Performance Analysis of Techniques Used for Determining Land Mines

Today, remote sensing is used for different methods and different purposes. In all of the detection methods, some considerations such as low energy consumption, low cost, insensitivity to environmental changes, high accuracy, high reliability and robustness become important. Taking into account these facts, remote sensing methods are used in applications such as geological and archeological research, engineering areas, health services, preserving and controlling natural life, determination of underground sources, controlling air, sea and road traffic, military applications, etc. The method to be used is based on the object type to be detected, material to be made, and location to be found. The remote sensing methods from the past up to today can be listed as acoustic and seismic, ground penetration radar (GPR) detection, electromagnetic induction, infrared (IR) imaging, neutron quadrupole resonance (NQR), thermal neutron activation (TNA), neutron back scattering, X-ray back scattering, and magnetic anomaly detection. In these methods, detected raw images have to be processed, filtered and enhanced. In order to achieve these operations, some algorithms are needed to be developed. In this study, the methods used in detecting land mines remotely and their performance analysis have been given. In this way, the last situation on the advantages and disadvantages of methods used, application areas and detection accuracies are determined. Furthermore, the algorithms such as transmission line matrix (TLM), finite difference time-domain (FDTD), the method of moment (MoM), split step parabolic equation (SSPE) and image processing and intelligent algorithms are presented in detail.

Evaluation Study on the Reclamation Suitability of Occupied Land in the Coal Mine Area——Taking Gouchang Coal Mine in Nayong County of Guizhou as An Example

The suitability evaluation of reclamation land was the premise and foundation for drawing up the land reclamation program.Taking Gouchang coal mine in Nayong County of Guizhou as an example,combining with the actual situation which included the topography,the soil in the mine area and so on,the reclamation land in the mine area was divided into the living area,the production area,the coal yard,the temporary coal gangue yard and other subsidiary facilities district.It determined that the main destruction type in every unit was the occupation,and the destruction degree was severe.Meanwhile referring the suitability evaluation standards of cultivated field and woodland,it finally determined that the reclamation direction of evaluation land which was damaged seriously by the occupation in the mine area was all suitable to the cultivated field and woodland.

Suitability evaluation for land reclamation in mining area:A case study of Gaoqiao bauxite mine

Suitability evaluation plays an important role in land reclamation because the choice of evaluation methods affects the accuracy and objectivity of the suitability evaluation results. Furthermore, it influences the decision-making related to land reclamation. An improved method, which is called limit comprehensive conditions method, was developed after different suitability evaluation methods were studied. Based on this method, the reclaimed land of the Gaoqiao bauxite mining area was evaluated. The Gaoqiao mining area was divided into seven evaluation units that were evaluated respectively by selecting evaluation factors and establishing grade standards. The results show that the proposed method is more applicable and easier to handle. Moreover, its evaluation results are more scientific compared with the traditional evaluation methods. The improved method can be beneficial to the rapid monitoring and the effective management of reclaimed land in the opencast mine area.

Comparing the soil quality changes of different land uses determined by two quantitative methods

Soil quality is one of the most important environmental factors in sustaining the global biosphere and developing sustainable agricultural practices. A study was initiated in Wolong Nature Reserve, Sichuan Province, China to elucidate the soil quality changes of natural secondary succession, forest planting and agricultural practices after deforestation in the humid mountainous region. The soil qualities of six land use types (natural forestland, grassland, shrub land, secondary forestland, cultivated land and reforested land) were compared using two quantitative methods: the integrated soil quality index(QI) and soil deterioration index(DI). The QI values of natural forestland, grassland, shrub land, secondary forestland, cultivated land, reforested land were 0.8039, 0.3277, 0.9127, 0.6881, 0.0285 and 0.3183, respectively. The DI values were 0%, -14%, 12%, 1%, -26% and -18% respectively. Both indexes suggested that shrub land can restore soil properties. To compare the two methods more directly, a deduced index QI′ based on QI value was developed. The results showed that DI and QI′had a very high linear correlation coefficient (r=0.9775) despite the values were different. Both methods were efficient in evaluating the soil quality levels and DI was a more simple way in soil quality assessment, while QI could show more ecological meanings.

Conversion of Natural Ecosystems to Cropland Increases the Soil Net Nitrogen Mineralization and Nitrification in Tibet

A comparative study was conducted to determine the NH4+ and NO3- concentrations in soil profiles and to examine the net nitrogen (N) mineralization and nitrification in adjacent forest, grassland, and cropland soils on the Tibetan Plateau. Cropland soil showed significantly higher inorganic N concentrations in soil profiles compared with forest and grassland soils. NO3- -N accounted for 70%–90% of inorganic N in cropland soil, while NH4+ -N was the main form of inorganic N in forest and grassland soils. The average net N mineralization rate at 0–20 cm depth was approximately twice in cropland soil (1.48 mg kg-1 d-1) as high as in forest (0.83 mg kg-1 d-1) or grassland soil (0.72 mg kg-1 d-1). Cropland showed strong net nitrification, with the net rate almost equal to the total net N mineralization. Urea addition stimulated soil respiration, particularly in forest soil. Most urea-N, however, remained as NH4+ in forest and grassland soils, while NO3- was the main form of inorganic N to increase in cropland soil. Higher rates of net nitrification in cropland soils suggest that land use change on the Tibetan Plateau may lead to high N losses through nitrate leaching.

Ecological rebuilding and land reclamation in surface mines in Shanxi Province, China

It is well known that the mining industry produces a large amount of derelict land, and causes pollution of water loss and soil erosion as well as other environmental damage in China. As land is under pressure in China, it is now policy to restore or reclaim land despoiled by mining, the aim being to develop sustainable and healthy arable land ecosystems. This paper outlines the principles and approaches of ecological restoration, which have been adopted in Shanxi Province with reference to three typical surface mines. In the research, the principles of ecological engineering and ecological succession are considered as the critical theories of ecological restoration in mine degraded land. Meanwhile, the paper made a comparative research on main links of ecological rebuilding in three surface mines in Shanxi Province, which include new land construction, treatment of toxic substances, control of soil erosion, fertility management, irrigation, ecological planning and the establishment of legislation systems. As the research demonstrated, for successful restoration, new land construction is the fundamental framework, but it must be integrated with ecological engineering including ecological planning, the control of soil erosion and vegetation establishment and ecosystem creation in order to optimise land productivity and soil fertility. In addition, the establishment of the legislation systems and organization of administration are also indispensable aspects of ecological rebuilding in mined land.

Spatial structure optimization of mountainous abandoned mine land reuse based on system dynamics model and CLUE-S model

The mountainous abandoned mine land is often distributed in the fomi of fragmented patches. Therefore, it can greatly promote the reuse value of abandoned mine land and relieve the pressure of land demand to realize the rational reuse of abandoned mine land based on the future land use structure and spatial layout of mountainous area. In this paper, optimization of the spatial structure of mountainous abandoned mine land reuse is realized through the system dynamics model and CLUE-S model. Mentougou district, Beijing, China is selected as the research area. System dynamics model with feedback functions is constructed to simulate land use structure from 2011 to 2025, which is taken as the quanfiiative constraint on spatial structure optimization. CLUE-S model with neighborhood analysis function is applied to simulate future land use spatial structure. The simulation result layer is superimposed with the abandoned mine land distribution layer and the optimized spatial structure of abandoned mine land reuse then is determined, checked by reuse suitability evaluation. The result shows that abandoned mine land can be fully optimized as other land use types according to demand, and the reuse directions are water conservancy facilities land, urban land, rural residential land, tourism land, garden land, woodland and grassland. The trend of abandoned mine land reuse tend to be consistent with land use types of neighboring patches. This study can provide theoretical reference for the practices of mountainous abandoned mine land reuse.

Selection of optimal land uses for the reclamation of surface mines by using evolutionary algorithms

A methodology for the selection of the optimal land uses of the reclamation of mined areas is proposed. It takes into consideration several multi-nature criteria and constraints, including spatial constrains related to the permissible land uses in certain parts of the mined area. The methodology combines desirability functions and evolution searching algorithms for selection of the optimal reclamation scheme. Its application for the reclamation planning of the Amynteon lignite surface mine in Greece indicated that it handles effectively spatial and non-spatial constraints and incorporates easily the decision-makers preferences regarding the reclamation strategy in the optimization procedure.

Evaluating geological and geotechnical data for the study of land subsidence phenomena at the perimeter of the Amyntaio coalmine,Greece

Land subsidence phenomena caused by the overexploitation of the aquifers require the holistic knowledge of the geological, tectonic, hydrogeological and especially the geotechnical conditions of the affected sites in order to be mitigated. The current paper focuses on the study of the phenomena taking place at the Amyntaio sub-basin, northern Greece, hosting the homonymous open pit coal mine,operating there the last two decades. The mining as well as the rising agriculture activities have led to a significant drawdown of the ground water level triggering extensive ground subsidence phenomena,causing damages at the nearby villages, infrastructure and farmlands. The production and evaluation of engineering geological–geotechnical maps as well as of thematic tectonic and hydrogeological maps proved that the knowledge of this data is crucial for the interpretation of the land subsidence mechanism and the spatial distribution of its effects.

Element and mineral characterization of dust emission from the saline land at Songnen Plain, Northeastern China

Recent observations of Asian dust storms show an eastern expansion of the source area to degraded lands, where dust emissions have been little studied. The dust concentrations over the saline land of the western Songnen Plain （SSL）, Northeastern China, are circumstantially higher than those from the northwestern Chinese deserts. These concentrations are sensitive to the surface soil conditions and wind velocity on the ground. The dust samples collected during dust storm events on the SSL contain abundant Na, Mg, A1, K, Ca, Fe and Ti, as well as toxic elements such as Cu, V, Zn and Ba. Individual particle analysis reveals that fine saline particles （〈 10 μm in diameter） on the saline land, consisting largely of carbonate, halite and sulfate together with lithogenic minerals such as SiO2 and aluminosilicate, are eventually uplifted during the interval from spring to autuum. The predominantly fine saline particles uplifted from the SSL are likely transported eastward by the winter monsoon circulation and westerlies. Recent degradation of saline lands in Northeastern China would not only increase the frequency of dust storm events in the downwind area, but also might change the chemical composition of the Asian dust emissions.

Land reclamation in the refuse dump of open coal mines and its following ecology principle

Through the research on the model of the land reclamation in the refuse dumpof Heidaigou open coal mines,it was concerned that ecology was the theoretical basic forthe land reclamation of open coal mines.According to the principle of ecological substitut-ing,the land reclamation can be divided into three stages:water and soil conservation,ecological performance and economic performance.Taking the land reclamation in the re-fuse dump of Heidaigou open coal mines as the practical example,explained the applica-tion of the ecological substituting principle on the land reclamation in the open coal mines.

Monitoring Land Cover Change Using Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographical Information System (GIS): A Case of Golden Pride and Geita Gold Mines, Tanzania

This study monitored land cover change in the mining sites of Golden Pride Gold Mine (GPGM) and Geita Gold Mine (GGM), Tanzania. The satellite data for land cover classification for the years 1997, 2010 and 2017 were obtained from the United States Geologic Survey Departments (USGS) online database and were analyzed using Arc GIS 10 software. Supervised classification composed of seven classes namely forest, bushland, agriculture, water, bare soil, urban area and grassland, was designed for this study, in order to classify Landsat images into thematic maps. In addition, future land cover changes for the year 2027 were simulated using a Cellular Automata (CA)-Markov model after validating the model using the Land Cover for the year 2017. The results from the LULC analysis showed that forest was the most dominant land cover type in 1997 at GPGM and GGM covering 510 ha (52.1%) and 9833 ha (49.7%) respectively. In 2017, the forest area decreased and the bushland replaced forest to be the most dominant land cover type covering 219 ha (22.4%) for GPGM and 8878 ha (44.9%) for GGM. Based on the CA-Markov model, a predicted land cover map for 2027 was dominated by forest covering 340 ha (34.7%) and 8639 ha (43.7%) for GPGM and GGM respectively. An overall accuracy and kappa coefficient for GPGM were 74.7% and 70.2% respectively and for GGM were 71.4% and 66.1% respectively. Thus, land cover changes resulting from mining activities involve reduction of forest land hence endangers biodiversity. GIS and remote sensing technologies are potential to detect the trend of changes and predict future land cover. The findings are crucial as it provides basis for land use planning and intensifies monitoring programs in the mining areas of Tanzania.

Carbon and nitrogen mineralization in soils along a desertification gradient in the semiarid Horqin Sandy Land, Northern China

This experiment was conducted in three sites along a desertification gradient in Horqin Sandy Land, Northern China. Soils una-mended and amended with five types of plant residue in a wide range of C：N ratios from 9.9 to 82.2 were incubated for 70 days, during which C and N mineralization were measured. Along the desertification gradient from fixed sand dune to semifixed, and mobile sand dune： cumulative CO2-C produced from the unamended soils was 231.6, 193.3 and 61.9 μg/g, respectively, while net inorganic N was 22.9, 17.6 and 0.9 mg/kg. Soils amended with residues produced more CO2-C than the unamended soils across all sites. During the first 10 days, C mineralization rate of residue-amended soils decreased with the increase of C：N ratio at each site. However, the mineralization rates were poorly correlated with the C：N ratio in subsequent stage of incubation. Soils of mobile sand dune amended with higher C：N ratio （more than 32） residues produced less CO2-C than that of fixed and semifixed sand dune. NO3--N was the predominant form of inorganic N during the mineralization process in sandy soils. Carbon-to-nitrogen ratio （C：N） can be regarded as a predictor of the speed of N mineralization in sandy soil. The more C. microphylla residue with the lowest C：N ratio （9.9） added in soils, the more net inorganic N released. Our results suggest that C. microphylla residue when added to soil would potentially provide short-term plant available N and improve the soil quality in sandy land. The desertification process postponed the release of inorganic N from plant residues.

What determine herder households' sustainable grassland management behaviors in western China?

Grassland is most important in China due to its multi-functions. However, about 90% of total usable grassland in China has been degraded and the degradation expands at a rate of 2 million ha per year. Western China covers 6.12 million square kilometers and 63.8% of the total national area with a distribution of 50 minority nationalities and 75% of the minority national population. Ecological environment there is very vulnerable with more than 90% areas of the annually increased degradation taking place. Under the current tenure arrangement, the individual herder households become the main and direct users of grassland, their decision-making on grassland management may have crucial impact on ecological environment as well as their livelihoods. Thus, it is necessary to examine the determinants of their grassland management behaviors. This study applies 231 household field data from 6 provinces of western China and uses econometric models to explore the major constraints for restricting the herd households' grassland management behaviors. Main results show that under the current tenure and other governance measures, institutional factors, market price and herder's farm and household's characteristics affect the grassland management behaviors.

Land reclamation pattern of iron mine in Tangshan

Based on the analyses of the character of the exploitation of the iron ore resource and its destruction of eco-environment in Tangshan area, this paper puts forward the patterns of land reclamation which fits for this area. The patterns include the reclamation of ecological agriculture, planting directly on the tailing bin without covering soil, reclamation of mine tailings in the pool, and improvement of the soil quality by using tailings etc. Now, over 700hm^2 land has been reclaimed by taking advantage of the pattern in Tangshan and eight typical reclamation districts have been built. The rates of reclamation exceed 80% and have reached the advanced level of the world. Practice has proved that the eco-environment of the ore area has been greatly improved and the remarkable economic and social benefits have been gained.

Optimization and Control in the Low-carbon Reclamation of Damaged Land in Mine Areas

The process of exploiting mining land is the process of carbon increasing. The goal of top-level design of the mine land reclamation is not clear, which causes the reducing of carbon sink capacity. The mine land reclamation program targeted poorly, which is bad for the control of overall carbon resource and emission. According to the requirements in regional division of encouraged, restricted and prohibited development, in various regions, multiple objectives were set as to maximize economic benefits and not to reduce the carbon sinks level of mine area, using Markov process optimization land-use structure, and based on the land type and characteristics, by floating changing, increasing or decreasing, land exploitation structure was adjusted to meet the need of low-carbon mine land exploitation.

Understanding the Relationship Between Shrinking Cities and Land Prices:Spatial Pattern,Effectiveness,and Policy Implications

Urban shrinkage has emerged as a widespread phenomenon globally and has a significant impact on land,particularly in terms of land use and price.This study focuses on 2851 county-level cities in China in 2005–2018(excluding Hong Kong,Macao,Taiwan,and‘no data’areas in Qinhai-Tibet Plateau)as the fundamental units of analysis.By employing nighttime light(NTL)data to identify shrinking cities,the propensity score matching(PSM)model was used to quantitatively examine the impact of shrinking cities on land prices,and evaluate the magnitude of this influence.The findings demonstrate the following:1)there were 613 shrinking cities in China,with moderate shrinkage being the most prevalent and severe shrinkage being the least.2)Regional disparities are evident in the spatial distribution of shrinking cities,especially in areas with diverse terrain.3)The spatial pattern of land price exhibits a significant correlated to the economic and administrative levels.4)Shrinking cities significantly negatively impact on the overall land price(ATT=–0.1241,P<0.05).However,the extent of the effect varies significantly among different spatial regions.This study contributes novel insights into the investigation of land prices and shrinking cities,ultimately serving as a foundation for government efforts to promote the sustainable development of urban areas.

Formation of Tianwen-1 landing crater and mechanical properties of Martian soil near the landing site

After landing in the Utopia Planitia,Tianwen-1 formed the deepest landing crater on Mars,approximately 40 cm deep,exposing precious information about the mechanical properties of Martian soil.We established numerical models for the plume-surface interaction(PSI)and the crater formation based on Computational Fluid Dynamics(CFD)methods and the erosion model modified from Roberts’Theory.Comparative studies of cases were conducted with different nozzle heights and soil mechanical properties.The increase in cohesion and internal friction angle leads to a decrease in erosion rate and maximum crater depth,with the cohesion having a greater impact.The influence of the nozzle height is not clear,as it interacts with the position of the Shock Diamond to jointly control the erosion process.Furthermore,we categorized the evolution of landing craters into the dispersive and the concentrated erosion modes based on the morphological characteristics.Finally,we estimated the upper limits of the Martian soil’s mechanical properties near Tianwen-1 landing site,with the cohesion ranging from 2612 to 2042 Pa and internal friction angle from 25°to 41°.

Thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) coupled simulation of the land subsidence due to aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) system in soft soils

Aquifer thermal energy storage(ATES)system has received attention for heating or cooling buildings.However,it is well known that land subsidence becomes a major environmental concern for ATES projects.Yet,the effect of temperature on land subsidence has received practically no attention in the past.This paper presents a thermo-hydro-mechanical(THM)coupled numerical study on an ATES system in Shanghai,China.Four water wells were installed for seasonal heating and cooling of an agriculture greenhouse.The target aquifer at a depth of 74e104.5 m consisted of alternating layers of sand and silty sand and was covered with clay.Groundwater level,temperature,and land subsidence data from 2015 to 2017 were collected using field monitoring instruments.Constrained by data,we constructed a field scale three-dimensional(3D)model using TOUGH(Transport of Unsaturated Groundwater and Heat)and FLAC3D(Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua)equipped with a thermo-elastoplastic constitutive model.The effectiveness of the numerical model was validated by field data.The model was used to reproduce groundwater flow,heat transfer,and mechanical responses in porous media over three years and capture the thermo-and pressure-induced land subsidence.The results show that the maximum thermoinduced land subsidence accounts for about 60%of the total subsidence.The thermo-induced subsidence is slightly greater in winter than that in summer,and more pronounced near the cold well area than the hot well area.This study provides some valuable guidelines for controlling land subsidence caused by ATES systems installed in soft soils.

Effect of Land Reclamation on Nutrient Distribution in Reclaimed Farmlands Overlying Xuzhou Underground Coal Mines *1

This research was carried out to evaluate the effect of the reclamation procedure with respect to soil fertility and nutrient distribution pattern in the reprecipitated reclaimed soil. Although there was an obvious indication of low levels of essential nutrients in the reclaimed farmlands (organic matter=0.32 g kg -1 ,total N=380.8 mg kg -1 , available P=4.7 mg kg -1 ), compared to the undisturbed farmlands (organic matter=2.5 g kg -1 , total N=1 220 g kg -1 , available P=20.8 mg kg -1 ), the uneven pattern of nutrient distribution was also shown to have been the major limitation to successful reclamation. Further improvement can be achieved through the integration of intensive eco farming systems using proper fertilizer field correction (PFFC) and organic manure for successful reestablishment and management of newly reclaimed farmlands overlying the Xuzhou coal mine subsidence.