Validation of MODIS Vegetation Continuous Fields for monitoring deforestation and forest degradation: two cases in Mexico

This study assesses whether MODIS Vegetation Continuous Fields percent tree cover (PTC) data can detect deforestation and forest degradation. To assess the usefulness of PTC for detecting deforestation, we used a data set consisting of eight forest and seven non-forest categories. To evaluate forest degradation, we used data from two temperate forest types in three conservation states: primary (dense), secondary (moderately degraded) and open (heavily degraded) forest. Our results show that PTC can differentiate temperate forest from non-forest categories (p = 0.05) and thus suggests PTC can adequately detect deforestation in temperate forests. In contrast, single-date PTC data does not appear to be adequate to detect forest degradation in temperate forests. As for tropical forest, PTC can partially discriminate between forest and non-forest categories.     

Forest fragmentation in Massachusetts,USA: a town-level assessment using Morphological spatial pattern analysis and affinity propagation

Forest fragmentation has been studied extensively with respect to biodiversity loss, disruption of ecosystem services, and edge effects although the relationship between forest fragmentation and human activities is still not well understood. We classified the pattern of forests in Massachusetts using fragmentation indicators to address these objectives: 1) characterize the spatial pattern of forest fragmentation in Massachusetts towns using Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA); and (2) identify regional trends using archetypal towns in relation to town history, geography and socioeconomic characteristics. Six fragmentation indicators were calculated using MSPA for each town to represent patterns and processes of fragmentation. We then used these indicators and the proportion of forested land to group towns across Massachusetts with similar patterns of fragmentation. Six representative towns typify different types of forest fragmentation, and illustrate the commonalities and differences between different fragmentation types. The objective selection of representative towns suggests that they might be used as the target of future studies, both in retrospective studies that seek to explain current patterns and in analyses that predict future fragmentation trends.     

Contamination,bioaccessibility and human health risk of heavy metals in exposed-lawn soils from 28 urban parks in southern China's largest city,Guangzhou

The total concentrations and oral bioaccessibility of heavy metals in surface-exposed lawn soils from 28 urban parks in Guangzhou were investigated, and the health risks posed to humans were evaluated. The descending order of total heavy metal concentrations was Fe > Mn > Pb > Zn > Cu > Cr > Ni > Cd, but Cd showed the highest percentage bioaccessibility (75.96%). Principal component analysis showed that Grouped Cd, Pb, Cr, Ni, Cu and Zn, and grouped Cr and Mn could be controlled two different types of human sources. Whereas, Ni and Fe were controlled by both anthropogenic and natural sources. The carcinogenic risk probabilities for Pb and Cr to children and adults were under the acceptable level (<1 × 10⁻⁴). Hazard Quotient value for each metal and Hazard Index values for all metals studied indicated no significant risk of non-carcinogenic effects to children and adults in Guangzhou urban park soils.     

基于随机森林模型的云南元阳梯田地形因子分析

为探究地形因子对梯田空间分布的影响,以云南元阳梯田坝达流域为研究区,运用GeoEye-1遥感卫星数据(2010年,1 m分辨率)和数字高程模型(20 m分辨率),提取梯田空间分布信息以及海拔高程、地形坡度、地形坡向、地面曲率、高程变异系数、地形起伏度、地面粗糙度、地表切割度、到水系距离9个地形因子。采用随机森林(Random Forest)方法建模,结合ROC曲线和AUC值对模型进行精度评价,根据随机置换残差均方减少量和因子作用曲线,探讨地形因子对梯田分布的影响规律。研究结果表明:该流域内梯田总面积1 158395 hm2,模型AUC值为0.947,海拔高度因子的随机置换残差均方减少量为38814,到水系距离因子为199.77,地面坡向因子为80.26,三者占总值的73.45%。由此可见,元阳梯田的空间分布主要受海拔高度、到水系距离、地面坡向3类地形因子的影响,其因子曲线表明梯田分布与地形因子间呈非线性关系。     

珠江流域降水集中度时空变化特征及成因分析

基于珠江流域内43个常规气象站点1960~2012年的逐日降水资料,计算了流域内各站点长期降水集中度(LCI)和逐年降水集中度(ACI);采用Mann-Kendall趋势检验法和Sen’s坡度检验法检测ACI时间上的变化趋势;同时采用反距离权重插值法(IDW)对LCI的区域特征和ACI的变化趋势进行空间插值以分析降水集中度的时空分布规律;采用随机森林(RF)算法对降水集中度的影响因子进行重要度分析。结果表明:(1)珠江流域逐年降水集中度ACI的年际变化不明显,东南部呈上升趋势,西北部呈下降趋势;(2)珠江流域西北部长期降水集中度LCI值偏小,即降水分布较平均;东南部长期降水集中度LCI值偏大,即降水较集中,表明该地区降水极值情况发生的几率相对较高,该空间分布趋势可能是受距离海洋的远近及海拔的影响;(3)众多气候影响因子中,东亚夏季季风(EASMI)对珠江流域的降水集中度影响最明显。     

济宁市湿地公园建设与植物景观配置初探

以济宁市湿地公园建设为例,论述了区域内湿地公园建设的基础条件、现状和发展方向。分析了不同类型的湿地公园建设重点和保护恢复的主要措施,针对济宁市河流、库塘(塌陷地)、湖泊为主体的湿地公园的植物景观建设特点,提出相关的景观建设要点和植物配置建议。     

Possibilities of land use change analysis in a mountainous rural area: a methodological approach

Decreasing population density is a current trend in the European Union, and causes a lower environmental impact on the landscape. However, besides the desirable effect on the regeneration processes of semi-natural forest ecosystems, the lack of traditional management techniques can also lead to detrimental ecological processes. In this study we investigated the land use pattern changes in a micro-region (in North-Eastern Hungary) between 1952 and 2005, based on vectorised land use data from archive aerial photos. We also evaluated the methodology of comparisons using GIS methods, fuzzy sets and landscape metrics. We found that both GIS methods and statistical analysis of landscape metrics resulted in more or less the same findings. Differences were not as relevant as was expected considering the general tendencies of the past 60 years in Hungary. The change in the annual rate of forest recovery was 0.12%; settlements extended their area by an annual rate of 3.04%, while grasslands and arable lands had a net loss in their area within the studied period (0.60% and 0.89%, respectively). The kappa index showed a smaller similarity (~60%) between these dates but the fuzzy kappa and the aggregation index, taking into account both spatial and thematic errors, gave a more reliable result (~70–80% similarity). Landscape metrics on patch and class level ensured the possibility of a detailed analysis. We arrived at a similar outcome but were able to verify all the calculations through statistical tests. With this approach we were able to reveal significant (p < 0.05) changes; however, effect sizes did not show large magnitudes. Comparing the methods of revealing landscape change, the approach of landscape metrics was the most effective approach, as it was independent of spatial errors and ensuring a multiple way of interpretation.     

Landsat-8 vs. Sentinel-2: examining the added value of sentinel-2’s red-edge bands to land-use and land-cover mapping in Burkina Faso

The availability of freely available moderate-to-high spatial resolution (10–30 m) satellite imagery received a major boost with the recent launch of the Sentinel-2 sensor by the European Space Agency. Together with Landsat, these sensors provide the scientific community with a wide range of spatial, spectral, and temporal properties. This study compared and explored the synergistic use of Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2 data in mapping land use and land cover (LULC) in rural Burkina Faso. Specifically, contribution of the red-edge bands of Sentinel-2 in improving LULC mapping was examined. Three machine-learning algorithms – random forest, stochastic gradient boosting, and support vector machines – were employed to classify different data configurations. Classification of all Sentinel-2 bands as well as Sentinel-2 bands common to Landsat-8 produced an overall accuracy, that is 5% and 4% better than Landsat-8. The combination of Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2 red-edge bands resulted in a 4% accuracy improvement over that of Landsat-8. It was found that classification of the Sentinel-2 red-edge bands alone produced better and comparable results to Landsat-8 and the other Sentinel-2 bands, respectively. Results of this study demonstrate the added value of the Sentinel-2 red-edge bands and encourage multi-sensoral approaches to LULC mapping in West Africa.     

论中国国家公园地质考察与评价——以浙江丽水百山祖国家公园为例

鉴于保护地调查评价历史与目标,国家公园地质考察评价基准是地质学关于地球的“时间、空间、演化”知识的发现路径,既识别国家公园候选地的国家符合性地质事件,又识别国家公园自然性、独特性、优美性、多样性、整体性的地质机制,提供国家公园最重要的自然生态系统与自然景观保育管理的地质学支撑。浙江丽水百山祖国家公园符合性的地质事件是公园发现的4.0~4.2 Ga冥古宙陆核物质的锆石晶体、中生代岛弧陆盆火山酸性火山岩系列和从流纹岩山岭到花岗岩—变质岩谷底的“峰—岭—丘—谷（盆）”的亚热带滨海山地地貌结构,地貌结构发育演化是百山祖公园最重要的自然生态系统、区域性流域水源地、独特山水景观的形成基础。保护百祖山公园地貌结构和过程的完整性与真实性是确保其重要自然生态系统自然演化和生态服务产品持续供给的基础。     

西昌市1989—2018年林地草地湿地动态变化特征分析

遥感技术已被广泛应用于生态环境调查与研究。为获取西昌市近30 a生态环境演化趋势,利用1989年、2000年、2010年的专题绘图仪(Thematic Mapper,TM)遥感影像和2018年的陆地成像仪(Operational Land Imager,OLI)遥感影像,通过图像处理、目视解译和野外验证等方法,获得了西昌市1989—2018年的土地利用/覆盖数据,并对林地、草地和湿地的动态变化特征进行了研究。结果表明: 1989—2018年,西昌市林地、湿地和草地面积持续增加,生态环境持续向好; 林地主要分布于安宁河谷和邛海盆地四周山地,在牦牛山、螺髻山一带形成主要林区; 草地主要呈星岛状分布于牦牛山、螺髻山一带林地之间; 湿地以河流湿地与湖泊湿地为主,主要沿安宁河及邛海分布。但仍存在一些问题: 森林存在针叶化现象较普遍、树种单一等问题,需要重点加强林区火灾防范; 草地多数呈零星片状分布,不具有完整的系统结构和良好的功能,多数草地承载力和生产力较低,不宜大规模开发利用,应通过封山育林促使其向森林转化; 湿地分布也比较局限,需要着力予以保护。研究成果可为西昌市生态保护修复措施的制定及经济社会可持续发展提供科学依据。