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Rainfall changes due to climate change and their potential impacts on forests demand the development of predictable tools coupling vegetation dynamics to hydrologic processes. Such tools need to be accurate at local scales (i.e. < 100 ha) to develop efficient forest management strategies for climate change adaptation. In this study, we developed and tested a dynamic forest model to predict hydrological balance of North Patagonian temperate rainforests on Chiloe Island, Chile (42° S). The developed model includes detailed calculations of forest water fluxes and incorporates the dynamical linkage of rainfall regimes to soil moisture, and individual tree growth. We confronted model results with detailed field measurements of water fluxes in a young secondary stand (YS). We used the model to compare forest sensitivity in the YS and an old-growth stand (OG, > 500 yr-old), i.e. changes in forest evapotranspiration, soil moisture and forest structure (biomass and basal area). We evaluated sensitivity using changes in rainfall regimes comparable to future climatic scenarios for this century in the study region. The model depicted well the hydrological balance of temperate rainforests. We found a higher evapotranspi ration in OG than YS under current climatic conditions. Dryer climatic conditions predicted for this century in the study area led to changes in the hydrological balance that impacted forest structure, with stronger impacts in OG. Changes in climatic parameters decreased evapotranspiration (up to 15% in OG compared to current values) and soil moisture to 32% . These changes in water fluxes induced decreases in above-ground biomass in OG (up to 27%). Our results support the use of the model for detailed analyses of climate change impacts on hydrological balance of forests. Also, it provides a tool suitable for analyses of the impacts of multiple drivers of global change on forest processes (e.g., climate change, fragmentation, forest management). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a visualization system based on metric data to manage and disseminate archaeological information on the Internet. We describe the integration of two different types of sensors: laser scanning and close-range photogrammetry. How we created an automatic and hierarchical approach based on processing and matching the images coming from a digital camera and a terrestrial laser scanner is also shown. This development has created a visualization system combining spherical photographs and georeferences for graphical and numerical data acquired by the sensors. The case study where we have applied this method is the Palaeolithic rock art of the Llonín Cave (Asturias, Spain), which has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and has restricted public access. Our results demonstrate that this tool integrates data, metadata, services and information, which simplifies the location, identification, selection and management of archaeological information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The urgent need to increase productivity and competitiveness demands from sporting craft builders the incorporation of newer design and manufacturing technologies, as CAD/CAM and CNC machining systems. This paper describes the sporting boats' 3D surface modelling, needed for automated manufacturing processes, throug terrestrial laser scanner technology. The methodology followed for data collection and data processiong is described in detail, advantages and limitations of this technique are displayed and the accuraccy of the obtained results is also estimated. According to obtained results, this technology proves to provide accurate results and to be cost and time effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cyanobacteria belonging to the genus Nostoc fix atmospheric nitrogen, both as free-living organisms and in symbiotic associations with a wide range of hosts, including bryophytes, gymnosperms (cycads), the small water fern Azolla (Pteridophyte), the angiosperm genus Gunnera, and fungi (lichens). The Gunnera–Nostoc symbiosis is the only one that involves a flowering plant. In Chile, 12 species of Gunnera have been described with a broad distribution in the temperate region. We examined the genetic diversity of Nostoc symbionts from three populations of Gunnera tinctoria from Abtao, Chiloé Island, southern Chile, and microsymbionts from other two species of Gunnera from southern Chile, using PCR amplification of STRR (short tandemly repeated repetitive) sequences of the Nostoc infected tissue. To our knowledge, this is the first report of PCR fingerprinting obtained directly from symbiotic tissue of Gunnera. Genetic analyses revealed that Nostoc symbionts exhibit important genetic diversity among host plants, both within and between Gunnera populations. It was also found that only one Nostoc strain, or closely related strains, established symbiosis with an individual plant host. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A southward tendency of increment in pod-length is shown for 11 populations of Acacia caven (Mol.) Hook et Arn. localized along a climatic gradient of increasing annual rainfall in Chile. This fact would suggest that A. caven populations occurring in the south are in better conditions for reproduction than northern populations, since pod-length is related to the amount of seeds inside the pods. The possible bearing of this southward tendency of increasing seed production upon the expansion of A. caven toward the more humid zones in southern Chile is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eucalyptus constitutes one of the most common tree genera used in forest plantations worldwide. In Europe, Eucalyptus trees are especially common in the Northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, E. nitens and E. globulus being the most commonly cultivated species. Each species presents particularities that lend to different exploitation strategies and industrial usages. Therefore, updated knowledge about the abundance and spatial distribution of the different species is important for forest planning. This is a special challenge for areas where forest land is highly fragmented. Remote sensing has been used to efficiently monitor the distribution of the Eucalyptus genera, however little research has been able to map specific Eucalyptus species. This study evaluates the efficiency of Sentinel-2 data, Worldview-3 images, and Airborne LiDAR data in the differentiation of E. nitens and E. globulus. Supervised classifications were performed using neural networks for these data sets both individually and in combination. The highest accuracies were obtained when using Sentinel-2 data in combination with LiDAR point clouds and when using Sentinel-2 data in a multitemporal approach. The best time of year to differentiate between the two species is during the emergence of spring shoots. Worldview-3 images have a moderate capacity to differentiate between the two species, although this is increased when textural metrics are included. This study can serve as the basis for generating Eucalyptus species distribution maps, which will allow for improved forest management and planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In numerous countries, official forest cartography is obtained through photointerpretation of aerial images which hinders having up-to-date information. This study explores the usefulness of a land cover map produced automatically using Sentinel-2 images as a complement of the official Spanish forest map in Galicia. It was obtained a map with an Overall Accuracy of 86%. Both maps were compared. Net area covered by each forest class differed among maps, the differences were higher in areas managed with shorter rotation cycles. Main differences were due to the capabilities of Sentinel-2 to identify harvestings or disturbances and to the minimum mapping units of each map. The Sentinel-2 map had a higher ability to map trees outside the forest, and the official cartography hides small parcels and incipient land change dynamics. Sentinel-2 based maps could be a powerful tool to reduce the information gap considering the official cartography updating frames. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Methodology for generating as-built BIMs with descriptive data of building elements. [•] Non-destructive techniques applied to thermal and geometric inspection of buildings. [•] Automatic point cloud processing for the generation of the geometry of BIM. [•] Quantitative thermography approach for the calculation of U-values of the enclosure. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]