Soils and vegetation of Santa Barbara Island,Channel Islands National Park,California, USA

The multifaceted development of an erosion surface on Santa Barbara Island, Channel Islands National Park, California, has led to this study of the relationship between soils and vegetation. A dry Mediterranean climate and past attempts at farming and introductions of alien species have led to vegetative degradation accompanied by both gully and surface erosion. Soil and vegetation analyses show this erosion to be in a location of transition. The soils are Typic Chromoxererts (Vertisol Order) with high clay, salinity, and sodium contents. The vegetation is ecotonal in nature, grading from a principally alien annual grassland withAvena fatua andAtriplex semibaccata to a shrub community dominated by the nativeSuaeda californica. Management toward revegetation and stabilization of this island ecosystem will be difficult with high clay, saline-sodic soils and disturbed vegetation.     

Evaluation of two herbicide techniques on electric transmission rights-of-way: Development of relatively stable shrublands

Postmanagement vegetation patterns were studied on five transmission rights-of-way subjected to over a decade of basal or stem-foliar herbicide applications designed to eliminate tall-growing trees. The basally treated lines had a mean of 100% greater shrub and 50% less herbaceous cover than stem-foliar treated lines due primarily to the lack of overspray damage to nontarget plant species with the basal technique. Persisting tree growth was also 50% less with basal treatments whenSassafras albidum, a rootsuckering problem species on all areas, was excluded. Tree seedling establishment on basally treated rights-of-way was 34% less than on stem-foliar treated lines. The creation of stable shrublands can potentially reduce the amount of future herbicide usage. These findings also lend support to the Initial Floristic Composition concept in vegetation development proposed by Egler. In southern New England, commercial basal applications can effectively control unwanted tree growth on rights-of-way while promoting the development of relatively stable shrublands which tend to inhibit the invasion of tree seedlings.     

GIS Methodology for Quantifying Channel Change in Las Vegas,Nevada1

Abstract:  This study applies spatial analyses to examine the consequences of accelerated urban expansion on a hydrologic system over a period of 24 years. Three sets of historical aerial photos are used in a GIS analysis to document the geomorphic history of Las Vegas Wash, which drains the rapidly growing Las Vegas urban area in southern Nevada. New spatial techniques are introduced to make quantitative measurements of the erosion at three specific time intervals in the hydrologic evolution of the channel and floodplain. Unlike other erosion studies that use two different elevation surfaces to assess erosion, this study used a single elevation surface to remove systematic and nonsystemic elevation errors. The spatial analysis quantifies channel changes for discrete time periods, calculates erosion volumes, and provides a foundation to examine how the specific mechanisms related to urban expansion have affected Las Vegas Wash. The erosion calculated over 24 years is the largest documented sediment loss attributed to the effect of rapid urban growth.     

梁子湖自然保护区土地利用/土地覆盖动态变化研究

基于梁子湖自然保护区1987年和2004年Landsat-TM影像遥感数据，在Erdas Imagine 8．5图像处理软件的支持下，结合野外实地考察，获得了土地利用现状图，通过对数据的统计分析，研究了保护区近20年来土地利用／土地覆盖的动态变化。研究表明：耕地和水域是保护区内的主要土地利用类型；近20年来，耕地、园地、林地、草地的面积都有减少，其中耕地面积减少了2320．816hm^2，减少比例达到11．78％，是面积减少最多的土地利用类型；居民点、交通、水域用地有所增加，其中池塘面积变化最大，增幅达到213．4％，是面积增加最多的土地利用类型，居民点用地增加了551．18hm^2，增幅达到59．07％，是增长幅度较大的土地利用类型。变化的原因主要是经济的发展、人口数量的增长和旅游业的发展。     

不同生态区域油气田开发对土地覆盖变化的影响

利用RS-GIS技术,分析了四川合兴场气田周围1988年和2000年TM影像和新疆艾桑油气田周围1992年和2000年TM影像土地变化情况。分析结果表明:生态发达的四川合兴场气田周围在油田田开发前后主要为耕地,而建设用地在1988年占区域面积的12.6%,到2000年增加到17.8%。位于生态脆弱区的艾桑油气田,兴建前后主要土地利用类型均为戈壁荒漠、盐碱地,建设用地面积则明显增加,从1992年占总面积的0.02%增加到2000年的0.24%。由此可见,大面积分布式的油气田开发改变了油气田周围土地利用类型的分布。景观格局分析指数表明,四川合兴场周围多样性指数及均匀度指数均呈增加趋势,而艾桑油气田周围多样性指数及均匀度指数均呈现下降趋势。四川合兴场气田周围空间景观呈多样化发展,而新疆艾桑油气田周围空间景观多样性下降,荒漠土地呈扩大化发展趋势。     

云南省罗平县土地利用变化及驱动力研究

土地利用问题是实现生态脆弱区环境-经济协调发展的关键所在。选取喀斯特地区的罗平县作为研究对象，将遥感、GIS和多元统计技术结合运用于土地利用变化研究中，对罗平县1990～2001年的土地利用变化情况及驱动力进行了研究。结果表明，罗平县耕地逐年减少；影响耕地变化的主要驱动因子包括人口、经济和社会投资。     

The Effects of Irrigation on Revegetation of Semi-Arid Coastal Sage Scrub in Southern California

Artemisia californica, represented nearly 100% of the species present at the end of two growing seasons. Irrigation may speed revegetation under some conditions, but was not very effective in establishing natural vegetation structure.     

基于生态服务价值的张掖绿洲生态安全评价

基于生态服务功能与土地利用/覆被变化(LUCC)的安全评价是当前地理学和生态学研究的热点,如何将二者的研究有机地结合并对区域生态安全评价实现具有时间动态、空间可视的四维表达是方法论和认知角度的新尝试。论文在G IS技术的支持下以栅格数据和生态系统服务价值为评价基础,在采用Costanza生态系统服务价值修正值的基础上对张掖绿洲从不安全、较不安全、稳定、较安全和安全等5个级别进行了生态安全评价。结果表明,在1985—1995年,张掖绿洲生态价值损失了0.193×108元,1995—2006年损失1.933×108元,生态安全状况趋向恶化。处于稳定状态的斑块类型面积由92.91%减小到88.53%,减少的部分大多转换为较安全和不安全状态二种类型。从不同安全级别的斑块格局来看,稳定类型的平均斑块面积从1985—1995年到1995—2006年减少了905 hm2,而斑块数量却增加了349个;5个级别的斑块形状指数和连通度在整个研究时期变化趋势一致,即:形状指数越来越高,而连通度指数越来越低,说明整个张掖绿洲在安全级别类型格局上呈破碎化趋势,不同级别斑块相互交错。     

Impacts of environmental factors on urban heating

This study investigated the impact of important environmental variables (i.e.,wind speed,solar radiation and cloud cover) on urban heating.Meteorological parameters for fifteen years (from 1990 to 2005),collected at a well developed and densely populated commercial area (Tsim Sha Tsui,Hong Kong),were analyzed in details.Urban heat island intensity (UHII),a well known indicator of urban heating,has been determined as the spatially averaged air-temperature difference between Tsim Sha Tsui and Ta Kwu Ling (a thinly populated rural area with lush vegetation).Results showed that the UHII and cloud cover have increased by around 9.3% and 4%,respectively,whereas the wind speed and solar radiation have decreased by around 24% and 8.5%,respectively.The month of December experienced the highest UHII (10.2°C) but the lowest wind speed (2.6 m/sec) and cloud cover (3.8 oktas).Conversely,the month of April observed the highest increases in the UHII (over 100%) and the highest decreases in wind speed (over 40 %) over fifteen years.Notably,the increases in the UHII and reductions in the wind speed were the highest during the night-time and early morning.Conversely,the intensity of solar radiation reduced while the intensity of urban cool island (UCII) increased during solar noon-time.Results demonstrated strong negative correlation between the UHII and wind speed (coefficient of determination,R2=0.8) but no negative correlation between UCII and solar radiation attenuation.A possible negative correlation between UHII and cloud cover was investigated but could not be substantiated.     

干旱区绿洲内城市(镇)扩展的空间辐射效应

近几十年来,干旱绿洲区城镇村居民用地的增加加剧了相邻区域土地利用/覆被的变化。以甘州区、临泽县城和高台县城1985年的城市(镇)空间域为辐射核心,在辐射半径不相交的条件下,以间隔2 km为辐射半径,采用GS技术中的缓冲分析对黑河中游张掖绿洲1985、1995和2006年3个时期的土地利用/覆被时空变化进行了分析。结果表明:张掖绿洲的土地利用/覆被变化以农田和城镇村居民用地增加、草地和未利用土地减少为主要特点。在空间尺度上,农田和城镇村居民用地随离核心城镇区的距离的增加而减少,而草地和未利用土地则相反。在时间尺度上,农田和城镇村居民用地在不同的时间段都呈增加的趋势,其中农田的增加主要在辐射距离10 km的范围,城镇村居民用地的增加主要在辐射距离4 km的范围;而林地、草地、水域和未利用土地基本呈降低的趋势,但是在1985—1995年间林地、水域和未利用土地在距离核心区6~8 km和12~14 km内也有增加。从土地流转特点来看,绿洲内部城镇扩展是以农田、草地和林地转换为城镇村居民用地为主,这一变化趋势随距离城市核心区的距离增加而逐渐降低。