Accuracy assessment of QuickBird stereo imagery

The Geographical Survey Institute of Japan has recently carried out an evaluation of the metric performance of QuickBird stereo satellite imagery. This paper describes the accuracy assessment of the sensor orientation and geopositioning phases of the study, the aim of which was twofold. First, it was desired to confirm the metric potential of QuickBird imagery for 1:25 000 scale topographic mapping. Second, a determination was to be made of the accuracy attainable from the Basic image product. The techniques of rational functions and affine bundle adjustment were employed, the former with bias compensation. The results obtained both reassert the high precision of the rational functions approach and cast doubt upon the applicability of the 3D affine model for accurate geopositioning from QuickBird imagery.     

Chemical variations of magmas at Izu-Oshima volcano,Japan: plagioclase-controlled and differentiated magmas

Systematic analyses of the major-element chemistry of products of several eruptions during syn-and post-caldera stages of Izu-Oshima volcano were compiled. Comparisons of the products of large-scale eruptions in 1338?, 1421? and 1777–1778, of intermediate-scale eruptions in 1950–1951 and 1986, and of small-scale eruptions in 1954, 1964 and 1974 clearly show the existence of two types of magmas. One is “plagioclase-controlled” and the other is “differentiated” magma (multimineral-controlled); i.e. the bulk chemistry of the first magma type is controlled by plagioclase addition or removal, while that of the second type is controlled by fractionation of plagioclase, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, and titanomagnetite. Eruptions of Izu-Oshima volcano have occurred at the summit and along the flanks. Summit eruptions tap only plagioclase-controlled magmas, while flank eruptions supply both magma types. It is considered unlikely that both magma types would coexist in the same magma chamber based on the petrology. In the case of the 1986 eruption, the flank magma was isolated sometime in the past from the summit magma chamber or central conduit, and formed small magma pockets, where further differentiation occurred due to relatively rapid cooling. In a period of quiescence prior to the 1986 eruption, new magma was supplied to the summit magma chamber, and the summit eruption began. The dike intrusion or fracturing around the small magma pockets triggered the flank eruption of the differentiated magma. This model can be applied to the large-scale flank eruption in 1338(?) which erupted differentiated magmas. In 1421(?), the flank eruption tapped plagioclase-controlled magma. In this case, the isolated magmas from the summit magma chamber directly penetrated the flank without differentiation.     

Influence of various factors on the difference in the liquid limit values determined by Casagrande’s and fall cone method

As there are many correlations linking the liquid limit directly or indirectly with various engineering properties of the soil, the accurate determination of the liquid limit is quite essential. Generally, two methods, i.e. Casagrande’s and fall cone are adopted to determine the liquid limit of soil. Research was carried out to study the influence of the properties of bentonite and the presence of the salt solution on the liquid limit values of soil-bentonite mixtures determined by the Casagrande’s and fall cone methods. The results showed that irrespective of the presence of the type of bentonite or salt solution, a higher value of the liquid limit was obtained by the Casagrande’s method as compared to the fall cone method. However, the difference between the two methods decreased with the decrease in the liquid limit, clay fraction, specific surface area and free swelling capacity of the bentonite present in the mixture. Similarly, the difference in the liquid limit values obtained by both these methods is reduced with an increase in the salt concentration.     

Global mantle heterogeneity and its influence on teleseismic regional tomography

A new global P-wave tomography model is determined using a flexible-grid parameterization. This new model better reveals the mantle structure under the polar regions than the previous tomographic models. The subducting slabs are generally imaged clearly as high-velocity (high-V) zones. The young slabs are still subducting in the upper mantle and the mantle transition zone (MTZ), whereas the old and ancient slabs are either stagnant in the MTZ or have subducted down to the lower mantle, even reaching the core-mantle boundary. Low-velocity (low-V) anomalies are generally revealed in the mantle under the hotspot regions. It seems that a variety of mantle upwelling (plumes) exist. Some strong plumes are visible in the whole mantle under the long-living hotspots, such as those in south-central Pacific, Africa, Hawaii and Iceland, whereas weak plumes are visible in only some depth range under the minor hotspots. Under the intraplate volcanoes in East Eurasia, Bering Sea and West Alaska, significant low-V anomalies are revealed in the upper mantle, which may reflect hot and wet upwelling associated with corner flows in the big mantle wedge (BMW) above the stagnant Pacific slab in the MTZ and perhaps deep slab dehydration as well. The subduction-triggered magmatism in the BMW may be a new class of mantle plumes. We also used the new global model to investigate the influence of whole-mantle heterogeneity on the determination of upper-mantle tomography under Japan with a teleseismic inversion method. The results show that the mantle heterogeneities outside the target volume of regional tomography can cause significant changes (~ 0.2-0.4 s) to the observed relative travel-time residuals of a distant earthquake. The pattern of regional tomography remains the same even after correcting for the whole-mantle heterogeneity, but there are some changes in the amplitude of velocity anomalies in the regional tomography. Hence it is necessary to correct for the mantle heterogeneities outside the target volume so as to obtain a better regional tomography.     

Comparison of the Clay Fraction of Ariake Clay Determined by Japanese and ASTM Standards

This study compares the clay fraction percentage determined by Japanese standard JIS A1204/JGS 0131 and ASTM standard D422-63 for the clay samples obtained from the surface of sea bottom sediments in Ariake Bay, Japan. These two standards differ in the amount of dispersant to be added for the dispersion of soil suspensions. The Japanese and ASTM standards suggest adding sodium hexametaphosphate solution as the dispersant so that the final concentration of the dispersant in soil suspension for hydrometer test becomes 2 and 5 g/L, respectively. The test results indicated that the treatment by the Japanese standard gave less dispersion in the soil suspension compared to the ASTM standard, and hence resulted in the underestimation of clay fraction percentage of all the samples.     

Historical record of heavy metal pollution deduced by lead isotope ratios in core sediments from the Osaka Bay,Japan

Three marine sediment cores from Osaka Bay were analyzed for ²¹⁰Pb geochronology, heavy metal concentrations (Zn, Cu, and Pb) and stable lead isotope ratios (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb) in order to reconstruct high-resolution heavy metal pollution history from 1900–2006. Anthropogenic metal accumulation in sediments peaked in 1970 in agreement with the high economic growth period in Japan. The comparison of temporal patterns of ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb ratio with other areas of Japan suggested that the heavy metals, imported from several different countries during the periods of economic growth (1955 to 1973), are the main pollution source for the country. For the period 1970–2006, the sediment data reflect the result of stricter environmental regulations applied after the late 1960s. However, heavy metal concentrations in the surface sediments are still elevated to levels several times higher than the levels at the bottoms of the cores. Additionally, the lead isotope ratio does not show significant change after the 1980s. Secondary heavy metal pollution through the mixing of deeper polluted sediment appears to be the likely reason for the deterioration of present time submarine sediment environments. In conclusion, this study has demonstrated that it is difficult to recover over a period of several years the benthic quality of a bay, once it is heavily polluted.     

Rainfall–runoff–inundation analysis of the 2010 Pakistan flood in the Kabul River basin

Abstract

Pakistan has suffered a devastating flood disaster in 2010. In the Kabul River basin (92 605 km²), large-scale riverine and flash floods caused destructive damage with more than 1100 casualties. This study analysed rainfall–runoff and inundation in the Kabul River basin with a newly developed model that simulates the processes of rainfall–runoff and inundation simultaneously based on two-dimensional diffusion wave equations. The simulation results showed a good agreement with an inundation map produced based on MODIS for large-scale riverine flooding. In addition, the simulation identified flash flood-affected areas, which were confirmed to be severely damaged based on a housing damage distribution map. Since the model is designed to be used even immediately after a disaster, it can be a useful tool for analysing large-scale flooding and to provide supplemental information to agencies for relief operations.

Editor Z.W. Kundzewicz

Citation Sayama, T., Ozawa, G., Kawakami, T., Nabesaka, S. and Fukami, K., 2012. Rainfall–runoff–inundation analysis of the 2010 Pakistan flood in the Kabul River basin. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 57 (2), 298–312.     

影响日本佐渡岛农民实施野生动物友好型耕作的因素探究(英文)

野生动物友好型耕作(Wildlife-friendly Farming,WFF)实践是一种维持农田生态恢复的良好方式。本研究的目的在于探讨影响日本佐渡岛农民实施WFF的因素和提出影响这种实践传播的政策。对佐渡岛上把大米销售给日本农业合作社(Japan Agricultural Cooperatives,JA)的5010个农户进行了问卷调查,总共收到2231农户反馈问卷(反馈率45%)。通过与未经认证农民的态度和属性对比,我们确定了影响农民实施WFF的关键因素。与未经认证的农民相比,已认证的农民:(1)对生物多样性和WFF的经济效益表现出更高的兴趣;(2)拥有更多的已认证农民朋友;(3)感受到了来自消费者的更多的压力和期望;(4)当实施WFF时,不受恶劣劳动力或农田条件的限制。为了在佐渡岛进一步宣传WFF,我们建议把WFF实践对稻田生物多样性的有效性信息应用到公共教育中,并在非认证农民和已认证农民之间、农民与消费者之间创建交流的机会。     

The first samples from Almahata Sitta showing contacts between ureilitic and chondritic lithologies: Implications for the structure and composition of asteroid 2008 TC3

Almahata Sitta (AhS), an anomalous polymict ureilite, is the first meteorite observed to originate from a spectrally classified asteroid (2008 TC₃). However, correlating properties of the meteorite with those of the asteroid is not straightforward because the AhS stones are diverse types. Of those studied prior to this work, 70–80% are ureilites (achondrites) and 20–30% are various types of chondrites. Asteroid 2008 TC₃ was a heterogeneous breccia that disintegrated in the atmosphere, with its clasts landing on Earth as individual stones and most of its mass lost. We describe AhS 91A and AhS 671, which are the first AhS stones to show contacts between ureilitic and chondritic materials and provide direct information about the structure and composition of asteroid 2008 TC₃. AhS 91A and AhS 671 are friable breccias, consisting of a C1 lithology that encloses rounded to angular clasts (<10 μm to 3 mm) of olivine, pyroxenes, plagioclase, graphite, and metal‐sulfide, as well as chondrules (~130–600 μm) and chondrule fragments. The C1 material consists of fine‐grained phyllosilicates (serpentine and saponite) and amorphous material, magnetite, breunnerite, dolomite, fayalitic olivine (Fo 28‐42), an unidentified Ca‐rich silicate phase, Fe,Ni sulfides, and minor Ca‐phosphate and ilmenite. It has similarities to CI1 but shows evidence of heterogeneous thermal metamorphism. Its bulk oxygen isotope composition (δ¹⁸O = 13.53‰, δ¹⁷O = 8.93‰) is unlike that of any known chondrite, but similar to compositions of several CC‐like clasts in typical polymict ureilites. Its Cr isotope composition is unlike that of any known meteorite. The enclosed clasts and chondrules do not belong to the C1 lithology. The olivine (Fo 75‐88), pyroxenes (pigeonite of Wo ~10 and orthopyroxene of Wo ~4.6), plagioclase, graphite, and some metal‐sulfide are ureilitic, based on mineral compositions, textures, and oxygen isotope compositions, and represent at least six distinct ureilitic lithologies. The chondrules are probably derived from type 3 OC and/or CC, based on mineral and oxygen isotope compositions. Some of the metal‐sulfide clasts are derived from EC. AhS 91A and AhS 671 are plausible representatives of the bulk of the asteroid that was lost. Reflectance spectra of AhS 91A are dark (reflectance ~0.04–0.05) and relatively featureless in VNIR, and have an ~2.7 μm absorption band due to OH^? in phyllosilicates. Spectral modeling, using mixtures of laboratory VNIR reflectance spectra of AhS stones to fit the F‐type spectrum of the asteroid, suggests that 2008 TC₃ consisted mainly of ureilitic and AhS 91A‐like materials, with as much as 40–70% of the latter, and <10% of OC, EC, and other meteorite types. The bulk density of AhS 91A (2.35 ± 0.05 g cm^?3) is lower than bulk densities of other AhS stones, and closer to estimates for the asteroid (~1.7–2.2 g cm^?3). Its porosity (36%) is near the low end of estimates for the asteroid (33–50%), suggesting significant macroporosity. The textures of AhS 91A and AhS 671 (finely comminuted clasts of disparate materials intimately mixed) support formation of 2008 TC₃ in a regolith environment. AhS 91A and AhS 671 could represent a volume of regolith formed when a CC‐like body impacted into already well‐gardened ureilitic + impactor‐derived debris. AhS 91A bulk samples do not show a solar wind component, so they represent subsurface layers. AhS 91A has a lower cosmic ray exposure (CRE) age (~5–9 Ma) than previously studied AhS stones (11–22 Ma). The spread in CRE ages argues for irradiation in a regolith environment. AhS 91A and AhS 671 show that ureilitic asteroids could have detectable ~2.7 μm absorption bands.     

Study of a Bistatic Radar System Using VLBI Technologies for Detecting Space Debris and the Experimental Verification of its Validity

Space debris are increasing around the Earth. The observation of space debris is a key issue for the investigation and monitoring of space environment. But the observation opportunities and the detection ability are limited in existing monostatic radar systems. This paper proposes a bistatic radar which is composed of a transmitting station and a receiving-only station. A carrier wave modulated by PN-PSK signals is used in combination with a VLBI (Very Long Baseline Interferometry) recorder for range measurement between space debris and stations. The receiving radio wave is processed on the basis of VLBI techniques. Accordingly, the system is shown to have significant advantages over a monostatic radar. We actually formed a bistatic radar system, and observed a satellite in order to experimentally verify the validity. The configuration of the system, data analysis and the experimental results are described.