Urban development and flooding in Houston Texas, inferences from remote sensing data using neural network technique

The effects of urban development on the natural ecosystem and its link to the increased flooding in Houston, Texas were evaluated. Houston is suitable for this type of analysis due to its 1.95 million population, large geographic area and fast growth rate. Using neural network techniques, four Landsat Thematic Mapper images were grouped into five land use classes for the period 1984 to 2003: vegetation, bare ground, water, concrete and asphalt. Results show that asphalt and concrete increased 21% in the time period 1984–1994, 39% in 1994–2000 and 114%, from 2000 to 2003, while vegetation suffered an overall decrease. When change detection data are compared with runoff ratio data, a relationship between increased runoff and urban development is apparent, which indicates increased chances of flooding. Initial results of this work are made available to the public in GIS format via internet using Arc Internet Map Server (ArcIMS) at .     

贵州省六盘水市石漠化遥感-GIS评价

以六盘水市为研究区，以ETM遥感数据和1：25万的国家标准基础地理数据为主要数据源，辅助以地面样地调查数据，建立石漠化与诸因子相关关系模型，将诸因子转化为遥感定量指标，研究遥感专题信启，快速提取，形成RS、GIS集成的石漠化信息提取技术。通过以上技术处理，实现了六盘水市喀斯特地区的石漠化现状遥感—GIS快速调查评价，得到六盘水市石漠化信息地理数据库等数据，为政府部门实现宏观决策提供理论依据和科学数据。     

古尔班通古特沙漠生物结皮的分布特征

新疆古尔班通古特沙漠是我国最大的固定和半固定沙漠，其间广泛发育着以地衣植物为主的生物结皮，是除种子植物以外的固定沙面的重要生物因子。研究表明，选择适当的时段，应用遥感技术并结合地面调查来研究沙漠生物结皮的空间分布格局是可行的，遥感制图与地面调查的结果基本一致。该沙漠南部是生物结皮最为丰富的区域，各种类型的生物结皮均有充分发育，呈连续分布，但其分布模式向北、向西和向东变得破碎。通过统计生物结皮像元的面积，得到生物结皮覆盖率超过33％的像元面积占研究区总面积的28．7％。生物结皮的分布对地貌部位有较强的选择性，生物结皮的不同发育阶段种类组成亦有较大的差别。     

利用主成分分析法提取绿洲水体专题信息的研究

水资源对于以荒漠为背景的绿洲具有极其重要的作用,及时掌握绿洲水体的动态变化定量信息,对于合理调控绿洲区域生态环境,可持续发展区域经济活动具有重要意义。针对塔里木盆地南部特有的极端干旱地区,选择策勒绿洲为重点研究靶区,采用主成分分析方法,提取1990和1998年两幅卫星图像中水体专题信息。与以往方法相比,该方法不仅可有效避免常规分类法中存在的误差累积,结果出现较多伪变化信息的缺陷;亦可减小辐射差异对光谱比较法的极大限制,从而直接获得水体变化信息,实现过程简单、清楚,可操作性强。     

Quantitative estimation of submarine groundwater discharge using airborne thermal infrared data acquired at two different tidal heights

Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) plays an important role in coastal biogeochemical processes and hydrological cycles, particularly off volcanic islands in oligotrophic oceans. However, the spatial and temporal variations of SGD are still poorly understood owing to difficulty in taking rapid SGD measurements over a large scale. In this study, we used four airborne thermal infrared surveys (twice each during high and low tides) to quantify the spatiotemporal variations of SGD over the entire coast of Jeju Island, Korea. On the basis of an analytical model, we found a linear positive correlation between the thermal anomaly and squares of the groundwater discharge velocity and a negative exponential correlation between the anomaly and water depth (including tide height and bathymetry). We then derived a new equation for quantitatively estimating the SGD flow rates from thermal anomalies acquired at two different tide heights. The proposed method was validated with the measured SGD flow rates using a current meter at Gongcheonpo Beach. We believe that the method can be effectively applied for rapid estimation of SGD over coastal areas, where fresh groundwater discharge is significant, using airborne thermal infrared surveys.     

Understanding the relative impacts of natural processes and human activities on the hydrology of the Central Rift Valley lakes,East Africa

Significant changes have been observed in the hydrology of Central Rift Valley (CRV) lakes in Ethiopia, East Africa as a result of both natural processes and human activities during the past three decades. This study applied an integrated approach (remote sensing, hydrologic modelling, and statistical analysis) to understand the relative effects of natural processes and human activities over a sparsely gauged CRV basin. Lake storage estimates were calculated from a hydrologic model constructed without inputs from human impacts such as water abstraction and compared with satellite‐based (observed) lake storage measurements to characterize the magnitude of human‐induced impacts. A non‐parametric Mann–Kendall test was used to detect the presence of climatic trends (e.g. a decreasing or increasing trends in precipitation), while the Standard Precipitation Index (SPI) analysis was used to assess the long‐term, inter‐annual climate variability within the basin. Results indicate human activities (e.g. abstraction) significantly contributed to the changes in the hydrology of the lakes, while no statistically significant climatic trend was seen in the basin, however inter‐annual natural climate variability, extreme dryness, and prolonged drought has negatively affected the lakes. The relative contributions of natural and human‐induced impacts on the lakes were quantified and evaluated by comparing hydrographs of the CRV lakes. Lake Abiyata has lost ~6.5 m in total lake height between 1985 and 2006, 70% (~4.5 m) of the loss has been attributed to human‐induced causes, whereas the remaining 30% is related to natural climate variability. The relative impact analysis utilized in this study could potentially be used to better plan and create effective water‐management practices in the basin and demonstrates the utility of this integrated methodology for similar studies assessing the relative natural and human‐induced impacts on lakes in data sparse areas. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assessing the reliability of probabilistic flood inundation model predictions

An ability to quantify the reliability of probabilistic flood inundation predictions is a requirement not only for guiding model development but also for their successful application. Probabilistic flood inundation predictions are usually produced by choosing a method of weighting the model parameter space, but previous study suggests that this choice leads to clear differences in inundation probabilities. This study aims to address the evaluation of the reliability of these probabilistic predictions. However, a lack of an adequate number of observations of flood inundation for a catchment limits the application of conventional methods of evaluating predictive reliability. Consequently, attempts have been made to assess the reliability of probabilistic predictions using multiple observations from a single flood event. Here, a LISFLOOD‐FP hydraulic model of an extreme (>1 in 1000 years) flood event in Cockermouth, UK, is constructed and calibrated using multiple performance measures from both peak flood wrack mark data and aerial photography captured post‐peak. These measures are used in weighting the parameter space to produce multiple probabilistic predictions for the event. Two methods of assessing the reliability of these probabilistic predictions using limited observations are utilized; an existing method assessing the binary pattern of flooding, and a method developed in this paper to assess predictions of water surface elevation. This study finds that the water surface elevation method has both a better diagnostic and discriminatory ability, but this result is likely to be sensitive to the unknown uncertainties in the upstream boundary condition. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Improved spatial delineation of streambed properties and water fluxes using distributed temperature sensing

A new method was developed for analysing and delineating streambed water fluxes, flow conditions and hydraulic properties using coiled fibre‐optic distributed temperature sensing or closely spaced discrete temperature sensors. This method allows for a thorough treatment of the spatial information embedded in temperature data by creating a matrix visualization of all possible sensor pairs. Application of the method to a 5‐day field dataset reveals the complexity of shallow streambed thermal regimes. To understand how velocity estimates are affected by violations of assumptions of one‐dimensional, saturated, homogeneous flow and to aid in the interpretation of field observations, the method was also applied to temperature data generated by numerical models of common field conditions: horizontal layering, presence of lateral flow and variable streambed saturation. The results show that each condition creates a distinct signature visible in the triangular matrices. The matrices are used to perform a comparison of the behaviour of one‐dimensional analytical heat‐tracing models. The results show that the amplitude ratio‐based method of velocity calculation leads to the most reliable estimates. The minimum sensor spacing required to obtain reliable velocity estimates with discrete sensors is also investigated using field data. The developed method will aid future heat‐tracing studies by providing a technique for visualizing and comparing results from fibre‐optic distributed temperature sensing installations and testing the robustness of analytical heat‐tracing models. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Short‐ and long‐term evapotranspiration rates at ecological restoration sites along a large river receiving rare flow events

Many large rivers around the world no longer flow to their deltas, due to ever greater water withdrawals and diversions for human needs. However, the importance of riparian ecosystems is drawing increasing recognition, leading to the allocation of environmental flows to restore river processes. Accurate estimates of riparian plant evapotranspiration (ET) are needed to understand how the riverine system responds to these rare events and achieve the goals of environmental flows. In 2014, historic environmental flows were released into the Lower Colorado River at Morelos Dam (Mexico); this once perennial but now dry reach is the final stretch to the mighty Colorado River Delta. One of the primary goals was to supply native vegetation restoration sites along the reach with water to help seedlings establish and boost groundwater levels to foster the planted saplings. Patterns in ET before, during, and after the flows are useful for evaluating whether this goal was met and understanding the role that ET plays in this now ephemeral river system. Here, diurnal fluctuations in groundwater levels and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data were used to compare estimates of ET specifically at 3 native vegetation restoration sites during 2014 planned flow events, and MODIS data were used to evaluate long‐term (2002–2016) ET responses to restoration efforts at these sites. Overall, ET was generally 0–10 mm d^?1 across sites, and although daily ET values from groundwater data were highly variable, weekly averaged estimates were highly correlated with MODIS‐derived estimates at most sites. The influence of the 2014 flow events was not immediately apparent in the results, although the process of clearing vegetation and planting native vegetation at the restoration sites was clearly visible in the results.     

Hydrology and geomorphology of the Upper White Nile lakes and their relevance for water resources management in the Nile basin

Remote sensing data and digital elevation models were utilized to extract the catchment hydrological parameters and to delineate storage areas for the Ugandan Equatorial Lakes region. Available rainfall/discharge data are integrated with these morphometric data to construct a hydrological model that simulates the water balance of the different interconnected basins and enables the impact of potential management options to be examined. The total annual discharges of the basins are generally very low (less than 7% of the total annual rainfall). The basin of the shallow (5 m deep) Lake Kioga makes only a minor hydrological contribution compared with other Equatorial Lakes, because most of the overflow from Lake Victoria basin into Lake Kioga is lost by evaporation and evapotranspiration. The discharge from Lake Kioga could be significantly increased by draining the swamps through dredging and deepening certain channel reaches. Development of hydropower dams on the Equatorial Lakes will have an adverse impact on the annual water discharge downstream, including the occasional reduction of flow required for filling up to designed storage capacities and permanently increasing the surface areas of water that is exposed to evaporation. On the basis of modelling studies, alternative sites are proposed for hydropower development and water storage schemes. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.