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The implementation of land use planning (LUP) has a large impact on environmental quality. There lacks a widely accepted and consolidated approach to assess the LUP environmental impact using Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). In this paper, we developed a state-impact-state (SIS) model employed in the LUP environmental impact assessment (LUPEA). With the usage of Matter-element (ME) and Extenics method, the methodology based on the SIS model was established and applied in the LUPEA of Zoucheng County, China. The results show that: (1) this methodology provides an intuitive and easy understanding logical model for both the theoretical analysis and application of LUPEA; (2) the spatial multi-temporal assessment from base year, near-future year to planning target year suggests the positive impact on the environmental quality in the whole County despite certain environmental degradation in some towns; (3) besides the spatial assessment, other achievements including the environmental elements influenced by land use and their weights, the identification of key indicators in LUPEA, and the appropriate environmental mitigation measures were obtained; and (4) this methodology can be used to achieve multi-temporal assessment of LUP environmental impact of County or Town level in other areas.

This paper examines the topographic and geometric controls on glacier changes in area and equilibrium-line altitude (ELA) in the central Tien Shan, China, since the Little Ice Age (LIA). We delineate the extents of 487 modern glaciers and their corresponding maximum LIA glacial advances using satellite imagery in Google Earth, and analyze the relationships between the magnitude of glacier changes and a set of local topographic/geometric factors including glacier area, slope, aspect, shape, hypsometry and mean elevation. Our results show that: (1) glacier area decreased from 460.2 km2 during the LIA to 265.6 km2 in the 2000s (a loss of 42.3%), with an average ELA increase of ~100m; (2) relative area changes of glaciers are strongly affected by two of these local factors (glacier area and mean elevation); and (3) ELA change does not show a strong relationship with local factors, suggesting that it may be controlled mainly by climatic factors. This study provides important insights into the local controls on glacier changes at the centennial timescale, which are of critical importance to assess future glacier changes in this arid and semi-arid region.

Human impact plays an increasing role on vegetation change even on the Tibetan Plateau, an area that is commonly regarded as an ideal place to study climate change. We evaluate the nature and extent of human impact on vegetation dynamics by the comparison of two areas: the relative highly populated Lhasa area and a nearby less populated Lhari County. Our results indicate that human impact has mainly decreased vegetation greenness within 20 km of the urban area and major constructions during 1999–2013. However, the impact of human activities in a relatively large area is still minor and does not reverse the major trends of vegetation dynamics caused by the warming temperature in recent decades. It seems that the impact of anthropogenic factors on the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) trend is more apparent in the Lhasa area than in Lhari County. The major anthropogenic driving factor for vegetation browning in the Lhasa area is livestock number, while the factors, including the number of rural laborers and artificial forest areas, are positively correlated with the annual NDVI increase. The similar relationship between the annual NDVI and driving factors appeared in Lhari County, except for artificial forest areas. The warming temperature and the change in precipitation played dominant roles on vegetation greening in Lhari County than that in the Lhasa area.

To maximize the advantages of both spectral and spatial information, we introduce a new spectral–spatial jointed hyperspectral image classification approach based on fractal dimension (FD) analysis of spectral response curve (SRC) in spectral domain and extended morphological processing in spatial domain. This approach first calculates the FD image based on the whole SRC of the hyperspectral image and decomposes the SRC into segments to derive the FD images with each SRC segment. These FD images based on the segmented SRC are composited into a multidimensional FD image set in spectral domain. Then, the extended morphological profiles (EMPs) are derived from the image set through morphological open and close operations in spatial domain. Finally, all these EMPs and FD features are combined into one feature vector for a probabilistic support vector machine (SVM) classification. This approach was demonstrated using three hyperspectral images in urban areas of the university campus and downtown area of Pavia, Italy, and the Washington DC Mall area in the USA, respectively. We assessed the potential and performance of this approach by comparing with PCA-based method in hyperspectral image classification. Our results indicate that the classification accuracy of our proposed method is much higher than the accuracies of the classification methods based on the spectral or spatial domain alone, and similar to or slightly higher than the classification accuracy of PCA-based spectral–spatial jointed classification method. The proposed FD approach also provides a new self-similarity measure of land class in spectral domain, a unique property to represent hyperspectral self-similarity of SRC in hyperspectral imagery.

A critical component of environmental education is to ensure student understanding and use of available technologies to better experience and analyze spatially distributed features of the environment. Combining mobile technologies with geographic information systems in field data collection may provide a unique opportunity for students to feel engaged in what they are learning and take ownership of their learning process. We customized an open access data collection application using Collector for ArcGIS and investigated its impacts on student engagement and perception of the incorporation of technology within an environmental science curriculum. Analyses of pre- and post-surveys indicate that the inclusion of geospatial technologies as a part of environmental curricula allows students to take the lead on their own research, view field data interactively as opposed to looking at a database in hindsight and analyze multiscale data as it is presented during field data collection. The findings of this study are consistent with previous studies, suggesting a strong association between the inclusion of geospatial technologies as a part of curricula and student engagement.

The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau plays an important role in global climate and environmental change and holds the largest lake area in China, with a total surface area of 36,900 km2. The expansion and shrinkage of these lakes are critical to the water cycle and ecological and environmental systems across the plateau. In this paper, surface areas of major lakes within the plateau were extracted based on a topographic map from 1970, and Landsat MSS, TM and ETM+ satellite images from the 1970s to 2008. Then, a multivariate correlation analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between the changes in lake surface areas and the changes in climatic variables including temperature, precipitation, evaporation, and sunshine duration. Initial results suggest that the variations in lake surface areas within the plateau are closely related to the warming, humidified climate transition in recent years such as the rise of air temperature and the increase in precipitation. In particular, the rising temperature accele...

To effectively target area and population with relatively poorer healthcare access requires information on how access to healthcare varies spatially. Considering hospitals as important components of the healthcare system, this case study of Central Missouri presents a comparison of the relatively underserved areas and population based on the results from three alternative indicators of spatial hospital access calculated at three different levels of geography. Results indicate that the alternative spatial healthcare access indicators show considerably different pictures of the relative ranking of census units, and identification of the relatively underserved areas and population. The relative ranking of census units and the identification of relatively underserved area and population are all critical indicators for policy makers when public resources are limited and distributive choices must be made.

The Little River Watershed (LRW) in Tennessee experienced rapid land use/land cover (LULC) change in recent decades. However, a detailed long-term record of LULC change is still lacking. Here, we examined the pattern of LULC change from 1984 to 2010 in a roughly 2-year interval using the Maximum Likelihood Classification (MLC) of Landsat TM/ETM+ images. The accuracy of the classification was assessed by comparing classified LULC classes with their corresponding classes identified from Google Earth high resolution imagery (representing "ground reference data"). Change detection of classified LULC maps indicated that urban areas (residential and commercial lands) and forest increased in 1984-2010 from 6.3 percent to 11.1 percent and from 65.0 percent to 69.5 percent, respectively. In contrast, agricultural land decreased from 28.3 percent to 18.9 percent. This detailed long-term record of LULC change would provide valuable information for local land-use planning and management in assessing the potential impacts of LULC change in this critical watershed. Abstract: La cuenca del Little River (LRW) en Tennessee ex-perimento un rapido cambio en el uso y cobertura del terreno (LULC) en las ultimas decadas. Sin embargo, aun hace falta un detallado registro a largo plazo del cambio LULC. A continuacion, analizamos el patron de cambio LULC desde 1984 a 2010 en un intervalo de aproximadamente 2 anos utilizando la Clasificacion de Maxima Probabilidad (MLC) de imagenes Landsat TM/ETM+. La precision de la clasificacion se evaluo mediante la comparacion de clases LULC clasificadas con sus correspondientes clases identificadas a partir de las imagenes de alta resolucion de Google Earth (representando "datos terrestres de referencia"). Deteccion de cambios de mapas LULC clasificados indican que las zonas urbanas (terrenos residenciales y comerciales) y forestales aumentaron en 1984-2010 de 6,3 por ciento a 11,1 por ciento y de 65,0 por ciento a 69,5 por ciento, respectivamente. Por el contrario, las tierras agricolas se redujeron de 28,3 por ciento a 18,9 por ciento. Este detallado registro a largo plazo del cambio LULC proporcionaria informacion valiosa para la planificacion y manejo del terreno local en la evaluacion de los impactos potenciales del cambio LULC en esta critica cuenca.

A significant challenge posed by changing climates is how water cycling and surficial and subsurface water availability will be affected at global and regional scales. Such alterations are critical as they often lead to increased vulnerability in ecosystems and human society. Understanding specifically how climate change affects water resource variability in different locations is of critical importance to sustainable development in different parts of the world. The papers included in this special issue focus on three broad perspectives associated with water resource variability and climate change. Six papers employ remote sensing, meteorological station-based observational data, and tree-ring records to empirically determine how water resources have been changing over historical time periods. Eight of the contributions focus on modeling approaches to determine how known processes are likely to manifest themselves as climate shifts over time. Two others focus on human perceptions and adaptation strategies in the midst of unstable or unsettled water availability. The findings and methods presented in this collection of papers provide important contributions to the increased study and awareness of climate change on water resources.

The eastern Himalayas, especially the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon Nature Reserve (YNR), is a global hotspot of biodiversity because of a wide variety of climatic conditions and elevations ranging from 500 to > 7000 m above sea level (a.s.l.). The mountain ecosystems at different elevations are vulnerable to climate change; however, there has been little research into the patterns of vegetation greening and their response to global warming. The objective of this paper is to examine the pattern of vegetation greening in different altitudinal zones in the YNR and its relationship with vegetation types and climatic factors. Specifically, the inter-annual change of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and its variation along altitudinal gradient between 1999 and 2013 was investigated using SPOT-VGT NDVI data and ASTER global digital elevation model (GDEM) data. We found that annual NDVI increased by 17.58 % in the YNR from 1999 to 2013, especially in regions dominated by broad-leaved and coniferous forests at lower elevations. The vegetation greening rate decreased significantly as elevation increased, with a threshold elevation of approximately 3000 m. Rising temperature played a dominant role in driving the increase in NDVI, while precipitation has no statistical relationship with changes in NDVI in this region. This study provides useful information to develop an integrated management and conservation plan for climate change adaptation and promote biodiversity conservation in the YNR.

In this paper, we synthesize two 1,10-phenanline derived ligands, along with their corresponding Eu(III) complexes. Their crystal structures, photophysical characteristics, including UV–vis absorption, photoluminescence (PL), quantum yields, excited state lifetimes, and thermal stability, are discussed in detail. In addition, we also investigate their potential application in electroluminescence (EL) devices. Experimental data suggest that the two Eu(III) complexes are promising emitters for EL application: pure red emissions with a maximum EL brightness of 850 cd/m 2 and a maximum current efficiency of 3.67 cd/A are achieved. It is found that the elimination of active hydrogen in ligand favors most PL and EL factors, including PL quantum efficiency, thermal stability, and current efficiency, but not for maximum EL brightness. An emitter with shorter excited state lifetime leads to a higher EL brightness, regardless of its relatively lower device efficiency.

The suspended sediment deposition (SSD) in the alluvial reach between the Qingtongxia station and the Toudaoguai station of the upper Yellow River has shown a dramatic variation since 1952. However, its spatial and temporal changing pattern and driving factors are still not clear. This paper examines the detailed spatial and temporal variations of the SSD based on the annual suspended sediment load at five gaging stations located in this alluvial reach in 1952-2007. The mean annual SSDs in four sub-reaches (Qingtongxia-Shizuishan, Shizuishan-Bayangaole, Bayangaole-Sanhuhekou, and Sanhuhekou-Toudaoguai) were calculated and analyzed for different periods. The mean annual kilometric SSDs in 1952-2007 were -0.228*10(5), 0.97*10(5), 0.165*10(5) and 0.006*10(5) t a(-1) km(-1) in the four sub-reaches, respectively, with the highest SSD occurred in the Shizuishan-Bayangaole sub-reach. Results also suggested that SSD was mainly accumulated in 1952-1959 before major reservoirs were constructed and in 1986-2007 after three major reservoirs (Qingtongxia. Liujiaxia and Longyangxia) were constructed in the main stream. During 1960-1985, all sub-reaches except the Shizuishan-Bayangaole sub-reach experienced channel erosion. Although climate change may play some roles, the changes in SSD were mainly influenced by human activities. In particular, the water and soil conservation actions, such as the construction of check dams from 1958 in upper stream tributaries, intercepted significant amount of suspended sediment and cause the net erosion of the main channel in the 1960s. The operation of the Qingtongxia reservoir reduced the SSD in this downstream reach in the 1970s and 1980s because upper stream suspended sediment was trapped by the reservoir and reservoir-released relative clear water scoured the downstream channel. Although the Liujiaxia and Longyangxia reservoirs trapped relatively small amount of suspended sediment, they stored a large amount of water during the flood season, reducing the discharge and the erosion capability of the downstream flow. Therefore, this operation mode may increase the SSD in this river reach. In addition, with the gradual loss of the Qingtongxia reservoir's capacity in sediment storage, more suspended sediment was released to the downstream channel, causing strong SSD in this reach after 1990. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Digital elevation models (DEMs) have been widely used in automated floodplain modeling to determine floodplain boundaries. However, the effects of DEM resolution and data source on floodplain delineation are not well quantified. This paper presents a case study to assess these effects from the Camp Creek Watershed, Missouri, using two sets of DEMs. One is the Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) DEMs re-sampled from 1-m to 3, 5, 10, 15, and 30-m resolutions. The other is 5, 10, and 30-m DEMs obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Floodplain boundaries are delineated using a combination of hydrological, hydraulic and floodplain delineation models under the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) guideline. Model outputs including stream network, watershed and floodplain boundaries are compared to 1-m LiDAR DEM outputs (as the reference) to assess the uncertainty. Results indicate that re-sampled 3 or 5-m LiDAR DEMs produce similar streams and floodplain boundaries within 10% difference of the reference. In contrast, coarser LiDAR DEMs (such as the 10-m resolution) are more appropriate for watershed boundary delineation because higher DEM resolutions are likely more sensitive to minor topographic changes and may introduce erroneous boundaries. For different data sources, uncertainties introduced by USGS DEMs are much higher than LiDAR DEMs with a distinct relationship between uncertainties and DEM resolutions. Uncertainties of LiDAR DEMs consistently increase with decreasing resolutions, whereas similar levels of uncertainty are observed for different USGS DEM resolutions. This difference is probably due to the inherited difference in their original data source resolutions to make these two types of DEMs.

The Yellow River is widely known as a “hanging river” due to its high sedimentation rate (the current channel bed is about 2.74 m higher than the overbank plains on average) in the lower reach. Understanding the variations in channel patterns and their influencing factors is crucial to regulate potential flooding risk in this critical region. Changes in discharge, suspended sediment delivery rate, median grain size, sedimentation rate, channel planform and cross-section, and channel width/depth ratio during 1950–1999 from gauging stations in Huayuankou, Gaocun-Sunkou and Lijin that represent the braided, meandering and straight channel sections, respectively, were compared. During this period, frequent internal channel variations dominated in the braided channel section. The channel bed was continuously raised as a whole, but experienced strong erosion in certain times, mainly influenced by the operation and closure of the Sanmenxia Dam. The straight channel section was relatively stable due to restricted lateral migration by the solid artificial levees in both banks. Instead, channel aggradation was the dominant process and erosion only happened when channel avulsions occurred in the river mouth. The meandering channel section between the upstream braided and downstream straight channel sections was formed as a result of stream self-adjustment. Rapid lateral migrations were observed during this period, but the extent of the migration was restricted by artificial levees. Sediment aggradation on the channel bed and floodplain was apparent. Since 1970, the channel shrank remarkably in all sections due to the increased use of water resources and the decreased precipitation in the Yellow River basin. Recently, migration of the channel is limited, and the lower portion of the braided section seems to be a meandering channel.

The Bayan Har Shan, a prominent upland area in the northeastern sector of the Tibetan Plateau, hosts an extensive glacial geological record. To reconstruct its palaeoglaciology we have determined ( ...

Golmud River is a large river that originates from the Kunlun Mountains and drains into the Qaidam Basin on northern Tibetan Plateau. Well-developed fluvial terraces in the river valley record complex history of tectonic movements and climate changes in this area. The current study investigated fluvial terraces in three cross sections along the river (Xiaogangou, Nachitai and Sanchahe). The ages of the terraces were constrained using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and radiocarbon dating methods. The results characterize two stages of fluvial landform evolution since the Late Quaternary: the Sanchahe deposition stage (82–16 ka) and the Golmud incision stage (16 ka until now). During the deposition stage, tectonic movements were relatively stable, which drove the deposition. Meanwhile the enhanced glaciations and precipitation during the Last Glacial promoted the aggradations in the river valley as well. During the incision stage, four substages at 16–13 ka, 13–11 ka, 11–5 ka and 5 ka till now are identified. These substages correspond to the incision of the four terraces. The incision was mainly driven by the tectonic uplift after the Last Glacial Maximum.

Cosmogenic nuclide surface exposure dating of boulders and erratics provides new constraints for a glacial chronology in the source area of the Urumqi River, Tian Shan, China. 10Be exposure ages of 15.0 ± 1.3–17.1 ± 1.5 ka from the Upper Wangfeng (UWF) moraines agree well with their previous relative age assignments to marine isotope stage (MIS) 2, but are younger than published AMS 14C and electron spin resonance (ESR) ages (from 22.8 ± 0.6 to 37.4 ka). This difference may result from variations in techniques, or could reflect the impact of surface erosion and sediment/snow cover on surface exposure dating. 10Be ages from the Lower Wangfeng (LWF) moraines (18.7 ± 1.8 and 16.2 ± 1.5 ka) are indistinguishable from the UWF exposure ages, but are significantly younger than previously reported thermoluminescence (TL) and ESR ages (37.7 ± 2.6–184.7 ± 18 ka). Either these two groups were formed during the same period (MIS 2) and there are problems with TL and ESR ages, or the moraines were of very different ages and the similar exposure ages result from different degrees of degradation. Erratics on rock steps and a drumlin along >8 km of the main glacial valley above the UWF have internally consistent and slightly decreasing 10Be exposure ages indicating glacier retreat >2.5 m a−1 after MIS 2 and before middle or late Holocene glacier re-advances. This retreat rate is similar to rates observed from modern glaciers. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Conservation Opportunity Areas (COAs) have been identified across Missouri as important regions in which to maintain and restore the rich and diverse natural heritage of the state. The participation of private landowners within the COAs is critical to the success of biodiversity conservation, and State officials needed a way to prioritize efforts to engage landowners within the COAs. A flexible and interactive tool was developed to identify high priority land parcels using a GIS model (based on ArcGIS modelbuilder) that incorporated multiple factors including size of parcel, forest coverage, riparian corridor area, proximity to public lands and roads, and presence of endangered species. This model provides a visual and automated means to integrate various data and perform a series of spatial analyses and was used to help identify high priority land parcels in the Current and Eleven Point Hills COAs. The distribution and priority of private land parcels were visualized to help direct marketing and conservation actions toward high ranking land parcels. This approach can be used in other Missouri COAs and other cases where biodiversity conservation prioritization schemes would help decision makers and conservation program managers.

The risk associated with the transport of radioactive materials can be impacted by many factors of the transport system, as well as by the area through which the materials may travel. Informed decision making requires a quantitative evaluation of pertinent information or conditions. Geographic information systems are often used to display spatial information. The authors have developed a simplified methodology that can be used to quantify the conditions that impact risk over a segment of a transport route. The methodology aggregates the impact of a condition based on the magnitude of the impacting condition and its location with respect to the transport corridor. This paper is a proof-of-concept demonstration for the methodology for the factors of the population in the vicinity of the roadway and the highway design criteria with respect to access ramps and medians. The methodology is particularly suited to a comparison of alternative routes for decision making, where an easily implemented methodol...

Distinctive silt pellets were identified in a diamicton profile, 1 km north of the town of Shuanghu on the central Tibetan Plateau. The characteristics (mineral composition, texture, structure, fabric, and striations) of the diamicton indicate that it was formed under ice as subglacial melt-out or lodgment till. Comparing the shape, size, grain composition, and preservation of the pellets in this area with published pellet studies, we conclude that silt pellets from the Shuanghu area are formed by in situ melting out of dead ice (containing pellets) within subglacial till. We estimate that the till was deposited no later than Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 8, based on nearby numerical ages for post-glacial fluvial terraces and the overall Quaternary glaciation history of the Tibetan Plateau. This is the first time that silt pellets have been identified in glacial deposits on the Tibetan Plateau. Detailed examination of the characteristics and formation of silt pellets has the potential to provide new insight ...

Accurately documenting urban growth and evaluating its hydrological impact are of great interest for urban planning and water/land resource management. St. Charles County, a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri, has undergone significant urban expansion in recent decades. Rapid urban sprawl in the Dardenne Creek watershed within the county has had a profound influence on surface runoff. We examined the patterns of land use/land cover (LULC) change in this watershed using Landsat TM/ETM+ imagery in 1982, 1987, 1991, 1999, and 2003. Calibrated with the observed hydrological data in 2003, a Long-Term Hydrologic Impact Assessment (L-THIA) model was used to evaluate the effect of LULC change on surface runoff. Results indicated a rapid increase of urban areas in the watershed, from 3.4% in 1982 to 27.3% in 2003, dominated by changes in the lower portion of the watershed close to the metropolitan area. Model simulations suggest >70% increase in average direct runoff in the watershed from 1982 to 2003, and the runoff i...

Key locations within an extensive area of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, centred on Bayan Har Shan, have been mapped to distinguish glacial from non-glacial deposits. Prior work suggests palaeo- ...

The large-scale geomorphology of the Huang He (Yellow River) headwaters, centered around the Bayan Har Shan (5267 m asl) in the northeastern part of the Tibetan Plateau, is dominated by an uplifted ...

Quantitative assessment of the level of agreement between model-predicted and field-observed geologic data is crucial to calibrate and validate numerical landscape models. Application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) provides an opportunity to integrate model and field data and quantify their levels of correspondence. Napieralski et al. [Comparing predicted and observed spatial boundaries of geologic phenomena: Automated Proximity and Conformity Analysis (APCA) applied to ice sheet reconstructions. Computers and Geosciences 32, 124-134] introduced an Automated Proximity and Conformity Analysis (APCA) method to compare model-predicted and field-observed spatial boundaries and used it to quantify the level of correspondence between predicted ice margins from ice sheet models and field observations from end moraines. However, as originally formulated, APCA involves a relatively large amount of user intervention during the analysis and results in an index to quantify the level of correspondence that lacks direct statistical meaning. Here, we propose a revised APCA approach and a more automated and statistically robust way to quantify the level of correspondence between model predictions and field observations. Specifically, the mean and standard deviation of distances between model and field boundaries are used to quantify proximity and conformity, respectively. An illustration of the revised method comparing modeled ice margins of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet with observed end moraines of the Last Glacial Maximum shows that this approach provides a more automated and statistically robust means to quantify correspondence than the original APCA. The revised approach can be adopted for a wide range of geoscience issues where comparisons of model-predicted and field-observed spatial boundaries are useful, including mass movement and flood extents.

The production, accumulation, and decay of cosmogenic radionuclides in rock surfaces subjected to episodes of exposure and burial by ice results in nuclide concentrations in present day rock surfaces that can be used to address a variety of questions in glacial geomorphology and Quaternary geology. Of particular importance is the fact that these nuclide concentrations reflect both the timing of initial exposure of the rock surface and the chronology of subsequent exposure, burial, and erosion episodes. For landscapes where geomorphic evidence indicates that little/no erosion occurred, constraining the timing of initial exposure and the number of phases of exposure and burial that a rock surface has been subjected to is possible using multiple cosmogenic radionuclide concentrations combined with proxies for the timing and duration of periods of ice cover, such as ice core or marine isotope records. However, interpretations based on this approach require determination of an appropriate cutoff value to separate the proxy record into ice-free and ice-covered conditions and assessment of the sensitivity of the results to different cutoff values. We have developed a numerical model to evaluate variations in total exposure and burial durations as a function of different proxy records and cutoff values. This program is available at http://www.missouri.edu/~liyk/ClimateProxyCurve.zip. Initial results for sites in West Antarctica and northern Sweden show that the method provides a quick and robust way to derive best-fit cutoff values and chronologies of burial and exposure, and small changes in cutoff values can result in significant shifts in results. The method described here provides new insight into the interpretation and reliability of multiple nuclide samples. This approach also has the potential to provide improved constraints for ice sheet dynamics and landscape evolution, and a means to assess the sensitivity of calculated initial exposure dates to assumptions about ice sheet history.

The recognition of grain boundaries in deformed rocks from images of thin-sections or polished slabs is an essential step in describing and quantifying various fabric elements and strain. However, many of the methods in use today require labor-intensive manual digitization of grain boundary information. Here, we propose an automated, GIS-based method to detect grain boundaries and construct a grain boundary database in which the shape, orientation, and spatial distribution of grains can be quantified and analyzed in a reproducible manner. The proposed method includes a series of operations and functions to identify grain boundaries and construct the grain boundary database. These processes are integrated into a GIS model using ArcGIS ModelBuilder; thus, little or no operator intervention is required to perform the entire analysis. The method was evaluated using thin section images taken from three sandstone samples. The results indicate that the proposed method can correctly identify >70% of grains recognized manually without any intervention and is especially suitable for analyses where large numbers of grains are required.

Cold-based ice along the Fennoscandian glacial ice divide in northern Finland allowed preservation of old landscape features. Because there was little or no movement at the ice-land surface contact, erosion was at a minimum, and relict landscape features such as tors can be found. We investigated two such granitic tors located at Pyha-Nattanen (68°07.335′ N, 27°22.207′ E, 508 m asl) and Riestovaara (68°02.613′ N, 27°09.003′ E, 390 m asl) in subarctic Finland. At Pyha-Nattanen, the sampling sequence included bedrock material and grus taken from within horizontal cracks, which are so prevalent at the site as to make the tor resemble a stack of pancakes. At Riestovaara, where the outcrop is more subdued, in addition to bedrock and grus samples, soil samples were also extracted from a pit dug in an embryonic soil forming on the bedrock surface. Based on cosmogenic nuclide dating, both tors greatly predate recent glaciation. The tor at Pyha-Nattanen, which is a more prominent landscape feature, had longer minimum 10Be and 26Al apparent exposure ages, 89.1 ± 6.7 kyr and 69.6 ± 6.4 kyr, respectively, than did the tor at Riestovaara, 55.8 ± 4.5 kyr and 46.5 ± 4.0 kyr, respectively. Both of them are significantly older than the regional last deglaciation age, indicating that both sites have survived multiple episodes of glaciation. Analyses of the 10Be and 26Al measurements in accordance with marine oxygen isotope records (DSDP 607) indicate that the tors have undergone a minimum estimated total exposure-burial durations of 997 kyr (Pyha-Nattanen) and 858 kyr (Riestovaara) and survived at least 14–16 episodes of glaciation. Weathering, as measured by porosity determined with a microprobe, was somewhat more advanced in the Pyha-Nattanen granite samples than in the Riestovaara granite. However, with both granites, rock porosity did not change to a depth of 4 cm below the rock surface or vary by lichen cover/noncovered surfaces, indicating that weathering had progressed to a stage where recent lichen growth is overwhelmed by the long weathering history. Other measures of weathering, including total elemental analyses, did not detect significant differences among at-a-site samples, perhaps because all samples are highly weathered and we did not have a sample of unweathered granite for comparison. All samples, rock, grus, and soil were within the grus weathering range as indicated by chemical weathering indices. The soil forming adjacent to the tor at Riestovaara exhibited only slight development despite the great apparent age of the landscape. The regolith in which the soil is forming must therefore be much younger than the exposed bedrock and most likely represents a post-deglaciation accumulation of grus spanning only the last 9 kyr.

Recent developments in the field of glacial geomorphology have dramatically increased the need to acquire, maintain, manipulate, and analyze large amounts of landform, landscape and sediment data. The use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has provided new platforms and tools for analysis and visualization of geomorphic data. Glacial geomorphologists have used GIS to integrate multi-source data, manage multi-scale studies, identify previously unrecognized spatial and temporal relationships and patterns in geomorphic data, and to link landform data with numerical models as part of model calibration and verification. GIS-based analyses associated with numerical modeling are improving our understanding of glacial landscape evolution and are allowing new quantitative and systematic examinations of spatial and temporal patterns of glacial landforms and processes. This has allowed for the development of insights and concepts that would be unlikely to arise using traditional methods alone. Key recommendations for future research and applications in glacial geomorphology include enhanced GIS education and dissemination, the development of standards and conventions for glacial geomorphic data, community projects to collect data into readily accessible databases, and enhanced use of linked GIS — model frameworks to address major issues in glacial geomorphology.

Cosmogenic nuclide techniques are increasingly being utilized in geoscience research. For this it is critical to establish an effective, easily accessible and well defined tool for cosmogenic nuclide computations. We have been developing a web-based tool (WebCN) to calculate surface exposure ages and erosion rates based on the nuclide concentrations measured by the accelerator mass spectrometry. WebCN for 10 Be and 26 Al has been finished and published at http://www.physics.purdue.edu/primelab/for_users/rockage.html . WebCN for 36 Cl is under construction. WebCN is designed as a three-tier client/server model and uses the open source PostgreSQL for the database management and PHP for the interface design and calculations. On the client side, an internet browser and Microsoft Access are used as application interfaces to access the system. Open Database Connectivity is used to link PostgreSQL and Microsoft Access. WebCN accounts for both spatial and temporal distributions of the cosmic ray flux to calculate the production rates of in situ-produced cosmogenic nuclides at the Earth’s surface.

Comparison of numerical model output that predicts spatial flow patterns against field observations is a necessity within several areas of the geosciences. However in many cases these comparisons are qualitative or relative in nature. Automated flow direction analysis (AFDA) is a new method designed to provide a systematic comparison between modeled flow patterns and field observations, with particular focus on two-dimensional linear features representing flow directions of natural phenomena. By subtracting vector output of time-dependent models from field-observed directions, the resultant mean residual and variance of the offset between these data sets can be used to identify patterns of correspondence and variation between model-predicted directions and field observations. The technique is demonstrated by comparison of modeled basal ice flow directions of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet with observed lineations mapped in Northern Sweden. In this example, the analysis provides an effective means to quantitatively validate the modeled basal thermal and flow regime with observed glacial lineations. The technique has potential applications in a wide range of flow vector direction comparisons in the geosciences, for example lava flow, landslides, aeolian and fluvial processes.

A major difficulty in assimilating geomorphological information with ice-sheet models is the lack of a consistent methodology to systematically compare model output and field data. As an initial step in establishing a quantitative comparison methodology, automated proximity and conformity analysis (APCA) and automated flow direction analysis (AFDA) have been developed to assess the level of correspondence between modelled ice extent and ice-marginal features such as end moraines, as well as between modelled basal flow directions and palaeo-flow direction indicators, such as glacial lineations. To illustrate the potential of such an approach, an ensemble suite of 40 numerical simulations of the Fennoscandian ice sheet were compared to end moraines of the Last Glacial Maximum and the Younger Dryas and to glacial lineations in northern Sweden using APCA and AFDA. Model experiments evaluated in this manner were ranked according to level of correspondence. Such an approach holds considerable promise for optimizing the parameter space and coherence of ice-flow models by automated, quantitative assessment of multiple ensemble experiments against a database of geological or glaciological evidence.

In this article, the authors study the vector-valued random power series on the unit ball of Cn and get vector-valued Salem-Zygmund theorem for them by using martingale technique. Further, the relationships between vector-valued random power series and several function spaces are also studied.

Land use/land cover (LULC) inventory provides an important dataset in regional planning and environmental assessment. To efficiently obtain the LULC inventory, we compared the LULC classifications based on single satellite imagery with a rule-based classification based on multi-seasonal imagery in Lianyungang City, a coastal city in China, using CBERS-02 (the 2nd China-Brazil Environmental Resource Satellites) images. The overall accuracies of the classification based on single imagery are 78.9, 82.8, and 82.0 % in winter, early summer, and autumn, respectively. The rule-based classification improves the accuracy to 87.9 % (kappa 0.85), suggesting that combining multi-seasonal images can considerably improve the classification accuracy over any single image-based classification. This method could also be used to analyze seasonal changes of LULC types, especially for those associated with tidal changes in coastal areas. The distribution and inventory of LULC types with an overall accuracy of 87.9 % and a spatial resolution of 19.5 m can assist regional planning and environmental assessment efficiently in Lianyungang City. This rule-based classification provides a guidance to improve accuracy for coastal areas with distinct LULC temporal spectral features.

Human impacts on soil erosion are generally reflected in land-use changes. Thus, identifying the characteristics of land-use changes associated with their driving forces has great potential for evaluating regional soil-erosion variations and the impacts of human activities, especially for regions where soil-erosion data are scarce. A case study from Zhifanggou, a small watershed in the hilly area of the Loess Plateau, China, is conducted through a systematic analysis of temporal variations in land-use patterns from 1938 to 1999, combined with local soil-erosion observations. Multiple series of land-use data indicate three distinct stages of change in land-use patterns and conversions matching three different periods of soil erosion: (1) pristine conditions before 1938; (2) severe degradation between 1958 and 1978; and (3) gradual rehabilitation from 1978 to 1999. The trends and styles of land-use changes and soil erosion are primarily driven by regional policy, with abrupt changes during policy transforma...

Erosion patterns associated with glaciation of trunk and hanging valley systems in northern Sweden were investigated using cosmogenic nuclide 10Be apparent exposure ages and inferred nuclide inheritance. Sequences of samples taken across valleys known to have been covered repeatedly by the Fennoscandian ice sheet revealed two primary patterns of erosion. In Vavlavagge the exposure age pattern is consistent with >2 m of glacial erosion during the last glacial cycle along the entire profile. At Ravtasvaggi, Dievssavaggi and Alisvaggi, exposure ages in the valley bottom contrast with apparent exposure ages two to four times older on the valley sides. The older ages on the valley sides reflect cosmogenic nuclide inheritance due to limited (

Paleoclimatic constraints from regions at the confluence of major climate systems are particularly important in understanding past climate change. Using geomorphic mapping based on remote sensing and field investigations, combined with in situ cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al dating of boulders associated with glacial landforms, we investigate the chronology of past glaciation in the Inylchek and Sary-Dzaz valleys in the eastern Kyrgyz Tian Shan, a tectonically active area with some of the highest peaks in the world outside of the Himalayas. Cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al exposure ages of boulders on moraines record up to five glacial advances including: Lateglacial age lateral moraine remnants and meltwater channels in the upper Inylchek Valley; Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage [MIS] 2) moraines in the Sary-Dzaz Valley and in a terminal moraine complex at the west end of the Inylchek Valley, overriding older moraines; an MIS 4 or 5 moraine remnant above the Inylchek terminal moraine complex; and an older high moraine remnant down-valley from the confluence of the Inylchek and Sary-Dzaz valleys. The evidence for glacial extent in this study is consistent with a limited ice expansion hypothesis for Tian Shan glaciation. Published results from the western and central Kyrgyz Tian Shan do not show evidence for significant LGM glacier expansion, which in combination with the results presented here, indicate a spatial variation in glacier records along the Tian Shan. This may reflect either paleoclimatic gradients or the impact of local physiographic conditions on responses to regional climate change, or both.

The morphology of glacial valley cross-sections can be described in terms of power law ( y = ax b ) or quadratic equations ( y = a + bx + cx 2 ) fitted to empirical data. The quadratic solution provides a more robust way of describing the morphology of glacial valley cross-sections, whereas the power law has more potential in understanding the cross-sectional shapes and their evolution. These two functions are used to study the cross-sectional morphology of glacial valleys in the middle and western Tian Shan Mountains and to discuss the comparison with fluvial channels. The major conclusions are: (1) Power law equation parameters ( a and b ) are sensitive to the origin selection with larger sensitivity in vertical and A ( A =ln a ) values. Conversely, c values of the quadratic equation are more stable regardless of different origins selected. (2) Hirano and Aniya [Earth Surf. Processes Landforms 13 (1988) 707–716] suggested two characteristic patterns in the relationship between the power law exponent, b , and the valley form ratio, FR . However, glacial valleys in these areas do not fit the Rocky Mountain model for b–FR values described by Hirano and Aniya for alpine glacial valleys. This indicates that this Rocky Mountain model cannot be applied to all alpine glacial areas. (3) The c values of the quadratic equation represent a curvi-linear trend with its corresponding FR s. At the same time, power law parameters ( A and b ) fit a closed linear relationship both from these areas and others in the published literature. (4) The cross-sectional shapes of glacial valleys show clear differences with fluvial channels by comparing A–b values of glacial valleys with the hydraulic geometry of fluvial channels. This implies that the A–b relationship and the variation range of b values (commonly with 1.5–2.5) may be helpful to differentiate valleys formed by different processes.

Most Chaotic synchronization control methods have some flaws which increase the security risks of the communication system. Attacker can reconstruct the chaotic system or estimate parameters by using the information of the chaotic system which can be obtained by analyzing the control signal. Therefore we propose a scheme's synchronization of Chua chaotic system with oscillating parameters under the impulsive control. In this paper, we proved that two systems can get synchronized without control signal transmitting.

Most Chaotic synchronization control methods have some flaws which increase the security risks of the communication system. Attacker can reconstruct the chaotic system or estimate parameters by using the information of the chaotic system which can be obtained by analyzing the control signal. Therefore we propose a scheme’s synchronization of Chua chaotic system with oscillating parameters under the impulsive control. In this paper, we proved that two systems can get synchronized without control signal transmitting.

Advances in geospatial analysis technology have resulted in new data-gathering techniques for environmental justice (EJ) assessments. Frequently investigated metrics relate to race and income due to relatively easy availability of census data. Geographic information systems (GIS) offer the ability to embed these data in maps in order to better recognize patterns that may designate discriminatory practices. Many other indicators of disproportionate negative effects exist and can be assessed using GIS. Map-based analysis results can also provide data on proximity for various phenomena. However, expert human analysis is required to interpret images which may lead to arbitrary or subjective conclusions. Researchers at the University of Missouri have developed a GIS methodology to overcome the limitations of image-based analyses for evaluating spatial relationships in community infrastructure by employing metrics such as travel time and distance to jobs, education, healthcare, and food markets in order to move beyond identification of those affected to quantification of the impacts on their lives. That is, to quantify the answers to the questions: How does daily life change as a result of infrastructure improvements? How do the impacts on these parameters compare to the impacts of alternative projects? Manifestations of these impacts have been transformed into quantifiable data that will offer planners greater decision-making confidence. Mathematical representations in the form of indices have been developed to offer a consistent approach to infrastructure problems as they relate to EJ.

Lu’s chaotic system is founded by Lu and chen in 2002 and its synchronization control can be the kernel technology in chaos-based secure communication. In this paper we propose a scheme’s synchronization of Lu’s chaotic system with oscillating parameters under the impulsive control. If oscillating parameters approach to 0, we proved that two systems can get synchronized. The chaos-based secure communication system with high secure level can be designed based on this scheme.

The existence of sliding and frozen bed areas under ice sheets is significant in understanding basal thermal regimes, patterns of erosion and landform development, and in constraining boundary conditions for the reconstructions of ice sheets. Recognition of subglacial boundaries between sliding and frozen-bed areas for former ice sheets is typically based on distinct morphological contrasts between areas with glacial landform assemblages and relict areas showing little alteration of pre-existing features. Some of these boundaries, especially on continental shield areas, however, are clearly visible from air photos but have minimal topographic expression. Understanding the chronology and erosional development of such boundaries is important to provide insight into the pattern and persistence of basal conditions under ice sheets. Geomorphic evidence and cosmogenic radionuclide concentrations of bedrock outcrops on either side of two sliding boundaries on Ultevis and Arvestuottar, low-relief upland plateaus in northern Sweden, are consistent with negligible erosion in relict landscape (frozen bed) areas due to the last glaciation, but also indicate insignificant erosion in the sliding areas. Such a pattern and magnitude of landscape modification indicates that sliding was short lived in these areas, likely as a transient phase during deglaciation. These sites demonstrate that short periods of sliding are in some cases sufficient to produce landscapes that are recognized as 'glacial' from air photos. Thus, regions of sliding identified on shield areas must be viewed as the cumulative total area that has experienced sliding at any time during a glaciation. The actual extent of sliding areas during any single ice sheet phase is presumably considerably less than this cumulative total, which has important implications for establishing appropriate basal boundary conditions for ice sheet reconstructions. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The objective of this paper is to present a case study to derive land use/land cover (LULC) maps and investigate the long-term effects of LULC change on surface runoff in the fast urbanizing Beijing city. The LULC maps were derived from Landsat TM/ETM+ imagery (acquired in 1992, 1999, 2006, and 2009) using support vector machine method. A long-term hydrologic impact assessment model was applied to assess the impact of LULC change on surface runoff. Results indicated that the selected study area experienced rapid urbanization from 1992 to 2009. Because of urbanization, from 1992 to 2009, modeled runoff increased 30% for the whole area and 35% for the urban portion. Our results also indicated that the runoff increase was highly correlated with urban expansion. A strong relationship (R 2 =0.849 ) was observed between the impervious surface percent and the modeled runoff depth in the study area. In addition, a strong positive relationship was observed between runoff increase and percentage of urban areas (R 2 =0.997 for the whole area and R 2 =0.930 for the urban portion). This research can provide a simple method for policy makers to assess potential hydrological impacts of future urban planning and development activities.