Burned Area Mapping in the North American Boreal Forest Using Terra-MODIS LTDR (2001–2011): A Comparison with the MCD45A1, MCD64A1 and BA GEOLAND-2 Products

An algorithm based on a Bayesian network classifier was adapted to produce 10-day burned area (BA) maps from the Long Term Data Record Version 3 (LTDR) at a spatial resolution of 0.05° (~5 km) for the North American boreal region from 2001 to 2011. The modified algorithm used the Brightness Temperature channel from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) band 31 T31 (11.03 μm) instead of the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) band T3 (3.75 μm). The accuracy of the BA-LTDR, the Collection 5.1 MODIS Burned Area (MCD45A1), the MODIS Collection 5.1 Direct Broadcast Monthly Burned Area (MCD64A1) and the Burned Area GEOLAND-2 (BA GEOLAND-2) products was assessed using reference data from the Alaska Fire Service (AFS) and the Canadian Forest Service National Fire Database (CFSNFD). The linear regression analysis of the burned area percentages of the MCD64A1 product using 40 km × 40 km grids versus the reference data for the years from 2001 to 2011 showed an agreement of R2 = 0.84 and a slope = 0.76, while the BA-LTDR showed an agreement of R2 = 0.75 and a slope = 0.69. These results represent an improvement over the MCD45A1 product, which showed an agreement of R2 = 0.67 and a slope = 0.42. The MCD64A1, BA-LTDR and MCD45A1 products underestimated the total burned area in the study region, whereas the BA GEOLAND-2 product overestimated it by approximately five-fold, with an agreement of R2 = 0.05. Despite MCD64A1 showing the best overall results, the BA-LTDR product proved to be an alternative for mapping burned areas in the North American boreal forest region compared with the other global BA products, even those with higher spatial/spectral resolution

Condiciones sociolaborales de los médicos generales en Pasto (Colombia): una aproximación descriptiva y explicativa

El objetivo del artículo es conocer las condiciones sociolaborales de los médicos generales del municipio de Pasto en el año 2012. Los datos analizados provienen de la encuesta que aplicó la Academia Nacional de Medicina, capítulo Nariño, la Secretaría Municipal de Salud de Pasto y el Observatorio Social del Departamento de Sociología de la Universidad de Nariño a una muestra de 216 médicos. La descripción de los gráficos y tablas se realiza con base en los datos y se acompaña con explicaciones extraídas de la bibliografía consultada. Esta exploración arroja evidencias de precariedad que afectan la calidad de vida material y no material de los médicos

Heritage refurbishment : National Trust House (Basement 3) [Architectural Practice Academy Office]

The refurbishment of The National Trust House (Basement3), undertaken in 2005, represents heritage consultation, architectural and interior design of a disused and deteriorating subbasement of a historically and culturally significant building situated in Brisbane. Research into rectification and restoration work of the existing structure and interior surfaces (inclusive of masonry work sourced from the Kangaroo Point quarry in the 1860's) formed a significant component of the project. The National Trust House sub basement 3 was refurbished to house the Architectural Practice Academy, a joint initiative of the Queensland Government and the Australian Institute of Architects.

News from Academy Bay

The 25th anniversary of the Galapagos National Park. Fire at the Darwin Research Station. The control of introduced mammals. Good news about the Hood tortoises. The endangered land iguanas. Penguins, cormorants and flamingos in 1984. A workshop on national parks. International conservation award to Secretary Ripley. Visits and events at the Charles Darwin Research Station.

Fire-free land use in pre-1492 Amazonian savannas

The nature and scale of pre-Columbian land use and the consequences of the 1492 “Columbian Encounter” (CE) on Amazonia are among the more debated topics in New World archaeology and paleoecology. However, pre-Columbian human impact in Amazonian savannas remains poorly understood. Most paleoecological studies have been conducted in neotropical forest contexts. Of studies done in Amazonian savannas, none has the temporal resolution needed to detect changes induced by either climate or humans before and after A.D. 1492, and only a few closely integrate paleoecological and archaeological data. We report a high-resolution 2,150-y paleoecological record from a French Guianan coastal savanna that forces reconsideration of how pre-Columbian savanna peoples practiced raised-field agriculture and how the CE impacted these societies and environments. Our combined pollen, phytolith, and charcoal analyses reveal unexpectedly low levels of biomass burning associated with pre-A.D. 1492 savanna raised-field agriculture and a sharp increase in fires following the arrival of Europeans. We show that pre-Columbian raised-field farmers limited burning to improve agricultural production, contrasting with extensive use of fire in pre-Columbian tropical forest and Central American savanna environments, as well as in present-day savannas. The charcoal record indicates that extensive fires in the seasonally flooded savannas of French Guiana are a post-Columbian phenomenon, postdating the collapse of indigenous populations. The discovery that pre-Columbian farmers practiced fire-free savanna management calls into question the widely held assumption that pre-Columbian Amazonian farmers pervasively used fire to manage and alter ecosystems and offers fresh perspectives on an emerging alternative approach to savanna land use and conservation that can help reduce carbon emissions.

Fire History at the Southwestern Great Plains Margin, Capulin Volcano National Monument

This study documents historic fire events at Capulin Volcano National Monument over the last four centuries using dendrochronologically dated fire scars at two sites: the lower volcano lava flows (the Boca) and the adjacent canyon slopes (Morrow Ranch). The mean fire interval (MFI) was 12 years at the Boca site (before 1890) and 5.4 years (1600-1750) and 19.1 years (1751-1890) at the Morrow Ranch site. Data from the Boca and Morrow Ranch sites combined with the extremely pyrogenic landscape position of the volcano slopes indicate that the volcano slopes likely burned more frequently (e.g., MFI <5 yr). Around 1750, the fire regime appeared to transition to longer fire intervals, greater temporal synchrony among fire-scarred trees, and a higher proportion of trees scarred in fire years. Temporal variability in the fire regime at Capulin Volcano may reflect changes in human populations, climate, and land use.

New Members and Foreign Associates Elected to the National Academy of Sciences on May 1, 2001: 72 New Members Chosen by the Academy

The Academy has elected 72 new members and 15 foreign associates from 10 countries in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. The election was held during the business session of the 138th annual meeting of the Academy. Election to membership in the Academy is considered one of the highest honors that can be accorded a U.S. scientist or engineer. Foreign associates are non-voting members of the Academy, with citizenship outside of the United States.

New Members and Foreign Associates Elected to the National Academy of Sciences on May 2, 2000: 60 New Members Chosen by the Academy

The Academy has elected 60 new members and 15 foreign associates from 9 countries in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. The election was held during the business session of the 137th annual meeting of the Academy. Election to membership in the Academy is considered one of the highest honors that can be accorded a U.S. scientist or engineer. Foreign associates are non-voting members of the Academy, with citizenship outside of the United States.