Mining activities threaten aquatic ecosystems, soil ecosystems, and human health worldwide. This study established a high-quality database and a national 0.5° gridded dataset to reveal the status and spatial pattern of mining-affected water pollution, human health risks, and their potential multifaceted challenges. It provides in-depth insights to guide policymakers in designing differentiated management strategies for the sustainable development of mines.

A new criterion (χ_i) is proposed to estimate representative elementary volume (REV) of a translucent material based on light transmission techniques. This study is essential for quantitative investigation of the scale effect of porous media and contaminant transformation. The fluid and contaminant migration and transform in porous media can be simulated accurately according to the REV estimation results using the light transmission technique and the appropriate criterion χ_i.

We proposed a novel many-objective simulation-optimization framework for conjunctive use of surface water and groundwater in Yanqi Basin, northwest China. The management model involving socioeconomic and environmental objectives was constructed to explore optimal water-use schemes. Three runoff scenarios were then specified to quantify the effect of runoff reduction related to climate change on water management. Results provide Pareto-optimal solutions for basin-scale water management.

The ground deformation of a typical reclamation area in Chongming East Shoal, Shanghai was monitored by the SBAS method. Moreover, corresponding the monitoring results to the soil properties with field investigation and laboratory tests. The soil properties including physical and chemical properties, compressibility, micropore distribution and microstructure characteristics, are studied, and then the monitoring results are reasonably interpreted, providing a reference for future construction.