@article{zhang_wang_song_liu_xia_risha_qiu_xu_lv_gao_et al._2024, title={Geochemistry and Provenance of Loess on the Miaodao Islands, China}, volume={15}, ISSN={["2073-4433"]}, DOI={10.3390/atmos15030261}, abstractNote={Loess deposits are widely distributed across the globe and provide detailed records of climatic changes since the Quaternary period. Their geochemical element characteristics are important indicators of paleoenvironmental evolution and provenance. Therefore, four typical loess sections from four different islands of the Miaodao Islands were selected for systematically geochemical analysis of major and trace elements. The geochemical data of major and trace elements are very similar, indicating that the loess of all islands on the Miaodao have a common provenance. The geochemical test results show that t SiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3 and CaO are the major chemical components of loess, with an average total content of 85–90%. The average Eu/Eu*, ΣLREE/ΣHREE, LaN/YbN, GdN/YbN values of the Miaodao Islands loess range from 0.65 to 0.69, 7.84 to 8.31, 8.02 to 9.99, 1.40 to 1.76. These data are similar to and different from those of the Chinese Loess Plateau, indicating the diversity of Miaodao Islands Loess provenance. The CIA (Chemical Index of Alteration) (50–65) and Na/K results suggest that the loess here had experienced incipient chemical weathering. The A-CN-K (Al2O3-CaO* + Na2O-K2O) diagram indicates that the weathering trend of the loess sections is consistent with that of continental weathering. The local loess data points are close and parallel to the A-CN line, suggesting that the loess dust material on the Miaodao Islands originated from the extensive upper continental crust, and was highly mixed in the process of wind transport and deposition. The relationships of Log[(CaO + Na2O)/K2O] versus Log(SiO2/Al2O3), Na2O/Al2O3 versus K2O/Al2O3, LaN/YbN versus Eu/Eu*, Sc-Th-La and Zr-Sc-Th plots of major and trace elements reveal that the loess sources for the Miaodao Islands are similar to those of the Loess Plateau, which were derived from alluvial fan deposits flanking the Qilian Shan in China, the Gobi Altay and Hangayn Mountains in Mongolia. However, the loess of the Miaodao Islands is coarser in average grain size and contains abundant marine fossils, with gravel layers, indicating it is allochthous and near-source, which suggests it mainly originated from the adjacent exposed sea floor sediments of the Bohai Sea during glacial periods. Finally, we conclude that the loess of the Miaodao Islands is the result of a gradual accumulation process, in which the relative amount of distant-source material decreased and the near-source material increased in response to changes in sea level and paleoclimate. Our findings support that the loess of the Miaodao Islands was formed by mixing material from distant and proximal sources.}, number={3}, journal={ATMOSPHERE}, author={Zhang, Yunfeng and Wang, Kuifeng and Song, Jianchao and Liu, Paul and Xia, Chuanbo and Risha, Muhammad and Qiu, Xiaohua and Xu, Yan and Lv, Minghui and Gao, Kuifeng and et al.}, year={2024}, month={Mar} } @article{wang_liu_sun_wang_zhang_zhang_chen_liu_wang_cao_2023, title={Progress in Realizing the Value of Ecological Products in China and Its Practice in Shandong Province}, volume={15}, ISSN={["2071-1050"]}, DOI={10.3390/su15129480}, abstractNote={Establishing a mechanism for realizing the value of ecological products is important for implementing the concept of an ecological society in China. It is a key means of acting upon the idea that green mountains and clear waters are as valuable as gold and silver, and it is a necessary requirement to promote sustainable green development and encourage harmonious coexistence between humans and nature. This article summarizes the connotations of ecological products, the accounting of ecological product value, and the progress made nationally and in Shandong province in promoting the mechanisms for realizing the value of ecological products. Based on the analysis of Shandong’s practice in various means of realizing ecological product value, such as the “forest chief system +”, “two mountain banks”, “mining ecological restoration”, “health tourism”, “ecological agriculture, culture, and tourism”, and “forest ecological compensation”, this article summarizes and proposes three types of ecological product value realization paths: government-led, government + market, and market paths. It also proposes four types of ecological product value realization modes: ecological resource indicators and equity exchanges, ecological governance and value enhancement, ecological industrial operations, and ecological protection compensation. Furthermore, this article puts forward targeted suggestions and methods for value realization in four areas: policy, technology, industry, and markets, providing an experiential reference for exploring diversified ecological product value realization in various regions of China.}, number={12}, journal={SUSTAINABILITY}, author={Wang, Kuifeng and Liu, Paul and Sun, Fengsheng and Wang, Shengwen and Zhang, Gong and Zhang, Taiping and Chen, Guodong and Liu, Jinqiu and Wang, Gangchao and Cao, Songkun}, year={2023}, month={Jun} }