Quantitative assessment of post‐disaster housing recovery: a case study of Punta Gorda,Florida, after Hurricane Charley

Quantitative assessment of post‐disaster housing recovery is critical to enhancing understanding of the process and improving the decisions that shape it. Nevertheless, few comprehensive empirical evaluations of post‐disaster housing recovery have been conducted, and no standard measurement methods exist. This paper presents a quantitative assessment of housing recovery in Punta Gorda, Florida, United States, following Hurricane Charley of August 2004, including an overview of the phases of housing recovery, progression of recovery over time, alternative trajectories of recovery, differential recovery, incorporation of mitigation, and effect on property sales. The assessment is grounded in a conceptual framework that considers the recovery of both people and place, and that emphasises recovery as a process, not as an endpoint. Several data sources are integrated into the assessment—including building permits, remotely sensed imagery, and property appraiser data—and their strengths and limitations are discussed with a view to developing a standardised method for measuring and monitoring housing recovery.     

Flood disaster monitoring and evaluation in China

Abstract

China frequently experiences natural disasters, of which flooding is the most serious. How to monitor and control natural disasters, assess damage, and provide relief is the most urgent problem for the Chinese government and disaster experts. A national integrated system using remote sensing, geographic information systems, the Global Positioning System, and other technology for monitoring and evaluating flood disasters has been assembled and tried out for 3 years. The system has played an important role in flood mitigation during the trial and has become a key part of the flood management system at China's National Flood Control Headquarters. This paper presents an overview of the system and its use in China.     

Use of an Airborne Lidar System to Model Plant Species Composition and Diversity of Mediterranean Oak Forests

Abstract: Airborne lidar is a remote‐sensing tool of increasing importance in ecological and conservation research due to its ability to characterize three‐dimensional vegetation structure. If different aspects of plant species diversity and composition can be related to vegetation structure, landscape‐level assessments of plant communities may be possible. We examined this possibility for Mediterranean oak forests in southern Portugal, which are rich in biological diversity but also threatened. We compared data from a discrete, first‐and‐last return lidar data set collected for 31 plots of cork oak (Quercus suber) and Algerian oak (Quercus canariensis) forest with field data to test whether lidar can be used to predict the vertical structure of vegetation, diversity of plant species, and community type. Lidar‐ and field‐measured structural data were significantly correlated (up to r= 0.85). Diversity of forest species was significantly associated with lidar‐measured vegetation height (R²= 0.50, p < 0.001). Clustering and ordination of the species data pointed to the presence of 2 main forest classes that could be discriminated with an accuracy of 89% on the basis of lidar data. Lidar can be applied widely for mapping of habitat and assessments of habitat condition (e.g., in support of the European Species and Habitats Directive [92/43/EEC]). However, particular attention needs to be paid to issues of survey design: density of lidar points and geospatial accuracy of ground‐truthing and its timing relative to acquisition of lidar data.     

磺胺类抗生素对不同革兰氏阴性菌的毒物兴奋效应研究

抗生素滥用所导致的环境问题日益受到人们的关注,抗生素在环境中常以低剂量的形式暴露,生物体在低浓度的抗生素作用下通常会表现出毒物兴奋效应(hormesis)。因此,研究抗生素的hormesis,对抗生素的生态风险评价极其重要。为了研究抗生素的hormesis,本文选取4种磺胺类抗生素为研究对象,观测了不同浓度培养基下磺胺对大肠杆菌能否产生hormesis。结果表明,磺胺对大肠杆菌在原倍和0.8倍浓度的培养基下不产生hormesis,在0.6和0.4倍浓度的培养基下产生hormesis;并且,结合我们之前对另一种革兰氏阴性菌——费氏弧菌hormesis的研究可知,对于具有不同群体感应系统的2种革兰氏阴性菌,都存在hormesis,磺胺可以通过作用群体感应系统使革兰氏阴性菌产生hormesis,只是hormesis的大小不同。上述研究结果为抗生素的生态风险评价提供了依据,为hormesis的相关研究提供了参考。     

短时间间隔的土地利用变化监测

传统的土地利用变化监测方法已无法完全满足当前经济的快速发展和城市急剧扩张的要求,利用光学遥感数据对地观测也受到天气和云层覆盖等诸多因素的限制。而Radarsat-1等雷达遥感数据可以在"全天候"的条件下对地表进行观测。论文以Radarsat-1图像获取的24 d时间周期为最短时间间隔,分析了24 d、48 d和72 d时间间隔下的土地利用变化监测,对短时间间隔内的土地利用变化监测的结果进行了总结。监测的结果需要在精度与时间间隔之间做出取舍。对于大部分的情况,24 d的时间间隔已可以得到60%以上精度的结果,部分月份的监测需要48 d的监测时间间隔。若需要更高的精度,则需要72 d甚至更长。     

基于RS与GIS的长江三角洲生态环境脆弱性综合评价

使用空间主成分分析法构建评价指标体系,采用层次分析法确定指标权重,结合遥感数据与地理信息系统软件,对长江三角洲生态环境脆弱性进行了综合评价,并对脆弱性成因进行了分析. 结果表明,长江三角洲生态环境极度和重度脆弱区主要分布在其中部的太湖流域和浙江中西部,占整个研究区的20.10%;轻度和中度脆弱区遍布于整个研究区,占55.25%;微度脆弱区主要分布在江苏北部和浙江东部,占24.65%. 总体来看,长江三角洲大部分区域的生态环境属轻度和中度脆弱. 影响长江三角洲生态环境脆弱性的自然因素有≥35 ℃日数、旱涝分布、海拔高度、归一化植被指数（NDVI）年累加值、景观多样性指数和土壤侵蚀强度;人为因素有人均耕地面积、人均水资源、人均废水排放量、人均废气排放量、化肥施用强度、土地利用变化、“三废”综合利用产品产值、人口密度和GDP. 极度和重度脆弱区生态环境的主要特征是自然灾害发生频率大、资源匮乏、污染强度大、土壤侵蚀严重和生物多样性低.      

Modis reflectance and active fire data for burn mapping and assessment at regional level

This paper presents an algorithm for rapid and accurate burn mapping that is applied here to the forest fires occurred in Galicia (northwest Spain) in August 2006, when nearly 930 km² were almost entirely burned over the course of eight days. The algorithm synergistically combines remotely-sensed reflectance and active fire data as measured by the MODIS (MODerate resolution Imaging Spectrometer) sensor on board Terra and Aqua NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) satellites. Burned area data collected from this work was compared to official fires statistics from the Spanish Ministry of Environment and to perimeters that were derived using a high spatial resolution satellite image. In a later step, burn patches area analyzed using information from the National Forest Map (1:50,000) and some Geographical Information Systems (GIS) tools.     

植被覆盖度与沙尘暴形成条件分析

以归一化差值植被指数（Normalized Difference Vegetation Index,NDVI）为指标分析了我国1981年到1998年期间植被覆盖变化情况,给出了植被急剧减少产生新沙源的实例。通过对1998年4月强沙尘暴的分析,指出影响沙尘暴产生和运移的因素除了地形、风速、风向、大气稳定度外,当地植被覆盖和土壤因素也是关键因素之一。并通过对植被覆盖度（NDVI）与浮尘指数（Aerosol Index）进行定量分析,发现二者之间存在明显的负相关关系,表明植被的存在可以从一定程度上抑制浮尘现象的产生。因此,在沙尘运移路径上,采取封山封荒,植树种草,增加植被覆盖度以固结当地土壤和泥沙的措施,可以在一定程度上抑制沙尘暴灾害的发生。     

密云水库流域植被覆盖度变化对输沙量的影响

封闭流域中,泥沙的产生是多种因素相互作用,相互制约的结果,而在这些众多的环境影响因素中,植被是土壤侵蚀中最重要的环境控制因子,目前,植被覆盖度变化对输沙量的影响一直是区域生态环境研究中比较热门的话题。文章使用遥感（Remote Sensing（RS））、地理信息系统（Geographic In formmionSystem（GIS））与统计分析相结合的方法评价了密云水库流域内2个子流域出口处2002年至2005年植被覆盖度变化对输沙量的影响。密云水库流域多为山地,其降雨具有明显的季节性。本文的主要目的在于分析2002年至2005年植被覆盖度变化对流域输沙量的影响,并分析了植被覆盖度变化对气候改变及人类活动的综合影响,结果表明：在密云水库流域内,输沙量是降雨情况和人为因素引起的地表植被覆盖度变化情况的综合反映,人口增长、经济发展和城市化是密云水库流域内引起土地利用变化和地表植被覆盖度变化的主要驱动力。并且,输沙量可以被看作是一个很好的指标来定量分离出生物生理和人为的影响,并从中能够找出在流域生态系统中获得显著结果关键的临界点。研究结果对制定流域的合理开发和管理计划将有所帮助。     

Estimating Crop Water Use via Remote Sensing Techniques vs. Conventional Methods in the South Platte River Basin,Colorado

We compared two methods of estimating crop water consumption to assess whether remote sensing techniques provide consumptive use (CU) estimates commensurate with conventional methods. Using available historical satellite and meteorological data, we applied Mapping EvapoTranspiration at high Resolution using Internalized Calibration (METRIC) to 317,455 ha in the South Platte basin, in northeastern Colorado, for the 2001 irrigation season. We then compared these derived CU estimates with values calculated by using the Colorado Water Conservation Board's South Platte Decision Support System StateCU model. Evaluating the data by irrigation ditch service area, we disaggregated the output to allow for comparison by service area size, crop type, irrigation method, water supply source, and water availability. We concluded that METRIC is a suitable alternative to StateCU in the South Platte basin and could help to identify areas with inhibited crop growth or deficit irrigation practices. In addition, METRIC could be used as a complement to StateCU to refine StateCU model parameters, allowing for more accurate estimates of crop water shortages and groundwater recharge associated with irrigation delivery and application.