Remote sensing documentation of historic rangeland remediation treatments in southern New Mexico

The Jornada Experimental Range and the New Mexico State University Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland Research Center are fruitful areas to study the long-term effects of rangeland remediation treatments which started in the 1930s. A number of diverse manipulations were completed under the direction of federal agency and university scientists, and abundant remote sensing imagery is available to assist in relocating the treatments and evaluating their success. This is particularly important because few of the treatments were maintained following the loss of scientific personnel coinciding with the start of World War II, and most records of Civilian Conservation Corps scientific work were lost with the disbanding of the agency in 1942. Aerial photography, which was systematically used to image the United States beginning in the 1930s, can be used to identify types of treatments, measure areal coverage, estimate longevity, and help plan locations for new experiments. No long-lasting vegetation response could be determined for contour terraces, brush water spreaders, strips grubbed free of shrubs (despite the fact that these strips have remained visible for 65 years), and mechanical rootplowing and seeding. Distinct positive, long-term vegetation responses could be seen in aerial photos for water retention dikes, certain fenced exclosures, and some boundaries where different land management practices meet. It appears from both aerial photos and existing conventional records that experimental manipulation of rangelands has often been ineffective on the landscape scale because treatments are not performed over large enough contiguous areas and hydrological and ecological processes overwhelm the treatments. In addition, treatments are not maintained over time, treatment evaluation periods are sometimes too short, multi-purpose treatments are not used to maximize effects, and treatments are often not located in appropriate sites.     

Microscopic physical biomarkers in carbonate hot springs: implications in the search for life on Mars.

Physical evidence of life (physical biomarkers) from the deposits of carbonate hot springs were documented at the scale of microorganisms--submillimeter to submicrometer. The four moderate-temperature (57 to 72 degrees C), neutral pH springs reported on in this study, support diverse communities of bacteria adapted to specific physical and chemical conditions. Some of the microbes coexist with travertine deposits in endolithic communities. In other cases, the microbes are rapidly coated and destroyed by precipitates but leave distinctive mineral fabrics. Some microbes adapted to carbonate hot springs produce an extracellular polymeric substance which forms a three-dimensional matrix with living cells and cell remains, known as a biofilm. Silicon and iron oxides often coat the biofilm, leading to long-term preservation. Submicrometer mineralized spheres composed of calcium fluoride or silica are common in carbonate hot spring deposits. Sphere formation is biologically mediated, but the spheres themselves are apparently not fossils or microbes. Additionally, some microbes selectively weather mineral surfaces in distinctive patterns. Hot spring deposits have been cited as prime locations for exobiological exploration of Mars. The presence of preserved microscopic physical biomarkers at all four sites supports a strategy of searching for evidence of life in hot spring deposits on Mars.     

用MODIS卫星数据来分析格陵兰海叶绿素和气溶胶光学厚度之间的关系

主要利用卫星数据MODIS Aqua研究在北极格陵兰海(10°W-10°E,70°N-85°N)2003-2009年间叶绿素a(Chl a)与气溶胶厚度(AOD)的分布以及它们之间的耦合关系.研究发现,Chl a和AOD在一定的区域里有着带有滞后期的耦合关系.同时通过统计软件EVieWS的滞后回归分析发现,Chl a滞...     

Quantifying sediment storage on the floodplains outside levees along the lower Yellow River during the years 1580–1849

The lower Yellow River channel was maintained by artificial levees between 1580 and 1849. During this period, 280 levee breaches occurred. To estimate sediment storage on the floodplains outside the levees, a regression model with a decadal time step was developed to calculate the outflow ratio for the years when levee breaching occurred. Uncertainty analysis was used to identify the likely outflow ratio. Key variables of the model include annual water discharge, a proxy for levee conditions, and potential bankfull discharge of the channel before flood season. Uncertainty analysis reveals an outflow ratio of 0.35–0.56. We estimate that during this period, 18.8–30.1% of the total ~312 Gt of sediment load was deposited on the floodplains outside the levees. Human-accelerated erosion in the Loess Plateau caused a 4-fold increase in sediment delivery to the lower Yellow River, which could not be accommodated by channel morphodynamic changes. As a result, 21.2–27.5% of the total sediment load was deposited within the levees, creating a super-elevated channel bed that facilitated an uncommonly high breach outflow ratio. Hence, the factor of a large super-elevation relative to the mean main channel depth should be considered when designing diversions to restore floodplains. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tectono-sedimentary evolution of transverse extensional faults in a foreland basin: Response to changes in tectonic plate processes

Late Paleocene to Middle Eocene strata in the easternmost part of the Southern Pyrenees, up to 4 km thick, provide information on tectono-sedimentary evolution of faults transversal to the Pyrenean chain. To know how changes in tectonic plate processes control the structural evolution of transverse faults and the synchronous thickness and lithological distribution of sedimentary strata in a foreland basin, field observations, interpretation of 2D seismic lines tied to lithostratigraphic data of exploration wells and gravity modelling constrains were carried out. This resulted in the following two tectono-sedimentary phases in a foreland basin: first phase, dominated by transverse extensional faulting, synchronous with deposition of marine carbonates (ca. 57 to 51 Ma); and second phase, characterized by transverse contractional faulting, coeval to accumulation of marine and transitional siliciclastics (51 to 44 Ma). During the first phase, Iberia and Adria were moving to the east and west respectively. Therefore, lithospheric flexure in the easternmost part of the Iberian plate was developed due to that Sardinia was over-thrusting Iberia. Consequently, activation of E-dipping normal faults was generated giving rise to thick-deep and thin-shallow carbonate platform deposits across the hanging walls and footwalls of the transverse structures. During the second phase, a shearing interaction between Iberia and Sardinia prevailed re-activating the transverse faults as contractional structures generating thin-shelf and thick-submarine fan deposits across the hanging walls and footwalls of the transverse structures. In the transition between the first and second phases, evaporitic conditions dominated in the basin suggesting a tectonic control on basin marine restriction. The results of our study demonstrate how thickness and lithology distribution, controlled by transverse faulting in a compressional regimen, are influenced by phases related to processes affecting motions and interactions between tectonic plates and continental blocks.     

High-accuracy photogrammetric technique for human spine measurement

Close range photogrammetry has been recognised as an essential tool for the capture of high-accuracy spatial data for medical applications, in particular work involving dynamic human body parts such as limbs. Offline and online photogrammetric systems are readily available for a number of common applications. However, off-the-shelf systems are not always appropriate because of project site conditions. To achieve high measurement accuracy in a field environment, a modified field camera calibration technique was introduced. The technique is particularly important where each camera is limited to one captured image during calibration, as the camera and the calibration testfield are in fixed positions. In this paper a custom-built imaging system designed for the study of the human spine in an outdoor environment is introduced. The discussion addresses: (1) imaging system design; (2) modified field calibration techniques; and (3) a case study on human spines. Two field camera calibration techniques were evaluated, both of which improved the accuracy of the prototype system, the use of a detachable target board offering the best results. This modified camera calibration procedure has improved the 3D measurement accuracy from 1·25 ± 0·3 mm to 0·43 ± 0·1 mm. The improvement is at a level achievable in the laboratory. The technique is considered to provide accurate and reliable anthropometric landmark measurement at low cost. This was evaluated in a clinical setting where diurnal changes in spine length and contour were measured in a cohort of 30 university students. The capability of the technique to measure sagittal and frontal angular changes provides a novel way of examining changes in spine shape.     

Catastrophic rockslide-debris avalanche at St. Bernard, Southern Leyte, Philippines

On 17 February 2006, a rockslide-debris avalanche cascaded down the steep slope of Mt. Can-abag, burying the entire village of Guinsaugon in St. Bernard, Southern Leyte, Philippines. Casualties include 139 dead with 980 still missing and presumed dead, making it perhaps the most catastrophic landslide in Philippine history. The landslide started at the ridge top along a fault plane associated with the active Philippine Fault Zone. It started as a block slide that transformed into an avalanche. The entire event lasted for only a few minutes. Estimated maximum landslide velocity is 120–130 m/s. The landslide left behind a deep, wedge-shaped scarp. The central part of the deposit exhibits a hummocky topography typical of avalanches, in contrast to the flatter surface of the debris-flow-type marginal deposit. High amounts of soil in the matrix were derived from the scouring of ancient landslide deposits and rice fields in the valley. The landslide has a total area of 3.2 km² and a runout distance of 4.1 km. Estimated volume of debris is approximately 20 Mm³. At least four streams were dammed by the landslide debris. Intense precipitation and earthquakes preceding the landslide are the potential triggers. Preliminary back analyses assuming a planar and wedge slip surface yielded very low factors of safety even under dry conditions. A more rigorous analysis of the failure mechanism of the landslide is needed.