Previous studies have shown that Terra moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) has low detection and characterization efficiency when mapping a green tide (Ulva prolifera) in the Yellow Sea. To quantify the uncertainty in mapping of the green tide using MODIS data, comparisons were conducted between quasi synchronous MODIS images and in situ observation data, as well as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) image. The results show that MODIS images could detect the location of large ($>100m$) floating green algae patches with good positional accuracy but tended to ignore the existence of small patches less than 10 m in width. The floating macroalgae area extracted using MODIS was several times larger than the area mapped using the UAV image. The Sentinel-2 multispectral instrument, the Chinese high-resolution GF-1 wide field camera, and the Chinese HJ-1 charge-coupled device are recommended for early green tide detection, whereas MODIS is suitable for green tide monitoring. The UAV could also play an important role in regional green tide monitoring with the advantages of flexibility, smaller dimensions, high spatial resolution, and low cost.

This study investigated the associations between land cover changes and evapotranspiration (ET) in the Yellow River Delta during the last 30 years using Landsat imagery. The result showed that the Delta region experienced a distinct increase in area due to sea–land interaction and sediment deposition, accompanied by substantial change in land cover fractions. From 1986 to 2015, 35.48% of land cover changed, mainly due to a transformation into salterns and culture ponds from other land cover types. In general, land cover was converted from less developed into highly developed types. The monowindow algorithm for retrieval of land surface temperature (LST) and the SEBAL model were used to explore the effects of land cover changes on regional ET. The results indicated that the average relative error of daily ET was 9.46%, and there was a significant linear correlation ($R2≥0.959$, $p<0.001$) between ET and LST. Relationships existed between LST, ET, fractional vegetation cover, and other relevant vegetation indices, and there were positive and negative correlations between different threshold ranges. During the study period, the transformation of large areas of different land cover types into salterns and culture ponds led to an average increase of 1.43 mm in daily ET.

Using 30 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities in China (excluding Tibet, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan) as research samples from 2012 to 2022, the study examines the nonlinear impact of new quality productivity on carbon emissions in the manufacturing industry. It discusses the mediating role played by labour productivity in manufacturing and industrial agglomeration between the two. The study finds that: there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between new productivity and manufacturing carbon emissions; labour productivity in manufacturing and industrial agglomeration play a partly intermediary role in the inverted U-shaped relationship, with the most substantial intermediary effect played by industrial agglomeration, followed by labour productivity in manufacturing; the test of heterogeneity shows that: compared with the economically underdeveloped and low-urbanized provinces and municipalities, the impacts of new productivity of the economically developed and highly urbanized provinces and municipalities on manufacturing carbon emissions show a significant inverted U-shaped relationship, followed by a strong intermediary effect played by labour productivity in manufacturing. The heterogeneity test shows that compared with the economically less developed and low urbanization level provinces and cities, the new quality productivity of economically developed and high urbanization level provinces and cities shows a significant inverted U-shaped relationship on carbon emission in the manufacturing industry.