Remote sensing techniques for monitoring and managing irrigated lands

Agriculture in semi-arid tracts of the world depends on water to sustain its irrigation systems. Such agricultural systems either derive from government investments in the control of surface flow or they have been developed through the exploitation of groundwater sometimes by a large community of unsupervised individuals seeking to maximise their own advantage without concern for the resource upon which they depend in the medium and long term. In both cases government agencies need data on the area irrigated and the volume of water used. In countries with highly developed scientific and agricultural institutions the contribution of remote sensing, though significant, may only provide between five and ten per cent of the data required to guide regional and national managers. In countries without such institutions the proportion contributed by remote sensing can be very much higher, as shown in a recent study in North Africa. The paper will emphasise the importance of carefully structured sampling procedures, both to improve the areal estimates from satellite imagery and the estimates of water use based upon them. The role of satellite imagery in providing information on the status of water resources, on trends in water use and in the implementation of policies to extend or diminish irrigated land are discussed.     

Kinetic characteristics of the theoretical ecosystems with different extent of openness.

In this paper, the influence of the extent of openness of ecosystem that is defined by the dilution rate, which characterizes the extent of flowage of the pond, on the intensity of the biotic circulation in ecosystems with different regulation types, number of trophic links and extent of closing has been investigated. We considered open systems, we took into account the return of the limiting substances, such as nitrogen and phosphorous, into the cycle by degradation of detritus and products of vital functions of consumers. It was shown by the numerical calculations that the increase of the dilution rate in without recycle ecosystems leads to increase of the net primary production up to the maximum value corresponding to the two-link trophic chain (biogenic substance and producer) and then, to gradually decrease. The residual concentration of biogenic limiting substances monotone increases. Net primary production and residual concentration of biogenic limiting substances in systems with recycle with even number of links behaves similarly to that in without recycle ecosystems. In the systems with recycle with the odd number of links that values lies on the stable level. We showed that in wide range of the dilution rate the recycling of the ecosystem can highly increase the net primary production and reduce residual concentration of biogenic limiting substances. The influence of the dilution rate on numbers of links that may exist in the system was analyzed.     

On the spatial extent of the proton radiation belt from solar cell output variation of the Akebono satellite

Output current of silicon solar cells of Akebono satellite orbiting in the inner magnetosphere decreased from 13 A in 1989 to about 7 A in 2009, due to accumulated damage by energetic particles. A fair correlation between the monthly decrease rate of solar cell output current and trapped proton flux was found between 1989 and 1992, indicating that trapped energetic protons are responsible for the solar cell degradation. Simple variation from month to month was dominated by a fluctuation with one-year period and the correlation was not discernible after 1993. On the other hand, during orbiting the earth, another kind of decrease of output current emerged at low altitude above the sub-solar point, i.e., in the midst of sunlit condition. The decrease was larger in later years. The fact indicates more prominent temperature effect in the later years because of progress of the degradation. By removing data affected by the orbit condition above, variation from the same month in the previous year shows a clear oscillation due to orbit precession correlated with trapped energetic proton flux up to 1996. The amplitude of the annual variation oscillation tends to be larger than that expected from a degradation model based on energetic proton distribution of the NASA’s AP8 model. The larger oscillation amplitude suggests that the proton radiation belt was more sharply localized than given by the AP8 model throughout the early half of 1990s.     

Monitoring of rice cropping intensity in the upper Mekong Delta,Vietnam using time-series MODIS data

Information on rice growing areas is important for policymakers to devise agricultural plans. This research explores the monitoring of rice cropping intensity in the upper Mekong Delta, Vietnam (from 2001 to 2007) using time-series MODIS NDVI 250-m data. Data processing includes three steps: (1) noise is filtered from the time-series NDVI data using empirical mode decomposition (EMD); (2) endmembers are extracted from the filtered time-series data and trained in a linear mixture model (LMM) for classification of rice cropping systems; and (3) classification results are verified by comparing them with the ground-truth and statistical data. The results indicate that EMD is a good filter for noise removal from the time-series data. The classification results confirm the validity of LMM, giving an overall accuracy of 90.1% and a Kappa coefficient of 0.7. The lowest producer and user accuracies were associated with single crop rain-fed rice class due to the mixed pixel problems. A strong yearly correlation at the district level was revealed in the MODIS-derived areas (R² ? 0.9). Investigation of interannual changes in rice cropping intensity from 2001 to 2007 showed a remarkable conversion from double to triple crop irrigated rice from 2001 to 2003, especially in the Thoai Son and Phu Tan districts. A big conversion from triple crop rice back to double crop rice cultivation was also observed in Phu Tan from 2005 to 2006. These changes were verified by visual interpretation of Landsat images and examination of NDVI profiles.     

Monitoring of Saharan dust over the Atlantic using Meteosat-VIS-data

The optical depth of Saharan dustclouds (a component of the radiation budget), which can be clearly seen in satellite images taken over the Atlantic, can be determined from the Meteosat VIS-data. ‘Favourable angles’ between sun, observed point and satellite are chosen so that the optical depth is determined with an inaccuracy of only about 20%.We present several clouds, their change over time, and some of their other interesting features. The results are discussed.     

Monitoring the South Atlantic Anomaly using ATSR instrument series

The South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) has been monitored for 19 years using the Along Track Scanning Radiometer (ATSR) series of instruments onboard the ERS-1, ERS-2 and ENVISAT ESA satellites. The time evolution of the night-time particle induced noise in the short wavelength infrared (SWIR, 1.6 μm) and visible (VIS, 0.55 μm) channels of the ATSR instrument series have been analysed. The monthly location and extension of the SAA are inferred by fitting a two-dimensional, elliptical Gaussian function to the coordinates of the night-time hot spots detected over the SAA region. The location of the centre of the SAA is found to drift westwards with an average drift rate of about 0.24 deg/year and northward with an average drift rate of about 0.12 deg/year. Irregularities are found where the drift speed is inverted and the SAA moves eastward and southward. Results indicate that, as expected, the retrieved values of SAA’s strength and extension are anti-correlated with the solar activity expressed by the solar flux at 10.7 cm (F10.7). Finally, the peak-to-peak amplitude of the seasonal variation of the SAA strength, estimated from monthly VIS data, is found to be 30% of the average value with the annual to semiannual amplitude ratio of 1.38.     

一种远程、多点、实时的洁净度监测系统设计

为了满足各类实验室不断提高的洁净度监测实时性要求,设计了一种可远程控制、可实时监测、可多点监测、可集中显示、可分析数据的洁净度监测系统。     

PDR监控系统的快速以太网通信设计

根据脉冲多普勒雷达(PDR)信号处理机的回波数据信号量大的特点,采用FPGA控制以太网控制器DM9000A实现了以太网MAC层和PHY层的功能。同时,FPGA还实现了UDP/IP协议栈的功能,最终完成雷达监控系统与显示终端计算机以网络的方式实现互相通信。通过仿真分析得出,这种FPGA的协议栈实现方式与嵌入式协议栈的实现方式相比,提高了通信速率,满足了雷达回波数据(约20Mbps)的高速连续数据流的传输要求。     

Deoxyribonucleoprotein structure and radiation injury: cellular radiosensitivity is determined by LET infinity -dependent DNA damage in hydrated deoxyribonucleoproteins and the extent of its repair.

For decades, theories of cellular radiosensitivity relied upon the initial patterns of energy deposition to explain radiation lethality. Such theories are unsound: cellular (DNA) repair also underlies cellular radiosensitivity. For the charged particles encountered in deep space, both the types of DNA damage caused in cellular deoxyribonucleoproteins and the efficacies of their repair are dependent on linear energy transfer (LET infinity), and repair efficiency is also influenced by cell and tissue type, i.e., the actual recovery processes involved. Therefore, quality factors derived from radiation quality alone are inadequate parameters for assessing the radiation risks of space flight. Until recently, OH radicals formed in bulk nuclear water were believed to be the major causes of DNA damage that results in cell death, especially for sparsely ionizing radiations. That hypothesis has now been challenged, if not refuted. Lethal genomic DNA damage is determined mainly by energy deposition in deoxyribonucleoproteins, and their hydration shells, and charge (energy) transfer processes within those structures.     

构建中国海洋卫星体系提升海洋环境与灾害监测能力

海洋卫星是海洋环境与灾害监测数据的重要获取手段,在海洋防灾减灾和科学研究中发挥着巨大作用.分析了海洋环境观测要素和海洋卫星在海洋环境与灾害监测中的应用状况;结合国外海洋卫星发展趋势和中国实际发展需求,提出了构建中国海洋卫星体系的发展建议,为提升海洋环境与灾害监测能力,推动中国海洋事业发展,促进国民经济和海防安全建设服务.     

Monitoring of plant development in controlled environment with machine vision.

Information acquisition is the foremost requirement for the control and continued operation of any complex system. This is especially true when a plant production system is used as a major component in a sustainable life support system. The plant production system not only provides food and fiber but is a means of providing critically needed life supporting elements such as O2 and purified H2O. The success of the plant production system relies on close monitoring and control of the production system. Machine vision technology was evaluated for the monitoring of plant health and development and showed promising results. Spectral and morphological characteristics of a model plant were studied under various artificially induced stress conditions. From the spectroscopic studies, it was found that the stresses can be determined from visual and non-visual symptoms. The development of the plant can also be quantified using a video image analysis base approach. The correlations between the qualities of the model plant and machine vision measured spectral features were established. The success of the research has shown a great potential in building an automated, closed-loop plant production system in controlled environments.     

Global pictures of the ozone field,from high altitudes,from DE-I

Using the imaging instrumentation aboard the Dynamics Explorer spacecraft (DE-I), total column ozone densities are obtained in the sunlit hemisphere by measuring the intensities of backscattered solar ultraviolet radiation with multiple filters and multiple photometers. The high apogee altitude (23,000 km) of the eccentric polar orbit allows high resolution global-scale images of the terrestrial ozone field to be obtained within 12 minutes. Previous ozone-monitoring spacecraft have required much longer time periods for comparable spatial coverage because of their lower altitudes (<1200 km). The much higher altitude of DE-I also provides hours of continuous imaging of features compared to minutes or seconds with previous spacecraft. Near perigee, high resolution images can be gained with pixel size as small as 3 km to view mesoscale atmospheric variations. Utilizing these data, the effects of planetary-scale, synoptic-scale, and mesoscale dynamical processes, which control the distribution of ozone near the tropopause, can be studied. Preliminary results show short-term (less than one day) variations in the synoptic ozone field and these variations appear to be in accord with meteorological data. Spatial variations in the ozone field are found to be highly negatively correlated with tropopause altitude.     

The generator system of field-aligned currents during the April 06, 2000, superstorm

Using ground-based magnetometer data of the April 6–7, 2000, superstorm, we obtained maps of ionospheric and field-aligned currents (FACs). Based on these, we deduced the electrical circuit of the disturbed magnetosphere/ionosphere and a conceptual model of its magnetospheric generators, which supply both hemispheres. This model implies that the generator system creates primarily the Region-1 FACs of Iijima and Potemra at both hemispheres, while the Region-2 and Region-0 FACs form by spreading of the Region-1 currents through the ionosphere. This conclusion is supported by observations.     

Polynucleotide evolution, hypercycles and the origin of the genetic code

Experiments on polynucleotide replication are described within the frame of a kinetic theory of molecular evolution. Four principles of early evolution are discussed and illustrated by means of a model for the origin of translation.     

Multi-source verification of the desiccation of Lake Chad,Africa

Since at least 5000 B.P., the sub-Sahara Sahelian zone of Africa has been undergoing progressive desiccation. Both natural and man-stimuli resulted in an acceleration of this process beginning in the 1960s. Paleo-shorelines of Lake Megachad show a maximum Pleistocene water body of about 330,000 km². Since 1982, Lake Chad has apparently stabilized in area at about 3–4000 km² of open water, significantly less than the 1965 area of about 25,000 km². Pockets of interdunal impoundments and swamps may increase this present total area to about 4000 km². The Sahel is poorly ground instrumented for the collection of environmental data. Due to this lack of instrumentation, Lake Chad is suggested as a paradigm of environmental response for the entire region. The lake is considered a prime area for sequential measurements using space photography and satellite imagery. This initial study documents the areal fluctuations of Lake Chad during 1965–1984 using manned spaceflight photography and radiometric measurements from the NOAA polar-orbitting satellites.     

Landsat analysis of the Yangjiatan tungsten district,Hunan Province,People's Republic of China

The Yangjiatan tungsten district at latitude 27°28′ N. and longitude 111°54′E. is located about 140 km southwest of the city of Changsha and 35 km northeast of the town of Shaoyang, southeast Hunan Province, People's Republic of China. The deposits, consisting largely of scheelite in veins (Wang, 1975), are contained in highly folded and faulted sedimentary rocks of Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic age intruded by granitic plutons that are circular in plan view. The major faults and folds trend in a northeasterly direction; whereas, the plutons are clustered in a more easterly trending band across the Landsat image.Landsat image E-2338-02202, acquired December 26, 1975, is number 470 in the “Landsat Image Atlas of the People's Republic of China” printed by the Publishing House of Geology in 1979. A computer-compatible tape of the image was analyzed and used as a demonstration project under a United Nations technical assistance program. Supervised classification of soils, rocks, and vegetation; band ratioing to detect limonite alteration; and edge enhancement were all conducted to demonstrate the flexibility and capability of interactive computer systems. Field evaluation of the results of this work will be conducted by colleagues of the Remote Sensing Center for Geology, Ministry of Geology, in China.     

Comparison of the mean quality factors for astronauts calculated using the Q-functions proposed by ICRP,ICRU, and NASA

For the estimation of the radiation risk for astronauts, not only the organ absorbed doses but also their mean quality factors must be evaluated. Three functions have been proposed by different organizations for expressing the radiation quality, including the Q(L), Q(y), and Q_NASA(Z, E) relationships as defined in International Committee of Radiological Protection (ICRP) Publication 60, International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU) Report 40, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) TP-2011-216155, respectively. The Q(L) relationship is the most simple and widely used for space dosimetry, but the use of the latter two functions enables consideration of the difference in the track structure of various charged particles during the risk estimation.     

The compatability of cloud tracked winds from the United States,European, and Japanese geostationary satellites

Overlap of coverage of the five geostationary satellites has allowed an intercomparison of the FGGE cloud tracked winds. No attempt was made during FGGE to standardize the cloud tracking techniques. In spite of this potential for differences between data sets, the compatability of the various cloud wind data sets was generally quite good. The vector magnitude differences between nearly co-located vectors showed similar cumulative frequency statistics for all data producers. A study of systematic biases which could affect a global wind analysis of any given synoptic period showed that image alignment errors caused less than 2 m s^?1 bias for all data producers except the NESS high level winds which had an average bias of slightly greater than 3 m s^?1. This appears to be caused by the manual alignment of images in the movie loops. Height bias studies showed the Japanese winds to be higher than other data producers by as much as 100 mb for both the high and low levels winds. Height biases appear to be caused by the differences in cloud wind height assignment procedures.     

Past,present and future measurements of the solar diameter

The solar diameter, and its possible variation, have been the subject of careful measurements for over 350 years, with ever increasing accuracy. The importance of the knowledge of the diameter, and its variation, for solar physics, and climatology are pointed out. Different techniques have been used, and the instrumentation has evolved in time. This is why the long-term evolution of the Sun is still a controversial subject. Even for the short term of the 11-year solar cycle, the results are inconsistent even with the most advanced instruments presently in use. These discrepancies probably have several origins: the Earth’s atmosphere, the spectral domain of observation, the stability of the instruments, and the data filtering techniques used. The absence of either internal angular calibration for most of them, or intercomparisons prior to the operational phase either from ground or space, make understanding the origin of the discrepancies difficult. Not all instruments suffer from all the above defects, but all instruments are affected by at least one of them. Furthermore, the lack of precise definition of what is measured is another source of confusion. We review the available results, and attempt to understand the origin of the discrepancies. Finally, a proposal for future measurements is made.     

The effect of total solar eclipse of October 3, 2005, on the total electron content over Europe

GPS observations from EUREF permanent GPS network were used to observe the response of TEC (Total Electron Content) to the total solar eclipse on October 3, 2005, under quiet geomagnetic conditions of the daytime ionosphere. The effect of the eclipse was detected in diurnal variations and more distinctly in the variations of TEC along individual satellite passes. The trough-like variations with a gradual decrease and followed by an increase of TEC at the time of the eclipse were observed over a large region. The depression of TEC amounted to 3–4 TECU. The maximum depression was observed over all stations located at the maximum path of the solar eclipse. The delay of a minimum level of TEC with respect to the maximum phase of the eclipse was about 20–30 min.