Soil erosion modelled with USLE and PESERA using QuickBird derived vegetation parameters in an alpine catchment

The focus of soil erosion research in the Alps has been in two categories: (i) on-site measurements, which are rather small scale point measurements on selected plots often constrained to irrigation experiments or (ii) off-site quantification of sediment delivery at the outlet of the catchment. Results of both categories pointed towards the importance of an intact vegetation cover to prevent soil loss. With the recent availability of high-resolution satellites such as IKONOS and QuickBird options for detecting and monitoring vegetation parameters in heterogeneous terrain have increased. The aim of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of QuickBird derived vegetation parameters in soil erosion models for alpine sites by comparison to Cesium-137 (Cs-137) derived soil erosion estimates. The study site (67 km²) is located in the Central Swiss Alps (Urseren Valley) and is characterised by scarce forest cover and strong anthropogenic influences due to grassland farming for centuries. A fractional vegetation cover (FVC) map for grassland and detailed land-cover maps are available from linear spectral unmixing and supervised classification of QuickBird imagery. The maps were introduced to the Pan-European Soil Erosion Risk Assessment (PESERA) model as well as to the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE). Regarding the latter model, the FVC was indirectly incorporated by adapting the C factor. Both models show an increase in absolute soil erosion values when FVC is considered. In contrast to USLE and the Cs-137 soil erosion rates, PESERA estimates are low. For the USLE model also the spatial patterns improved and showed “hotspots” of high erosion of up to 16 t ha⁻¹ a⁻¹. In conclusion field measurements of Cs-137 confirmed the improvement of soil erosion estimates using the satellite-derived vegetation data.     

Kinematic precise point positioning at remote marine platforms

Precise kinematic differential positioning using the global positioning system (GPS) at a marine platform usually requires a relatively short distance (e.g. <500 km) to a land-based reference station. As an alternative, precise point positioning (PPP) is normally considered free from this limiting requirement. However, due to the prerequisite of network-based satellite products, PPP at a remote marine platform may still be affected by its distance to the reference network. Hence, this paper investigates this scenario by configuring rings of reference stations with different radii centered on a to-be-positioned marine platform. Particularly, we applied ambiguity resolution at a single station to PPP by estimating uncalibrated phase delays (UPDs). We used three rings of reference stations centered on a vessel, with radii of roughly 900, 2,000 and 3,600 km, to determine satellite clocks and UPDs independently. For comparison, we also performed differential positioning based on a single reference station with baseline lengths of about 400, 1,700 and 2,800 km. We demonstrate that, despite the increasing ring-network radius to a few 1,000 km, the overall change in accuracy of the satellite clocks that are used at the vessel is smaller than 0.02 ns, and the RMS values of differences between the three sets of narrow-lane UPD estimates are around 0.05 cycles only. Moreover, the kinematic positioning accuracy of PPP is affected by the increasing ring-network radius, but can still achieve several centimeters after ambiguity resolution when the vessel is over a few 1,000 km away from the ring network, showing better performance than that of differential positioning. Therefore, we propose that ambiguity-fixed PPP can be used at remote marine platforms that support precise oceanographic and geophysical applications in open oceans.     

Contribution of new AAM data source to δLOD excitation

Data sets of the changes of the length of day (ΔLOD) measured by space geodetic techniques and of the atmospheric angular momentum (AAM) derived from global meteorological data by the National Meteorological Center (NMC) and the National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) are used to reanalyze and study the excitations of ΔLOD, and to examine and compare the contribution of each AAM series to ΔLOD. The main results are as follows. 1. The AAM reanalyzed with the assimilated global meteorological data by NCEP/NCAR are more accurate and have lower noise than the original AAM derived by NMC. The NCEP/NCAR-based AAM is more consistent with the changes of the length-of-day series. 2. The NCEP reanalysed AAM data may better explain the non-tidal LOD variations on intraseasonal to interannual time scales, especially on the quasi-biennial time scale. The atmosphere cannot, however, explain all LOD variations; other excitation sources are possible. 3. The effects of atmosphere on the estimated values of tides for ΔLOD components up to a month are weak. The preliminary results of the annual and semiannual tides can be estimated after removing the effects of atmosphere from ΔLOD. Received: 27 May 1998 / Accepted: 22 March 1999     

FY-3C/VIRR中红外图像太阳光污染订正

风云三号C星(FY-3C)上搭载的可见光红外扫描辐射计VIRR (Visible and Infra-Red Radiometer)是继承风云一号卫星光学成像仪器,它在高纬度昼夜交替区域附近由于地平线附近太阳光照射,导致仪器扫描镜和其他部件产生杂散光,导致对地观测图像被污染,尤其VIRR中红外第3通道(3.7 μm)图...     

Comparison of Vegetation Indices from Two Ground Based Sensors

The best and commonly used ground-based sensor to monitor crop growth, ASD FieldSpecPro Spectroradiometer (Analytical Spectral Devices, Boulder, CO, USA) is a passive sensor, which can be used under adequate light condition. However, now-a-days active sensors such as GreenSeeker? (GS) handheld crop response (Trimble Agriculture division, USA) are used for monitoring crop growth and are flexible in terms of timeliness and illumination conditions besides being cheaper than the ASD. Before its wide use, the suitability and accuracy of GS should be assessed by comparing the NDVI measured by this instrument with that by ASD, under diverse wheat growing conditions of India. Keeping this in view, the present experiment was undertaken with the following objectives: (1) to find out the temporal variation of NDVI measured both by ASD and GS treatments, (2) to find out relationship between the NDVI measured through ASD and GS and, (3) to evaluate the suitability of GS for NDVI measurements. It was observed that the numerical value of NDVI as measured by GS was always significantly (P < 0.05) lower than that measured by ASD for all the experiments under study. The NDVI-ASD and NDVI-GS were significantly positively correlated (P < 0.01) with the correlation coefficients being +0.94, +0.88 and +0.87 for irrigation and nitrogen experiment, irrigation and cultivars experiment, and tillage, residue and nitrogen experiments, respectively. Further, the regression equation developed between the NDVI-ASD and NDVI-GS: [NDVI-GS = 1.070 × (NDVI-ASD ? 0.292] can be successfully used to compute the NDVI of ASD from that computed by GS.     

Use of cartographic images by expert and novice field geologists in planning fieldwork routes

Topographic maps and aerial photographs are particularly useful when geoscientists are faced with fieldwork tasks such as selecting paths for observation, establishing sampling schemes, or defining field regions. These types of images are crucial in bedrock geologic mapping, a cognitively complex field-based problem-solving task. Geologic mapping requires the geologist to correctly identify rock types and three-dimensional bedrock structures from often partial or poor-quality outcrop data while navigating through unfamiliar terrain. This paper compares the walked routes of novice to expert geologists working in the field (n = 66) with the results of a route planning and navigation survey of a similar population of geologists (n = 77). Results show clearly that those geologists with previous mapping experience make quick and decisive determinations about field areas from available imagery and maps, regardless of whether they are or not physically present in the field area. Recognition of geologic features enabled experts to form and verbalize a specific plan for travel through a landscape based on those features. Novices were less likely to develop specific travel route plans and were less likely to identify critical landscape cues from aerial photographs.     

Seismic hazard monitoring in Kamchatka and its applications to the M = 6.6 earthquake of 6 October 1987

The earthquake of 6 October 1987 (M = 6.6), which occurred near the Shipunsky Cape, Kamchatka, was the largest crustal event in the vicinity of the main city of Kamchatka — Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky — during the last three decades. It was followed by numerous aftershocks. This earthquake allowed us to test the effectiveness of the seismic hazard monitoring in Kamchatka, including the seismological, geodetic and hydrogeochemical surveys. The seismic survey provided the location and source nature of the main shock and aftershocks and the seismic environment of the main shock. The geodetic and hydrogeochemical surveys have yielded data on the response to earthquakes of the Earth's surface deformations, water level, and chemical elements concentration in the underground water. As a result, the following data were obtained:

u

The earthquake of 6 October had a seismic moment 4–10 E18 Nm, thrust type of faulting and the source volume of 20 × 20 × 10 km³. The maximum intensity was VI–VII (MSK-64 scale) and maximum acceleration 88 cm/s².

Before this event, a relative increase in the number of the upper mantle (depth more than 100 km) moderate magnitude earthquakes during 5 years and a one-year period of seismic quiescence for small shallow earthquakes, were recognized. Significant anomalies in HCO₃ and H₃BO₃ concentrations in the underground waters were observed in the wells a week before the main shock.

     

Sedimentation on the Ionian active margin (Hellenic arc) — Provenance of sediments and mechanisms of deposition

Lithological, sedimentological, mineralogical and faunal analyses of twenty cores from the western Peloponnesus margin and adjacent Matapan Trench permit the origin of the sediments and the processes of sedimentation to be defined in some detail.Except for the ash layers derived from the Ischian Province, the major part of the sediment is local in origin (Peloponnesus). Analyses of heavy, light and clay minerals enable three main provinces to be distinguished. Each of these provinces includes one or more slope basins and a portion of trench, without lateral connection between them and mixing of inputs.The diversity and complexity of sedimentary structures, the granulometric characters, the mixed fauna (molluscs and ostracods) and the variability of rates of sedimentation all testify to the prevalence of reworking phenomena and gravitative processes.These data confirm and elaborate on the model of sedimentation deduced from seismic studies in which sediments are successively trapped, released by the slope basins and transferred via channels and canyons towards the underlying trench basins. This “cascade feeding” appears characteristics of this subductive sedimentary environment.