The irrigation districts in the Yellow River Basin are large in scale and consume significant amounts of water, making the efficient use of water resources crucial for ecological protection and high-quality development in the region. Under the current background of digital twin irrigation district construction, the modernization of irrigation districts has shifted from individual facility upgrades to the coordinated advancement of digitization, automation, and intelligence. However, practical efforts remain largely focused on equipment configuration, monitoring operations, and platform display, lacking a classification standard for assessing levels of modernization. Drawing on the task and responsibility logic of automotive driving automation grading, a L0-L5 classification system for digital twin irrigation district modernization is proposed, with L1-L3 designated as the near-and mid-term construction priorities. Criteria at each level are refined across seven dimensions: object scale, perception completeness, solution generation capability, execution coordination, risk resilience, responsibility boundaries, and benefit verifiability. An evaluation of publicly available data from representative diversion-based irrigation districts in the Yellow River Basin indicates that: Most digital twin irrigation district constructions are at the L1 level; A few pilot irrigation districts have achieved L2-level capabilities in certain canal sections; L3-level implementation requires evidence from continuous operational records and anomaly intervention cases.

Analyzing the evolution of coupling coordination of the soil and water conservation-ecological environment-economic society composite system and identifying its driving factors can provide a scientific basis for promoting ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin of Shanxi Province and formulating high-quality development strategies for soil and water conservation. Taking 11 prefecture-level cities in Shanxi Province as research objects and 2011-2023 as the study period, we constructed an evaluation index system for the coupling coordination of the soil and water conservation-ecological environment-economic society composite system. The entropy weight method and coupling coordination degree model were applied to calculate the coupling coordination degree of the composite system in each prefecture-level city of Shanxi Province, and kernel density estimation and grey relational analysis were employed to explore the spatiotemporal pattern and driving factors of the coupling coordinated development of the composite system in Shanxi Province. The main conclusions are as follows: a) The three subsystems of soil and water conservation, ecological environment, and economic society in Shanxi Province showed a hierarchical differentiation characteristic, with the ranking of ecological environment protection level > economic and social development level > soil and water conservation development level. b) The coupling coordination level of the soil and water conservation-ecological environment-economic society composite system in all prefecture-level cities of Shanxi Province showed a steady upward trend during the study period, and presented a spatial pattern of high in the west and low in the east. There were large differences among prefecture-level cities, and the levels were still generally low at the end of the study period. c)During the study period, the coupling coordinated development of the soil and water conservation-ecological environment-economic society composite system was dominated by the economic society subsystem, and the main driving factors included basic farmland improvement area, closed mountain afforestation area, green coverage rate of built-up areas, per capita disposable income of urban residents, proportion of tertiary industry output to GDP, and total grain output.

The Yellow River ice flood prevention scheduling aims to stabilize the river discharge during the ice flood period to ensure the safety of the Yellow River, while addressing the conflict between hydropower generation in upstream reservoirs and ice flood prevention. Under the premise of ensuring ice flood safety, it appropriately increases the winter discharge to meet the power demand of the Northwest Power Grid in winter. After years of exploration and practice, a scheduling approach has been established with Liujiaxia Reservoir as the core, featuring a three-stage strategy: “initial discharge augmentation, intermediate steady discharge, and gradual terminal discharge reduction.” This approach has created favorable conditions for the stable freezing-up and break-up processes in the Ningxia-Inner Mongolia Reach, significantly improving the ice flood prevention situation in this critical section of the Yellow River. Since 2018, the river conditions in the Ningxia-Inner Mongolia reach have improved, with an increase in the overflowing capacity of key hydrological sections and discharge at bench-land stage. The freeze-up discharge has exceeded 800 m³/s without causing ice flood disasters. Both the channel storage increment and the ice flood peak discharge have been lower than the multi-year average, while the discharge from Longyangxia and Liujiaxia Reservoirs during the ice flood period has been significantly higher than the multi-year average. By implementing this scheduling strategy, the ice flood prevention requirements of the reservoirs have been met, while simultaneously enhancing power generation efficiency, achieving optimized allocation and rational utilization of water resources.

High-quality industrial development is the key path to jointly promote ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin. To explore the synergistic relationship between water-carbon resource conservation and high-quality industrial development in the Yellow River Basin, and to provide decision-making support for sustainable industrial growth and ecological protection, this study employed the Tapio decoupling model to assess the decoupling trends between industrial high-quality development and water-carbon resource utilization. Additionally, using the Kaya-LMDI mode, it identified the driving factors behind this decoupling by analyzing the effects of industrial quality, economic scale, living standards, urbanization, and population. The results reveals that: a) From 2013 to 2021, the high-quality industrial development index of the Yellow River Basin shows a trend of rising first and then declining, and spatially presents a pattern of “high in the east and low in the west, high in the south and low in the north”.b) The decoupling state of industrial high-quality development and water-carbon footprint in the Yellow River Basin fails to continue to develop well, weak decoupling is just achieved twice in 2014-2016, and then the decoupling trend of expanding connection and expanding negative decoupling alternately appears.c) Industrial quality effect, living standard effect and population effect promote decoupling, while economic scale effect and urbanization effect inhibit decoupling. There are differences in decoupling state and driving factors among provinces and regions in the Yellow River Basin. It is recommended that we should accelerate the exploration of new paths for synergistic water-carbon utilization and focus on promoting the coordinated advancement of water-carbon resource protection and high-quality industrial development. We should also give full play to the promoting role of the industrial quality effect, population effect and living standard effect, and rationally expand economic scale and promote the urbanization process.

Implementing an ecological compensation mechanism is a crucial measure to mobilize the enthusiasm of all parties and promote the construction of ecological civilization. To advance ecological compensation in the Yellow River Basin and enhance ecological resilience, based on panel data from 102 prefecture-level cities in the Yellow River Basin spanning from 2007 to 2022, this paper empirically analyzes the impact of ecological compensation policies on ecological resilience in the Yellow River Basin and its mechanism of action using a difference-in-differences model. The results indicate that: a) The implementation of ecological compensation policies has significantly improved ecological resilience in pilot areas. b) The upgrading of industrial structure and the enhancement of ecological carrying capacity, environmental governance capacity, and green technology innovation capability are important mechanisms through which ecological compensation policies promote the improvement of ecological resilience. c) The enhancement effect of ecological compensation policies on ecological resilience exhibits heterogeneity in terms of administrative level of implementation areas, basic ecological resilience level, and geographical location. Recommendations: Establish a differentiated compensation mechanism that coordinates across the entire basin, target policies based on the mechanisms for enhancing ecological resilience, fully leverage the role of industrial structure upgrading, environmental governance, and green technology innovation, vigorously improve ecological carrying capacity, and optimize ecological compensation policies to make them compatible with different locations and various implementation areas.

The equilibrium theory of check dam systems serves as the core theoretical foundation for guiding the construction of check dams on the Loess Plateau and promoting high-quality development of soil and water conservation. In response to the challenges faced by current check dam construction-including frequent extreme rainstorms, profound changes in watershed water and sediment conditions, and new requirements for high-quality development-this paper systematically reviews the evolutionary trajectory of the check dam system equilibrium theory and clarifies its scientific connotations and core principles in the new era. The research trajectory from the inspiration of natural sedimentation dams in the Ming Dynasty to the single-dam relative equilibrium theory in the 1960s and further to the dam system equilibrium research in the 1990s is summarized. Integrating recent research findings with the characteristics of the new era, the scientific connotation of water-sediment-agriculture-stability multi-objective synergy is refined, and four fundamental principles are systematically elucidated: the erosion-interception balance principle, the risk cascade and system resilience principle, the water-sediment-agriculture-stability coupling principle, and the spatiotemporal optimization principle. On this basis, the connotative evolution of check dam system equilibrium in the new era is revealed-from static to dynamic, from single-objective to multi-objective, from single-dam to system-wide, and from engineering-focused to ecological integration. The core mechanisms, including dynamic matching between erosion and interception, risk transmission and system resilience, multi-objective coupling coordination, and spatiotemporal optimization configuration, are clarified. Future research directions are proposed, aiming to provide theoretical support for the optimized layout and safe operation of check dam systems on the Loess Plateau.

This study designed an automated monitoring and early warning system for sluice gates and successfully applied it to the operational management of the Tangzheng Sluice. Based on safety monitoring instruments installed on the sluice structure, data sequences of various monitored physical quantities were collected. The Interquartile Range method was employed for data denoising, while missing data points were supplemented using cubic spline interpolation to ensure data integrity. A stepwise multiple linear regression-random forest coupling model was developed to establish the mathematical relationships between environmental variables and the monitored physical quantities. The early warning thresholds for each monitored physical quantity were determined using an improved 3σ criterion, and the accuracy of the proposed model and thresholds was validated through a prediction sample set. Finally, a three-dimensional finite element model of the sluice was constructed, and the deformation results under design conditions were compared with the predicted results to further verify the engineering rationality of the proposed thresholds.

To fill the research gap on the nonlinear relationship between data factor allocation and carbon performance at the regional level, to verify the chain transmission mechanism of “data factor allocation→new quality productive forces→industrial structure upgrading→carbon performance”, and to provide more targeted theoretical support and policy direction for low-carbon development in the Yellow River Basin, this study constructs a nonlinear baseline regression model with carbon performance as the explained variable and data factor allocation as the core explanatory variable, and builds a multiple mediating effect model with new quality productive forces and industrial structure upgrading as mediating variables. Based on panel data from 69 prefecture-level cities in the Yellow River Basin spanning 2010-2024, the study empirically analyzes the impact of data factor allocation on carbon performance in the basin and its internal mechanism, and conducts robustness tests, endogeneity tests, and heterogeneity tests. The results indicate that: a) Data factor allocation exerts a U-shaped impact on carbon performance in the Yellow River Basin-initially inhibiting and subsequently promoting it-meaning a threshold exists for its promoting effect. b) New quality productive forces and industrial structure upgrading each exhibit independent mediating effects in the process, and a chain mediating effect of “new quality productive forces → industrial structure upgrading” is also present. c) Compared with the upper reaches of the Yellow River and economically less developed areas, the impact of data factor allocation on carbon performance is more pronounced in the middle and lower reaches and in relatively developed economic areas. Policy recommendations: Strive to push the level of data factor allocation beyond the critical threshold to unleash positive effects, concentrate on cultivating new quality productive forces and promoting industrial structure upgrading to expand the chain-based carbon performance improvement pathway, and implement differentiated development strategies to promote the overall optimization of carbon performance across the Yellow River Basin.

In order to explore the spatial and temporal distribution of periphytic algal community and its relationship with water environmental factors in Yanhe River basin, a primary tributary of the middle reaches of the Yellow River, Samples were collected from 15 monitoring sections of the Yanhe River Basin from August (high water period), October (normal water period) 2023 and March (low water period) 2024. For the first time, the composition of periphytic algae and the relationship between water environment factors and community were studied. The results indicated that a total of 179 periphytic algae species were identified in Yanhe River Basin, belonging to 67 genera of 6 phyla. The species of Bacillariophyta accounted for 52.5%, the Chlorophyta for 24.0%, the Cyanophyta for 19.6%, the Euglenophyta for 2.8%, the Chrysophyta and Cryptophyta both for 0.55%. The species number of periphytic algae was in the order of high water period>low water period>normal water period. There are 25 dominant species of periphytic algae, belonging to 16 genera, mainly Bacillariophyta, in particular, the low water period constituted for 85%, while Cyanophyta were only detected during the low water period and there were no dominant species in the high water period. The average densities of periphytic algae in the high, normal, and low water periods were 4.5×10⁴ ind/cm², 6.8×10⁴ ind/cm², and 4.2×10⁴ ind/cm², respectively, with the autumn density being significantly higher than that spring and summer. The Margalef richness index demonstrated that the water quality of the Yanhe River Basin was no polluted in the high water period, buy the pollution was β- medium in both the normal and low water periods. Redundancy analysis (RDA) revealed that the common main water environment factors affecting periphytic algae diversity distribution in Yanhe River Basin during the high, normal and low water periods were water temperature, pH value and ammonia. Additionally, water depth, total phosphorus, flow velocity and total nitrogen were the main influencing factors in the high water period, normal water period and low water period, respectively. Short-term monitoring is insufficient to accurately reflect the enhancement of water ecological quality and the alterations in the aquatic community structure within the basin. 

Since its implementation, the 1987 Yellow River Water Allocation Scheme has strongly underpinned water resources management in the Yellow River Basin and played a significant role. Currently, marked changes have occurred in the basin’s water–sediment regime, engineering conditions, and socioeconomic development pattern, making the adjustment of the Yellow River water allocation scheme a matter of widespread concern. This paper summarized theories and methods supporting the adjustment of the Yellow River water allocation scheme: the mechanism of watershed healthy water balance based on the Budyko Equation for human societal water use, the theory of watershed equitable allocation of water resources, and the model of incremental equitable allocation. It proposed key research findings focused on optimizing the relationship between in-stream and off-stream water uses and scientifically adjusting the allocation of off-stream water used among provinces,thereby supporting the formulation, approval, and implementation of an adjusted 1987 Scheme. The adjustment of the 1987 Scheme representd a spatial redistribution of water resources in the Yellow River Basin. It can alleviate the existing rigid water shortages in the six upstream and midstream provinces. To fundamentally address water scarcity in the Yellow River Basin, it is imperative to accelerate the implementation of the water diversion project from other basin to improve the supporting capability of the basin water resources.

In order to explore the synergistic relationship between grain security resilience and water resources carrying capacity in the Upper Yellow River, and to ensure regional grain security and sustainable water resources utilization, this paper takes the five provinces (regions) in the Upper Yellow River as the research objects, constructs an evaluation index system for grain security resilience and water resources carrying capacity, and comprehensively employs the entropy method, coupling coordination degree model, kernel density estimation, and geographical detector to explore the spatiotemporal coupling characteristics and driving factors of grain security resilience and water resources carrying capacity from 2014 to 2023. The results show that from 2014 to 2023, the comprehensive levels of both grain security resilience and water resources carrying capacity in the Upper Yellow River showed an upward trend, and the development gap between them gradually narrowed; the coupling coordination level improved from barely coordinated to primary coordination, and the inter-provincial differences decreased; spatially, an uneven development pattern characterized by “high in the north and south, low in the middle” and “high in the south, low in the north” was observed; Gansu, Qinghai, and Ningxia remained at a low development level over the long term; forest coverage rate, the number of employees in the rural primary industry, per capita water consumption, etc. were the main driving factors. It is recommended that the Upper Yellow River region make efforts in ecological protection, technological innovation, and policy support to promote the synergistic development of grain security resilience and water resources carrying capacity.

To identify the water resources carrying capacity (WRCC) and its influencing factors in the Tarim River Basin and reveal its spatiotemporal evolution, this paper built an evaluation index system including 21 indicators of four subsystems of water resources, society, economy and ecology. The game theory-based combination weighting method and the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) model were employed to evaluate the WRCC of the five prefectures (regions) in the Tarim River Basin from 2013 to 2019. Furthermore, the obstacle degree model was applied to identify the major limiting factors affecting WRCC. The results indicate that: a) the overall WRCC of the Tarim River Basin exhibited a steady upward trend, improving from a relatively low level during 2013-2015 to a moderate level during 2016-2019; b) significant spatial heterogeneity was observed in WRCC, with Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture exhibiting the highest carrying capacity, followed by Aksu Prefecture, whereas Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture, Kashgar Prefecture, and Hotan Prefecture showed relatively lower levels; c) annual precipitation, water yield modulus, the proportion of ecological water use, water supply modulus, and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita were identified as the key factors influencing WRCC in the Tarim River Basin.

To investigate the spatio temporal evolution of agricultural ecological efficiency in the Yellow River Basin and provide references for formulating strategies to enhance it, this study utilized panel data from 2008 to 2023 of nine provinces (autonomous regions) in the basin. Carbon sequestration and carbon emissions were respectively taken as the expected output and non expected output indicators. The super efficiency SBM model was adopted to calculate the annual agricultural ecological efficiency of each province (autonomous region), and the Dagum Gini coefficient was used to examine the regional differences in agricultural ecological efficiency. The kernel density curve was drawn to analyze the dynamic evolution of agricultural ecological efficiency. The results show that: a) The overall agricultural ecological efficiency in the Yellow River Basin has been on the rise during the study period, with Gansu showing the fastest growth rate and Qinghai experiencing a slight decline. The spatial pattern of agricultural ecological efficiency was “high in the upper reaches and low in the middle and lower reaches” at the beginning of the study period, changed to “high in the middle and lower reaches and low in the upper reaches” in 2017, and tended to be balanced among all regions at the end of the study period. b) At the beginning of the study period, the differences in agricultural ecological efficiency between the upper and middllower reaches and among the provinces (autonomous regions) in the upper reaches were relatively large, but these gaps have narrowed during the study period. c) Given the fluctuations in agricultural ecological efficiency at the basin level, in the upper, middle and lower reaches, and among the nine provinces (autonomous regions) within the basin during the study period, efforts should be made to enhance the agricultural ecological efficiency of each region while ensuring its stability. Suggestions: a) Implement differentiated strategies and improve agricultural ecological efficiency based on local conditions. b) Encourage cross regional cooperation to promote the green and coordinated development of agriculture in all regions. c) Optimize the resource allocation mechanism to narrow regional disparities.

To provide guidance and a scientific basis for the green and low carbon energy transition in the Yellow River Basin, this study uses panel data from 57 prefecture level cities in the region from 2013 to 2022. The entropy method measures new quality productive forces, the super efficiency SBM model assesses the green and low carbon energy transition, and the STIRPAT model empirically analyzes how new quality productive forces promote this transition, revealing the mediating roles of industrial structure upgrading and environmental regulations. Results show: a) During the study period, new quality productive forces steadily increased but remained relatively low; the energy transition level also rose but with significant fluctuations. Both exhibit spatial disparities: new quality productive forces are “higher in the east, lower in the west”, while the energy transition level is “highest in the lower reaches, followed by the middle reaches, and lowest in the upper reaches”. b) New quality productive forces exert a significant direct promotional effect on the green and low carbon energy transition in the Yellow River Basin, and they also indirectly promote this transition through two pathways: industrial structure upgrading and environmental regulations; c) The promotional effect of new quality productive forces on the green and low carbon energy transition in the Yellow River Basin exhibits significant regional heterogeneity, characterized by “the most pronounced effect in the lower reaches, followed by the middle reaches, and no significant effect in the upper reaches”. Based on the research findings, recommendations are proposed, including optimizing industrial structure, strengthening environmental regulations, fostering new quality productive forces in the energy sector, enhancing regional coordination, and promoting integrated development of the Yellow River Basin.

In order to reveal the driving factors and restraining factors of carbon emissions in the Yellow River Basin and the carbon reduction effect of energy structure transformation, and provide reference for accelerating the green and lowcarbon transformation of energy in the Yellow River Basin, the green energy quality index, which reflects the comprehensive index of energy structure transformation and technological progress, is used as the core explanatory variable, and GDP, urbanization rate, capital stock, technological innovation level and industrial structure are used as control variables. Based on the panel data of nine provinces in the Yellow River Basin from 2006 to 2022, the spatial Spatial Durbin Model (SDM) is used to empirically analyze the relationship between green energy quality index and total carbon emissions. The empirical analysis results are tested for robustness such as transforming the spatial weight matrix and replacing the explained variables. The results show that: a) Energy structure transformation and technological progress have a significant inhibitory effect on carbon emissions in the province and neighboring provinces, and the inhibitory effect on carbon emissions in the province has increased during the study period. b) The green energy quality index, the increase of capital stock and the progress of science and technology are the inhibiting factors of carbon emissions in the Yellow River Basin. The economic development, urbanization and industrial structure are the driving factors of carbon emissions. At present, the effect of carbon emission inhibiting factors is still weaker than that of driving factors. c) There are significant regional differences in the green and low carbon transformation of energy in the Yellow River Basin. The green energy quality index of Qinghai Province with relatively small total carbon emissions is more than twice that of the provinces in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, highlighting the imbalance of development in the Yellow River Basin and the difficulty of achieving the goal of “double carbon”. According to the influence path of green energy quality index on carbon emissions in the Yellow River Basin, policy recommendations such as further optimizing energy structure, improving energy efficiency, strengthening regional coordination and cooperation, and promoting energy saving technologies are proposed.

In order to provide a reference for resolving the problems of resource curse and ecological constraints in resource-based cities in the Yellow River Basin and promoting the sustainable development of the basin, an index evaluation system covering three dimensions of new quality laborers, new quality labor objects, and new quality labor materials was constructed. The entropy weight-Topsis method was used to assess the new quality productivity development level of 34 resource-based cities in the Yellow River Basin from 2012 to 2023. The spatial-temporal evolution pattern of new quality productivity level was measured using kernel density estimation and the grey prediction GM(1,1) model. The obstacle degree model was used to analyze the influencing factors of new quality productivity level. The results show: a) Among the resource-based cities in the Yellow River Basin, the number of cities in the rapid growth type is the largest, and the average level of new quality productivity shows an inverted V-shaped growth trend.b) The new quality productivity development trends in resource-based cities in the Yellow River Basin are synchronous. The predicted average level of new quality productivity from 2024 to 2028 shows a stable upward trend.c) The top 5 obstacle factors affecting the development of new quality productivity are: the growth rate of broadband access users, the density of road lines, the proportion of fiscal science and technology expenditure, the ratio of R&D personnel to employed personnel, and the emission of sulfur dioxide in industrial waste per unit area.

This study takes the Guanlan River Basin in Shenzhen as a typical high-density urban area. Based on its terrain characteristics, a MIKE FLOOD urban flooding model that coupled with one-dimensional pipe networks, one-dimensional river channels, and two-dimensional surface is constructed. The model is calibrated using the measured runoff data from the “9·7” extremely heavy rainstorm in Shenzhen in 2023. The Nash efficiency coefficient is 0.873 and the average water depth error is 0.072 4 m, indicating that the model has good accuracy. The analysis of the drainage capacity of the pipe network and the characteristics of urban flooding and risk in the study area shows that the design standards of the pipe network in the study area are unevenly distributed and the gradient connection is unreasonable. 42.3% of the pipe networks is below the design standard for a one-year return period, only 23.6% meets the standard for a 1-5 year return period, and 34.1% exceeds the standard for a 5-year return period, indicating a significant lack of drainage capacity. As the return period of rainfall increases, the total area of surface inundation expands significantly, with the shallow water area experiencing the largest increase, indicating that heavy rainfall mainly exacerbates the risk of shallow water inundation. The area of each risk area expands with the increase of rainfall return period, with the proportion of low-risk zones increasing and the proportion of medium and high-risk zones decreasing. Heavy rainfall is a key factor exacerbating urban flooding risks. The research results reveal the weak links and flooding risk characteristics of the drainage system in the Guanlan River Basin, emphasizing the urgency of improving the drainage standards of the pipe network and strengthening disaster prevention in medium and high-risk zones.

An objective evaluation of the impacts of  land use types on watershed erosion intensity is of great significance for scientifically optimizing watershed management measures and layout. In order to provide references for improving the quality and efficiency of soil and water conservation measures in small watersheds of western Henan, based on the 2015-2024 monitoring data from standard runoff plots in the Hugou watershed in the loess hilly area of western Henan, the differences of erosion intensity among four land use types (bare land, farmland, orchard and grassland) under three slope gradients (10°, 15° and 25°) were compared and analyzed. The results show that: a) Land use types exert a significant effect on erosion intensity. During the monitoring period, the average annual sediment yielding events of runoff plots for farmland, bare land and orchard were 13.6, 13.6 and 7.9 respectively. Grassland generated runoff but no sediment. Both event-averaged and annual average erosion intensity followed the order: bare land > farmland > orchard > grassland. b) The increase of slope gradient presented an obvious non-linear amplification effect on erosion intensity. When the slope rose from 10° to 15°-25°, the annual average erosion intensity increased by 1.31-2.61 times for farmland plots, 1.21-2.35 times for bare land plots, and 2.04-5.56 times for orchard plots. c) The multi-year average erosion intensity of bare land and farmland plots at a slope of 25° reached or approached the severe erosion standard respectively. The maximum annual erosion intensity of 25° bare land, farmland and orchard plots all met the standard of extremely severe erosion. In the view of erosion control, soil and water conservation measures should be implemented on steep bare land, steep sloping farmland should be converted to forest or grassland, and soil conservation and erosion reduction management should be adopted for steep sloping orchards.

Given the increasingly severe imbalance between the supply and demand of soil and water resources, and the insufficient understanding of the relationship between water quantity, water quality, and the water-use efficiency across different land-use types, this study constructs a framework for the joint optimal allocation of regional soil and water resources incorporating the theory of water quality-specific supply. The model holistically considers the dynamic feedback mechanisms among soil-water resources, ecology, the economy, and society. A dual-layer nested algorithm  coupling the Non-Linear Multi-Objective Programming approach with the Successive Approximation Method was employed to solve the model. A case study was conducted on the joint allocation of soil and water resources in Luoyang City, Henan Province, within the Yellow River Basin. The results demonstrate that, compared to scenarios without considering water quality-specific supply:  the total water demand in Luoyang decreased by 12.81 million m³;  the supply of high-quality water increased by 1.2 million m³;  the supply of low-quality water decreased by 14.32 million m³, thereby optimizing the water supply structure and ensuring water quality safety. Furthermore, the joint optimization led to a stable increase in Luoyang’s GDP, the water quality-induced  water scarcity raet decreased to 0.02%, and controlled the concentration of major pollutants COD within 19.2 mg/L, meeting the Class Ⅲ water quality standard.

Agricultural wastes including mushroom stalk ash and corn straw ash (MCA) and furnace slag (FS) were utilized to prepare an alkali-activated biomass ash-slag composite (AABS). The effects of different activators (quicklime, sodium hydroxide, sodium silicate) on the mechanical properties and pore structure of AABS were investigated through single-factor experiments and orthogonal analysis. Microstructural characteristics and phase composition were characterized using NMR, XRD, and SEM-EDS. Results indicated that the composite activator significantly enhanced the properties of the paste specimens. The optimal AABS formulation achieved a 28-day compressive strength of 47.4 MPa. Microstructural analysis revealed a distinct linear negative correlation between compressive strength and porosity. Micropores smaller than 0.4 μm predominated within the specimens. Furthermore, extensive formation of dense calcium (alumino) silicate hydrate (C-(A)-S-H) gel was observed, demonstrating effective alkali activation.

To provide a theoretical basis for the layout of soil and water conservation (SWC) ecological construction in Gansu Province and the achievement of phased SWC rate targets, this study calculated the SWC rates for Gansu Province and its prefectures (cities) for the years 2011, 2020, 2021, and 2022. The calculations were based on soil erosion data from the First National Water Resources Census, dynamic monitoring results, and the Gansu Provincial Soil and Water Conservation Bulletin. These rates were used to reflect historical trends in conservation. Furthermore, the study employed the “soil erosion area reduction ratio” defined as the proportion of reduced erosion area relative to the total ecological construction area within a specific period-to evaluate the effectiveness of SWC initiatives. By comparatively analyzing the changes in SWC rates across different stages and exploring the dynamics of eroded area reduction, ecological construction area, and their relationship with the SWC rate, the results indicate the following: a)From 2011 to 2022, the SWC rate in Gansu Province exhibited an overall upward trend, with an average annual increase of 0.20 percentage points specifically from 2020 to 2022. Significant regional disparities were observed in the growth rates among different prefectures (cities). Specifically, prefectures in the Longzhong and Longdong regions demonstrated relatively larger increases, whereas those in the Hexi region exhibited relatively smaller increments. b)To achieve the 2025 phased target for the SWC rate, the province’s annual growth rate must reach 0.37 percentage points from 2022 to 2025. With the exception of Linxia Prefecture-which is projected to largely meet the target by maintaining its 2020-2022 average annual erosion reduction pace-all other prefectures will face considerable challenges in achieving their goals. It is therefore imperative to further intensify SWC ecological construction efforts, expand governance areas, and accelerate the reduction of soil erosion. c)The soil erosion reduction ratios at both provincial and prefectural levels remain low. In 2021 and 2022, the provincial ratios were only 10.86% and 14.99%, respectively. Even in Lanzhou, Qingyang, and Baiyin, the three cities with the highest ratios in 2022, the figures stood at a mere 33.30%, 23.73%, and 22.22%, respectively. Consequently, it is imperative that each prefecture adopts targeted governance strategies and optimized technical configurations based on local erosion types, socio-economic development needs, and phased conservation targets, thereby ensuring the realization of the established SWC rate objectives.

Hydraulic hoists are critical equipment for sluice gates in water conservancy projects. Accurate fault prediction and intelligent operation and maintenance of such equipment are imperative requirements for the high-quality development of water conservancy in the new era.To address the core challenges in fault prediction, including the difficulty of acquiring model training data and low prediction accuracy, this study first analyzed the working principle of hydraulic hoists. Through literature review, field investigation and expert consultation, the main faults of hydraulic hoists were classified into four categories: hydraulic cylinder leakage, hydraulic pump leakage, hydraulic oil contamination, and electromagnetic directional valve failure. Subsequently, AMESim simulation software was adopted to model and simulate the hydraulic hoist under three working conditions, namely opening, holding, and closing. Combined with the boundary conditions of each working condition, simulation results of various faults and characteristic data of the core components of the hydraulic hoist were obtained. This effectively addressed the challenge of difficult acquisition of model training data in real engineering scenarios. On this basis, a hydraulic hoist fault prediction model (BO-RF) was constructed, which optimizes the Random Forest (RF) algorithm via Bayesian Optimization (BO) for hyperparameter tuning, effectively improving the fault prediction accuracy of hydraulic hoists.Case study results demonstrate that the BO-RF model improves the accuracy, precision, recall and F1-score of the original RF model from 92.50%, 95.00%, 90.48% and 0.93 to 97.20%, 97.19%, 96.08% and 0.97, respectively. This verifies the high efficiency and accuracy of the proposed BO-RF model for hydraulic hoist fault prediction.

To fully leverage the supportive and leading role of standards in ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin, and to promote coordinated development among the nine provinces in the basin, a systematic review of the local standards for ecological protection in these nine provinces was conducted. Through meeting discussions, demand research, opinion analysis, and thematic studies, a collaborative local standard system for ecological protection in the Yellow River Basin was established, consisting of three dimensions: binding force, nature, and field. The system framework encompasses areas such as “five water” governance collaboration, ecological environment governance collaboration, disaster prevention and mitigation collaboration, and ecological supervision collaboration. Recommendations for collaborative standardization efforts among the nine provinces are put forward: strengthening standard linkage within the standard system, coordinate and improve the standardization work of each province, and enhancing the implementation support capability of the standard system.

To investigate the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of the shallow subsurface hydraulic conductivity (K) and its response to changes in the depositional environment, the Yellow River Delta was selected as the study area. In July 2024, a total of 96 soil samples were collected from the surface and depths of 10 cm, 30 cm, and 50 cm below ground level in the Yellow River Delta. Particle size analysis was conducted, and empirical formulas were applied to calculate the average hydraulic conductivity at each depth as well as the equivalent shallow subsurface hydraulic conductivity. The calculated results were validated through in-situ standpipe tests. The study found that the shallow subsurface sediments in the delta primarily consist of clay and sand. The mean particle sizes at the surface, 10 cm, 30 cm, and 50 cm depths were 28.8 μm, 26.1 μm, 29.9 μm, and 29.1 μm, respectively. Compared with sampling results from 2015, the standard deviations of particle sizes d10, d50, and d90 decreased by 26.2%, 47.8%, and 30.4%, respectively. The K values ranged from 0.02-3.10 m/d in 2015 to 0.10-1.54 m/d in the current study, indicating improved sediment sorting. Although the mean K value showed little change, spatial variability decreased significantly. In the Diaokou River protected area, the spatial variability of K was relatively low. In the general protected zones of the Yellow River Delta wetlands, K values were generally higher than those in the core protected areas. The horizontal equivalent hydraulic conductivity of shallow subsurface sediments in the protected areas ranged from 0.07 to 1.78 m/d, while the vertical equivalent hydraulic conductivity ranged from 0.03 to 1.51 m/d. The ratio of horizontal to vertical K was 1.18, indicating significant isotropy. These changes reflect the comprehensive influence of factors since 2015, including variations in water and sediment discharge from the Yellow River, wetland water replenishment operations, and conservation measures.

To enhance the adaptability of the “Water-Energy-Food” （WEF） symbiotic system in the Yellow River Basin, promote the synergy of water, energy and food resources, and facilitate ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin, this study took the nine provinces (regions) in the Yellow River Basin as the research area. Based on symbiosis theory, an evaluation index system for the adaptability of the WEF system was constructed. The TOPSIS method was used to calculate the adaptability degree, and an obstacle degree model was applied to discover key constraints to improve the adaptability degree in each province (region). The development and changes in the adaptability of the WEF symbiotic system in the Yellow River Basin from 2012 to 2020 were analyzed. The results show that: a) The adaptability of Ningxia’s WEF symbiotic system shows a slight fluctuating upward trend; The adaptability of Qinghai, Sichuan and Gansu shows a fluctuating downward trend, but has begun to rebound in recent years; The adaptability of five provinces, including Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Henan and Shandong, fluctuates within certain ranges. b) According to the standard deviation grading method, Qinghai is a high adaptability zone; Sichuan, Inner Mongolia and Shaanxi are comparatively high adaptability zones; Shanxi, Gansu, Henan and Shandong are medium adaptability zones, while Ningxia is a low adaptability zone. c) Per capita water resources and water resources utilization ratio are the main constraints to the adaptability of the WEF symbiotic system across nine provinces (regions) in the Yellow River Basin. Finally, corresponding suggestions are put forward according to the main obstacle factors for each province (region).

Concrete and sand materials exhibit significant nonlinear mechanical behavior during loading, where the non-stationary dynamic characteristics of stress-strain make it challenging for traditional prediction methods to achieve accuracy. To address this issue, this paper proposes a deep learning prediction model combining a Multi-head Attention-enhanced Gated Recurrent Unit (MUA-GRU) with a Non-Stationary Transformer. The model leverages self-attention mechanisms to capture the dynamic responses of materials during elastic, plastic, and failure stages, while integrating the KAN module to achieve efficient mapping of complex feature. Four sets of stress-strain data were generated using the PFC2D software based on the discrete element method(DEM), and the proposed model was validated through comparisons with Support Vector Regression (SVR), Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), Informer, and CNN-BiLSTM-MA models. The Results show that the proposed model achieved a coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.987-0.996 for short- and long-sequence predictions, with the Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) as low as 0.65%, and a 20%-47% reduction in Mean Absolute Error (MAE) compared to the second-best model. The study indicates that the synergistic design of multi-scale feature extraction and non-stationary attention mechanisms significantly enhances the prediction accuracy of material mechanical properties,  providing a more reliable solution for predicting the mechanical behavior of complex materials and supporting related engineering applications.

With the acceleration of global climate change and urbanization, flood disasters occur frequently. Traditional flood control measures are insufficient to meet cities’ flood response needs, making it urgent to enhance urban flood resilience to improve disaster resistance and post-disaster recovery capabilities. Thirteen prefecture-level cities in the lower Yellow River basin were selected as the study area. Based on an improved Pressure-State-Response (PSR) framework, a four-dimensional resilience assessment system (Hazard-Exposure-Vulnerability-Adaptive Capacity, H-E-V-A) was constructed. The entropy weight-CRITIC combination weighting method was used to calculate indicator weights, and the Geodetector model was applied to analyze the driving factors of resilience spatial differentiation. The study found that from 2013 to 2023, the flood resilience index of the study area showed an overall fluctuating upward trend with a significant increase of 22.2%, indicating a marked improvement in resilience level. Spatially, resilience spread outward with Zhengzhou and Jinan as high-value centers; over time, the range of high-resilience cities expanded while the number of low-resilience cities decreased. Driving factor analysis indicated that total regional economic output, fiscal budget expenditure, medical and health service level, and information dissemination capacity were the main drivers, and the synergistic effect among these factors played a particularly significant role in enhancing resilience. Although the flood resilience of the study area has improved significantly over the past decade, regional differences persist. In the future, it is necessary to strengthen regional coordination and optimize urban layout to further enhance cities’ flood resistance capacity.

To investigate the relationship between new quality productive forces and carbon emission efficiency in the Yellow River Basin, and to provide theoretical support for achieving the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals and high-quality regional development, this study constructs evaluation index systems for both variables based on panel data from nine provinces (regions) in the Yellow River Basin from 2012 to 2023. A two-way fixed effects model and a mediation effect model are employed to measure and examine the relationship between new quality productive forces and carbon emission efficiency. The results show that: a) New quality productive forces exert a significantly positive effect on improving carbon emission efficiency in the Yellow River Basin, and this finding remains robust after multiple robustness tests.b) The development of new quality productive forces effectively enhances carbon emission efficiency through industrial structure upgrading and green technological innovation. c) The promoting effect of new quality productive forces on carbon emission efficiency is more pronounced in regions with lower economic levels, and is stronger in non-resource-based regions than in resource-based regions.Based on these findings, several policy recommendations are proposed, including continuously fostering new quality productive forces in the Yellow River Basin, optimizing the mechanisms of green technological innovation and industrial structure upgrading, and formulating differentiated development strategies tailored to local conditions.

To enhance the refinement, informatization, and modernization of reservoir operation and management, and to provide practical references for the construction of the digital twin water conservancy system, this paper takes Guxian Reservoir as a case study to explore key technologies and applications for digital twin platform construction. Relying on integrated space-air-ground-water-engineering sensing technology, a data foundation driven by multi-source data fusion has been established. Based on a one-dimensional-two-dimensional coupled hydrodynamic mechanism model characterized by time-varying parameters, and combined with the self-developed “Zhihe Shijie” twin engine, a multi-scale coupled model is constructed. This model covers impoundment inundation, disaster assessment, and visual simulation. The Guxian Reservoir Digital Twin Platform has played a critical role in flood control operations. It supports the “Four Pre” functions of reservoir management, realizing the dynamic simulation and visualization of flood regulation, evolution, and disaster assessment. This effectively improves decision-making capabilities for flood control. Furthermore, it provides a pilot paradigm for the construction of the Digital Twin Yellow River. Its development experience serves as a reference for other water conservancy projects, while its core technologies and multi-scenario application modules support the interconnection, collaborative development, and sharing of the “2+N” business system of the Digital Twin Yellow River.

In response to the local flow field changes caused by the layout of bottom-mounted continuous underwater structures, the RNG k-ε turbulence model is used to analyze the sediment erosion and deposition patterns caused by bottom-mounted continuous structures. The results show that when the structure can cross the water longitudinally, a peach-shaped vortex will be formed behind the backflow side, and a scouring pit will be formed at the side heading point, and the depth of the scouring pit is negatively correlated with the length of the structure. Due to the water-blocking effect of the structure, eddies will be formed on the frontal and backcurrent sides of the structure, and when the structure is wide, eddies will be formed on the upper side and siltation, and the amount of sedimentation is positively correlated with the width of the structure. Because the structure and the water flow direction are at a certain angle, the flow velocity difference is formed in the same longitudinal section, and the water flow flows from the obtuse angle on the back flow side to the acute angle, and forms an arc-shaped vortex at the acute angle, and the vortex direction is towards the lower side of the structure, which has a certain threat to the stability of the lower side of the structure.

The implementation of gully consolidation and highland protection projects in the Loess Plateau Gully Region plays a significant role in safeguarding national land security, food security, ecological security, and livelihood security. This study aims to deepen and expand the theoretical research on such projects and provide references for their practice. Based on field surveys of 71 projects in Gansu and reviews of their engineering design documents, we conducted statistics, induction, and analysis on investment, construction content, protection targets, configuration modes, and functions of the measures. The results indicated the following: a) The measures could be categorized into 10 types: gully head landfill, drainage diversion into channels, detention ponds, gully head protection, land consolidation, slope masonry protection, willow check dams, forest and grass restoration, temporary measures, and other measures. b) The average investment per project was 1.215 5 million yuan, with projects under 2.5 million yuan accounting for 94%. The investment for the 10 types of measures ranged from 0.008 1 to 1.131 3 million yuan per project. c) Comprehensive analysis of investment proportion, adoption rate, and function revealed that among the 10 types, gully head landfill and drainage diversion into channels were the core measures, while detention ponds, gully head protection, and forest and grass restoration were important measures. d) The key protection targets of the completed projects were roads at various levels on the tableland, urban residential areas, villages, and prime farmland. The comprehensive “Interception-Storage-Drainage-Consolidation” treatment system, centered on controlling tableland runoff and constructed jointly by various measures, has yielded significant ecological, economic, and social benefits. e) The task of gully consolidation and highland protection remains arduous, and the construction scale of such projects should be further expanded.

The implementation of the major national strategy for ecological conservation and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin urgently necessitates the synergistic advancement of environmental protection and industrial growth. Practical experiences from representative river basins both domestically and internationally can provide valuable insights for promoting such coordination in the Yellow River Basin. Through a comparative multi-case analysis approach, this study selects the Mississippi River, Rhine River, Amazon River, Nile River, Yangtze River, and Pearl River as reference cases to examine the commonalities and differences between the Yellow River Basin and these basins in terms of harmonizing environmental protection with industrial development. Building on the diversified development experiences of these reference basins, as well as considering the unique characteristics and challenges of the Yellow River Basin, strategies are proposed to further advance the synergistic development of environmental protection and industry. The comparative analysis reveals that while all reference basins emphasize the importance of policy and regulatory guidance, scientific and technological innovation, and the establishment of digital-intelligent monitoring systems, the Yellow River Basin exhibits significant deficiencies in these areas. Moreover, it faces distinct challenges such as severe water scarcity, a single industrial system, and a high proportion of water-intensive industries. To further promote the synergistic development of environmental protection and industry in the Yellow River Basin, the following strategies are recommended: improving vertical and horizontal coordination and compensation mechanisms for ecological conservation; adhering to ecological priority and technological innovation to drive green development; leveraging big data resources to lead the digital-intelligent transformation of industrial development in the basin; and promoting the efficient growth of green industries to establish a green, low-carbon, and circular economic system.

When we using two-dimensional hydrodynamic models for the simulation of flood evolution caused by dam-break, there exists no systematic investigation into the causes of computational deviations arising from differences in grid resolution. The author clarified the reasons why the grid size affects the model results, identified the conditions that require consideration of the grid size, and indicated the necessity of considering the grid size in the simulation of dam-break floods. By establishing numerical models of plain reservoir breach floods with different flood levels and grid sizes, two main processes of how grid size affects the model calculation results are proposed, and corresponding recommended optimization methods for simulating dam breach flood grid sizes are proposed.

Vegetation concrete is widely used in high and steep slope protection, rocky slope protection, and riparian hydraulic engineering protection due to its dual advantages of structural strength and vegetation performance. In practical applications, it is crucial to synergistically optimize its mechanical strength, pore structure, alkalinity environment for plant growth, and durability. To deepen the integration of pore structures and ecological functions of vegetation concrete, and to provide references for improving its application, this paper systematically reviews the research achievements regarding its performance and engineering applications. On this basis, an application workflow for vegetation concrete is proposed, and the main challenges and corresponding solutions for its performance optimization are identified as follows: a) The contradiction between strength and porosity: Increasing porosity benefits plant growth but significantly reduces structural strength. The solutions include optimizing aggregate gradation and binder proportions, adding fibers to improve pore-forming quality and strength, and developing intelligent regulation technologies for pore structures. b) The short duration and high cost of existing alkali-reduction technologies: The proposed solutions involve developing pH-sensitive materials, regulators, and low-alkali paste materials; utilizing microbial mineralization for alkali fixation; strengthening post-maintenance and monitoring; and implementing dynamic alkali reduction. c) Inherent deficiency in durability: Vegetation concrete is vulnerable to damage under freeze-thaw cycles and chemical erosion, resulting in a short service life, especially in alpine and cold regions. The solutions focus on new material development and pore structure optimization, such as applying geopolymers and composite microorganisms, developing anti-freeze-thaw additives and slow-release nutritional mineral admixtures, and constructing pore structures that prevent freeze-thaw damage while facilitating plant root growth.

Soil erodibility factor (K) has become a crucial parameter for dynamic monitoring of soil erosion, estimation of soil loss, and evaluation of soil and water conservation effectiveness in China. Localizing the calculation method of K values is beneficial to improving the accuracy of dynamic soil erosion monitoring. Taking Xifeng District of Qingyang City, located in the core area of the Dongzhi Tableland, as the study area, this research calculated the K values in the loess tableland and gully region based on in-situ measured data from 35 sampling points, combined with the EPIC model and Zhang Keli’s modified formula. The Optimal Parameter-based Geographical Detector (OPGD) was adopted to analyze the main influencing factors of soil erodibility. The results show that: a) The K values in the loess tableland and gully region range from 0.015 2 to 0.017 8 t·hm²·h/(MJ·mm·hm²). Spatially, the high-K zones (K≥0.016 8) in the study area are concentrated in gully areas and residual tablelands surrounded by gully heads, showing an irregular strip-like distribution, while the low-K zones (K<0.016 8) are clustered in regions with large and flat tableland surfaces. b) Soil erodibility in the loess tableland and gully region is affected by multiple factors, and the interactive effects among these factors are significantly stronger than the individual effects of single factors. Among various influencing factors, soil physicochemical properties, especially sand content and organic carbon content, are the dominant factors affecting soil erodibility.

Abstract: As global temperatures continue to rise and extreme weather events occur with increasing frequency, climate change has become an urgent global challenge. Against the backdrop of the shift of global climate governance toward an “implementation-oriented” phase, this study explores synergistic mechanisms between energy transition pathways and watershed ecological governance, drawing on thematic presentations from the China Pavilion side event at the 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30) and practical experience in watershed ecological management. The findings indicate that climate change has intensified the dual challenges of global energy security and watershed ecosystem sustainability, making the coordinated advancement of energy transition and ecological governance a core pathway for achieving green and low-carbon development and ensuring ecological security. Reducing energy consumption represents the most economically viable option for energy transition, while multi-energy complementarity provides an innovative direction for watershed-level energy transformation. As a mature renewable energy source, hydropower plays a significant role in peak regulation and in maintaining the stability of power supply. This role is particularly prominent in the Yellow River Basin, characterized by “low water and high sediment,” where existing and planned hydraulic projects exert substantial influence on basin-wide water-sediment regulation. Under current conditions of reduced sediment inflow, hydropower generation, ecological protection, and optimized water resources allocation can deliver even greater benefits. Using turbulence research as an example, a velocity distribution formula derived from the turbulent eddy model demonstrates cross-disciplinary applicability in fields such as hydraulic engineering, aeolian sand control, and energy efficiency optimization in aero-engines, underscoring the critical role of fundamental scientific breakthroughs in supporting applied research and technological implementation. The objectives of energy transition and watershed ecological governance are inherently aligned, and the eco-economy emerging from their integration can leverage capital mechanisms to achieve a win-win outcome between ecological protection and economic development. Finally, the study emphasizes that successful energy transition requires the establishment of a full-chain collaborative system spanning from fundamental research to integrated governance, strengthening innovation at the source, activating energy efficiency markets, and ensuring policy support to drive a broader transformation of the development paradigm.

To broaden the research horizon of how the digital economy empowers low-carbon development and to inform decision-making for ecological protection and high-quality growth in the Yellow River Basin, this study constructs an indicator system and quantifies the digital-economy development level by using panel data of the nine basin provinces from 2012 to 2022. On this basis, we specify a benchmark econometric model in which carbon-lock-in intensity is the explained variable and digital-economy development the core explanatory variable, treat industrial-structure upgrading as the mediating variable and urbanisation as the moderating variable, and further build mediation and moderation-effect models to empirically identify the carbon-unlocking effect of the digital economy and its underlying mechanisms.The findings indicate: a) The development of the digital economy in the Yellow River Basin exhibits a robust carbon-unlocking effect; the effect is markedly stronger in the middle-lower reaches, in areas hosting innovation-oriented industrial clusters, and in regions where resource-intensive industries account for a smaller share of output. b) The digital-economy development delivers its carbon-unlocking impact by propelling industrial-structure upgrading, which significantly and positively mediates the Basin-wide effect. c) during the sample period, urbanization negatively moderates the carbon-unlocking effect of the digital economy in the Yellow River Basin.Policy implications: a) Accelerate digital-economy expansion to reinforce its carbon-unlocking capacity. b) Implement region-specific strategies that coordinate digital-economy growth with green low-carbon industries across the Yellow River Basin. c) Further optimize the industrial structure to promote green low-carbon sectors. d) Pursue green urbanization to create low-carbon living spaces.

To explore the coupling and coordination status and mutual response relationship between digital economy and green development in the Yellow River Basin, and to provide references for ecological protection and green high-quality development in the basin, based on the analysis of the coupling mechanism between digital economy and green development, this paper uses panel data of 64 prefecture-level cities (prefectures) in the Yellow River Basin from 2013 to 2022. The entropy weight method is adopted to measure the development level of digital economy, the Super-efficiency-SBM model is used to measure the efficiency of green development, and the coupling coordination degree model is employed to measure the coupling and coordination status between digital economy and green development. The PVAR model is used to empirically analyze the mutual response relationship between digital economy and green development. The research shows that: a)The development level of digital economy in the Yellow River Basin has steadily increased, but it is still at a relatively low level at the end of the study period. Spatially, it shows the highest level in the downstream region, followed by the middle reaches, and the lowest in the upper reaches, with a circular structure centered on relatively high provincial capital cities. b)The efficiency of green development in the Yellow River Basin has also steadily increased during the study period, but the imbalance in green development among prefecture-level cities is prominent. c) The coupling and coordination level between digital economy and green development in the Yellow River Basin has been increasing year by year, rising from a barely coordinated level at the beginning of the study period to a primary coordinated level at the end. Spatially, the downstream region has the highest level, followed by the upper reaches. d)Both digital economy and green development have strong self-dependency, and a two-way high-quality interaction relationship has not yet been formed between them. The promoting effect of digital economy on green development is relatively strong, but the promoting effect of green development on digital economy is relatively weak. Suggestions: Accelerate the construction of new digital infrastructure in the Yellow River Basin to further improve the development level of digital economy; formulate plans and strengthen cross-regional cooperation to quickly narrow the regional gap in green development; promote the further improvement of the coupling and coordination level between digital economy and green development through reasonable industrial layout and technological innovation.

The Yellow River Basin is the region in China that suffers from the most severe soil and water loss and has the most fragile ecological environment. The water and soil conservation measures in the Yellow River basin have significant ecological, economic and social effects. To provide theoretical support for effectively enhancing the functional value of soil and water conservation, realizing its exchange value, and amplifying its financial value, and to offer references for accelerating the formation of a pattern for realizing the value of ecological products in soil and water conservation in the Yellow River Basin and promoting the high-quality development of soil and water conservation in the Yellow River Basin, this study, from the perspective of sustainable development, reveals three value forms of soil and water conservation effects, namely: ecological products that embody functional value, ecological commodities that embody exchange value, and ecological financial products that embody financial value. Furthermore, it clarifies the value conversion process of soil and water conservation effects through four stages: valorization, productization, commercialization, and financialization. It also expounds on five mechanisms of value transformation, including clarification of property rights, value accounting, value pricing, market absorption, and financial innovation. Finally, it puts forward countermeasures to improve the value transformation mechanism, such as establishing the common ownership of water resources in the basin, optimizing the value accounting model and methods for soil and water conservation, and implementing a differentiated value pricing mechanism.