Multi‐visibility maps of triangulated terrains

Visibility computation on terrain models is an important research topic with many applications in Geographical Information Systems. A multi‐visibility map is the subdivision of the domain of a terrain into regions that, according to different criteria, encodes the visibility with respect to a set of view elements. We present an approach for visualising approximated multi‐visibility maps of a triangulated terrain corresponding to a set of view elements by using graphics hardware. Our method supports heterogeneous sets of view elements containing points, segments, polygonal chains and polygons and works for weak and strong visibility. Moreover, we are also able to efficiently solve approximated point and polygonal region multi‐visibility queries. To illustrate the usefulness of our approach we present results obtained with an implementation of the proposed algorithms.     

Morphometric characterisation of landform from DEMs

We describe a method of morphometric characterisation of landform from digital elevation models (DEMs). The method is implemented first by classifying every location into morphometric classes based on the mathematical shape of a locally fitted quadratic surface and its positional relationship with the analysis window. Single‐scale fuzzy terrain indices of peakness, pitness, passness, ridgeness, and valleyness are then calculated based on the distance of the analysis location from the ideal cases. These can then be combined into multi‐scale terrain indices to summarise terrain information across different operational scales. The algorithm has four characteristics: (1) the ideal cases of different geomorphometric features are simply and clearly defined; (2) the output is spatially continuous to reflect the inherent fuzziness of geomorphometric features; (3) the output is easily combined into a multi‐scale index across a range of operational scales; and (4) the standard general morphometric parameters are quantified as the first and second order derivatives of the quadratic surface. An additional benefit of the quadratic surface is the derivation of the R ² goodness of fit statistic, which allows an assessment of both the reliability of the results and the complexity of the terrain. An application of the method using a test DEM indicates that the single‐ and multi‐scale terrain indices perform well when characterising the different geomorphometric features.     

Simulating damage evolution and fracture propagation in sandstone containing a preexisting 3-D surface flaw under uniaxial compression

Preexisting flaws and rock heterogeneity have important ramifications on the process of rock fracturing and on rock stability in many applications. Therefore, there is great interest in numerical modelling of rock fracture and the underlying mechanisms. We simulated damage evolution and fracture propagation in sandstone specimens containing a preexisting 3-D surface flaw under uniaxial compression. We applied the linear elastic damage model based on the unified strength theory following the rock failure process analysis code. However, in contrast to the rock failure process analysis code, we used the finite element method with tetrahedron elements on unstructured meshes. It provided higher geometrical flexibility and allowed for a more accurate representation of the disk-shaped flaw with various flaw depths, angles, and lengths through locally adapted meshes. The rock heterogeneity was modelled by sampling the initial local Young's modulus from a Weibull distribution over a cubic grid. The values were then interpolated to the computational finite element method mesh. This method introduced an additional length scale for the rock heterogeneity represented by the cell size in the sampling grid. The generation of three typical surface cracking patterns, called wing cracks, anti-wing cracks, and far-field cracks, were identified in the simulation results. These depend on the geometry of the preexisting surface flaw. The simulated fracture propagation, coalescence types, and failure modes for the specimens with preexisting surface flaw show good agreement with recent experimental studies.     

Assessing the potential of drone‐based thermal infrared imagery for quantifying river temperature heterogeneity

Climate change is altering river temperature regimes, modifying the dynamics of temperature‐sensitive fishes. The ability to map river temperature is therefore important for understanding the impacts of future warming. Thermal infrared (TIR) remote sensing has proven effective for river temperature mapping, but TIR surveys of rivers remain expensive. Recent drone‐based TIR systems present a potential solution to this problem. However, information regarding the utility of these miniaturised systems for surveying rivers is limited. Here, we present the results of several drone‐based TIR surveys conducted with a view to understanding their suitability for characterising river temperature heterogeneity. We find that drone‐based TIR data are able to clearly reveal the location and extent of discrete thermal inputs to rivers, but thermal imagery suffers from temperature drift‐induced bias, which prevents the extraction of accurate temperature data. Statistical analysis of the causes of this drift reveals that drone flight characteristics and environmental conditions at the time of acquisition explain ~66% of the variance in TIR sensor drift. These results shed important light on the factors influencing drone‐based TIR data quality and suggest that further technological development is required to enable the extraction of robust river temperature data. Nonetheless, this technology represents a promising approach for augmenting in situ sensor capabilities and improved quantification of advective inputs to rivers at intermediate spatial scales between point measurements and “conventional” airborne or satellite remote sensing.     

Application of 1D paleo‐fluvial process modelling at a basin scale to augment sparse borehole data: example of a Permian formation in the Galilee Basin,Australia

The heterogeneous hydraulic conductivity (K) in water‐bearing formations controls subsurface flow and solute transport processes. Geostatistical techniques are often employed to characterize the K distribution in space based on the correlation between K measurements. However, at the basin scale, there are often insufficient measurements for inferring the spatial correlation. This is a widespread problem that we address in this study using the example of the Betts Creek Beds (BCB) in the Galilee Basin, Australia. To address the lack of data, we use a 1D stochastic fluvial process‐based model (SFPM) to quantify the total sediment thickness, Z( x ), and the sandstone proportion over the total thickness, P_s( x ), in the BCB. The semivariograms of Z( x ) and P_s( x ) are then extracted and used in sequential Gaussian simulation to construct the 2D spatial distribution of Z( x ) and P_s( x ). P_s( x ) can be converted to a K distribution based on classical averaging methods. The results demonstrate that the combination of SFPM and geostatistical simulation allows for the evaluation of upscaled K distribution with a limited number of K measurements. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

岩石材料内部特征尺度对裂纹扩展机制的影响

为考察岩石材料细观结构特征对于裂纹扩展机制的影响,首先借助偏光显微镜和SEM观测了3类岩石材料中材料内部组织结构,分析了各自非均质程度和晶粒大小关系。之后,对3类岩石的带I型初始裂纹的3点弯曲试样进行了落重冲击试验,同时采用高速摄影获得了不同裂纹速度下的裂纹扩展形态。将这些结果对照分析,研究了3类岩石中裂纹扩展过程与各自材料组织结构的非均质程度和晶粒大小的关系,得出初步结论：组织结构内部特征尺度越大,动态裂纹所能达到的终极速度就相对越小。反之亦然。     

古尔班通古特沙漠纵向沙垄植被空间异质性

在古尔班通古特沙漠南部纵向沙垄上按5 m×10 m的网格测度植被样方100个,采集浅层风沙土样品184件。调查发现,乔灌木层片和草本层片的分布及相互关系明显受沙垄地形影响,并且在干旱环境下种群间的竞争和空间上的互补使两层片生态优势度具有显著的相关性。地统计分析结果显示,纵向沙垄上植被空间异质性表现为木本层片的物种多样性呈斑块状分布,草本层片物种多样性呈现平行沙垄的带状结构和斑块结构叠加的特点,而植被盖度则在垂直沙垄走向的方向上具有强烈的梯度性变化。和沙垄土壤理化性质空间格局特征相对比,植被盖度及物种多样性与风沙土浅层含水量在自相关空间（变程）及空间异质性程度上比较接近。这是纵向沙垄小生态系统中草本植物和浅层土壤水分耦合关系在空间上的反映,也是木本植物对水分和土壤资源在小尺度（m）上竞争及中小尺度（10～100 m）上互补的结果。     

塔南凹陷东部构造带南屯组储层宏观非均质性对油气分布的影响

塔南凹陷东部构造带南屯组地层主要发育近岸水下扇沉积,局部发育三角洲沉积。复杂的沉积充填样式塑造了本区复杂的岩性油藏。在细分地层单元内对储层岩性、物性、含油性统计分析的基础上,优选多种储层非均质性分类方案,结合砂体成因、叠置样式、平面展布特征以及渗透率韵律性等方面的分析,按照层间、平面、层内3个层次对储层宏观非均质性进行了解剖分析。结果表明：层序旋回对储层垂向岩性、物性的变化具有控制作用;凝灰质的发育对南屯组储层具有破坏作用,影响油气的运聚;水下分流沟道及河道砂是油气聚集的主要砂体类型;水下扇中扇是油气主要聚集区带。     

长江三角洲地区城镇空间扩展特征及机制

城镇空间扩展是城市化作用于地理空间的直接结果,揭示城镇空间扩展过程、格局及机制已成为识别城镇发展阶段、认知城镇发展规律的有效手段。基于长江三角洲地区多时相卫星遥感影像数据,以城镇用地扩展空间分异与关联特征为切入点,利用间隙度指数、分形维数、扩展强度指数、扩展速度指数和空间关联模型,定量揭示了区域城镇空间扩展特征的多样性、空间组织异质性和“热点区”格局演化。结果表明：20 世纪80 年代以来,长三角洲地区城镇空间扩展在以中心城市集聚为主导的过程中,遵循“小集聚,大分散”的特点,围绕“Z”形区域发展轴线,大致经历了点轴扩展、沾粘式增长和蔓延扩张的过程,区域融合现象凸显;空间扩展的“热点区”格局不断演化,“热点区”的核心集聚作用在减弱,沪宁沿线、沪杭沿线、杭甬沿线和沿江地区成为驱动长三角城镇社会经济发展的核心区;同时,在城镇空间扩展的不同阶段,驱动机制有所差异,经济全球化和区域城市化推动着长三角城镇空间一体化进程。