Research on Environmental Impact Assessment Methods of Farmland Improvement along Coastal Areas of Jiangsu Province

[ Objective] The study aimed to assess the impact of farmland improvement on ecological environment along coastal areas of Jiangsu Province. [ Method] Taking the coastal farmland improvement of Sheyang County, Jiangsu Province as an example, an indicator system of environ- mental impact assessment （EIA） for coastal farmland improvement was established based on data collection, field survey and monitoring results, expert consultation, literature study and other methods, including four subsystems （biological resource, soil, vegetation and water environment） and 12 indicators. [ Result] The weights of soil, biological resource, vegetation and water environment were 0.614, 0.219, 0.118 and 0.049, and the top weight of soil showed that farmland improvement had a great influence on soil. Among the 12 indicators, the most important indicators with higher weights were reclamation rate of the land （weight 0.389）, population density （weight 0.164） and the content of soil organic matter （weight 0.088）. Therefore, in EIA of such kind of projects in the future, we should give prominence to the identification, evaluation and monitoring of the main characteristic factor above. [ Conclusion] The research could provide scientific references for the sustainable utilization of resources and estab- lishment of environmental management policies along costal areas of Jiangsu Province.

Development Strategy of Post-Coal Mine Area in Kutai Kartanegara Regency, East Kalimantan Province, Indonesia

East Kalimantan province is one of the largest coal deposit reserve source, especially in the mining and quarrying sector. Mining sector is a strategic sector in East Kalimantan but post coal mining land has the problem for land using. The research method used survey method and laboratory test on 21 entities/companies with the status of cooperative and non-cooperative approach and land resource evaluation on 30 respondent keys （key informant）. Analysis of data is using the evaluation of land potential： Analytical Hierarchy Process （AHP）, IRR, NPV and BCR. The results showed that there are 2 scenarios decisions in the development of coal mining region that is the optimistic scenario on 2 aspects namely： （1） tourism （recreational parks and historical tours） and （2） aspects of the fishery （tilapia, goldfish, catfish）. Then, in the moderate scenario, there are 3 aspects of development： （1） services （administration and housing）; （2） fisheries （cork fish and damselfish） and （3） agriculture （guava, melinjo and dragon fruit）. Optimizing the utilization of post-coal mining land in the regency of Kutai Kartanegara can be carried out with reference to these two types of scenarios as a manifestation of an engine of regional development.

Location of Disaster Management Bases Using Spatial Analysis

Pre-crisis management involves the optimal selection of relief and rescue centers to minimize vulnerability.Iran is particularly vulnerable due to its location on the Alpine-Himalaya seismic belt,resulting in an average death rate six times higher than the global average during earthquakes.Therefore,selecting appropriate relief and rescue centers is crucial to Iran’s disaster preparedness.When selecting the placement of rescue centers,accessibility and the appropriateness of the land should be taken into account as well as the distance from high-risk areas.The location of these centers does not require any particular combinations.To address this issue,a study was conducted utilizing GIS,artificial neural networks,fuzzy logic,and mathematical models to determine the optimal placement based on 12 indicators within two clusters:natural and human.To examine the information layers of the initial stage,a spatial data repository concerning the variables impacting the placement of these centers was established using ARCGIS.Using functions and algorithms such as Fuzzy Logic in IDRISI,TOPSIS,and VIKOR software,the layers were assessed for weightage before being overlaid.The study’s analysis of the models used revealed that the positioning priority limits of the areas differed across all four models.Notably,the areas with high desirability varied to a greater extent:the fuzzy model varied by 9.3%,neural network by 12.4%,VIKOR by 4.5%,and TOPSIS by 16.2%.The variance in results can be attributed to the differing levels of risk acceptance and non-acceptance in each model.Additionally,the study yielded other significant findings such as the correlation between study area size and model accuracy.Specifically,smaller study areas exhibited higher model accuracy.The research also demonstrated that both fuzzy and VIKOR models achieved greater accuracy.As a result,employing these models in crisis management planning,particularly in pre-crisis management for identifying rescue center locations,would be highly advantageous and increase the precision of these endeavors.

Uncertainty analysis of cross-calibration for HJ-1 CCD camera

Radiometric calibration of sensor is the basis of quantitative remote sensing,and uncertainty analysis is critical to ensure the accuracy of cross-calibration.Therefore,firstly,cross-calibration formulas were improved by redefining calibration coefficient and spectral band matching factor.In these formulas,cci was redefined as the calibration coefficient of normalized apparent reflectance,and spectral band matching factor as the ratio of normalized apparent reflectance.Secondly,based on the contrast of ideal and actual conditions in cross-calibration,8 sources of cross-calibration uncertainty were proposed:calibration uncertainty of standard sensor;pixel matching uncertainty;spectral band matching factor uncertainty caused by site altitude setting error,atmospheric parameters setting error,surface spectrum source,surface bidirectional reflectance characteristic,and error of atmospheric radiative transfer model;and uncertainty caused by other factors which were not considered.Finally,the contribution of each uncertainty was further analyzed and discussed for the HJ-1 CCD camera.The results provide many valuable references for evaluating the feasibility of alternative cross-calibration measurements.

Spatial and spatio-temporal analysis of malaria cases in Zimbabwe

Background:Although effective treatment for malaria is now available,approximately half of the global population remain at risk of the disease particularly in developing countries.To design effective malaria control strategies there is need to understand the pattern of malaria heterogeneity in an area.Therefore,the main objective of this study was to explore the spatial and spatio-temporal pattern of malaria cases in Zimbabwe based on malaria data aggregated at district level from 2011 to 2016.Methods:Geographical information system(GIS)and spatial scan statistic were applied on passive malaria data collected from health facilities and aggregated at district level to detect existence of spatial clusters.The global Moran's l test was used to infer the presence of spatial autocorrelation while the purely spatial retrospective analyses were performed to detect the spatial clusters of malaria cases with high rates based on the discrete Poisson model.Furthermore,space-time clusters with high rates were detected through the retrospective space-time analysis based on the discrete Poisson model.Results:Results showed that there is significant positive spatial autocorrelation in malaria cases in the study area.In addition,malaria exhibits spatial heterogeneity as evidenced by the existence of statistically significant(P<0.05)spatial and space-time clusters of malaria in specific geographic regions.The detected primary clusters persisted in the eastern region of the study area over the six year study period while the temporal pattern of malaria reflected the seasonality of the disease where clusters were detected within particular months of the year.Conclusions:Geographic regions characterised by clusters of high rates were identified as malaria high risk areas.The results of this study could be useful in prioritizing resource allocation in high-risk areas for malaria control and elimination particularly in resource limited settings such as Zimbabwe.The results of this study are also useful to guide further investigation into the possible determinants of persistence of high clusters of malaria cases in particular geographic regions which is useful in reducing malaria burden in such areas.

Mismatch between the population and meltwater changes creates opportunities and risks for global glacier-fed basins

Mountain glaciers are indispensable suppliers of freshwater for human sustenance in extensive cold and arid areas of the world[1-3].However,due to pronounced climate change over the last decades,the vast majority of the world’s mountains have seen a rapid shrinking of glaciers with profound impacts on streamflow regimes of the mountains themselves,as well as downstream areas[4-6].

Evidence for glaciation predating MIS-6 in the eastern Nyainqêntanglha Range, southeastern Tibet

Southeastern Tibet is one of the most glaciated regions on the Tibetan Plateau both at present and during the Quaternary. Numerical dating of glacial deposits has allowed the establishment of a provisional chronology of Quaternary glacial fluctuations in this region, with the oldest glaciation(Guxiang Glaciation) occurring in marine oxygen isotope stage 6(MIS-6).During our recent field investigations, a morphostratigraphically older lateral moraine than that of the Guxiang Glaciation has been first identified, which is ~500–600 m above the Guxiang Glaciation moraine and discontinuously preserved on valley shoulders in the Bodui Zangbo River valley, eastern Nyainqêntanglha Range in southeastern Tibet. Considering the moraine is best preserved at Nitong Village, here we name the glacier advance which deposited the moraine as "Nitong Glaciation". Using electron spin resonance(ESR) technique, we dated the Nitong Glaciation moraine to 506.3±60.4 ka. Taking into account the age error and climatic conditions, we consider it most likely that the Nitong Glaciation occurred during MIS-12, although it might had happened sometime earlier.