Deriving airborne laser scanning based computational canopy volume for forest biomass and allometry studies

A computational canopy volume (CCV) based on airborne laser scanning (ALS) data is proposed to improve predictions of forest biomass and other related attributes like stem volume and basal area. An approach to derive the CCV based on computational geometry, topological connectivity and numerical optimization was tested with sparse-density, plot-level ALS data acquired from 40 field sample plots of 500–1000 m² located in a boreal forest in Norway. The CCV had a high correspondence with the biomass attributes considered when derived from optimized filtrations, i.e. ordered sets of simplices belonging to the triangulations based on the point data. Coefficients of determination (R²) between the CCV and total above-ground biomass, canopy biomass, stem volume, and basal area were 0.88–0.89, 0.89, 0.83–0.97, and 0.88–0.92, respectively, depending on the applied filtration. The magnitude of the required filtration was found to increase according to an increasing basal area, which indicated a possibility to predict this magnitude by means of ALS-based height and density metrics. A simple prediction model provided CCVs which had R² of 0.77–0.90 with the aforementioned forest attributes. The derived CCVs always produced complementary information and were mainly able to improve the predictions of forest biomass relative to models based on the height and density metrics, yet only by 0–1.9 percentage points in terms of relative root mean squared error. Possibilities to improve the CCVs by a further analysis of topological persistence are discussed.     

Evidence of correlations between nuclear decay rates and Earth–Sun distance

Unexplained periodic fluctuations in the decay rates of ³²Si and ²²⁶Ra have been reported by groups at Brookhaven National Laboratory (³²Si), and at the Physikalisch–Technische–Bundesanstalt in Germany (²²⁶Ra). We show from an analysis of the raw data in these experiments that the observed fluctuations are strongly correlated in time, not only with each other, but also with the time of year. We discuss both the possibility that these correlations arise from seasonal influences on the detection system, as well as the suggestion of an annual modulation of the decay rates themselves which vary with Earth–Sun distance.     

金云母中Alpha反冲径迹的蚀刻和退火行为

矿物中U、Th及其子核进行α衰变释放出α粒子时，剩余重核受到反冲而产生辐射损伤。在适当的条件下经化学蚀刻，这些辐射损伤成为在相干涉反差显微镜下可观测的核径迹。实验证明，蚀刻过程中，Alpha反冲径迹（ARTs）增长数和蚀刻时间成线性关系，随蚀刻时间增加，线性被破坏，最终达到一个“坪”。退火过程表明，Alpha反冲径迹的退火要比裂变径迹的退火容易，其退火率随退火时间的增长和温度的升高而增加，且温度对其影响显著，在350℃下加热样品20h，退火率达到90%左右，在400℃下加热4h，完成全退火。     

Progress in the determination of Ac in sea water

²²⁷Ac is a naturally occurring radioisotope with a unique combination of properties that make it suitable for the determination of deep ocean mixing and upwelling rates. Here, we present a method for the determination of ²²⁷Ac in sea water on sample sizes of 20–80 L. The measurement is based on co-precipitation of ²²⁷ Ac with MnO₂, followed by chemical isolation of actinium in the presence of an artificial Ac isotope. Actinium is then electrodeposited onto silver discs. In two alpha-spectrometric counting periods, first the artificial ²²⁵Ac isotope is counted, then after > 100 days five daughters of ²²⁷Ac. The first counting period gives a total yield for the procedure, integrating chemical recovery and detector efficiency. The total yield was found here to be on average 15 ± 5%, the chemical yield on average about 50%. The counting of five decay products of ²²⁷Ac in the second period makes the method particularly sensitive. Using appropriate decay corrections, the initial ²²⁷Ac activity can be determined to better than 10% relative error for concentrations < 10,000 atoms/L. We compare data acquired by the new method to a data set from in-situ pumps, from a parallel sampling campaign in the Eastern Weddell Gyre, and we can show excellent agreement. Repeated determinations of ²²⁷Ac in a uranium reference material (UREM-11) demonstrate the accuracy of the method.     

机载LiDAR建筑物点云渐进提取算法

针对机载LiDAR建筑物点云提取过程中易受植被的影响的问题,本文提出了一种机载LiDAR建筑物点云的渐进提取算法。首先通过布料模拟滤波算法对地面点云与非地面点云进行区分,在此基础上利用最大类间方差法算法（Otsu）对非地面点云进行阈值分割,提取初始建筑物点云;然后根据点云的连通性对初始建筑物点云进行密度聚类分割（DBSCAN）,剔除离群噪声点;最后通过Alpha Shape算法实现建筑物点云的边缘提取。本文选取ISPRS官网提供的3组典型城区LiDAR点云数据进行试验,试验结果表明,本文算法可达到较好的建筑物点云提取效果。     

Meiobenthic diversity in space and time: The case of harpacticoid copepods in two Mediterranean microtidal sandy beaches

Meiobenthic data from two microtidal sandy beaches of the eastern Mediterranean (Crete, Greece) were used to investigate patterns of both alpha and beta diversity in space and time. Copepod assemblages and environmental variables related to sediment characteristics, morphodynamics and food were studied over a year at four distinct habitats at each beach; the retention, resurgence and saturation zones of Salvat's intertidal scheme (midlittoral zone), and the surf zone of the sublittoral. Αlpha diversity analysis indicated similar species richness at both beaches when the whole 13-month data set was considered but was higher at the sheltered site when each sampling period was examined separately. Both beaches supported higher diversity in the sublittoral zone. Species richness increased seawards at the midlittoral zone of the sheltered site whereas, no pattern was evident at the exposed site, where the intense hydrodynamic conditions homogenized the sediments. Beta diversity increased markedly towards the sublittoral, indicating greater differences in alpha diversity between the sublittoral and the midlittoral zone. Species turnover was more variable at the exposed beach and at the most landward stations, where environmental conditions change often between extremes. A proportion of the variation in alpha diversity was explained by food availability at both beaches and additionally by grain size at the sheltered site. However, no environmental variable explained beta diversity patterns. Although the results of our study support the hypothesis of Multicausal Environmental Severity proposed for sandy beach macrofauna, we believe the classic Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis is a more appropriate framework for the meiofauna communities of the studied sites.     

基于阿尔法导航系统记录分析2010年玉树MS 7.1地震异常

地震灾害是人类面临的重大考验,阿尔法导航系统在地震预报领域有着重要的科研及应用价值。以2010年4月13日23时49分（世界时）玉树M_S 7.1地震为例,基于2010年4月6日—13日阿尔法导航系统超低频（VLF）电波场强和相位数据,使用滑动四分位法,分析该系统9条链路上的信号异常,结合地磁“低点位移”现象,综合分析此次地震前的异常变化。研究结果表明：在地磁活动平静时段,玉树M_S 7.1震前3天及震前23 h,电波场强数据出现明显畸变,表现为持续1—6 h超阈值的异常扰动,最大扰动幅度超过阈值13.6 μV/m,相位数据未出现明显异常。结合震前3天阿尔法导航系统主台—通海台、西副台—雅安台异常链路以及震前47天地磁“低点位移”分界线的重叠位置,可进一步精确临震预报时刻,并提高发震位置的预测精度。