| 1. |
- Butcher, Frances E.G., et al.
(author)
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Eskers associated with buried glaciers in Mars' mid latitudes: recent advances and future directions
- 2022
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In: Annals of Glaciology. - : Cambridge University Press. - 0260-3055 .- 1727-5644. ; 63:87-89, s. 33-38
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Until recently, the influence of basal liquid water on the evolution of buried glaciers in Mars' mid latitudes was assumed to be negligible because the latter stages of Mars' Amazonian period (3 Ga to present) have long been thought to have been similarly cold and dry to today. Recent identifications of several landforms interpreted as eskers associated with these young (100s Ma) glaciers calls this assumption into doubt. They indicate basal melting (at least locally and transiently) of their parent glaciers. Although rare, they demonstrate a more complex mid-to-late Amazonian environment than was previously understood. Here, we discuss several open questions posed by the existence of glacier-linked eskers on Mars, including on their global-scale abundance and distribution, the drivers and dynamics of melting and drainage, and the fate of meltwater upon reaching the ice margin. Such questions provide rich opportunities for collaboration between the Mars and Earth cryosphere research communities.
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| 2. |
- Hammad Khaliq, Ahmad, et al.
(author)
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Spatiotemporal landslide susceptibility mapping using machine learning models: A case study from district Hattian Bala, NW Himalaya, Pakistan
- 2023
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In: Ain Shams Engineering Journal. - : Elsevier. - 2090-4479 .- 2090-4495. ; 14:3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Himalayan region, a rugged mountain zone is among the most susceptible zones to the landslide hazard due to its terrain, geography, and active tectonics. Machine learning (ML) techniques are most advanced and precise methods to develop landslide susceptibility model (LSM). The current study was designed to analyze and assess the landslide susceptibility using ML approaches for District Hattian Bala, NW Himalayas, Pakistan. The historical satellite imageries are used to generate spatiotemporal landslide inventories of year 2005, 2007 and 2012. A spatial database was created pertaining to topographic, environmental, geologic, and anthropogenic factors including slope, aspect, elevation, curvature, plane curvature, profile curvature, topographic wetness index (TWI), lithology, distance to faults, distance to streams, distance to roads, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and land use/ land cover (LULC). These LCFs were selected to analyze periodic landslide susceptibility in the region. The experimental design utilized 349, 393, and 735 landslide inventory of 2005, 2007, and 2012 respectively. Two ML models, i.e., Random Forest (RF) and Logistic Regression (LR) were applied to assess landslide susceptibility determine by thirteen landslide causative factors (LCFs). The spatiotemporal landslide inventory was partitioned into training (70%) and testing (30%) landslides for respective years to check the prediction accuracies of selected ML models. Comparative analysis of different LSMs was performed by the Receiver Operator Curves – Area Under Curves (ROC-AUC). The resultant accuracy, MAE, RMSE, Kappa, Precision, Recall, F1 indicated that RF outperformed the LR model. The study aims to minimize losses to lives and potential economic damage linked with recurrent slope instabilities in the region. It is anticipated that use of ML algorithms would support concerned authorities and organizations to effectively plan and manage landslide hazard in the region.
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| 3. |
- Jørgensen, Dolly
(author)
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Rethinking rewilding
- 2015
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In: Geoforum. - : Elsevier. - 0016-7185 .- 1872-9398. ; 65, s. 482-488
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The term 'rewilding' sounds as if it should have a straightforward meaning 'to make wild again'. But in truth the term has a complex history and a host of meanings have been ascribed to it. Rewilding as a specific scientific term has its beginnings as a reference to the Wildlands Project, which was founded in 1991 and aimed to create North American core wilderness areas without human activity that would be connected by corridors. Words, however, do not stand still they change over time and take on new meanings, while sometimes simultaneously retaining the older sense. Employing Foucault's idea of historical genealogy, this article examines how the term rewilding was historically adopted and modified in ecological scientific discourse over the last two decades. This investigation probes what and, by extension, when and where, rewilding refers to as it has moved into various geographies across the globe. It then examines how the term has moved outside of science and been adopted by environmental activists as a plastic word. Taken as a whole, rewilding discourse seeks to erase human history and involvement with the land and flora and fauna. Such an attempted split between nature and culture may prove unproductive and even harmful. A more inclusive rewilding is a preferable strategy.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Pascual, Didac, et al.
(author)
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The missing pieces for better future predictions in subarctic ecosystems: A Torneträsk case study
- 2021
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In: Ambio. - : Springer. - 0044-7447 .- 1654-7209. ; 50:2, s. 375-392
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Arctic and subarctic ecosystems are experiencing substantial changes in hydrology, vegetation, permafrost conditions, and carbon cycling, in response to climatic change and other anthropogenic drivers, and these changes are likely to continue over this century. The total magnitude of these changes results from multiple interactions among these drivers. Field measurements can address the overall responses to different changing drivers, but are less capable of quantifying the interactions among them. Currently, a comprehensive assessment of the drivers of ecosystem changes, and the magnitude of their direct and indirect impacts on subarctic ecosystems, is missing. The Torneträsk area, in the Swedish subarctic, has an unrivalled history of environmental observation over 100 years, and is one of the most studied sites in the Arctic. In this study, we summarize and rank the drivers of ecosystem change in the Torneträsk area, and propose research priorities identified, by expert assessment, to improve predictions of ecosystem changes. The research priorities identified include understanding impacts on ecosystems brought on by altered frequency and intensity of winter warming events, evapotranspiration rates, rainfall, duration of snow cover and lake-ice, changed soil moisture, and droughts. This case study can help us understand the ongoing ecosystem changes occurring in the Torneträsk area, and contribute to improve predictions of future ecosystem changes at a larger scale. This understanding will provide the basis for the future mitigation and adaptation plans needed in a changing climate.
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| 6. |
- Sharma, Vipasha, et al.
(author)
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Spatial Variation and Relation of Aerosol Optical Depth with LULC and Spectral Indices
- 2022
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In: Atmosphere. - : Mdpi. - 2073-4433. ; 13:12
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In the current study area (Faridabad, Gurugram, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Buddha Nagar), the aerosol concentration is very high, adversely affecting the environmental conditions and air quality. Investigating the impact of Land Use Land Cover (LULC) on Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) helps us to develop effective solutions for improving air quality. Hence, the spectral indices derived from LULC ((Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), Soil adjusted vegetation index (SAVI), Enhanced vegetation index (EVI), and Normalized difference build-up index (NDBI)) with Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Multiangle Implementation of Atmospheric Correction (MAIAC) high spatial resolution (1 km) AOD from the years 2010-2019 (less to high urbanized period) has been correlated. The current study used remote sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS) techniques to examine changes in LULC in the current study region over the ten years (2010-2019) and the relationship between LULC and AOD. A significant increase in built-up areas (12.18%) and grasslands (51.29%) was observed during 2010-2019, while cropland decreased by 4.42%. A positive correlation between NDBI and SAVI (0.35, 0.27) indicates that built-up soils play an important role in accumulating AOD in a semi-arid region. At the same time, a negative correlation between NDVI and EVI (-0.24, -0.15) indicates the removal of aerosols due to an increase in vegetation. The results indicate that SAVI can play an important role in PM2.5 modeling in semi-arid regions. Based on these findings, urban planners can improve land use management, air quality, and urban planning.
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| 7. |
- Sagar, Atish, et al.
(author)
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Development of Smart Weighing Lysimeter for Measuring Evapotranspiration and Developing Crop Coefficient for Greenhouse Chrysanthemum
- 2022
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In: Sensors. - : MDPI. - 1424-8220. ; 22:16
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The management of water resources is a priority problem in agriculture, especially in areas with a limited water supply. The determination of crop water requirements and crop coefficient (Kc) of agricultural crops helps to create an appropriate irrigation schedule for the effective management of irrigation water. A portable smart weighing lysimeter (1000 × 1000 mm and 600 mm depth) was developed at CPCT, IARI, New Delhi for real-time measurement of Crop Coefficient (Kc) and water requirement of chrysanthemum crop and bulk data storage. The paper discusses the assembly, structural and operational design of the portable smart weighting lysimeter. The performance characteristics of the developed lysimeter were evaluated under different load conditions. The Kc values of the chrysanthemum crop obtained from the lysimeter installed inside the greenhouse were Kc ini. 0.43 and 0.38, Kc mid-1.27 and 1.25, and Kc end-0.67 and 0.59 for the years 2019–2020 and 2020–2021, respectively, which apprehensively corroborated with the FAO 56 paper for determination of crop coefficient. The Kc values decreased progressively at the late-season stage because of the maturity and aging of the leaves. The lysimeter’s edge temperature was somewhat higher, whereas the center temperature closely matched the field temperature. The temperature difference between the center and the edge increased as the ambient temperature rose. The developed smart lysimeter system has unique applications due to its real-time measurement, portable attribute, and ability to produce accurate results for determining crop water use and crop coefficient for greenhouse chrysanthemum crops.
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| 8. |
- Alkaradaghi, Karwan, et al.
(author)
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Landfill Site Selection Using GIS and Multi-criteria Decision-making AHP and SAW Methods: A Case Study in Sulaimaniyah Governorate, Iraq
- 2022
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In: Research Developments in Geotechnics, Geo-Informatics and Remote Sensing. - Cham : Springer Nature. ; , s. 289-292
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Lack of land for waste disposal is one of the main problems facing urban areas in developing countries. The Sulaimaniyah Governorate, located in Northern Iraq, is one of the main cities of the country in the Kurdistan Region, covering an area of 2400 km2. Currently, there is no landfill site in the study region that meets the scientific and environmental requirements, and the inappropriate dumping of solid waste causes adverse effects to the environment, economic and urban aesthetic. To overcome this phenomenon, it is crucial to suggest a landfill site, even in countries that recycle or burn their waste to protect the environment. Landfill sites should be carefully selected taking into account all regulations and other restrictions. The integration of geographic information systems and the multi-criteria decision analysis were used in this study to select suitable landfill locations in the region. To this end, thirteen layers prepared according to their importance including slope, geology, land use, urban area, villages, rivers, groundwater, slope, elevation, soil, geology, road, oil and gas, land use, archaeology and power lines. Two different methods (simple additive weighting and analytic hierarchy process) were implemented in a geographical information system to obtain the suitability index map for candidate landfill sites, where all these conditions satisfied the scientific and environmental criteria adopted in this study. The comparison of the maps resulting from these two different methods demonstrates that both methods produced consistent results.
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| 9. |
- Alsafadi, Karam, et al.
(author)
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An evapotranspiration deficit-based drought index to detect variability of terrestrial carbon productivity in the Middle East
- 2022
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In: Environmental Research Letters. - UK : Institute of Physics Publishing (IOPP). - 1748-9326. ; 17:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The primary driver of the land carbon sink is gross primary productivity (GPP), the gross absorption of carbon dioxide (CO2) by plant photosynthesis, which currently accounts for about one-quarter of anthropogenic CO2 emissions per year. This study aimed to detect the variability of carbon productivity using the standardized evapotranspiration deficit index (SEDI). Sixteen countries in the Middle East (ME) were selected to investigate drought. To this end, the yearly GPP dataset for the study area, spanning the 35 years (1982–2017) was used. Additionally, the Global Land Evaporation Amsterdam Model (GLEAM, version 3.3a), which estimates the various components of terrestrial evapotranspiration (annual actual and potential evaporation), was used for the same period. The main findings indicated that productivity in croplands and grasslands was more sensitive to the SEDI in Syria, Iraq, and Turkey by 34%, 30.5%, and 29.6% of cropland area respectively, and 25%, 31.5%, and 30.5% of grass land area. A significant positive correlation against the long-term data of the SEDI was recorded. Notably, the GPP recorded a decline of >60% during the 2008 extreme drought in the north of Iraq and the northeast of Syria, which concentrated within the agrarian ecosystem and reached a total vegetation deficit with 100% negative anomalies. The reductions of the annual GPP and anomalies from 2009 to 2012 might have resulted from the decrease in the annual SEDI at the peak 2008 extreme drought event. Ultimately, this led to a long delay in restoring the ecosystem in terms of its vegetation cover. Thus, the proposed study reported that the SEDI is more capable of capturing the GPP variability and closely linked to drought than commonly used indices. Therefore, understanding the response of ecosystem productivity to drought can facilitate the simulation of ecosystem changes under climate change projections.
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| 10. |
- Awad, Ahmed, et al.
(author)
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Evaluation of the DRAINMOD Model’s Performance Using Different Time Steps in Evapotranspiration Computations
- 2022
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In: Hydrology. - : MDPI. - 2306-5338. ; 9:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The DRAINMOD model is a superior tool used to predict the changes in farmland water balance under different agricultural drainage layouts, fields, weather conditions, and management practices. In the present study, we assessed the sensitivity of the DRAINMOD predictions in farmland water balance to the time step (hourly or daily) in daily evapotranspiration (ET0 ) computations for 12-hectares of farmland located at the lower reaches of the Yangtze River basin. The model was calibrated and validated and then was applied twice under two sets of daily ET0 values, computed using the standardized ASCE Penman–Monteith model (one using the hourly time step (HTS) and the other using the daily time step (DTS)). Regarding daily computed ET0 values, results show that abrupt diurnal changes in the weather always result in significant differences between daily ET0 values when computed based on DTS and HTS. DRAINMOD simulations show that such differences between daily computed ET0 values affected the model’s predictions of the “water fate” in the study area; e.g., adopting HTS rather than DTS resulted in a 4.8% increase, and a 3.1% and 1% decrease in the models’ cumulative predictions of runoff, drainage, and infiltration, respectively. Therefore, for a particular study area, it is critical to pay attention when deciding the best time step in ET0 computations to ensure accurate DRAINMOD simulations, thereby ensuring better utilization of agricultural water alongside high agricultural productivity.
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