河西走廊水资源-生态环境-社会经济系统耦合关系及时空分异

Promoting the coordinated development of water resources, the ecological environment, and the socioeconomicsystem provides technical support for enhancing regional economic growth, social progress, ecologicalharmony, and high-quality development. Based on the modified coupling coordination degree model, this paperevaluated the coupling coordination level of water resources-ecological environment-social economic system inthe Hexi Corridor. The gray correlation degree model and Theil index were used to identify the driving factorsand spatial heterogeneity. The trend surface was utilized to map the global distribution of the coupling coordinationdegree. The results showed that: (1) The comprehensive development level of water resources-economy-ecosystemdriven by economic development increased every year, and the comprehensive development index enhancedfrom 0.29 in 2006 to 0.65 in 2021. (2) The coupling coordination degree between the water resources, economic,and ecological subsystems in the Hexi Corridor showed different trends, and the development of the couplingdegree of the water resources-ecology-economy system was upgraded from the antagonistic to the runninginstage. The coordination degree experienced five stages of mild imbalance recession-on the verge of imbalancerecession-reluctant coordinated development-primary coordinated development-intermediate coordinated development.(3) The spatial heterogeneity in the region first increased and then decreased. The spatial distribution revealedthat the development of the southeast was better than that of the northwest. Jinchang and Zhangye havegradually become the dominant areas of development in Hexi. (4) Urbanization rate, total pollutant discharge, andwater-saving irrigation areas played a remarkable role in driving the coupling development of water resourcesecologicalenvironment-social economy in the Hexi Corridor. These results have a certain reference-related significancefor the coordinated development of the economy-ecology-water resources system in the five cities of theHexi Corridor.