Modeling urban leaf area index with AISA+ hyperspectral data

This study used simple multiple regression to model urban leaf area index (LAI) in Terre Haute, Indiana, USA as a function of AISA+ hyperspectral radiance and its derivative features. Regression R² values ranging from 0.27 to 0.73 were obtained from the various models. Features appearing most frequently in the models included radiance at 0.727, 0.753, 0.848, 0.870, 0.900 and 0.917 μm. The best single predictor of LAI was the absolute difference in radiance between 0.777 and 0.673 μm. The best models performed well at low and intermediate LAI levels, but were less accurate with LAI values between 5.0 and 8.0.     

Thinking with images in non-representational cities: vignettes from Berlin

Thinking about and with images has long been central to the practice of geographical fieldwork. This paper considers how the participation of images in urban-based fieldwork might be understood in the wake of non-representational theories. Drawing upon our experience of co-teaching an urban-based field course in Berlin, we discuss three ways in which such theories allow us to make more of the participation of images in the thinking-spaces of urban fieldwork. Specifically, we consider how images afford opportunities for attending to everyday ecologies of materials and things; for thinking through the rhythms of urban environments; and for producing affective archives. In concluding we suggest that thinking with images in urban fieldwork can be understood as part of the elaboration of ecologies of non-representational ethico-aesthetic practices.     

The Winchcombe fireball—That lucky survivor

On February 28, 2021, a fireball dropped ∼0.6 kg of recovered CM2 carbonaceous chondrite meteorites in South-West England near the town of Winchcombe. We reconstruct the fireball's atmospheric trajectory, light curve, fragmentation behavior, and pre-atmospheric orbit from optical records contributed by five networks. The progenitor meteoroid was three orders of magnitude less massive (∼13 kg) than any previously observed carbonaceous fall. The Winchcombe meteorite survived entry because it was exposed to a very low peak atmospheric dynamic pressure (∼0.6 MPa) due to a fortuitous combination of entry parameters, notably low velocity (13.9 km s⁻¹). A near-catastrophic fragmentation at ∼0.07 MPa points to the body's fragility. Low entry speeds which cause low peak dynamic pressures are likely necessary conditions for a small carbonaceous meteoroid to survive atmospheric entry, strongly constraining the radiant direction to the general antapex direction. Orbital integrations show that the meteoroid was injected into the near-Earth region ∼0.08 Myr ago and it never had a perihelion distance smaller than ∼0.7 AU, while other CM2 meteorites with known orbits approached the Sun closer (∼0.5 AU) and were heated to at least 100 K higher temperatures.     

An integrated bundle adjustment approach to range camera geometric self-calibration

This paper describes a new method for integrated range camera system self-calibration in which both traditional camera calibration parameters and rangefinder systematic error parameters are estimated simultaneously in a free-network bundle adjustment of observations to signalised targets. Its mathematical basis is collinearity and range observation equations augmented with correction models for systematic error sources identified in the data. The self-calibration results from datasets captured with two different range cameras, a SwissRanger SR3000 and a SwissRanger SR4000, are presented and analysed in detail. The method’s effectiveness is demonstrated in terms of systematic error removal and independent accuracy assessment. Up to a 54% reduction in the residual RMS was achieved by inclusion of the proposed error models in the self-calibration adjustment. An improvement of at least 74% in the RMS of object point co-ordinate differences, over that achieved without calibration or provided by the manufacturer’s software (in the case of the SR3000), was realised in an independent accuracy assessment. In addition, the effects of several influencing variables, including the range stochastic error model, the network geometry and the range measurements themselves, on key correlation mechanisms are analysed in detail.     

Sedimentary filling characteristics of the South China Sea oceanic basin,with links to tectonic activity during and after seafloor spreading

ABSTRACT

Based on approximately 11,000 km of seismic reflection data collected across the South China Sea oceanic basin, we describe the sedimentary filling characteristics of the basin since its Oligocene opening, as well as connections between this history and contemporaneous regional tectonic events. The seismic lines are spaced ~50 km apart, and the data are tied to International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 349 drilling data. Basin filling occurred in three phases, with basin-wide mean sedimentation rates increasing through time. During the Oligocene to middle Miocene, sediments accumulated primarily in the northern East and Northwest Sub-basins, with a mean basin-wide sedimentation rate of 8 m/m.y. The presence of these deposits over deep basement floor indicates that seafloor spreading initiated in these northern regions. During the late Miocene, deposition occurred primarily in the Northwest Sub-basin and partly in the southern East Sub-basin, with a mean basin-wide sedimentation rate of 30 m/m.y. Basin filling during this time seems to have been linked to slip reversal of the Red River Fault and collision of the North Palawan Block with the Luzon Arc. During the Pliocene and Pleistocene, sediments accumulated rapidly in the northeastern and southern East Sub-basin and the Southwest Sub-basin. The mean basin-wide sedimentation rate was 70 m/m.y. Basin filling during this phase seems to have been associated with the Taiwan and North Palawan collisions, SCS subduction along the Manila Trench, and Tibetan Plateau uplift. Gravity flow deposits predominate throughout the basin fill.     

Seismic behavior assessment for design of integral abutment bridges in Illinois

Integral abutment bridges(IABs)minimize deterioration and degradation of the abutment seats and bearings due to water,dirt,and deicing chemicals by eliminating ...     

中国不同气候区基于火险气象指数的火险概率模型

目前,森林火险气象指数被广泛用于世界多个国家和地区.本研究目的为,基于火险气象指数,在中国不同气候区建立火险概率模型.本文在中国4个气候区,使用1998-2007年的气象及火灾数据,以位置变量、月份、海拔、加拿大、美国及澳大利亚的气象火险指数、植被指数为自变量,建立了半参数化Logistic回归模型,分析各自变量与着火概率及大火发生概率之间的非线性关系.在不同区域,模型所选自变量组合不同,这与各气候区不同气象及植被状况有关.通过模型模拟数据和实际观测数据散点图、火险概率图、大面积火灾数量预报曲线图,分析了模型的预测能力.研究结果表明,在4个气候区,海拔和NDVI指数对着火概率影响显著.模拟可燃物含水量的气象火险指数由于反映出了植被的季节变化特征,在中国北部成为火险概率模型中的重要因子.模拟土壤有机层可燃物状况的火险气象指数在中国南部(东南、西南)成为火险概率模型的重要因子.在中国4个气候区,应用半参数化Logistic回归模型,可以有效模拟月时间尺度着火概率及大火发生概率,并为分析火险气象指数的预报能力提供了有效途径.本研究为进一步分析气候与火险之间的动态关系提供了理论基础.     

Unraveling complex exposure-burial histories of bedrock surfaces under ice sheets by integrating cosmogenic nuclide concentrations with climate proxy records

The production, accumulation, and decay of cosmogenic radionuclides in rock surfaces subjected to episodes of exposure and burial by ice results in nuclide concentrations in present day rock surfaces that can be used to address a variety of questions in glacial geomorphology and Quaternary geology. Of particular importance is the fact that these nuclide concentrations reflect both the timing of initial exposure of the rock surface and the chronology of subsequent exposure, burial, and erosion episodes. For landscapes where geomorphic evidence indicates that little/no erosion occurred, constraining the timing of initial exposure and the number of phases of exposure and burial that a rock surface has been subjected to is possible using multiple cosmogenic radionuclide concentrations combined with proxies for the timing and duration of periods of ice cover, such as ice core or marine isotope records. However, interpretations based on this approach require determination of an appropriate cutoff value to separate the proxy record into ice-free and ice-covered conditions and assessment of the sensitivity of the results to different cutoff values.We have developed a numerical model to evaluate variations in total exposure and burial durations as a function of different proxy records and cutoff values. This program is available at http://www.missouri.edu/~liyk/ClimateProxyCurve.zip. Initial results for sites in West Antarctica and northern Sweden show that the method provides a quick and robust way to derive best-fit cutoff values and chronologies of burial and exposure, and small changes in cutoff values can result in significant shifts in results. The method described here provides new insight into the interpretation and reliability of multiple nuclide samples. This approach also has the potential to provide improved constraints for ice sheet dynamics and landscape evolution, and a means to assess the sensitivity of calculated initial exposure dates to assumptions about ice sheet history.     

Complexity and non‐linearity in earth surface processes – concepts,methods and applications

Complexity has long been recognized and is increasingly becoming mainstream in geomorphology. However, the relative novelty of various concepts and techniques associated to it means that ambiguity continues to surround complexity. In this commentary, we present and discuss a variety of recent contributions that have the potential to help clarify issues and advance the use of complexity in geomorphology. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The fetch effect on aeolian sediment transport on a sandy beach: a case study from Magilligan Strand,Northern Ireland

Experiments were conducted on Magilligan Strand, Northern Ireland, to assess the influence of the fetch effect on aeolian sediment transport. During each experiment surface sediments were uniformly dry and unhindered by vegetation or debris. The leading edge of erodible material was well defined, with the limit of wave up‐rush demarcating the wet–dry boundary; the work was conducted during low tides. A number of electronic and integrating traps were utilised, with two ultrasonic anemometers used to measure wind direction and velocity at 1 Hz. The combination of 1^o direction data and trap locations resulted in a range of fetch distances, from 2 to 26 m. Data integrated over 15‐minute intervals (corresponding to the integrating trap data) revealed a distinct trend for all the experiments. An initial rapid increase in the transport rate occurred over a short distance (4–9 m). This maximum transport rate was maintained for a further 5–6 m before a steady decay in the flux followed, as fetch distance increased. A measured reduction in wind speed (6–8%) across the beach suggests a negative feedback mechanism may be responsible for the diminishing transport rate: the saltating grains induce energy dissipation, thus reducing the capability of the wind to maintain transport. For one experiment, the presence of compact sediment patches may also have contributed to the reduction of the transport rate. The decay trend calls into question the utility of the fetch effect as an important parameter in aeolian studies that seek to understand sediment budgets of the foredune‐beach zone. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.