Can we gain precision by sampling with probabilities proportional to size in surveying recent landscape changes in the Netherlands?

Seventy-two squares of 100 ha were selected by stratified random sampling with probabilities proportional to size (pps) to survey landscape changes in the period 1996–2003. The area of the plots times the urbanization pressure was used as a size measure. The central question of this study is whether the sampling with probabilities proportional to size leads to gain in precision compared to equal probability sampling. On average 1.03 isolated buildings per 100 ha have been built, while 0.90 buildings per 100 ha have been removed, leading to a net change of 0.13 building per 100 ha. The area with unspoiled natural relief has been reduced by 2.3 ha per 100 ha, and the length of linear relicts by 137 m per 100 ha. On average 74 m of linear green elements have been planted per 100 ha, while 106 m have been removed, leading to a net change of −31 m per 100 ha. For the state variables ‘unspoiled natural relief', ‘ linear relicts', ‘removed linear green elements', and ‘new – removed linear green elements' there is a gain in precision due to the pps-sampling. For the remaining state variables there is no gain or even a loss of precision (`new buildings', ‘removed buildings', ‘new – removed buildings', ‘new linear green elements'). Therefore, if many state variables must be monitored or when interest is not only in the change but also in the current totals, we recommend to keep things simple, and to select plots with equal probability.     

Estimation of Land Use Specific Runoff and Pollutant Concentration for Tapi River Basin in India

Non-point source (NPS) pollution is the result of various land use practices such as agriculture, sites of construction and waste disposal, urban development and so on. The control of NPS pollution is possible by regular monitoring and assessment on watershed basis to educate people for implementing well-known structural and non-structural measures. Recent trend is to use GIS based modelling tool for assessment of rainfall-runoff and non-point loading. The approach requires generation and analysis of basin wide data on various features of land and estimates of Event Mean Concentrations (EMCs) of pollutants in the runoff. In the present paper, basin wide data in different districts of Tapi basin has been analysed for land use distribution; fertilizer application; low, medium and high-density habitation; and annual rainfall. Coefficients of runoff have been estimated considering pervious and impervious area for different land use types, and compared with the reported values for Indian conditions. The estimated mean annual runoff flow indicated that two districts Jalgaon and Dhule contribute maximum runoff to the Tapi River. Estimates of EMCs for BOD and nutrients (N and P) in the runoff from various districts are useful in GIS-based modelling study for NPS pollution assessment.     

Monitoring Regional Riparian Forest Cover Change Using Stratified Sampling and Multiresolution Imagery1

Claggett, Peter R., Judy A. Okay, and Stephen V. Stehman, 2010. Monitoring Regional Riparian Forest Cover Change Using Stratified Sampling and Multiresolution Imagery. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 46(2):334-343. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2010.00424.x Abstract: The Chesapeake Bay watershed encompasses 165,760 km² of land area with 464,098 km of rivers and streams. As part of the Chesapeake Bay restoration effort, state and federal partners have committed to restoring 26,000 miles (41,843 km) of riparian forest buffers. Monitoring trends in riparian forest buffers over large areas is necessary to evaluate the efficacy of these restoration efforts. A sampling approach for estimating change in riparian forest cover from 1993/1994 to 2005 was developed and implemented in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, to exemplify a method that could be applied throughout the Bay watershed. All stream reaches in the county were stratified using forest cover change derived from Landsat imagery. A stratified random sample of 219 reaches was selected and forest cover change within the riparian buffer of each sampled reach was interpreted from high-resolution aerial photography. The estimated footprint of gross change in riparian forest cover (i.e., the sum of gross gain and gross loss) for the county was 1.83% (SE = 0.22%). Stratified sampling taking advantage of a priori knowledge of locations of change proved to be a practical and efficient protocol for estimating riparian forest buffer change at the county scale and the protocol would readily extend to much broader scale monitoring.     

Evaluation of the National Land Cover Database for Hydrologic Applications in Urban and Suburban Baltimore,Maryland1

Smith, Monica Lipscomb, Weiqi Zhou, Mary Cadenasso, Morgan Grove, and Lawrence E. Band, 2010. Evaluation of the National Land Cover Database for Hydrologic Applications in Urban and Suburban Baltimore, Maryland. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 46(2):429-442. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2009.00412.x Abstract: We compared the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2001 land cover, impervious, and canopy data products to land cover data derived from 0.6-m resolution three-band digital imagery and ancillary data. We conducted this comparison at the 1 km², 9 km², and gauged watershed scales within the Baltimore Ecosystem Study to determine the usefulness and limitations of the NLCD in heterogeneous urban to exurban environments for the determination of land-cover information for hydrological applications. Although the NLCD canopy and impervious data are significantly correlated with the high-resolution land-cover dataset, both layers exhibit bias at <10 and >70% cover. The ratio of total impervious area and connected impervious area differs along the range of percent imperviousness – at low percent imperviousness, the NLCD is a better predictor of pavement alone, whereas at higher percent imperviousness, buildings and pavement together more resemble NLCD impervious estimates. The land-cover composition and range for each NLCD urban land category (developed open space, low-intensity, medium-intensity, and high-intensity developed) is more variable in areas of low-intensity development. Fine-vegetation land-cover/lawn area is incorporated in a large number of land use categories with no ability to extract this land cover from the NLCD. These findings reveal that the NLCD may yield important biases in urban, suburban, and exurban hydrologic analyses where land cover is characterized by fine-scale spatial heterogeneity.     

休宁县野生木质藤本植物种质资源及园林用途研究

野外考察和文献调查分析表明,安徽省休宁县野生木质藤本植物资源丰富、种类繁多,累计有25科48属132种(含种以下等级),其中主要有葡萄科、蔷薇科、猕猴桃科、毛茛科、卫矛科、豆科等6个科.对藤本植物的观赏特性及园林用途进行了较详细的阐述.     

An Aquifer Classification System and Geographical Information System-Based Analysis Tool for Watershed Managers in the Western U.S.1

Payne, Scott M. and William W. Woessner, 2010. An Aquifer Classification System and Geographical Information System-Based Analysis Tool for Watershed Managers in the Western U.S. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 46(5):1003-1023. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2010.00472.x Abstract: Aquifers and groundwater systems can be classified using a variety of independent methods to characterize geologic and hydraulic properties, the degree of connection with surface water, and geochemical conditions. In light of a growing global demand for water, an approach for classifying groundwater systems at the watershed scale is needed. A comprehensive classification system is proposed that combines recognized methods and new approaches. The purpose of classification is to provide groundwater professionals, policy makers, and watershed managers with a widely applicable and repeatable system that reduces sometimes cumbersome complex databases and analyzes to straightforward terminology and graphical representations. The proposed classification system uses basin geology, aquifer productivity, water quality, and the degree of groundwater/surface water connection as classification criteria. The approach is based on literature values, reference databases, and fundamental hydrologic and hydrogeologic principles. The proposed classification system treats dataset completeness as a variable and includes a tiered assessment protocol that depends on the quality and quantity of data. In addition, it assembles and catalogs groundwater information using a consistent set of nomenclature. It is designed to analyze and display results using Geographical Information System mapping tools.     

基于GIS和组合赋权法的农村生态功能适宜性评价及管制分区

在村级土地利用规划过程中进行生态功能适宜性评价,以了解农村生态质量状况、明确农村生态功能适宜程度及空间分布,为村级土地利用规划中土地利用方向的确定和空间布局的划分提供科学的生态适宜依据,从而更好地协调农村发展建设和生态环境保护的关系有着至关重要的作用。以岩南村为例,开展了农村生态功能适宜性评价及应用研究。以高分辨率航空影像为数据源,从地形条件、土壤资源、生物资源、水资源、人类干扰5个方面建立了评价指标体系;利用组合赋权法确定各评价因子的权重值,构建了生态功能适宜性评价模型;以栅格为评价单元,在GIS支持下,对岩南村进行生态功能适宜性评价。并根据评价结果划分了生态功能适宜等级,制定了分区管制措施,提出了土地利用建议,旨在为岩南村土地利用规划提供指导     

河流近域土地利用格局与水质相关性分析——以巢湖流域为例

以河流近域土地利用构成与水环境质量间定量关系为研究对象,基于巢湖流域40个水质监测断面和320个河流近域作用区,运用GIS空间分析功能计算不同尺度作用区内土地利用构成,借助相关分析、冗余分析(RDA)等数理统计手段,分析土地利用构成与水质指数间的相关关系;并分析和比较了流域内山区和平原地区土地利用构成与水质之间关系。结果表明,巢湖流域近河道地区土地利用构成对各水质指数有重要影响,且受地形因素影响。其中,建设用地对河流水质恶化具有明显作用;河流沿岸林地布局能显著改善水质,尤其是对氨氮和高锰酸盐指数敏感;耕地面积变化与水质相关性不显著。RDA冗余分析证实了不同尺度下的土地利用类型对水环境影响具有尺度效应。研究成果对巢湖流域水环境管理具有重要的实际指导意义,并为同类研究提供借鉴     

耕地集约利用影响因素的协整分析

耕地利用的集约度实质上是农户在其所面临的各种经济和制度环境约束条件下,所采取的不同耕种行为的直接结果和体现.本文试借助分析影响农户耕种行为的相关因素来探讨其对耕地集约利用的影响.利用Eviews 6.0统计软件,综合应用协整理论和误差修正模型,以湖北省为例,剖析耕地集约利用与其影响因素的长期均衡关系和短期波动效应.研究表明:在长期,户均农业劳动力人数、农业比较收入和耕地的产权保障对耕地利用的集约度存在正向影响,其增加1个百分点,将导致耕地利用的集约度分别提高0.166、0.430和0.035个百分点;农民家庭人均农业生产支出和农业生产资料价格指数对耕地利用的集约度存在负向影响,其增加1个百分点,将导致耕地利用的集约度分别下降0.004和0.008个百分点.而在短期,各影响因素对耕地利用集约度的作用方向相同而作用力大小不同.户均农业劳动力人数和农业比较收入对耕地集约利用的作用程度在短期与在长期是相似的;但耕地的产权保障和农业生产成本的变化对耕地集约利用的影响却更多体现在长期.因此,立足于稳定产权和降低农业生产成本的农业政策导向更有利于在长期保护耕地,提高耕地资源的配置和利用效率.     

中国省域违法占用耕地的空间效应

要通过中国省域违法占用耕地的时空特征分析,得知1999-2007年中国违法占用耕地均值的空间布局总体较为离散,局部地区表现出集聚态势;运用空间计量分析方法,对1999-2007年间中国各省域违法占用耕地的空间效应研究表明,中国大陆31个雀域的违法占用耕地在地理空间上存在显著的正自相关关系,表现出了某些省域违法占用耕地的相似性在空间上趋于集聚现象,1999-2007年中国违法占用耕地的省域空间集聚近似呈现“N”字型波动变化的态势.中国违法占用耕地省域之间正的空间效应正在增强,中国省域违法占用耕地存在地理空间的邻近效应.