A morphological investigation of marine transgression in estuaries

The landscape setting of estuaries varies widely and is an important aspect of determining how they evolve. This paper focusses on alluvial estuaries in river valleys and how they respond to sea level rise. We examine the implications of marine transgression, as a response to sea level rise, where the estuary moves upwards and landwards to maintain its position in the tidal frame (so-called stratigraphic rollover). Here we encapsulate such kinematic movement of the estuary morphology using a ‘morphokinematic’ model, to assess the potential response to sea level rise and sediment supply. The model of the estuary form includes a single convergent channel, intertidal and surrounding floodplains (the valley) and allows the relative importance of the space available for deposition of sediments, the accommodation space, to be investigated as a function of rates of sea level rise and sediment supply. The transgression of the system is determined using a sediment mass balance, taking account of any supply from the river and marine environment. Model results confirm that the transgression distance, measured as the distance the entity moves landward, varies in proportion to the change in accommodation space, which mainly depends on the floodplain area. As the size of the floodplain reduces, the transgression distance is less and the system becomes much more sensitive to changes in the rate of sea level rise or changes in sediment supply. The greater demand for sediment when a floodplain is present results in greater cannibalization of the estuary form (i.e. greater landward movement) to meet the sediment demand. When the floodplain is disconnected from the estuary, the synergistic relationship is lost and the accommodation space increases. The capacity for restoration will depend on the availability of sediment and the prevailing rate of sea level rise.     

基于3D雕刻技术的岩体结构面剪切各向异性研究

相同形貌结构面重复性剪切试验和各向异性剪切试验一直是岩体结构面剪切力学特性试验研究中的难点,而该问题对于工程岩体的开挖力学响应和稳定性分析、评价与控制至关重要,问题的关键在于同一种岩石的结构面形貌的再现。为此,基于3D扫描和3D雕刻技术,重复制备了3种不同粗糙度的大理岩结构面试样,开展了不同法向应力下相同形貌结构面的各向异性剪切试验。试验结果发现：（1）同一法向应力、不同剪切方向下,相同形貌结构面的剪切强度、剪胀和剪切破坏特征均呈现明显各向异性;（2）结构面粗糙度各向异性很大程度上决定了剪切强度的各向异性,两者具有较好的正相关性;（3）随着法向应力的升高,结构面剪切特征的各向异性有逐渐弱化的趋势。同时,研究还充分表明,3D雕刻技术是系统开展结构面剪切力学特征各向异性研究的可靠手段,可在将来研究中发挥更为重要的作用。     

The radular morphology of Nassariidae (Gastropoda: Caenogastropoda) from China

The family Nassariidae includes a number of species that are distributed throughout the world. Each species has a characteristic shell shape, tooth shape, and behavior. However, the classification of species in this family of the Rhachiglossa is controversial. We describe the radulae of 22 species from China in detail using optical and scanning electron microscopy. These species are considered to be representatives of two subfamilies, two genera, and 10 subgenera. Our results suggest that the morphology of the central tooth and the pair of lateral teeth and the presence or absence of a pair of intermediate accessory lateral teeth could be used to distinguish among species. We found no support for the subgeneric differentiation of the species. However, the presence or absence of the intermediate lateral accessory plate was characteristic of species divisions. We noted sexual dimorphism in the shape of the teeth in some species, and considerable variability of the shape of teeth within a single species. Based on our results, the genus Nassarius cannot be split into subgenera using radula morphology.     

基于数学形态学的位场数据边缘增强方法

位场数据边缘增强对于地质构造研究和矿床勘查具有重要意义。现有的边缘增强方法多数基于位场数据的导数构建,往往存在对噪声敏感的缺点,且处理结果中常有虚假边界的出现。本文基于数学形态学良好的形状分析和噪声压制性能,通过数学形态学基本算子的组合叠加,提出了一种新的位场数据边缘增强方法。该方法容易实现,且不需要计算位场数据的水平和垂向导数。板状体模型试验结果表明,该方法能有效地对重力异常和化极后的磁异常数据进行边缘增强。针对三维模型试验中正负异常同时存在的情况,相比以往几种方法,该方法输出的边缘更清晰且没有额外边缘的产生,并表现出更强的抗噪能力。最后将该方法和以往几种方法应用到老挝万象地区实际重力异常数据的处理中,结果显示该方法刻画出的边缘更加连续清晰;同时结合以往地质资料,推断了成矿的有利部位。     

规则格网DEM局地坡面凸凹性精度分析

DEM地表形态精度分析理论与方法的建立,对DEM数据的生产和广泛应用具有重要意义。本文从局地坡面形态的凸凹性角度,剖析规则格网DEM格网点位置、格网分辨率对DEM局地坡面凸凹性的影响,以期进一步完善和发展DEM质量分析的理论与方法。论文首先阐述了DEM局地坡面凸凹性的基本概念,研究建立了规则格网DEM的局地坡面凸凹性量化分析方法,并以黄土丘陵5、10、15、25、……、155 m DEM为例,采用比较分析方法研究了局地坡面凸凹性随DEM格网点位置和格网分辨率的变化特征。研究表明:对于本研究中的1:5万DEM,10 m(跃变率≤0.3%)是其最佳的格网分辨率阈值,当DEM实际格网分辨率高于该阈值时,实际DEM与最佳格网分辨率DEM具有近乎相同的局地坡面凸凹性,主要在正地形与负地形的过渡区域会发生不同程度的坡面凸凹性变化;当DEM实际格网分辨率低于该阈值时,实际DEM的局地坡面凸凹性,会随着DEM格网点布设位置和DEM格网分辨率发生较大的不确定性变化。     

山西中部一次积层混合云降水微物理特征研究

基于2011年5月9日山西中部地区一次积层混合云降水的机载探测和地面雨滴谱观测资料,分析了空中云系微物理参量的垂直分布、冰晶形态及演变和地面降水的微物理特征。结果表明：此次积层混合云为冷云结构,垂直分布不均匀,云中过冷水较为丰沛,对流泡的存在造成云内不同区域云水含量不均匀。云滴的凝华增长导致5.3 km处大云粒子和降水粒子数浓度明显增加。小云粒子谱分布以单峰型为主,峰值直径主要位于5～6 μm或9～10 μm,大云粒子谱分布呈多峰型,不同高度处变化较大。此次降水观测到的冰晶形态包括板状、针柱状、柱帽状、辐枝状和不规则形状,4.9 km处受聚合和淞附过程的共同影响,辐枝状和针柱状冰晶增多,在4.1 km处融化层附近淞附状冰晶明显增加。地面降水受到雨滴谱仪布设位置的影响,其微物理结构主要呈现为层状云降水的特征。     

Shape indexes for semi-automated detection of windbreaks in thematic tree cover maps from the central United States

Windbreaks are an important ecological resource across the large expanse of agricultural land in the central United States and are often planted in straight-line or L-shaped configurations to serve specific functions. As high-resolution (i.e., <5 m) land cover datasets become more available for these areas, semi- or fully-automated methods for distinguishing windbreaks from other patches of trees are needed for use with thematic raster datasets. To address this need, we created three shape indexes: a morphology-based index that we have named the Straight and Narrow Feature Index (SNFI), a windbreak sinuosity index, and an area index indicating the occupied fractional area of a bounding box. The indexes were tested in two study areas: (1) a riparian area dominated by sinuous bands of trees but mixed with row crop agriculture and (2) an agricultural area with a mix of straight-line and L-shaped windbreaks. In the riparian area, a Kruskall–Wallis rank sum test indicated class differences for all three indexes, and pairwise comparisons indicate windbreaks and riparian trees are separable using any of the three indexes. SNFI also produced significant differences between windbreaks oriented in different directions (east–west vs. north–south). In the agricultural area, the Kruskall–Wallis rank sum test indicated differences between classes for all three indexes, and pairwise comparisons show that all class pairs have significant differences for at least one index, with the exception of L-shaped windbreaks vs. non-windbreak tree patches. We also used classification trees to objectively assign representative samples of tree patches to classes using both single indexes and multiple indexes. Classes were correctly assigned for more than 90% of the samples in both the riparian and agricultural study areas. In the riparian area, combining indexes did not improve accuracy compared to using SNFI alone, whereas in the agricultural area, combining the three indexes produced the best result. Thematic datasets derived from high-resolution imagery are becoming more available, and extracting useful information can be a challenge, partly due to the large amount of data to assess. Calculating the three shape indexes presented can assist with efficient identification of candidate windbreaks and as such, hold good promise for value-added analysis of tree function in the central United States.     

A novel mathematical morphology based algorithm for shoreline extraction from satellite images

Abstract

Shoreline extraction is fundamental and inevitable for several studies. Ascertaining the precise spatial location of the shoreline is crucial. Recently, the need for using remote sensing data to accomplish the complex task of automatic extraction of features, such as shoreline, has considerably increased. Automated feature extraction can drastically minimize the time and cost of data acquisition and database updating. Effective and fast approaches are essential to monitor coastline retreat and update shoreline maps. Here, we present a flexible mathematical morphology-driven approach for shoreline extraction algorithm from satellite imageries. The salient features of this work are the preservation of actual size and shape of the shorelines, run-time structuring element definition, semi-automation, faster processing, and single band adaptability. The proposed approach is tested with various sensor-driven images with low to high resolutions. Accuracy of the developed methodology has been assessed with manually prepared ground truths of the study area and compared with an existing shoreline classification approach. The proposed approach is found successful in shoreline extraction from the wide variety of satellite images based on the results drawn from visual and quantitative assessments.     

Analyzing Accessibility Using Parcel Data: Is There Still an Access–Space Trade-Off in Long Beach,California?

This article analyzes the impact of changing housing and neighborhood characteristics on the accessibility of neighborhood businesses using Long Beach, California, as a case study. Although advocates of smart growth and New Urbanism encourage land use mixing, aggregate-level analysis can be too coarse to pick up on fine-grained aspects of urban streetscapes. This study uses assessor parcel records and a point-based business establishment data set to analyze city-wide patterns of accessibility from individual dwelling units to thirty-one types of neighborhood businesses, including grocery stores, service shops, drug stores, doctor's offices, and banks. Regression results compare parcel-level and neighborhood-level drivers of accessibility between 2006 and 2015 to gauge the aggregated effect of recent economic, demographic, and built environment changes on this aspect of urban spatial structure. Larger homes in older, multiunit buildings and higher income neighborhoods show substantial increases in accessibility to most establishment types, suggesting a trend toward both greater accessibility and larger dwelling units—despite the traditional trade-off between access and space. Although gradual increases in home and business density increased overall accessibility over this period, weaker neighborhood-level results indicate that this trend is less pronounced in high-poverty and non-white areas.     

台风“麦德姆”后海岸横向沙丘年内形态变化的观测

基于2014年第10号强台风“麦德姆”登陆前后一年内不同时间的福建平潭岛长江澳海岸横向沙丘形态高精度观测数据,分析了台风后典型海岸横向沙丘的年内形态变化过程及其特征。结果表明：（1）台风“麦德姆”造成海岸横向沙丘的体积减小、高度降低,其中体积减少了1.3%、丘顶高度最大降低1.43 m,且不同部位的变化程度亦非完全一致。（2）海岸横向沙丘形态在台风“麦德姆”后的一年内主要以体积增加、高度增大为特征,半年内海岸横向沙丘的体积与高度即已超过台风登陆前,丘顶高度最大月均升高0.39 m,沙丘迎风坡基本恢复到台风登陆前状态,背风坡以堆积为主且高度超过台风之前。（3）海岸横向沙丘的形态特征是由丰富的海滩沙源、强劲的常态向岸风、沙丘原形态及植被盖度等因素相互作用的结果,其中丰富的海滩沙源和强劲的常态向岸风是决定性因素,台风对海岸横向沙丘形态的影响应是暂时性的,较长时间尺度而言低频高能的台风对海岸横向沙丘形态的塑造作用相对有限。