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Natural Surfaces (natural + surface)
Selected AbstractsAn astronomical pattern-matching algorithm for computer-aided identification of whale sharks Rhincodon typusJOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, Issue 6 2005Z. ARZOUMANIAN Summary 1The formulation of conservation policy relies heavily on demographic, biological and ecological knowledge that is often elusive for threatened species. Essential estimates of abundance, survival and life-history parameters are accessible through mark and recapture studies given a sufficiently large sample. Photographic identification of individuals is an established mark and recapture technique, but its full potential has rarely been exploited because of the unmanageable task of making visual identifications in large data sets. 2We describe a novel technique for identifying individual whale sharks Rhincodon typus through numerical pattern matching of their natural surface ,spot' colourations. Together with scarring and other markers, spot patterns captured in photographs of whale shark flanks have been used, in the past, to make identifications by eye. We have automated this process by adapting a computer algorithm originally developed in astronomy for the comparison of star patterns in images of the night sky. 3In tests using a set of previously identified shark images, our method correctly matched pairs exhibiting the same pattern in more than 90% of cases. From a larger library of previously unidentified images, it has to date produced more than 100 new matches. Our technique is robust in that the incidence of false positives is low, while failure to match images of the same shark is predominantly attributable to foreshortening in photographs obtained at oblique angles of more than 30°. 4We describe our implementation of the pattern-matching algorithm, estimates of its efficacy, its incorporation into the new ECOCEAN Whale Shark Photo-identification Library, and prospects for its further refinement. We also comment on the biological and conservation implications of the capability of identifying individual sharks across wide geographical and temporal spans. 5Synthesis and applications. An automated photo-identification technique has been developed that allows for efficient ,virtual tagging' of spotted animals. The pattern-matching software has been implemented within a Web-based library created for the management of generic encounter photographs and derived data. The combined capabilities have demonstrated the reliability of whale shark spot patterns for long-term identifications, and promise new ecological insights. Extension of the technique to other species is anticipated, with attendant benefits to management and conservation through improved understanding of life histories, population trends and migration routes, as well as ecological factors such as exploitation impact and the effectiveness of wildlife reserves. [source] Field-based and spectral indicators for soil erosion mapping in semi-arid mediterranean environments (Coastal Cordillera of central Chile)EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 1 2007Renaud Mathieu Abstract The Coastal Cordillera of central Chile is naturally sensitive to soil erosion due to moderate to steep slopes, intense winter rains when the vegetation cover is scarce, and deeply weathered granitic rocks. In 1965, 60 per cent of its surface was moderately to very severely eroded. Today this process is still largely active, but no data are currently available to evaluate the real extent, distribution and severity of soil degradation on a regional scale. This information is vital to support efficient soil conservation plans. A multi-scale approach was implemented to produce regional land degradation maps based on remote sensing technologies. Fieldwork has shown that the surface colour or ,redness' and the density of coarse fragments are pertinent erosion indicators to describe a typical sequence of soil degradation in the context of mediterranean soil developed on granitic materials and micaschists. Field radiometric experiments concluded that both factors influence the reflectance of natural surfaces and can be modelled using radiometric indices accessible from most satellites operating in the optical domain, i.e. redness index and brightness index. Finally the radiometric indices were successfully applied to SPOT images to produce land degradation maps. Only broad classes of erosion status were discriminated and the detection of the degradation processes was only possible when most of the fertile layer had already been removed. This technology provides decision-making information required to develop regional soil conservation plans and to prioritize actions between catchment areas, especially in vast inter-tropical regions where spatialized data are not always readily available. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Aqueous films limit bacterial cell motility and colony expansion on partially saturated rough surfacesENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 5 2010Gang Wang Summary Bacterial motility is a key mechanism for survival in a patchy environment and is important for ecosystem biodiversity maintenance. Quantitative description of bacterial motility in soils is hindered by inherent heterogeneity, pore-space complexity and dynamics of microhydrological conditions. Unsaturated conditions result in fragmented aquatic habitats often too small to support full bacterial immersion thereby forcing strong interactions with mineral and air interfaces that significantly restrict motility. A new hybrid model was developed to study hydration effects on bacterial motility. Simulation results using literature parameter values illustrate sensitivity of colony expansion rates to hydration conditions and are in general agreement with measured values. Under matric potentials greater than ,0.5 kPa (wet), bacterial colonies grew fast at colony expansion rates exceeding 421 ± 94 µm h,1; rates dropped significantly to 31 ± 10 µm h,1 at ,2 kPa; as expected, no significant colony expansion was observed at ,5 kPa because of the dominance of capillary pinning forces in the submicrometric water film. Quantification of hydration-related constraints on bacterial motion provides insights into optimal conditions for bacterial dispersion and spatial ranges of resource accessibility important for bioremediation and biogeochemical cycles. Results define surprisingly narrow range of hydration conditions where motility confers ecological advantage on natural surfaces. [source] AN EVALUATION OF SURFACE HARDNESS OF NATURAL AND MODIFIED ROCKS USING SCHMIDT HAMMER: STUDY FROM NORTHWESTERN HIMALAYA, INDIAGEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES A: PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Issue 3 2009VIKRAM GUPTA ABSTRACT. Four rock types (quartz mica gneiss, schist, quartzite and calc-silicate) located in the Satluj and Alaknanda valleys were used to test whether a Schmidt hammer can be used to distinguish rock surfaces affected by various natural and man-induced processes like manual smoothing of rock surfaces by grindstone, surface weathering, deep weathering, fluvial polishing and blasting during road construction. Surfaces polished by fluvial process yielded the highest Schmidt hammer rebound (R-) values and the blast-affected surfaces yielded the lowest R-values for the same rock type. Variations in R-value also reflect the degree of weathering of the rock surfaces. It has been further observed that, for all the rock types, the strength of relationship between R-values for the treated surfaces (manual smoothing of rock surface by grindstone) and the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) is higher than for the fresh natural surfaces. [source] The influence of large convective eddies on the surface-layer turbulenceTHE QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY, Issue 618 2006S. S. Zilitinkevich Abstract Close to the surface large coherent eddies consisting of plumes and downdraughts cause convergent winds blowing towards the plume axes, which in turn cause wind shears and generation of turbulence. This mechanism strongly enhances the convective heat/mass transfer at the surface and, in contrast to the classical formulation, implies an important role of the surface roughness. In this context we introduce the stability-dependence of the roughness length. The latter is important over very rough surfaces, when the height of the roughness elements becomes comparable with the large-eddy Monin,Obukhov length. A consistent theoretical model covering convective regimes over all types of natural surfaces, from the smooth still sea to the very rough city of Athens, is developed; it is also comprehensively validated against data from measurements at different sites and also through the convective boundary layer. Good correspondence between model results, field observations and large-eddy simulation is achieved over a wide range of surface roughness lengths and convective boundary-layer heights. Copyright © 2007 Royal Meteorological Society [source] | |||||||||||||