Airborne LiDAR and Terrestrial Laser Scanning Derived Vegetation Obstruction Factors for Visibility Models

Research presented here explores the feasibility of leveraging vegetation data derived from airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) for visibility modeling. Using LiDAR and TLS datasets of a lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) dominant ecosystem, tree canopy and trunk obstructions were isolated relevant to a discrete visibility beam in a short‐range line‐of‐sight model. Cumulative obstruction factors from vegetation were compared with reference visibility values from digital photographs along sightline paths. LiDAR‐derived tree factors were augmented with single‐scan TLS data for obstruction prediction. Good correlation between datasets was found up to 10 m from the terrestrial scanner, but fine scale visibility modeling was problematic at longer distances. Analysis of correlation and regression results reveal the influence of obstruction shadowing inherent to discrete LiDAR and TLS, potentially limiting the feasibility of modeling visibility over large areas with similar technology. However, the results support the potential for TLS‐derived subcanopy metrics for augmenting large amounts of aerial LiDAR data to significantly improve models of forest structure. Subtle LiDAR processing improvements, including more accurate tree delineation through higher point density aerial data, combined with better vegetation quantification processes for TLS data, will advance the feasibility and accuracy of data integration.     

Lava lakes on Io: observations of Io's volcanic activity from Galileo NIMS during the 2001 fly-bys

Galileo's Near-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) obtained its final observations of Io during the spacecraft's fly-bys in August (I31) and October 2001 (I32). We present a summary of the observations and results from these last two fly-bys, focusing on the distribution of thermal emission from Io's many volcanic regions that give insights into the eruption styles of individual hot spots. We include a compilation of hot spot data obtained from Galileo, Voyager, and ground-based observations. At least 152 active volcanic centers are now known on Io, 104 of which were discovered or confirmed by Galileo observations, including 23 from the I31 and I32 Io fly-by observations presented here. We modify the classification scheme of Keszthelyi et al. (2001, J. Geophys. Res. 106 (E12) 33 025-33 052) of Io eruption styles to include three primary types: promethean (lava flow fields emplaced as compound pahoehoe flows with small plumes <200 km high originating from flow fronts), pillanian (violent eruptions generally accompanied by large outbursts, >200 km high plumes and rapidly-emplaced flow fields), and a new style we call “lokian” that includes all eruptions confined within paterae with or without associated plume eruptions). Thermal maps of active paterae from NIMS data reveal hot edges that are characteristic of lava lakes. Comparisons with terrestrial analogs show that Io's lava lakes have thermal properties consistent with relatively inactive lava lakes. The majority of activity on Io, based on locations and longevity of hot spots, appears to be of this third type. This finding has implications for how Io is being resurfaced as our results imply that eruptions of lava are predominantly confined within paterae, thus making it unlikely that resurfacing is done primarily by extensive lava flows. Our conclusion is consistent with the findings of Geissler et al. (2004, Icarus, this issue) that plume eruptions and deposits, rather than the eruption of copious amounts of effusive lavas, are responsible for Io's high resurfacing rates. The origin and longevity of islands within ionian lava lakes remains enigmatic.     

Factors that contribute to the elongation of drumlins beneath the Green Bay Lobe,Laurentide Ice Sheet

Drumlin shape has been hypothesized to correlate with ice-flow duration and slip speed, but modern-day analogues and the Coulomb nature of till render the basis of these correlations in question. The evolution of flow-parallel subglacial landforms is of importance for ice flow because the form drag they provide may be a dominant factor in regulating glacier slip speeds. Here we examine the relationship between drumlin shape and cumulative slip displacement (i.e. time-integrated slip speed) as a dominant glaciological control on drumlin shape. First, a new method is developed that allows slip speed to be estimated for deformable bedded glaciers along a flow line from an ice surface profile. Then, reconstructed surface profiles for ice margin chronologies of the Green Bay Lobe (GBL) are used to construct and estimate the spatially varying cumulative slip displacement for use in comparison with drumlin elongation ratios. We focus on a sector of the GBL near the central flow line where the geology is simple and glaciological controls are likely to dominate bedform development. Using Bayesian statistical analysis, a positive and statistically robust relationship between cumulative slip displacement and drumlin elongation ratio is found. Our analysis indicates that drumlin shape could be used to infer palaeo glacier slip speeds if time under the ice can be well constrained and geologic influences are minimal. These findings also suggest that drumlin-supplied drag could decrease with increased cumulative slip displacement in the absence of rigid geologic features that fix drumlin positions.     

Distinct styles of fluvial deposition in a Cambrian rift basin

Process‐based and facies models to account for the origin of pre‐vegetation (i.e. pre‐Silurian) preserved fluvial sedimentary architectures remain poorly defined in terms of their ability to account for the nature of the fluvial conditions required to accumulate and preserve architectural elements in the absence of the stabilizing influence of vegetation. In pre‐vegetation fluvial successions, the repeated reworking of bars and minor channels that resulted in the generation and preservation of broad, tabular, stacked sandstone‐sheets has been previously regarded as the dominant sedimentary mechanism. This situation is closely analogous to modern‐day poorly vegetated systems developed in arid climatic settings. However, this study demonstrates the widespread presence of substantially more complex stratigraphic architectures. The Guarda Velha Formation of Southern Brazil is a >500 m‐thick synrift fluvial succession of Cambrian age that records the deposits and sedimentary architecture of three distinct fluvial successions: (i) an early rift‐stage system characterized by coarse‐grained channel elements indicative of a distributive pattern with flow transverse to the basin axis; and two coeval systems from the early‐ to climax‐rift stages that represent (ii) an axially directed, trunk fluvial system characterized by large‐scale amalgamated sandy braid‐bar elements, and (iii) a distributive fluvial system characterized by multi‐storey, sandy braided‐channel elements that flowed transverse to the basin axis. Integration of facies and architectural‐element analysis with regional stratigraphic basin analysis, palaeocurrent and pebble‐provenance analysis demonstrates the mechanisms responsible for preserving the varied range of fluvial architectures present in this pre‐vegetation, rift‐basin setting. Identified major controls that influenced pre‐vegetation fluvial sedimentary style include: (i) spatial and temporal variation in discharge regime; (ii) the varying sedimentological characteristics of distinct catchment areas; (iii) the role of tectonic basin configuration and its direct role in influencing palaeoflow direction and fluvial style, whereby both the axial and transverse fluvial systems undertook a distinctive response to syn‐depositional movement on basin‐bounding faults. Detailed architectural analyses of these deposits reveal significant variations in geometry, with characteristics considerably more complex than that of simple, laterally extensive, stacked sandstone‐sheets predicted by most existing depositional models for pre‐vegetation fluvial systems. These results suggest that the sheet‐braided style actually encompasses a varied number of different pre‐vegetation fluvial styles. Moreover, this study demonstrates that contemporaneous axial and transverse fluvial systems with distinctive architectural expressions can be preserved in the same overall tectonic and climatic setting.     

Observational Investigation of the Statistical Properties of Surface-Layer Turbulence in a Suburban Area of São Paulo,Brazil: Objective Analysis of Scaling-Parameter Accuracy and Uncertainties

Boundary-Layer Meteorology - Statistical properties of turbulence, specifically variances of velocity components, temperature, water vapor, and carbon dioxide densities, are observationally...     

Adsorption and affinity of Escherichia coli to different aggregate sizes of a silty clay soil

The sediments produced by water erosion are the main source of pollution of agricultural origin of surface water bodies. These sediments may be associated to bacteria, compromising the quality of nearby water bodies. Therefore, to understand this biological contamination, it is necessary to find out the adsorption capacity and bacterial affmity to aggregate sizes that may result in a differential sedimentation. To this end, in the present work, the distribution, adsorption capacity and affinity to different aggregate sizes of two strains of Escherichia coli in two liquid media of contrasting ionic strength were evaluated in a silty clay soil. The 〈2 μm fraction showed a higher proportion of bacteria than the other aggregate sizes （48%）, whereas among the fractions 〉2 μm, the 20-50μm fraction was the one that showed the highest bacterial adsorption in both liquid media （37.9%）. On the other hand, the highest values of bacterial affinity were found in the 20 to 50 lain fraction （coarse silt） in the low ionic strength media and 20--50 and 〉50 μm in the high ionic strength media. However, the bacterial strains used revealed only some trends in the modification of these variables. This work contributes to the development and implementation of strategies to mitigate pollution, such as control of sediment generation and its subsequent capture in filter strips.     

A shallow though extensive H2 2.122-μm imaging survey of Taurus–Auriga–Perseus – I. NGC 1333, L1455, L1448 and B1

We discuss wide-field near-infrared (near-IR) imaging of the NGC 1333, L1448, L1455 and B1 star-forming regions in Perseus. The observations have been extracted from a much larger narrow-band imaging survey of the Taurus–Auriga–Perseus complex. These H₂ 2.122-μm observations are complemented by broad-band K imaging, mid-IR imaging and photometry from the Spitzer Space Telescope , and published submillimetre CO   J = 3–2  maps of high-velocity molecular outflows. We detect and label 85 H₂ features and associate these with 26 molecular outflows. Three are parsec-scale flows, with a mean flow lobe length exceeding 11.5 arcmin. 37 (44 per cent) of the detected H₂ features are associated with a known Herbig–Haro object, while 72 (46 per cent) of catalogued HH objects are detected in H₂ emission. Embedded Spitzer sources are identified for all but two of the 26 molecular outflows. These candidate outflow sources all have high near-to-mid-IR spectral indices (mean value of  α∼ 1.4  ) as well as red IRAC 3.6–4.5 μm and IRAC/MIPS 4.5–24.0 μm colours: 80 per cent have [3.6]–[4.5] > 1.0 and [4.5]–[24] > 1.5. These criteria – high α and red [4.5]–[24] and [3.6]–[4.5] colours – are powerful discriminants when searching for molecular outflow sources. However, we find no correlation between α and flow length or opening angle, and the outflows appear randomly orientated in each region. The more massive clouds are associated with a greater number of outflows, which suggests that the star formation efficiency is roughly the same in each region.     

Pressure and shear stress caused by raindrop impact at the soil surface: Scaling laws depending on the water depth

Raindrop impact is an important process in soil erosion. Through its pressure and shear stress, raindrop impact causes a significant detachment of the soil material, making this material available for transport by sheet flow. Thanks to the accurate Navier–Stokes equations solver Gerris, we simulate the impact of a single raindrop of diameter D, at terminal velocity, on water layers of different thickness h: , , D, 2D, in order to study pressures and shear stresses involved in raindrop erosion. These complex numerical simulations help in understanding precisely the dynamics of the raindrop impact, quantifying in particular the pressure and the shear stress fields. A detailed analysis of these fields is performed and self‐similar structures are identified for the pressure and the shear stress on the soil surface. The evolution of these self‐similar structures are investigated as the aspect ratio h/D varies. We find that the pressure and the shear stress have a specific dependence on the ratio between the drop diameter and the water layer thickness, and that the scaling laws recently proposed in fluid mechanics are also applicable to raindrops, paving the road to obtain effective models of soil erosion by raindrops. In particular, we obtain a scaling law formula for the dependence of the maximum shear stress on the soil on the water depth, a quantity that is crucial for quantifying erosion materials. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.