A comparison of three image-object methods for the multiscale analysis of landscape structure

Within the conceptual framework of Complex Systems, we discuss the importance and challenges in extracting and linking multiscale objects from high-resolution remote sensing imagery to improve the monitoring, modeling and management of complex landscapes. In particular, we emphasize that remote sensing data are a particular case of the modifiable areal unit problem (MAUP) and describe how image-objects provide a way to reduce this problem. We then hypothesize that multiscale analysis should be guided by the intrinsic scale of the dominant landscape objects composing a scene and describe three different multiscale image-processing techniques with the potential to achieve this. Each of these techniques, i.e., Fractal Net Evolution Approach (FNEA), Linear Scale-Space and Blob-Feature Detection (SS), and Multiscale Object-Specific Analysis (MOSA), facilitates the multiscale pattern analysis, exploration and hierarchical linking of image-objects based on methods that derive spatially explicit multiscale contextual information from a single resolution of remote sensing imagery. We then outline the weaknesses and strengths of each technique and provide strategies for their improvement.     

Building Temporal Topology in a GIS Database to Study the Land‐Use Changes in a Rural‐Urban Environment

This article addresses the issue of linking temporal and spatial information into a GIS database structure to investigate the land‐use changes in a rural‐urban region over a thirty‐five‐year period. More specifically, it describes the application of a programming package developed to build temporal topology in an historical land‐use GIS database to efficiently perform spatiotemporal queries. The program was created within the MapInfo environment using MapBasic language. Different types of information, such as the rate of change, the relationship between the change of land use and zoning regulations, and land‐use succession were extracted from the database. A user‐friendly interface was also developed to easily address spatiotemporal queries to the database. This approach represents a flexible and performing tool for scientists and planners who need to efficiently capture essential spatiotemporal information required for geographical inquiry and decision‐making.     

A Patch‐based Cellular Automaton for Simulating Land‐use Changes at Fine Spatial Resolution

While cellular automata have become popular tools for modeling land‐use changes, there is a lack of studies reporting their application at very fine spatial resolutions (e.g. 5 m resolution). Traditional cell‐based CA do not generate reliable results at such resolutions because single cells might only represent components of land‐use entities (i.e. houses or parks in urban residential areas), while recently proposed entity‐based CA models usually ignore the internal heterogeneity of the entities. This article describes a patch‐based CA model designed to deal with this problem by integrating cell and object concepts. A patch is defined as a collection of adjacent cells that might have different attributes, but that represent a single land‐use entity. In this model, a transition probability map was calculated at each cell location for each land‐use transition using a weight of evidence method; then, land‐use changes were simulated by employing a patch‐based procedure based on the probability maps. This CA model, along with a traditional cell‐based model were tested in the eastern part of the Elbow River watershed in southern Alberta, Canada, an area that is under considerable pressure for land development due to its proximity to the fast growing city of Calgary. The simulation results for the two models were compared to historical data using visual comparison, K_simulation indices, and landscape metrics. The results reveal that the patch‐based CA model generates more compact and realistic land‐use patterns than the traditional cell‐based CA. The K_simulation values indicate that the land‐use maps obtained with the patch‐based CA are in higher agreement with the historical data than those created by the cell‐based model, particularly regarding the location of change. The landscape metrics reveal that the patch‐based model is able to adequately capture the land‐use dynamics as observed in the historical data, while the cell‐based CA is not able to provide a similar interpretation. The patch‐based approach proposed in this study appears to be a simple and valuable solution to take into account the internal heterogeneity of land‐use classes at fine spatial resolutions and simulate their transitions over time.     

How to evidence life on a distant planet

Considering the future importance of the search for evidences of primitive life on a distant planet, we have revisited some points of the O₂ and O₃ detection criteria.The budget of free oxygen and organic carbon on Earth is studied. If one includes the organic carbon in sediments, it confirms that O₂ is a very reactive gas whose massive presence in a telluric planet atmosphere implies a continuous production. Its detection would be a strong indication for photosynthetic activity, providing the planet is not in a runaway greenhouse phase.In principle, the direct detection of O₂ could be possible in the visible flux of the planet at 760 nm (oxygen A-band) but it would be extremely difficult, considering the much larger flux from the star. The alternative search for the 9.7µm absorption of O₃ may be easier as the contrast with the star is improved by 3 orders of magnitude. A simple atmospheric model confirms that the O₃ column density is not a linear tracer of the atmospheric O₂ content, as was found in the pioneer work by Paetzold (1962). However, the detection of a substantial O₃ absorption ( > 30%) would probably indicate, within the validity of this model, an O₂ ground pressure larger than 10 mbar. The question is raised of whether this pressure is sufficient to indicate a photosynthetic origin of the oxygen. If the answer was positive, it would be an evenmore sensitive test of photosynthetic activity than the detection of the oxygen A-band. Further studies of these points are clearly needed before determining an observing strategy.     

New stratospheric UV/visible radiance measurements

A stratospheric balloon was launched on 12 October 1986 from the “CNES” base at Aire sur l’Adour (France) to record twilight radiance in the stratosphere. The near-UV and visible radiances were continuously monitored by a photometer during sunrise. Some observations are presented for different viewing azimuthal planes and viewing elevation angles. They show the influence of aerosols layers and clouds which can be also seen on related photographies. The results as a whole may be used for testing some radiative models, especially for twilight conditions.     

Sorption isotherms: A review on physical bases,modeling and measurement

The retention (or release) of a liquid compound on a solid controls the mobility of many substances in the environment and has been quantified in terms of the “sorption isotherm”. This paper does not review the different sorption mechanisms. It presents the physical bases underlying the definition of a sorption isotherm, different empirical or mechanistic models, and details several experimental methods to acquire a sorption isotherm. For appropriate measurements and interpretations of isotherm data, this review emphasizes 4 main points: (i) the adsorption (or desorption) isotherm does not provide automatically any information about the reactions involved in the sorption phenomenon. So, mechanistic interpretations must be carefully verified. (ii) Among studies, the range of reaction times is extremely wide and this can lead to misinterpretations regarding the irreversibility of the reaction: a pseudo-hysteresis of the release compared with the retention is often observed. The comparison between the mean characteristic time of the reaction and the mean residence time of the mobile phase in the natural system allows knowing if the studied retention/release phenomenon should be considered as an instantaneous reversible, almost irreversible phenomenon, or if reaction kinetics must be taken into account. (iii) When the concentration of the retained substance is low enough, the composition of the bulk solution remains constant and a single-species isotherm is often sufficient, although it remains strongly dependent on the background medium. At higher concentrations, sorption may be driven by the competition between several species that affect the composition of the bulk solution. (iv) The measurement method has a great influence. Particularly, the background ionic medium, the solid/solution ratio and the use of flow-through or closed reactor are of major importance. The chosen method should balance easy-to-use features and representativity of the studied natural conditions.