Abstract: Using remote sensing data from 2000 and 2016 in the study area, the temporal and spatial variations of regional ecological vulnerability in the the Jiaozhou Bay Coastal Zone were studied based on landscape ecology and the characteristics of the ecological environment. Models of landscape vulnerabity and land ecological vulnerabity were established by characterizing the number of patches, patch density, reciprocal of fractal dimension, vegetation coverage index, and ecological suitability of land use. The results showed that in the past 16 years, the whole study area was predominantly level one and level two vulnerable areas, among which the proportion of vulnerability reduction was 17.52%. When the ecological vulnerability index of land use in 37.48% of sample areas increased, the land ecological vulnerability also increased. The ranking of overall average ecological vulnerability for all the use types was:other land > cultivated land > forest land > construction land > water area; the stability and anti-interference ability of other land, farmland, and forest land system were weak. The distribution of ecological vulnerabity of land was generally heavy in the Northeast and Southwest, gradually reduced by extension, and conversion between different levels of vulnerability showed significant differences and spatial heterogeneity. In Huangdao District, the area of level one and level three vulnerability changed greatly, while the proportion of level one or level two vulnerable areas decreased. The change of the level two vulnerable areas in Jiaozhou increased the most, and the level one and level two vulnerable areas became the most predominant. The Central district of the city had a lower level of change than other regions. The level five vulnerable areas in Chengyang district increased significantly compared with other regions. These results indicate that population, policy, and social and economic development were the key factors that lead to temporal and spatial variation in the ecological vulnerable areas.

Key words: coastal zone, landscape pattern, temporal and spatial variation, ecological vulnerability