atmosphere in China were 36% lower than in the week after last year's Lunar New Year holiday, but this also led to an economic downturn. Moreover, the aerosol optical depth (AOD) decreased significantly. During the back-to-work period, the economy recovered and there was an increase in energy consumption, and CO₂, NO₂ emissions sharply increased to pre-lockdown levels. In the post-lockdown period, the AOD was lower than that of the same period last year. This study can provide reference for environmental policy making, as it demonstrates to what extent the control of pollution sources can improve air quality. Precise emission reduction and regional joint prevention and control are important and effective means for the prevention and control of O₃ pollution. The health and economic benefits of COVID-19 pandemic control measures are incalculable. And this can provide an effective scientific basis and theoretical support for the prevention and control of air pollution.

Pulling Off Stable Economic System Adhering Carbon Emissions, Urban Development and Sustainable Development Values

In today's world, sustainability has become a major concern. The current study attempts to look into the impact of six sustainable development values on economic growth and emissions of carbon footprints: freedom, equality, solidarity, tolerance, respect for nature, and shared mobility. The moderating importance of urban development in regulating the relationship of economic growth and carbon footprints has also been investigated in this study. The structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis technique was utilized to confirm pathways and verify path modeling in this work. Overall, 302 responses were selected for data analysis, and data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire with a random sampling technique. The study found that two of the six sustainable development values (tolerance and solidarity) have a beneficial impact on a country's economic growth. However, freedom, equality, respect for nature, and shared mobility are not indicators of a country's economic progress. Similarly, economic expansion helps to mediate the relationship between tolerance, solidarity, and carbon emissions. Although urban growth did not play a moderating role, it has a positive impact on carbon emissions. The current study suggests various implications for long-term development to improve an economy's or country's economic performance. Furthermore, complete emphasis must be paid to sustainable development values, which are more closely linked to economic growth but also help cut carbon emissions. Future research should look into the current model in other countries.

Preparation and evaluation of polyphenol derivatives as potent antifouling agents: addition of a side chain affects the biological activity of polyphenols

In this study, eight polyphenol derivatives were prepared to serve as green antifoulants. Polyphenol derivatives, which can hinder the growth of bacteria and algae and decrease the adhesion of some marine organisms, showed good AF activity; in particular, the activities of these derivatives were much higher than those of the corresponding polyphenols. The antibacterial rates of the products (20 μg ml^-1) exceeded 88%. Moreover, the anti-algal rates of compounds a3, b1, b2, b3 and b4 (15 μg ml^-1) were over 57% at 240 h, but these compounds showed low toxicity, and the 120 h EC₅₀ values were > 6.60 μg ml^-1. In addition, there were fewer marine microorganisms on the test panel than on the control. The above results show that some polyphenol derivatives possess relatively high antibacterial, anti-algal, and AF activity; more notably, the addition of chlorine atoms and amide groups can further increase the activity of these derivatives.

Game analysis of nuclear wastewater discharge under different attitudes: Seeking a potential equilibrium solution

Marine pollution is an increasingly dangerous problem, affecting people across the world. Japan's decision on 13 April 2021 to discharge nuclear wastewater into the sea has aroused the close attention of interest-related countries. To resolve conflicts among various countries and achieve the harmonious development of the marine and economic environment, we employ the static game, the rank-dependent expected utility (RDEU) game, and the sequential game to comprehensively analyze the equilibrium strategies of discharge country and interest-related countries under different situations. Our analysis reveals that in the static game and sequential game where interest-related countries make decisions first, the discharge behavior of the discharge country should be restricted from the perspective of the internal and external benefits of the discharge country. In addition, when integrating changes in emotion into the game, it can be found that the most expected emotional state to prevent the discharge country from discharging nuclear wastewater for interest-related countries is to remain pessimistic. Overall, this study provides important implications for inter-state relations and environmental protection.

Ulva lactuca: A bioindicator for anthropogenic contamination and its environmental remediation capacity

Coastal regions are subjected to degradation due to anthropogenic pollution. Effluents loaded with variable concentrations of heavy metal, persistent organic pollutant, as well as nutrients are discharged in coastal areas leading to environmental degradation. In the past years, many scientists have studied, not only the effect of different contaminants on coastal ecosystems but also, they have searched for organisms tolerant to pollutants that can be used as bioindicators or for biomonitoring purposes. Furthermore, many researchers have demonstrated the capacity of different marine organisms to remove heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants, as well as to reduce nutrient concentration, which may lead to eutrophication. In this sense, Ulva lactuca, a green macroalgae commonly found in coastal areas, has been extensively studied for its capacity to accumulate pollutants; as a bioindicator; as well as for its remediation capacity. This paper aims to review the information published regarding the use of Ulva lactuca in environmental applications. The review was focused on those studies that analyse the role of this macroalga as a biomonitor or in bioremediation experiments.

Decabromodiphenyl Ether versus Decabromodiphenyl Ethane: Source, Fate, and Influencing Factors in a Coastal Sea Nearing Source Region

Both decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE 209) and decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) are still produced in large quantities in China, especially in the Shandong Province closed to the Bohai Sea (BS). This study conducted a comprehensive investigation of the distribution and budget of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in the BS. BDE 209 was the predominant BFR in most of the investigated rivers flowing into the BS, although DBDPE exceeded BDE 209 in certain rivers as a result of the replacement of BDE 209 with DBDPE in North China. The spatial distributions of BFRs in the rivers were controlled by the proximity of the BFR manufacturing base and the extent of urbanization. BFRs' spatial distribution in the BS was influenced by a combination of land-based pollution sources, environmental parameters (e.g., suspended particulate matter, particulate organic carbon, and particulate black carbon), and hydrodynamic conditions. The spatial variation trend of BDE 209/DBDPE ratios in various environmental media provided useful information. Vertically, the BDE 209/DBDPE ratio decreased from the seawater surface layer to the sediment, indicating their differential transport in the BS. A multi-box mass balance model and analysis of BDE 209 showed that degradation was the primary sink of BFRs in seawater (∼68%) and surface sediment (∼72%) in the BS.

Can technology R&D continuously improve green development level in the open economy? Empirical evidence from China's industrial sector

Applying a global DEA model based on non-radial directional distance function, this paper constructs a comprehensive efficiency index to estimate green development level and further identifies the influencing mechanism of technology R&D on green development in China's industrial sector. The results demonstrate that the level of green development in China's industrial sector declined year by year and the average was 0.27, and it also shows significant regional characteristics within the sample period. Besides, the environment pollution transferred from the east to the central and the west. In addition, the results also indicate that there is a threshold effect for the impact of technology R&D on China's industrial green development. Based on the volume of the trade openness, this effect presents a "N"-type characteristic that tilts to the right. According to the research results, the corresponding policy recommendations are put forward, which may be of great importance to improve the green development level in China's industrial sector.