Study on the water-centered Water-Energy-Food-Ecology Nexus
LI Binquan
ZHAO Maihuan
LIU Jing
XU Chenguang
Abstract：The interconnections among water,energy,and food significantly impact the ecological environment.Therefore,it is imperative to incorporate ecological protection requirements and extend the Water-Energy-Food(WEF)Nexus to a Water-Energy-Food-Ecology(WEFE)framework.Existing research predominantly focuses on large-scale binary relationships within the WEFE system and multidimensional conceptual analyses,lacking comprehensive insights into the interactions among multiple elements and the physical description of key processes.Building upon a review of current studies on the WEFE nexus,this paper explores the definition and developmental trajectory of the complex WEFE system,analyzing its connotations and constituent elements.Centered on water resource flows,a preliminary research framework is established,featuring"core linkages"between resource flows and ecological elements,and"external linkages"with natural and social factors.A method for constructing a physically based coupled model is proposed,integrating watershed water quantity and quality,crop growth,energy footprint,and ecological effects.This provides a relatively scientific and rational foundation for developing coordinated management strategies for the WEFE system.
Keywords：Water-Energy-Food-Ecologyresource flowecological environmentquantitative analysisphysical mechanism model
Publication Date：2025-05-12
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：7( 14-20 )