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Ground Observations (ground + observation)
Selected AbstractsLandscape-scale detection and mapping of invasive African Olive (Olea europaea L. ssp. cuspidata Wall ex G. Don Ciferri) in SW Sydney, Australia using satellite remote sensingAPPLIED VEGETATION SCIENCE, Issue 2 2009P. Cuneo Abstract Question: Is satellite imagery an effective tool for mapping and examining the distribution of the invasive species Olea europaea L. ssp. cuspidata at a regional landscape scale? Location: Southwest Sydney, Australia. Methods: Remote sensing software was used to classify pixels of Olea europaea L. ssp. cuspidata (African Olive) and major vegetation types from satellite imagery, using a "supervised classification" technique across a 721 km2 study area in the Cumberland Plain region of western Sydney. A map of African Olive distribution was produced from the image analysis and checked for accuracy at 337 random locations using ground observation and comparison with existing vegetation maps. The African Olive distribution data were then used in a GIS analysis with additional spatial datasets to investigate the relationship between the distribution of African Olive and environmental factors, and to quantify the conservation threat to endangered native vegetation. Results: A total area of 1907 ha of dense African Olive infestation was identified, with an omission error of 7.5% and a commission error of 5.4%. African Olive was found to occur on the steepest slopes (mean slope 14.3°) of the vegetation classes examined, with aspect analysis identifying a high prevalence on south- and southwest-facing slopes. The analysis also quantified the level of African Olive infestation in endangered ecological communities, with Western Sydney Dry Rainforest (25% affected) and Moist Shale Woodland (28% affected) identified as most vulnerable to African Olive invasion. Conclusion: The distribution of African Olive can be efficiently mapped at a landscape scale. This technique, used in association with additional spatial datasets, identified African Olive as a significant environmental weed in SW Sydney, occupying a greater area than previously recognised and threatening several endangered native vegetation communities. [source] Spring phenology in boreal Eurasia over a nearly century time scaleGLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 3 2008NICOLAS DELBART Abstract It has been widely reported that tree leaves have tended to appear earlier in many regions of the northern hemisphere in the last few decades, reflecting climate warming. Satellite observations revealed an 8-day advance in leaf appearance date between 1982 and 1991 in northern latitudes. In situ observations show that leaf appearance dates in Europe have advanced by an average of 6.3 days from 1959 to 1996. Modelling of leaf appearance on the basis of temperature also shows a marked advance in temperate and boreal regions from 1955 to 2002. However, before 1955, reported studies of phenological variations are restricted to local scale. Modelling, ground observations and satellite observations are here combined to analyse phenological variations in Eurasian taiga over nearly a century. The trend observed by remote sensing consists mainly in a shift at the end of the 1980s, reflecting a shift in winter and spring temperature. In western boreal Eurasia, a trend to earlier leaf appearance is evident since the mid-1930s, although it is discontinuous. In contrast, the strong advance in leaf appearance detected over Central Siberia using satellite data in 1982,1991 is strengthened by late springs in 1983,1984; moreover, in this region the green-up timing has displayed successive trends with opposite signs since 1920. Thus, such strong trend is not unusual if considered locally. However, the recent advance is unique in simultaneously affecting most of the Eurasian taiga, the leaf appearance dates after 1990 being the earliest in nearly a century in most of the area. [source] Spatial variability of snowmelt timing from AMSR-E and SSM/I passive microwave sensors, Pelly River, Yukon Territory, CanadaHYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 12 2007Joan M. Ramage Abstract Spring snow melt run-off in high latitude and snow-dominated drainage basins is generally the most significant annual hydrological event. Melt timing, duration, and flow magnitude are highly variable and influence regional climate, geomorphology, and hydrology. Arctic and sub-arctic regions have sparse long-term ground observations and these snow-dominated hydrologic regimes are sensitive to the rapidly warming climate trends that characterize much of the northern latitudes. Passive microwave brightness temperatures are sensitive to changes in the liquid water content of the snow pack and make it possible to detect incipient melt, diurnal melt-refreeze cycles, and the approximate end of snow cover on the ground over large regions. Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) and Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E) passive microwave brightness temperatures (Tb) and diurnal amplitude variations (DAV) are used to investigate the spatial variability of snowmelt onset timing (in two stages, ,DAV onset' and ,melt onset') and duration for a complex sub-arctic landscape during 2005. The satellites are sensitive to small percentages of liquid water, and therefore represent ,incipient melt', a condition somewhat earlier than a traditional definition of a melting snowpack. Incipient melt dates and duration are compared to topography, land cover, and hydrology to investigate the strength and significance of melt timing in heterogeneous landscapes in the Pelly River, a major tributary to the Yukon River. Microwave-derived melt onset in this region in 2005 occurred from late February to late April. Upland areas melt 1,2 weeks later than lowland areas and have shorter transition periods. Melt timing and duration appear to be influenced by pixel elevation, aspect, and uniformity as well as other factors such as weather and snow mass distribution. The end of the transition season is uniform across sensors and across the basin in spite of a wide variety of pixel characteristics. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Spatial patterns of kangaroo density across the South Australian pastoral zone over 26 years: aggregation during drought and suggestions of long distance movementJOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, Issue 5 2007ANTHONY R. POPLE Summary 1Wildlife surveys usually focus on estimating population size, and management actions such as commercial harvesting, culling and poison baiting are referenced commonly to population size alone, without taking into account the way in which those animals are distributed. This paper outlines how point-based aerial survey data can be converted to continuous density surfaces using spatial analysis techniques. Using this approach, we describe and explore the spatial patterns of density of two species of kangaroos in an area exceeding 200 000 km2 in South Australia over a 26-year period. 2Densities of red and western grey kangaroos were estimated in 2 km2 segments along aerial survey transect lines, yielding point density estimates. Universal kriging provided an unbiased interpolation of these data using the spatial autocorrelation structure described by the semi-variogram. The Getis statistic identified clusters of high and low kangaroo density. 3Considerable year-to-year variation in the spatial patterns of kangaroo density was observed. In many cases, annual rates of increase over large areas were too high to be explained by vital rates alone, implying immigration from surrounding areas. These large shifts in distribution were occasionally to areas that had received better rainfall than the surrounding areas. For both species, there was no obvious local spatial autocorrelation pattern or clustering of kangaroo density beyond that described by average density and the present set of management regions, suggesting the latter are appropriate divisions for harvest management. 4Data for both species fitted the power law relationship extremely well. During dry times, red kangaroos, but not western grey kangaroos, were more aggregated, supporting past ground observations at a fine spatial scale. 5Synthesis and applications. Kriged density surfaces enable estimation of kangaroo density on individual properties, which are the management units at which harvest quotas or culling approvals are allocated. These estimates will be marked improvements over systematic sampling estimates when sampling intensity is low. Predictions of shifts in kangaroo distribution using rainfall or satellite imagery will allow more accurate allocation of harvest quotas. Similarly, predictions of more even kangaroo dispersion following high rainfall will allow managers to anticipate downturns in harvest rate. [source] Accuracy verification of spaceborne radar estimates of rain rateATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE LETTERS, Issue 1 2005E. Amitai Abstract The distribution of rain rate is of great concern for many hydrological applications. Probability distribution functions (pdf) of rain rate can now be obtained from spaceborne radar observations. Effort to evaluate these pdfs using ground observations is described. Copyright © 2005 Royal Meteorological Society [source] | |||||||||||||