Environmental risk assessment of earthen heritage sites in arid regions: A case study of the Great Wall in Xinjiang

Environmental risk assessment of earthen heritage sites in arid regions: A case study of the Great Wall in Xinjiang | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Environmental risk assessment of earthen heritage sites in arid regions: A case study of the Great Wall in Xinjiang Siyue Zhang, Zhaoping Yang, Cuirong Wang This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5542803/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 21 May, 2025 Read the published version in npj Heritage Science → Version 1 posted 3 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study investigates conservation challenges confronting the Great Wall sites in Xinjiang (XGWS), located in ecologically fragile arid regions vulnerable to weathering and discontinuous spatial distribution. A regional risk assessment framework integrating K-means clustering and entropy weight methods was constructed, incorporating primary risk factors identified through field surveys and data analysis. Anthropogenic disturbances, particularly agricultural expansion, emerged as dominant threats. Spatial risk patterns correlated strongly with elevation: high-risk at lower elevations (synergistic anthropogenic-natural pressures), moderate risks at mid-elevations (disaster-dominated), and minimal risks at higher altitudes. Approximately 45.3% of sites exhibited elevated environmental hazards that were concentrated in agriculturally intensive areas, urbanizing regions, and zones with severe soil salinization. Based on the risk assessment results, a zoned and graded protection strategy is proposed, providing a scientific basis for the preservation and management of the sites. risk assessment arid region earthen heritage sites K-means clustering the Xinjiang Great Wall Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 21 May, 2025 Read the published version in npj Heritage Science → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Accepted 24 Apr, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 24 Apr, 2025 First submitted to journal 22 Apr, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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