As a core and priority region of the Beijing-Tianjin Sandstorm Source Control Project, the mountainous area of northern Hebei plays a critical role in restraining desertification and ensuring the ecological security and sustainable development of the capital region. To reveal the ecosystem service flow mechanism of windbreak and sand fixation and support regional ecological sustainability, this study first used the Revised Wind Erosion Equation (RWEQ) to evaluate the spatial distribution of windbreak and sand-fixation services in northern Hebei mountainous area. Then, the HYSPLIT model was applied to simulate the spatial flow paths, identify the radiation scope, and quantify the radiation intensity of these ecosystem services. The results reflect the modeled patterns under given assumptions rather than fully verified actual ecosystem service supply. In 2024, the total amount of windbreak and sand-fixation service in the study area reached 10.3553 × 106 tons. Sand-dust weather mainly occurred in spring and autumn, accounting for 39.23% and 33.46% of the total, respectively. The spatial flow paths were dominated by the northwest pathway (43.01%) and west pathway (38.17%). The total radiation scope of windbreak and sand-fixation services was 396.16 × 104 km2, among which 342.96 × 104 km2 was within the study area, accounting for 86.57%. The average service density was 21.06 kg/hm2. The service density along flow paths decreased with increasing transport distance, while the radiation scope expanded with the increase in trajectory frequency. Spatially, the sand-fixation material density showed a circular decreasing trend from the center to the periphery of the study area. This study clarifies the flow characteristics and radiation benefits of windbreak and sand-fixation ecosystem services, which can provide a scientific basis for regional ecological protection, ecosystem service management, and the promotion of regional ecological sustainability.
R et al. (2026) studied this question.