Dynamic analysis of eco-environmental changes based on remote sensing and geographic information system: an example in Longdong region of the Chinese Loess Plateau

The Chinese Loess Plateau is suffering from severe soil erosion. The eco-environmental changes of the plateau are believed to have an important influence on global eco-environmental sustainability; hence, this problem has attracted considerable attention from scientists around the world. This study has two purposes; application of remote sensing (RS) and geographic information system (GIS) techniques in the dynamic analysis of eco-environmental changes in the semiarid zone; and using the Longdong region of the Chinese Loess Plateau as an example, to make dynamic analysis of the eco-environmental changes of the region during the 1986–2004 period and identify controlling factors. Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data at a spatial resolution of 30 m were used for analysis. Two training areas were selected in Jingning and Qingcheng counties for analysis using 10-m resolution SPOT and Landsat TM data. The satellite RS images were obtained from the Institute of Remote Sensing Application (IRSA), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Each images was rectified by Albers Equal Area Conic projection based on 1:50,000 scale topographic maps after spectrum preparation of the images. To make the precision within 1 or 2 pixels, the accurate coordinative control points of the two systems were identified. Then the interpretation key was established based on the land use/cover survey in the study area. The images were classified into six primary environmental types (farmland, forest, grassland, water, construction area, and desert) and 25 sub-types using a visual image interactive interpretation method to obtain vector and attribute data. The resultant accuracy of the land use/cover classification reached 95%. Finally, the transformation areas and ratios of various eco-environmental types in the region were calculated to obtain the transition matrixes of eco-environmental types in the two training areas, Jingning and Qingcheng. This study demonstrates that satellite RS and GIS techniques are effective tools to monitor and analyze the eco-environmental changes in the semiarid region. Visual image interactive interpretation based on GIS technique provides comprehensive information on the direction, rate, and location of eco-environmental changes. The transition matrix model can be used to precisely analyze the variation and rates of the eco-environmental types and their spatial distribution. Great land use changes have taken place Longdong during the 1986–2004 period. These eco-environmental changes were driven by natural and human factors. Natural factors influencing the Longdong region of the Chinese Loess Plateau mainly include temperature, water condition, terrain, soil, and erosion; while human activities include over-cultivation, overgrazing, and fuelwood cutting. As viewed from the extent and severity of the influences, human activities play a very important role in altering the eco-environment of the semiarid region. The study results indicate a need for future research and observation in the semiarid region.     

Evaluation of groundwater quality in coastal areas: implications for sustainable agriculture

Seawater intrusion is a problem in the coastal areas of Korea. Most productive agricultural fields are in the western and southern coastal areas of the country where irrigation predominantly relies on groundwater. Seawater intrusion has affected agricultural productivity. To evaluate progressive encroachment of saline water, the Korean government established a seawater intrusion monitoring well network, especially in the western and southern part of the peninsula. Automatic water levels and EC monitoring and periodic chemical analysis of groundwater help track salinization. Salinization of fresh groundwater is highly associated with groundwater withdrawal. A large proportion of the groundwaters are classified as Na–Cl and Ca–Cl types. The Na–Cl types represent effects of seawater intrusion. The highest EC level was over 1.6 km inland and high Cl values were observed up to 1.2 km inland. Lower ratios of Na/Cl and SO₄/Cl than seawater values indicate the seawater encroachment. A linear relation between Na and Cl represents simple mixing of the fresh groundwater with the seawater. The saline Na–Cl typed groundwaters showed Br/Cl ratios similar to or less than seawater values. The Ca–HCO₃ type groundwaters had the highest Br/Cl ratios. Substantial proportions of the groundwaters showed potential for salinity and should be better managed for sustainable agriculture.     

Outgoing long wave radiation variability from IR satellite data prior to major earthquakes

Our analysis of the continuous outgoing long wave earth radiation (OLR) indicates anomalous variations prior to a number of medium to large earthquakes. The most recent analysis of OLR is from the M9.0 Sumatra Andaman Islands mega trust event. We compared the reference fields for December 2001 to 2004 and found OLR anomalous values, > 80 W/m², (2σ) within the epicentral area on Dec 21, 2004, 5 days before the event. We used the NOAA/IR daily (one degree) and monthly (two and half degree) gridded data to differentiate between the global and seasonal variability and the transient local anomalies. The cause of such anomalies is not fully understood; one possible explanation is the existence of thermal outgoing radiation as a result of near ground air ionization and latent heat change due to change of air humidity and temperature. This phenomenon is hypothesized to be part of a relationship between tectonic stresses, electrochemical and thermodynamic processes in the atmosphere and increasing mid IR flux, all part of a family of electromagnetic (EM) phenomena related to earthquake activity. The time scale of the observed variations is a few weeks before the onset of the seismic event. In comparison with several years of data, the observed time-series preceding the earthquake had unusually high OLR. The OLR anomaly corresponds to a large area of ground coverage and coincides with the main epicentral zone. The significance of these observations is explored using data from most recent East Asian earthquake swarm of December 2004 and three other earthquakes.     

Irrigated area determination: a case study in the Province of San Juan,Argentina

Much of the central-western region of Argentina, where San Juan Province is located, experiences arid to semi-arid climatic conditions with low average annual rainfall accompanied by substantial evapotranspiration. Consequently, a viable crop industry depends to a large extent upon irrigation from major river systems. Increasing demand for water in the lower basin of the San Juan River is emphasizing the need for more accurate estimates of water used for irrigation. Since the water demand for a particular crop is very closely related to crop area, monitoring the area of crop under irrigation is considered a proxy for the amount of water used. Landsat 5 imagery for the growing season, field data and aerial photographs were used to evaluate crop area.     

Surface properties of stabilizing coastal dunes: combining spectral and field analyses

The coastal dunes of Israel have been undergoing a process of stabilization since 1948. One of the major features of this process is a change in the surface properties of the dunes – the development of a biological soil crust (BSC), and a change in the properties of the sand grains themselves. In Ashdod, at the southern coastal plain of Israel, sand properties that include the BSC, their fines (silt and clay) content and free iron-oxide (indicating their degree of rubification) have been analysed in detail using field and lab spectroscopy methods. In addition, sand erosion and deposition were measured using erosion pins to determine their effect on the presence of the above-mentioned factors. It was found that the BSC over these dunes is comprised of green algae that differs in its reflectance spectra from cyanobacterial crust, especially in the blue band. The crust was found to be particularly developed in the stable areas (mainly the interdunes) and on the north-facing slopes rather than on the south-facing slopes. A positive correlation was found between the crust fines and chlorophyll content, with stable areas showing more developed BSC. The stable areas showed also a lower albedo and slightly more developed reddish colour, indicating a slightly higher rate of rubification. This study demonstrates that the intensity of sand erosion/deposition rates affects soil properties, with the BSC being the fastest to react to the stabilization process (months to several years), followed by the content of fine particles (several years to a decade), whereas the rubification process is a much weaker marker and may need much longer time periods to develop (decades to centuries).     

遥感监测水质参数的方法概述

介绍了内陆湖泊水质遥感监测的特点及遥感监测水质的机理;总结了国内外近年来用于内陆湖泊水质参数反演的3种常用方法:经验模型、半经验法和机理模型法,并分析了3种模型的优缺点;讨论了目前遥感在水质监测应用中存在的问题和未来该领域研究的重点。     

Remote sensing research issues of the National Land Use Change Program of China

In 1999, the Ministry of Land and Resources (MLR) of China launched the National Land Use Change Program especially to monitor the scale and distribution of urban expansion and the decrease in cultivated land through remote sensing technology. This Program has been carried out annually and continuously for seven years since then and played an important role in the policy-making of MLR about land management and planning. This paper gives an overview about this Program and discusses several research issues. First, the remote sensing data sources and other ancillary data used in this Program are presented. The approaches for image preprocessing, i.e. radiometric normalization, image geometric rectification and image fusion are then introduced with an emphasis on the algorithm development for image registration. Second, land use change detection technique is the most critical and complex aspect of the Program. The methodologies for change detection using either bi-temporal image pair or one existing land use map and one remotely sensed image are detailed. Third, since the data of land use changes derived from remote sensing will be operationally used for local and central government, field validation and accuracy assessment are crucial to ensure the reliability of change detection results. The strategy of field work and the resulting accuracy evaluations is presented. The land use and change information derived from remotely sensed data has wide applications for land management, including land use database updating, verification of land use planning and monitoring of national high-tech parks. Last, suggestions on how to make full use of the images and change detection result, to improve the consistency of land use classification and to develop change detection algorithms for diverse and complex remote sensing data are given.     

鄂尔多斯盆地伊盟隆起区东部微烃渗漏区的遥感识别及其意义

微烃渗漏遥感探测的机理主要是建立在烃类微渗漏异常地球化学表征和形成的基础上。本文主要依据Schum acher(1996)和Saunders等(1999)提出的烃类微渗漏异常地球化学原理和模型,以鄂尔多斯盆地伊盟隆起东部为研究区,以多光谱遥感和航空放射性遥感为探测手段,分别利用氧化铁指数(TM3/TM1)、亚铁指数(TM5/TM4)和黏土化指数(TM5/TM7)来识别Fe3 氧化物、Fe2 氧化物和有机质、黏土化和碳酸盐化的相对富集区,同时用矿物组合图像来增强显示上述信息。综合亚铁指数(TM5/TM4)分割图像、矿物组合图像、航放铀、钍、钾信息及钍归一化铀指数等信息,提取了研究区微烃渗漏地段。研究表明,研究区存在两条Fe2 氧化物和有机质相对富集区带。一条为与库布齐沙漠走向近于一致的北部近东西向带,它与石油部门发现和描述的油气渗漏区域基本一致。另一条为泊海子—准召—新庙不连续的北西向带,它的北界与泊海子—准召断裂展布基本一致。在垂直中部北西向微烃渗漏带的剖面上,清晰显示亚铁指数(Fe2 )、航放测量铀(U)、钍归一化铀(Ud)为正异常;氧化铁指数(Fe3 )、航放测量总道值(Tc)和钾(K)、钍归一化(Kd)为负异常的特点。研究认为地表还原带是由油气微渗漏形成的,推测受断裂、裂隙带控制的、主要由油气微渗漏形成的还原带对东胜铀矿带形成聚集起了重要作用。     

遥感技术在三峡库区千将坪滑坡研究中的应用

 2003年7月13日，三峡库区湖北省秭归县沙镇溪镇千将坪村发生特大型滑坡灾害后，利用先进的数字遥感技术，结合滑坡前 后的高分辨率的遥感数据、地形图资料和野外所测的GPS控制点，制作出研究区滑坡前后的数字高程模型(DEM)，同时采用合理的图 像处理技术，获得了滑坡前后正射影像图。利用三维可视化技术，采用人机交互解译滑坡，详细的对比解译滑坡前后的影像，分别 对滑体的滑动方向、距离和堆积体面积进行了定量计算，结合勘查资料估算出其体积约为1 500万方，综合地质学、灾害学原理和 地理空间信息技术等科学分析了千将坪滑坡的形成条件，认为千将坪在“7.13”滑坡之前为一特大型顺层古滑坡，而“7.13”滑坡 是古滑坡的大规模复活，三峡库区蓄水和降雨综合作用是促使滑坡复活的主要诱发因素。     

《遥感图像处理》课程教学在地理学专业中的探索与实践

针对地理专业的自身特点和当前遥感图像处理的教学现状，提出了遥感图像处理课程在地理专业中的主要教学内容框架、教学方法以及教学改革方向，并对该课程的实践教学部分做了重点介绍，最后论述了该课程在地理学专业实践教学中的取得一些教改成果。