The process and mechanism of coupling between human activities and Holocene environmental change has become a research hotspot in the field of earth sciences. Lake sediments store rich environmental information, which can help to reconstruct past climate changes. Up to now, most of the studies on the palaeoenvironmental proxies indicating human activities have focused on single lakes, and there is a lack of comprehensive studies at a regional scale. Furthermore, relatively few studies focus on the identification of regional human activities through the paleoenvironmental proxies, partly due to the uncertainty of their indicative significance. In this paper, we analyzed the lithology, ages, and palaeoenvironmental proxy data from 14 closed-basin lakes around the Qilian Mountains, reconstructed the Holocene climate change, and explored the coupling relationship between climate change and human activities. The results are as follows: the organic matter in the terminal lakes in the Qilian Mountains and the surroundings is mostly from the mixed sources of aquatic and terrestrial plants; it was warm and humid during the early and middle Holocene around the Qilian Mountains, then it has experienced significant regional aridification since the late Holocene; the changes of sedimentary facies are consistent with proxies, which have different significance in various sediments. The changes of lake sedimentary facies have been affected by human activities since 2.0 cal ka BP, and human activities have dominated the regional environmental changes since 1800 AD.

The Hanjiang River, located between the Qinling and Daba mountains, connects the Hanzhong, Ankang and other intermontane basins where there are numerous paleolithic sites. Here is an ideal area to explore the impacts of geomorphic processes on hominin activities. In this study, based on loess stratigraphy, magnetostratigraphy and detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology, the age of high terraces in the Ankang basin and the time of the drainage connection of the Ankang and Hanzhong basins by the Hanjiang River from west to east was determined. In addition, the possible influence of the evolution of landform and drainage network pattern of the Hanjiang River on the hominin occupation in the southern Qinling Mountains in the context of orbital scale climate change is discussed. The results show that (1) Eight terraces of the Hanjiang River were developed in the Ankang basin, with the sixth forming at ~1.82 Ma; (2) Most of these terraces were formed during the climatic transitions from interglacial to glacial periods, and more terraces were formed under the conditions of the Mid-Pleistocene climate transition (MPT) and the increase of uplift rate of the Qinling Mountains since 1.2 Ma; (3) It was not later than 1.82 Ma when the Hanjiang River connected the Ankang and Hanzhong basins as a result of river capture from east to west. River capture and the resulted connections of intermountain basins provided convenient geomorphological conditions for hominins to migrate into the Qinling and Daba mountains along broad river valleys since ~1.5 Ma, and thereafter fluvial terraces provided beneficial space for hominin activities.

Danxia landscapes are a landscape feature with the Danxia landform as the main body, and are widely distributed in China. An in-depth understanding of the landscape differentiation on a national scale is essential for the protection and utilization of Danxia landscapes as tourism resource. Based on data such as lithology, cliff height, stratum attitude, rock strength, and other data, this study quantitatively analyzes the spatial pattern of Danxia landscapes. Combining these data with the understanding from an on-site survey of more than 200 Danxia landforms across the country, the differentiation of Chinese Danxia landscapes is semi-quantitatively determined. Based on multiple geologic and geomorphologic factors, the Danxia landscape in China is divided into six distinctive regions: Southeast China, the Sichuan-Chongqing-Guizhou junction, the Ordos Plateau, the southwestern Ordos Basin, "Tianshan-Qilian", and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Through the national-scale comparison of Danxia landscapes, six key characteristics are noted. The basin size of red-bed deposits and the crustal uplift and subsidence during the Himalayan movement jointly controlled the spatial distribution of the Danxia landforms, while the tectonic deformation characteristics in different regions controlled the inclination of strata. The spatial lithological differences among different types of the basins affect the slope morphology. Rock strength has little effect on cliff height, but the difference in vertical rock strength affects the slope shape, which in turn affects the geomorphological process. The landform evolution stages affect the richness of individual and group landscapes. Finally, climate influences the currently active geomorphic processes, and the combination of vegetation and landforms in different climate zones shapes different Danxia landscape features and aesthetics. Nationally, the spatial distribution of Danxia characteristics is a regional manifestation of tectonic evolution, Earth's surface environment, and other factors.

The mass mountain effect (MEE) is a thermal effect generated by the uplifted mountain, which has a universal and profound impact on the pattern of hydrothermal conditions and ecological geographical processes in mountainous areas. It is also one of the breakthroughs in mountain science research. Based on multi-source remote sensing data and observation data, we carried out the spatial downscaling inversion of temperature in the Tianshan Mountains of China, and explored the MEE estimation and spatio-temporal pattern analysis in the study area. The GeoDetector and GWR models are used to explore the temporal and spatial heterogeneity of the region. The results show that: (1) The temperature pattern of the study area is complex and diverse, and the overall distribution characteristics are high in the south and low in the north, and high in the east and low in the west. The zonal characteristics of temperature were obvious, and the temperature was negatively correlated with altitude, interior and exterior degree. (2) The warming effect of mountains was common and prominent, and the temperature at the same altitude increased in steps from west to east and from north to south. Geomorphological units such as large valleys and intermountain basins weaken the latitudinal zonality and altitude dependence of temperature at the same altitude, among which the warming effect of mountains was observed in the southern Tianshan Mountains, espectially in Erbin and Balikun. (3) The dominant factors affecting the overall pattern of the MEE in the study area were topography and location, among which the internal and external degrees and elevation played a prominent role. The interaction between factors has a greater influence on the spatial differentiation of mountain effects than that of single factors, and the interaction between terrain and climate, precipitation, NDVI and other factors is strong. (4) There was obvious spatial heterogeneity in the direction and intensity of the spatial variation of the MEE. Absolute elevation was significantly positively correlated with the change of mountain effect, while precipitation and NDVI were dominated by negative feedback. In general, topography has a greater effect on the macroscopic control of MEE, coupling with precipitation, underlying surface and other factors to form a unique mountain circulation system and climate characteristics, which in turn enhances the temporal and spatial heterogeneity of the MEE in the Tianshan Mountains. The results are a useful supplement to the analysis of the causes of MEE and their ecological effects.

As one of the pillar industries, the non-ferrous mining industry has caused severe environmental problems while supporting the development of the national economy. Understanding the spatial pattern and driving force of non-ferrous mining industrial sites (NMISs) is of great significance in promoting the optimization of industrial layout and the overall control of environmental pollution. However, the current research on the evolution of the national distribution pattern of NMISs is still insufficient, which is challenging to meet the actual needs of the existing related industry and environmental protection situation. In this paper, we obtained a high-resolution NMISs dataset, based on multi-source information fusion, including geographic big data, Gaode POI, and special environmental data. We also investigated the spatio-temporal pattern, evolution characteristics, and driving factors of NMISs from the beginning of the 20th century to 2019 based on the spatial regression model and the GIS platform. The results showed that the growth of NMISs in China has generally experienced a stable and slow development trend in the early period (before 1978), gradually reaching a peak after the reform and opening up (1979-2006), and then stabilizing again (2007-). With the continuous enhancement of spatial agglomeration of NMISs, the hotspot areas gradually extended from southeast Hunan and central Yunnan to central and western China, which is rich in resources and energy, presenting an agglomeration pattern of "four cores and multiple sub-cores". The cores include eastern Yunnan, the Hunan-Jiangxi-Guangdong junction area, southern Anhui, and western Henan. The sub-cores included parts of Northwest and Northeast China. Further, the above spatio-temporal evolution characteristics were controlled by the positive promotion of resource endowment, path dependence, and the earlier encouraging industrial policy. However, we observed the emerging negative restraining effect on the recent pattern of NMISs from the tightening of related restrictive industrial and environmental policies introduced intensively after 2010. This paper could provide a reliable scientific basis and information support for optimizing related macro-strategic decision-making and environmental spatial governance by analyzing spatio-temporal patterns and the driving factors of China's NMISs. Furthermore, this study proposed the methodological system for constructing national-scale high-precision industrial site datasets by applying multi-source geographic big data technology. The current paper also provided a new perspective and ideas for the related assessment at a large regional scale.