Spatio-temporal evolution and topographic gradient effect of land use and ecosystem service value in the Lhasa River Basin

The Lhasa River Basin forms an essential human settlement area in the southern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.This study employed ecosystem service value(ESV)evaluation model,terrain gradient grading,and Geodetector to analyze land use and ESV in the Lhasa River Basin from 1985 to 2020.The findings reveal that:(1)From 1985 to 2020,grassland was the dominant land use.There was a trend of grassland reduction and the expansion of other land types.(2)ESV has increased over the research period(with a total increase of 0.84%),with higher values in the southeast and lower values in the northwest.Grassland contributed the most to ESV,and climate regulation and hydrological regulation were the ecosystem services that contribute the most to ESV.(3)Natural factors like NDVI and altitude,as well as economic factors like population density and distance from roads,influenced the spatial differentiation of ESV,the explanatory power of NDVI reached up to 0.47.The interaction between factors had a greater impact than individual factors.These research results can provide theoretical support for national spatial planning and ecological environment protection in the Lhasa River Basin and other similar areas.

Spatiotemporal evolution of ecosystem service value and topographic gradient effect in the Da-Xiao Liangshan Mountains in Sichuan Province,China

The Da-Xiao Liangshan mountains are critical ecological function areas and essential ecological barriers in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River in China.This study selected a total of six periods of land use land cover(LULC)data from 1995 to 2020,to estimate the ecosystem service value(ESV)and analyzed its spatiotemporal evolution and topographic gradient divergence.The results showed that:(1)The ESV increased by 1.1 billion yuan,with an increase rate of 1.47%from 1995 to 2020.Two time periods,2005–2010 and 2015–2020,showed more significant increases than other periods.(2)The elevation and slope of mountainous areas determine the type of land use and further influence the spatial pattern of ESV.(3)Although woodland and grassland are the main land use types of the study area(more than 90%),the hydrological regulation function of the water area partially compensated for the impact of the encroachment of the built-up area on the ESV of grassland.(4)The spatial distribution of ESVs showed an inverted V-shaped characteristic as the topographic gradient increased,with the dominant position being the 5th topographic gradient zone.Finally,this study provided relevant recommendations for ecosystem protection and optimization.The findings of this study clarified the influence of topographical factors on the spatial differentiation of ESV and provided novel insights into ecosystem protection.

A shadow- eliminated vegetation index (SEVI) for removal of self and cast shadow effects on vegetation in rugged terrains

The effect of terrain shadow, including the self and cast shadows, is one ofthe main obstacles for accurate retrieval of vegetation parameters byremote sensing in rugged terrains. A shadow- eliminated vegetation index(SEVI) was developed, which was computed from only red and nearinfrared top-of-atmosphere reflectance without other heterogeneous dataand topographic correction. After introduction of the conceptual modeland feature analysis of conventional wavebands, the SEVI was constructedby ratio vegetation index (RVI), shadow vegetation index (SVI) andadjustment factor (f (Δ)). Then three methods were used to validate theSEVI accuracy in elimination of terrain shadow effects, including relativeerror analysis, correlation analysis between the cosine of solar incidenceangle (cosi) and vegetation indices, and comparison analysis between SEVIand conventional vegetation indices with topographic correction. Thevalidation results based on 532 samples showed that the SEVI relativeerrors for self and cast shadows were 4.32% and 1.51% respectively. Thecoefficient of determination between cosi and SEVI was only 0.032 and thecoefficient of variation (std/mean) for SEVI was 12.59%. The results indicatethat the proposed SEVI effectively eliminated the effect of terrain shadowsand achieved similar or better results than conventional vegetation indiceswith topographic correction.

Analysis of the Rainstorm Falling Zone in Guangxi during Influence Period of the 0906 Typhoon "Molave"

[ Objective] The research aimed to analyze rainstorm falling zone in Guangxi during influence period of the 0906 typhoon ＂ Molave＂. [ Method] For the heavy precipitation falling zone in southern and central parts of Guangxi after 0906 typhoon ＂ Molave＂ landed, 500 hPa circula- tion, physical quantity field, satellite cloud chart and terrain effect were analyzed. [ Result] 500 hPa subtropical high caused asymmetry of the ＂Me- lave＂ circulation, playing a key role for the strong precipitation falling zone in Guangxi. Physical quantity field analysis pointed out that after ＂ Me- lave＂ landed, water vapor convergence center was in southeast Guangxi, providing adequate moisture condition for the heavy precipitation in south- ern and central parts of Guangxi. The maximum positive vorticity center appeared at the middle and low layers in southern and central parts of Guangxi for a long time. At 200 hPa, there was a maximum divergence center. At 700 hPa, there was a maximum convergence center. High-level divergence and low-level convergence created conditions for heavy precipitation in the region. From satellite cloud chart, the heavy precipitation fall- ing zone related to asymmetric structure of the ~ Molave＂. In addition, uplifting effect of the terrain was conducive to occurrence of the large precipi- tation. [ Conclusion] The research provided reference for reduction and prevention of this kind of heavy precipitation.

Fixing an illusion–an empirical assessment of correction methods for the terrain reversal effect in satellite images

Identifying land forms and land cover classes are important tasks in image interpretation.Sometimes,a phenomenon called terrain reversal effect(TRE)causes an inverted perception of 3D forms.When this inversion occurs,valleys appear as ridges and vice versa.While the TRE can severely impair the ability to identify 3D land forms,‘correcting’for the TRE in imagery can introduce new problems.Importantly,one of most commonly-proposed methods–shaded relief map(SRM)overlay–appears to impair the ability to identify land cover classes.In this paper,we report a comparative empirical evaluation of an SRM overlay solution,and its‘enhanced’versions supported by various other cues(stereopsis,motion,labels).In response to the different solutions,we measure the effectiveness,efficiency,confidence and preferences of our participants in land form and land cover identification tasks.All examined methods significantly improve the ability to detect land forms accurately,but they also impair the ability to identify the land cover classes to different degrees.Additionally,participants’visualization preferences contradict their performance with them,calling for reflection on the visual effects of the applied correction methods.Based on the study,recommendations concerning the correction of the TRE are drawn,and gaps are identified.

A Numerical Study of the Severe Heavy Rainfall Associated with Typhoon Haitang (2005)

Typhoons landing in the central and north of Fujian Province often seriously impact Zhejiang Province. Much attention has been given to exceptionally torrential rain in the South/North Yandang mountainous regions in the southeast of Zhejiang Province associated with typhoon-landing. Typhoon Haitang （2005） is a typical case of such a category, which landed in Huangqi Town of Lianjiang County in Fujian Province, and meanwhile greatly impacted Southeast Zhejiang. A numerical simulation has been performed with the PSU/NCAR non-hydrostatic model MM5V3 to study the torrential rain associated with Typhoon Haitang. The comparison of simulated and observed rainfalls shows that the MM5V3 was able to well simulate not only the intensity but also the locations of severe heavy rain of Typhoon Haitang, especially the locations of the south/north heavy rain center areas in the South/North Yandang mountainous regions. Meanwhile, the diagnostic analysis has been also carried out for better understanding of the severe heavy rain mechanism by using the model output data of high resolution. The diagnostic analysis indicates that the westward tilt of the axis of vorticity from lower layer to upper layer over the south heavy rain center area and the coupled structure of convergence in the lower layer and divergence in the upper level over the north heavy rain center area, were both propitious to stronger upward motion in the layers between the mid and upper atmosphere, and the secondary circulation induced by the vertical shear of the ambient winds further strengthened the upward motion in the heavy rain areas. After Haitang passed through Taiwan Island into the Taiwan Strait, the water vapor east of Taiwan Island was continuously transferred by typhoon circulation towards South Wenzhou, leading to the torrential rainfall in the South Yandang mountainous region south of Wenzhou. Subsequently~ Haitang moved northwards, the water vapor belt east of Taiwan Island slowly advanced northwards, the precipitation rate obviously enhanced in the North Yandang mountainous region north of Wenzhou. After landing in Fujian Province, Haitang moved northwestwards, the water vapor belt coming from the Taiwan Strait merged into the strong water vapor belt from the ocean surface east of Taiwan Island, and passed through the north of Wenzhou, resulting in the torrential rainfall in the north of Wenzhou. The specific moisture transport passage offered abundant water vapor condition for torrential rainfalls associated with Haitang. The unstable stratification at the middle and lower layers over rainstorm areas also provided favorable thermal condition for torrential rainfall. The sensitivity simulation experiments of terrain effect on Haitang＇s heavy rain were also conducted. The moisture flow derived by Haitang＇s southeast flow, which was perpendicular to the South and North Yandang Mountain ranges, played an important role in the torrential rainfall associated with Haitang. The experimental results show that orographic lifting contributed greatly to the enhancement of precipitation, and made the distribution of precipitation more uneven. Some causes for typhoon heavy rainfalls in the south and north of Wenzhou are common, but some causes different. The common aspects are strong ascending motion forced by vertical wind shear, sustained unstable stratification, and amplification effect of orography on precipitation, while different aspects are dynamic structure, conditions for maintenance of unstable stratification, and moisture transport condition.