Recent changing patterns of the Changjiang(Yangtze River) Estuary caused by human activities

To evaluate the controlling factors for coastline change of the Changjiang（Yangtze River） Estuary since 1974,we extracted the mean high tide line from multi-temporal remote sensing images that span from 1974 to 2014 at 2-year intervals.We chose 42 scenes to constrain the changing pattern of the Changjiang Estuary coastline,and implemented GIS technology to analyze the area change of the Changjiang（Yangtze） Subaerial Delta.Runoff,sediment discharge and coastal engineering were withal considered in the analysis of the coastline changes.The coastline has transgressed seaward since 1974,and a part of it presents inter-annual variations.The area of the Changjiang Subaerial Delta increased by 871 km2,with a net accretion rate of 21.8 km2/a.Based on the change of sediment discharge due to the major projects in the Changjiang River Basin,we divided the changing pattern of the coastline into three stages：the slow accretion stage（1974–1986）,the moderate accretion stage（1987–2002）,and the rapid accretion stage（2003–2014）.Liner regression analysis illustrated that there is a significantly positive correlation between the area changes and sediment discharge in the Chongming Eastern Shoal and Jiuduansha.This suggested that sediment load has a fundamental effect on the evolution of the Changjiang Estuary.Construction of Deep Waterway in the North Passage of the Changjiang River（1998–2010） led to a rapid accretion in the Hengsha Eastern Shoal and Jiuduansha by influencing the hydrodynamics in North Passage.Coastal engineering such as reclamation and harbor construction can also change the morphology of the Changjiang Estuary.We defined a contribution rate of area change to assess the impact of reclamation on the evolution of Changjiang Estuary.It turned out that more than 45.3% of area increment of the Changjiang Estuary was attributed to reclamation.

Tenure-Track Assistant Professor in Integrative Systems Engineering NSF Engineering Research Center for Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere(CASA) Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

In conjunction with the NSF Engineering Research Center for Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere (CASA),the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst invites applications for a tenure-track position in Integrative Systems Engineering(ISE) at the Assistant Professor level to begin September 2009.

Metamaterials beyond negative refractive index： Applications in telecommunication and sensing

Metamaterials have earned their name with extraordinary properties such as negative refractive index and invisibility cloaking. With over 15 years of research and development, metamaterials show their debut in real world applications, especially in the areas of telecommunication, sensing, aerospace & defense, optics and medical instrumentation. In the meanwhile, metamaterials are expanding their concept in areas beyond electromagnetics. In this paper, the authors would like to focus on the research and applications in telecommunication and sensing. Octave-bandwidth horn antennas, flat-panel satellite antennas and air-borne holographic satellite antennas are all fabulous examples of clever implementation that bring metamaterials into practical devices. We would like to discuss the features that differentiate metamaterials from conventional counterparts in case studies. With the advancement in design, manufacturing, packaging, detection and testing, more sophisticated features are expected in the telecommunication, sensing, and beyond.