Performance testing of selected automated coastline detection techniques applied on multispectral satellite imageries

Coastline detection has been of major interest for environmentalists and many methods have been introduced to detect coastline automatically. Remote Sensing techniques are the most promising ones to deliver a satisfactory result in this regard. In our study, the objective was to retrieve performance level of certain image processing techniques vigorously used for the purpose to delineate coastline automatically and they were tested against two images acquired almost on the same period by LISS III and LANDSAT ETM+ sensors. The algorithms used in the study are Water Index, NDVI, Complex Band Ratio, ISODATA, Thresholding, ISH Transfirmation techniques. Accuracy of the shoreline detection by classifying the image in land and water has been tried to be estimated in three ways, firstly with comparison to the visually interpreted high resolution google earth image, secondly field collected GCP data of reference points of classes and thirdly the raw image itself. But problem in temporal disparity caused the constraint doing accuracy assessment from the first two reference data and maps along the coast. As a whole although four techniques among six, show satisfactory results namely density slicing, ISODATA classification, Water Index and ISH transformation technique, in the case of LISS-III and ETM+, Water Index (with kappa value being 0.95 for LISS-III and 0.97 for ETM+) and Intensity-Hue-Saturation transformation techniques give better performance. Sensor to sensor variation might have introduced certain differences in shoreline detection in images of same season with similar tidal influence.     

The effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on seabed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon dynamics in the Gulf of Mexico

To assess the extent to which Hurricanes Katrina and Rita affected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), sediment cores were analyzed in late 2005 from: a shallow shelf, a deeper shelf, and a marsh station. Sediment geochronology, fabric, and geochemistry show that the 2005 storms deposited ∼10 cm of sediment to the surface of a core at 5-12A. Bulk carbon geochemistry and PAH isomers in this top layer suggest that the source of sediment to the top portion of core 5-12A was from a relatively more marine area. Particulate PAHs in the marsh core (04 M) appeared unaffected by the storms while sediments in the core from Station 5-1B (deeper shelf) were affected minimally (some possible storm-derived deposition). Substantial amounts of PAH-laden particles may have been displaced from the seabed in shallow areas of the water column in the GOM by these 2005 storms.     

A Neotectonic based geomorphic analysis using remote sensing data to delineate potential areas of hydrocarbon exploration: Cachar area,Assam

TheAssamArakan fold thrust belt has highly deformed folded units of Tertiary sediments bounded by eastward dipping thrust slices with a convexity towards west. In the Tripura-Cachar region, this folded belt is characterized by the occurrence of wide synclines and narrow anticlines that hosts a number of hydrocarbon producing fields. In the Cachar area of Assam, most of these fields occur in the culmination of anticlinal structures. Other wells drilled in analogous structural settings are found to be dry. In this paper a neotectonic based geomorphic analysis is carried out to delineate a fault network and geomorphic highs in Cachar area as expressions of sub-surface structures which had subsequently been validated by available geophysical data. Of these geomorphic highs, those that are in the synclinal areas are believed to represent subtle sub-surface structural highs. Synclinal structures associated with NNE-SSW faults might be considered interesting for hydrocarbon exploration and are subsequently categorized following their degree of confidence for exploration of hydrocarbon. Additionally, a genetic model of the structures in the region is also proposed.     

Experimental (clay) models of inversion structures

Experimental modeling is used to study the geometry and evolution of inversion structures. Two main types of inversion structures are analyzed:

1. (1) structures formed by fault-propagation folding; and

2. (2) structures formed by fault-bend folding on listric faults.

Fault-propagation inversion structures initially develop as broad drape folds with possible fault breakthrough during an early extensional phase. Syn-extensional strata deposited in the hanging wall typically thicken away from the fault. Compressional reactivation results in reversal of slip on the master and secondary faults, their rotation to shallower dips, and the development of a compressional fault-propagation fold. Key features of the fault-propagation fold are basinward thickening of syn-extensional units and resulting steep dips of the front limb of the structure. Fault-bend inversion structures initiate as rollover folds within extensional half-graben. Deformation is primarily localized along a system of antithetic faults. Syn-extensional strata typically thicken across the fault but also thin basinward away from the fault. During compression, the extensional rollover folds are folded into compressional fault-bend folds. Key features of this structure are thinning of syn-extensional units into the basin. Inversion of more symmetric graben results in a doubly-convex geometry of syn-extensional units. These observations of bed geometry and thickness provide predictive models for interpreting the geometries of inversion structures in areas of poor data quality.     

Geomorphology and Petroleum Prospects of Cauvery Basin,Tamilnadu, Based on Interpretation of Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRS) Data

Geomorphological studies of the Cauvery basin, Tamilnadu were carried out using IRS images with special emphasis on identification of zones of hydrocarbon occurrences. The basin exhibits landforms of fluvial and fluvio-marine plains. Two major trends of lineaments and 15 circular anomalies have been identified. The NW-SE trend appears to be younger and might have played an important role in migration and entrapment of hydrocarbons. Six circular anomalies are associated with known oil/gas wells. The study has identified probable zones of hydrocarbon occurrences.     

Seasonal climate prediction for South America with FSU Multi-model Synthetic Superensemble algorithm

Summary Objective combination schemes of predictions from different models have been applied to seasonal climate forecasts. These schemes are successful in producing a deterministic forecast superior to individual member models and better than the multi-model ensemble mean forecast. Recently, a variant of the conventional superensemble formulation was created to improve skills for seasonal climate forecasts, the Florida State University (FSU) Synthetic Superensemble. The idea of the synthetic algorithm is to generate a new data set from the predicted multimodel datasets for multiple linear regression. The synthetic data is created from the original dataset by finding a consistent spatial pattern between the observed analysis and the forecast data set. This procedure is a multiple linear regression problem in EOF space. The main contribution this paper is to discuss the feasibility of seasonal prediction based on the synthetic superensemble approach and to demonstrate that the use of this method in coupled models dataset can reduce the errors of seasonal climate forecasts over South America. In this study, a suite of FSU coupled atmospheric oceanic models was used. In evaluation the results from the FSU synthetic superensemble demonstrate greater skill for most of the variables tested here. The forecast produced by the proposed method out performs other conventional forecasts. These results suggest that the methodology and database employed are able to improve seasonal climate prediction over South America when compared to the use of single climate models or from the conventional ensemble averaging. The results show that anomalous conditions simulated over South America are reasonably realistic. The negative (positive) precipitation anomalies for the summer monsoon season of 1997/98 (2001/02) were predicted by Synthetic Superensemble formulation quite well. In summary, the forecast produced by the Synthetic Superensemble approach outperforms the other conventional forecasts.