Spatial and Temporal Coupling Relationships of Coastline Exploitation and Environmental Carrying Safety in Ningbo, China

Spatial correlations and conflicts arise between the intensity of the spatial exploitation of the coastal zone and its environmental carrying safety, which refers to the ability of resources in the coastal zone and the environment to withstand human activities and disasters. To study the spatial and temporal coupling relationships between the suitability of exploitation of the coastal space and its environmental carrying safety, a model to assess the suitability of the coastline was established using spatial difference, overlay analysis, cluster analysis, and the analytic hierarchy process, a coastline carrying safety model was constructed according to a standard for the intensity of coastline exploitation and an artificial index, a model for spatial-temporal coupling was used to analyze the correlation between the suitability of the coastline and results of the assessment of its carrying safety. The results for the Ningbo coastline showed the following: (1) The length of the productive coastline increased from 176.09 km to 218.82 km and that of the ecological coastline decreased from 329.99 km to 305.74 km, which shows that the Ningbo coastline is being developed more intensely. (2) The length of the coastal carrying safe zone in Ningbo increased from 488.78 km to 568.05 km and that of the critical carrying and unsafe zone decreased from 311.32 km to 255.15 km which shows that Ningbo has gradually achieved sustainable development by upgrading its industrial infrastructure and raising ecological awareness. (3) In terms of space, the suitability of exploitation of the coastline of Ningbo had a significant negative correlation with its level of carrying safety. This indicates that the exploitation of the coastal zone in Ningbo has put pressure on carrying safety in the region in recent years.