Use of DEM data to monitor height changes due to deforestation

Deforestation has been a major cause of climate change and other environmental problems. An accurate estimation of the volume of deforested area is needed for United Nations Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (UN-REDD+) policies implementation and global carbon accounting. Accurate information about three-dimensional (3-D) structure of forests is required to quantify forest carbon stock. This study demonstrates the use of different digital elevation models (DEMs) to monitor changes in height due to deforestation in Cambodia to support climate change mitigation policies of UN-REDD+. The Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission-DEM (SRTM-DEM), Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer Global DEM (ASTER-GDEM) and Panchromatic Remote sensing Instrument for Stereo Mapping-Digital Surface Model (PRISM-DSM) data were calibrated using Ice Cloud and land Elevation Satellite Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (ICESat–GLAS) data. The results obtained from this study clearly indicate the changes in the height of forests due to deforestation activity. The height of cutover forest generated from the PRISM-DSM and SRTM-DEM is more reliable than that from the PRISM-DSM and ASTER-GDEM data. Field data has also been used to validate the height of the cutover forests, which shows ±5 m uncertainties in the estimation.     

Long-term Trends in Vegetation Dynamics and Forest Fires in Brandenburg (Germany) Under a Changing Climate

The human influence on environmental processes has been described for many types of land use. One of the oldest tools to modify people’s environment is fire, which has dominated fire regimes in many regions over long time scales. This paper focuses on a German case study region, where 80–90% of the fires are human-caused. The objectives of this study are the application of the Regional Fire Model (Reg-FIRM), a process-based fire model that is incorporated into the LPJ Dynamic Global Vegetation Model, to temperate forests under historic climate conditions and to explore ranges of potential impacts of future climate change on fire and vegetation dynamics. Simulation experiments are designed to simulate historic fire pattern and to explore influences of vegetation on fire. Simulated fire pattern reproduced the observed average fire conditions reasonably well although with a smaller amplitude. This leads to underestimation of extreme fire years as well as an overestimation of low fire years. Vegetation composition influenced fire spread conditions in the temperate forest and had little impact on fire ignition potentials, except when only broad-leaved deciduous forests were assumed. Fire is likely to change under climate change conditions. Simulated experiments were conducted to explore the effects of climate change and rising CO₂ concentration given the potential natural vegetation as the best-case for Brandenburg. Three GCM scenarios predicting different future climatic changes were applied, and resulted in quantitatively different future fire patterns. Depending on future precipitation pattern and the influence of the CO₂ effect on canopy conductance and thus litter moisture, fire was predicted to either decrease or slightly increase in Brandenburg forests, but the burnt area would not exceed current, extreme fire years. Generally, fire changes had no implication for vegetation composition in Brandenburg, but reduced vegetation carbon gain after 2050. In the HadCM3 application, simulated increase in grass cover due to a large burnt area after 2075 accelerated fire spread conditions, thus still increasing the burnt area, while climatic fire danger and number of fires already began to decline. These interactions underline the importance to consider the full range of fire processes and interactions with vegetation dynamics in a simulation model.     

Late Quaternary vegetation dynamics in a biodiversity hotspot, the Uluguru Mountains of Tanzania

Late Quaternary vegetation history and environmental changes in a biodiverse tropical ecosystem are inferred from pollen, charcoal and carbon isotope evidence derived from a ∼ 48,000-yr sedimentary record from the Uluguru Mountains, a component of the Eastern Arc Mountains of Kenya and Tanzania. Results indicate that Eastern Arc forest composition has remained relatively stable during the past ∼ 48,000 yr. Long-term environmental stability of the Eastern Arc forests has been proposed as a mechanism for the accumulation and persistence of species during glacial periods, thus resulting in the diverse forests observed today. The pollen and isotope data presented here indicate some marked changes in abundance but no significant loss in moist forest taxa through the last glacial maximum, thereby providing support for the long-term environmental stability of the Eastern Arc. Anthropogenic activities, including burning and forest clearance, were found to play a moderate role in shaping the mosaic of forest patches and high-altitude grasslands that characterise the site today; however, this influence was tempered by the inaccessibility of the mountain.     

Late-Quaternary dynamics of temperate forests: Applications of paleoecology to issues of global environmental change

Paleoecological evidence recently summarized from 162 fossil-pollen sites in eastern North America provides new insights concerning the nature and rate of response of temperate forest ecosystems to late Pleistocene and Holocene environmental changes. Across this subcontinental region (25°N to 60°N; 50°W to 100°W), temperate forests have changed in composition, location and area occupied in adjustment to major episodes of climatic cooling and warming during glacial-interglacial cycles of the Quaternary. Forest taxa have migrated differentially, reflecting their individualistic life-history characteristics, dispersal and competitive abilities, and tolerance thresholds to environmental changes, as well as the geographic distribution of corridors and barriers to plant migration. Gradient analysis and ecological ordination of paleovegetational data illustrate that: (1) both positions and breadth of major vegetational ecotones have shifted latitudinally over the past 20 ka; (2) good modern analogues exist for certain full-glacial warm-temperate and boreal forests; (3) during the transition from Pleistocene to Holocene conditions, mixed conifer-northern hardwoods forests, spreading across newly deglaciated terrain, lacked good analogues within the modern vegetation; and (4) most cool-temperate deciduous forest communities north of 35°N developed in the Holocene.Forest clearance and cultivation by Native Americans along principal riverways resulted in a transformation from natural to cultural landscapes during the mid- and late Holocene intervals. Fragmentation of temperate forests accelerated with the onset of EuroAmerican settlement and technologic developments after the Industrial Revolution.     

A comparison of brachyuran crab community structure at four mangrove locations under different management systems along the Melaka Straits-Andaman Sea Coast of Malaysia and Thailand

Brachyuran crab community structure was compared between mangrove sites under different management systems from four locations along the Melaka Straits-Andaman Sea Coast. Klong Ngao, a mangrove estuary in Ranong Province of southern Thailand, lies within a Biosphere Reserve designated in 1997. Sites were positioned in plantations at a former charcoal concession forest, a disused tin mine, and an abandoned shrimp pond along this estuary. The Merbok estuary in Kedah, Malaysia, is partially managed: the mangroves are cut for charcoal and poles on a small scale and the forests are left to regenerate naturally. The Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve in Perak, Malaysia, is heavily exploited but well managed, forRhizophora wood to produce charcoal, and has been for 100 years. Sites were positioned in plantations of different ages. Kuala Selangor Nature Park, Selangor, Malaysia, was established as a nature reserve in 1987 and contains mature mangrove forest regenerating naturally from previous selective felling. At Klong Ngao and Matang, mature reserve forest sites were also studied for comparison with plantation sites. The sites included both upstream and downstream locations and were of similar area, minimizing effects from possible species-area relationships. Sites were chosen with similar environmental conditions and with a dominance ofRhizophora spp. At each site per location, the brachyuran crabs were sampled quantitatively in 100 m² quadrats by three independent 15-min timed crab catches. The crab community recorded was analyzed by univariate and multivariate statistical techniques. Management history plays an important role in moderating the crab community structure. The crab community also changes with the age of the mangrove forest stand. Sesarmid crabs consistently dominated in mature forests, whereas young plantations were colonized mainly by ocypodid crabs. The findings show that heavily effected sites—e.g., disused tin mining areas, former concession forests, and abandoned shrimp ponds—can be rehabilitated by planting mangroves and that the crab community is a useful ecological indicator of habitat status.     

Pathways,motivations and challenges: contemporary Tuvaluan migration to New Zealand

The global climate change literature suggests that at some point in the future it is possible that low-lying areas may be drowned due to rising sea levels, and a number of Pacific Ocean states could be particularly vulnerable. It is increasingly evident that the emerging scenario of environmental change has compounded more established push–pull factors leading to migration, and has provided a new imperative for migration decision-making. By interrogating the proposition that there is a clear distinction between the policy categories of ‘migrants’ and ‘refugees,’ we examine a hitherto un-defined group of Tuvaluan migrants whose movement is in response to environmental change and possible climate change effects. The paper examines Tuvaluan migration to New Zealand through various immigration schemes for permanent residency, with an emphasis on the International/Humanitarian stream.     

Land cover and land use change related to shrimp farming in coastal areas of Quang Ninh,Vietnam using remotely sensed data

Rapid development of shrimp farming may lead to unrecognized and undesirable changes of land cover/land use patterns in coastal areas. Of special concern is the loss of mangrove forest in coastal areas such as Quang Ninh, Vietnam, which is adjacent to the World Heritage-listed Ha Long Bay. Understanding the status and changes of land cover/land use for coastal shrimp farms and mangrove forests can support environmental protection and decision-making for sustainable development in coastal areas. Within this context, this paper uses the 1999/2001 Landsat ETM+ and the 2008 ALOS AVNIR-2 imagery to investigate the contraction and expansion of shrimp farms and mangrove forests in coastal areas of Ha Long and Mong Cai, which now have a high concentration of intensive and semi-intensive shrimp farms. Images were separately analyzed and classified before using post-classification comparisons to detect land cover/land use changes in the study area. The results of this study found that the area of mangrove forest has been reduced by an estimated 927.5 ha in Ha Long and 1,144.4 ha in Mong Cai, while shrimp farming areas increased by an estimated 1,195.9 and 1,702.5 ha, respectively, over the same period. The majority of shrimp farms in Mong Cai were established at the expense of mangrove forest (49.4 %) while shrimp farms in Ha Long were mainly constructed on areas previously occupied by bare ground (46.5 %) and a significant proportion also replaced mangroves (23.9 %). The remarkable rate of mangrove loss and shrimp farming expansion detected in this study, over a relatively short time scale indicate that greater awareness of environmental impacts of shrimp farm expansion is required if this industry is to be sustainable, the important estuarine and coastal marine ecosystems are to be protected over the long term, and the capturing and storing of carbon in mangrove systems are to be enhanced for global climate change mitigation and for use as carbon offsets.     

Palynological light on tropical rainforest dynamics

Although there are more than a hundred Quaternary pollen diagrams from the non-arid tropics, very few are from strictly lowland ever-wet rainforest. Nevertheless, those from more upland or seasonal sites imply major changes of size and location of all tropical forests which must have had repercussions on the composition of and niche realization in the lowland ever-wet forest. Among the ecologically most important implications are that these features of the forest have been constantly changing at varying rates for at least a million years and still are changing. While it is no longer possible necessarily to associate diversity with changelessness, the alternative extreme view that diversity is the outcome of Quaternary environmental change has yet to be demonstrated palynologically.The courses of expansions of some trees in the early stages of establishment of an Australian rainforest in the Holocene are fitted to standard population growth curves and the significance of fine resolution pollen analysis for the study of rainforest ecology is demonstrated.     

Capability of ETM+ in estimates standing stock in beech stands of mountain forest

Stand volume is an important criterion in forest sciences for monitoring status and function of forests, estimation of productivity, prediction and modeling of forest disturbance, economic and environmental issues, and forest planning. The aim of this research is to evaluate the ETM+ sensor of Landsat 7 satellite data ability for forest timber volume estimation. For this purpose, 40 selective sample plots with 60?×?60 m dimension were selected, and in each sample plot, standing volume was calculated. Correspondent digital data to plots were extracted from spectral and considered as independent variables. Original stand volume data, square root, and logarithm of them were considered as dependent potential for stand volume estimation. Variables using stepwise regression, the best model with coefficient of determination, and adjusted coefficient of determination with regard to determining the appropriate model were modified Log?V=?07.546?+?0.85Greenness???10.564NDWI???28 0.063Band1. In this model, the coefficient of determination and adjusted coefficient of determination were obtained 0.778 and 0.770, respectively. Result showed that spectral data of the mentioned sensor have a moderate.     

Unstable climates: Exploring the statistical and social constructions of ‘normal’ climate

The idea of climate has both statistical and social foundations. Both of these dimensions of climate change over time: climate, as defined by meteorological statistics, changes for both natural and anthropogenic reasons; and our expectations of future climate also change, as cultures, societies and knowledge evolves. This paper explores the interactions between these different expressions of climate change by focusing on the idea of ‘normal’ climates defined by statistics. We show how this idea came into being in meteorological circles and then review how this idea of climatic normality gets entangled with cultural and psychological processes. Using data from historical and predicted climates in the UK, we illustrate the significance of choosing different baseline ‘normals’ for retrospective and prospective interpretations of climate change. Since the choice of these statistical ‘normals’ reflects cultural, political and psychological preferences and practices as much as scientific ones, we argue that expectations of the climatic future are influenced by social as well as statistical norms. Seeing climate as co-constructed between the psycho-cultural constraints of society and the physical constraints of the material world offers a different way of thinking about the instabilities of climate and the ways we adapt to them.     

数字表面模型与地形变化测量

在加利福尼亚州丘陵区和佛罗里达州滩涂区获得多时相航空摄影立体像对,构建数字表面模型。由于数字表面模型上记录着自然景观的三维表面坐标,我们可以测量沟壑侵蚀、河道窄化和深切以及海岸带滩涂地带盐沙地的移动,精度达到1m以内。本文使用的方法可为环境演变的定量化和进一步揭示环境演化规律提供精确参数。     

Late Pleistocene and Holocene Afromontane vegetation and headwater wetland dynamics within the Eastern Mau Forest,Kenya

The Mau Forest Complex is Kenya's largest fragment of Afromontane forest, providing critical ecosystem services, and has been subject to intense land use changes since colonial times. It forms the upper catchment of rivers that drain into major drainage networks, thus supporting the livelihoods of millions of Kenyans and providing important wildlife areas. We present the results of a sedimentological and palynological analysis of a Late Pleistocene–Holocene sediment record of Afromontane forest change from Nyabuiyabui wetland in the Eastern Mau Forest, a highland region that has received limited geological characterization and palaeoecological study. Sedimentology, pollen, charcoal, X-ray fluorescence and radiocarbon data record environmental and ecosystem change over the last ~16 000 cal a bp. The pollen record suggests Afromontane forests characterized the end of the Late Pleistocene to the Holocene with dominant taxa changing from Apodytes, Celtis, Dracaena, Hagenia and Podocarpus to Cordia, Croton, Ficus, Juniperus and Olea. The Late Holocene is characterized by a more open Afromontane forest with increased grass and herbaceous cover. Continuous Poaceae, Cyperaceae and Juncaceae vegetation currently cover the wetland and the water level has been decreasing over the recent past. Intensive agroforestry since the 1920s has reduced Afromontane forest cover as introduced taxa have increased (Pinus, Cupressus and Eucalyptus).     

Late-glacial and postglacial vegetational history of the Berkshires, western Massachusetts

A pollen analytical investigation of the sediments of Berry Pond, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, has demonstrated a sequence of pollen assemblage zones similar to those detected elsewhere in New England. From about 13,000 to 12,000 yr B.P. the vegetation of the region was treeless, probably tundra. By 11,500 yr tundra had been replaced by open boreal forest. Closed boreal forest became dominant by 10,500 yr. Boreal forests were replaced by mixed coniferous and deciduous forests with much white pine about 9600 yr ago. A “northern hardwoods” complex with much hemlock, beech, and sugar maple succeeded the mixed forests 8600 yr ago. Hemlock declined very rapidly approximately 4800 yr ago and was replaced by birch, oak, beech, ash, and red maple. This decline may have been biologically rather than climatically induced. There is a slight maximum of pine (much of it pitch pine) from 4100 to 2600 yr ago, perhaps indicative of warmer and/or drier conditions. There were slight changes in the forests about 1600 yr ago as chestnut immigrated and spruce and larch increased slightly. European land clearance and subsequent land abandonment are detectable in the uppermost levels.     

Rockfalls into forests: Analysis and simulation of rockfall trajectories — considerations with respect to mountainous forests in Switzerland

Rockfalls are a major threat to settlements and transportation routes in many places. Although the general protective effect of forests against rockfalls is currently not questioned, little is known about the ideal properties of a forest stand that provides good protection. Therefore, in this study the question was assessed of how mountainous forests may influence rockfalls of single boulders. An actual rockfall trajectory was measured, recorded, analysed and simulated with a rockfall model. Rockfalls into different forest scenarios were also modelled for the site. Results showed that the actual rockfall event can be well simulated. Furthermore, a completely forested slope reduces velocity and energy of the falling blocks much better than a sparsely forested slope. For the profile discussed in this paper, the largest effect upon falling 3 m³ blocks was obtained with a high forest containing 350 trees per ha. The results confirmed common assumptions on ideal properties of a protective forest stand against rockfalls.     

Seeing the forest for the trees: Local-level resource use and forest restitution in postsocialist Bulgaria

Recent legislation for the restitution of ownership rights to, and subsequent management of, formerly privately owned forests in postsocialist Bulgaria has focused largely albeit not exclusively on the restored forests from the perspective of timber production, that is, `forest' equals `harvestable timber resource'. Using ethnographic data collected in rural Rhodope Mountain communities, this paper presents a local-level perspective on forests and forest use, including the meaning that forests hold for local residents as a source of non-timber forest products such as mushrooms and medicinal plants, of animal pasture, and of firewood for household heating and cooking. This local social perspective is then contrasted with the timber-resource focus of the forestry legislation and subsequent planning for forest use. The scale of forest ownership – in part a function of the restitution legislation – is also addressed in relation to the practicalities of resource management. Generally, the paper demonstrates a mismatch between the postsocialist forestry legislation and local practice and conditions with regard to forests and the natural resources therein. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Modelling and Mapping Damage to Forests from an Ice Storm Using Remote Sensing and Environmental Data

An extreme ice storm in January 1998 deposited up to 100 mm of ice and resulted in significant forest damage across eastern North America. Average crown loss of over 75% was recorded in large areas of eastern Ontario and southern Quebec. A primary question that arose following the storm was: can forest damage be effectively assessed using remote sensing and other available environmental data? This paper presents two contrasting studies to address this question. The first involves damage modelling at a local scale in an unmanaged forest using spectral and spatial information in high-resolution airborne imagery. Results of field data analyses are also given that show relations between damage and forest structure and composition as well as changes in forest structure that occurred in the years following the storm. The second study involves regional scale damage mapping in managed and unmanaged forests of eastern Ontario using medium resolution satellite imagery and other environmental data. In comparison of several image classification and data interpolation methods, the best damage map was produced using a neural network classifier and a mix of Landsat and environmental data. The methods and results presented in this paper form the basis for ongoing long-term temporal study of damage impacts on forest condition.     

Holocene Monsoon Changes Inferred from Lake Sediment Pollen and Carbonate Records, Northeastern Cambodia

Major Holocene monsoon changes in continental Southeast Asia are reconstructed from analysis of ¹⁴C-dated changes in pollen and organic/inorganic carbon in sediment cores taken from permanent, closed-basin, volcanic lakes in Ratanakiri Province, northeastern Cambodia. Analysis focuses on the nature and timing of monsoon changes, inferred from changes in vegetation and lake conditions. These data provide the first well-dated palynological record, covering most of the Holocene and continuous up to the present, from a terrestrial site in mainland Southeast Asia. The record from a 15-m core retrieved from Kara Lake, representing the last 9300 years, shows that the late Glacial conditions ended about 8500 ¹⁴C yr B.P., more than 1000 years later than sites in southwest China. Summer monsoon intensity increased over the period ca. 8400–5300 ¹⁴C yr B.P., similar to most other sites in the Asian monsoon region. A subsequent expansion of secondary forests at the expense of dense semievergreen forests suggest a drier climate leading to more frequent fire disturbance. After ca. 3500 ¹⁴C yr B.P. disturbance frequency may have increased further with increasing seasonality. From ca. 2500 ¹⁴C yr B.P. to the present, dense forest has recovered in a mosaic with annually burned dry forest, but climate may not be the main control on local vegetation dynamics in the late Holocene.     

The national landslide database of Great Britain: development, evolution and applications

Landslide inventories are essential because they provide the basis for predictive landslide hazard and susceptibility assessments and because they allow for the manipulation and storage of temporal and spatial data. The National Landslide Database has been developed by the British Geological Survey (BGS). It is the most extensive source of information on landslides in Great Britain with over 15,000 records of landslide events each documented as fully as possible. This information is invaluable for planners and developers as it helps them investigate, avoid or mitigate areas of unstable ground in accordance with Government planning policy guidelines. Therefore, it is vital that the continual verification, collection and updating of landslide information is carried out as part of the Survey’s ‘National Capability’ work. This paper describes the evolution from a static database to one that is continually updated forming part of a suite of national digital hazard products. The history of the National Landslide Database and associated Geographical Information System (GIS) is discussed, together with its application and future development.     

Spatial and temporal variation in the trends of hydrological response of forested watersheds in Thailand

Thailand has undergone significant forest cover changes in recent decades, and this is likely to have altered the hydrological functioning of many watersheds; however, such potential impacts are not fully understood. To contribute towards a better understanding of the potential hydrological impacts of forest cover changes, this study examines the temporal trends of several hydrological indices in eight watersheds of Thailand over the period from 1982 to 2013. A number of hydrological indices (runoff coefficient, baseflow index, flow duration indices, streamflow elasticity, dryness index) were analysed using a combined Thiel–Sen/Mann–Kendall trend-testing approach, to assess the magnitude and significance of patterns in the observed data. These trend tests indicated that the change in the hydrological response of watersheds varied with the change in structure and composition of forest species. A significant increase in runoff (viz. average flow) was observed in those watersheds covered with natural forests, whereas a significant reduction in runoff (viz. baseflow and low runoff) was observed in those watersheds where the land cover was changed to Para rubber plantations and reforested areas. It is also noteworthy that the watersheds covered by natural forest showed more streamflow elasticity than plantations or reforested areas. These results highlight the importance of considering both forest types/dynamics and watershed characteristics when assessing hydrological impacts.     

Impacts of afforestation on groundwater resources and quality

Plans to double the proportion of land under forest cover in Ireland by the year 2035 have been initiated. The plan, primarily financially driven, ignores potential environmental impacts of forestry, particularly impacts on groundwater resources and quality. Since groundwater supplies almost 25% of Ireland's total potable water, these impacts are important. Field investigations indicate that afforestation leads to a reduction in runoff by as much as 20%, mainly due to interception of rainfall by forest canopies. Clearfelling has the opposite impact. Implications are that uncoordinated forestry practices can potentially exacerbate flooding. Groundwater recharge is affected by forestry, largely due to greater uptake of soil water by trees and to increased water-holding capacity of forest soils, arising from higher organic contents. Recharge rates under forests can be reduced to one tenth that under grass or heathland. Groundwater quality may be affected by enhanced acidification and nitrification under forests, due partly to scavenging of atmospheric pollutants by forest canopies, and partly to greater deposition of highly acid leaf litter. The slower recharge rates of groundwater under forests lead to significant delays in manifestation of deterioration in groundwater quality. Electronic Publication