As an important aspect of the notion that "spatial is special", spatial heterogeneity has been a central topic of geospatial analytics. It is also closely related to the methodological tradition of geography and replicability of geographic research. The emergence of fine-grained big geospatial data and the development of Geospatial Artificial Intelligence (GeoAI) have brought new opportunities and challenges to spatial heterogeneity modeling. Spatial heterogeneity may refer to (1) values of geographic variables; and (2) associations, or the generation process of geographic variables, which correspond to data and process heterogeneity, respectively. Moreover, the specification of spatial heterogeneity may be categorized as continuous and discrete. Based on the dichotomies above, we summarize the main scenarios of spatial heterogeneity modeling and review corresponding methods: (1) homogeneity-based regionalization; (2) local spatial regression; and (3) spatial regime regression. In particular, we discuss approaches to delineate spatial regimes in an endogenous manner. We also review related methodological advances in GeoAI, where the principle of spatial heterogeneity is reflected in the design of neural network models. Finally, we point out several potential directions for future research. As emerging directions in spatial heterogeneity modeling, spatial regime regression and GeoAI methods need more attention from researchers.

Alluvial fans are common fan-shaped depositional landforms that develop at the outlets of mountain rivers or gullies. Mature and stable alluvial fans are important areas for both human habitation and production in mountainous regions, but they also pose potential hazards associated with flash floods and debris flows. Research on alluvial fans enhances our understanding of regional environmental dynamics and geomorphic evolution, as well as contributes to the mitigation of flood and debris-flow hazards. Therefore, it holds significant scientific value and practical importance. Although considerable research has been conducted on alluvial fans, both domestically and internationally, in recent decades, much of it has focused on geomorphology (morphometry), sedimentary history and characteristics, and historical environmental reconstruction (or inversion). Investigations into the mechanisms of fan development and their geomorphic effects remain relatively underexplored. This review systematically summarizes the key advancements in the research on the dynamic processes, mechanisms, and morphodynamics of alluvial fan development. We first provide an overview of current technical approaches applied in the study of alluvial fans, including field investigations and model experiments. Then, we summarize four critical aspects of fan dynamics processes and development mechanisms: primary and secondary processes; mechanisms of flow channel avulsion; interactions between tributary and main rivers; and the impact of alluvial fan development on sediment production, transport, and geomorphic processes. Finally, we discuss several areas that require further attention in future research. Currently, field observations and monitoring of the dynamic processes of alluvial fan development are inadequate. As an essential complement to post-event field surveys and experimental model research, there is an urgent need to enhance field observations in order to expand and deepen our understanding of alluvial fan development mechanisms. This will promote scientific insights into sediment dynamics and geomorphic processes within regional river systems.

With the advancement of urbanization and the profound transformation of socio-economic development in China, land use transition has become a complex research field involving multiple disciplines and dimensions. This paper comprehensively uses bibliometric analysis and systematic review methods to systematically sort out the research progress of land use transition in China from following dimensions: development context, theoretical framework, model and methodology, effect and mechanism, and regulation path. The study finds that: (1) Since the introduction of land use transition research to China in 2001, the field has flourished in the aspects of project funding, publication of monographs, and talent cultivation. Through hotspot analysis, it is found that research has shifted from being technology-driven to policy and economic-driven, and finally focused on multi-functional synergy and sustainable development. (2) Theoretical research can be divided into three levels: description-explanation, process characterization and diagnosis, and mutual feedback mechanism and regulation, forming a research paradigm of "dominant morphology-recessive morphology" coupling. The transition measurement method presents a three-dimensional characteristic of integration of 3S technology, mathematical model simulation, and field investigation. (3) Driven by the dual strategies of rural vitalization and food security, the socio-economic effects of land use transitions are manifested as a cascading response of farmers' livelihoods, factor flow, and industrial upgrading; related ecological and environmental effects show the bidirectional characteristics of negative effects and positive synergistic effects. (4) The driving mechanism of land use transitions is analyzed from the "element-structure-system" perspective, and its regulation system is discussed from multiple dimensions such as engineering technology innovation, institutional innovation, policy intervention, and multi-dimensional collaborative governance. (5) Future research needs to focus on breakthroughs in multi-scale transition threshold identification, complex system feedback simulation, regional model extraction, and optimization and regulation of transition through theoretical and methodological innovations. This study provides not only knowledge support for the construction of a land use transition research theoretical system with Chinese characteristics, but also decision-making support for the modernization of national territorial space governance and urban-rural integrated development.

The low-carbon transformation of the energy system has emerged as a key strategy for addressing climate change risks, promoting high-quality development, and ensuring energy security. However, the clean transformation of the energy system faces significant uncertainties and challenges due to the complex constraints of multiple goals. This paper provides a comprehensive review and integrated analysis of the basic concepts, research methods, and challenges associated with energy transformation, drawing the following conclusions: (1) Shifting focus of energy transition: The energy transition in the context of carbon neutrality has evolved from being primarily technology-driven to problem-driven. The pace and success of energy transitions vary greatly across regions and nations, with policy regulation, technological innovation, market mechanisms, and behavioral factors playing pivotal roles in driving change. (2) Quantitative research on energy transition primarily centers on assessing the extent of the transition and forecasting its future trajectory. However, due to the intricate interconnections and mutual influences among multiple systems, including energy, economy, environment, and society, the predictive simulations often exhibit a pronounced "black box" effect, making interpretation and transparency more challenging. (3) Controversies and future research directions: There is ongoing debate within the international community regarding the comprehensive effects of energy transformation. The development model and pathways that balance low-carbon goals, economic growth, and energy supply security still require further theoretical and empirical exploration. While significant attention has been paid to the environmental, economic, and safety benefits of energy transformation, the social impacts have received less focus, which may undermine the long-term sustainability of the transition. Future research should integrate the dual objectives of climate change mitigation and economic development, adopt diversified transformation strategies, emphasize supply-demand coordination, and promote regionally coordinated transitions. Furthermore, strengthening multi-scale, cross-sectoral analyses will enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of energy transformations. This research aims to deepen understanding of the epistemology and methodology surrounding energy transformation, offering geographical scholars new perspectives and avenues for further investigation into this critical area of study.

Main function zoning (MFZ) is the fundamental system of China's territorial development and protection. Through differentiated functional orientation, the core objectives of MFZ are to guide the orderly flow of resources across regions and optimize the spatial pattern of national development. This study evaluates the impacts, their heterogeneities among four types of zones, and underlying mechanisms of MFZ planning on China's population redistribution using county-level data from the three latest national population censuses and causal inference tests through difference-in-differences models. The results show that: The MFZ effects generally align with policy orientation. Post-implementation, optimized development zones, prioritized development zones, main agricultural zones and key ecological zones experienced declining population growth rates, accelerated population agglomeration, accelerated population decline, and growth-to-decline transition, respectively. Using main agricultural zones as reference, the planning reinforced the population concentration advantages of prioritized development zones. The policy effect exhibits dual heterogeneity across regions and hierarchical levels. Population changes in agricultural and ecological zones mostly complied with planning guidance, whereas only 40% of county-level units within prioritized development zones achieved the policy goal of accelerated agglomeration. National-level prioritized development zones demonstrated approximately twice the impact of provincial-level counterparts. Population migration from restricted development zones to urbanized areas predominantly occurred through cross-regional migration rather than intra-prefecture movements, making the policy goal of "concentrated equilibrium" within prefecture-level cities difficult to achieve. The planning promoted shifts in influencing factors of population redistribution within each type of MFZ. The diminished role of secondary industries and enhanced influence of tertiary sectors in optimized zones, along with weakened economic drivers in ecological zones, aligned with planning objectives. However, industrialization in prioritized development zones failed to significantly boost population agglomeration, while agricultural zones remained profoundly influenced by industrialization and economic development, both deviating from intended planning orientations. The findings suggest that the new-round planning could moderately concentrate urbanized area layouts, clarify development sequences for prioritized development zones, and implement more targeted differentiated governance requirements for restricted development zones.

Chinese materia medica (CMM) is derived from nature, inherited from history, used in society, prospered in industry and benefited in the region. The ancient Chinese people began studying the relationship between CMM and their origin very early, which reflects that CMM is closely related to geography, and it is also the natural way of the formation of CMM, but the interdisciplinary fusion of CMM and geography has not yet formed. Based on the geographical characteristics of herbs, resources, products, industry and business of CMM, this paper analyzes the research framework of the medicine-geography relationship in CMM geography, and preliminarily analyzes its research objects, scientific problems, research contents and research methods. Results show that: (1) CMM geography is a science that studies the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of CMM and medicine-geography relationship. It is a discipline that examines the regional differences, spatial patterns, medicine-geography relationship, and sustainable utilization of CMM at the geographic spatial level, based on the division of production areas, featuring Daodi herbs, and aiming to ensure healthy use of drugs. (2) On the basis of the concept of "following the rules of time" in traditional Chinese medicine, CMM geography studies the medicine-geography relationship from three aspects: medicinal use, time, and space, based on the characteristic of "different origins of medicinal materials have differences" in CMM. It adheres to the concept of "selecting, using, and developing traditional Chinese medicine based on geographical differences and characteristics". (3) The study of CMM geography has the characteristics of intersectionality, comprehensiveness, regionalism, and dynamism. It integrates the research results and theoretical methods of CMM and geography, and conducts research on the regional differentiation, spatial structure, and evolutionary laws of five elements: the ecological attributes of CMM resources, the temporal attributes of CMM (herbal medicine), the social attributes of CMM products, the economic attributes of the CMM industry, and the regional attributes of CMM industry. (4) CMM geography integrates CMM with geography, utilizing techniques such as origin identification, changes in production areas, and spatial relationship models, following the principles of combining micro and macro perspectives, qualitative and quantitative approaches. It conducts research on the medicine-geography relationship, in order to promote the integration of pharmacology, medical science, physiology, and geography, and enrich the research content of traditional Chinese medicine and geography.

Promoting social green transformation is an inherent requirement and a key task in the national strategy for a comprehensive green transformation of the economy and society. However, research on the quantitative characterization and spatiotemporal patterns of social green transformation remains relatively lacking. To address this gap, this paper introduces social psychology theory to construct a quantitative characterization framework for social green transformation. Using 19 urban agglomerations in China as the study area and following the "pattern-process-effect" research logic, the study integrates methods such as entropy-weighted TOPSIS, spatial Markov chains, and Random Forest model to sequentially reveal the spatiotemporal evolution patterns, spatiotemporal transformation, and dynamic impacts of the social green transformation on the economic green transformation. Finally, a comprehensive quantitative framework for regional green transformation is proposed. The results show that: (1) During the study period, the level of social green transformation in China's urban agglomerations showed a fluctuating upward trend, with the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Yangtze River Delta, and Pearl River Delta urban agglomerations leading in social green transformation, while those along the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, the northern slope of Tianshan Mountains, Lanzhou-Xi'an region, and Ningxia along the Yellow River were relatively lagging. (2) There is a phenomenon of club convergence and spatial spillover effects in the social green transformation of urban agglomerations, and the transformation exhibits path dependence and spatial dependence, with low probabilities of cross-level and cross-regional transitions. (3) Social green transformation serves as a significant driving force for the green transformation of urban economies, and this driving effect has been strengthening over time. The role of social green transformation in advancing the strategy of ecological prioritization and green development is increasingly profound. Furthermore, this study helps to improve existing research on regional green transformation evaluation, providing new methods and ideas that better align with and respond to the current comprehensive green transformation strategy.

The urban-rural integration in the new era requires the coupled and coordinated development of new urbanization and comprehensive rural revitalization. This paper constructs an evaluation index system for new urbanization and comprehensive rural revitalization, and uses the modified coupling coordination degree model, spatial Markov chain, random forest model and other methods to quantitatively analyze the spatio-temporal evolution characteristics and influencing factors of coupling coordination types of new urbanization and comprehensive rural revitalization in Central China from 2007 to 2022. The results show that: (1) From 2007 to 2022, the coupling coordination type in the study area experienced a transition from moderate imbalance to minimal coordination, with regions of severe imbalance gradually disappearing and high-quality coordinated areas emerging, and the coupling coordination relationship has continuously improved. In terms of spatial distribution, high-value zones of coupling coordination level have remained concentrated in provincial capitals, while low-value zones have shifted toward western edge and the junction of Henan-Anhui-Hubei provinces, with boundary effects gradually emerging. (2) Regardless of the neighborhood conditions, the transition of the coupling coordination state exhibits "path dependence" and "self-locking" effects, while displaying "club convergence" phenomena, there is the possibility of transition to higher level but it is difficult to achieve leapfrog development. The geographical background plays an important role in the evolution of the coupling coordination state, which has an obvious spatial spillover effect, and the Markov prediction results also prove that spatial spillover effect will exist for a long time, the long-term evolution trend of the coupling coordination state is relatively good. (3) In the process of coupling and coordinated development, the level of industrial development plays a core leading role, the level of regional investment, the level of scientific and technological innovation, the level of human capital, and the employment structure of the population offer guarantees in terms of essential factors, and the geographical distance plays a restrictive role. Finally, this paper puts forward specific countermeasures and suggestions to provide scientific basis for the coordinated development of new urbanization and comprehensive rural revitalization in Central China.

Developing new quality productive forces is a significant proposition emphasized at the meeting on promoting the full revitalization of Northeast China in the new era. Subsequently, research on the spatiotemporal evolution and spatial differentiation of new quality productive forces has become a cutting-edge and hot topic in geographic science. Based on the theory of productivity layout in economic geography, this paper introduces a spatial perspective from geography into the study of new quality productive forces and systematically examines the locational conditions and spatial layout of new quality productive forces from two dimensions: policy-side and factor-side. The paper constructs a three-dimensional evaluation indicator system for new quality productive forces, consisting of "new laborer-new labor materials-new labor object", and employs threshold regression model and coupling coordination degree model to explore the dynamic relationship and spatial characteristics between local government attention and the level of new quality productive forces from 2009 to 2022. The results show that: (1) From the perspective of policy-side, there is a growing trend of following the crowd and repetitive competition in the development of new quality productive forces among provinces. (2) From the perspective of factor-side, there is spatial heterogeneity in the level of new quality productive forces across different regions, presenting a gradient pattern of "high in the east and low in the west", and the spatial distribution of new quality productive forces is more imbalanced than regional development. (3) From the perspective of dynamic analysis, there is a U-shaped threshold characteristic for the role of government attention in developing new quality productive forces, and there is a positive coupling relationship between the two. Therefore, it is necessary to focus on the matching and connection between policy-side and factor-side of regional new quality productive forces. The conclusions of this study fill the research gap in the relevant fields of geography and provide policy inspiration for optimizing productivity layout, developing new quality productive forces according to local conditions, and promoting high-quality regional development.

To realize the "dual carbon" goals, it is necessary to actively explore the "dual carbon" response strategy in the national spaces and innovate the research on carbon emission reduction and carbon sink enhancement pathways within the existing Chinese national conditions and institutional framework. Currently, discussions centered around supporting carbon neutrality predominantly emphasize the carbon reduction dimensions of a single space or department, lacking comprehensive coordination and specific pathways demonstration research across multiple spaces and departments. This has led to unclear goal positioning and accountability relationships for carbon emission reduction and carbon sequestration in different national spaces, making it challenging to decompose the overall tasks and implement them concretely. On the basis of considering the spatial functional attributes and interactions of ecological space, agricultural space, and urban space, this study first establishes a cognitive framework for carbon balance effects of three types of space (ecological, agricultural, and urban spaces) and proposes design principles for carbon emission reduction and carbon sink enhancement pathways. Then, based on the share of carbon reduction undertaken by the three types of space, as well as the current application status, historical contributions, scope of application, and future potential of each pathway, this study further summarizes and proposes a multi-spatial coordinated pathway for enhancing carbon sinks within ecological spaces, reducing carbon emissions and increasing sinks in agricultural spaces, and decreasing emissions in urban spaces. This initiative not only contributes to achieving sustainable ecological restoration, efficient cropland management, and effective urban control, but also fosters the formation of climate mitigation optimization strategies and green transformation response methods under the integration of future national space.

As part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China has actively participated in global port construction over the past decade. This study aims to evaluate the outcomes of these efforts and enrich the theoretical framework of BRI development. We constructed a port vitality index (PVI) using shipping big data. The PVI was calculated across four key dimensions (production, maritime, service, and radiation) using 17 fundamental indicators based on the port transportation chain model. This study evaluated the vitality of port development over the past decade. The results were as follows. (1) There was significant growth from 2013 to 2022 in the overall vitality index of ports invested in China, with Asia and Europe being the primary hubs of port vitality, and Africa emerging as a major center of growth. (2) There was higher vitality growth among ports where China was involved in both investment and operations, compared to ports where China's role was limited to construction. (3) Chinese port construction companies held global power by helping developing countries or regions lacking transportation capacity quickly establish international transportation capabilities. (4) Terminal operators and shipping companies invested in ports with strong underlying conditions, located on key shipping routes with minimal economic risks, to ensure effective investment outcomes. (5) Some small and medium-sized ports gained rapid production vitality through investment, yet lacked maritime vitality, as insufficient urban market growth hinders the increase in maritime vitality. The port vitality evaluation method proposed in this study provides insights for adjusting China's future port investment strategies and optimizing location choices for enterprise investments. It also enriches the theoretical framework of the BRI development and provides practical evidence of China's commitment to fostering shared prosperity with the Global South through port infrastructure development.

A series of regional major strategies has continuously been implemented since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (2012). The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, and Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomerations are the core spatial carriers of regional major strategies. In the new situation of decreasing and aging population, the growth of employment and the changes in employment structure in the four major urban agglomerations will have a profound impact on the regional sustainable development. Based on the location quotient model, and spatial autocorrelation analysis, the spatial and temporal patterns of employment size and employment industrial structure in the four major urban agglomerations were examined by using the sectoral population data from the 2000, 2010 and 2020 national population censuses. Comparative analysis was conducted in the context of regional major strategies to explore the regularities of urban agglomeration employment growth and structural transformation. The study finds that: (1) The scale of employment in the four major urban agglomerations continues to grow, but the overall growth rate slows down. The overall pattern of employment distribution remains stable, and the high-value areas of employment growth rate have shifted from the central cities to the surrounding cities of the urban agglomerations, forming a trend of balanced distribution and multi-point support within the urban agglomerations. (2) The trend of advanced and high-tech development in employment structure is obvious, and the distribution of employment types within urban agglomerations presents a clear "core-periphery" pattern. The central city always maintains a structure of "high-tech manufacturing and high-tech service industry", while the employment structure of the cities near the central city of the urban agglomeration is characterized by an alternating distribution of "low-tech manufacturing and high-tech service industry" and "high-tech manufacturing and low-tech service industry". The majority of employment in peripheral cities of urban agglomerations belongs to the structural type of "low-tech manufacturing and low-tech service industry". (3) The continuous growth of the employed population and the advanced and high-tech employment structure have created conditions for the four major urban agglomerations to carry out regional major strategies and participate in global competition. However, urban agglomerations face different challenges. It is essential to strengthen the multiplier effect of high-tech employment, promote the qualitative transformation of non-high-tech employment, and implement differentiated employment attraction policies to foster coordinated development among urban agglomerations and ensure the effective implementation of regional major strategy.

Foreign aid is a tool of U.S. foreign policy and provides a window into U.S. national strategy. In the era marked by frequent local conflicts and global turmoil, delving the motives of U.S. aid can enhance our comprehension of U.S. national strategic objectives. Utilizing U.S. aid data from 2000 to 2019, this paper examines the spatial evolution patterns in U.S. aid and its driving paths, considering altruistic, egoistic, and utilitarian motives. This analysis is conducted using GIS spatial analysis and Fuzzy-Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA). The results show that: (1) Total U.S. aid exhibits a basic trend of initial growth followed by stabilization, with military security aid and economic development aid as the primary categories of U.S. aid. (2) There are significant spatial and temporal differences in the distribution of U.S. aid. The Middle East and North Africa region has been a long-standing aid priority but is trending downwards, with an emphasis on military security aid, economic development aid, and humanitarian assistance. Sub-Saharan African countries have emerged as new hubs for U.S. aid, with primary focuses on social sector aid, economic development aid, and humanitarian aid. Meanwhile, other regions have seen diminishing amounts of U.S. aid. (3) The key drivers of U.S. aid have expanded from the level of economic development and U.S. exports to geostrategic, political relations and institutional quality factors, with an overall trend of a gradual shift from being driven by economic interests to geopolitical interests. This may be related to the eastward shift of the U.S. strategic centre of gravity. In terms of specific types of aid, economic development aid, social sector aid and humanitarian aid are economic interest-driven, military security aid is geopolitical interest-driven, and democratic political aid is democratic value-driven. The different types of aid serve different foreign policy objectives and together constitute a tool for the U.S. to pursue its political and economic interests. This paper can provide some reference for China's foreign policy making.

The phenomenon of gentrification in rural areas has garnered increasing attention both domestically and internationally in recent years. However, there is a prevailing inclination towards qualitative analysis at the level of case studies, with a lack of quantitative identification and comparative research at the regional or urban scale. To understand the distribution pattern and socio-spatial characteristics of gentrified villages in the metropolitan areas of eastern China, this paper focuses on 534 rural communities in Nanjing as the research subject. Leveraging mobile user profile data and quantitative evaluation clustering models, 36 gentrified villages were chosen and categorized into four types according to their spatial location, resource endowments, and behavioral attributes: Tourism and cultural-creative, enterprise-driven, amenity-immigrant, and suburban-commuter. As urban residents are relocated to villages with varying locations and resource endowments, they demonstrate differences in their motives for reverse migration, social attributes, and life patterns. This dynamic contributes to the emergence of various types of gentrified villages and the evolution of their distinct social environments. Additionally, this study highlights significant distinctions among these categories of gentrified villages in terms of their scale distribution, material spatial structure, social characteristics of residents, and daily commuting patterns. This comparison is conducted from a broad perspective and through typical case studies. Tourism and culturally creative villages rely on natural and cultural resources to attract urban tourists and foster self-gentrification among villagers due to their authentic and experiential allure. On the other hand, enterprise-driven villages, commonly found in developed areas in the east, promote gentrification through industrial resources, attracting populations beyond agriculture. Moreover, amenity-immigrant villages capitalize on limited comfort amenities to attract urban immigrants and short-term vacationers, fostering cohesive communities. Furthermore, suburban-commuter villages represent transitional entities in the transformation from rural outskirts to urbanized areas, where the overall substitution of physical and social spaces serves as the main mechanism for aggregating gentrification groups. Tourism and culturally creative villages, along with amenity-immigrant-gentrified villages, fall under the category of leisure and lifestyle gentrification. Conversely, enterprise-driven and suburban-commuter-gentrified villages focus on production and employment, reflecting the distinctive characteristics of rural gentrification in the developed regions of eastern China. By thoroughly identifying Nanjing's gentrified villages and systematically depicting their socio-spatial features, this study both enriches Chinese case studies on rural gentrification and enhances China-specific rural gentrification research systems and theories. Moreover, it proposes to develop the positive economic and social effects of rural gentrification to promote rural revitalization and integrated urban-rural development.

Geomorphologic regionalization is the division of geomorphologic regions based on geomorphologic similarities and differences. The study of Martian geomorphic regionalization is of great significance to the understanding of Martian geomorphic evolution history as well as the rational development and utilization of Martian resources. However, there is currently a gap in the study of Martian geomorphologic regionalization. Conventional Martian location names lack clear boundaries. Additionally, the boundaries of force modification landscapes have not been clarified. On the basis of these situations, the "senior region, sub-senior region, region" Martian three-grade geomorphologic regionalization scheme was proposed using multi-source data, including bouguer gravity, topographic data, optical image data, and geological maps. Firstly, the boundaries of the Martian geotectonic domain were mapped based on data from geophysical and topographic features, which were used as the boundaries of the senior region. Secondly, the geologic units clustered by geomorphic similarity were used as the boundaries of the sub-senior region based on different terrain factors using random forests combined with the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) model. Thirdly, the data on volcanic, glacial, wind-sand, and fluvial landforms were collected and the results from adaptive optimal bandwidth kernel density estimation method were used as the boundaries of the region. Finally, the three boundaries were integrated. The geomorphic regionalization units were named in an order from senior region to region. The semi-automatic methods reduced the workload and subjectivity of global mapping. The problem of high fragmentation results from traditional clustering was solved in this scheme. The geomorphic regionalization scheme coupled geomorphic morphology and genesis and took into account the influence of different elements on the boundaries of tectonic domains, which is of high reference value for future research on the geomorphic evolution of Mars.

Space of flows research provides a novel analytical perspective in the domain urban and regional development, facilitating the elucidation and comprehension of dynamic interactions within urban systems and inter-regional networks. This research not only offers scientific analytical tools for urban governance and spatial planning but also provides theoretical guidance for promoting sustainable urban and regional development by optimizing resource allocation and improving spatial efficiency. This paper systematically reviews and analyzes the connotation of the space of flows in terms of its concept, attributes, characteristics, and fundamental elements. Based on this, the paper proposes and examines the evolutionary framework of space of flows research. Through theoretical tracing, research trend analysis, and hotspots identification, the study reveals that space of flows research exhibits a development pattern characterized by "super-core, polycentric, and pan-thematic" tendencies. Furthermore, this paper explores the analytical paradigm of space of flows research and its significant shifts: the research domain has expanded from singular economic linkages to multi-dimensional connections encompassing social, cultural, ecological, and geographical spheres; research data have evolved from traditional statistical surveys to an integration of conventional data and multi-source big data; and research methodologies have transitioned from qualitative studies to dynamic quantitative research. Future directions for deepening space of flows research include innovating data acquisition and integration technologies, developing advanced analytical tools, expanding cross-scale research methods, enhancing the synthesis of theoretical and empirical studies, and promoting interdisciplinary collaboration in the context of spatial dynamics and urban-regional systems.

Rural areal system is a multidimensional object of rural revitalization in the new era, and its complexity and dynamics require a breakthrough in single-domain thinking. Through the in-depth fusion of system science theories, multi-source data-driven technical methods and sustainable transformation paths, the full-chain governance of system diagnosis-scenario simulation-precise policy implementation should be carried out. Based on the scientific theory of human-land system and the multi-scale analysis paradigm of geography, this paper explores the "element-structure-function" cascade analysis system of rural areal system, analyzes the scientific connotation of rural areal system and rural revitalization, clarifies the multi-scale evolution law and transformation mechanism of rural areal system, develops rural areal system development status assessment and scenario simulation technology, and sorts out and proposes a "three-device" (diagnostic device, detector, simulator) platform framework for the transformation mechanism and simulation of rural areal system. By innovating multimodal spatiotemporal data fusion and intelligent interpretation methods, it can break through the technical bottleneck of quantitative inversion of rural areal system elements, establish a multi-factor collaborative observation indicator system and a data sharing application platform, reveal the spatial pattern of rural transformation under different development paths, and explore and create "three major systems", including a theoretical system of rural areal system with multi-dimensional interaction of nature-society-technology, a technical system of cross-platform coordinated observation of rural areal system, and a system of standards and norms for the scientific path of rural revitalization and its management. The findings will help to achieve the systematization of coordinated observation and scenario simulation of multi-source heterogeneous data in rural areal system, and provide theoretical guidance and technical support for the scientific formulation of rural revitalization plans and the comprehensive promotion of rural revitalization strategic decisions. Additionally, focusing on the current trend of technological progress, modern geography should connect with the international scientific frontier and national strategic needs, and take the system integration of geographic science-technology-engineering-practice (Geo-STEP) as the core to promote the transition of rural areal system research from "problem explanation" to "future design" and "scientific governance".

Border ports serve as critical frontlines against potential threats from neighboring countries, with their risk status directly impacting national security and the livelihoods of local residents and businesses. Despite this importance, there remains a lack of quantitative assessments of geo-risk at these border ports. This study addresses this gap by constructing a geo-risk assessment model based on the concepts of probability and potential loss. By integrating multi-source spatio-temporal data, the geo-risk at border ports is estimated for type classification and feature analysis. The results reveal several key findings: geo-risk stress is gradually shifting westward, with significant accumulation at southwestern border ports, and comprehensive border ports are experiencing heightened risk. Geo-risk probability is high at China-Myanmar and China-Vietnam border ports, with notable risks at northern transit node ports, and Ruili ranks highest in geo-risk probability among all ports. Potential losses are concentrated along the southern border, especially at critical nodes of external transit routes and ports along the Belt and Road. The overall spatial distribution of geo-risk at border ports follows a pattern of "dense in the south, sparse in the north, and balanced across multiple points,"with risks categorized into four types: high risk, high probability, high loss, and low risk, with approximately one-quarter of ports categorized as high-risk. This study enhances the understanding of border risk, and the constructed geo-risk assessment model provides a valuable reference for risk quantification in other countries or regions while offering a scientific basis for decision-making related to border security.

The spatiotemporal evolution of settlements during historical periods is of great significance for a better understanding of past environment changes, land use, and the dynamics of human-land relationships. Chinese historical documents contain abundant information on settlements, serving as an important proxy for the study on the evolution settlements over the past century. Historical documents typically employ place names to record the spatial location of settlements, but the existing historical place names spatial databases often fall short in automating the precise localization of micro-scale place names, such as settlements, which in turn impedes the advancement of research on the spatial reconstruction and spatiotemporal evolution of these historical settlements. This study focuses on the automated matching method of historical settlement place names, utilizing Suzhou Prefecture during the late Qing Dynasty (1820-1911) as the research area. It selected 11340 settlement place names and their associated primary-level division data extracted from local chronicles, and combined contemporary place names matching techniques to construct a conceptual model for correlating ancient and modern place names. The study identifies characteristics of place names evolution, establishes rules for place names matching, and proposes an algorithm for the aggregation and matching of settlement names predicated on similarity metrics, thereby accomplish the spatial reconstruction of historical settlements within the research area. On this basis, the spatial distribution and urban-rural relationships of the reconstruction results were analyzed. The results indicated that approximately 98% of the settlements, relative to the total number documented in the literature, were reconstructed using an automated place names matching method. The spatial resolution of the reconstruction was approximately 1.4 km × 1.4 km, and the consistency between the automatic matching outcomes and the manually verified results was about 96%. During the late Qing Dynasty, the distribution of settlements in the study area exhibited agglomerative characteristics, with a hierarchical structure of settlement networks centered on the western suburbs of Suzhou city. However, urban-rural connections within the network were sparse. The findings from this study have enhanced the technical methods for the spatial reconstruction of historical settlement space and deepened the scientific understanding of the characteristics and influencing factors of long-term settlement evolution.

The rapid and intricate evolution of socio-culture poses critical challenges to the development of cultural geography. Currently, tourism has emerged as a crucial cultural phenomenon; however, it has long been neglected by the academic community. This paper, grounded in the tension between reality and theory, addresses the necessity of tourism research within cultural geography and the specific nature of such research required. Its aim is to stimulate the development of cultural geography through interdisciplinary dialogue. This study reviews the current status and trends of tourism-related research within the realm of cultural geography, both domestically and internationally. It then examines the "newness" of tourism culture from two approaches: the spatial study of culture and the cultural study of space. At the ontological and epistemological levels, the paper discusses the following aspects: (1) Tourism has become an omnipresent cultural fact, providing a continuous and vivid empirical foundation for cultural geography research; (2) As a distinctive phenomenon, tourism has opened up frontier topics that facilitate the contextual application and perspective shift of theories; (3) Tourism, functioning as an intersecting "interface", links multidisciplinary thinking and offers platforms and experiences for interdisciplinary integration; (4) Tourism, as a "metaphor", indicates a new cultural perspective that transcends traditional cultural geography research, presenting a dynamic of integration, development, and anti-structuralism. This paper advocates for the cultural geography community to re-evaluate tourism, reversing the past neglect of tourism-related research and thereby fostering equitable interdisciplinary communication and academic innovation.

The administrative hierarchy of the city in China determines its ability of mobilizing resources and the direction of migrations, and it is also the direct subjects of policy implementation. Previous literature has rarely analyzed migrations from the perspective of urban administrative hierarchy. Using data from the 2017 China Migrants Dynamic Survey, this study explores the patterns of migration across urban administrative hierarchy and the influencing factors of destination choice. The results show that according to the urban administrative hierarchy, upward migrations are dominant. Spatially, inter-regional migration to the eastern region is a prominent feature. For the population that has migrated multiple times, subsequent migrations are dominated by horizontal and intra-regional migrations, with the proportion of downward migrations increasing and exceeding that of upward migrations. In the first migration, ordinary prefecture cities and provincial capital cities are preferred. In the subsequent migrations, the proportions of county-level cities (counties), separately planned cities and directly-administered municipalities have increased, which reflect repositioning of population after the first migration. Economic profits are the main driving force of migration, the socio-economic attributes and hukou-registered places affect the choice of destinations, which reflect the migrants' employment competitiveness, employment preferences, life cycle and path dependence on hukou-registered places. The choice of destination is also related to the migration scope, provincial capital cities are being preferred in intra-provincial migrations, while directly-administered municipalities are most likely to be chosen in inter-provincial migrations. This paper provides evidence for the theory of population migration that urban administrative hierarchy works, which shows a different pattern from Ravenstein's laws of step migration, and deepens the connotation of push-pull theory. The findings of the study are of revelatory value for the implementation of the new urbanization policy with counties as important carriers.

Ecological resilience refers to an urban agglomeration's ability to resist, adapt, and recover from external disturbances. Enhancing ecological resilience is crucial for promoting high-quality development in the modern era. However, few studies have evaluated the ecological resilience of urban agglomerations from the perspective of human-land interactions or explored its evolutionary mechanism. This study assesses the interannual variation of ecological resilience in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River urban agglomeration, focusing on resistance, adaptation, and recovery. The Least Squares Structural Equation Model is employed to analyze the impact degree and pathways through which human-land interactions affect ecological resilience. The results indicate that from 2000 to 2020, resistance, adaptability, and recoverability exhibited fluctuating trends over time and an unbalanced spatial distribution. Ecological resilience initially decreased but later improved, with significant spatial heterogeneity, forming a "higher in the southeast and lower in the northwest" pattern. Natural environment improvement (coefficient: 0.42) and regional policies (coefficient: 0.18) had significant positive direct effects on ecological resilience, while urbanization exerted a significant negative effect (coefficient: -0.26). Although green innovation had no significant direct effect, it exhibited significant indirect influence, with the most significant pathway being green innovation→regional policy→natural environment→ecological resilience (coefficient: 0.18). This study enhances our understanding of how the natural environment, green innovation, and regional policies shape ecological resilience, providing a scientific reference for urban agglomeration development that fosters harmony between humans and nature.

This study analyzes the development of the discipline of human geography in China over the past 40 years, based on projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) from 1986 to 2023. The analysis focuses on research directions and themes, the hosting institutions and their spatial distribution, as well as the structure of high-level talents. This paper primarily employs methods such as keyword cloud analysis, probability density distribution analysis, and spatial analysis. The findings are as follows: (1) Although the number and financial volume of funded projects have grown rapidly, human geography remains at a disadvantage in terms of scholarly influence and the magnitude of funding support. (2) The majority of approved projects and funds are concentrated under the application codes for Urban and Rural Geography (D0109) and Economic Geography (D0108), though growth in these areas has been limited in recent years. Promising areas of focus include cultural geography, political geography, and behavioral geography. (3) New research topics have emerged, such as spatiotemporal behavior and quality of life, social space and mobility, innovation networks, city networks, rural revitalization, geopolitics, and carbon reduction. (4) The distribution of approved NSFC projects in human geography generally follows a Pareto distribution and is predominantly located east of the Hu Line. (5) There are relatively few high-level talents in human geography in China, with an unbalanced gender ratio. To advance the field, we propose to raise human geography's profile in interdisciplinary dialogue, to consolidate disciplinary consensus, to articulate key research priorities and assessment frameworks, address developmental disparities among subfields, and prioritize groundbreaking research agendas. The study underscores key unresolved issues in the discipline's governance and financing, including the generality-specificity spectrum in knowledge generation, and reconciling inter-direction competition with distributive justice in resource allocation. The research advances scholarly understanding by documenting funding-driven development patterns in Chinese human geography while addressing dual challenges of international disciplinary recognition and domestic academic consensus-building.

Health is the eternal pursuit of human beings, and health sustainability is the basis of social sustainability. This study adopts the "pressure-state-response" (PSR) model to construct the index system of China's health sustainability. This study examines the spatio-temporal characteristics, structural evolution, and improvement path of health sustainability in China from 2000 to 2020. The results indicate that: (1) China's health sustainability index (HSI) has been steadily improved, and the health sustainability level (HSL) has been continuously enhanced, generally reaching a "sustainable" state. The differences between regions and provinces are shrinking, and the trend of balanced development is obvious. The cold spot area gradually disappears, and the hot spot area tends to weaken. The distribution center has shifted from the southeast to the northwest. (2) The structure of China's health sustainability system has been progressively optimized, exhibiting favorable development trends. The structural balance has increased and is approaching 1, and the structural coordination has improved and is transitioning towards advanced coordination, and the structural dominance has shifted from health pressure-dominated (HP) to health status-dominated (HS) and is now evolving towards health balance-dominated (HB). (3) The improvement of China's health sustainability can be divided into three first-level areas: I priority improvement area, II key improvement area, III consolidation improvement area, and six second-level areas: Ⅰ₁ (Xizang), Ⅰ₂ (Qinghai, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia), Ⅱ₁ (Guizhou, Yunnan, Chongqing), Ⅱ₂ (Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Hainan, Guangdong, Taiwan), Ⅱ₃ (Tianjin, Hebei, Liaoning, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Shandong, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan, Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Anhui, Shanxi), Ⅲ (Beijing). (4) In the future, the improvement of China's health sustainability should focus on improving the responsiveness of health resources, reducing the health risks caused by social and economic pressures, enhancing road safety and social security level, and upgrading the national social health status. The health sustainability index system constructed in this study provides a theoretical framework and path strategy for the evaluation of national and regional health sustainability systems, and has guiding significance for the construction of sustainable society and healthy country.

The co-occurrence of droughts at multiple time scales in the water source area (Upper Hanjiang River, UH) and receiving area (northern North China, NNC) of the Middle Route of the South-to-North Water Diversion project highlights the need to identify common climatic drivers for these concurrent phenomena. Using reconstructed drought/flood grade data and sunspot series from 1700 to 2023, this study analyzed the correlations of droughts/floods in the Upper Hanjiang River and northern North China with sunspots at 11-, 30- and 50-year scales. The results show that the correlation between sunspots and droughts/floods in these two areas varied in stages over time. During high sunspot periods, the frequency of extreme drought events increased in both areas. The phase change of the correlation between sunspots and droughts/floods in the Upper Hanjiang River and northern North China significantly influenced the shift in the drought-flood correspondence between the two areas. When droughts/floods in the Upper Hanjiang River and northern North China align with or oppose sunspot variations, the droughts/floods in the two areas are predominantly positively or negatively correlated. Both droughts/floods in the Upper Hanjiang River and northern North China as well as sunspots share inter-annual cycles of about 2-4 years, inter-decadal cycles of about 11-12 years, and multi-decadal cycles of about 20-30 years and 50 years. Sunspot variations may influence the droughts and floods in these two areas across multiple time scales. Additionally, when sunspots increase significantly and abruptly, the Upper Hanjiang River and northern North China tend to be more drought-prone.

Comprehensive scientific expeditions rely on scientific instruments, paradigms, and technological methods to conduct multidisciplinary analyses of surface conditions, resource endowments, and their dynamic changes and mechanisms, serving major national (regional) strategic needs. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, successive comprehensive scientific expeditions have played a significant role in frontier development, ecological environment governance, and national economic development. In the new era, comprehensive scientific expeditions must clarify regional resource and environmental conditions and their changes, fill knowledge gaps in related fields, and support national and regional development and strategic requirements. The development of new technologies and equipment, such as low-orbit satellite constellations, artificial intelligence, and unmanned monitoring, provides important opportunities for comprehensive scientific expeditions in the new era. To advance comprehensive scientific expeditions in the new era, it is essential to fully utilize new technologies, equipment, and methods for innovate expedition paradigms. Guided by national strategic needs, expedition tasks should be organized, which can achieve large-scale, high-frequency, and high-precision investigations of geographical resource elements, filling knowledge gaps in border areas, underground spaces, and deep-sea zones. Based on the regional differentiation of China's natural and human geographical environments, comprehensive scientific expeditions should be conducted in key domestic regions. Focusing on the six major economic corridors of the Belt and Road Initiative and key maritime areas, global comprehensive scientific expeditions should be carried out to promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Cultivating new quality agricultural productive forces (NQAPFs) is an intrinsic requirement for promoting the construction of a strong agricultural country. It is of great practical significance to explain the scientific connotation of NQAPFs in China, analyze their spatial and temporal characteristics, and examine their impact on strengthening China's agriculture. This paper constructs an index system for measuring NQAPFs from four dimensions: agricultural science and technology, labor factors, industrial upgrading and agroecology, based on panel data from 30 provincial-level areas in China from 2012 to 2022. The Theil index, Markov chain and double machine learning methods are used to analyze the spatial and temporal patterns of NQAPFs, identify lagging regions, and empirically test the impact of NQAPFs on agricultural labor productivity and farmers' income. The research found that: China's NQAPFs increased steadily, with industrial upgrading contributing the most and the contributions of the labor factor and agroecology relatively weak; the current development presents a pattern of "high in the east and low in the west", with the eastern region>northeast region>central region>western region, and regional development is unbalanced. However, the NQAPFs converged towards higher levels, and the distribution dynamics are internally stable. Except for the northeast region, there is a converging trend of rapid growth in low-value areas in the eastern, central and western regions of the country. Econometric analysis shows that NQAPFs have significant positive impact on both agricultural labor productivity and farmers' income; 17 provincial-level areas with weak NQAPFs have been identified, mainly in the western and northeast regions. In the future, the focus of efforts to improve China's NQAPFs should be on increasing investment in agricultural science and technology, continuing to promote industrial upgrading, improving the quality of the workforce, strengthening the protection of agricultural ecosystems, and accelerating the improvement of the comprehensive development level of NQAPFs in central and western China.

This study utilizes emerging hotspot analysis to explore the spatio-temporal trends of vegetation optical depth (VOD) observed in Ku, X, and C microwave bands over China from 2002 to 2017. Furthermore, it analyzes the impacts of anthropogenic activities, represented by land use change, on the spatial and temporal changes in VOD, and employs Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Model to quantitatively assess the climatic effects on VOD changes. Overall, VOD exhibits a southeast-to-northwest gradient over China, with central and southern regions identified as VOD hotspots, while Xinjiang and the central Inner Mongolia Plateau are identified as VOD cold spots. Regions with consistent emerging hotspot analysis results across the three bands demonstrate a "greening" phenomenon in sparsely-vegetated regions nationwide. Additionally, the association between land use change and emerging hotspots reveals strong impacts of human activities on VOD variations. Specifically, persistent and intensified VOD hotspots predominantly correspond to scenarios where grassland is converted to forest. Attribution of VOD changes using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling indicates that, in the humid zone, where hydrothermal conditions are favorable and soil moisture is abundant, further increases in temperature and precipitation may inhibit vegetation growth. In contrast, in the arid zone, the inhibitory effect of temperature is less prominent. In the Tibetan Plateau, increases in both temperature and precipitation will promote vegetation growth. The insights from this study are expected to provide scientific support for monitoring ecosystem changes, uncovering their driving forces, and assessing the effectiveness of ecological measures.

Terraced farmland is a unique agricultural landscape and high-quality farmland resource in mountainous areas, with great production and ecological functions, which makes it a valuable livelihood asset for rural households. As a type of farmland resource, the high-quality of terraced farmland originates from the substantial investment of labor force and materials in land improvement processes such as terracing projects, which results in higher "landesque capital". The economic essence of landesque capital is land appreciation. In recent years, the phenomenon of farmland asset devaluation has been widespread in mountainous areas, yet how the landesque capital value of terraced farmland change remains unclear. Therefore, based on land capital theory, this study clarifies the definition of the landesque capital value of terraced farmland, constructing a comprehensive diagnostic framework from the dual perspectives of land economic productivity and land marginalization. Using data from national rural household surveys and literature synthesis in China's mountainous areas, the study reveals the trends and regional differences of landesque capital value. The findings demonstrate that in recent decades, the landesque capital of terraced farmland in China has devalued, with the trend being particularly pronounced in the eastern region. From 1996 to 2020, the differential rent reflecting the landesque capital value of terraced farmland decreased from 793.2 yuan per ha to 441.88 yuan per ha (a 44.29% drop), based on 1995 constant prices. The grain yield increase effect of terraced farmland relative to sloped farmland has been declining, with the rocky mountainous areas in Northern China showing a more significant downward trend than the Loess Plateau region. The economic benefits derived from the landesque capital of terraced farmland are increasingly unable to cover the costs of maintaining their unique functions. Therefore, it is recommended to actively explore optimal utilization approachs for existing terraced farmland while cautiously implementing new terracing projects in China's mountainous areas.

The arms trade serves as a critical tool for the United States to advance its foreign policy objectives and secure its geopolitical interests. Understanding the spatial and temporal dynamics of U.S. arms exports is essential to deciphering its strategic trajectory on the global stage. This study leverages data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Arms Transfers Database and employs a suite of robust analytical methods, including dependency modeling, Poisson regression, and dynamic Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA). These methodologies provide a nuanced understanding of the spatial evolution of U.S. arms exports, the underlying factors shaping their patterns, and the geopolitical ramifications of these exports. By integrating these approaches, the study offers a comprehensive framework for analyzing how U.S. arms trade functions as a key instrument in its global strategic playbook. The results indicate the following developmental characteristics in the spatial pattern of U.S. arms exports: (1) The United States solidifies its position as the largest arms exporter, with significant growth in both export volume and its share of the global market. Its geo-military influence is expanding into regions traditionally aligned with Russia. A defining feature of U.S. arms exports is the diversity of its offerings, with military aircraft and missiles dominating, catering to both combat and deterrence needs. (2) U.S. arms exports are predominantly focused on the periphery of the Eurasian continent, including Western Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and East Asia. The heavy reliance of importing nations on U.S. weaponry underscores America's strategy to curb the rise of global powers in Eurasia and uphold its global hegemony. (3) U.S. arms exports are positively influenced by factors such as oil production, resource endowments, political freedoms, democratic governance, military alliances, market size, and defense expenditures. However, defense cooperation with importing nations, involving sheltering mechanisms and deterrence strategies, often reduces the volume of U.S. arms exports. (4) The geopolitical objectives of U.S. arms exports focus on controlling key oil-producing countries to secure energy needs, expanding arms industry market share for economic and geopolitical gains, bolstering allies’ military capabilities to counter strategic competitors, and sustaining military trade to reinforce alliances. The overarching goal is to influence regional security dynamics and maintain global hegemony by balancing power in strategic regions.