Spatial equilibrium and characteristic analysis of water resources in the Yellow River Basin from the perspective of “Four Determinations Based on Water”
To explore the spatial equilibrium and evolutionary characteristics of water resources in the Yellow River Basin, the concept of water resources spatial equilibrium was delineated by the“Four Determinations Based on Water” principle, and a theoretical analysis framework was constructed. A model based on Gini coefficient and five-element connection number was developed to investigate the dynamic changes in water resources spatial equilibrium in the Yellow River Basin from 2003 to 2022. Based on the methods of exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA), Theil index, kernel density estimation and spatial Markov chain, we explored the distribution pattern, regional differences, and spatio-temporal evolutionary characteristics of water resources spatial equilibrium in the basin. The research results show that the water resources spatial equilibrium in the basin was in a critical state, but slowly improving in general. Spatially, the water resources spatial equilibrium presented a distribution trend of “high in the west but low in the east”. Regional differences is the principle driving factor for the lack of equilibrium, with more pronounced fluctuations and instability in spatial equilibrium in the upper reaches. From the perspective of dynamic evolution, the divergence and absolute difference showed a decreasing trend, indicating that the coordination between regions had improved over time. In addition, the water resources spatial equilibrium had a significant negative spatial spillover effect. Influenced by the spatial lag state, the spatial “club convergence” phenomenon was alleviated, but it was difficult to achieve a positive leapfrog type development of water resources spatial equilibrium.