Driving forces of tropical deforestation: The role of remote sensing and spatial models

Remote sensing technologies are increasingly used to monitor landscape change in many parts of the world. While the availability of extensive and timely imagery from various satellite sensors can aid in identifying the rates and patterns of deforestation, modelling techniques can evaluate the socioeconomic and biophysical forces driving deforestation processes. This paper briefly reviews some emerging spatial methodologies aimed at identifying driving forces of land use change and applies one such methodology to understand deforestation in Mexico. Satellite image classification, change analysis and econometric modelling are used to identify the rates, hotspots and drivers of deforestation in a case study of the southern Yucatán peninsular region, an enumerated global hotspot of biodiversity and tropical deforestation. In particular, the relative roles of biophysical and socioeconomic factors in driving regional deforestation rates are evaluated. Such methodological approaches can be applied to other regions of the forested tropics and contribute insights to conservation planning and policy.     

Land use/land cover identification in an alpine and arid region (Nubra Valley, Ladakh) using satellite remote sensing

The remote sensing technology has been widely used for mapping the vegetation types in the tropical landscapes. However, in the temperate and alpine arid regions of India very few studies have been conducted using this technique. In the mountainous temperate arid conditions the vegetation is largely confined to marsh meadows, streams courses, river valleys and moist pockets close to snowfields. The ground truth collection in these zones are physically challenging due to tough terrain and restricted mobility. The detailed mapping of vegetation and other land use classes in these areas is therefore, extremely difficult. This paper describes the use of IRS-ID LISS III sensor for deciphering land cover details Nubra Valley, northern portion of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Council, Jammu & Kashmir (India). This analysis essentially emphasizes in bringing out various vegetation classes (speciallyHippophae rhamnoides and other medicinal plant communities) along the narrow river valleys.     

Effective and Equitable Dissemination of Seasonal-to-Interannual Climate Forecasts: Policy Implications from the Peruvian Fishery during El Niño 1997–98

The development of seasonal-to-interannual climate predictions has spurred widespread claims that the dissemination of such forecasts will yield benefits for society. Based on the use as well as non-use of forecasts in the Peruvian fishery during the 1997–98 El Niño event, weidentify: (1) potential constraints on the realization of benefits, such aslimited access to and understanding of information, and unintended reactions; (2) theneed for an appropriately detailed definition of societal benefit, considering whose welfare counts as a benefit among groups such as labor, industry, consumers, citizens of different regions, and future generations.We argue that consideration of who benefits, and an understanding of potential socioeconomic constraints and how they might be addressed, should be brought to bear on forecast dissemination choices. We conclude with examples of relevant dissemination choices made using this process.     

Quantitative analysis of variations in depositional sequence thickness from submarine channel levees

Abstract Thickness variations across‐levee and downchannel in acoustically defined depositional sequences from six submarine channel‐levee systems show consistent and quantifiable patterns. The thickness of depositional sequences perpendicular to the channel trend, i.e. across the levee, decreases exponentially, as characterized by a spatial decay constant, k. Similarly, the thickness of sediment at the levee crest decreases exponentially down the upper reaches of submarine channels and can be characterized by a second spatial decay constant, λ. The inverse of these decay constants has units of length and defines depositional length scales such that k^?1 is a measure of levee width and λ^?1 is a measure of levee length. Quantification of levee architecture in this way allowed investigation of relationships between levee architecture and channel dimensions. It was found that these measures of levee e‐folding width and levee e‐folding length are directly related to channel width and relief. The dimensions of channels and levees are thus intimately related, thereby limiting the range of potential channel‐levee morphologies, regardless of allocyclic forcing. A simple sediment budget model relates the product of the levee e‐folding width and e‐folding length to through‐channel volume discharge. A classification system based on the quantitative downchannel behaviour of levee architecture allows identification of a ‘mid‐channel’ reach, where sediment is passively transferred from the through‐channel flow to the levees as an overspilling flow. Downstream from this reach, the channel gradually looses its control on guiding turbidity currents, and the resulting flow can be considered as an unconfined or spreading flow.     

Validation of a fish farm waste resuspension model by use of a particulate tracer discharged from a point source in a coastal environment

To validate a resuspension model of particulate material (salmonid farm wastes), a UV fluorescent particle tracer was selected with similar settling characteristics. Tracer was introduced to the seabed (water depth ≈30 m) and sediment samples taken on days 0, 3, 10, 17 and 30 to measure the horizontal and vertical distribution of tracer in sediments. A concentric sampling grid was established at radii of 25, 50, 100, 150, 200, 400, 700 and 1, 000 m from the source on transects 30° apart. The bulk of the deployed tracer was initially concentrated in an area 25 m radius from the release point; tracer was observed to steadily decrease to zero over a period of 30 days. In a 200 m region measured from the release point in the direction of the residual current, the redeposition of tracer was low. A Lagrangian particle tracking model was validated using these observed data by varying resuspension model parameters within limits to obtain the best agreement between spatial and temporal distributions. The validated model generally gave good predictions of total mass budgets (±7% of total tracer released), particulary where tracer concentrations were high near the release point. Best fit model parameters (critical erosion shear stress=0.018 N m⁻², erodibility constan=60 g m⁻² d⁻¹) are at the low end of reported parameters for coastal resuspension models. Such a low critical erosion shear stress indicates that the frequency of resuspension and deposition events for freshly deposited material is high.     

New W-isotope evidence for rapid terrestrial accretion and very early core formation

The short-lived ¹⁸²Hf-¹⁸²W-isotope system is an ideal clock to trace core formation and accretion processes of planets. Planetary accretion and metal/silicate fractionation chronologies are calculated relative to the chondritic ¹⁸²Hf-¹⁸²W-isotope evolution. Here, we report new high-precision W-isotope data for the carbonaceous chondrite Allende that are much less radiogenic than previously reported and are in good agreement with published internal Hf-W chronometry of enstatite chondrites. If the W-isotope composition of terrestrial rocks, representing the bulk silicate Earth, is homogeneous and 2.24 ε_182W units more radiogenic than that of the bulk Earth, metal/silicate differentiation of the Earth occurred very early. The new W-isotope data constrain the mean time of terrestrial core formation to 34 million years after the start of solar system accretion. Early terrestrial core formation implies rapid terrestrial accretion, thus permitting formation of the Moon by giant impact while ¹⁸²Hf was still alive. This could explain why lunar W-isotopes are more radiogenic than the terrestrial value.     

Freshwater inundation effects on emergent vegetation of a hypersaline salt marsh

The coastal marshlands of the Nueces estuary, Texas depend upon periodic freshwater inundation to support current community structure and promote further establishment and expansion of emergent halophytes. Decades of watershed modifications have dramatically decreased freshwater discharge into the upper estuary resulting in hypersaline and dry conditions. In an attempt to partially restore inflow, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation excavated two overflow channels re-connecting the Nueces River to the marshlands. Freshwater-mediated (precipitation and inflow) changes in tidal creek and porewater salinity and emergent marsh vegetation were examined over a 5-yr period at three stations in the upper Nueces Marsh with the aid of a Geographical Information System (GIS). Two stations were potentially subjected to freshwater inflow through the channels, while one station experienced only precipitation. Decreased tidal creek and porewater salinity were significantly correlated with increased freshwater at all stations (R²=0.37 to 0.56), although porewater salinities remained hypersaline. GIS analyses indicated the most considerable vegetation change following freshwater inundation was increased cover of the annual succulentSalicornia bigelovii. Fall inundation allowed seed germination and rapid expansion of this species into previously bare areas during the subsequent winter and following spring. The station affected by both inflow and precipitation exhibited greaterS. bigelovii cover than the station affected solely by precipitation in both spring 1999 (58. 7% compared to 27.9%) and 2000 (48.6% compared to 1.9%). Percent cover of the perennialBatis maritima temporarily increased after periods of consistent rainfall. The response was short term, and cover quickly returned to pre-inundation conditions within 3 mo. Prolonged inundation led to longterm (>2yr) decreases in percent cover ofB. maritima. Our results suggest that the timing and quantity of freshwater inundation strongly dictate halophyte response to precipitation and inflow. Brief periods of freshwater inundation that occur at specific times of year alleviate stress and promote seed germination and growth, but extended soil saturation can act as a disturbance that has a negative impact on species adapted to hypersaline conditions.     

La vallée d'Ys : un paléoréseau hydrographique immergé en baie de Douarnenez (Finistère,France)

Interpretation of the recent high-resolution survey, CANADOU 2000, in the Bay of Douarnenez (Finistère, France) allowed us to restore the morphology of the substratum and the sedimentary filling of the bay. The Brioverian and Palaeozoic substratum reveals a well-defined network of incised valleys as results of successive emergence stages of the Bay during the Quaternary. Valleys join in a westward-widened mean valley, called Ys Valley. The present-day sedimentary fill of the bay of Douarnenez appears mainly controlled by the Holocene rise and the consecutive highstand. It comprises fluvial and estuarine deposits filling up incised valleys and marine sedimentation extending out of the incised valleys. To cite this article: G. Jouet et al., C. R. Geoscience 335 (2003).To cite this article: G. Jouet et al., C. R. Geoscience 335 (2003).     

Observing artificially induced strain: implications for subglacial deformation

By analysing a series of four successive thin‐sections from a ceramic clay that was subjected to uniaxial compression, we were able to monitor the development of microstructures in a fine‐grained sediment. The artificially induced microstructures, such as unidirectional clay reorientations and linear and circular grain arrangements, are identical to features that have been observed in thin‐sections of subglacially deformed tills, and therefore may be used as representative analogues. We argue that the structures, reflecting slip, planar shear displacements as well as rotational movements, can be explained by assuming a Coulomb‐plastic response to imposed shear. We conclude that sediments subjected to subglacial deformation behave as Coulomb materials, at least during the final stages of the deformation. The present study bridges the gap between field studies, experimental studies and theoretical modelling. The microscopic observations assist in visualising inferred subglacial processes and facilitate up‐ and downscaling between diverse methodological approaches. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Model Tests and Field Experiments for Fragmentation Assessment During Ringhole Blasting in BG Panels

Experimental blasts were conducted in concrete blocks of known strengths to correlate field results in Blasting Gallery (BG) panels of GDK-10 Incline for improving fragmentation of coal to an optimum level so that blasted coal could easily be lifted totally by remote controlled LHDs and thereby mitigating the possibility of occurrence of spontaneous heating in BG districts before exhaustion of the panel. Various charge loading parameters and consequent breakage results were critically analyzed to arrive at a constructive conclusion, which could satisfactory improve the blast results.