A comparative study of sequential minimal optimization-based support vector machines,vote feature intervals,and logistic regression in landslide susceptibility assessment using GIS

Landslide susceptibility assessment using GIS has been done for part of Uttarakhand region of Himalaya (India) with the objective of comparing the predictive capability of three different machine learning methods, namely sequential minimal optimization-based support vector machines (SMOSVM), vote feature intervals (VFI), and logistic regression (LR) for spatial prediction of landslide occurrence. Out of these three methods, the SMOSVM and VFI are state-of-the-art methods for binary classification problems but have not been applied for landslide prediction, whereas the LR is known as a popular method for landslide susceptibility assessment. In the study, a total of 430 historical landslide polygons and 11 landslide affecting factors such as slope angle, slope aspect, elevation, curvature, lithology, soil, land cover, distance to roads, distance to rivers, distance to lineaments, and rainfall were selected for landslide analysis. For validation and comparison, statistical index-based methods and the receiver operating characteristic curve have been used. Analysis results show that all these models have good performance for landslide spatial prediction but the SMOSVM model has the highest predictive capability, followed by the VFI model, and the LR model, respectively. Thus, SMOSVM is a better model for landslide prediction and can be used for landslide susceptibility mapping of landslide-prone areas.     

季节偏差纠正下的遥感AOD产品降尺度BGIM算法

MODIS 3 km DT (Dark Target)卫星气溶胶光学厚度AOD (Aerosol Optical Depth)数据产品已广泛应用于大气污染监测,但受反演方法限制,该数据产品像元缺失严重、时空覆盖度低、精度偏低。相比,MODIS 10 km DT＿DB＿Combined AOD数据产品因融合DT和DB (Deep Blue)两种反演算法,一定程度上可弥补MODIS 3 km DT AOD数据产品在时空覆盖度与精度方面的缺陷,但分辨率偏低。此外,受气溶胶组分来源的季节变化与地表反射率估算的季节性误差影响,MODIS AOD数据产品精度同时也存在季节性特征。本文由此以京津冀为试验区,顾及AOD季节变化特性,开展MODIS 10 km DT＿DB＿Combined AOD数据产品偏差纠正下的地统计反演模拟BGIM(Bias-corrected Geostatistical Inverse Model)降尺度算法研究。试验同时引入AERONET地基观测数据和MODIS3 km DT AOD数据产品作为降尺度结果的绝对与相对验证标准。结果表明：季节偏差系数纠正下生成的MODIS3 ...     

Planetary nebulae in the Galaxy

It is shown that the planetary nebulae can be divided into three types according to the values of the mass of shell and a central star. The criteria are given using which one can determine the mass type of the nebula. The distance scale of each mass-type planetary nebulae is given. The distribution of planetary nebulae in the Galaxy, their formation rate, scale-height and other physical and kinematic characteristics are investigated. A catalogue of planetary nebulae emitting in the radio range is given.     

Remote estimation of surficial seafloor properties through the application Angular Range Analysis to multibeam sonar data

The variation of the backscatter strength with the angle of incidence is an intrinsic property of the seafloor, which can be used in methods for acoustic seafloor characterization. Although multibeam sonars acquire backscatter over a wide range of incidence angles, the angular information is normally neglected during standard backscatter processing and mosaicking. An approach called Angular Range Analysis has been developed to preserve the backscatter angular information, and use it for remote estimation of seafloor properties. Angular Range Analysis starts with the beam-by-beam time-series of acoustic backscatter provided by the multibeam sonar and then corrects the backscatter for seafloor slope, beam pattern, time varying and angle varying gains, and area of insonification. Subsequently a series of parameters are calculated from the stacking of consecutive time series over a spatial scale that approximates half of the swath width. Based on these calculated parameters and the inversion of an acoustic backscatter model, we estimate the acoustic impedance and the roughness of the insonified area on the seafloor. In the process of this inversion, the behavior of the model parameters is constrained by established inter-property relationships. The approach has been tested using a 300 kHz Simrad EM3000 multibeam sonar in Little Bay, NH. Impedance estimates are compared to in situ measurements of sound speed. The comparison shows a very good correlation, indicating the potential of this approach for robust seafloor characterization.     

Lateral extrusion along the Altyn Tagh Fault,Qilian Shan (NE Tibet): insight from a 3D crustal budget

The lithospheric strike‐slip Altyn Tagh Fault has accommodated hundreds of kilometres of displacement between the Qaidam and Tarim blocks since its Eocene reactivation. However, the way the deformation is accommodated in the Qilian Shan and further east remains uncertain. Based on 360 km of north‐eastward migration of the relatively rigid Qaidam block along the Altyn Tagh Fault and 3D isovolumetric balancing of the crustal deformation within the Altyn Tagh Fault–Qilian Shan system, we demonstrate that 250 ± 28 km (43.8–49.4%) of N20E directed crustal shortening and an additional ~250–370 km of eastward motion of the Qilian Shan crust must be accounted for by strike‐slip faulting in the Qilian Shan and crustal thickening in the Qinling area, as well as by extension in the adjoining North China block graben systems.     

Zonal biostratigraphy in the solution of the fundamental and applied problems of geology

The problems of zonal stratigraphy of the early 21st century are discussed. The great advances achieved in recent years in using zones in geological practice are noted. At the same time, attention is drawn to the controversies existing in the interpretation of the concepts “biostratigraphic zone” and “chronozone,” in the methods of drawing the boundaries of such zones, and in the assessment of the spatial scale of zones and in the understanding of them as stratigraphic units.     

Using Models of the Deep Structure of the Earth’s Crust and Upper Mantle Based on GOCE Gravity Data in Metallogenic Analysis

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - Gravimetric data obtained by the GOCE spacecraft contributes to the development of global models of the deep structure of the Earth’s crust and...     

The first field-based descriptions of pumping-induced saltwater intrusion and upconing

Development of the ideas about the equilibrium between freshwater and saline water has received considerable attention in the literature, but little has been written so far about the earliest scientific works about well salinization. Based on a review of the literature from the second half of the 19th century and the early 20th century, this historical note explores how insights into groundwater abstraction and saltwater intrusion developed, and examples of the earliest field studies are provided. Fundamental research was driven by the need for increasing water supply, but the progress of science did not lead to sustainable management practices everywhere. Research outcomes were shared between scientists of different countries, marking the beginning of coastal hydrogeology as a scientific specialization in the first decade of the 20th century.     

Changes of Warmer Winter and Winter Temperature over China During 1956-2005

 A reasonable warmer winter index (IWWI) in the framework of the three equiprobability categories (i.e. warmer, normal and colder categories) is proposed based on the winter temperature data observed at 565 stations in China during 1956-2005, where IWWI is defined as the ratio of the station number of warmer category over the total number of stations. The results suggest that the trend of IWWI was consistent with that of the winter temperature on decadal time scale, and their rates of change were 10%/10 a and 0.4 ℃/10 a, respectively. It is found that only 13 warmer winter events in total were detected by IWWI over the past 50 years, and 85% of them occurred after 1986.