Acquiring high-resolution topography and performing spatial analysis of loess landslides by using low-cost UAVs

The Loess Plateau is a region in China prone to frequent geological disasters, where thousands of loess landslides can be found. Conventional field survey methods are inadequate for the requirements of fine spatial analysis of landslides. Due to its numerous advantages (fast, efficient, low cost, safe, and able to acquire high-resolution data), structure from motion (SfM) technique to photogrammetric orientation of flights and modeling applied to photographs taken by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with a camera has become a powerful new tool for the generation of high-resolution topography that has emerged in recent years, which has become a powerful new technique for acquiring high-resolution topographic data. In this study, we conducted nearly two months of field UAV surveys of loess landslides on the Loess Plateau, eventually established 3D digital models for 11 loess landslides, and produced high-resolution digital orthophoto maps (DOMs) and digital elevation models (DEMs). High-resolution spatial analysis of the loess landslides (mainly including characteristic parameter extraction, topography profile analysis, surface feature analysis, and hydrologic analysis) was performed using Agisoft PhotoScan, ArcGIS 10.2, Global Mapper 17, and Origin Pro 9.0. The UAV technique allows us to further understand the micro-level internal spatial and structural characteristics of loess landslides. Moreover, not only does it allow us to accurately measure the characteristic geometric parameters but also enables us to detect the surface details of loess landslides (e.g., textures, fissures, and micro-landforms). Manifestly, we can also deduce the original structural characteristics and possible inducement mechanism of landslides based on a combination of high-resolution data acquired by UAVs, proper ground surveys, and theoretical knowledge. In summary, the low-cost UAVs are highly and especially suitable for surveys and digital terrain analysis of landslides on the Loess Plateau with sparse vegetation.     

A simple approach to evaluating leakage through thin impervious element of high embankment dams

Internal erosion is the most common reason which induces failure of embankment dams besides overtopping. Relatively large leakage is frequently concentrated at defects of impervious element, and this will lead to eventual failure. The amount of leakage depends not only on integrity of impervious element, but also on dam height, shape of valley, shape of impervious element and water level in reservoir. The integrity of impervious element, which represents the relative level of seepage safety, is not easy to be determined quantitatively. A simple method for generalization of steady seepage state of embankment dams with thin impervious element is proposed in this paper. The apparent overall value of permeability coefficient for impervious element can be obtained by this method with reasonable accuracy and efficiency. A defect parameter of impervious element is defined as an index to characterize seepage safety of embankment dams. It equals the ratio of the apparent overall value of permeability coefficient to the measured value in laboratory for intact materials. Subsequently, seepage safety of three dams is evaluated and the evolution of defect level of impervious element of dams is investigated. It is proved that the newly proposed method in this paper is feasible in the evaluation of relative seepage safety level of embankment dams with thin impervious element.     

Spatial and temporal variations of suspended solid concentrations from 2000 to 2013 in Poyang Lake,China

Concentrations of suspended solids in lakes can affect the latter’s primary productivity and reflect changes in sediment deposition. Determining the temporal and spatial distribution of suspended solid concentrations has important significance in lake water environmental management; this is particularly urgent for Poyang Lake, the largest freshwater lake in China. In this study, suspended solid concentration inversion models for Poyang Lake were created using a semi-empirical method with regression analysis between continuously measured suspended solid concentration data and multi-band moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer images for spring, summer, autumn, and winter from 2009 to 2012. The coefficient of determination (R²) is from 0.6 to 0.9 and the average relative error for the accuracy verification was between 10 and 30%. The seasonal distributions of suspended solid concentrations in Poyang Lake from 2000 to 2013 were then obtained using optimal reversal models. The results showed that the seasonal variation in suspended solid concentrations had a “W” shape in which high spring and autumn and low summer and winter values. The suspended solid concentrations increased annually from 2000 to 2013 and were mainly distributed in the northern and central portions of the lake, with lower values along the shorelines. Further analysis indicated that the large difference in water level between the wet and dry seasons is an important factor in explaining these seasonal variations. Moreover, the suspended solid concentrations were poorly correlated with water temperature and chlorophyll-a concentration but more highly correlated with the deferred chlorophyll-a concentration.     

Effect of climate change on water resources in the Yuanshui River Basin: a SWAT model assessment

The Yuanshui River Basin is one of the most important river basins ensuring food production and livelihoods in the Hunan and Guizhou Provinces of China. Based on digital elevation model, land use, soil, and meteorological data, the soil and water assessment tool was used to analyze the response of water resources in the basin to climate change. Specifically, the monthly runoff from the Yuanshui River Basin was simulated. Runoff measurements from the 1961–1990 series were used to calibrate model parameters, and measurements from the 1991–2010 series were used for model validation. The Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient, correlation coefficient, and water balance error were used to evaluate the simulation results; the values obtained for these parameters were 0.925, 0.929, and 2.0%, respectively, indicating that the established model can be applied successfully to runoff simulations. To evaluate the effects of climate change and human activities on runoff, 24 different climate scenarios were modeled. By comparing the model simulation results with the baseline scenario, the effects of climate change were analyzed by year, during the dry season, and during extremely dry conditions. The results showed that runoff decreased with increasing air temperature and decreasing precipitation, and that the effects of rainfall on runoff were greater than those of air temperature. Under the same baseline conditions, the effects of climate change on runoff were most pronounced during extremely dry months.     

Multi-temporal scale modeling on climatic-hydrological processes in data-scarce mountain basins of Northwest China

Previous studies showed that the climatic processes drive the streamflow of the inland river in Northwest China. However, it is difficult to quantitatively assess the climatic-hydrological processes in the ungauged mountainous basins because of the scarce data. This research developed an integrated approach for multi-temporal scale modeling the climatic-hydrological processes in data-scarce mountain basins of Northwest China by combining downscaling method (DM), backpropagation artificial neural network (BPANN), and wavelet regression (WR). To validate the approach, we also simulated the climatic-hydrological processes at different temporal scales in a typical data-scarce mountain basin, the Kaidu River Basin in Northwest China. The main results are as follows: (i) the streamflow is related with regional climatic change as well as atmosphere-ocean variability, (ii) the BPANN model well simulated the nonlinear relationship between the streamflow and temperature and precipitation at the monthly temporal scale, and (iii) although the annual runoff (AR) appears to have fluctuations, there are significant correlations among AR, annual average temperature (AAT), annual precipitation (AP), and oscillation indices, which can be simulated by equations of WR at different temporal scales of years.     

Research on mining-induced deformation and stress,insights from physical modeling and theoretical analysis

The dynamic change of mining-induced stress is the main reason for large deformation of surrounding rock. To investigate the influence of mining-induced stress and deformation is important for appropriate supportive design. It also helps to raise the safety and productivity of longwall mining operations. In this paper, Weijiagou Coal Mine in Southwest China was selected as the case study. In order to research on the deformation and breakage of overlying strata, physical modeling test was carried out on the self-developed rotatable physical similar test system. By using digital image correlation (DIC) technique, the deformation of strata and development of cracks in the process of coal seam excavation were acquired, meanwhile, mining-induced stress was also monitored by pressure cell and strainmeter. According to the mechanical structure of stope, the height of the destressed zone has a significant influence on stress distribution. In order to minimize the discrepancy between the physical model test and theoretical analysis, the dimension of the plastic zone of roadway was added into the mining panel width, and the gap between the experimental and theoretical results reduced.     

华夏陆块钠质高镁玄武岩地球化学特征及地质意义

赣州盆地位于钦杭(钦州—杭州)结合带南侧华夏陆块西部,由晚白垩世早期红色碎屑沉积岩系组成,其底部夹有一套玄武岩,全岩Si O_2含量为46.50%~48.13%,具有钠质高镁特征(Mg O=15.47%~18.24%,Mg~#=74~77,K_2O/Na_2O=0.22~0.39)。稀土元素配分型式表现出轻稀土富集右倾,没有明显的Eu异常的特点,表明岩浆没有明显的斜长石分离结晶作用;微量元素上富集大离子亲石元素,高场强元素特别是Ta、Nb、Ti亏损不明显,Cr、Ni的含量分别为235×10~(-6)~617×10~(-6)、157×10~(-6)~493×10~(-6),与原生岩浆的Cr、Ni含量接近,Ba/Nb值(13.51~23.18)和La/Nb值(0.82~1.03)表明源区有富集地幔组分;Sr—Nd—Pb—O同位素显示出源区性质具有EMⅡ型富集地幔特征。岩石学和地球化学特征表明,玄武岩具有原生岩浆性质,是富集地幔部分熔融的产物。同时为中生代华夏陆块EMⅡ型岩石圈地幔提供了准确的证据。由赣州盆地晚白垩世构造背景和构造环境判别图解可知,本区玄武岩形成于板内拉张环境,可能与古太平洋俯冲条件的转变有关。     

桂林毛村岩溶区与碎屑岩区檵木和马尾松凋落叶分解研究

为探究岩溶生态环境对凋落叶分解的影响,选用碎屑岩区相同树种作为对比,运用凋落物分解网袋法研究其凋落物分解初期动态,研究结果表明:（1）岩溶区檵木和马尾松凋落叶分解速率总体上均小于碎屑岩区相同树种凋落叶分解速率;（2）凋落叶分解速率k与凋落叶初始养分碳含量呈显著负相关（P<0.05）,与木质素含量呈极显著负相关（P<0.01）;（3）在凋落叶分解过程中,各养分释放规律具有一定的差异,凋落叶养分元素碳在分解过程中呈现出净释放;（4）岩溶区树种的碳释放速率比碎屑岩区慢,说明岩溶区两树种的凋落在一定程度上延长了C的循环周期      

Comparison of two types of persistent heavy rainfall events during sixteen warm seasons in the Sichuan Basin

本文筛选出四川盆地西部(盆西型)和盆地东部(盆东型)持续性暴雨个例,深入对比两类持续性暴雨的大气环流特征和直接造成持续性暴雨的西南低涡维持的机理.四川盆地的短波槽和西太平洋副热带高压的配置有利于持续性暴雨的维持,盆东型的降水强度较盆西型个例强,高空急流位置偏南,南亚高压的强度更强,高层辐散更强,对流层中层副热带高压偏东偏南.盆西型的水汽输送主要来自南海,而盆东型的水汽输送主要来自南海和孟加拉湾.合成涡度收支的结果表明散度项是两类持续暴雨中西南涡维持的主要原因,但盆西型中,垂直平流的作用更强.     

大范围复杂三维场景并行绘制实时帧同步技术

针对复杂三维模型在实时绘制过程中的帧同步策略,该文提出改进。基于Windows集群开发了一种sort-first数据分布式体系结构的并行图形绘制系统;基于缓存交换技术提出一种多路并行的帧同步算法来提高集群的通信效率。在Windows集群系统上进行了验证实验,结果表明:(1)该算法较大程度地提高了集群的帧同步性能并缩短了同步重建时间;(2)集群并行系统有效地完成了大范围复杂三维GIS场景的流畅绘制显示。