Extracting urban areas in China using DMSP/OLS nighttime light data integrated with biophysical composition information

DMSP/OLS nighttime light (NTL) image is a widely used data source for urbanization studies. Although OLS NTL data are able to map nighttime luminosity, the identification accuracy of distribution of urban areas (UAD) is limited by the overestimation of the lit areas resulting from the coarse spatial resolution. In view of geographical condition, we integrate NTL with Biophysical Composition Index (BCI) and propose a new spectral index, the BCI Assisted NTL Index (BANI) to capture UAD. Comparisons between BANI approach and NDVI-assisted SVM classification are carried out using UAD extracted from Landsat TM/ETM+ data as reference. Results show that BANI is capable of improving the accuracy of UAD extraction using NTL data. The average overall accuracy (OA) and Kappa coefficient of sample cities increased from 88.53% to 95.10% and from 0.56 to 0.84, respectively. Moreover, with regard to cities with more mixed land covers, the accuracy of extraction results is high and the improvement is obvious. For other cities, the accuracy also increased to varying degrees. Hence, BANI approach could achieve better UAD extraction results compared with NDVI-assisted SVM method, suggesting that the proposed method is a reliable alternative method for a large-scale urbanization study in China’s mainland.     

A global inventory of coral reef stressors based on satellite observed nighttime lights

In this article, we present a satellite-based approach to gather information about the threat to coral reefs worldwide. Three chosen reef stressors – development, gas flaring and heavily lit fishing boat activity – are analysed using nighttime lights data derived from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) produced at the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, National Geophysical Data Center (NOAA/NGDC). Nighttime lights represent a direct threat to coral reef ecosystems and are an excellent proxy measure for associated human-caused stressors. A lights proximity index (LPI) is calculated, measuring the distance of coral reef sites to each of the stressors and incorporating the stressor's intensity. Colourized maps visualize the results on a global scale. Area rankings clarify the effects of artificial night lighting on coral reefs on a regional scale. The results should be very useful for reef managers and for state administrations to implement coral reef conservation projects and for the scientific world to conduct further research.     

Grazing suppression of dimethylsulphoniopropionate (DMSP) accumulation in iron-fertilised, sub-Antarctic waters

The impact of in situ iron fertilisation on the production of particulate dimethylsulphoniopropionate (DMSPp) and its breakdown product dimethyl sulphide (DMS) was monitored during the SOLAS air-sea gas exchange experiment (SAGE). The experiment was conducted in the high nitrate, low chlorophyll (HNLC) waters of the sub-Antarctic Southern Ocean (46.7°S 172.5°E) to the south-east of New Zealand, during March-April, 2004. In addition to monitoring net changes in the standing stocks of DMSPp and DMS, a series of dilution experiments were used to determine the DMSPp production and consumption rates in relation to increased iron availability. In contrast to previous experiments in the Southern Ocean, DMS concentrations decreased over the course of the 15-d iron-fertilisation experiment, from an integrated volume-specific concentration in the mixed layer on day 0 of 0.78 nM (measured values 0.65-0.91 nM) to 0.46 nM (measured values 0.42-0.47 nM) by day 15, in parallel with the surrounding waters. DMSPp, chlorophyll a and the abundance of photosynthetic picoeukaryotes exhibited indiscernible or only moderate increases in response to the raised iron availability, despite an obvious physiological response by the phytoplankton. High specific growth rates of DMSPp, equivalent to 0.8-1.2 doublings d⁻¹, occurred at the simulated 60% light level of the dilution experiments. Despite the high production rates, DMSPp accumulation was suppressed in part by microzooplankton grazers who consumed between 61% d⁻¹ and 126% d⁻¹ of the DMSPp production. Temporal trends in the rates of production and consumption illustrated a close coupling between the DMSP-producing phytoplankton and their microzooplankton grazers. Similar grazing and production rates were observed for the eukaryotic picophytoplankton that dominated the phytoplankton biomass, partial evidence that picoeukaryotes contributed a substantial proportion of the DMSP synthesis. These rates for DMSPp and picoeukaryotes were considerably higher than for chlorophyll a, indicating higher cycling rates of the DMSP-producing taxa than for the bulk phytoplankton community. When compared to the total phytoplankton community, there was no evidence of selection against the DMSP-containing phytoplankton by the microzooplankton grazers; the opposite appeared to be the case. SAGE demonstrated that increased iron availability in the HNLC waters of the Southern Ocean does not invariably lead to enhanced DMS sea-air flux. The potential suppression of DMSPp accumulation by grazers needs to be taken into account in future attempts to elevate DMS emission through in situ iron fertilisation and in understanding the hypothesised link between levels of Aeolian iron deposition in the Southern Ocean, DMS emission and global albedo.     

Phaeocystis globosa Scherffel, a harmful microalga, and its production of dimethylsulfoniopropionate

The production of dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) and its cleavage products (DMS) are well studied in phytoplankton worldwide. However, less is known about their sources, distributions, and impacts in the coast of China. We examined the production of DMSP and DMS in Phaeocystis globosa Scherffel and other benthic macroalgae from the South China coast in relation to environmental conditions. P. globosa was a harmful marine microalgal species and its bloom took place in the eutrophic waters along the South China Sea frequently. It also produced high content of DMSP at different growth stages, with the highest concentration usually observed in the stationary period. Moreover, the production of DMSP in P. globosa was significantly affected by salinity and temperature with the highest contents associated with high salinity (e.g. 40) and low temperature (e.g. 20°C). In field benthic macroalgae, there was also a marked difference in the DMSP of various species or different samples of the same species. Chlorophyll a contents were also determined for each macroalgal species. The highest chlorophyll a (238.7 ng/g fresh weight) was recorded in Chlorophyta Ulva lactuca at Guishan Island (Zhuhai), while the lowest value (1.5 ng/g fresh weight) was found in Rhodophyta Gracilaria tenuistipitata in Zhanjiang. Further correlation analysis indicated that there was no significant relationship between the content of DMSP and chl-a in macroalgae samples (P > 0.05). All the results suggested that the production of DMSP in marine algae was not only species- and stage-related, but also greatly affected by various environmental factors.     

20世纪90年代中国城市时空变化特征——基于灯光指数CNLI方法的探讨

用DMSP/OLS夜间平均灯光强度图像在区域上的扩展特征和聚集特征构建了一反映区域城市化综合水平的灯光指数CNLI (compounded night light index) , 并分别在省级和县级尺度上对CNLI与基于统计数据的城市化水平指数做了相关分析,结果表明CNLI与基于统计数据的城市化水平复合指数显著相关,最后用CNLI分析了中国省际城市化水平的时空特征。CNLI为客观、实时监测城市化水平的空间格局及其发展变化提供了新的指标和方法。     

Physiological aspects of the production and conversion of DMSP in marine algae and higher plants

Dimethylsulphoniopropionate (DMSP) is a compound produced in several classes of algae and higher plants that live in the marine environment. Considering its generally high intracellular concentrations, DMSP has a function in the osmotic protection of algal cells. Due to the relatively slow adaptation of its intracellular concentrations upon salinity shifts, DMSP should, however, not be considered as an osmoticum in the strict sense of being responsible for osmotic balance, but rather as a constitutive compatible solute. Besides salinity, other factors also appear to affect cellular DMSP quotas, but the exact regulatory mechanisms are still unclear. In this review, a brief discussion is given of the three pathways of DMSP biosynthesis that are currently distinguished. This is followed by an overview of the factors that affect DMSP biosynthesis (light, salinity, temperature and nitrogen limitation) in relation to its physiological functions. A new hypothesis is presented in which DMSP production is described as an overflow mechanism for excess reduced compounds and for energy excess. Finally, the possible functionality of the enzymatic cleavage of DMSP is discussed in the context of an overflow mechanism.     

基于复合指数模型的DMSP/OLS夜间灯光影像饱和校正方法

由于OLS传感器航行过程中增益记录和交叉定标的缺失,使得DMSP夜光影像在城市中心出现过度饱和等问题,因此探讨灯光数据去饱和方法在人类活动强度评估和城市时空演化分析等方面具有重要意义。为了解决这一难题,有学者提出使用NDVI修正饱和灯光数据的VANUI指数,为研究灯光数据去饱和提供了简单便捷的思路,然而该指数在部分城市中较难有明显的校正效果。本文在VANUI指数思想的基础上,顾及到人口密度随着郊区到城市中心距离的增加呈现指数型增长,提出了基于复合指数模型校正夜间灯光指数CEANI,为人类活动强度评价等研究提供更准确的结果。研究表明:① 与VANUI相比,CEANI在刻画城市内部饱和区域特征时具有更好的细节,较好地凸显城市内部空间异质性;② 在25组随机样本的相关对比中,CEANI（R²mean=0.79）与辐射定标产品比VANUI（R²mean=0.68）具有更高的相关性;③ 三大城市群中CEANI与常住人口的R²分别为0.767、0.676和0.841,比VANUI（R²分别为0.640、0.553和0.775）分别提高了0.127、0.123、0.066,相较于VANUI,CEANI与常住人口具有更强的相关性,对于人口指标的估算能力更强。     

夜间灯光数据的区域能源消费碳排放空间化

针对传统统计数据无法准确、客观地测量区域能源消费碳排放量并展现地理分布差异的问题,该文提出利用DMSP/OLS卫星数据稳定夜间灯光数据和能源消费数据,模拟区域碳排放空间分布,揭示区域碳排放分布特征和规律。以河南省为研究区的分析结果表明:1995—2012年河南省能源消费碳排放总量逐年增加,郑州、洛阳和新乡市的能源消费碳排放量年均增长较快,三门峡、济源市的碳排放量增长较慢;2012年各地区能源消费碳排放强度高于1995年,18年间地均碳排放强度均呈现出明显的地域分布差异规律,主要集中在郑州、洛阳和安阳市区域内。基于夜间灯光数据模拟区域能源消费碳排放具有一定的可行性,该数据能比较可靠地反映区域能源消费碳排放的时空动态变化规律。     

近50年秦岭南北不均匀增温及对城市化响应

根据1961—2012年陕西省均一化气温数据分析了秦岭南北两侧平均气温、最高气温、最低气温的年、季节变化特征,结果表明:秦岭南北两侧年平均气温、最高气温和最低气温均呈增加趋势,增加幅度南北分布不均,北麓温度增幅较南麓显著;气温季节变化存在一定差异,平均气温在春季和冬季增温显著,最高气温在春季增温显著,最低气温在冬季增温显著,秦岭南北两侧春季、秋季气温日较差变大,冬季和夏季气温日较差变小。为了进一步明确气温变化的原因,结合DMSP (defense mete-orological satellite program)/OLS (operational lines-can system) 数据将秦岭南北两侧分为5个区域,分别计算每个区域内城市化对气温变化的影响以及城市化影响的贡献率表明:秦岭北麓城市化过程较秦岭南麓快,城市化发展的差异,导致了城市化对秦岭南北两侧温度影响的不均匀性,秦岭北麓气温变化受城市化影响程度明显高于秦岭南麓,影响主要以平均气温和最低气温为主,城市化发展的差异加剧了秦岭南北两侧气温变化的非均匀性。     

基于灯光数据的人口空间化

社会经济数据是研究城市发展的重要因子,而传统的社会经济数据由于与空间坐标不统一,对城市发展的空间变化难以提供有力的支持。本文利用DMSP/OLS灯光数据,基于生态控制线,通过回归运算制定深圳市2010年人口指数模型,得到深圳市2010年1 km~2人口空间化图,有利于对深圳市人口的空间分布特征进行分析,为城市的绿色发展提供依据。