Modelling the response of larch growth to age,density,and elevation and the implications for multifunctional management in northwest China

Plantations of Rupprecht's larch(Larix principis-rupprechtii)have been widely established in the drylands of northwest and north China under traditional fastgrowing plantation management strategies.These strategies and the long-term logging ban have led to over-populated stands with lower structural and functional stability,less economic benefit and higher water consumption.To guide the sustainable management of larch plantations,field surveys and historical data compilation were undertaken in the Liupan Mountains of northwest China.The main influencing factors(stand structure and site condition)and their effects on mean tree height,mean DBH and timber volumes were determined based on up-boundary line analysis.Tree growth models coupling the effects of tree age,stand density,and elevation were established.Both height and DBH markedly increased initially and then slowly with tree age,decreased with stand density,and showed unimodal change with elevation.The coupled growth models accounted for72-78%of the variations in tree height,DBH and timber growth.Recommendations for future plantation management are:(1)prolong the rotation to at least 60 years to produce large-diameter,high-quality timber and maintain greater carbon stocks;(2)zone the target functions of stands by elevation;and,(3)reduce stand density for balanced supply of multiple ecosystem services.The growth models developed can predict growth response of larch plantations to density alteration under given ages and elevations,and assist the transformation from traditional management for maximum timber production to site-specific and multifunctional management with longer rotations and moderate tree density.

VISCO-PLASTIC CONSTITUTIVE MODEL FOR UNIAXIAL AND MULTIAXIAL RATCHETING AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURES

Based on the experimental results of the ratcheting for SS304 stainless steel, a new visco-plastic cyclic constitutive model was established to describe the uniaxial and multiaxial ratcheting of the material at room and elevated temperatures within the framework of unified visco-plasticity. In the model, the temperature dependence of the ratcheting was emphasized, and the dynamic strain aging occurred in the temperature range of 4 00-600℃ for the material was taken into account particularly. Finally, the prediction capability of the developed model was checked by comparing to the corresponding experimental results.

Atmospheric Trajectory and Chemical Transport Modelling for Elevated Ozone Events in Denmark

In this study, three Danish sites having the longest (1990-2004) time-series of ozone measurements were analysed on inter-annual, monthly and diurnal cycle variability as well as elevated and lowered ozone concentration events were identified. The atmospheric trajectory (HYSPLIT) and dispersion (HIRLAM + CAMx) models were employed to study dominating atmospheric transport patterns associated with elevated events and to evaluate spatio-temporal variability of ozone specific episode and typical seasonal patterns for Denmark. It was found that generally inter-annual variability has a positive trend, and events with low ozone concentration (≤10 μg/m3) continued to diminish. On a monthly scale, the highest and lowest mean concentrations are observed in May and November-December, respectively. The elevated concentrations (≥120 μg/m3) are observed during March-September. On a diurnal cycle, it is observed mostly during 13-16 of local time, and more frequent (ten-fold) compared with nighttime-early morning hours. For ozone elevated events, several sectors (or pathways of atmospheric transport) were identified depending on the sites’ positions, showing the largest (39%) number of such events associated with the north-western sector, and lowest (13% each)—southwestern and northern sectors. For each site, less than 60 events showed very high concentrations (≥180 μg/m3). Among 12 episodes, one longest elevated episode (19-21 Jun 2000) simultaneously registered at all sites and characterized by dominating transport from the south-southwestern sector, low wind speed, clear-sky, and multiple inversions was studied using modelling tools. For this episode, both measurements and modeling (trajectory and dispersion) results showed a relatively good agreement.

Digital Elevation Modeling不确定性对地形参数影响的空间分布特征分析

Digital elevation modeling(DEM)是基础地理数据之一,从其中可以提取多种地形参数,DEM不确定性对提取的地形参数具有一定的影响.选择坡度、上坡集水面积和地形指数作为研究对象,在DEM不确定性模拟的基础上,研究DEM不确定性对地形参数影响的空间分布特征.研究发现:DEM不确定性对坡度的影响没有明显的空间分布特征,对上坡集水面积和地形指数具有明显的空间分布特征.DEM不确定性对上坡集水面积影响的空间分布特征为:总体上分布均匀,在河道及附近、水库区域影响大于其它地区;DEM不确定性对地形指数影响的空间分布特征为:总体上分布均匀,在河道及附近、水库、平地地区影响大于其它地区.不同DEM不确定性程度对地形参数影响的空间分布特征相似.

Determining topographic shielding from digital elevation models for cosmogenic nuclide analysis: a GIS model for discrete sample sites

Topographic shielding(TS) is an important factor in cosmogenic nuclide surface exposure dating. The development of geographic information systems(GIS) and the availability of digital elevation models(DEMs) make it possible to derive this factor directly from a DEM. Most available GIS models derive the TS factors for an area(all cells in a DEM) without the consideration of surface conditions of individual sites, such as the strike, dip,and height above ground, into the calculation. This paper presents a new GIS model to derive the TS factors for discrete sample sites. This model uses the Skyline and Skyline Graph functions in ArcGIS to extract the set of azimuth and elevation angles of topographic obstructions around each site from a DEM(considering the sample height above ground)and then incorporates the strike and dip information of the sample surface to derive the TS factor. All processing tools and steps are streamlined in ArcGIS modelbuilder and this model can be run like a standard ArcGIS geoprocessing tool. It provides an easy and user-friendly means to derive the TS factors for discrete samples based on a DEM and the measured strike, dip and sample height for each site.

Mechanism of Mg2+ dissolution from olivine and serpentine: Implication for bioleaching of high-magnesium nickel sulfide ore at elevated pH

To inhibit the dissolution of Mg^2+ during the bioleaching process of high-magnesium nickel sulfide ore, the effect of major bioleaching factors on the dissolution of Mg^2+ from olivine and serpentine was investigated and kinetics studies were carried out. The results indicated that the dissolution rate-controlling steps are chemical reaction for olivine and internal diffusion for serpentine. The most influential factor on the dissolution of Mg^2+ from olivine and serpentine was temperature, followed by p H and particle size. A novel method of bioleaching at elevated pH was used in the bioleaching of Jinchuan ore. The results showed that elevated pH could significantly reduce the dissolution of Mg^2+ and acid consumption along with slightly influencing the leaching efficiencies of nickel and cobalt. A model was used to explain the leaching behaviors of high-magnesium nickel sulfide ore in different bioleaching systems. The model suggested that olivine will be depleted eventually, whereas serpentine will remain because of the difference in the rate-controlling steps. Bioleaching at elevated pH is a suitable method for treating high-magnesium nickel sulfide ores.

Experimental determination of mechanical properties and short-time creep of AISI 304 stainless steel at elevated temperatures

The high temperature properties of AISI 304 stainless steel were studied. Basic data about the employed experimental equipment, testing procedures, and specimen geometry were given. The experimental setup was used to obtain stress-strain diagrams from tensile tests at room temperature as well as several elevated temperatures. Furthermore, the specimens were subjected to short-time creep tests at various temperatures. Stress levels for creep testing were established as a percentage of yield stress. The results indicate that at lowered temperatures and lower stress levels, AISI 304 stainless steel can be used as a sufficiently creep resistant material.

Re-delineating mountainous areas with three topographic parameters in Mainland Southeast Asia using ASTER global digital elevation model data

Tropical mountainous areas not only provide substantial carbon storage and play an important role in global biological diversity, but also provide basic livelihood for a large number of poor ethnic minorities. However, there is no unified and explicit definition for mountainous areas. The local elevation range(LER) is a crucial structural parameter for delineating mountainous areas. However, current LER products are limited by the subjective selection of an optimum statistical window or coarser spatial resolution of topographical data. In this study, we presented an approach using thresholds for three topographic parameters, elevation, slope, and LER, derived from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer Global Digital Elevation Model(ASTER GDEM) to redelineate the vast mountainous areas of mainland Southeast Asia(MSEA). The mean change-point analysis method was applied to determine the optimum statistical window of the 1 arc second(approximately 30 m)-resolution GDEM LER. The results showed that: First, the optimum statistical window is 38 × 38 cell units(width × height) in a rectangular neighborhood, or an area of about 1.30 km^2 for calculating GDEM LER in MSEA. Second, the LER of more than 80% of the area ranges from 30 m to 499 m in MSEA. The LERs in the northern and northwestern MSEA are greater than their counterparts in the south and east. Third, the area of the re-delineated mountainous areas was 83.52 × 10~4 km^2, about 38.71% of the total area. Spatially, the mountainous areas are mainly distributed in the north and northeast of MSEA. The re-delineated 30-m resolution map of the mountainous areas will serve as a topographical dataset for monitoring mountainrelated land surface changes in MSEA. The parameter-modified mountain extraction procedure can be expanded to delineate global mountainous areas.

Curvature derived from LiDAR digital elevation models as simple indicators of debris-flow susceptibility

To mitigate the damage caused by debris flows resulting from heavy precipitation and to aid in evacuation plan preparation, areas at risk should be mapped on a scale appropriate for affected individuals and communities. We tested the effectiveness of simply identifying debris-flow hazards through automated derivation of surface curvatures using LiDAR digital elevation models. We achieved useful correspondence between plan curvatures and areas of existing debris-flow damage in two localities in Japan using the analysis of digital elevation models(DEMs). We found that plan curvatures derived from 10 m DEMs may be useful to indicate areas that are susceptible to debris flow in mountainous areas. In residential areas located on gentle sloping debris flow fans, the greatest damage to houses was found to be located in the elongated depressions that are connected to mountain stream valleys. Plan curvaturederived from 5 m DEM was the most sensitive indicators for susceptibility to debris flows.

Effect of digital elevation models on monitoring slope displacements in open-pit mine by differential interferometry synthetic aperture radar

Displacement monitoring in open-pit mines is one of the important tasks for safe management of mining processes.Differential interferometric synthetic aperture radar(DInSAR),mounted on an artificial satellite,has the potential to be a cost-effective method for monitoring surface displacements over extensive areas,such as open-pit mines.DInSAR requires the ground surface elevation data in the process of its analysis as a digital elevation model(DEM).However,since the topography of the ground surface in open-pit mines changes largely due to excavations,measurement errors can occur due to insufficient information on the elevation of mining areas.In this paper,effect of different elevation models on the accuracy of the displacement monitoring results by DInSAR is investigated at a limestone quarry.In addition,validity of the DInSAR results using an appropriate DEM is examined by comparing them with the results obtained by global positioning system(GPS)monitoring conducted for three years at the same limestone quarry.It is found that the uncertainty of DEMs induces large errors in the displacement monitoring results if the baseline length of the satellites between the master and the slave data is longer than a few hundred meters.Comparing the monitoring results of DInSAR and GPS,the root mean square error(RMSE)of the discrepancy between the two sets of results is less than 10 mm if an appropriate DEM,considering the excavation processes,is used.It is proven that DInSAR can be applied for monitoring the displacements of mine slopes with centimeter-level accuracy.

Changes in root growth and relationships between plant organs and root hydraulic traits in American elm(Ulmus americana L.) and red oak(Quercus rubra L.) seedlings due to elevated CO_2 level

The relationships between plant organs and root hydrological traits are not well known and the question arises whether elevated CO2 changes these relationships. This study attempted to answer this question. A pseudo-replicated experiment was conducted with two times 24 American elm （Ulmus americana L.） and 23 and 24 red oak （Quercus rubra L.） seedlings growing in ambient CO2 （around 360 μmol.L^-1） and 540 ± 7.95 μmol.L^-1 CO2 in a greenhouse. After 71 days of treatment for American elm and 77 days for red oak, 14 American elm and 12 red oak seedlings from each of the two CO2 levels were randomly selected in order to examine the flow rate of root xylem sap, root hydraulic conductance, total root hydraulic conductivity, fine root and coarse root hydraulic conductivity. All seedlings were harvested to investigate total plant biomass, stem biomass and leaf biomass, leaf area, height, basal diameter, total root biomass, coarse root biomass and fine root biomass. The following conclusions are reached： 1） plant organs respond to the elevated CO2 level earlier than hydraulic traits of roots and may gradually lead to changes in hydraulic traits; 2） plant organs have different relationships with hydraulic traits of roots and elevated CO2 changes these relationships; the changes may be of importance for plants as means to acclimatize to changing environments; 3） biomass of coarse roots increased rather more than that of fine roots; 4） Lorentzian and Caussian models are better in estimating the biomass of seedlings than single-variable models. Key words American elm, biomass, elevated CO2, modeling, red oak, root hydraulic traits

Building and application of multipath model for meter-wave radar in elevation estimation

A research is done for multipath effects of low-angle tracking in meter-wave radar,and the theory of multi-scattering centers of complex target is discussed as well as the character of reflected echoes.This points out that the distribution and scattering properties of scattering centers are the prime reasons which cause the variation of multipath effects,and all the changes of position,motion and attitude of the target can influence the multipath effects.By building of multipath model for multi-scattering centers for target,the analysis above is verified and a new method of elevation estimation for low-angle target is presented.The new method uses canceling vectors obtained by searching to cancel reflected waves in echoes and reduce the influence of reflected components,which can improve the accuracy of elevation estimation of low-angle target and the performance of low-angle tracking in meter-wave radar.Experimental results verify the availability of the method.

Beach Morphology and Sediment Budget Variability Based on High Quality Digital Elevation Models Derived from Field Data Sets

The morphological and volumetric changes of a sandy beach were investigated through a series of two- monthly filed surveys carried out aver a 2-year period from April 2005 to January 2007. This paper discuss the ability of 3-D digital elevation models (DEMs) derived from high accurate data to assess and quantify beach morphodynamics in relation with wave forcing. The methodology and data acquisition are described and consist mainly in the production of interpolated DEMs from which a variety of representations can be made, including as elevation change maps, two-dimensional cross-sections of the beach, calculation of net volume. The results of the analysis highlight seasonal changes in beach morphology due to variations in wave energy. This behavior is characterized by beach erosion and bar decay under high-energy waves and net accretion and bar formation during relatively fair weather conditions. The sand budgets adjustments show that the loss of volume in the winter months is compensated for by accumulation to the beach during summer. This trend suggests that there is a mechanism which controls the beach evolution. The correlation between beach changes and wave energy variations highlights a net relation between them. The results from this in- vestigation state the value of DEMs utilized and demonstrate the efficiency of the 3-D approach employed here to assess the erosion and accretion patterns which would not be visualized using 2-D profiles.

Determining Topographic Shielding from Digital Elevation Models for Cosmogenic Nuclide Analysis:a GIS Approach and Field Validation

Topographic shielding of cosmic radiation flux is a key parameter in using cosmogenic nuclides to determine surface exposure ages or erosion rates.Traditionally,this parameter is measured in the field and uncertainty and/or inconsistency may exist among different investigators.This paper provides an ArcGIS python code to determine topographic shielding factors using digital elevation models(DEMs).This code can be imported into ArcGIS as a geoprocessing tool with a user-friendly graphical interface.The DEM-derived parameters using this method were validated with field measurements in central Tian Shan.Results indicate that DEM-derived shielding factors are consistent with field-measured values.It provides a valuable tool to save fieldwork efforts and has the potential to provide consistent results for different regions in the world to facilitate the comparison of cosmogenic nuclide results.

Uncertainty of Slope Length Derived from Digital Elevation Models of the Loess Plateau, China

Although many studies have investigated slope gradient uncertainty derived from Digital Elevation Models(DEMs), the research concerning slope length uncertainty is far from mature. This discrepancy affects the availability and accuracy of soil erosion as well as hydrological modeling. This study investigates the formation and distribution of existing errors and uncertainties in slope length derivation based on 5-m resolution DEMs of the Loess Plateau in the middle of China. The slope length accuracy in three different landform areas is examined to analyse algorithm effects. The experiments indicate that the accuracy of the flat test area is lower than that of the rougher areas. The value from the specific contributing area(SCA) method is greater than the cumulative slope length(CSL), and the differences between these two methods arise from the shape of the upslope area. The variation of mean slope length derived from various DEM resolutions and landforms. The slope length accuracy decreases with increasing grid size and terrain complexity at the six test sites. A regression model is built to express the relationship of mean slope length with DEM resolution less than 85 m and terrain complexity represented by gully density. The results support the understanding of the slope length accuracy, thereby aiding in the effective evaluation of the modeling effect of surface process.

Extraction and Analysis of Gully Head of Loess Plateau in China Based on Digital Elevation Model

In China′s Loess Plateau area, gully head is the most active zone of a drainage system in gully areas. The differentiation of loess gully head follows geospatial patterns and reflects the process of the loess landform development and evolution of its drainage system to some extent. In this study, the geomorphic meaning, basic characteristics, morphological structure and the basic types of loess gully heads were systematically analysed. Then, the loess gully head′s conceptual model was established, and an extraction method based on Digital Elevation Model(DEM) for loess gully head features and elements was proposed. Through analysing the achieved statistics of loess gully head features, loess gully heads have apparently similar and different characteristics depending on the different loess landforms where they are found. The loess head characteristics reflect their growth period and evolution tendency to a certain degree, and they indirectly represent evolutionary mechanisms. In addition, the loess gully developmental stages and the evolutionary processes can be deduced by using loess gully head characteristics. This study is of great significance for development and improvement of the theoretical system for describing loess gully landforms.

Comparative study and error analysis of digital elevation model interpolations

Researchers in P.R.China commonly create triangulate irregular networks(TINs) from contours and then convert TINs into digital elevation models(DEMs).However,the DEM produced by this method can not precisely describe and simulate key hydrological features such as rivers and drainage borders.Taking a hilly region in southwestern China as a research area and using ArcGISTM software,we analyzed the errors of different interpolations to obtain distributions of the errors and precisions of different algorithms and to provide references for DEM productions.The results show that different interpolation errors satisfy normal distributions,and large error exists near the structure line of the terrain.Furthermore,the results also show that the precision of a DEM interpolated with the Australian National University digital elevation model(ANUDEM) is higher than that interpolated with TIN.The DEM interpolated with TIN is acceptable for generating DEMs in the hilly region of southwestern China.

Estimation of drift limits for different seismic damage states of RC frame staging in elevated water tanks using Park and Ang damage index

Damage to elevated water tanks in past earthquakes can be attributed to the poor performance of their supporting frame staging. In order to ascertain the performance of these elevated water tanks, it is crucial to categorize the damage in quantifiable damage states. Among various parameters to quantify the damage states, the top drift of frame staging can be conveniently correlated to the different damage levels. In literature, drift limits corresponding to different damage states of the frame staging of the elevated water tank are not available. In the present study, drift limits for RC frame staging in elevated water tanks corresponding to different seismic damage states have been proposed. Various damage states of the elevated water tank have been determined using the Park and Ang damage index. The Park and Ang damage index utilizes results of both pushover analysis and incremental dynamic analysis. Twelve models of elevated water tanks have been developed considering variation in staging height and tank capacity. Incremental dynamic analysis has been performed using the suite of twelve actual earthquake ground motions. Based on the regression analysis between damage indexes and drift, limiting drift values for each damage state are proposed.

LAN Tool: A GIS Tool for the Improvement of Digital Elevation Models Using Drainage Network Attributes

Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) are constructed using altitude point data and various interpolation techniques. The quality and accuracy of DEMs depend on data point density and the interpolation technique used. Usually however, altitude point data especially in plain areas do not provide realistic DEMs, mainly due to errors produced as a result of the interpolation technique, resulting in imprecise topographic representation of the landscape. Such inconsistencies, which are mainly in the form of surface depressions, are especially crucial when DEMs are used as input to hydrologic modeling for impact studies, as they have a negative impact on the model’s performance. This study presents a Geographical Information System (GIS) tool, named LAN (Line Attribute Network), for the improvement of DEM construction techniques and their spatial accuracy, using drainage network attributes. The developed tool does not alter the interpolation technique, but provides higher point density in areas where most DEM problems occur, such as lowland areas or places where artificial topographic features exist. Application of the LAN tool in two test sites showed that it provides considerable DEM improvement.

Erosion processes in karst landscapes of the Russian plain northern taiga,based on digital elevation modeling

This paper considers the problems of the potential development of erosion processes in the natural landscapes of northern taiga in the Russian plain. It is considered that in forest ecosystems, erosion processes are slow and are weakly reflected in the terrain. However, the situation changes radically if the vegetation cover integrity is violated, which is inevitable with the modern methods of developing northern territories. Furthermore, global changes in average annual temperatures and the occurrence of karst processes may be the reason behind the development of erosion processes. The authors suggest a method for determining territories with a varying occurrence probability of erosional processes, based on digital elevation modelling. The territory of the Pinezhsky Nature Reserve(Arkhangelsk region) was chosen as the test plot. Direct field studies were previously used to detect exogenous geological processes in this territory. The authors were the first to suggest digital elevation modelling as a method that allows determining the potential danger of erosion in karst landscapes of the northern taiga. The geomorphometric studies resulted in the determination of areas with the greatest and lowest occurrence probability of erosion processes in the Pinezhsky Nature Reserve. It was established that the most significant erosion type was linear erosion, represented by incised river valleys and karst ravines. Sheet erosion is less significant and occurs as sinkholes, local declines, and chasms over the valleys of subterranean rivers.