Use of remote sensing in characterization and management of Dhamni micro-watershed of Chandrapur district of Maharashtra

Soil resource characterization of Dhamni micro-watershed in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra was carried out using IRS-1D LISS-III data in conjunction with field survey and ancillary data. The study indicates that nearly 84.2 per cent of the total geographical area of the watershed is under cultivation. Forest (mainly degraded) occupy only 4.5 per cent area Whereas wasteland with scrub cover 9.4 per cent area of the watershed. Nine soil series were tentatively identified and mapped as soil series association in to five mapping units. These soils belong to order Inceptisol, Vertisol and Mollisol. Except the soils of wasteland with scrub, other soils are moderately suitable for pigeonpea and soybean and have average to good productivity.     

Considerations on Parallelizing Nonnegative Matrix Factorization for Hyperspectral Data Unmixing

Nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) is a recently developed linear unmixing technique that assumes that the original sources and transform were positively defined. Given that the linear mixing model (LMM) for hyperspectral data requires positive endmembers and abundances, with only minor modifications, NMF can be used to solve LMM. Traditionally, NMF solutions include an iterative process resulting in considerable execution times. In this letter, we provide two novel algorithms aimed at speeding the NMF through parallel processing: the first based on the traditional multiplicative solution and the second modifying an adaptive projected gradient technique known to provide better convergence. The algorithms' implementations were tested on various data sets; the results suggest that a significant speedup can be achieved without decrease in accuracy. This supports the further use of NMF for linear unmixing.     

Use of SPOT 5 and IKONOS imagery for mapping biocenoses in a Tunisian Coastal Lagoon (Mediterranean Sea)

Mapping marine biocenoses is an efficient method for providing useful data for the management and conservation of Mediterranean lagoons. Fused images from two satellites, SPOT 5 and IKONOS, were tested as management tools for identifying specific ecosystems in the El Bibane lagoon, situated in southern Tunisia near the Libyan border. The objectives of this study were to provide a precise map of the entire El Bibane lagoon using fused images from SPOT 5 and to compare fused images from SPOT 5 and IKONOS over a test-area. After applying a supervised classification, pixels are automatically classified in four classes: low seagrass cover, high seagrass cover, superficial mobile sediments and deep mobile sediments. The maps of the lagoon revealed and confirmed an extremely wide distribution of seagrass meadows within the lagoon (essentially Cymodocea nodosa; 19 546 ha) and a large area of mobile sediments more or less parallel to the shore (3 697 ha). A direct comparison of overall accuracy between SPOT 5 over the entire area, SPOT 5 over the test-area and IKONOS over the test-area revealed that these tools provided accurate mapping of the lagoon environment (83.25%, 85.91% and 73.41% accuracy, respectively). The SPOT 5 images provided greater overall accuracy than the IKONOS image, but did not take into account the heterogeneous spatial structure of the seagrasses and sediments present in the lagoon environment. Although IKONOS imagery provided lower overall accuracy than SPOT 5, it proved a very useful tool for the mapping of heterogeneous structures as it enabled the patchiness of formations to be better taken into account. The use of SPOT 5 and IKONOS fused images appears to be very promising for completing the mapping of lagoons in other regions and countries of the Mediterranean Sea.     

Analysis of petroleum hydrocarbons in mangrove sediments of Red Sea of Yemen

A field work has been carried out to identify the occurrence of oil and oil products pollution in mangrove sediment from Red Sea of Yemen. The concentration of total petroleum hydrocarbons is from 700ng/g at Kamaran Island station to 400 ng/g at Al-Hodiedah station, and the total organic carbon （TOC） in samples ranges from 0. 07% at Dhubab station to 0. 03% at Kamaran Island station. This pollution is as a result of localized oil pollution and/or heavy ship traffic in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.     

Magnetic Lasso: A New Kinematic Solar Wind Propagation Method

Solar wind propagation from the point of measurement to an arbitrary target in the heliosphere is an important input for heliospheric, planetary and cometary studies. In this paper a new kinematic propagation method, the magnetic lasso method is presented. Compared to the simple ballistic approach our method is based on reconstructing the ideal Parker spiral connecting the target with the Sun by testing a previously defined range of heliographic longitudes. The model takes into account the eventual evolution of stream–stream interactions and handles these with a simple model based on the dynamic pressure difference between the two streams. Special emphasis is given to input data cleaning by handling interplanetary coronal mass ejection events as data gaps due to their different propagation characteristics. The solar wind bulk velocity is considered radial and constant. Density and radial magnetic field are propagated by correcting with the inverse square of the radial distance. The model has the advantage that it can be coded easily and fitted to the problem; it is flexible in selecting and handling input data and requires little running time.     

Analysis of Design Characteristics of Snake-Type Atmospheric Probes (Vetrolets) for Studying the Atmosphere of Venus

In Russia, work aimed at designing a spacecraft for the long-term exploration of Venus is currently underway as part of the VENUS-D project. The R&D work proposes the concept of a snake-type atmospheric probe intended for exploring the atmosphere of Venus. This article describes the principles of flight, considers the main design features and engineering characteristics of the probes, and provides recommendations for engineering solutions.