A heuristic cellular automata approach for modelling urban land-use change based on simulated annealing

This article presents a novel cellular automata (CA) approach to simulate the spatio-temporal process of urban land-use change based on the simulated annealing (SA) algorithm. The SA algorithm enables dynamic optimisation of the CA's transition rules that would otherwise be difficult to configure using conventional mathematical methods. In this heuristic approach, an objective function is constructed based on a theoretical accumulative disagreement between the simulated land-use pattern and the actual land-use pattern derived from remotely sensed imagery. The function value that measures the mismatch between the actual and the simulated land-use patterns would be minimised randomly through the SA process. Hence, a set of attribution parameters that can be used in the CA model is achieved. An SA optimisation tool was developed using Matlab and incorporated into the cellular simulation in GIS to form an integrated SACA model. An application of the SACA model to simulate the spatio-temporal process of land-use change in Jinshan District of Shanghai Municipality, PR China, from 1992 to 2008 shows that this modelling approach is efficient and robust and can be used to reconstruct historical urban land-use patterns to assist with urban planning policy-making and actions. Comparison of the SACA model with a typical CA model based on a logistic regression method without the SA optimisation (also known as LogCA) shows that the SACA model generates better simulation results than the LogCA model, and the improvement of the SACA over the LogCA model is largely attributed to higher locational accuracy, a feature desirable in most spatially explicit simulations of geographical processes.     

A new discovery of transition rules for cellular automata by using cuckoo search algorithm

This paper presents an intelligent approach to discover transition rules for cellular automata (CA) by using cuckoo search (CS) algorithm. CS algorithm is a novel evolutionary search algorithm for solving optimization problems by simulating breeding behavior of parasitic cuckoos. Each cuckoo searches the best upper and lower thresholds for each attribute as a zone. When the zones of all attributes are connected by the operator ‘And’ and linked with a cell status value, one CS-based transition rule is formed by using the explicit expression of ‘if-then’. With two distinct advantages of efficient random walk of Lévy flights and balanced mixing, CS algorithm performs well in both local search and guaranteed global convergence. Furthermore, the CA model with transition rules derived by CS algorithm (CS-CA) has been applied to simulate the urban expansion of Nanjing City, China. The simulation produces encouraging results, in terms of numeric accuracy and spatial distribution, in agreement with the actual patterns. Preliminary results suggest that this CS approach is well suitable for discovering reliable transition rules. The model validation and comparison show that the CS-CA model gets a higher accuracy than NULL, BCO-CA, PSO-CA, and ACO-CA models. Simulation results demonstrate the feasibility and practicability of applying CS algorithm to discover transition rules of CA for simulating geographical systems.     

Residual vorticity induced by the action of tidal currents in combination with bottom topography in the Southern Bight of the North Sea

Abstract

Results are presented of calculations on the generation of residual vorticity by tidal currents over the bottom topography of the Southern Bight of the North Sea. A typical order of magnitude is 10^?6 to 10^?7 s ^?1. This is compared with current measurements on calm days, when similar magnitudes are found. At windspeeds less than about 5 m/s tidal generation of residual vorticity is important; at higher windspeeds wind effects begin to dominate. Our results are relevant in understanding the spatial variability of residual currents, because a non-zero vorticity implies the existence of horizontal gradients in the residual current field.     

Simulating hourly rainfall occurrence within an equatorial rainforest,Borneo Island / Simulation de l'occurrence de pluie horaire au sein de la forêt équatoriale,Ile de Bornéo

Abstract

The ability to simulate characteristics of the diurnal cycle of rainfall occurrence, and its evolution over the seasons is important to the forecasting of hydrological impacts resulting from land-use and climate changes within the humid tropics. This stochastic modelling study uses a generalized linear model (GLM) solution to second-order Markov chain models, as these discrete models are better at describing binary occurrence processes on an hourly time-scale than continuous-time approaches such as stochastic state-space models. We show that transition probabilities derived by the Markov chain method need to be time-varying rather than stationary to simulate the evolution of the diurnal cycle of rainfall occurrence over a Southeast Asian monsoon sequence. The conceptual and pragmatic links between discrete diurnal processes and continuous processes occurring over seasonal periods are thereby simulated within the same model.     

南海北部洋陆转换带盆地发育动力学机制

南海北部洋陆转换带是近年来基础科学研究和深水油气勘探热点地区.本文在详细研究南海北部洋陆转换带新采集的二维长电缆深反射地震剖面资料的基础上,采用挠曲悬臂梁模型和挠曲回剥模型算法,分别计算了上地壳、地壳和整个岩石圈拉伸系数,实验结果表明,研究区洋陆转换带盆地岩石圈发生了与深度相关的拉伸变形过程,并且随深度增加,拉伸量逐渐变大,该结果解释了南海北部盆地裂后阶段发生的加速沉降现象.同时,本文结合南海北部洋陆转换带盆地发育过程的特点,将洋陆转换带盆地演化划分为陆内裂陷阶段、裂后热沉降阶段和裂后加速沉降阶段.本研究将有助于认识南海北部深水盆地特征,并对大陆边缘动力学研究和陆缘盆地深水区油气勘探有重要意义.     

中国大陆东南缘地震接收函数与地壳和上地幔结构

从2008-2011年,分别在中国大陆东南缘沿海和内陆两条NE向剖面上进行了宽频地震观测,利用记录到的远震波形资料提取得到1446个远震P波接收函数,用H-κ叠加扫描和CCP偏移叠加方法研究了中国大陆东南缘地壳及上地幔过渡带的结构及其变化特征.结合固定台网25个台站的H-κ结果,获得中国大陆东南缘(福建地区)地壳厚度从内陆到沿海逐渐减薄的图像:地壳从闽西北山区的33 km减薄到厦门沿海一带的29 km以下,平均地壳厚度为31.3 km,具有陆地向洋壳过渡的特征;地壳泊松比从内陆到沿海显示出分带特征,闽中西部内陆地区小于0.26,沿海地带高于0.26,且在断裂带的交汇区域表现为相对异常高值.地壳上地幔顶部(0~200 km)的CCP偏移叠加成像结果显示闽江断裂等NW向断裂深切Moho界面,在断裂两侧Moho面急剧抬升或下沉,产状改变,这些特征向内陆地区逐渐变得不明显.闽江等NW向断裂对研究区地壳厚度、地震等有明显控制作用.上地幔尺度(300~700 km)的CCP偏移叠加成像,未见410 km和660 km速度间断面突变和起伏异常,其绝对深度略大于IASP91模型的,上地幔转换带厚度正常(250±5 km),表明中国大陆东南缘上地幔转换带未受欧亚与菲律宾板块碰撞的明显影响,推断中国大陆东南缘及台湾海峡下方不存在俯冲板块,或俯冲前缘未扰动到410 km的深度.     

Illegal Farmland Conversion in China's Urban Periphery: Local Regime and National Transitions

Through a case study in a village located in suburban Haikou City, Hainan Province, this article suggests the existence of a local development regime that exercises illegal farmland conversion in China's urban periphery. This regime consists not only of state officials and business investors, but also of local farmers anxious for off-farm employment. Our study highlights the broad transitions that led to the rise of local development regimes in China's urban periphery. These transitions include (1) the development of the local state, (2) farmers' changing relations with local authorities, and (3) the asymmetrical liberalization of land transaction rights in rural and urban areas. Whereas the state government still manages to intervene in the local conversion of farmland, such intervention is increasingly ineffective as economic liberalization intensifies. A series of potential policies are recommended to protect farmland and agricultural livelihoods in the context of rapid urbanization.     

Historical manufacturing volatility and local sustainability efforts: A link to the past

Renewed attention to the role of subnational efforts in addressing myriad environmental challenges necessitates a greater understanding of the factors associated with program adoption. Given observed relationships between adoption of sustainability practices and the presence of carbon-intensive industry, and separately the observed persistence of industrial history in a given place, we explore the link between historical manufacturing employment volatility and current sustainability plan adoption at the local level. Our analysis suggests that the magnitude of changes in manufacturing employment is inversely related to the likelihood of sustainability plan adoption. Our analysis further suggests that, given the same pace of change, counties with shrinking manufacturing employment are more likely to adopt sustainability plans than those with growing employment. Lastly, we find that the link between past industrial transitions and local sustainability commitment is moderated by local disaster experience and priority for environmental protection. Collectively, the findings also shed light on potential—and otherwise unobservable—barriers to transitions to sustainable practices at the local level. In particular, the inverse relationship between pace of employment change and plan adoption suggests that minimizing the rapidity of contemporary transitions may counterintuitively ease the eventual adoption of sustainability-related policies.     

雪峰山西侧盆山过渡带震旦系-下古生界油气地质调查研究进展

近年来针对雪峰山西侧盆山过渡带震旦系-下古生界油气新区新层系所开展的主要油气地质综合调查研究工作及取得的主要进展有：一是综合利用野外地质调查、微古化石和同位素地层测试及以往资料成果,建立完善了震旦系-下古生界统一的多重地层划分对比方案,新建了几丁虫等典型微古化石剖面和同位素地层剖面;二是基本查明区内构造格架和主要褶皱、断裂、滑脱层的分布特征,明确雪峰山主要为准原地构造隆起成因;三是较高精度地恢复了震旦纪-早古生代重点时期岩相古地理面貌及其沉积充填演化序列,揭示了沉积相带对生储岩石发育分布的控制关系;四是更详细地圈定了震旦系-下古生界9个重点层组烃源岩和储集岩的发育分布特征,划分出3套有利生储盖组合;五是解剖总结认为构造抬升和断裂活动是区内及邻区古油藏形成的主要控制因素．其中断裂是决定现今油气保存与勘探选区最重要的因素之一;六是优选出利川-恩施等4个有利含气远景区及2个较有利含气远景区,为深入开展油气勘探目标区优选、实现油气勘探新发现奠定工作基础。     

A New Formation Mechanism of Coesite without the Plate Deeply-Subduction and Fast-Exhumation——Comment on the Article “Discussion on Some Problems of Quartz-Coesite Phase Transition”

本文分析评论了嵇少丞等(2010)发表的“石英—柯石英相变研究中若干问题讨论”一文.指出他们对柯石英非俯冲折返新机制的一些误解,对某些热力学、物理学概念,及其在地学问题中的解释理解的不同.分析了机械球磨的作用机制;论证了机械球磨作用本质与构造挤压剪切作用本质的同一性.分析了岩石糜棱岩化过程的两个阶段;讨论了地震波形成柯石英机制的可能性.围绕比较标准问题,论证了高能机械球磨(预处理)能大大降低α-石英转变成柯石英的压力、温度和合成时间,促进柯石英的形成.用小尺度不均匀局域高压微区模型解释了人工合成柯石英的规律性、南极洲天然矿物的行为,柯石英的寄生矿物、岩石——锆石、榴辉岩包裹体、非包裹体的形成.列举事例澄清了“球磨引进的Fe杂质提高柯石英形成压力迟缓合成”的说法;讨论了第二相存在对石英—柯石英转变的影响和“应变禁区”边界区的应力梯度相变驱动力可以形成柯石英问题.指出了机械球磨石英原料预处理和静高压合成柯石英后处理两步法,是一种实验室研究柯石英形成规律的有效物理方法;小尺度不均匀局域高压微区模型和无需板块深俯冲快折返的柯石英形成机制,是一种有希望的柯石英形成新机制.