Automatic identification of rocks in thin sections using texture analysis

This paper presents a test of the automatic identification of photomicrographs of rocks in thin sections using digital image processing and texture analysis. Three sets of textural measures derived respectively from the cooccurrence matrix, texture space, and texture spectrum have been used to identify six rock types (mylonite, diorite porphyry, diorite. gabbro, granite, and peridotite). Exploring only the texture characteristics of images, the average correct recognition rate reaches 89% for 58 photographs belonging to the six types. The results also show the importance of using those more discriminating texture features in the classification algorithm. For the present study, the average rate of correct classification ranges from 46% to 89% depending on the set of texture measures used. The features extracted from the texture spectrum have more discriminating performance than the conventionally used Haralick measures derived from the cooccurrence matrix.     

Late Quaternary vegetation changes around Lake Rutundu,Mount Kenya,East Africa: evidence from grass cuticles,pollen and stable carbon isotopes

Woody, subalpine shrubs and grasses currently surround Lake Rutundu, Mount Kenya. Multiple proxies, including carbon isotopes, pollen and grass cuticles, from a 755‐cm‐long core were used to reconstruct the vegetation over the past 38 300 calendar years. Stable carbon‐isotope ratios of total organic carbon and terrestrial biomarkers from the lake sediments imply that the proportion of terrestrial plants using the C₄ photosynthetic pathway was greater during the Late Pleistocene than in the Holocene. Pollen data show that grasses were a major constituent of the vegetation throughout the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. The proportion of grass pollen relative to the pollen from other plants was greatest at the last glacial maximum (LGM). Grass cuticles confirm evidence that C₄ grass taxa were present at the LGM and that the majority followed the cold‐tolerant NADP‐MEC₄ subpathway. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

From pollen percentage to vegetation cover: evaluation of the Landscape Reconstruction Algorithm in western Norway

The Landscape Reconstruction Algorithm (LRA) with the two models REVEALS and LOVE is developed to transform pollen percentage data to vegetation cover. This paper presents the first study to evaluate LRA in a region with large topographic variations within a short distances. The REVEALS model estimates regional vegetation abundance based on pollen assemblages from large lakes (100–500 ha). Pollen surface samples from one large and 28 small lakes are used together with a combination of regionally derived pollen productivity estimates and available estimates from other regions of Europe. The results show a good relationship between REVEALS‐estimated forest cover and vegetation abundance based on the CORINE land‐cover data. The REVEALS results using various sets of pollen assemblages from small lakes were comparable to those using one large lake. Local vegetation abundance using the LOVE model was estimated around 26 lakes. For common taxa, such as Pinus and Poaceae, the LOVE‐based estimates of plant abundance match well with the distance‐weighted plant abundances based on vegetation maps. Our results indicate that the LRA approach is effective for reconstruction of long‐term vegetation changes in western Norway and other regions with high topographic relief when no major gradients exist in the pollen data.     

A Holocene pollen record recovered from a guano deposit: Round Spring Cavern,Missouri, USA

Batina, M. C. & Reese, C. A. 2010: A Holocene pollen record recovered from a guano deposit: Round Spring Cavern, Missouri, USA. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2010.00186.x. ISSN 0300‐9483. Bat guano deposits have been the subject of relatively few palynological studies. The studies to date have focused on the most modern samples only, and therefore the full potential of bat guano as an archive for fossil pollen analysis remains unknown. In this paper we report the results of pollen analysis on an 88‐cm vertical profile of fossil bat guano from Round Spring Cavern, Missouri. Four AMS radiocarbon dates were in sequence and showed that the guano pile was active between 8155 and approximately 550 cal. yr BP. Pollen is well preserved throughout the profile, with most samples containing less than 10% indeterminable pollen. Wind‐pollinated taxa are better represented than insect‐pollinated taxa, and pollen concentrations range from 842 to 371 660 grains cm^?3. As expected, the dominant vegetation types represented by the pollen assemblage are oak and pine, in accordance with the region's oak–hickory–pine forest. However, there are discrepancies between the guano pollen record and the results of a lake pollen study conducted in southern Missouri. We propose several possible factors that may be influencing the guano pollen record and provide direction for further investigation into the palaeoecological potential of bat guano.     

Pollen analysis of fossil packrat middens from the Sonoran Desert

Pollen contained in 22 fossil packrat middens from the Sonoran Desert provides a complementary, but differing, view of the paleoenvironment from that derived by analysis of the associated plant macrofossils. The regional component of the pollen data is in sharp contrast to the locally oriented macrofossils. A total of 84 macrofossil taxa and 47 pollen taxa were identified; only 18 taxa were common to both. The low Index of Similarity, 0.4, indicates that the two sources of fossil information are providing different sets of paleobotanical data. When combined with plant macrofossils and good radiocarbon dating control, the pollen spectra derived from fossil middens are compatable with other paleoenvironmental sequences.     

Post-Glacial climatic change on Boothia Peninsula, Nunavut, Canada

A high temporal resolution pollen diagram from a lake in the mid-Arctic region of the Boothia Peninsula, Nunavut, Canada, documents the history of the regional vegetation and climate for the past 7200 yr. Major tundra pollen taxa in the core include Cyperaceae and Salix, with Cyperaceae comprising over 50% of the pollen in the early and late Holocene. Tree pollen, transported from far to the south, comprised a large percentage of the pollen sum, with Pinus accounting for 30% of the pollen in some levels of the core. Pollen percentages and concentrations of taxa typical of the mid-Arctic were highest in the mid-Holocene, corresponding to warm conditions. Decreasing pollen concentrations indicate cooling temperatures, with more rapid decreases occurring around 4200, 3800-3400, and 2500 cal yr BP. Pollen percentages of Salix, Cyperaceae, and Artemisia increased in the past 35 yr in response to global warming. Reconstructions of July temperature using the modern analog technique showed that the mid-Holocene (5800-2800 cal yr BP) was approximately 1 °C higher than during the past 1000 yr.     

Modern pollen assemblages from surface lake sediments and their environmental implications on the southwestern Tibetan Plateau

The relationships amongst modern pollen assemblages, vegetation, climate and human activity are the basis for reconstructing palaeoenvironmental changes using pollen records. It is important to determine these relationships at regional scales due to the development of vegetation under different climatic conditions and human activities. In this paper, we report on an analysis of modern pollen assemblages of 31 surface lake samples from 31 lakes (one sample per lake) on the southwestern Tibetan Plateau where the knowledge of modern pollen and their relationships with vegetation, climate and human activities is insufficient. The region includes five vegetation zones: sub‐alpine shrub steppe, alpine steppe, alpine meadow and steppe ecotone, mountain desert and alpine desert. The lakes span a wide range of mean annual precipitation (50–500 mm) and mean annual temperature (?8 to 6 °C). Modern pollen assemblages from our samples mainly consist of herb taxa (Artemisia, Cyperaceae, Poaceae, Chenopodiaceae, etc.) and some tree taxa (Pinus, Fagaceae, Alnus, etc.). The results indicate that modern pollen assemblages are able to reflect the main vegetation distribution. Redundancy analysis for the main pollen types and environmental variables shows that precipitation is the leading factor that influences the pollen distribution in the study area with the first axis capturing 13.7% of the variance in the pollen data set. The Artemisia/Chenopodiaceae ratio is valid for separating the desert component (<2) from the steppe and other vegetation zones (>2) but is unable to distinguish moisture variations. The Artemisia/Cyperaceae ratio is able to identify meadows (<1) and steppes (>1) and can be used as a moisture index on the southwestern Tibetan Plateau. Our results show that an appropriate range is needed for a modern pollen data set in order to perform pollen‐based quantitative climate reconstructions in one region. It is essential to perform modern studies before using pollen ratios to reconstruct palaeovegetation and palaeoclimate at a regional scale.     

青藏高原东北部典型花粉类型埋藏特征及其与植被关系的研究

取自青藏高原东北部不同植被类型的 6个土壤剖面花粉与植被关系研究表明，表土花粉较好地代表当地植被的组成，区域外花粉百分比低于30％，但桦、杨花粉在植被中的代表性较差；土壤剖面典型花粉类型的埋藏特征表明：在土壤表层 8cm以下，花粉总浓度迅速降低。氧化作用对花粉的破坏性最大，花粉浓度随土壤的pH值升高呈指数形式递减，pH值 7．6以上，花粉浓度迅速降低，花粉在土壤中的运移作用不明显。     

氧化环境对油松花粉保存影响实验研究

花粉保存能力差异是影响花粉谱准确性的重要因素之一,采用KMnO4溶液和HNO3溶液作为氧化剂,模拟自然环境氧化条件对油松花粉保存影响情况.结果表明:同一KMnO4溶液浓度条件下,随时间延长油松花粉完好率呈下降趋势;浸泡相同时间,随KMnO4溶液浓度增大油松花粉完好率亦明显下降.经68%HNO3溶液浸泡18 h后,残留的完好花粉外壁变薄,纹饰变模糊,24 h后花粉几乎完全被溶解.一般认为油松花粉保存能力较强,而经2%KMnO4溶液和68%HNO3溶液处理后,发现在短时间内就足以使油松花粉大量破碎或溶解,表明氧化环境对油松花粉保存影响强烈.氧化环境对油松花粉腐蚀作用强于碱性环境.     

A Palaeoenvironmental Investigation of Two Prehistoric Burnt Mound Sites in Northern Ireland

This paper provides a summary of the palaeoenvironmental evidence from a spread of late Mesolithic burnt material and two late Neolithic to early Bronze Age burnt mounds. The burnt mounds were up to 10 m diameter, had an amorphous shape, and were consistently less than 0.8 m thick. Monoliths were collected from two sites, Ballygawley and Roughan, in Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland. This provided an opportunity to use a detailed palaeoecological approach for the first time to investigate the use and function of burnt mounds. Pollen, non‐pollen palynomorphs, micro‐ and macroscopic charcoal were used to place these features within their environmental context, and to establish if such an approach could provide further insights into their function. The palynological results shared similar characteristics: high microscopic charcoal values, repetitive fluctuations in tree and shrub taxa, increased Sphagnum, and the presence of non‐pollen palynomorphs (NPPs) HdV‐114 and HdV‐146, all of which could be diagnostic indicators of burnt mounds in palynological records. While the data do not allow us to ascribe a specific function for the burnt mounds, their environmental setting is discussed. A “see‐saw” pattern of arboreal pollen, combined with the macroscopic charcoal data, indicate possible species selection and management of local woodland for fuelwood.     

An 11 000-year record of vegetation and environment from Lago di Martignano,Latium, Italy

A pollen diagram from Lago di Martignano, a maar lake in central Italy, provides an 11000-year record of vegetation and environment change. The earliest pollen spectra are dominated by Artemisia and Gramineae, representing late glacial steppe vegetation typical of the Mediterranean region. Broad-leaved forests were established by ca. 11 000 yr BP. Although Quercus initially dominated their canopy, a wide range of other mesophyllous trees were also present. Pollen values for sclerophyllous tree and shrub taxa characteristic of Mediterranean woodlands and scrub are initially low (<10%). After ca. 7000 yr BP, however, they begin to increase and rise to a peak of >40% of total land pollen at ca. 6700 yr BP, with Olea europaea the single most abundant taxon. Human influence upon the vegetation only becomes significant somewhat after this peak, with progressive clearance of woodland and expansion of herbaceous communities. Castanea sativa and luglans regia pollen is recorded consistently from the beginning of the rise in pollen values for taxa characteristic of Mediterranean scrub communities. Pollen values for arable crops increase progressively after ca. 5500 yr BP, following the peak pollen values for taxa characteristic of Mediterranean scrub vegetation. Late glacial and Holocene climate changes have been complex in this region, with the present character of the climate developing only during the last millennium. Rates of change of pollen spectra peak during this period.     

青藏高原东北部典型花粉类型埋藏特征及其与植被关系的研究

取自青藏高原东北部不同植被类型的6个土壤剖面花粉与植被关系研究表明,表土花粉较好地代表当地植被的组成,区域外花粉百分比低于30％,但桦、杨花粉在植被中的代表性较差;土壤剖面典型花粉类型的埋藏特征表明：在土壤表层8cm以下,花粉总浓度迅速降低。氧化作用对花粉的破坏性最大,花粉浓度随土壤的pH值升高呈指数形式递减,pH值7．6以上,花粉浓度迅速降低,花粉在土壤中的运移作用不明显。     

Derivation of vegetation density and land-use type pattern in mountain regions of Jordan using multi-seasonal SPOT images

The mountainous region represents the most important agricultural and biodiversity haven in Jordan. The objective of this study is to characterize the seasonal pattern of land use and vegetation using multi-temporal SPOT images. Multi-temporal SPOT images were analyzed to characterize the land use and cropping pattern in the mountain regions of Jordan. The images were radiometrically corrected using invariant objects located on the image, and a linear inter-calibration method was used to calibrate the other images. A hybrid classification approach was used in the classification; the spectral signatures of the land-use classes were derived in an iterative procedure using the ISODATA and field survey data. Then, the maximum likelihood classification was applied on all images to classify the class signatures into thematic land-use types. The hybrid classification approach gives more accurate classification accuracy especially for the multi-seasonal image classification. The overall accuracy of the multi-temporal data set was achieved with 87.9%, while classification accuracy for single-date classifications were 61.3, 76.8, 72.2, and 65.5 for months of October, February, April, and June, respectively. In addition, the scene combinations that were derived from February and April were classified the land-use types almost as well as those combinations including more scenes. Regarding the classification details, the multi-temporal images enable higher level of classification for land-use types such as Anderson level 2, and produce accurate boundaries for the different cropping and farming systems.     

Towards automation of palynology 2: the use of texture measures and neural network analysis for automated identification of optical images of pollen grains

The automation of palynology (the identification and counting of pollen grains and spores) will be a small step for image recognition, but a giant stride for palynology. Here we show the first successful automated identification, with 100% accuracy, of a realistic number of taxa. The technique used involves a neural network classifier applied to surface texture data from light microscope images. A further significance of the technique is that it could be adapted for the identification of a wide range of biological objects, both microscopic and macroscopic. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Spatial pattern of Abies and Picea surface pollen distribution along the elevation gradient in the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau and Xinjiang, China

In this study we examine the relationships between Abies and Picea abundance in surface pollen and sub-alpine coniferous forest (SCF) distribution, elevation and climate in the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau using a large modern pollen data set consisting of 857 samples. Results indicate that Abies and Picea pollen are abundant in the southern and eastern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau, where SCF dominates the landscape. Pollen percentages of both Abies and Picea show a unimodal pattern with changes in elevation and climate, and their optima occur at elevations from 2500 to 4000 m a.s.l., mean annual temperature from −1 to 10 °C and mean annual precipitation from 450 to 850 mm. The optimal elevation of Abies and Picea pollen distribution decreases with latitude from c . 4000 m in the south (21–32°N) to c . 2500 m in the north (43–49°N). The spatial pattern of Abies and Picea pollen abundance is highly correlated with the modern distribution of these taxa, which is largely controlled by elevation and climate. These relationships could provide a practical reference for interpretation of fossil pollen data in terms of climate and elevation in the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau.     

Towards automation of palynology 3: pollen pattern recognition using Gabor transforms and digital moments

The classification of pollen grains using texture information in combination with shape features is presented in this paper. The surface texture of pollen is characterised by using Gabor transforms, the geometric shape is described by using moment invariants, and the pollen grains are classified by an artificial neural network. In an experiment with five types of pollen grains, more than 97% of samples are correctly classified. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Absolute pollen productivity and pollen–vegetation relationships in northern Finland

Pollen productivity is one of the most critical parameters for pollen–vegetation relationships, and thus for vegetation reconstruction, in either pollen percentages or pollen accumulation rates. We obtain absolute pollen productivity of three major tree types in northern Finland: pine (Pinus sylvestris), spruce (Picea abies) and birch (Betula pubescens ssp. pubescens and B. pubescens ssp. czerepanovii treated as one taxon). Long‐term monitoring records of pollen traps from 15 sites (duration: 5–23 years) and tree volume estimates within a 14 km radius of each trap were compared to estimate pollen productivity (grains m^?3 a^?1) of these trees using a regression method. The slope of the linear relationship between pollen loading and distance‐weighted plant abundance represents pollen productivity. Estimated productivities of pollen (×10⁸ grains m^?3 a^?1) for pine, spruce and birch are 128.7 (SE 31.5), 341.9 (SE 81.3) and 411.4 (SE 307.7), respectively. The birch estimate (P > 0.05) is not as good as the others and should be used with caution. Pollen productivities of pine, spruce and birch in northern Finland are, in general, comparable to those of congeneric species in other regions of Europe and Japan. Although the year‐to‐year variations are significant, our volume‐based estimates of pollen productivity for pine and spruce will be essential for quantitative reconstruction of vegetation in the region. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Vegetation patterns, recent pollen deposition and distribution of non-pollen palynomorphs in a polygon mire near Chokurdakh (NE Yakutia, NE Siberia)

Fine-scaled distribution patterns of vegetation and palynomorphs in a polygon mire in NE Siberia were studied in 31 × 31 plots of 1 m² (vegetation) and along a transect at intervals of 1 m (palynomorphs). Pollen and non-pollen-palynomorph contents clearly reflect differences between polygon ridges and centres. For most single pollen types, however, no unambiguous relation with actual plant abundances and distribution exists. High pollen values are restricted to the immediate vicinity of the pollen sources, which is attributed to the low height of the vegetation. For several plant taxa, high pollen values were found to be restricted to particular plant specimens in the population. High values of pollen ascribed to taxa currently absent at the relevant plot show that the sampled mosses contain a pollen signal of several years. Betula exilis produces two morphologically clearly distinct pollen types. The distribution of selected non-pollen palynomorphs correlates to microrelief, moisture regime and/or trophic conditions. The study shows that single palaeo-sections from arctic peatlands should not be over-interpreted with respect to their palaeoecological value. Local vegetation types and site conditions, however, can be accurately reconstructed from the total assemblages and from combined occurrences of specific palynomorph types.     

青海共和盆地达连海湖泊流域表土花粉-气候响应面分析

孢粉分析是研究过去全球变化的一种重要方法,而研究花粉与现代气候之间的相互关系是古气候定量重建研究中的前沿课题。要预测未来气候的中长期变化,必须从花粉记录中定量提取古气候信息,建立的多种孢粉-气候数学模型必须经过不同边界条件下的古气候数据检验校正才能应用到实际当中。花粉-气候响应面方法是考虑了花粉与气候间的非线形关系上,提出的将现代花粉丰度在地理空间的分布转换为气候空间的分布,并以提供定量的古气候数据,已被广泛应用于COHMAP等各种重要古气候研究项目。本文就是利用该方法,以青藏高原东北部共和盆地达连海湖泊流域54个表土样品中的花粉丰度及采样点的气候参数为基础数据,通过主成分分析选择了特征值高且指示意义明显的4种花粉类型,对其丰度与7月平均温度及年平均降水量两个气候参数进行多项式回归分析,其结果显示模型对数据拟合较好,为定量重建该区古气候变化提出了较为准确的数量指标。     

用ASETR图像和地统计学纹理进行岩性分类

运用新获取的ASTER数据可以对岩性进行识别与分类：首先运用地统计学中的变差函数来计算分析几种选定的岩性单元的灰度值空间变化特征；运用ASTER数据的可见光一近红外波段、短波红外(SWIR)波段以及二者的组合进行岩性的分类，分析分类精度的变化。用变差函数作为纹理的计算函数来提取图像纹理，并与原始的光谱数据结合，进行岩性的分类。结果表明，与单纯的光谱分类相比，加入纹理信息可显著改善分类精度；用不同方向的滞后距离提取的图像纹理对图像的分类结果有一定的差异，尤其是对存在明显的各向异性的岩石单元。