.png){kind=icon}
.png){kind=icon}
Return
120-year spatiotemporal evolution of water–settlement interactions in Xinjiang, China
.png){kind=icon}
OA
AI
R
Z
DOI：10.1007/s13201-026-02924-9.png)
.png){kind=icon}
Original request for help.png){kind=icon}
Share.png){kind=icon}
Save
Abstract
En 中文
Understanding the long-term co-evolution of water systems and human settlements in arid regions is essential for water security and climate-adaptive planning. This study reconstructs the spatiotemporal dynamics of hydrographic network density (HND) and settlement density (SED) in Xinjiang, China, from 1900 to 2020 using historical maps, geospatial data, and GIS-based spatial analysis. The results show that both HND and SED experienced substantial spatial reorganization over the past 120 years, with the 1960s emerging as a key turning point. Settlement clustering reached its maximum in the 1960s and declined markedly in the 1990s, whereas HND showed an overall increase in spatial clustering. Multi-scale Spearman correlations indicate that HND–SED spatial correspondence peaked in the 1960s and was consistently stronger in oasis–plain areas than in mountainous areas. County-level OLS regression indicates that the dominant factors associated with HND shifted from precipitation in the early periods to cropland density after the 1960s, while cropland density remained the strongest explanatory variable for SED throughout the study period. The post-1990s decline in HND–SED correlation suggests a transition from direct spatial proximity to infrastructure-mediated water accessibility. These findings reveal an institutional–technological transformation of human–water relationships in arid Xinjiang and provide empirical insights for sustainable water management in dryland regions.
Keywords:
Human–water relationship
Xinjiang region
Hydraulic modernization
Climate change
GIS
Historical maps
Journal
A
IF:
5.7
Papers:
2.2K
Citations:
1.2W
Organization
Cited Papers