Coupling mechanism of rural settlements and mountain disasters in the upper reaches of Min River

Human settlements are the place where human beings live,among which the rural settlements can be regarded as a reflection of human-land relationship in mountain areas because their vertical distribution is greatly influenced by the specific geographical environment and ecological conditions of mountains.Based on field investigation,this paper uses physical,geographical,and ecological theories to make a comprehensive study of rural settlements and mountain disasters in the upper Min River,which is an ecologically fragile area with high-frequency disasters（collapse,landslide,debris flow,etc.） and a minority inhabit district.By applying these modern scientific theories,this paper attempts to shed some light on the relationship between rural settlements and mountain disasters.Consequently,an in-depth understanding of this relationship was achieved as follows：（1） Rural settlements and mountain disasters are mainly distributed in the intercepted flows of water and soil; and both quantity and quality of arable lands in mountains are important indicators of these flows.（2） The Small Watershed Management Project is a complex system of rural settlements and mountain disasters that interacts with and constrains the ecological system.By this project,the human survival will be better guaranteed.Being fundamental for the ecological reconstruction,the coupling mechanism of rural settlements and mountain disasters is not only an engine to promote harmonious development between human and nature,but also a bridge to link them.     

Relationship between physical and chemical soil attributes and plant species diversity in tropical mountain ecosystems from Brazil

Although the high diversity of plant species in the rupestrian fields has been primarily attributed to the existence of a set of distinct habitats, few studies support this assertion. The present study aimed to further investigate the relationship between physical and chemical attributes of soils with the diversity of plant species in this unique ecosystem. The rupestrian field is a unique vegetation formation that covers some of the southeastern Brazilian mountains in the transition of the Atlantic rain forest and the Cerrado （savanna）. Different habitats occur according to soil characteristics （e.g., presence of rocks, sand, fertility, hydrology, etc.）. These attributes ultimately influence the vegetation that is highly adapted to the harsh edaphic and climatic mountain conditions. Five distinct habitats were studied by us： rocky outcrops, peat bogs, sandy bogs, quartz gravelfields, and ＂cerrado＂ （savanna）. A floristic survey indicated that four families are found at greater frequency： Poaceae, Asteraceae, Cyperaceae, and Leguminosae. The greatest diversity of plant species was found in the rocky outcrops habitat, followed by cerrado, peat bog, quartz gravel grassland, and sandy bogs, respectively. The main difference in the floristic composition among these habitats was related to the dominant species. Trachypogon spicatus （Poaceae） was the most dominant species in the rocky outcrops, Axonopus siccus （Poaceae） in the peat bogs, Lagenocarpus rigidus （Cyperaceae） in the sandy bogs, Schizachyrium tenerum （Poaceae） in the cerrado, while Vellozia sp. 8 （Velloziaceae） dominated the vegetation in the quartz gravel grassland. This study demonstrated that physical and chemical soil properties strongly related the diversity of plant species occurring in the different habitats of rupestrian fields.     

苍峄铁矿带苍山县沟西-西官庄矿区沟西矿段(凤凰山铁矿)主井井筒检查孔水文地质特征分析

苍峄铁矿带苍山县沟西-西官庄矿区沟西矿段,又称凤凰山铁矿,为隐伏的鞍山式低品位铁矿,矿区水文地质条件属于中等型。对施工的主井、副井、进风井、东风井和西风井井筒检查孔进行了水文地质编录和分层抽水试验,以主井井筒检查孔为例,划分了4层含水段,求得了各含水层的水文地质参数,对荒径涌水量进行了预测;基本查明了井筒检查孔的含水性等水文地质特征,确定了注浆段,为矿山立井防治水方案提供了设计依据。     

A practical method for SRTM DEM correction over vegetated mountain areas

Digital elevation models (DEMs) are essential to various applications in topography, geomorphology, hydrology, and ecology. The Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) DEM data set is one of the most complete and most widely used DEM data sets; it provides accurate information on elevations over bare land areas. However, the accuracy of SRTM data over vegetated mountain areas is relatively low as a result of the high relief and the penetration limitation of the C-band used for obtaining global DEM products. The objective of this study is to assess the performance of SRTM DEMs and correct them over vegetated mountain areas with small-footprint airborne Light Detection and Ranging (Lidar) data, which can develop elevation products and vegetation products [e.g., vegetation height, Leaf Area Index (LAI)] of high accuracy. The assessing results show that SRTM elevations are systematically higher than those of the actual land surfaces over vegetated mountain areas. The mean difference between SRTM DEM and Lidar DEM increases with vegetation height, whereas the standard deviation of the difference increases with slope. To improve the accuracy of SRTM DEM over vegetated mountain areas, a regression model between the SRTM elevation bias and vegetation height, LAI, and slope was developed based on one control site. Without changing any coefficients, this model was proved to be applicable in all the nine study sites, which have various topography and vegetation conditions. The mean bias of the corrected SRTM DEM at the nine study sites using this model (absolute value) is 89% smaller than that of the original SRTM DEM, and the standard deviation of the corrected SRTM elevation bias is 11% smaller.     

Augmenting forest inventory attributes with geometric optical modelling in support of regional susceptibility assessments to bark beetle infestations

Assessment of the susceptibility of forests to mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) infestation is based upon an understanding of the characteristics that predispose the stands to attack. These assessments are typically derived from conventional forest inventory data; however, this information often represents only managed forest areas. It does not cover areas such as forest parks or conservation regions and is often not regularly updated resulting in an inability to assess forest susceptibility. To address these shortcomings, we demonstrate how a geometric optical model (GOM) can be applied to Landsat-5 Thematic Mapper (TM) imagery (30 m spatial resolution) to estimate stand-level susceptibility to mountain pine beetle attack. Spectral mixture analysis was used to determine the proportion of sunlit canopy and background, and shadow of each Landsat pixel enabling per pixel estimates of attributes required for model inversion. Stand structural attributes were then derived from inversion of the geometric optical model and used as basis for susceptibility mapping. Mean stand density estimated by the geometric optical model was 2753 (standard deviation ± 308) stems per hectare and mean horizontal crown radius was 2.09 (standard deviation ± 0.11) metres. When compared to equivalent forest inventory attributes, model predictions of stems per hectare and crown radius were shown to be reasonably estimated using a Kruskal–Wallis ANOVA (p < 0.001). These predictions were then used to create a large area map that provided an assessment of the forest area susceptible to mountain pine beetle damage.     

基于栅格数据的山区人口分布规律研究

在人口密度栅格数据基础上定量分析了山区人口分布与地形、土地利用、道路、河网以及居民点之间的关系。结果表明山区人口密度与高程、坡度呈显著负相关,相关系数在-0.83以上;与道路、河流存在类似关系,即距离越远人口密度越低,与河流相关性较弱;居民点密度一定程度上直接反映了人口的分布状态,人口密度与中心城市距离存在较高的负相关性,相关系数达到-0.804;与土地利用关系密切,建设用地和耕地中人口密度明显高于其他类型。     

武陵山片区县域产业增长的空间特征

以武陵山片区67县市三次产业的增长效应为研究对象,应用SSM分析与ESDA分析相结合的方法,在对片区内各县市2003-2009年间三次产业增长效应分解的基础上,进一步考察了各增长效应的空间分布特征.结果表明:1.片区内县域产业增长呈现出明显的空间自相关性,即增长效应相似的县市趋于集聚在一起,但自相关强度仍然较弱且各分量效应间差异明显,第一二产业竞争力较强的县市空间集聚程度更高,而第三产业资源配置较合理的县市相对趋于集中;2.片区内各县市按照比较优势进行分工合作的动机不强,资源配置不够合理,特别是在成长性产业二三产业中恶性竞争问题仍十分突出.基于上述结论,从优化资源空间配置、加强县域合作两个方面提出了加快片区县域产业发展的建议.     

WEATHERING PIT CHARACTERISTICS AND TOPOGRAPHY ON STONE MOUNTAIN,GEORGIA

A detailed analysis of weathering-pit distribution on Georgia's Stone Mountain granite dome reveals a complex relationship between pit size and density, compared with slope aspect and angle. The uniform nature of the lithology provides an ideal natural laboratory for the analysis of weathering pits. Through the random establishment of 32 dome-encircling, ten-by-ten meter study plots within an elevational range from 610 to 650 meters, the distribution, size, aspect, slope and lithology of pit features were mapped, measured, and analyzed. Thematic maps were used in the visual representation of pit distribution and dimension data. Correlation coefficients, ANOVA, and multiple regression analyses were utilized to determine the relationships of these variables. Pits showed a dimensional and density increase toward a southwestern aspect as well as a dimensional and density increase with decreasing slope angle. Greatest pit dimensions were found at approximately the 200° N azimuth. These findings lead the authors to conclude that insolation weathering may be a more important process in granite pit formation on Stone Mountain than commonly believed because afternoon temperature maxima accelerate weathering through increased chemical constituent dissolution and/or crystal constituent disintegration. [Key words: weathering pits, gnammas, granite weathering, Stone Mountain.]     

A 7000-Year Record of Environmental Change,Bear Lake,Rocky Mountain National Park,USA

Few long-term records of the fire history of Rocky Mountain National Park exist. Data from a lake sediment core was used to reconstruct changes in vegetation and fire frequencies over the last 7000 cal yr. Bear Lake is a high-elevation lake surrounded by subalpine vegetation in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. Pollen data indicate that a warm and dry climate prevailed between ca. 7000 and 5000 cal yr BP. Temperatures increased until shortly before ca. 3500 cal yr BP when evidence for a marked decline is seen. Cooler-than-present conditions were maintained until ca. 1700 cal yr BP, when conditions transitioned to more like those of the present-day climate. Based on macroscopic charcoal analyses, fire frequency had varied between two and five episodes per 1000 years. The largest peak in charcoal was at ca. 590 cal yr BP. The fire return interval has varied with climate over time; however, we calculate a fire return interval of 325 years over the past 7000 years. Given these results, fire activity is likely to increase under current Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change climate projections of an increase in annual temperatures.