ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Mar. Sci.
Sec. Marine Affairs and Policy
From Salt to Silicon: Industrial Evolution and Freshwater Dependence on China's Daishan Island
Liangliang Li
Shanshan Zheng
Xianjun Liang
Renfeng MA
Jialin Li
Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
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Abstract
Rapid economic intensification poses a significant threat to freshwater security on small islands. This study quantifies the impact of industrial structural change on freshwater use and pollution on Daishan Island, Zhoushan City, China. Using standardized socioeconomic, environmental, and freshwater datasets from 2010 to 2019, we applied information entropy analysis and principal component regression to examine how industrial evolution affects freshwater resources. The analysis also explores the co-evolution of freshwater systems with socio-economic-ecological dimensions, offering insights into sustainable development for small islands. The results indicate an overall upward trend in the coordination between freshwater use efficiency and socio-economic development. However, industrial structural evolution significantly influence water pollution. These findings provide a theoretical basis for optimizing freshwater allocation and utilization, and clarify the mechanisms through which industrial evolution impacts freshwater resources on small islands.
Summary
Keywords
Industrial structure evolution, island freshwater security, principal component regression, Sustainable island development, Water Pollution, Water use efficiency
Received
05 December 2025
Accepted
26 January 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Li, Zheng, Liang, MA and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Xianjun Liang
Disclaimer
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