Using GIS-based distributed soil loss modeling and morphometric analysis to prioritize watershed for soil conservation in Bago river basin of Lower Myanmar

Bago River is an important river in Myanmar. Although shorter than other rivers, it has its own river system, and people along the river rely heavily on it for their daily lives. The upper part of the watershed has changed rapidly from closed forest to open forest land in the 1990s. Since the recent degradation of the forest environment, annual flooding has become worse during the rainy season in Bago City. This paper aims at determining soil conservation prioritization of watershed based on soil loss due to erosion and morphometric analysis in the Bago Watershed by integrating remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) techniques. In this study, soil erosion of the Bago watershed was determined using the Universal Soil Loss Equation. Such factormaps as rainfall, soil erodibility, slope length gradient, and crop management were compiled as input parameters for the modeling; and the soil loss from 26 sub-watersheds were estimated. Then, the soil erosion maps of the Bago watershed for 2005 were developed. The resulting Soil Loss Tolerance Map could be utilized in developing watershed management planning, forestry management planning, etc.     

Applications of analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and analytical network process (ANP) for industrial site selections in Isfahan,Iran

Industrial sites are key factors in urban and regional land use planning. Therefore, determining the location of industrial areas is a critical and complex process for development and success. Industrial site selection aims in identifying the most suitable sites for industry creation, considering a set of influential criteria. Therefore, site selection generally and industrial site selection specifically can be categorised as a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) problem that requires detailed evaluation of various dimensions. This study developed a set of clusters containing 10 selection criteria for industrial site selection in Isfahan metropolitan area, Iran. The relationships between the criteria and clusters were modelled and analysed using analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and analytical network process (ANP). AHP and ANP agree in finding distance to water bodies and distance to other industries as the most and least important selection criteria. Four patches have been identified as suitable alternatives for industrial construction. While AHP found Borkhar Patch 1 as the most appropriate alternative, ANP demonstrated the superiority of Ardestan Patch over others. Conducting a sensitivity analysis for the models confirmed both models robustness in industrial site selection decisions.     

Photometry and bulk physical properties of Solar System surfaces icy analogs: The Planetary Ice Laboratory at University of Bern

We have designed and constructed an original facility to characterize the VIS–NIR Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) and some complementary bulk physical properties of planetary analog samples containing water ice. The central part of the facility is a highly accurate gonio-radiometer (PHIRE-2) operating in the VIS–NIR spectral range (400–1100 nm) installed in a large laboratory freezer. Its development was based on the experience gained on the gonio-radiometer PHIRE-1 (Gunderson et al., 2006). The PHIRE-1 design was modified to permit operations at sub-zero temperatures and to optimize the performance of the instrument. The photometric measurements are complemented by a detailed simultaneous characterization of the physical state and possible temporal evolution of the samples using a combination of macro- and micro-imaging, thermal, electrical and sample mass measurements. The modified design will support the interpretation of current and future remote sensing and in-situ datasets on icy planetary objects with a special emphasis on cometary nuclei, Martian polar regions and Jovian satellites.     

Exploiting IKONOS and Hyperion data fusion for automated road extraction

We present here the examples that show how fusing data from hyperspectral sensors with data from high spatial resolution sensors can enhance overall road detection accuracy. The fusion of hyperspectral and high spatial resolution data combines their superior respective spectral and spatial information. IKONOS (MSS) and Hyperion images were fused using the principal component analysis (PCA) method. The approach for road extraction integrates multiresolution segmentation and object oriented classification. Road extraction is done from an IKONOS (MSS) image and a Hyperion and IKONOS (MSS) merged image and comparisons are made depending on accuracy and quality measures such as completeness and correctness. This article also emphasises the types of roads which are giving better accuracy of extraction after fusion with hyperspectral image. This can vary because of types of material and condition of roads. The methodology was applied on roads of Dehradun, India.     

Geology and Skarn Cu–Bi–Au Mineralization at Shwe Min Bon Area,Kalaw Township,Southern Shan State,Myanmar

The Shwe Min Bon Cu–Au skarn deposit lies within one of the largest Au–Cu belts in Myanmar. The deposit is situated along the Shan scarp zone, which marks the boundary between the Myanmar central basin to the west and the Shan plateau to the east. The Shwe Min Bon deposit comprises skarn‐type metasomatic alteration, and the Cu–Au mineralization occurs along the contact face between the Nwabangyi Dolomite and Shweminbon Formation and the Cretaceous dioritic rocks. The metasomatic process resulted in pro‐ and retrograde mineral assemblages in exoskarn. Hydrothermal activities in the Shwe Min Bon deposit are classified into prograde, retrograde stage I, and retrograde stage II. The prograde skarn is classified into a proximal garnet skarn with minor clinopyroxene and a distal wollastonite skarn. Chlorite, epidote, and tremolite–actinolite were formed during the retrograde stage I. Cu–Au mineralization mainly occurred in retrograde stage I, which was characterized by moderate temperatures (260–320 °C) and fluid with a moderate salinity (5.0–6.0% NaCl equiv.). Low temperature (180–200 °C) and low salinity (2.0–3.0% NaCl equiv.) were responsible for retrograde stage II. Au mineralization is mainly associated with chalcopyrite and tennantite in retrograde stage I and with tellurobismuthite in retrograde stage II.     

Modern and historical tropical cyclone and tsunami deposits at the coast of Myanmar: Implications for their identification and preservation in the geological record

The catastrophic storm surge of tropical cyclone Nargis in May 2008 demonstrated Myanmar's exposure to coastal flooding. The investigation of sediments left by tropical cyclone Nargis and its predecessors is an important contribution to prepare for the impact of future tropical cyclones and tsunamis in the region, because they may extend the database for long-term hazard assessment beyond the relatively short instrumental and historical record. This study, for the first time, presents deposits of modern and historical tropical cyclones and tsunamis from the coast of Myanmar. The aim is to establish regional sedimentary characteristics that may help to identify and discriminate cyclones and tsunamis in the geological record, and to document post-depositional changes due to tropical weathering in the first years after deposition. These findings if used to interpret older deposits will extend the existing instrumental record of flooding events in Myanmar. Evaluating deposits that can be related to specific events, such as the 2006 tropical cyclone Mala and the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, indicates similar sedimentary characteristics for both types of sediments. Landward thinning and fining trends, littoral sediment sources and sharp lower contacts allow for the differentiation from underlying deposits, while discrimination between tropical cyclone and tsunami origin is challenging based on the applied methods. The modern analogues also demonstrate a rather low preservation potential of the sand sheets due to carbonate dissolution, formation of organic top soils, and coastal erosion. However, in coastal depressions sand sheets of sufficient thickness (>10 cm) may be preserved where the shoreline is prograding or stable. In the most seaward swale of a beach-ridge plain at the Rakhine coast, two sand sheets have been identified in addition to the deposits of 2006 tropical cyclone Mala. Based on a combination of optically stimulated luminescence, radiocarbon and ¹³⁷Cs dating, the younger sand layer is related to 1982 tropical cyclone Gwa, while the older sand layer is most probably the result of an event that took place prior to 1950. Comparison with historical records indicates that the archive is only sensitive to tropical cyclones of category 4 (or higher) with landfall directly in or a few tens of kilometres north of the study area. While the presented tropical cyclone records are restricted to the last 100 years, optically stimulated luminescence ages of the beach ridges indicate that the swales landward of the one investigated in this study might provide tropical cyclone information for at least the past 700 years.