A fast intensity-hue-saturation fusion technique with spectral adjustment for IKONOS imagery

Among various image fusion methods, intensity-hue-saturation (IHS) technique is capable of quickly merging the massive volumes of data. For IKONOS imagery, IHS can yield satisfactory "spatial" enhancement but may introduce "spectral" distortion, appearing as a change in colors between compositions of resampled and fused multispectral bands. To solve this problem, a fast IHS fusion technique with spectral adjustment is presented. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approach can provide better performance than the original IHS method, both in processing speed and image quality.     

Estimating coefficients of volume compressibility from compression of strata and piezometric changes in a multiaquifer system in west Taiwan

This paper estimates the coefficients of volume compressibility from variation in compressible layer thickness and changes in piezometric heads by using detail ground surface surveys and a multilayer monitoring well at a selected site (Shigang) within the Choshui River alluvial fan in west Taiwan. The paper integrates various types of in situ monitoring tools, including leveling surveys, continuous global position system (GPS) stations, multilevel layer compression and groundwater pressure head-monitoring wells, to investigate the situation and progress of the subsidence problem in the region. The results from the cross-analyses of the measured data show that surface settlement caused by the compression of strata is between the depths of 60 and 210 m where the clayey stratum within 120-180 m was most pronounced and contributes up to 53% of the total compression. The results indicate that the clayey stratum is under normal consolidation. The results also reflect the fact that 20% of settlement contribution comes from the sandy stratum within 90-120 m; the elasto-plastic behavior of this sandy stratum is clear. The coefficients of volume compressibility of the clayey and sandy stratum analysed from the stratum's compression records; they were 6.38×10⁻⁸ and 5.71×10⁻⁹ m²/N, respectively. Ultimately, this parameter estimation would permit to control and predict land subsidence based on change in pressure head which are related to groundwater extraction.     

Interpersonal communication sources and natural hazard risk perception: a case study of a rural Chinese village

This exploratory study contributes to our knowledge about the relationships between interpersonal communication sources and risk perception regarding natural hazards. Survey data (N?=?186) from a small village in northwest China was used, and the correlations between eight types of interpersonal communication sources related to disaster risk reduction and the perceived severity and perceived likelihood of occurrence of eight types of natural hazards were explored. Past studies have suggested that interpersonal communication sources are more likely to influence individuals in their perceived severity of natural hazards than in their perceived likelihood of occurrence. The results of this study moderately corroborate this finding. The results indicated that different sources have different relationships to risk perception, as positive correlations were found between obtaining information via certain trained science professionals (science teachers, emergency responders, scientific experts) and certain natural hazard risk perceptions, while negative relationships were found between obtaining information via certain personal contacts (other villagers and relatives and friends) and certain natural hazard risk perceptions. However, the strength of these relationships was weak (??0.197?≥?r?≤? 0.245). Age showed statically significant correlations with the perceived severity of most of the natural hazards. Studies with more representative samples and controls for theoretical factors are needed to better understand how interpersonal communication sources affect individuals' natural hazard risk perceptions.     

Assessment with satellite data of the urban heat island effects in Asian mega cities

This study focuses on using remote sensing for comparative assessment of surface urban heat island (UHI) in 18 mega cities in both temperate and tropical climate regions. Least-clouded day- and night-scenes of TERRA/MODIS acquired between 2001 and 2003 were selected to generate land-surface temperature (LST) maps. Spatial patterns of UHIs for each city were examined over its diurnal cycle and seasonal variations. A Gaussian approximation was applied in order to quantify spatial extents and magnitude of individual UHIs for inter-city comparison. To reveal relationship of UHIs with surface properties, UHI patterns were analyzed in association with urban vegetation covers and surface energy fluxes derived from high-resolution Landsat ETM+ data. This study provides a generalized picture on the UHI phenomena in the Asian region and the findings can be used to guide further study integrating satellite high-resolution thermal data with land-surface modeling and meso-scale climatic modeling in order to understand impacts of urbanization on local climate in Asia.     

Mobilization of arsenic and iron from Red River floodplain sediments, Vietnam

Sediments from the Red River and from an adjacent floodplain aquifer were investigated with respect to the speciation of Fe and As in the solid phase, to trace the diagenetic changes in the river sediment upon burial into young aquifers, and the related mechanisms of arsenic release to the groundwater. Goethite with subordinate amounts of hematite were, using Mössbauer spectroscopy, identified as the iron oxide minerals present in both types of sediment. The release kinetics of Fe, As, Mn and PO₄ from the sediment were investigated in leaching experiments with HCl and 10 mM ascorbic acid, both at pH 3. From the river sediments, most of the Fe and As was mobilized by reductive dissolution with ascorbic acid while HCl released very little Fe and As. This suggests As to be associated with an Fe-oxide phase. For oxidized aquifer sediment most Fe was mobilized by ascorbic acid but here not much As was released. However, the reduced aquifer sediments contained a large pool of Fe(II) and As that is readily leached by HCl, probably derived from an unidentified authigenic Fe(II)-containing mineral which incorporates As as well. Extraction with ascorbic acid indicates that the river sediments contain both As(V) and As(III), while the reduced aquifer sediment almost exclusively releases As(III). The difference in the amount of Fe(II) leached from river and oxidized aquifer sediments by ascorbic acid and HCl, was attributed to reductive dissolution of Fe(III). The reactivity of this pool of Fe(III) was quantified by a rate law and compared to that of synthetic iron oxides. In the river mud, Fe(III) had a reactivity close to that of ferrihydrite, while the river sand and oxidized aquifer sediment exhibited a reactivity ranging from lepidocrocite or poorly crystalline goethite to hematite. Mineralogy by itself appears to be a poor predictor of the iron oxide reactivity in natural samples using the reactivity of synthetic Fe-oxides as a reference. Sediments were incubated, both unamended and with acetate added, and monitored for up to 2 months. The river mud showed the fastest release of both Fe and As, while the effect of acetate addition was minor. This suggests that the presence of reactive organic carbon is not rate limiting. In the case of the river and aquifer sediments, the release of Fe and As was always stimulated by acetate addition and here reactive organic carbon was clearly the rate limiting factor. The reduced aquifer sediment apparently can sustain slower but prolonged microbially-driven release of As. The highly reactive pools of Fe(III) and As in the river mud could be due to reoxidation of As and Fe contained in the reducing groundwater from the floodplain aquifers that are discharging into the river. Deposition of the suspended mud on the floodplain during high river stages is proposed to be a major flux of As onto the floodplain and into the underlying aquifers.     

Monitoring severe aquifer-system compaction and land subsidence in Taiwan using multiple sensors: Yunlin,the southern Choushui River Alluvial Fan

During 1992–2007, excessive pumping of groundwater caused large-scale aquifer-system compaction and land subsidence in the Choshui River Alluvial Fan, especially in the area of Yunlin county. The subsidence impedes surface-water runoff and endangers the operation of Taiwan High Speed Rail. Leveling, Global Positioning System (GPS), multi-level compaction monitoring well, and Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR) are used to study the extent of subsidence in Yunlin and its mechanism. These sensors complement each other in spatial and temporal resolutions. A leveling network totaling 434 km in length was deployed to derive subsidence at every 1.5 km along the routes, and the result is accurate to few mm and shows a basin-like subsidence pattern centering at Tuku Township. Four multi-level compaction monitoring wells, co-located with GPS pillars, detect compactions at different depths, showing that the aquifer-system compaction (the cause of subsidence) occurs mostly below depths >200 m, where reduction of groundwater pumping is most needed. The vertical displacements from GPS and leveling agree to within 1 cm, and are larger than the cumulative compaction detected by the compaction-monitoring wells, suggesting that compaction also occurs below 300 m (the depth of the wells). The vertical displacements derived using DInSAR and 8 ENVISAT SAR images agree with the leveling result to 1–2 cm.     

精密工程测量仪器及数据处理

从精密工程测量的定义出发,指出其测量的特点,对精密工程测量的仪器如:马达全站仪、激光跟踪测量系统、数字摄影测量系统、测量机人和高程测量系统的发展和应用进行介绍;引用了某大堤作为工程实例,指出了在数据处理中利用自由网拟稳平差的优点,以及对它的适用性和网形布局对它的影响程度做了讨论.     

Impact of the thermal state of the tropical western Pacific on onset date and process of the South China Sea summer monsoon

Since the early or late onset of the South China Sea summer monsoon （SCSM） has a large impact on summer monsoon rainfall in East Asia, the mechanism and process of early or late onset of the SCSM are an worthy issue to study. In this paper, the results analyzed by using the observed data show that the onset date and process of the SCSM are closely associated with the thermal state of the tropical western Pacific in spring. When the tropical western Pacific is in a warming state in spring, the western Pacific subtropical high shifts eastward, and twin cyclones are early caused over the Bay of Bengal and Sumatra before the SCSM onset. In this case, the cyclonic circulation located over the Bay of Bengal can be early intensified and become into a strong trough. Thus, the westerly flow and convective activity can be intensified over Sumatra, the Indo-China Peninsula and the South China Sea （SCS） in mid-May. This leads to early onset of the SCSM. In contrast, when the tropical western Pacific is in a cooling state, the western Pacific subtropical high anomalously shifts westward, the twin cyclones located over the equatorial eastern Indian Ocean and Sumatra are weakened, and the twin anomaly anticyclones appear over these regions from late April to mid-May. Thus, the westerly flow and convective activity cannot be early intensified over the Indo-China Peninsula and the SCS. Only when the western Pacific subtropical high moves eastward, the weak trough located over the Bay of Bengal can be intensified and become into a strong trough, the strong southwesterly wind and convective activity can be intensified over the Indo-China Peninsula and the SCS in late May. Thus, this leads to late onset of the SCSM. Moreover, in this paper, the influencing mechanism of the thermal state of the tropical western Pacific on the SCSM onset is discussed further from the Walker circulation anomalies in the different thermal states of the tropical western Pacific.     

Reverse fault slip through soft rock and sand strata by centrifuge modeling tests

The devastating damage after the 1999 Chi-Chi and 1999 Izmit earthquakes has greatly motivated soil–reverse fault interaction studies. However, most centrifuge modeling studies have employed a single homogeneous soil layer during testing, which does not represent in situ conditions. Indeed, while geological conditions vary spatially, engineering soils are often underlain by soft rocks. Therefore, four centrifuge models were developed to evaluate the effect of soft rock layers on the ground surface and subsurface deformation. Sand–cement mixtures of varying thicknesses with a uniaxial compressive strength of 0.975 MPa, simulating extremely soft rock, were overlain by pluviated sandy soil. The model thickness was 100 mm, corresponding to 8 m in the prototype scale when spun at 80 g. Every model was subjected to a vertical offset of 50 mm/4 m (0.5 H; H: total sedimentary deposit thickness) along a reverse fault with a 60° dip. The results indicate that the presence of a soft rock stratum results in the creation of a horst profile at the ground surface. Additionally, the thinner the soil layer on top of the soft rock stratum is, the longer and higher the horst created at the ground surface. Consequently, the fault deformation zone lengthens proportionally with the increasing thickness ratio of the soft rock. Furthermore, the presence of soft rock as an intermediary stratum between bedrock and soil causes the deformation zone boundary on the hanging wall side to move in the direction of fault movement.