Spatial distribution of morphometric parameters of glacial cirques in the Central Pyrenees(Aran and Boí valleys)

Glacial cirques are typical landscape features of mid-latitude mountain environments like the Central Pyrenees. Their morphology as well as their spatial distribution provides insights about past glaciers and climates. In this study, we examine the distribution, morphometrical and topographical characteristics of glacial cirques in two U-shaped glacial valleys located in the Central Pyrenees – the Aran and the Boí valleys. They are located in different aspects of this mountain range(north vs south) under different climatic influences that promoted distinct glaciation patterns during the late Pleistocene. The spatial mapping of these landforms was carried out using high-resolution imagery and field observations. We analysed the data of the morphometrical and topographical variables of the glacial cirques by using different statistical and geospatial methods in order tounveil the factors controlling their formation and development. A total of 186 glacial cirques were mapped in the study area, including 119 in the Aran and 67 in the Boí valleys. The local topography and microclimate conditions lead to substantial differences in both areas in terms of the morphology and dimensions of the cirques. Glacial cirques in Boí are distributed at slightly higher elevations than in Aran and they are also larger, though their dimensions decrease with elevation in both valleys. Aran cirques are mostly oriented NE, while Boí landforms do not show any prevailing aspect. Even though lithology does not control the distribution of the glacial cirques, some specific lithological settings may favour the development of larger cirques. In general, glacial cirques in the Aran and the Boí valleys show morphometrical properties similar to those reported in other mid-latitude mountain ranges.

Mapping Cropland in Ethiopia Using Crowdsourcing

The spatial distribution of cropland is an important input to many applications including food security monitoring and economic land use modeling. Global land cover maps derived from remote sensing are one source of cropland but they are currently not accurate enough in the cropland domain to meet the needs of the user community. Moreover, when compared with one another, these land cover products show large areas of spatial disagreement, which makes the choice very difficult regarding which land cover product to use. This paper takes an entirely different approach to mapping cropland, using crowdsourcing of Google Earth imagery via tools in Geo-Wiki. Using sample data generated by a crowdsourcing campaign for the collection of the degree of cultivation and settlement in Ethiopia, a cropland map was created using simple inverse distance weighted interpolation. The map was validated using data from the GOFC-GOLD validation portal and an independent crowdsourced dataset from Geo-Wiki. The results show that the crowdsourced cropland map for Ethiopia has a higher overall accuracy than the individual global land cover products for this country. Such an approach has great potential for mapping cropland in other countries where such data do not currently exist. Not only is the approach inexpensive but the data can be collected over a very short period of time using an existing network of volunteers.

Disaster Journalism in Print Media:Analysis of the Top 10 Hydrogeomorphological Disaster Events in Portugal,1865–2015

Disaster communication guidelines emphasize that journalists should be aware of past major disasters and draw lessons from the coverage of those events.The press is an important source for the evolution of historical disaster and risk research paradigms over time.This study explored the top 10 damaging hydrogeomorphological events in Portugal selected from the disaster database,which includes events that caused human damages(fatalities,injured,missing,evacuated,and displaced)reported over a period of 151years(1865–2015)by the Portuguese newspaper Diário de Notícias(DN).News analysis was guided by the news protocol.The analysis of the news published in DN enabled us to identify textual marks that present interconnections in the journalistic coverage and produce discursive standards for these disasters.The textual marks were associated with the hazard and risk paradigms.The discursive standards of DN did not clearly reflect the ruptures in the hazard paradigms.As a rule,the journalistic reports contributed to the naturalization of disasters and the gap in public understanding of risks,by presenting an approach focused on relief actions—ignoring social issues,vulnerability,and population resilience—reducing the discourse of preparedness for future disasters.

A Novel Approach to Measuring Spatiotemporal Changes in Social Vulnerability at the Local Level in Portugal

Social vulnerability,as one of the risk components,partially explains the magnitude of the impacts observed after a disaster.In this study,a spatiotemporally comparable assessment of social vulnerability and its drivers was conducted in Portugal,at the civil parish level,for three census frames.The first challenging step consisted of the selection of meaningful and consistent variables over time.Data were normalized using the Adjusted Mazziotta-Pareto Index(AMPI)to obtain comparable adimensional-normalized values.A joint principal component analysis(PCA)was applied,resulting in a robust set of variables,interpretable from the point of view of their self-grouping around vulnerability drivers.A separate PCA for each census was also conducted,which proved to be useful in analyzing changes in the composition and type of drivers,although only the joint PCA allows the monitoring of spatiotemporal changes in social vulnerability scores and drivers from 1991 to 2011.A general improvement in social vulnerability was observed for Portugal.The two main drivers are the economic condition(PC1),and aging and depopulation(PC2).The remaining drivers highlighted are uprooting and internal mobility,and daily commuting.Census data proved their value in the territorial,social,and demographic characterization of the country,to support medium-and long-term disaster risk reduction measures.