Ocean surface currents estimated from satellite remote sensing data based on a global hexagonal grid

Global ocean surface currents estimated from satellite derived data based on a regular global grid are affected by the grid’s shape and placement.Due to different neighbourhood relationships,the rectangular lat/lon grids lose accuracy when interpolating andfitting elevation data.Hexagonal grids have shown to be advantageous due to their isotropic,uniform neighbourhood.Considering these merits,this paper aims to estimate global ocean surface current using a global isotropic hexagonal grid from satellite remote sensing data.First,gridded satellite altimeter data and wind data with different resolutions are interpolated into the centre of the global isotropic hexagonal grid.Then,geostrophic and Ekman currents components are estimated according to the Lagerlof Ocean currents theory.Finally,the inversion results are verified.By analyzing the results,we conclude that the ocean surface currents estimated based on the global isotropic hexagonal grid have considerable accuracy,with improvement over rectangular lat/lon grids.

Monitoring Land Use and Infrastructure Changes in Industrial Complex Using Geo-Informatics Technology in Gujarat State, India

In the present study, detailed investigations have been carried out in Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemical Investment Region (PCPIR) area in Vygra and Bharuch Talukas in Bharuch district of Gujarat State. Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRS-P6) LISS-III, LISS-IV and CARTOSAT digital data covering PCPIR area in Bharuch district for the period of January & February of 2011, 2012 and 2013 was analyzed for land use/land cover mapping and monitoring the changes in land use. Various thematic land use/land cover maps were prepared and GIS database for various thematic layers have been generated using satellite and ground based information. The results indicate that the major land use in the PCPIR area is agriculture with crop lands ranging from 61 to 63 per cent of the total area. Crop land has decreased from 64.7% during 2011 to 62.7% during 2013 in the PCPIR region. Area under plantations in PCPIR area has also decreased from 5.5% during 2011 to 5.2% during 2012. The industrial area has increased from 6.0% to 7.6% of the total area of the PCPIR region. The total built-up area (industries & village area) has increased from 7.1% during 2011 to 8.7% during 2013. Tree plantations in the area of around 42 ha were carried out by GIDC during 2012 and 2013 to increase the green cover in the PCPIR area.

Research on Water-Vapor Distribution in the Air over Qilian Mountains

Based on the remote sensing data, the radiosonde data and precipitation data observed by weather stations, distributions of atmospheric water-vapor and cloud motion wind over the Qilian Mountains are analyzed. Moreover, on the basis of water-vapor and cloud motion wind analyses, relations of atmospheric water-vapor distribution with precipitation~ atmospheric circulation, and terrain are investigated. The results show that distributions of atmospheric water-vapor and precipitation in the Qilian Mountains are affected by the westerly belt, the southerly monsoon （the South Asian monsoon and plateau monsoon）, and the East Asian monsoon. In the northwest Qilian Mountains, water-vapor and precipitation are entirely affected by the westerly belt, and there is no other direction water-vapor transport except westerly watervapor flux, hence, the northwest region is regarded as the westerly belt region. In the south and middle of the mountaili, water-vapor is mainly controlled by the southerly monsoon, 37.7% of the total watervapor is from the south, especially in summer, the southerly water-vapor flux accounts for 55.9% of the total, and furthermore the water-vapor content in the southerly flow is more than that in the westerly flow. The southerly monsoon water-vapor is influenced by the South Asian monsoon from the Indian Ocean and the plateau monsoon in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, thus, the south and middle region is called southerly monsoon region. But in the northeast Qilian Mountains, the East Asian monsoon is the main climate system affecting the water-vapor. Besides west and northwest water-vapor fluxes, there are a lot of easterly water-vapor fluxes in summer. The frequency of easterly cloud motion winds in summer half year accounts for 27.1% of the total, though the frequency is not high, it is the main water-vapor source of summer precipitation in this region, therefore, the northwest region is a marginal region of the East Asian monsoon. On the other hand, atmospheric water-vapor, precipitation, and conversion rate of water-vapor into precipitation are closely related with altitudes and circulation system. Generally, there is a peak value of water-vapor content at the altitude from 3500 to 4500 m on the windward slope, but on the leeward slope, water-vapor monotonically decreases with altitude descending except for that in the East Asian monsoon region. Water-vapor on the leeward is much less than that on the windward slope~ and the maximal difference in water-vapor content between the two sides may reach about 4.49 kg m-2. Either the values of water-vapor content, precipitation or the conversion rate of water-vapor into precipitation all reach their maxima in the East Asian monsoon regions, and correspondingly the peak value of water-vapor on the windward is also large and occurs at a lower altitude in comparison with other two regions.