The vegetation communities and spatial patterns on the Fire Island National Seashore are dynamic as the result of interactions with driving forces such as sand deposition, storm-driven over wash, salt spray, surface water, as well as with human disturbances. We used high spatial resolution QuickBird-2 satellite remote sensing data to map both terrestrial and submerged aquatic vegetation communities of the National Seashore. We adopted a stratified classification and unsupervised classification approach for mapping terrestrial vegetation types. Our classification scheme included detailed terrestrial vegetation types identified by previous vegetation mapping efforts of the National Park Service and three generalized categories of high-density seagrass, low-density seagrass coverages, and unvegetated bottom to map the submerged aquatic vegetation habitats. We used underwater videography, GPS-guided field reference photography, and bathymetric data to support remote sensing image classification and information extraction. This study achieved approximately 82% and 75% overall classification accuracy for the terrestrial and submnerged aquatic vegetations, respectively, and provided an updated vegetation inventory and change analysis for the Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network of the National Park Service. 相似文献
Water surface profiles and horizontal and vertical water particle velocity components have been measured to investigate the properties of intermediate depth waves generated in the laboratory. The data has been compared with linear wave theory. It was found that linear theory predicted the attenuation of velocity field with depth successfully and that it overestimates both components of velocity slightly. 相似文献
A new wind wave generation model, WAMGBR, is presented that has been adapted from WAM especially for use in the complex geometry of the Great Barrier Reef. A technique (reef parameterization) has been presented that incorporates sub-grid scale dissipation caused by coral reefs. Three other improvements to WAM have been proposed. An explicit/implicit finite difference scheme has been implemented that allows for more efficient modelling (longer time steps) while maintaining diffusive characteristics that are at least as good as those of WAM. An offset in discrete angles creates more uniform diffusive characteristics. And, a transformed spherical coordinate system allows for more efficient grid sizes and smaller grid dependent refraction. Comparisons between modelling techniques and between model and measured data show that WAMGBR produces very good results in the difficult challenge of modelling both non-cyclonic and tropical cyclone waves in the geographically complex environment of the Great Barrier Reef. 相似文献
Natural gas seepages occur on the United Kingdom's continental shelf and although published reports suggest that they are very rare, the petroleum industry has identified, but not publicly reported, many more. There is also very little data on the flux of gas from seabed seepages, and even less on the contribution of seepages to atmospheric concentrations of gases such as methane.
Potential gas source rocks include Quaternary and Tertiary peats as well as petroliferous source rocks such as the Carboniferous Coal Measures and the Upper Jurassic Kimmeridge Clays. There are also other organic-rich sediments which are potential source rocks. Together these cover a considerable part of the U.K. continental shelf.
Analogue seismic reflection (pinger) profiles acquired during the British Geological Survey's regional mapping programme have been reviewed to identify water column targets including fish and plumes of gas bubbles. The ability to distinguish targets is critical to an assessment of the distribution of gas seepages. Both theoretical predictions of target identity and the habits of shoaling fish have been investigated in order to identify a method of distinction.
Data from seabed seepages and measurements of seepage rates have been used to establish likely ranges of gas flux rates and the sizes of gas bubbles. The likelihood that a rising bubble will survive and escape into the atmosphere is determined primarily by bubble size and water depth; methane, the principal constituent of seepage gas, is relatively unreactive and sparingly soluble.
The studies have enabled a new estimate of the distribution of gas seepages on the U.K. continental shelf, and of the contribution to atmospheric methane levels. The results suggest that natural gas seepages are significantly more important as a source of methane than had hitherto been established. It is estimated that between 120,000 and 3.5 mtonnes of methane per year come from a continental shelf area of about 600,000 km2. This represents between 2% and 40% of the total United Kingdom methane emission. It is suggested that similar contributions arise from other continental shelf areas worldwide, and that geological sources of atmospheric methane are more significant than is generally acknowledged. 相似文献
Quartz and feldspar extracts, obtained by chemical dissolution of the clay minerals, provide insight into the inorganic flocculation
and mineralogical influences upon the texture of fine-grained glaciomarine deposits. Glacial comminution in higher latitudes
explains the relatively high contents of quartz and feldspars. Quartz and feldspar are better sorted and were apparently less
influenced by flocculation than were phyllosilicates, except for particles less than approximately 16 μm, which are poorly
sorted due to their inclusion in flocs. The 16-μm boundary is suggested to be useful for approximately separating fines that
are usually involved in flocculation and coarse silt and larger grains that are less influenced. 相似文献
Time sequences of He i and He ii resonance line intensities at several sites within the flare of 15 June, 1973 are derived from observations obtained with the Naval Research Laboratory's Slitless Spectroheliograph on Skylab. The data are compared with predictions in six model flare atmospheres based on two values for the heating rate and three for the flux of photoionizing coronal X-rays and EUV. A peak ionizing flux more than 103 times that in the quiet Sun is indicated. For most conditions in flare kernels the He ii L and L lines are found to be formed by collisional excitation, thereby contributing to the local cooling of the plasma at temperatures above 6 × 104 K. Emission in the higher Lyman lines is generally the result of a mixture of collisional excitation at these temperatures and photoionization and recombination at temperatures near 2.5 × 104 K. We discuss implications for the common practice of deriving stellar coronal fluxes from He ii 1640 Å fluxes assuming dominance of the recombination mechanism.Chief, Quantum Physics Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology.Operated jointly by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the University of Colorado.Operated by the National Optical Astronomy Observatories of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. under contract with the National Science Foundation. 相似文献
Engineering projects that require deformation monitoring frequently utilize geodetic sensors to measure displacements of target
points located in the deformation zone. In situations where control stations and targets are separated by a kilometer or more,
GPS can offer higher precision position updates at more frequent intervals than can normally be achieved using total station
technology. For large-scale deformation projects requiring the highest precision, it is therefore advisable to use a combination
of the two sensors. In response to the need for high precision, continuous GPS position updates in harsh deformation monitoring
environments, a software has been developed that employs triple-differenced carrier-phase measurements in a delayed-state
Kalman filter. Two data sets were analyzed to test the capabilities of the software. In the first test, a GPS antenna was
displaced using a translation stage to mimic slow deformation. In the second test, data collected at a large open pit mine
were processed. It was shown that the delayed-state Kalman filter developed could detect millimeter-level displacements of
a GPS antenna. The actual precision attained depends upon the amount of process noise infused at each epoch to accommodate
the antenna displacements. Higher process noise values result in quicker detection times, but at the same time increase the
noise in the solutions. A slow, 25 mm displacement was detected within 30 min of the full displacement with sigma values in
E, N and U of ±10 mm or better. The same displacement could also be detected in less than 5 h with sigma values in E, N and U of ±5 mm or better. The software works best for detecting long period deformations (e.g., 20 mm per day or less) for which
sigma values of 1–2 mm are attained in all three solution components. It was also shown that the triple-differenced carrier-phase
observation can be used to significantly reduce the effects of residual tropospheric delay that would normally plague double-differenced
observations in harsh GPS environments.
A dense bloom of the ichthyotoxic dinoflagellate Karlodinium veneficum was discovered in the Neuse River Estuary, North Carolina, on 19 October 2006 and was associated with four subsequent fish
kills. Microscopic, photopigment, DNA, and toxicological techniques confirmed bloom identity and toxicity. High-resolution
spatio-temporal data from ship-board and fixed automated sampling stations provided a unique opportunity to investigate the
environmental conditions that initiated, maintained, and terminated the K. veneficum bloom. Bloom initiation and growth were favored by high nutrient availability and reduced dispersal during the period of
declining riverine discharge after Tropical Storm Ernesto. K. veneficum out-competed other co-occurring dinoflagellates, perhaps because of the production of karlotoxins that are known to act as
grazing deterrents and to facilitate mixotrophic feeding. Once the bloom was established, small-scale hydrodynamic processes,
coupled with vertical migration, concentrated cells along a frontal convergence to high densities (>200,000 cells per milliliter).
By 26 October 2006, wind mixing and possible nutrient stress disrupted the bloom. Release of cell-bound toxins during the
bloom collapse likely accounted for the associated fish kill events where fish were reported as exhibiting typical symptoms
of karlotoxin poisoning. The dynamics of this bloom underscore the tight control of harmful algal blooms by meteorological
forcing, hydrology, and sediment nutrient input in this shallow lagoonal estuary. 相似文献