Earth observation big data for climate change research

Earth observation technology has provided highly useful information in global climate change research over the past few decades and greatly promoted its development,especially through providing biological,physical,and chemical parameters on a global scale.Earth observation data has the 4V features(volume,variety,veracity,and velocity) of big data that are suitable for climate change research.Moreover,the large amount of data available from scientific satellites plays an important role.This study reviews the advances of climate change studies based on Earth observation big data and provides examples of case studies that utilize Earth observation big data in climate change research,such as synchronous satelliteeaerialeground observation experiments,which provide extremely large and abundant datasets; Earth observational sensitive factors(e.g.,glaciers,lakes,vegetation,radiation,and urbanization); and global environmental change information and simulation systems.With the era of global environment change dawning,Earth observation big data will underpin the Future Earth program with a huge volume of various types of data and will play an important role in academia and decisionmaking.Inevitably,Earth observation big data will encounter opportunities and challenges brought about by global climate change.

Petrogenetic characterization of the host rocks of the Sanaga iron ore prospect,southern Cameroon

The Sanaga iron ore prospect is a recent discovery in the Nyong Series with a resource estimated at 82.9 Mt at 32.1%Fe and whose origin remains debatable.The mineralization occurs as NE-SW oriented discontinuous lenticular bodies of magnetite-bearing pyroxenegneisses(MPG)hosted by ortho-derived gneisses.Rare amphibolites are observed.The MPG mineral assemblage consists of quartz-magnetite-orthopyroxene-garnet-tremolite/actinolite exhibiting a granoblastic texture,which is characteristic of granulite facies metamorphism.The granodioritic gneisses show compositional features of the tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite association.Their trace and REE element geochemistry indicate their protolith melt resulted from the partial melting of a subducted oceanic slab,with interaction with the overlying mantle wedge during ascent.The amphibolites show enrichment in LILE with negative Ta–Nb and Zr–Hf indicating arc-related magmas generated by partial melting of a sub-continental lithospheric mantle source with metasomatism by subduction-related fluids.The MPG exhibits oxidation-exsolution features characterized by ilmenite lamellae,with hematite fracture-fillinginmagnetite,andlacksfeatures characteristic of typical BIF such as LREE depletion relative to HREE,positive Eu,La,and Y anomalies.Based on the results of this study,we interpret the Sanaga MPG as a possible skarn-type mineralization formed by the metamorphism/metasomatism of a possible BIF protolith.The results of this study compare with similar magnetite-rich mineralization in the Sa o Francisco craton in northeastern Brazil and enhance the correlation of pre-drift reconstructions of the Sa o Francisco–Congo Cratons.

The impact of climate change on groundwater quantity and quality in a semi-arid environment:a case study of Ain Azel plain(Northeast Algeria)

In the last decade,North Africa has witnessed significant population growth,particularly those bordering the Mediterranean Sea.This led to increased demand for groundwater,which is an essential source for various water uses such as drinking water supplies and irrigation.Generally,human activities play a crucial role in the different quantitative and qualitative changes in groundwater.Now,climate changes such as a decrease in precipitation have also led to a shortage of water resources and a decline in the groundwater table.This paper presents the impact of climate changes on groundwater resources in the Ain Azel region,Setif,northeastern Algeria.The analysis of longterm spatiotemporal variability in rainfall over 63 years(1958–2021)revealed a significant decline in groundwater recharge,especially after 2013.In contrast,the Pettitt and Mann–Kendall tests show increased temperatures with breaks between 1984 and 1986.A piezometric analysis of the alluvial aquifer demonstrated a significant decline in groundwater levels in the last 20 years.Hydrochemical analysis showed that groundwater in the region is dominated by Ca–Mg–Cl water type,which indicates the presence of water salinity phenomenon.Water Quality Index(WQI)analysis showed the deterioration of groundwater in the area,which may be caused by several factors:brine intrusion from the Salt Lake(Sebkha)in the north;the dissolution of evaporites(Triassic)and/or anthropogenic sources of agricultural and industrial origin.Our findings provide an overview summarizing the state of groundwater,which will help improve groundwater resource management in the region in the coming years.

Assessment of hydrocarbon generation potential and thermal maturity of the deep offshore Lamu Basin, Kenya

In this study, the secondary well data for Cretaceous to Miocene cutting samples in four deep offshore exploration wells, i.e., Pomboo-1 in the north, Kubwa-1 in the central, Simba-1 and Kiboko-1 in the south of the deep offshore Lamu Basin were assessed for identifying source rock presence and examining thermal maturity of the source rocks. The 2D basin modelling was used to analyse the bulk gas transformation in the basin. Total organic carbon (TOC) content values for the wells range from 0.09 wt % to 2.23 wt % with an average of 0.78 wt %. The average organic richness is higher in the Upper Cretaceous (0.83 wt %) than in the Palaeogene (0.65 wt %), Lower Cretaceous (0.28 wt %) and Upper Jurassic (0.30 wt %). The S_(1) averages for the Upper Cretaceous are 3.76 mg HC/g rock in Pomboo-1 and 0.31mg HC/g rock in Kubwa-1. The S_(2) averages for the Upper Cretaceous are 5.00 mg HC/g rock in Pomboo-1 and 0.72 mg HC/g rock in Kubwa-1. Hydrogen index (HI) values vary between 4 and 512 mg HC/g TOC with an average of 157.09 mg HC/g TOC. Organic matters were identified as mixed types of Ⅱ-Ⅲ (oil and gas prone) and Ⅲ-Ⅳ (gas prone) kerogen in the potential source rocks. The HI and S_(2) yield values are exceptionally high for the observed TOC values in Pomboo-1. The vitrinite reflectance and Tmax values of deep offshore Lamu Basin are in the ranges of 0.38%–0.72% and 360–441 ℃, respectively. It suggests the existence of both immature and mature source rocks. Vitrinite reflectance maturity favours near coastal region in the Upper Cretaceous. These results explain why Pomboo-1, Kubwa-1, Simba-1 and Kiboko-1 wells were dry. The temperatures are still cool for hydrocarbon generation in deep offshore. The critical risk for deep offshore Lamu Basin is charge, primarily source presence, and a lack of definitive evidence of a deep-water marine source rock being present. The four wells penetrate good quality reservoir and seal rocks, but source rock presence and maturity remain the critical play risk in the deep offshore Lamu Basin.

Using seismic and well data to constrain hydrocarbon trap potential of offshore Lamu Basin, Kenya

Structural analysis of seismic data, combined with well data, provides information for hydrocarbon exploration in a prospective basin. These techniques have been employed in the offshore Lamu Basin to characterize structural and stratigraphic setting of carbonate reefs and assess structural deformation and its effect on trapping mechanisms in the offshore basin. Structural interpretation was based on seismic and well data. A combination of microfossil, nannofossil and palynomorph data provided broad age-control for the stratigraphic interpretations. Seismic amplitude brightening attribute was used for tracing structural continuity. Faulted anticlinal traps were formed in the Upper Cretaceous and Tertiary periods. There are inversion features with recent extensional faulting. Favourable structural traps are in the near coastal region. The carbonate reefs in the offshore basin are interpreted from the Early Paleocene to Miocene periods. These reefs formed in the near coastal region, are likely to be quality traps/reservoirs for hydrocarbon accumulation. Five main structures are identified from the depth seismic maps for the Early Paleocene, Late Paleocene and Early Miocene. The reef front may have subsided early, the overlying shales offering the sealing mechanisms. The Davie-Walu transformation was likely to affect the trapping mechanism in the central and southern regions of offshore Lamu Basin. The study provides better understanding of the carbonate reefs’ hydrocarbon potential and trapping mechanisms in the offshore basin.

Lithostratigraphic and Geochemical Characterization of Tobene Phosphate Deposits: A Case Study of Tobene South 1

Tobene is the third exploitation panel of the Taiba Phosphate deposits. It is divided into five sectors and its exploitation started in 2003 after the closure of the Ndomor and Keur Mor Fall panels. The Taiba phosphate deposit has been the object of several studies based on lithology, biostratigraphy, geochemistry, and petrography;however, few investigations on the variation in thickness of the phosphate layer within the Tobène sector have been conducted. This study seeks to analyze the lithostratigraphic and geochemical characteristics of the phosphate layer in the Tobène South1. Results from the lithostratigraphic study show from top to bottom the following succession: the sandy overburden, the sandstone formation, the Silico-feralitic formation, the variegated roof clays, the Taiba formation (homogeneous ore and heterogeneous ore), and the foliated attapulgite of the wall. Geochemical analysis reveals an unequal distribution of major oxides (P2O5, CaO, Fe2O3, Al2O3, and SiO2). The area is dominated by P2O5 concentrations between 20% and 32%, the K parameter (=CaO/P2O5) has an average of 1.36. The iron associated with aluminum (feral) is present in the southern part and on the contours of the sector;the dominant silica concentration is 20%. Correlations established between the major oxides show a strong relationship with p-values 0.05, nevertheless there is proportionality in the evolutions between the chemical variables CaO and P2O5, on the other hand, an opposite evolution between P2O5 and the two chemical parameters silica (SiO2) and feral.

Integrated Modelling and Reservoir Characterization of Ataga Field, Niger Delta Basin, Nigeria

Integrated modelling, well correlation and petrophysical analysis were performed to characterize the reservoirs for optimum hydrocarbon correlation using 3-D seismic reflection data and suites of well logs from Ataga 5, 7, 10 and 11 wells respectively in Ataga field, shallow offshore, Niger Delta Basin, Nigeria. The study revealed the presence of two viable hydrocarbon bearing reservoirs, AT1 and AT2 and the average values of porosity, permeability, water saturation, hydrocarbon saturation, Net to Gross (NTG) and volume of shale are in the ranges of 15% - 77%, 44.5% - 75.5%, 25.5% - 85%, 15% - 75.5%, 0.70 - 0.88 and 0.11 - 0.38 respectively which goes further to show that the both reservoirs have fair characteristics that are suggestive of the presence of hydrocarbon accumulation. It can therefore be deduced that the permeability values are reflective of fair interconnectivity of pore spaces of sands within the well areas and their ability to transmit fluids, the depth and depth structural map generated for the horizons and structures shows that the most dominant trapping mechanism in the area under study is the crescentic growth fault and the rollover anticlines trending in the Northwest-Southeast direction and from the volumetric analysis. It can be deduced that the recoverable gas for AT1 and AT2 reservoirs is 2 × 106 mscf and 6 × 106 mscf respectively.

Integrated fluid inclusion studies and source rock parameters in constraining hydrocarbon potential in offshore Lamu Basin, Kenya

Fluid inclusion signal strength and visual inclusion abundance are generally lower along migration pathways than in charged reservoirs from the same area. A zone that displays strong fluid inclusion stratigraphy (FIS) hydrocarbon indications and high visualized petroleum inclusion abundance, indicates paleo-charge or in some cases a migration pathway, e.g, where inclusion abundance is enhanced by extensive microfracturing. In this study, fluid inclusion data are interpreted in seven offshore wells of the Lamu Basin to enhance the understanding of hydrocarbon generation, migration and migration pathways. The study also examines the interrelationship among rock texture, rock composition and trapped fluid distribution in the study area. The studies were based on FIS analyzed data courtesy of Fluid Inclusion Technologies (FIT) Inc. in USA laboratories. FIT conducted analysis on 391 samples from the Paleocene to Upper Jurassic (Kiboko-1 well), 249 from the Paleoecene to Campanian (Kubwa-1 well), 106 from the Maastrichtian to Turonian (Mbawa-1 well), 59 from the Eocene to Campanian (Pomboo-1 well), 26 form the Lower Eocene to Maastrichtian (Simba-1 well), 16 from the Eocene to Maastrichtian (Kipini-1 well) and 11 from the Maastrichtian to Campanian (Kofia-1 well). It also made analysis on sidewall core sample plates, with 44 from the Maastrichtian to Campanian (Kubwa-1 well), 108 from the Campanian to Upper Jurassic (Kiboko-1 well) and 8 from the Campanian (Pomboo-1 well) for petrographic evaluation. For photomicroscopy, thin sections were examined under a petrographic microscope using Ultra Violet (UV) fluorescence and microthermometry, in order to verify the presence of petroleum bearing inclusions in the rock samples and to explore textural relationships that may yield additional information on the timing of hydrocarbon migration or generation. Gas shows in Mbawa-1 well is a result of generated hydrocarbons from the carbonate interbeds in the Upper Cretaceous. Gas shows are pockets trapped in the thin carbonate rich beds. There is low abundance of upper-low, moderate and upper-moderate gravity liquid petroleum inclusions in Kubwa-1 well (central deep offshore). The low abundance suggests migration events rather than paleo-accumulations, possibly involving several discrete charges. Despite sufficient vitrinite reflectance and total organic carbon (TOC) content, the temperatures are still insufficient for hydrocarbon generation in the southern deep offshore in the region where Kiboko-1 well is located. There is no sufficient evidence for access to mature source rocks in the deep offshore basin.

Characterization and risk factors for unexplained female infertility in Sudan:A case-control study

BACKGROUND Female infertility with unknown causes(unexplained)remains one of the mysteries in the reproductive health field,where the diagnostic evidence is still weak and the proposed treatments still work with unknown methods.However,several studies have proposed some possible causes and risk factors for unexplained female infertility.AIM To characterize and identify factors associated with unexplained infertility in Sudanese women.METHODS A matched(age and body mass index)case-control study was conducted from March 2021 to February 2022.The study samples were 210 women with unexplained infertility(UI)and 190 fertile women of reproductive age who were attending the maternity hospitals and fertility clinics in Khartoum,Sudan.The risk factors of unexplained infertility were identified using a structured,pretested questionnaire containing information on socio-demographic variables,anthropometrics,clinical diagnosis of infertility,behavioral factors,physical activity assessment,diversity,and consumption of different food groups by the study participants.RESULTS The results showed a higher proportion of women diagnosed with UI were residents of rural areas than controls(21.4%vs 11.1%,P<0.05),and previous miscarriages and/or abortions were more common in fertile women compared with infertile women(13.16%vs 5.71%,P<0.05).Additionally,infertile women had a significantly(P<0.05)higher proportion of family history of infertility(explained and unexplained)compared with controls.Finally,after controlling for the effects of potentially confounding variables using multivariable logistic regression analysis,only marital status,family history of infertility,use of modern contraceptives,smoking,caffeine consumption,physical activity level,meals consumed,other vitamin-A-rich fruits and vegetables,and other vegetables were found to be significant(P<0.05)factors associated with unexplained infertility among Sudanese women.CONCLUSION Married women with a family history of infertility who smoke and consume a high amount of caffeine,who live a sedentary lifestyle,and who consume more than two meals free of vitamin-Arich fruits and/or vegetables and/or other vegetables per day are at the highest risk of developing unexplained infertility.

Hydrocarbon Generation Kinetic Characteristics from Different Types of Organic Matter

In order to contrast the hydrocarbon generation kinetic characteristics from different types of organic matter（OM）,18 samples from different basins were pyrolyzed using Rock-Eval-Ⅱapparatus under the open system.From the experimental results,the curve of hydrocarbon generation rate vs.temperature can be easily obtained,which usually can be used to optimize kinetic parameters （A,E,F）of the hydrocarbon generation model.In this paper,the parallel first-order reaction with a single frequency factor model is selected to describe the hydrocarbon generation kinetic characteristics. The hydrocarbon generation kinetic parameters reveal that the types of compound structures and chemical bonds of the lacustrine fades typeⅠOM are relatively homogeneous,with one dominating activation energy.The types of chemical bonds of the lacustrine facies typeⅡ2 OM and the terrestrial facies typeⅢOM are relative complex,with a broad activation energy distribution,and the reaction fraction of the preponderant activation energy drops with the decrease of hydrogen index.The impact of the activation energy distribution spaces on the geological extrapolation of kinetic parameters is also investigated.The results show that it has little effect on the hydrocarbon transformation ratio（TR）and therefore,the parallel first-order reaction model with proper number of activation energies can be better used to describe the hydrocarbon generation process.The geological extrapolation results of 18 samples of kinetic parameters show that the distribution range of the hydrocarbon generation rate of the typeⅠOM is relatively narrow and the hydrocarbon generation curve is smooth.In comparison,the distribution range of the hydrocarbon generation for typeⅢand typeⅡ2-ⅢOM are quite wide,and the hydrocarbon generation curves have fluctuation phenomena.The distribution range of the hydrocarbon generation rate and the fluctuation phenomena are related to the kinetic parameters of OM;the narrower the activation energy distribution,the narrower the hydrocarbon generation rate distribution,and the smoother the hydrocarbon generation curve,and vice versa.

A Cluster-Based Method for Marine Sensitive Object Extraction and Representation

Within the context of global change, marine sensitive factors or Marine Essential Climate Variables have been defined by many projects, and their sensitive spatial regions and time phases play significant roles in regional sea-air interactions and better understanding of their dynamic process. In this paper, we propose a cluster-based method for marine sensitive region extraction and representation. This method includes a kernel expansion algorithm for extracting marine sensitive regions, and a field-object triple form, integration of object-oriented and field-based model, for representing marine sensitive objects. Firstly, this method recognizes ENSO-related spatial patterns using empirical orthogonal decomposition of long term marine sensitive factors and correlation analysis with multiple ENSO index. The cluster kernel, defined by statistics of spatial patterns, is initialized to carry out spatial expansion and cluster mergence with spatial neighborhoods recursively, then all the related lattices with similar behavior are merged into marine sensitive regions. After this, the Field-object triple form of < O, A, F > is used to represent the marine sensitive objects, both with the discrete object with a precise extend and boundary, and the continuous field with variations dependent on spatial locations. Finally, the marine sensitive objects about sea surface temperature are extracted, represented and analyzed as a case of study, which proves the effectiveness and the efficiency of the proposed method.

Did Ecological Engineering Projects Have a Significant Effect on Large-scale Vegetation Restoration in Beijing-Tianjin Sand Source Region, China？ A Remote Sensing Approach

Aiming for the restoration of degraded ecosystems, many ecological engineering projects have been implemented around the world. This study investigates the ecological engineering project effectiveness on vegetation restoration in the Beijing-Tianjin Sand Source Region(BTSSR) from 2000 to 2010 based on the rain use efficiency(RUE) trend in relation to the land cover. More than half of the BTSSR experienced a vegetation productivity increase from 2000 to 2010, with the increasing intensity being sensitive to the indicators chosen. A clear tendency towards smaller increasing areas was shown when using the net primary productivity(NPP, 51.30%) instead of the accumulated normalized difference vegetation index(59.30%). The short-term variation in the precipitation and intra-seasonal precipitation distribution had a great impact on the remote sensing-based vegetation productivity. However, the residual trends method(RESTREND) effectively eliminated this correlation, while incorporating the variance and skewness of the precipitation distribution increased the models′ ability to explain the vegetation productivity variation. The RUE combined with land cover dynamics was valid for the effectiveness assessment of the ecological engineering projects on vegetation restoration. Particularly, the result based on growing season accumulated normalized difference vegetation index(ΣNDVI) residuals was the most effective, showing that 47.39% of the BTSSR experienced vegetation restoration from 2000 to 2010. The effectiveness of the ecological engineering projects differed for each subarea and was proportional to the strength of ecological engineering. The water erosion region dominated by woodland showed the best restoration, followed by the wind-water erosion crisscross regions, while the wind erosion regions dominated by grassland showed the worst effect. Seriously degraded regions still cover more area in the BTSSR than restored regions. Therefore, more future effort should be put in restoring degraded land.

Monitoring cyanobacteria-dominant algal blooms in eutrophicated Taihu Lake in China with synthetic aperture radar images

Monitoring algal blooms by optical remote sensing is limited by cloud cover.In this study,synthetic aperture radar(SAR) was deployed with the aim of monitoring cyanobacteria-dominant algal blooms in Taihu Lake in cloudy weather.The study shows that dark regions in the SAR images caused by cyanobacterial blooms damped the microwave backscatter of the lake surface and were consistent with the regions of algal blooms in quasi-synchronous optical images,confirming the applicability of SAR for detection of surface blooms.Low backscatter may also be associated with other factors such as low wind speeds,resulting in interference when monitoring algal blooms using SAR data alone.After feature extraction and selection,the dark regions were classified by the support vector machine method with an overall accuracy of 67.74%.SAR can provide a reference point for monitoring cyanobacterial blooms in the lake,particularly when weather is not suitable for optical remote sensing.Multi-polarization and multi-band SAR can be considered for use in the future to obtain more accurate information regarding algal blooms from SAR data.

Dynamic Monitoring of Soil Erosion for Upper Stream of Miyun Reservoir in the Last 30 Years

The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation(RUSLE) was applied to assess the spatial distribution and dynamic properties of soil loss with geographic information system(GIS) and remote sensing(RS) technologies.To improve the accuracy of soil-erosion estimates,a new C-factor estimation model was developed based on land cover and time series normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI) datasets.The new C-factor was then applied in the RUSLE to integrate rainfall,soil,vegetation,and topography data of different periods,and thus monitor the distribution of soil erosion patterns and their dynamics during a 30-year period of the upstream watershed of Miyun Reservoir(UWMR),China.The results showed that the new C-factor estimation method,which considers land cover status and dynamics,and explicitly incorporates within-land cover variability,was more rational,quantitative,and reliable.An average annual soil loss in UWMR of 25.68,21.04,and 16.80 t ha-1a-1was estimated for 1990,2000 and 2010,respectively,corroborated by comparing spatial and temporal variation in sediment yield.Between 2000 and 2010,a 1.38% average annual increase was observed in the area of lands that lost less than 5 t ha-1a-1,while during 1990-2000 such lands only increased on average by 0.46%.Areas that classified as severe,very severe and extremely severe accounted for 5.68% of the total UWMR in 2010,and primarily occurred in dry areas or grasslands of sloping fields.The reason for the change in rate of soil loss is explained by an increased appreciation of soil conservation by developers and planners.Moreover,we recommend that UWMR watershed adopt further conservation measures such as terraced plowing of dry land,afforestation,or grassland enclosures as part of a concerted effort to reduce on-going soil erosion.

Preliminary validation of SMOS sea surface salinity measurements in the South China Sea

The SMOS(soil moisture and ocean salinity) mission undertaken by the European Space Agency(ESA) has provided sea surface salinity(SSS) measurements at global scale since 2009.Validation of SSS values retrieved from SMOS data has been done globally and regionally.However,the accuracy of SSS measurements by SMOS in the China seas has not been examined in detail.In this study,we compared retrieved SSS values from SMOS data with in situ measurements from a South China Sea(SCS) expedition during autumn 2011.The comparison shows that the retrieved SSS values using ascending pass data have much better agreement with in situ measurements than the result derived from descending pass data.Accuracy in terms of bias and root mean square error(RMS) of the SSS retrieved using three different sea surface roughness models is very consistent,regardless of ascending or descending orbits.When ascending and descending measurements are combined for comparison,the retrieved SSS using a semi-empirical model shows the best agreement with in situ measurements,with bias-0.33 practical salinity units and RMS 0.74.We also investigated the impact of environmental conditions of sea surface wind and sea surface temperature on accuracy of the retrieved SSS.The SCS is a semi-closed basin where radio frequencies transmitted from the mainland strongly interfere with SMOS measurements.Therefore,accuracy of retrieved SSS shows a relationship with distance between the validation sites and land.

An automated method for glacial lake mapping in High Mountain Asia using Landsat 8 imagery

Glacial lakes in the High Mountain Asia(HMA)are sensitive to global warming and can result in much more severe flood disasters than some largesized lakes.An accurate and robust method for the extraction of glacial lakes is critical to effective management of these natural water resources.Conventional methods often have limitations in terms of low spectral contrast and heterogeneous backgrounds in an image.This study presents a robust and automated method for the yearly mapping of glacial lake over a large scale,which took advantage of the complementarity between the modified normalized difference water index(MNDWI)and the nonlocal active contour model,required only local homogeneity in reflectance features of lake.The cloud computing approach with the Google Earth Engine(GEE)platform was used to process the intensive amount of Landsat 8 images from 2015 (344 path/rows and approximately 7504 scenes).The experimental results were validated by very high resolution images from Chinese GaoFen-1 (GF-1) panchromatic multi-spectral(PMS)and appeared a general good agreement.This is the first time that information regarding the spatial distribution of glacial lakes over the HMA has been derived automatically within quite a short period of time.By integrating it with the relevant indices,it can also be applied to detect other land cover types such as snow or vegetation with improved accuracy.

Monitoring elevation change of glaciers on Geladandong Mountain using Tan DEM-X SAR interferometry

Glaciers play an important role in the climate system. The elevation change of a glacier is an important parameter in studies of glacier dynamics. Only a few ground-based measurements of high mountain glaciers are available due to their remoteness, high elevation, and complex topography. The acquisition from the German Tan DEM-X(Terra SAR-X add-on for Digital Elevation Measurement) SAR imaging configuration provides a reliable data sources for studying the elevation change of glaciers. In this study, the bistatic Tan DEM-X data that cover the Geladandong Mountain on the Tibetan Plateau were processed with SAR interferometry technique and the elevation changes of the mountain's glaciers during 2000–2014 were obtained. The results indicated that although distinct positive and negative elevation changes were found for different glacier tongues, the mean elevation change was about-0.14±0.26 m a-1. Geoscience Laser Altimeter System(GLAS) data were obtained for comparison and verification. The investigation using GLAS data demonstrated the efficacy of the proposed method in determining glacier elevation change. Thus, the presented approach is appropriate for monitoring glacier elevation change and it constitutes a valuable tool for studies of glacier dynamics.

Mapping Soil Electrical Conductivity Using Ordinary Kriging Combined with Back-propagation Network

Accurate mapping of soil salinity and recognition of its influencing factors are essential for sustainable crop production and soil health. Although the influencing factors have been used to improve the mapping accuracy of soil salinity, few studies have considered both aspects of spatial variation caused by the influencing factors and spatial autocorrelations for mapping. The objective of this study was to demonstrate that the ordinary kriging combined with back-propagation network(OK_BP), considering the two aspects of spatial variation, which can benefit the improvement of the mapping accuracy of soil salinity. To test the effectiveness of this approach, 70 sites were sampled at two depths(0–30 and 30–50 cm) in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China. Ordinary kriging(OK), back-propagation network(BP) and regression kriging(RK) were used in comparison analysis; the root mean square error(RMSE), relative improvement(RI) and the decrease in estimation imprecision(DIP) were used to judge the mapping quality. Results showed that OK_BP avoided the both underestimation and overestimation of the higher and lower values of interpolation surfaces. OK_BP revealed more details of the spatial variation responding to influencing factors, and provided more flexibility for incorporating various correlated factors in the mapping. Moreover, OK_BP obtained better results with respect to the reference methods(i.e., OK, BP, and RK) in terms of the lowest RMSE, the highest RI and DIP. Thus, it is concluded that OK_BP is an effective method for mapping soil salinity with a high accuracy.

Hazards and Landscape Changes(Degradations) on Hungarian Karst Mountains Due to Natural and Human Effects

In order to study the karstological processes within the karst ecological system,the geohazards and degradation of karst landscapes on the karst areas of the Bakony mountains(Hungary),we investigated the abiotic elements of the environment,soil and cover deposits,erosion soil decay;the changes in the quantity and quality of karst waters:contamination at swallow holes,contamination of karst springs;and the biogenic factors:surface vegetation coverage by the corine land cover method,plant-ecological examinations,qualification of surface waters with the help of biological water labeling.We recognized that the increasing human activities during the past few centuries have had significant impact on the investigated landscapes of karst areas because of their spatial sensitivity.In the scope of our research we concluded that the landscape changes due to natural and human effects can vary strongly on the different karst areas.These differences can arise from the climatic and geomorphologic situation,the coverlayer's qualities,etc.,but primarily from the different utilization of the investigated karst areas(e.g.the intensity,characteristics and territorial extension of utilization).On the spot investigation we detected traces of new and fast geomorphological processes(gully formation,landslides,collapses,new sinkhole development) and landforms(sinkholes,gullies,swallow holes),which are clear evidences of the effect of climatic changes.

磷肥诱导下层植被伴生的辐射松苗生长、磷素营养和土壤有效磷变化(英文)

通过在温室条件下施加不同剂量的重过磷酸钙(0,50和100mg·kg-1P),对典型水铝英石土壤(Orthic Allophanic Soil)的土壤植物有效磷、磷素营养和伴生有金雀花(Cytisus scoparius)或黑麦草(Lolium multiflorum)的辐射松苗木生长变化情况进行了研究。结果表明,施加磷肥增强了辐射松根际和磷素匮乏土体的有效磷。与辐射松苗伴生的金雀花、黑麦草根际土壤有效磷也增加。辐射松新枝和老枝松针、茎和根系中磷含量随施加重过磷酸钙剂量的增加而增加;但是金雀花、黑麦草对辐射松苗磷素营养的影响依赖于土壤磷状态。未施肥处理下,与金雀花伴生的辐射松新枝和老村松针、茎和根系中磷含量要高于与黑麦草伴生的辐射松苗,而施肥处理下,结果相反。这可能与金雀花生长大量消耗土壤中有效磷有关。因为,在两个施肥剂量(50mg·kg-1P和100mg·kg-1P)上,与金雀花伴生的辐射松根际土壤中Bray-2磷含量始终低于与黑麦草伴生的辐射松根际土壤。此外,在施肥浓度100mg·kg-1下,与金雀花伴生的辐射松苗干特质量低于黑麦草伴生的辐射松。说明在中、高施肥水平,辐射松苗与黑麦草伴生生长好于与金雀花伴生,因为在施肥水平较高条件下,金雀花生长旺盛,且与辐射松苗竞争磷素和其它营养元素。图1表5参47。