Abstract: Cryospheric services refer to the diverse resources, products, and benefits that human societies obtain directly or indirectly from the cryosphere. As their role in regional sustainable development becomes increasingly prominent, the interaction between the cryosphere and the human sphere, centering on human well-being, has emerged as a research focus in cryospheric science and related fields. However, existing studies have yet to systematically reveal the intrinsic connections between the supply-demand relationships of cryospheric services and human well-being—a fundamental issue. There is a mismatch between the locations where humans utilize cryosphere services and the sites where cryosphere resources are supplied. The cryosphere services generated by service provision units may not be used to meet the human needs of service utilization units within the same region. This is particularly evident for services like water resources, which require spatial flow to be realized, leading to spatial decoupling between service provision units and utilization units. Moreover, the relationship between the degree of supply-demand matching and human well-being remains unclear, and existing research findings often fall short of providing a basis for formulating scientific management policies. Therefore, investigating the supply-demand relationship of cryosphere services is a crucial prerequisite for understanding the interactions between these services and human well-being. Among various cryospheric services, water resource services are the most critical link connecting cryospheric change to regional socio-economic development, due to their foundational nature, indispensability, and high sensitivity to climate change. Focusing on this pivotal service, this paper adopts a spatial flow perspective to clarify the academic understanding of the spatial matching between supply and demand and its nexus with human well-being. Subsequently, it develops an integrated assessment model and impact analysis method, based on the cascade effect, for the entire process of cryospheric water resource services: “production-flow-use”. By systematically delineating the spatial linkages between cryospheric service supply and human demand, this paper aims to comprehensively uncover the response and feedback mechanisms of human well-being to changes in cryospheric water resource services. The paper seeks to advance theoretical exploration and methodological innovation in interdisciplinary research integrating cryospheric science and human geography, while also expanding the research horizons and application prospects of cryospheric services from the perspectives of strategic thinking, scientific foundation, and practical application. Theoretically, cryospheric elements, processes, functions, services, and human benefits progressively evolve to contribute to the construction, maintenance, and enhancement of well-being. Integrating these aspects forms a research framework for cryosphere services and human well-being, expanding cryosphere scientific research from a focus on natural attributes to an integration of social attributes. This represents a theoretical exploration and integrative innovation at the intersection of natural and social sciences. Practically, by adopting interdisciplinary approaches, integrating multiple methodologies, and applying new technologies, comprehensive research coupling natural supply and human demand is conducted. This provides a scientific foundation for developing multi-scale, multi-type, and multi-effect sustainable governance methods, plans, and measures for the coupled cryosphere-human system. Such efforts facilitate refined zoning, targeted policy implementation, the establishment of regional compensation mechanisms, and the formulation of adaptive strategies for different stakeholders, thereby enhancing alignment between cryosphere scientific research and socio-economic sustainable development.

Key words: Spatial flow, Cryospheric water resource services, Supply-demand balance, Human well-being, Relationship analysis