Tracking land cover change along the western edge of the U.S. Corn Belt from 1984 through 2016 using satellite sensor data: observed trends and contributing factors

The Cropland Data Layers (CDL) are high-resolution geo-referenced data products made available by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. However, the CDL lacks in its ability to be employed as a tool to identify the impact of the gradually evolving drivers of land use change, e.g., climate change, due to its limited historical depth. We implement a robust, phenology-based satellite image classification algorithm to identify historical cropland allocation in eastern South Dakota and North Dakota predating the initial CDL by 13 and 22 years, respectively. Five major land covers, i.e., corn, soybeans, wheat, alfalfa and grass (including native grass, hay and pasture) are identified using archived Landsat-5 surface reflectance data, while achieving CDL-like accuracy. The long-term rate of grassland loss during 1985–2011 is found to be significantly lower (26,781 hectares or 1.5% annually) relative to the near-term rate of grassland loss during 2006-’11 (84,545 hectares or 5.2% annually). We find similar discrepancy in regional corn expansion rates. Our value-added raster data provide opportunities for improved identification of land use drivers, whereas relying solely on the CDL’s restricted historical extent may lead to biased land use change estimates and misguide policy.     

A Multidisciplinary Decision Support System for Forest Fire Crisis Management

A wildland fire is a serious threat for forest ecosystems in Southern Europe affecting severely and irreversibly regions of significant ecological value as well as human communities. To support decision makers during large-scale forest fire incidents, a multidisciplinary system has been developed that provides rational and quantitative information based on the site-specific circumstances and the possible consequences. The systems architecture consists of several distinct supplementary modules of near real-time satellite monitoring and fire forecast using an integrated framework of satellite Remote Sensing, GIS, and RDBMS technologies equipped with interactive communication capabilities. The system may handle multiple fire ignitions and support decisions regarding dispatching of utilities, equipment, and personnel that would appropriately attack the fire front. The operational system was developed for the region of Penteli Mountain in Attika, Greece, one of the mountain areas in the country most hit by fires. Starting from a real fire incident in August 2000, a scenario is presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.     

USE OF HEMISPHERIC IMAGERY FOR ESTIMATING STREAM SOLAR EXPOSURE1

ABSTRACT: Solar exposure profoundly affects stream processes and species composition. Despite this, prominent stream monitoring protocols focus on canopy closure (obstruction of the sky as a whole) rather than on measures of solar exposure or shading. We identify a candidate set of solar exposure metrics that can be derived from hemispheric images. These metrics enable a more mechanistic evaluation of solar exposure than can be achieved with canopy closure metrics. Data collected from 31 stream reaches in eastern Oregon enable us to quantify and compare metrics of solar exposure from hemispheric images and a metric of canopy closure with a concave densiometer. Repeatability of hemispheric metrics is generally as good as or better than the densiometer closure metric, and variation in the analysis of hemispheric images attributable to differences between analysts is negligibly small. Metrics from the hemispheric images and the densiometer are typically strongly correlated, at the scale of an individual observation and for 150 m stream reaches, but not always in a linear fashion. We quantify the character of the uncertainty in the relationship between the densiometer and the hemispheric metrics. Hemispheric imagery produces repeatable metrics representing an important ecological attribute; thus those researching the effects of solar exposure on stream ecosystems should consider the use of hemispheric imagery.     

基于卫星影像的太湖蓝藻水华遥感强度指数和等级划分算法设计

对太湖地区近10余年来共32景Landsat TM/ETM遥感影像进行大气校正处理,获得地表反射率影像,在这些影像上采集了分布在不同片区、不同发生季节、不同集聚程度的蓝藻水华样区,提取了不同蓝藻水华的可见一近红外波段反射率数据.统计表明蓝藻水华在TM 4波段的反射率有较宽的动态范围,能定量反映蓝藻集聚程度,TM 2也是...     

Classifying environmentally significant urban land uses with satellite imagery

We investigated Bayesian networks to classify urban land use from satellite imagery. Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM(+)) images were used for the classification in two study areas: (1) Marina del Rey and its vicinity in the Santa Monica Bay Watershed, CA and (2) drainage basins adjacent to the Sweetwater Reservoir in San Diego, CA. Bayesian networks provided 80-95% classification accuracy for urban land use using four different classification systems. The classifications were robust with small training data sets with normal and reduced radiometric resolution. The networks needed only 5% of the total data (i.e., 1500 pixels) for sample size and only 5- or 6-bit information for accurate classification. The network explicitly showed the relationship among variables from its structure and was also capable of utilizing information from non-spectral data. The classification can be used to provide timely and inexpensive land use information over large areas for environmental purposes such as estimating stormwater pollutant loads.     

Image Themes and Frames in US Print News Stories about Climate Change

Research on frames in climate change (CC) news coverage has advanced substantially over the past decade, but the emerging understanding of the framing role of visual imagery that often accompanies news texts remains fragmented. We report on a set of image frames identified through content analysis of 350 images associated with 200 news articles from 11 US newspaper and magazine sources from 1969 through late 2009. We reliably identified and quantified the occurrence of 118 image themes. We then hierarchically clustered the themes based on their co-occurrence in images to identify an integrated framework of 42 image frames. We highlight frames associated with particular types of images (e.g., photographs and maps) or geographic regions. From among the full set of frames, we identify 15 that commonly appear in US CC news imagery and discuss the ways in which image frames make salient (or render invisible) particular categories of people, geographic regions, aspects of science, and spheres of activity.     

基于环境一号卫星的气溶胶光学厚度反演技术研究

基于环境一号卫星(HJ-1)遥感观测数据,采用改进的暗目标算法和深蓝算法分别对暗像元、亮像元地表的气溶胶光学厚度(AOD)进行反演,并将其结果与MOD04产品对比。结果表明:二者反演的AOD空间变化特征较一致,相关系数达0.874,HJ-1星反演结果有更高的空间分辨率。当AOD值0.2时,HJ-1星反演结果可靠性较低;当AOD值在0.2~0.8之间时,HJ-1星CCD相机反演气溶胶的结果与MOD04产品最相近,二者相对误差10%;当AOD值在0.8~1.5之间时,HJ-1星反演结果相对MOD04产品显著偏高;当AOD值1.5时,HJ-1星反演结果相对MOD04产品偏低。     

基于NDVI的风景区索道建设前后植被覆盖动态变化研究

基于归一化植被指数(NDVI)分析方法,利用黄山风景名胜区新云谷索道建设前(2004年)后(2008年)的2个时相的遥感数据对索道建设区进行植被覆盖动态变化分析。结果表明:新云谷索道建设后周边的植被覆盖和生长情况明显优于建设前,森林生态系统正向演替没有因为工程建设而受到限制,工程建设导致的人工干扰没有使植被遭受明显破坏,研究区植被生态系统的结构与功能没有因索道建设而受到影响。以遥感技术(Remote sensing,RS)为手段的风景区植被指数分析方法在生态环境研究中具有广阔的应用前景。     

Kinematic planning of slew manoeuvres after actuator failure for low-cost satellites

A kinematic scheme is presented which allows for planning attitude manoeuvres of satellites after actuator failure. The scheme relies on the identification of admissible rotation axes around which the control system can deliver torque components in spite of the failure. Two techniques discussed in the literature, based on a single rotation that either minimizes the angular displacement from a given target attitude or aims a sensor exactly along a prescribed direction, are compared with a new technique based on a two-step approach, which allows for achieving any prescribed attitude by means of a sequence of two feasible rotations. Dynamic simulation is used for analysing potential capabilities and limits of the considered kinematic approaches to manoeuvre planning of under-actuated satellites.     

Estimation of Southeast Asian rice paddy areas with different ecosystems from moderate-resolution satellite imagery

Multi-temporal satellite imagery from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) was used to map the different ecosystems of Southeast Asian (SEA) rice paddies. The algorithm was based on temporal profiles of vegetation strength and/or water content, using MODIS surface reflectance in visible to near-IR range. The results obtained from the analysis were compared to national statistics. Estimated SEA regional rice area was 42 × 10⁶ ha, which agrees with published values. The model performance was dependent on rice ecosystems. Good linear relationships between the model results and the national statistics were observed for rainfed rice. High linear coefficients of determination, R², were also found for irrigated rice and upland rice, but the model tended to underestimate irrigated rice and overestimate upland rice. However, these high R² values indicated that the model effectively simulated spatial distribution of these rice areas. These R² values were either of similar magnitude or larger than those reported in literature, regardless of the rice ecosystem. Poor correlation was observed for deepwater rice.