A method to dynamically subdivide parcels in land use change models

Spatial simulation models have become a popular tool in studying land use/land cover (LULC) change. An important, yet largely overlooked process in such models is the land subdivision, which is known to govern LULC change and landscape restructuring to a large extent. To fill this gap, we propose an efficient and straightforward method to simulate dynamic land subdivision in LULC change models. Key features in the proposed method are implementing a hierarchical landscape where adjacent cells of the same LULC type form patches, patches form properties, and properties form the landscape and incorporating real subdivision layouts. Furthermore, we use a queue-based modified flood-fill algorithm to dynamically reset LULC patches following a subdivision. The proposed subdivision method is demonstrated in action using a prototype agent-based LULC model developed for an amenity landscape in Australia. Results show that it is computationally feasible to run the subdivision method even as spatial resolution is increased, thus providing a proven means for spatial simulation models to dynamically split parcel land.     

An Object Extraction Approach for Impervious Surface Classification with Very-High-Resolution Imagery

Detailed land cover maps provide important information for research and decision-making but are often expensive to develop and can become outdated quickly. Widespread availability of aerial photography provides increased accessibility of high-resolution imagery and the potential to produce high-accuracy land cover classifications. However, these classifications often require expert knowledge and are time consuming. Our goal was to develop an efficient, accurate technique for classifying impervious surface in urbanizing Wake County, North Carolina. Using an iterative training technique, we classified 111 nonmosaicked, very-high-resolution images using the Feature Analyst software developed by Visual Learning Systems. Feature Analyst provides object extraction classifications by analyzing spatial context in relation to spectral data to classify high-resolution imagery. Our image classification results were 95 percent accurate in impervious surface extraction, with an overall total accuracy of 92 percent. Using this method, users with relatively limited geographic information system (GIS) training and modest budgets can produce highly accurate object-extracted classifications of impervious and pervious surface that are easily manipulated in a GIS.     

Simulation of land-cover change in Jing-Jin-Ji region under different scenarios of SSP-RCP

Journal of Geographical Sciences - How to simulate land-cover change, driven by climate change and human activity, is not only a hot issue in the field of land-cover research but also in the field...     

Determination of sedimentary cover and structural trends in the Central Sinai area using gravity and magnetic data analysis

The present study is an attempt to determine the sedimentary cover, and structural trends in the central part of Sinai Peninsula, Egypt. This study has been implemented by the integration of gravity and magnetic methods. Gravity data has been used for 2D modelling along some profiles perpendicular to the main structural trends of the study area. Magnetic data will be analyzed to determine the depth to the basement surface. The depths obtained from magnetic data will be used as a control points in the gravity modelling in order to minimize the error and facilitate the iteration of the suggested models. The basement relief map from magnetic and gravity output has been produced. This map indicates that, the basement depths, generally, increases from south to north and from east to west direction of the study area. The sedimentary cover is about 1.5-2 km in the southern part and increases to more than 4 km in the northeastern and western parts and changes gradually in the other parts of the study area. Results of structural trend analysis indicate that, the study area is greatly affected by several structural trends; N-S, E-W, NW-SE, and NNE-SSW directions. These trends are associated with the Baltim fault trend, Tethyan trend, Gulf of Suez, and Aqaba trend, respectively.     

Petrogenesis of some palaeozoic rhyolites in Victoria

Thick rhyolite sheets occur within the middle Palaeozoic cauldron subsidence complexes in Victoria. Well‐preserved eutaxitic and vitroclastic textures in the basal regions of the Rubicon, Jemba, and Ryans Creek rhyolites provide evidence of an ash‐flow origin. Subsequent recrystallization during cooling has masked these primary textures towards the central and upper parts of the rhyolitic sheets. All three rhyolites show dense welding throughout and the major zonation observed is in the degree of granophyric recrystallization.

Despite the turbulent ash‐flow emplacement and the possibility of post‐eruptive chemical modification, the mineralogical and chemical trends within vertical sequences in the Rubicon and Jemba Rhyolites are essentially continuous and represent the inverted variation within the original magma body. The bulk compositions of the rhyolites suggest that conditions of water saturation were closely approached or attained within the magma chamber. The chemical variation with increasing height and phenocryst content in the rhyolites can be summarized as: increasing K, Ca, Ba and Sr, and decreasing Na and Rb. Whereas this variation is in accord with frac‐tionation theories, it is more likely to have resulted from the partial fusion process believed to have been responsible for the generation of the acid magmas.     

The Runoff Declining Process and Water Quality in Songhuajiang River Catchment,China under Global Climatic Change

The runoff in Songhuajiang River catchment has experienced a decreasing trend during the second half of the 20th century. Serially complete daily rainfall data of 42 rainfall stations from 1959 to 2002 and daily runoff data of five meteorological stations from 1953 to 2005 were obtained. The Mann–Kendall trend test and the sequential version of Mann–Kendall test were employed in this study to test the monthly and annual trends for both rainfall and runoff, to determine the start point of abrupt runoff declining, and to identify the main driving factors of runoff decline. The results showed an insignificant increasing trend in rainfall but a significant decreasing trend in runoff in the catchment. For the five meteorological stations, abrupt runoff decline occurred during 1957–1963 and the middle 1990s. Through Mann–Kendall comparisons for the area‐rainfall and runoff for the two decreasing periods, human activity, rather than climatic change, is identified as the main driving factor of runoff decline. Analysis of land use/cover shows that farmland is most related with runoff decline among all the land use/cover change in Nenjiang catchment. From 1986 to 1995, the area of farmland increased rapidly from 6.99 to 7.61 million hm². Hydraulic engineering has a significant influence on the runoff decline in the second Songhuajiang catchment. Many large‐scale reservoirs and hydropower stations have been built in the upstream of the Second Songhuajiang and lead to the runoff decline. Nenjiang and the Second Songhuajiang are the two sources of mainstream of Songhuajiang. Decreased runoff in these two sub‐catchments then results in runoff decrease in mainstream of Songhuajiang catchment. It is, therefore, concluded that high percent agricultural land and hydraulic engineering are the most probable driving factors of runoff decline in Songhuajiang River catchment, China.     

Water‐Saving Crop Planning Using Multiple Objective Chaos Particle Swarm Optimization for Sustainable Agricultural and Soil Resources Development

Establishing a water‐saving planting structure is necessary for the arid, water‐deficient regions of northern China and of the world. Optimizing and adjusting a water‐saving agricultural planting structure is a typical semi‐structured, multi‐level, multi‐objective group decision‐making problem. Therefore, optimization can be best achieved with a swarm intelligence algorithm. We build an optimization model for a water‐saving planting structure with four target functions: (1) maximum total net output, (2) total grain yield, (3) ecological benefits, and (4) water productivity. The decision variable is the yearly seeded area of different crops, and its restrictions are the farmland area, the agricultural water resources, and the needs of the people and other farming‐related industries. Multiple objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) is an efficient optimization method, but its main shortcoming is that it can easily fall into a local optimum. Multiple objective chaos particle swarm optimization (MOCPSO) will greatly improve the searching performance of the algorithm by placing chaos technology with the advantages of ergodicity into MOPSO. When MOCPSO is used to solve the multi‐objective optimization model in the middle portion of the Heihe River basin, the results show that MOCPSO has the advantages of a high convergence speed and a tendency not to fall easily into a local optimum. After adopting a water‐saving agricultural planting structure, irrigation water would be reduced by about 7%, which would provide tangible economic, social, and ecological benefits for sustainable agricultural development.     

中国地区地面观测积雪深度和遥感雪深资料的对比分析

比较了气象台站观测和卫星遥感(SMMR、 SSM/I、 AMSR-E)的积雪深度两种资料在空间分布、 年际变化及其与中国夏季降水之间关系的异同性.结果表明: 两种资料在积雪稳定区的分布比较一致, 积雪深度的大值区位于东北地区、 新疆北部和青藏高原地区; 对于季节性积雪区且积雪深度不大的区域而言, 二者之间存在着较大的差异, 尤其在江淮流域及长江中下游地区, 台站观测的积雪深度大于遥感得到的积雪深度; 平均而言, 两种资料获得的积雪深度在各地区基本一致.在新疆北部和高原南部, 二种资料的年际变化存在着差异, 在新疆北部, 台站观测大于遥感得到的积雪深度, 而在高原东南部遥感大于台站观测积雪.近30 a来, 两种资料获得的积雪深度在新疆北部和青藏高原的年际变化趋势基本一致, 新疆北部为增加趋势, 青藏高原有减少的趋势.值得注意的是, 在东北地区, 近30 a来两种类型资料的年际变化趋势呈相反变化.两种资料在新疆北部的相关最强; 东北、 青藏高原其次; 而高原东南部最差, 在使用时应加注意.青藏高原地区的两种积雪资料与中国夏季降水的相关"信号"基本一致.青藏高原地区积雪与东北西部地区和长江中下游夏季降水之间的相关最为显著.资料间的差异性并不影响高原地区积雪对中国夏季降水"信号"的应用.     

西北地区特色作物对气候变化响应及应对技术的研究进展

总结了白兰瓜、 大樱桃、 酿酒葡萄、 苹果、 桃、 当归、 党参、 黄芪、 甘草、 枸杞等10种特色作物的生长发育、 种植区域、 气象灾害、 生物量、 产量与品质等对现代气候暖干化的响应特征. 结果表明: 气候暖干化使多年生特色作物萌芽或返青提早, 生长发育速度提前加快; 瓜果类作物全生育期缩短, 根类作物全生育期延长; 使种植区的高度提高150 m左右, 向更高纬度扩展, 种植面积迅速扩大. 对旱作农业区的特色作物气候产量下降, 对灌溉农业区的影响较少, 有利于喜温凉特色作物气候产量增加, 对较耐旱的影响较轻, 对不够耐旱受到较大的影响.有利于提高瓜果类作物的品质, 尤其含糖量提高. 提出了建立特色作物种植基地或示范区, 实现农工商产业系列服务, 创建现代农业发展模式和管理新模式适应气候变化; 制定精细化综合农业自然资源区划, 合理调整种植结构; 根据未来气候预测和不同气候年型调整作物种植比例; 加强气象灾害监测、 评估、 预警与防御工作等4个方面的措施应对气候暖干化.     

三维数值流形法在裂纹扩展中的应用研究

运用三维数值流形法（3D NMM）进行三维裂纹扩展分析,并采用C++语言编写了相应的程序。充分利用三维数值流形法模拟裂纹扩展的优势,只需要更新裂纹尖端线附近的边界环路和流形单元,不需要使用阶跃函数。根据三维数值流形法计算得到的应力结果,应用非局部求迹方法分析每个裂纹尖端的破坏状态,如果发生破坏则沿垂直于其最大主应力方向扩展。针对裂纹扩展后的不同状况,采用四边形或三角形推进法。裂纹扩展后为了使变形后的面保持平面,必须对新生成的面进行三角化分割。对诸如单边裂纹、平行钱币型裂纹和倾斜钱币型裂纹扩展问题进行数值模拟。计算结果表明,采用三维数值流形法进行裂纹扩展模拟是可行的,文中方法对裂纹尖端线非闭合和闭合的情形均适用,且文中方法对于裂纹尖端线位于单元内部的非平面裂纹扩展也是有效的。