Classifier ensembles for land cover mapping using multitemporal SAR imagery

SAR data are almost independent from weather conditions, and thus are well suited for mapping of seasonally changing variables such as land cover. In regard to recent and upcoming missions, multitemporal and multi-frequency approaches become even more attractive. In the present study, classifier ensembles (i.e., boosted decision tree and random forests) are applied to multi-temporal C-band SAR data, from different study sites and years. A detailed accuracy assessment shows that classifier ensembles, in particularly random forests, outperform standard approaches like a single decision tree and a conventional maximum likelihood classifier by more than 10% independently from the site and year. They reach up to almost 84% of overall accuracy in rural areas with large plots. Visual interpretation confirms the statistical accuracy assessment and reveals that also typical random noise is considerably reduced. In addition the results demonstrate that random forests are less sensitive to the number of training samples and perform well even with only a small number. Random forests are computationally highly efficient and are hence considered very well suited for land cover classifications of future multifrequency and multitemporal stacks of SAR imagery.     

Optimizing support vector machine learning for semi-arid vegetation mapping by using clustering analysis

In remote sensing communities, support vector machine (SVM) learning has recently received increasing attention. SVM learning usually requires large memory and enormous amounts of computation time on large training sets. According to SVM algorithms, the SVM classification decision function is fully determined by support vectors, which compose a subset of the training sets. In this regard, a solution to optimize SVM learning is to efficiently reduce training sets. In this paper, a data reduction method based on agglomerative hierarchical clustering is proposed to obtain smaller training sets for SVM learning. Using a multiple angle remote sensing dataset of a semi-arid region, the effectiveness of the proposed method is evaluated by classification experiments with a series of reduced training sets. The experiments show that there is no loss of SVM accuracy when the original training set is reduced to 34% using the proposed approach. Maximum likelihood classification (MLC) also is applied on the reduced training sets. The results show that MLC can also maintain the classification accuracy. This implies that the most informative data instances can be retained by this approach.     

MODIS数据的水浇地提取

水浇地是土地覆盖分类系统中的一个重要类型, 依据水分亏缺指数(WDI)与土壤水分的相关性, 计算了监测时间内WDI的变化情况, 用降雨资料去除了由于降雨引起的WDI的变化, 进而提取了研究区的水浇地分布。结果表明：(1)提取出的水浇地在数量上与统计资料相比, 除山西省偏差相对较大外, 其余各省偏差均小于7%, 提取出的结果与统计资料具有可比性。(2)提取出的水浇地在空间上多成片出现在河流、湖泊、水库附近、灌区和绿洲上, 与已知的水浇地集中区一致。(3)利用TM影像对提取结果进行了初步判断, 其中山西省的正确率较低, 只有64%, 其余各省正确率均在70%以上, 新疆的正确率最高为92%。     

Research activities on land-use/cover change in the past ten years in China using space technology

１　ＩＮＴＲＯＤＵＣＴＩＯＮＴｈｅｒｅｃｅｎｔａｎｄｆｕｔｕｒｅｄｅｖｅｌｏｐｍｅｎｔｏｆｓｐａｃｅｂａｓｅｄｒｅｍｏｔｅｓｅｎｓｉｎｇｔｅｃｈｎｏｌｏｇｙｈａｓｂｒｏｕｇｈｔａｒｅｆｏｒｍａｔｉｏｎｔｏｒｅｓｅａｒｃｈｗｏｒｋａｓｗｅｌｌａｓｆｏｒｍｕｌａｔｉｎｇｓｕｉｔａｂｌｅｐｏｌｉｃｙｆｏｒｐｏｐｕｌａｔｉｏｎ,ｒｅｓｏｕｒｃｅｓ,ｅｎｖｉｒｏｎｍｅｎｔａｎｄｄｅｖｅｌｏｐｍｅｎｔ．Ｔｈｒｏｕｇｈｒｅａｌｔｉｍｅａｎｄｐｅｒｉｏｄｉｃｏｂｓｅｒｖａｔｉｏｎｓｏｆａｌａｒｇｅａｒ…     

黄河源区玛多县土地利用/覆被及景观格局变化的遥感分析

采用了黄河源地区1977、1990及2003年MSS、TM的3个时相遥感影像,通过人机交互的解译与GIS的空间分析,提取了玛多县3个时期的土地利用/覆被信息。分析了玛多县各地类的数量变化和空间变化特征。另外对景观生态空间分布格局,利用FRAGSTATS软件对玛多县景观级别的动态特征进行了分析。结果表明:玛多县的土地利用/覆被类型以草地为主,占全区总面积77.93%;退化现象十分严重,主要是草地覆盖度的降低以及草地沙化;景观破碎化程度在前期呈下降趋势,而后期呈上升趋势,景观斑块形态越来越偏离规则而变得复杂、多样。     

Sensitivity of streamflow from a Himalayan catchment to plausible changes in land cover and climate

Global climate change will likely increase temperature and variation in precipitation in the Himalayas, modifying both supply of and demand for water. This study assesses combined impacts of land‐cover and climate changes on hydrological processes and a rainfall‐to‐streamflow buffer indicator of watershed function using the Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) in Kejie watershed in the eastern Himalayas. The Hadley Centre Coupled Model Version 3 (HadCM3) was used for two Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) emission scenarios (A2 and B2), for 2010–2099. Four land‐cover change scenarios increase forest, grassland, crops, or urban land use, respectively, reducing degraded land. The SWAT model predicted that downstream water resources will decrease in the short term but increase in the long term. Afforestation and expansion in cropland will probably increase actual evapotranspiration (ET) and reduce annual streamflow but will also, through increased infiltration, reduce the overland flow component of streamflow and increase groundwater release. An expansion in grassland will decrease actual ET, increase annual streamflow and groundwater release, while decreasing overland flow. Urbanization will result in increases in streamflow and overland flow and reductions in groundwater release and actual ET. Land‐cover change dominated over effects on streamflow of climate change in the short and middle terms. The predicted changes in buffer indicator for land‐use plus climate‐change scenarios reach up to 50% of the current (and future) range of inter‐annual variability. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Snow cover and snowmelt of an extensive High Arctic wetland: spatial and temporal seasonal patterns

Abstract

This study examined the end-of-winter snow storage, its distribution and the spatial and temporal melt patterns of a large, low gradient wetland at Polar Bear Pass, Bathurst Island, Nunavut, Canada. The project utilized a combination of field observations and a physically-based snowmelt model. Topography and wind were the major controls on snow distribution in the region, and snow was routinely scoured from the hilltop regions and deposited into hillslopes and valleys. Timing and duration of snowmelt at Polar Bear Pass were similar in 2008 and 2009. The snowmelt was initiated by an increase in air temperature and net radiation receipt. Inter-annual variability in spatial snowmelt patterns was evident at Polar Bear Pass and was attributed to a non-uniform snow cover distribution and local microclimate conditions. In situ field studies and modelling remain important in High Arctic regions for assessing wetland water budgets and runoff, in addition to model parameterization and validation of satellite imagery.

Editor Z.W. Kundzewicz

Citation Assini, J. and Young, K.L., 2012. Snow cover and snowmelt of an extensive High Arctic wetland: spatial and temporal seasonal patterns. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 57 (4), 738–755.     

Above‐stream microclimate and stream surface energy exchanges in a wildfire‐disturbed riparian zone

Stream temperature and riparian microclimate were characterized for a 1·5 km wildfire‐disturbed reach of Fishtrap Creek, located north of Kamloops, British Columbia. A deterministic net radiation model was developed using hemispherical canopy images coupled with on‐site microclimate measurements. Modelled net radiation agreed reasonably with measured net radiation. Air temperature and humidity measured at two locations above the stream, separated by 900 m, were generally similar, whereas wind speed was poorly correlated between the two sites. Modelled net radiation varied considerably along the reach, and measurements at a single location did not provide a reliable estimate of the modelled reach average. During summer, net radiation dominated the surface heat exchanges, particularly because the sensible and latent heat fluxes were normally of opposite sign and thus tended to cancel each other. All surface heat fluxes shifted to negative values in autumn and were of similar magnitude through winter. In March, net radiation became positive, but heat gains were cancelled by sensible and latent heat fluxes, which remained negative. A modelling exercise using three canopy cover scenarios (current, simulated pre‐wildfire and simulated complete vegetation removal) showed that net radiation under the standing dead trees was double that modelled for the pre‐fire canopy cover. However, post‐disturbance standing dead trees reduce daytime net radiation reaching the stream surface by one‐third compared with complete vegetation removal. The results of this study have highlighted the need to account for reach‐scale spatial variability of energy exchange processes, especially net radiation, when modelling stream energy budgets. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

试论中国南北大陆的碰撞造山带

中国北方的中朝克拉通与南方的扬子克拉通无论在基底年代及盖层发育程度、沉积环境及古生物群上都有差异。它们是两个构造发育史不同的大陆。这两个古大陆之间的大洋究竟有多宽？是何时关闭的？合并时的构造运动强烈程度？在挽近地质历史时期有无相类似的情况？这些问题一直是中外地质学家所关注，并在不同程度上讨论过的问题。近年来的地质工作，提供了一些可据以回答上述问题的成果，但全面可靠地回答上述全部问题还有待今后的努力。笔者在过去的文章（1-3）曾讨论一些有关问题。本文，拟就近期国内外的研究成果，发表一些评论，并提出作者的看法     

Influence of multipurpose trees on agricultural crops in arid regions of Haryana, India

The effects of multipurpose trees on the productivity of agricultural crops were studied in the arid regions of Haryana. In one of the experiments, wheat was grown on irrigated farms having scattered trees ofDalbergia sissoo, Azadirachta indica, Prosopis cinerariaandAcacia nilotica. Data of wheat yield for each tree species at different distances (1, 3, 5, and 7 m) and four directions (East, West, North and South) from the tree bases and control (no trees) were collected. Results indicate thatAzadirachta indicaandProsopis cinerariadid not produce any significant difference in the wheat yield while the other two species (Dalbergia sissooandAcacia nilotica) gave a reduction in yield.A. niloticahad a more significant and prominent effect and a reduction of 40 to 60 % wheat yield was observed.Dalbergia sissooreduced yield by 4 to 30 % but the reduction was only up to a distance of 3 m. In general, the impact of trees on productivity was observed up to 3 m distance and there was little, if any, impact up to 5 m and almost no impact at 7 m.In another experiment,D. sissoo(18-years-old) was raised as windbreak and productivity of cotton was assessed. The tree belt reduced the wind speed by 15 to 45 %, depending on season and wind speed. The influence of trees on cotton yield was observed to be negative up to 2H (36 m), where H is tree height, i.e. 18 m. Cotton productivity was observed to be maximum between 2H and 5H. Depending upon orientation of tree belt, the increase in cotton yield was found to be 4 to 10 %.