TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2018//
TI  - Rapid population growth in Chinese floodplains from 1990 to 2015
JO  - International journal of environmental research and public health
A1  - Fang, Yongqiang
A1  - Du, Shiqiang
A1  - Scussolini, Paolo
A1  - Wen, Jiahong
A1  - He, Chunyang
A1  - Huang, Qingxu
A1  - Gao, Jun
SP  - e15081602
EP  - e15081602
VL  - 15
IS  - 8
N2  - Although China suffers from frequent and disastrous floods, the spatiotemporal pattern of its population living in the floodplain (PopF) is still unknown. This strongly limits our understanding of flood risk and the effectiveness of mitigation efforts. Here we present the first quantification of Chinese PopF and its dynamics, based on newly-available population datasets for years 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2015 and on a flood map. We found that the PopF in 2015 was 453.3 million and accounted for 33.0% of the total population, with a population density 3.6 times higher than outside floodplains. From 1990 to 2015, the PopF increased by 1.3% annually, overwhelmingly faster than elsewhere (0.5%). A rising proportion (from 53.2% in 1990 to 55.6% in 2015) of the PopF resided in flood zones deeper than 2 m. Moreover, the PopF is expected to increase rapidly in the coming decades. We also found the effect of flood memory on controlling PopF growth and its decay over time. These findings imply an exacerbating flood risk in China, which is concerning in the light of climate change and rapid socioeconomic development.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1661-7827
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15081602
ID  - ref1
ER  -