LAND-COVER DENSITY-BASED APPROACH TO URBAN LAND USE MAPPING USING HIGH-RESOLUTION IMAGERY

Nowadays, remote sensing imagery, especially with its high spatialresolution, has become an indispensable tool to provide timely up-gradation of urban land use andland cover information, which is a prerequisite for proper urban planning and management. Thepossible method described in the present paper to obtain urban land use types is based on theprinciple that land use can be derived from the land cover existing in a neighborhood. Here, movingwindow is used to represent the spatial pattern of land cover within a neighborhood and seven windowsizes (61mx61m, 68mx68m, 75mx75m, 87mx87m, 99mx99m, 110mx110m and 121mxl21m) are applied todetermining the most proper window size. Then, the unsupervised method of ISODATA is employed toclassify the layered land cover density maps obtained by the moving window. The results of accuracyevaluation show that the window size of 99mx99m is proper to infer urban land use categories and theproposed method has produced a land use map with a total accuracy of 85%.

Effects of Erosion Control Measures on Mountain Floods： A Case Study of the Censhui River South Branch Watershed

To investigate the effects of various erosion control measures on mountain floods, a case study was conducted in Censhui River South Branch Watershed using scenario analysis and soil conservation service （SCS） methods. A distributed hydrological model was developed, and watershed parameters were determined based on satellite imagery, digital terrain models, digital maps and field investigations. Two types of erosion control measures were investigated： the variation of vegetation covers and the change of cultivation techniques. Seven scenarios were considered for the test watershed. The results show： （1） while the de-vegetation results in the increase of peak discharge, the improve of vegetation covers decreases peak discharge at watershed scale; （2） by both improving vegetation cover and enhancing terrace-cultivation technology, the peak discharge is reduced and the peak flow arrival time is delayed; （3） attention should be attached to both early warning system and measures changing the underlying surface and conveyance systems.

Sensitivity analysis of the De Nitrification and De Composition model for simulating regional carbon budget at the wetlandgrassland area on the Zoige Plateau,China

Although mathematical models(e.g., De Nitrification and De Composition(DNDC) provide a powerful tool to study regional carbon budget, it is still difficult to obtain accurate simulation results because there exists large uncertainties in modeling regional carbon budget. Through the investigation on the sensitivity of model output parameters to the input parameters, sensitivity analysis(SA) has been proved to be able to identify the key sources of uncertainties and be helpful to reduce the model uncertainties. However, some input parameters with discrete values(e.g., land use type and soil type) and the regional effect of the sensitive parameters were rarely examined in SA. In this paper, taking the Zoige Plateau as a case area, we combined the one-factor-ata-time(OAT) with Extended Fourier Amplitude Sensitivity Test(EFAST) to conduct a SA of DNDC for simulating the regional carbon budget, including Gross Primary Productivity(GPP), Net Primary Productivity(NPP), Net Ecosystem Productivity(NEP), autotrophic respiration(Ra), soil microbial heterotrophic respiration(Rh) and ecosystem respiration(Re). The result showed that the combination of OAT and EFAST could test the contribution of the input parameters with discrete values to the output parameters. In DNDC model, land use type and soil type had a significant impact on the regional carbon budget of the Zoige Plateau, and daily temperature was also confirmed to be one of the most important parameters for carbon budget. For the other input parameters, with the change of land use type or soil type at regional scale, the sensitive parameters of carbon budget would vary accordingly. The SA results would provide scientific evidence to optimize DNDC model and they suggested that we should pay attention to the spatial/temporal effect of SA and try to use the appropriate data in simulation of the regional carbon budget.

A Novel Dynamic Stretching Solution to Eliminate Saturation Effect in NDVI and Its Application in Drought Monitoring

The normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI) is one of the key input variables for developing drought indices.However,the NDVI quickly saturates in high vegetation surfaces,and thus,the generalization of a drought index over different ecosystems becomes a challenge.This paper presents a novel,dynamic stretching algorithm to overcome the saturation effect in NDVI.A scaling transformation function to eliminate saturation effects when the vegetation fraction(VF) is large is proposed.Dynamic range adjustment is conducted using three coefficients,namely,the normalization factor(a),the stretching range controlling factor(m),and the stretching size controlling factor(e).The results show that the stretched NDVI(S-NDVI) is more sensitive to vegetation fraction than NDVI when the VF is large,ranging from 0.75 to 1.00.Moreover,the saturation effect in NDVI is effectively removed by using the S-NDVI.Further analysis suggests that there is a good linear correlation between the S-NDVI and the leaf area index(LAI).At the same time,the proposed S-NDVI significantly reduces or even eliminates the saturation effect over high biomass.A comparative analysis is performed between drought indices derived from NDVI and S-NDVI,respectively.In the experiment,reflectance data from the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer(MODIS) products and in-situ observation data from the meteorological sites at a regional scale are used.In this study,the coefficient of determination(R2) of the stretched drought index(S-DI) is above 0.5,indicating the reliability of the proposed algorithm with surface soil moisture content.Thus,the S-DI is suggested to be used as a drought index in extended regions,thus regional heterogeneity should be taken into account when applying stretching method.

Intracellular and current source density analysis of pretectal input to the optic tectum of the frog

Objective Electrophysiological examination of the ipsilateral pretectotectal projection has proved that pretectal cells elicit strong suppressive responses to the ipsilateral tectum.However,the neural mechanisms underlying the contralateral pretectotectal prejection are still obscure.The present study aimed to examine the synaptic nature of pretectal nuclei and contralateral tectal cells,and to demonstrate the spatiotemporal pattern of neuronal activity in the 2 main brain structures. Methods Intracellular recording and current source density（CSD）analysis were used to test the complexity of neuronal mechanism of pretectotectal information transfer.Results The pretectal stimulation elicited only one type of response on the contralateral tectum,the inhibitory postsynaptic potential（IPSP）.The majority of contra-induced IPSPs were assumed to be polysynaptically driven.In the CSD analysis,only one sink with short latency was observed in each profile.The ipsilateral projection produced a prominent monosynaptic sink in layer 8 of tectum.Recipient neurons were located in layers 6 and 7 of tectum.The result confirmed former findings from ipsilateral intracellular recordings.Conclusion These results suggest the following neuronal circuit：afferents from the pretectal nuclei broadly inhibit both tectal neuron,and since no second sink occurs in tectal layers,the pretectotectal excitatory afferents probably do not extend over the whole tectum,but are within limited state.The results of intracellular recording and CSD analysis further provide evidence of how pretectal afferent activity flows within the tectal laminae.

Spatio-temporal modelling of the effect of selected environmental and land-use factors on acid grassland vegetation

Acid grasslands are threatened both by agricultural intensification with nutrient addition and increased livestock densities as well as by land abandonment.In order to understand and quantify the effect of selected environmental and land-use factors on the observed variation and changes in the vegetation of acid grasslands,large-scale spatial and temporal pin-point plant cover monitoring data are fitted in a structural equation model.The important sources of measurement and sampling uncertainties have been included using a hierarchical model structure.Furthermore,uncertainties associated with the measurement and sampling are separated from the process uncertainty,which is important when generating ecological predictions that may feed into local conservation management decisions.Generally,increasing atmospheric nitrogen deposition led to more grass-dominated acid grassland habitats at the expense of the cover of forbs.Sandy soils were relatively more acidic,and the effects of soil type on the vegetation include both direct effects of soil type and indirect effects mediated by the effect of soil type on soil pH.Both soil type and soil pH affected the vegetation of acid grasslands.Even though only a relatively small proportion of the temporal variation in cover was explained by the model,it would still be useful to quantify the uncertainties when using the model for generating local ecological predictions and adaptive management plans.

Effects of Vegetation Cover and Rainfall Intensity on Sediment-Bound Nutrient Loss,Size Composition and Volume Fractal Dimension of Sediment Particles

Vegetation and rainfall are two important factors affecting soil erosion and thus resulting in nutrient loss in the Chinese Loess Plateau.A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of rainfall intensities(60,100 and 140 mm h-1) and vegetation(Caragana korshinskii) coverages(0%,30% and 80%) on soil loss,nutrient loss,and the composition and volume fractal dimension of eroded sediment particles under simulated rainfall conditions.The results showed that vegetation cover,rainfall intensity and their interaction all had significant effects on sediment transport and the sedimentbound nutrient loss.Higher rainfall intensity and lower coverage led to higher sediment and nutrient losses.Positive linear relationships were observed between soil loss and nutrient loss.The treatments showed more significant effects on the enrichment ratio(ER) of nitrogen(ERN) than organic matter(EROM) and phosphorus(ERP).Compared with the original surface soil,the eroded sediment contained more fine particles.Under the same coverage,the clay content significantly decreased with increasing rainfall intensity.The ER of sediment-bound nutrients was positively correlated with that of clay,suggesting that the clay fraction was preferentially eroded and soil nutrients were mainly adsorbed onto or contained within this fraction.There were increments in the fractal dimension of the sediment particles compared to that of the original surface soil.Moreover,the fractal dimension was positively correlated with clay,silt,and sediment-bound OM,N,and P contents,whereas it was negatively correlated with sand content.This study demonstrated that fractal dimension analysis can be used to characterize differences in particle-size distribution and nutrient loss associated with soil erosion.

Heterogeneity in supraglacial debris thickness and its role in glacier mass changes of the Mount Gongga

In the Tibetan Plateau, many glaciers have extensive covers of supraglacial debris in their ablation zones, which affects glacier response to climate change by altering ice melting and spatial patterns of mass loss. Insufficient debris thickness data make it difficult to analyze regional debris-cover effects. Maritime glaciers of the Mount Gongga have been characterized by a substantial reduction in glacier area and ice mass in recent decades. The thermal property of the debris layer estimated from remotely sensed data reveals that debris-covered glaciers are dominant in this region, on which the proportion of debris cover to total glacier area varies from 1.74% to 53.0%. Using a physically-based debris-cover effect assessment model, we found that although the presence of supraglacial debris has a significant insulating effect on heavily debris-covered glaciers, il accelerates ice melting on -10.2% of total ablation zone and produces rapid wastage of -25% of the debris-covered glaciers, leading to the similar mass losses between the debris-covered and debris-free glaciers. Widespread debris cover also facilitates the development of active terminus regions. Regional differences in debris-cover effects are apparent, highlighting the im- portance of debris cover for understanding glacier mass changes in the Tibetan Plateau and other mountain ranges around the world.

Vegetation dynamics in Qinling-Daba Mountains in relation to climate factors between 2000 and 2014

Using the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer-normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI) dataset,we investigated the patterns of spatiotemporal variation in vegetation coverage and its associated driving forces in the Qinling-Daba(Qinba) Mountains in 2000–2014.The Sen and Mann–Kendall models and partial correlation analysis were used to analyze the data,followed by calculation of the Hurst index to analyze future trends in vegetation coverage.The results of the study showed that(1) NDVI of the study area exhibited a significant increase in 2000–2014(linear tendency,2.8%/10a).During this period,a stable increase was detected before 2010(linear tendency,4.32%/10a),followed by a sharp decline after 2010(linear tendency,–6.59%/10a).(2) Spatially,vegetation cover showed a "high in the middle and a low in the surroundings" pattern.High values of vegetation coverage were mainly found in the Qinba Mountains of Shaanxi Province.(3) The area with improved vegetation coverage was larger than the degraded area,being 81.32% and 18.68%,respectively,during the study period.Piecewise analysis revealed that 71.61% of the total study area showed a decreasing trend in vegetation coverage in 2010–2014.(4) Reverse characteristics of vegetation coverage change were stronger than the same characteristics on the Qinba Mountains.About 46.89% of the entire study area is predicted to decrease in the future,while 34.44% of the total area will follow a continuously increasing trend.(5) The change of vegetation coverage was mainly attributed to the deficit in precipitation.Moreover,vegetation coverage during La Nina years was higher than that during El Nino years.(6) Human activities can induce ambiguous effects on vegetation coverage: both positive effects(through implementation of ecological restoration projects) and negative effects(through urbanization) were observed.