Data-driven topo-climatic mapping with machine learning methods

Automatic environmental monitoring networks enforced by wireless communication technologies provide large and ever increasing volumes of data nowadays. The use of this information in natural hazard research is an important issue. Particularly useful for risk assessment and decision making are the spatial maps of hazard-related parameters produced from point observations and available auxiliary information. The purpose of this article is to present and explore the appropriate tools to process large amounts of available data and produce predictions at fine spatial scales. These are the algorithms of machine learning, which are aimed at non-parametric robust modelling of non-linear dependencies from empirical data. The computational efficiency of the data-driven methods allows producing the prediction maps in real time which makes them superior to physical models for the operational use in risk assessment and mitigation. Particularly, this situation encounters in spatial prediction of climatic variables (topo-climatic mapping). In complex topographies of the mountainous regions, the meteorological processes are highly influenced by the relief. The article shows how these relations, possibly regionalized and non-linear, can be modelled from data using the information from digital elevation models. The particular illustration of the developed methodology concerns the mapping of temperatures (including the situations of Föhn and temperature inversion) given the measurements taken from the Swiss meteorological monitoring network. The range of the methods used in the study includes data-driven feature selection, support vector algorithms and artificial neural networks.     

ROOF BOUNDARY EXTRACTION USING MULTIPLE IMAGES

Urban area building extraction is one of the most challenging problems in photogrammetry. Well-extracted buildings are needed for a variety of applications, such as cartography, building GIS databases for cities, and urban planning. This paper presents a new technique to extract 3D building wire-frames using a robust multi-image line-matching algorithm. Although one pair of images is adequate to find the 3D position of two visibly corresponding image features, it is not sufficient to solve the general building extraction problem due to obscured parts in the building. Four images are used in this research to extract the building wire-frames. First the images are segmented into regions. Regions are then classified into roof regions and non-roof regions based on their size, shape, and intensity values. The roof region boundary pixels are located and used to find the region perimeters. Region correspondence is solved in a pair-wise mode over all images using the epipolar constraint, region size, region shape, and region intensity values. Image lines within the corresponding regions are matched over all images simultaneously by first creating a plane for each region line. Planes are then intersected simultaneously and geometric consistency is used to determine acceptance or rejection. Results with high overlap and sidelap aerial images are presented and evaluated. The results show the completeness and accuracy that this method can provide for extracting complex urban buildings. The average coordinate accuracy is about 0·8 m using 1:4000 scale aerial photographs scanned at 30 μ m. Six buildings were examined; the line detection rate is 98%.     

Decrease in the clear air transmission at Helwan Observatory site

Clear air atmospheric transparency of eight nights at Helwan Observatory site during autumn period of 1987 have been determined using the yellow filter GG5. The prevailing atmospheric transmission extends to 58%. A comparison with previous values obtained with the same filter and site during autumn period of 1963 shows a considerable decrease at the present years in the clear air transmission of the site of Helwan. This can be attributed to the aerosol pollution of the site caused mainly by the increase of the industrial centers at Helwan Zone. Clear air atmospheric transparency values at the beginning of winter season and at spring season are also given.     

Light pollution and night sky brightness at the site of Kottamia Observatory

Photoelectric measurements of the night sky brightness and the light pollution of Kottamia Observatory have been carried out and the deduced results are expressed in mag/sec². The maximum brightness of the sky in the direction of Cairo city at zenith distance 45° and azimuth 70° when the sun is almost 60° below the horizon are 22.68; 21.54 and 19.82 mag/sec² for blue, yellow and red colours respectively. The corresponding values of night sky background are 22.94; 21.85 and 20.14 mag/sec² respectively.The isophotes of the sky brightness at Kottamia Observatory have been drawn for blue, yellow and red colours. The variations of the night sky brightness and the (B-V) colour index with altitude of the observed point have been studied.The light pollution and the night sky brightness at the site of Kottamia Observatory is compared with that deduced by different investigators at other sites. It has been shown that the sky brightness at zenith distance 45° at Kottamia Observatory site is similar to Kitt Peak and Palomar Observatory sites. Kottamia Observatory site is slightly brighter than Junipero Serra while it is darker than Mount Hamilton and San Jose sites. The comparative results have been carried out at blue and yellow colours. No comparison is obtained at red as there is no data published for the red colour.     

Mineralogy and petrography of amoeboid olivine aggregates from the reduced CV3 chondrites Efremovka,Leoville and Vigarano: Products of nebular condensation,accretion and annealing

Abstract— Amoeboid olivine aggregates (AOAs) from the reduced CV chondrites Efremovka, Leoville and Vigarano are irregularly‐shaped objects, up to 5 mm in size, composed of forsteritic olivine (Fa_<10) and a refractory, Ca, Al‐rich component. The AOAs are depleted in moderately volatile elements (Mn, Cr, Na, K), Fe, Ni‐metal and sulfides and contain no low‐Ca pyroxene. The refractory component consists of fine‐grained calcium‐aluminum‐rich inclusions (CAIs) composed of Al‐diopside, anorthite (An₁₀₀), and magnesium‐rich spinel (～1 wt% FeO) or fine‐grained intergrowths of these minerals; secondary nepheline and sodalite are very minor. This indicates that AOAs from the reduced CV chondrites are more pristine than those from the oxidized CV chondrites Allende and Mokoia. Although AOAs from the reduced CV chondrites show evidence for high‐temperature nebular annealing (e.g., forsterite grain boundaries form 120° triple junctions) and possibly a minor degree of melting of Al‐diopside‐anorthite materials, none of the AOAs studied appear to have experienced extensive (>50%) melting. We infer that AOAs are aggregates of high‐temperature nebular condensates, which formed in CAI‐forming regions, and that they were absent from chondrule‐forming regions at the time of chondrule formation. The absence of low‐Ca pyroxene and depletion in moderately volatile elements (Mn, Cr, Na, K) suggest that AOAs were either removed from CAI‐forming regions prior to condensation of these elements and low‐Ca pyroxene or gas‐solid condensation of low‐Ca‐pyroxene was kinetically inhibited.     

Theoretical interpretation of cosmic magnetic fields

The paper discusses the possibilty of interpreting the magnetic fields of astronomical bodies in the framework of a unified field theory.Using one of the solutions of the generalized field theory, a direct relation between the polar magnetic field, the angular velocity and the gravitational potential of the body considered, is obtained. The geometric model used for applications has spherical symmetry and is of the type (FIGI).The predictions of the theoretical formula, obtained from the model, are compared with available observational data, and with the empirical formula of Blackett. The theoretical formula gives a possible interpretation of a seed magnetic field which will develop and produce the large-scale magnetic field observed for celestial objects. The formula shows that the field is generated as a result of rotation of a massive object.     

Polarization characteristics of Jensch coelostat

The polarization characteristics of the Jensch coelostat, used at the Sayan observatory, are presented. Results of calculations of the instrumental polarization (IP) are compared with the observations. It is shown that structural features of the Jensch coelostat lead to a very important dependence of the Stokes's parameters, that characterize the IP, on solar coordinates.     

Night Sky Brightness and Colour at Different Zenith Distances at Abu-Simbel Site

Photoelectric observations of night sky brightness at different zenith distances in blue, yellow and red colours have been carried out at Abu-Simbel site. Variations in the night sky brightness and (B-V) colour index with time are detected. These variations have been explained by the change of the galactic latitude of the observed point with time. The deduced results of night sky brightness have been compared with that obtained before at other sites. It has been found for both blue and yellow colours, that Abu-Simbel is the darkest site especially for zenith distances equal or greater than 60°. The present values of night sky brightness and colour have been obtained for the first time at Abu-Simbel site. The average night sky brightness at the galactic plane is 22.58 mag/arc sec² for blue and 21.66 mag/arc sec² for yellow. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Effect of soil structure on soil fauna in a desert wadi in Southern Egypt

This study investigates the soil fauna in a part of the rainless desert of southern Egypt. Three sites were examined: two downstream of Wadi Allaqi, both of which have been inundated by the water of Lake Nasser for several years. The third site is in Wadi Quleib, a principal tributary of Wadi Allaqi which was not inundated. Soil fauna were collected by pitfall traps during April-November 1989. Data were treated by multivariate analysis techniques, including correspondence analysis and ascending hierarchic classification. Most species were Arthropoda, particularly Coleoptera (7 species). Wadi Quleib was richer than Wadi Allaqi both in number of species and density. In Wadi Allaqi, the first site was richer than the second, both in species and density. These differences are partially related to differences in soft texture between Wadi Quleib and Wadi Allaqi, and to the presence of dense groves of Tamarix nilotica in the first site of Wadi Allaqi.