TITLE:
Research on Spatial Distribution of Settlements in the Upper Reaches of the Minjiang River
AUTHORS:
Lijun Song, Shujun Tian, Lan Yang, Na Fan
KEYWORDS:
Settlement, Spatial Distribution, Agglomeration, Alpine Valleys, The Upper Reaches of the Minjiang River
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Applied Sciences,
Vol.13 No.11,
November
17,
2023
ABSTRACT: Under the background of the uplift of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the
settlements in the upper reaches of the Min River are significantly affected by
the mountain environment, and their spatial distribution is typical and
representative. In this study, the relationship between settlements and
topography, rivers and transportation, and the spatial distribution patterns of
settlements, such as the aggregation and orientation characteristics of
settlements, have been studied. The main conclusions include: 1) The settlement
density decreases with the increase of elevation, slope, and distance from
rivers and roads; 76.25% and 63.17% of the settlements are distributed in the
range of elevation 1500 - 3000 m and slope 6° - 25°, the upper reaches of the
Min River are mostly alpine valley terrain, the bottom of the river has a low
altitude, the landscape is undulating. The warm and humid climate is suitable
for farming, conducive to agricultural production, and an ideal living
environment for mountain residents. 2) The nuclear density of the settlement is
distributed in strips along the axis of the river, and the closer to the river,
the greater the nuclear density value. 3) Mathematical statistical methods were
applied for the first time to realize the quantitative expression of the
coupling of settlement and river direction. The influence of topographic
conditions in different watersheds on the coupling degree of settlement
extension and river flow direction was revealed. The slope of the fitted
straight line between the settlement and river direction was 0.897, and the two
directions were consistent. Except for the mainstream of the Min River, the
larger values of the standard deviation ellipse flattening of settlements in
each basin appeared in the upper reaches of the bay, and the overall trend
showed a gradual decrease from the upstream to the downstream, which was
consistent with the topographic change characteristics of the basin.