The viscous damping of internal waves on the rotating earth

Summary A formula is derived for the spatial attenuation of the two possible modes of oscilation of a two-layer, rotating system. If the long-wave approximation is made, it is found with reference to the internal mode that this formula disagrees with an earlier result obtained byRattray [8]²).     

The fine structure of the geomagnetic field

It was shown in our previous works that the dipole part of the geomagnetic field direction is mainly represented by the 1200-yr variation. According to some indications, the residual of the dipole part of the field, the so-called δ variation, may be classified as standing waves. Average values of δ are calculated for each hemisphere. In this work, the difference values equal to the δ variations for each territory minus δ averages over hemispheres (western or eastern) are calculated. The resulting values, fine structure (FS) variations, characterize the FS of the geomagnetic field. The study of the activity of the FS variations and specific features of their N-S and E-W behavior and the comparative analysis of dynamic characteristics (activity and rate) give grounds to classify the FS variations (as well as the δ variations) as standing waves of the nondipole field.     

Spatial and temporal patterns of dry spell lengths in the Iberian Peninsula for the second half of the twentieth century

Summary Daily pluviometric records of 43 meteorological stations across the Iberian Peninsula have permitted a detailed analysis of dry spell patterns for the period 1951–2000 by distinguishing daily amount thresholds of 0.1, 1.0, 5.0 and 10.0 mm/day. The analyses are based on three annual series, namely the number of dry spells, N, the average dry spell length, L, and the extreme dry spell length, L _max. First, the statistical significance of local trends for the annual series of N, L and L _max has been investigated by means of the Mann-Kendall test and significant field trends have been established by means of Monte Carlo simulations. Clear signs of negative field trends are detected for N (1.0 and 10.0 mm/day) and L (0.1 mm/day). Second, the Weibull model fits well the empirical distributions of dry spell lengths for all the rain gauges, whatever the daily amount threshold, with a well ranged spatial distribution of their parameters u and k. On the basis of the Weibull distribution, return period maps for 2, 5, 10, 25 and 50 years have been obtained for dry spell lengths with respect to the four daily threshold levels. While for 0.1 and 1.0 mm/day the longest dry spells are expected at the south of the Iberian Peninsula, for 5.0 and 10.0 mm/day they are mostly detected at the southeast. Finally, the elapsed time between consecutive dry spells has been analysed by considering the same rain amount thresholds and different dry spell lengths at increasing intervals of 10 days. This analysis makes evident a significant negative field trend of the elapsed time between consecutive dry spells of lengths ranging from 10 to 20 days for daily amount thresholds of 1.0, 5.0 and 10.0 mm/day. Authors’ addresses: X. Lana, C. Serra, Departament de Física i Enginyeria Nuclear, ETSEIB, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Av. Diagonal 647 planta 11, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; M. D. Marínez, Departament de Física Aplicada, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; A. Burgue?o, Departament de Meteorologia i Astronomia, Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; J. Martín-Vide, L. Gómez, Grup de Climatologia, Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.     

The Digital Belt and Road program in support of regional sustainability

The Belt and Road initiative has a significant focus on infrastructure, trade, and economic development across a vast region, and it also provides significant opportunities for sustainable development. The combined pressure of climate variability, intensified use of resources, and the fragility of ecosystems make it very challenging, however, to achieve future sustainability. To develop the path in a sustainable way, it is important to have a comprehensive understanding of these issues across nations and evaluate them in a scientific and well-informed approach. In this context, the Digital Belt and Road (DBAR) program was initiated as an international venture to share expertise, knowledge, technologies, and data to demonstrate the role of Earth observation science and technology and big Earth data applications to support large-scale development. In this paper, we identify pressing challenges, present the research priorities and foci of the DBAR program, and propose solutions where big Earth data can make significant contributions. This paper calls for further joint actions and collaboration to build a digital silk road in support of sustainable development at national, regional and global levels.     

A Hybrid Multi-scale Spatial Filtering and Minimum Spanning Forest for Spectral–Spatial Hyperspectral Image Classification

Integration of spatial and spectral information is an effective way in improving classification accuracy. In this article a new framework, based on multi-scale spatial weighted mean filtering (MSWMF) and minimum spanning forest, is proposed for the spectral–spatial classification of hyperspectral images. In the proposed framework, at first the image is smoothed by MSWMF and then the first eight principal components are extracted. Using support vector machine, at each scale of MSWMF, a classification map is produced in order to generate a marker map in the next step. Then, the minimum spanning forest is built on the marker map. Finally, in order to create a final classification map, all the classification maps of each scale are merged with a majority vote rule. The experimental results of the hyper-spectral images indicate that the suggested framework enhances the classification accuracy, in comparison with previously classification techniques. So, it is interesting for hyperspectral images classification.