Research on extracting method of micro-scale remote sensing information combination and application in coastal zone

973 Project of China [2006CB701305]; "863" Project of China [2009AA12Z148]; National Natural Science Foundation of China [40971224]

Study of remote sensing based parameter uncertainty in Production Efficiency Models

The remote sensing based Production Efficiency Models (PEMs), springs from the concept of "Light Use Efficiency" and has been applied more and more in estimating terrestrial Net Primary Productivity (NPP) regionally and globally. However, global NPP estimates vary greatly among different models in different data sources and handling methods. Because direct observation or measurement of NPP is unavailable at global scale, the precision and reliability of the models cannot be guaranteed. Though, there are ways to improve the accuracy of the models from input parameters. In this study, five remote sensing based PEMs have been compared: CASA, GLO-PEM, TURC, SDBM and VPM. We divided input parameters into three categories, and analyzed the uncertainty of (1) vegetation distribution, (2) fraction of photosynthetically active radiation absorbed by the canopy (fPAR) and (3) light use efficiency (e). Ground measurements of Hulunbeier typical grassland and meteorology measurements were introduced for accuracy evaluation. Results show that a real-time, more accurate vegetation distribution could significantly affect the accuracy of the models, since it's applied directly or indirectly in all models and affects other parameters simultaneously. Higher spatial and spectral resolution remote sensing data may reduce uncertainty of fPAR up to 51.3%, which is essential to improve model accuracy.

SATELLITE REMOTE-SENSING PREDICTION OF JAPANESE PILCHARD FISHING GROUND IN THE HUANGHAI SEA AND THE EAST-CHINA-SEA

The thermophily, fishing season and central fishing ground of Japanese pilchard (Sardinops melanosticta) were studied by using satellite remote sensing (SRS) and other methods in Haizhou Bay and Tsushima waters during 1986-1990. A rapid prediction method of fishing ground is presented. Moreover, the results indicated that the thermophilic values of the fish stock are 11-20 degrees C and both fishing grounds are in increasing temperature process from the beginning to the end of the fishing period. The Japanese pilchards gather vigorously at the sea surface temperature of 15-17 degrees C. The water temperature is a key factor affecting the fishing season and the catch of the fishing ground. The increasing temperature process restricts the fishing season development and central fishing ground formation. The accuracy of 15 predictions made in the Haizhou Bay fishing ground is up to 91.3%, and 37 predictions made in the Tsushima, fishing ground shorten the fish detection time by 13.4% - 22% on the average.

Remote sensing of ocean waves by along-track interferometric synthetic aperture radar

A new wave retrieval method for the Along-Track Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (AT-InSAR) phase image is presented. The new algorithm, named parametric retrieval algorithm (PRA), uses the full nonlinear mapping relations. It differs from previous retrieval algorithms in that it does not require a priori information about the sea state or the wind vector from scatterometer data. Instead, it combines the observed AT-InSAR phase spectrum and assumed wind vector to estimate the wind sea spectrum. The method has been validated using several C-band and X-band HH-polarized AT-InSAR observations collocated with spectral buoy measurements. In this paper, X-band and C-band HH-polarized AT-InSAR phase images of ocean waves are first used to study AT-InSAR wave imaging fidelity. The resulting phase spectra are quantitatively compared with forward-mapped in situ directional wave spectra collocated with the AT-InSAR observations. Subsequently, we combine the parametric retrieval algorithm (PRA) with X-band and C-band HH-polarized AT-InSAR phase images to retrieve ocean wave spectra. The results show that the ocean wavelengths, wave directions, and significant wave heights estimated from the retrieved ocean wave spectra are in agreement with the buoy measurements.

Application of effective medium approximation theory to ocean remote sensing under wave breaking

Based on the effective medium approximation theory of composites, the empirical model proposed by Pandey and Kakar is remedied to investigate the microwave emissivity of sea surface under wave breaking driven by strong wind. In the improved model, the effects of seawater bubbles, droplets and difference in temperature of air and sea interface (DTAS) on the emissivity of sea surface covered by whitecaps are discussed. The model results indicate that the effective emissivity of sea surface increases with DTAS increasing, and the impacts of bubble structures and thickness of whitecaps layer on the emissivity are included in the model by introducing the effective dielectric constant of whitecaps layer. Moreover, a good agreement is obtained by comparing the model results with the Rose's experimental data.

Remote sensing of ocean waves by polarimetric SAR

A new method to measure ocean wave slope spectra using fully polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (POLSAR) data was developed without the need for a complex hydrodynamic modulation transform function. There is no explicit use of a hydrodynamic modulation transfer function. This function is not clearly known and is based on hydrodynamic assumptions. The method is different from those developed by Schuler and colleagues or Pottier but complements their methods. The results estimated from NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AIRSAR) C-band polarimetric SAR data show that the ocean wavelength, wave direction, and significant wave height are in agreement with buoy measurements. The proposed method can be employed by future satellite missions such as RADARSAT-2.

城市增温效应及其受地理、气候和城市化发展的影响

城市增温的原因包括全球变暖和城市热岛效应两个方面，二者对城市环境、社会经济和市民健康均有相当程度的影响。本文的研究目的是：(1)通过比较处于不同气候带上同样规模城市的气温变化趋势和速率差异，探讨地理位置对城市增温现象的影响；(2)通过分析近期人类活动和城市发展规模与城市增温现象的相关性，搞清楚城市化发展过程中显著影响热岛效应的因素。了解城市增温的地理分异规律及其受城市化发展的影响，对全面认识城市增温现象、积极寻求应对城市增温所造成的环境危害的策略具有重要的科学和实践意义。 本文按照经纬度在全国范围内选取6个特大城市：济南、西安、兰州、广州、上海和北京为研究对象，按城市所处地理位置分为代表水分梯度的同纬度经向分布城市，近海到内陆依次为济南、西安和兰州，以及代表温度梯度的纬向分布城市，低纬度到高纬度依次为广州、上海和北京，借助统计学方法，对各城市分别进行了年均气温比较分析，并对近期人类活动对不同城市增温效应的影响进行了分析。结果表明： 1．各城市气温均呈上升趋势，其中年均最低气温上升幅度最大，年均气温上升幅度次之，年均最高温度上升幅度最小；温度普遍升高的前提下高纬度地区温度升幅较大，内陆地区增温比近海地区大，即城市增温幅度与水分梯度和温度梯度呈负相关关系；不同城市在不同年代冷暖变化的强度和峰谷相位不尽一致，北京、西安和广州从上世纪50年代到70年代气温整体趋势变冷，其他城市缓慢升温，进入80年代后6个城市均进入加速增温阶段。 2．城市热岛效应对最低气温影响最明显，即城市最低气温与参照站差值增长趋势最为显著，其次为年均温，市区最高气温与参照站差值增长趋势最缓慢；自1978年改革开放以来，6个城市年均最低气温和年均温城乡差值均达到极显著水平，兰州最高，达0.69℃/lOa和0.49℃/lOa;从近海到内陆随着年降水量减少，3个城市（依次为济南、西安和兰州）热岛效应依次增加，从高纬度到底纬度随着温度升高（北京、上海和广州），城市热岛效应有减小趋势。 3．不同城市增温均表现出与人口（包括市辖区年末总人口、市辖区人口密度）、市辖区地区生产总值、年末实有道路面积、建成区面积和第二产业占GDP比重等代表城市发展因素的指标呈显著正相关，与绿地有关的因素，包括园林绿地面积和年末耕地面积呈显著负相关，而同样的因素对同一个城市不同气候参数的影响也不相同，最低气温对增温因子的敏感度高于其他气温参数，而对降低增温效应因子的敏感度小于其他气候参数，同样的因素对不同城市气候参数也有不同效应。 本项研究的结果证实了城市增温是一个比较复杂的过程，其中即反映了全球气候变化的大背景，也受到了影响水热环境的地理因素的制约，同时又与城市化发展的进程密切相关。

Shallow gas in the muddy sediments of Eckernförde Bay, Germany

The seafloor of central Eckernförde Bay is characterised by soft muddy sediments that contain free methane gas. Bubbles of free gas cause acoustic turbidity which is observed with acoustic remote sensing systems. Repeated surveys with subbottom profiler and side scan sonar revealed an annual period both of depth of the acoustic turbidity and backscatter strength. The effects are delayed by 3–4 months relative to the atmospheric temperature cycle. In addition, prominent pockmarks, partly related to gas seepage, were detected with the acoustic systems. In a direct approach gas concentrations were measured from cores using the gas chromatography technique. From different tests it is concluded that subsampling of a core should start at its base and should be completed as soon as possible, at least within 35 min after core recovery. Comparison of methane concentrations of summer and winter cores revealed no significant seasonal variation. Thus, it is concluded that the temperature and pressure influences upon solubility control the depth variability of acoustic turbidity which is observed with acoustic remote sensing systems. The delay relative to the atmospheric temperature cycle is caused by slow heat transfer through the water column. The atmospheric temperature cycle as ‘exiting function’ for variable gas solubility offers an opportunity for modelling and predicting the depth of the acoustic turbidity. In practice, however, small-scale variations of, e.g., salinity, or gas concentration profile in the sediment impose limits to predictions. In addition, oceanographic influences as mixing in the water column, variable water inflow, etc. are further complications that reduce the reliability of predictions.

Biodiversity changes in the lakes of the Central Yangtze

The Central Yangtze ecoregion in China includes a number of lakes, but these have been greatly affected by human activities over the past several decades, resulting in severe loss of biodiversity. In this paper, we document the present distribution of the major lakes and the changes in size that have taken place over the past 50 years, using remote sensing data and historical observations of land cover in the region. We also provide an overview of the changes in species richness, community composition, population size and age structure, and individual body size of aquatic plants, fishes, and waterfowl in these lakes. The overall species richness of aquatic plants found in eight major lakes has decreased substantially during the study period. Community composition has also been greatly altered, as have population size and age and individual body size in some species. These changes are largely attributed to the integrated effects of lake degradation, the construction of large hydroelectric dams, the establishment of nature reserves, and lake restoration practices.

Interannual horizontal heat advection in the surface mixed layer over the equatorial Pacific Ocean: assimilation versus TAO analysis

The interannual anomalies of horizontal heat advection in the surface mixed layer over the equatorial Pacific Ocean in an assimilation experiment are studied and compared with existing observational analyses. The assimilation builds upon a hindcast study that has produced a good simulation of the observed equatorial currents and optimizes the simulation of the Reynolds sea surface temperature (SST) data. The comparison suggests that the assimilation has improved the simulation of the interannual horizontal heat advection of the surface mixed layer significantly. During periods of interrupted current measurements, the assimilation is shown to produce more meaningful anomalies of the heat advection than the interpolation of the observational data does. The assimilation also shows that the eddy heat flux due to the correlation between high-frequency current and SST variations, which is largely overlooked by the existing observational analyses, is important for the interannual SST balance over the equatorial Pacific. The interannual horizontal heat advection anomalies are found to be sensitive to SST errors where oceanic currents are strong, which is a challenge for ENSO prediction. The study further suggests that the observational analyses of the tropical SST balance based on the TAO and the Reynolds SST data contain significant errors due to the large gradient errors in the Reynolds SST data, which are amplified into the advection anomalies by the large equatorial currents.

Monitoring and simulation of water, heat,and CO2 fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems based on the APEIS-FLUX system

The Integrated Environmental Monitoring (IEM) project, part of the Asia-Pacific Environmental Innovation Strategy (APEIS) project, developed an integrated environmental monitoring system that can be used to detect, monitor, and assess environmental disasters, degradation, and their impacts in the Asia-Pacific region. The system primarily employs data from the moderate resolution imaging spectrometer (MODIS) sensor on the Earth Observation System- (EOS-) Terra/Aqua satellite,as well as those from ground observations at five sites in different ecological systems in China. From the preliminary data analysis on both annual and daily variations of water, heat and CO2 fluxes, we can confirm that this system basically has been working well. The results show that both latent flux and CO2 flux are much greater in the crop field than those in the grassland and the saline desert, whereas the sensible heat flux shows the opposite trend. Different data products from MODIS have very different correspondence, e.g. MODIS-derived land surface temperature has a close correlation with measured ones, but LAI and NPP are quite different from ground measurements, which suggests that the algorithms used to process MODIS data need to be revised by using the local dataset. We are now using the APEIS-FLUX data to develop an integrated model, which can simulate the regional water,heat, and carbon fluxes. Finally, we are expected to use this model to develop more precise high-order MODIS products in Asia-Pacific region.

A nonlinear model for assessing multiple probabilistic risks: A case study in South five-island of Changdao National Nature Reserve in China

Several methods for estimating the potential impacts caused by multiple probabilistic risks have been suggested. These existing methods mostly rely on the weight sum algorithm to address the need for integrated risk assessment. This paper develops a nonlinear model to perform such an assessment. The joint probability algorithm has been applied to the model development. An application of the developed model in South five-island of Changdao National Nature Reserve, China, combining remote sensing data and a GIS technique, provides a reasonable risk assessment. Based on the case study, we discuss the feasibility of the model. We propose that the model has the potential for use in identifying the regional primary stressor, investigating the most vulnerable habitat, and assessing the integrated impact of multiple stressors. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.