Different Types Of Landscapes Research Articles

Lightning activity over anthropogenic and natural landscapes

The analyses specific threshold of lightning discharges density and thunderstorms days for different type of landscape and level of altitudes were determinate. For Central Europe from 9° W to 20° E and from 42° to 56° N (11° x 14° sectors) for April–September period from 2001 to 2014 were investigated. For Europe for the altitude range from 10 m below sea level (bsl) to 200 m above sea level (asl) the highest lightning discharge density is associated with the forest, shrub and wet, urban areas. For the altitude range 200–1000 m asl the highest lightning discharges density is associated with water (river, lakes), urban and forest areas. For the altitude range level from 1000 m asl to 2000 m asl the highest lightning discharges density is associated with the water, forest and grass types. A dense forest on the track of the flow of a moist air mass can promote the rise of air and the formation of convective clouds and lightning strokes. The effect of rives, channels and large lakes on moisture and development of thunderstorm clouds may account for impact on cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning activity. For three flat 3° x 5° areas with similar meteorological and synoptic conditions, increased CG lightning activity is possible if there is a difference in altitude between different types of landscapes. The altitude difference further contributes to the development of convective clouds producing lightning.

Landscape types and regional identity – by example of case study in Northwest Bohemia

The study examines the relationship of the inhabitants of socially and geographically distinct areas (regions) of Czechia and their relation to regional identity. That is understood as identifying oneself with the region where the inhabitants live, however, we also examine the relationship to hierarchically differing territorial levels. The research was conducted at a regional level, by means of a questionnaire survey, demographic and sociological analyses. Four regions are defined in the study, according to the nature of their environment (devastated, recreational, suburban, and landscape types). The study monitored the population’s identification with a region, or regions of higher orders (NUTS, Czechia, EU, etc.). It was found that the type of landscape has an important role for regional identity, together with some other socio-economic and cultural aspects of the population. The research results have generally confirmed the hypothesis about the impact of selected variables on regional identity. However, the hypothesis about the impact of the natives has not been fully confirmed. The highest values of the identification with the region have been detected in agricultural and suburban landscapes. The devastated landscape turned out to be the worst. When monitoring the hierarchy, it is possible to see the decrease of identity with a growing scale. Therefore, Europe and the EU ended up being the worst. The research is carried out on the example of Northwest Bohemia – Usti Region, which represents a significantly differentiated space with different types of landscape.

An assessment of visited landscapes using a Cultural Ecosystem Services framework

According to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005), Ecosystem Services are divided into four main categories: supporting, regulating, provisioning, and cultural services. The Cultural Ecosystem Services (CES) represent the physical, intellectual, and spiritual interactions with ecosystems and land/seascapes. The current work aims to strengthen the links between CES and Tourism, by presenting how the conceptualization of CES can contribute to researching landscapes. A sample of 876 questionnaire respondents in six different types of landscape revealed that the CES conceptualization could provide a useful framework for understanding visitor perceptions and experiences of landscapes. Furthermore, the study showed that CES categories are very closely interconnected and an integrated approach is recommended for all landscape planning. This knowledge is essential to place making, which incorporates elements of meaning-making and attachment, as well as place identity, continuity, and dependency.

Digital mapping of soil attributes using machine learning

Mapping the chemical attributes of the soil on a large scale can result in gains when planning the use and occupation of the land. There are different techniques available for this purpose, whose performance should be tested for different types of landscapes. The aim of this study was to spatialize chemical attributes of the soil, comparing eight methods of prediction. Forty morphometric attributes, generated from a digital elevation model, were used as independent variables, in addition to geophysical data, images from the Landsat 8 satellite and the NDVI. All possible combinations between the satellite bands were calculated, generating 28 new variables. Combinations between the Th, U and K bands obtained from the geophysical data were also calculated, generating a further three variables. The final variables to be calculated were the distances between the four points of the edges of the basin (d1, d2, d3 and d4). The dependent variables for the model were Al, Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Na, Si, Ti, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, P, Pb, V, Zn, Zr, S and Cl. A total of 200 soil samples were used, which were collected from 100 points at two depths (0-10 and 10-30 cm); the total elements were determined using an X-ray fluorescence analyzer. The Random Forest algorithm proved to be superior to the others in predicting the chemical attributes of the soil at both depths, and is suitable for predicting soil attributes in the study region. Spatial variables are essential, and should be considered when modelling chemical elements in the soil. Using the methods under test, it is possible to predict elements with R² values ranging from 0.32 to 0.62.

Fauna and bird population of agricultural landscapes of forest and steppe zone in Tula Region

The article analyzes the features of the composition and distribution of communities of different types of birds in agricultural landscapes (agrolandscapes, agricultural land and farmland) of forest and steppe zone in Tula Region. The author of the paper shows the materials and methods of study, research techniques and the results of work for several years. Moreover the author shows the results of information data of long-period research which help to see a wide diversity of birds (biological diversity) of the avifauna of agricultural landscapes. The article discusses the differences of aviafauna (on the example of different types of landscapes and the degree of transformation of the territory) which determine the necessity for further reseraches in Tula Region. To do it, it is important to analyze the results of researches of different authors concerning the situation in other surrounding regions. The author believes it will help to compare the fauna diversity and identify the reasons of diversity. The results of work are important for further reseraches concerning the monitoring of local avifauna of different agricultural landscapes in Tula Region and surrounding regions. Moreover it will help to create the new special lists, bird atlases, Red book, and documentation.

Discrete-choice experiments valuing local environmental impacts of renewables: two approaches to a case study in Portugal

Despite the often mentioned environmental benefits associated with transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, their use for electricity production has non-negligible negative environmental impacts. The most commonly mentioned in surveys concern different types of landscape impacts, impacts on the fauna and flora, and noise. These impacts differ by size and location of plants, and by source of energy, rendering the policy decision complex. In addition, there are other welfare issues to take into consideration, as positive and negative environmental impacts are not evenly distributed among population groups. This paper proposes to compare the welfare impacts of renewable energy sources controlling for the type of renewable as well as the specific environmental impact by source. To this end, two discrete-choice experiments are designed and applied to a national sample of the Portuguese population. In one case, only individual negative impacts of renewables are used, and in another case, the negative impacts interact with a specific source. Results show the robustness of discrete-choice experiments as a method to estimate the welfare change induced by the impacts of renewable energy sources. Overall, respondents are willing to pay to reduce the environmental impacts, thus making compensation for local impacts feasible. Moreover, the estimations reveal that respondents are significantly sensitive to the detrimental environmental effects of specific renewable energy sources, being willing to pay more to use these sources of energy relative to others.

On the stability relationships between tidal asymmetry and morphologies of tidal basins and estuaries

AbstractSimple stability relationships are practically useful to provide a rapid assessment of coastal and estuarine landforms in response to human interventions and long‐term climate change. In this contribution, we review a variety of simple stability relationships which are based on the analysis of tidal asymmetry (TA). Most of the existing TA‐based stability relationships are derived using the one‐dimensional tidal flow equations assuming a certain regular shape of the tidal channel cross‐sections. To facilitate analytical solutions, specific assumptions inevitably need to be made, for example by linearizing the friction term and dropping some negligible terms in the tidal flow equations. We find that three major types of TA‐based stability relationships have been proposed between three non‐dimensional channel geometric ratios (represented by the ratio of channel widths, ratio of wet surface areas and ratio of storage volumes) and the tide‐related parameter a/h (i.e. the ratio between tidal amplitude and mean water depth). Based on established geometric relations, we use these non‐dimensional ratios to restate the existing relationships so that they are directly comparable. Available datasets are further extended to examine the utility of these TA‐based relationships. Although a certain agreement is shown for these relationships, we also observe a large scatter of data points which are collected in different types of landscape, hydrodynamic and sedimentological settings over the world. We discuss in detail the potential reasons for this large scatter and subsequently elaborate on the limited applicability of the various TA‐based stability relationships for practical use. We highlight the need to delve further into what constitutes equilibrium and what is needed to develop more robust measures to determine the morphological state of these systems. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Climate change and landscape development in post-closure safety assessment of solid radioactive waste disposal: Results of an initiative of the IAEA

The International Atomic Energy Agency has coordinated an international project addressing climate change and landscape development in post-closure safety assessments of solid radioactive waste disposal. The work has been supported by results of parallel on-going research that has been published in a variety of reports and peer reviewed journal articles. The project is due to be described in detail in a forthcoming IAEA report. Noting the multi-disciplinary nature of post-closure safety assessments, here, an overview of the work is given to provide researchers in the broader fields of radioecology and radiological safety assessment with a review of the work that has been undertaken. It is hoped that such dissemination will support and promote integrated understanding and coherent treatment of climate change and landscape development within an overall assessment process.The key activities undertaken in the project were: identification of the key processes that drive environmental change (mainly those associated with climate and climate change), and description of how a relevant future may develop on a global scale; development of a methodology for characterising environmental change that is valid on a global scale, showing how modelled global changes in climate can be downscaled to provide information that may be needed for characterising environmental change in site-specific assessments, and illustrating different aspects of the methodology in a number of case studies that show the evolution of site characteristics and the implications for the dose assessment models.Overall, the study has shown that quantitative climate and landscape modelling has now developed to the stage that it can be used to define an envelope of climate and landscape change scenarios at specific sites and under specific greenhouse-gas emissions assumptions that is suitable for use in quantitative post-closure performance assessments. These scenarios are not predictions of the future, but are projections based on a well-established understanding of the important processes involved and their impacts on different types of landscape. Such projections support the understanding of, and selection of, plausible ranges of scenarios for use in post-closure safety assessments.

РАСПРОСТРАНЕНИЕ ГЕНОТИПОВ ВИРУСА КЛЕЩЕВОГО ЭНЦЕФАЛИТА ВРАЗЛИЧНЫХ ТИПАХ ЛАНДШАФТОВ ВОСТОЧНОЙ СИБИРИ

To find out what is the role of some environmental factors in the formation of a heterogeneous viral population, the analysis of the distribution of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) genotypes in different types of landscapes of Eastern Siberia has been carried out. In our study, it was shown that TBEV area in all investigated landscapes of Eastern Siberia is represented not only by TBEV of genotype 3, absolute dominance of which is noted in the studied regions, regardless the landscapes where the foci are located, but also by strains of other genotypes. The relationship between genotypes 1,3 and polytypic strains with a certain type of landscape and the degree of their development by man has not been established. The prevailing number of strains of TBEV genotype 5 is isolated from the material collected in the Transbaikalia, in the landscapes of the mountain taiga. They, as well as the strain of genotype 4, are found in the foci, where joint circulation of several TBEV genotypes is noted. The strains of TBEV genotype 2 were revealed in the landscapes of plains and plateaus taiga and insular steppes and forest steppes of the southern part of the Baikal region. Moreover, the detection of RNA of TBEV genotype 2 in the polytipic 763-87 and 765-87 strains isolated in the floodplain and forest-steppe landscapes of the Barguzin hollow does not exclude the possibility of circulation of TBEV genotype 2 in the Transbaikalian foci. The greatest genetic heterogeneity of TBEV is observed in natural foci located along Lake Baikal and in the southeastern part of Transbaikalia.

Coherent multi-layer landscape synthesis

We present an efficient method for generating coherent multi-layer landscapes. We use a dictionary built from exemplars to synthesize high-resolution fully featured terrains from input low-resolution elevation data. Our example-based method consists in analyzing real-world terrain examples and learning the procedural rules directly from these inputs. We take into account not only the elevation of the terrain, but also additional layers such as the slope, orientation, drainage area, the density and distribution of vegetation, and the soil type. By increasing the variety of terrain exemplars, our method allows the user to synthesize and control different types of landscapes and biomes, such as temperate or rain forests, arid deserts and mountains.

The impact of global unknown teleconnection patterns on terrestrial precipitation across North and Central America

Global sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies can affect terrestrial precipitation via ocean-atmosphere interactions known as climate teleconnections. Nonstationary and nonlinear characteristics of the teleconnection signals passing through the complex ocean-atmosphere-land system may provide a unique opportunity to quantify large-scale climate variability. This work explores the systematic relationships between global SST anomalies and terrestrial precipitation variability with respect to long-term nonlinear and nonstationary teleconnection signals during 1981–2010 over three regions in North America and one in Central America. The aim of this study was to investigate the surveillance capacity of teleconnections through varying atmospheric pathways toward different types of landscape and geographical environments. After finding possible associations between the dominant variation of seasonal precipitation and global SST anomalies through the integrated empirical mode decomposition, wavelet analysis, and lagged correlation analysis, the statistically significant SST regions were extracted to identify both known and unknown teleconnections. Results indicate that previously unidentified SST regions contribute a salient portion of terrestrial precipitation variability over different terrestrial regions. Central America and Pacific Northwest study sites receive highest probable impacts of climate variability driven by some unknown teleconnections that reveal unique coupling interactions between oceanic and atmospheric processes, implying possible linkages with atmospheric rivers.

Phytoplankton of lakes in different types of landscape in Southern Karelia (Vendyurskaya group and Zaonezhye)

The phytoplankton of nine lakes located in different types of landscapes in the southern part of the Republic of Karelia was studied in spring and summer seasons of 20112012. In seven of the lakes phytoplankton was studied for the first time (lakes Gizhozero, Lelikozero, Myagrozero, Kondozero, Korytovo (Zaonezhsky Peninsula), lakes Koverjarvi, Rapsudozero (Vendyurskaya group). The highest species diversity in lakes of all types of landscapes was demonstrated by diatoms (20-42 % of the total number of species) and green algae (17-42 %). Each lake had its specific algal flora, and degree of their similarity measured by the S0rensen index was low. Quantitative indicators of phytoplankton in the lakes varied over a wide range of values. Phytoplankton abundance ranged within 5.8-1060.5 thousand cells/L (with an average of 160.1 ± 29.1), and biomass ranged from 0.010 to 1.374 g/m 3 (0.209 ± 0.04 g/m 3 on average). Data clustering using 26 variables showed different levels of relationship both between lakes and between their groups. It was found that the main factors influencing the total abundance and total biomass of phytoplankton, as well as the abundance and biomass of different groups of algae are the catchment area/water surface area ratio, total nitrogen and phosphorus, water catchment area, mineralization, lake surface area, pH and color. We obtained significant positive correlations (at a level of p < 0.05) between the structural indicators of phytoplankton and nutrients (total nitrogen and phosphorus).

Towards an improved understanding of project stakeholder landscapes

Understanding stakeholders, their influences and devising engagement strategies based on the analyses of stakeholder landscapes has become one of the key capabilities within project-based firms. Based on a systematic literature review of the project stakeholder management literature, we develop a conceptual framework for characterizing and classifying project stakeholder landscapes. The framework synthesizes four key dimensions of project stakeholder landscapes and their various sub-factors: complexity (element and relationship complexity), uncertainty, dynamism and the institutional context. The developed framework will provide both academics and practitioners with a shared language to make sense of what types of stakeholder landscapes exist, to categorize projects based on their stakeholder environments and to start evaluating what types of implications different types of landscapes have on stakeholder management and project management in general.

Spatial distribution of thermokarst terrain in Arctic Alaska

In landscapes underlain by ice-rich permafrost, the development of thermokarst landforms can have drastic impacts on ecosystem processes and human infrastructure. Here we describe the distribution of thermokarst landforms in the continuous permafrost zone of Arctic Alaska, analyze linkages to the underlying surficial geology, and discuss the vulnerability of different types of landscapes to future thaw. We identified nine major thermokarst landforms and then mapped their distributions in twelve representative study areas totaling 300-km2. These study areas differ in their geologic history, permafrost-ice content, and ground thermal regime. Results show that 63% of the entire study area is occupied by thermokarst landforms and that the distribution of thermokarst landforms and overall landscape complexity varies markedly with surficial geology. Areas underlain by ice-rich marine silt are the most affected by thermokarst (97% of total area), whereas areas underlain by glacial drift are least affected (14%). Drained thermokarst-lake basins are the most widespread thermokarst landforms, covering 33% of the entire study region, with greater prevalence in areas of marine silt (48% coverage), marine sand (47%), and aeolian silt (34%). Thermokarst-lakes are the second most common thermokarst landform, covering 16% of the study region, with highest coverage in areas underlain by marine silt (39% coverage). Thermokarst troughs and pits cover 7% of the study region and are the third most prevalent thermokarst landform. They are most common in areas underlain by deltaic sands and gravels (18% coverage) and marine sand (12%). Alas valleys are widespread in areas of aeolian silt (14%) located in gradually sloping uplands. Areas of marine silt have been particularly vulnerable to thaw in the past because they are ice-rich and have low-gradient topography facilitating the repeated development of thermokarst-lakes. In the future, ice-rich aeolian, upland terrain (yedoma) will be particularly susceptible to thaw because it still contains massive concentrations of ground ice in the form of syngenetic ice-wedges that have remained largely intact since the Pleistocene.

Adaptive local learning in sampling based motion planning for protein folding.

BackgroundSimulating protein folding motions is an important problem in computational biology. Motion planning algorithms, such as Probabilistic Roadmap Methods, have been successful in modeling the folding landscape. Probabilistic Roadmap Methods and variants contain several phases (i.e., sampling, connection, and path extraction). Most of the time is spent in the connection phase and selecting which variant to employ is a difficult task. Global machine learning has been applied to the connection phase but is inefficient in situations with varying topology, such as those typical of folding landscapes.ResultsWe develop a local learning algorithm that exploits the past performance of methods within the neighborhood of the current connection attempts as a basis for learning. It is sensitive not only to different types of landscapes but also to differing regions in the landscape itself, removing the need to explicitly partition the landscape. We perform experiments on 23 proteins of varying secondary structure makeup with 52–114 residues. We compare the success rate when using our methods and other methods. We demonstrate a clear need for learning (i.e., only learning methods were able to validate against all available experimental data) and show that local learning is superior to global learning producing, in many cases, significantly higher quality results than the other methods.ConclusionsWe present an algorithm that uses local learning to select appropriate connection methods in the context of roadmap construction for protein folding. Our method removes the burden of deciding which method to use, leverages the strengths of the individual input methods, and it is extendable to include other future connection methods.

Issues relating to classification of colluvial soils in young morainic areas (Chełmno and Brodnica Lake District, northern Poland)

Abstract Colluvial soils (in Polish: gleby deluwialne) are an important part of the soil cover in young morainic landscapes of northern Poland. They evolved as a result of the accumulation of eroded material at the foot of the slopes and bottoms of closed depressions. The aim of this study was to determine the systematic position of colluvial soils commonly found in the Chełmno and Brodnica Lake District, northern Poland. Ten soil pits located in different types of landscapes were selected for testing soil properties. The colluvial material is characterized by diversified properties: thickness, particle-size distribution, organic carbon content, color, pH, and base saturation. As a result, the investigated soils represent broad spectrum of typological units according to Polish Soil Classification (2011). Some of them contain epipedons mollic and meet the criteria of colluvial chernozemic soils. They were found mainly on buried black earths in areas with small slope inclinations. Many pedons contain pale colored acidic colluvial material with low base saturation and low organic carbon content and must be classified as other types: arenosols (in Polish: arenosole) or rusty soils (in Polish: gleby rdzawe). These soils occur mostly in areas with intensive relief and overlay the different soil types, including rusty soil and organic soils. They are formed as a result of soils lessivés and rusty soils truncation. An introduction of the additional units of “proper colluvial soils” which have epipedon ochric, and “rusty-colluvial soils” with endopedon sideric to the next edition of Polish Soil Classification would enable a more precise expression of the genesis of these soils in the type rank. Moreover, the definition of chernozemic colluvial soils could be extended to colluvial soils with umbric horizon. Classifying soils derived from colluvial material as soils of other types leads to the disappearance of this units on maps and underestimation of the impact of denudation on the soil cover.

Morphological and agrochemical soil characteristics of different types of landscapes of Dendropark Trostjanets of the NAS of Ukraine

Morphological and agrochemical soil characteristics of different types of landscapes of Dendropark Trostjanets of the NAS of Ukraine

Zooplankton and macrozoo-benthos in small reservoirs in different types of landscapes in Southern Karelia

The results of surveys of zooplankton and macrozoobenthos in nine model lakes lying in different landscapes of the boreal zone, carried out within integrated hydrobiological studies, are reported. Patterns in the formation and development of the communities in reservoirs set in catchment areas differing in landscape characteristics are considered.

Формирование устойчивых лесопарковых ландшафтов (на примере г.Уфы)

Forest landscape is a natural biological complex, with specific relationships of its components (nature and environment) and the appearance of the landscape. In forest park farms to generate different types of landscapes in the optimal ratio of their stands on the composition, canopy and influence the spatial placement. The successful solution of the major problems of the city woods is based on an assessment of landscape and architectural indicators and the forecast of their structure. When carrying out actions for formation of a landscape it is necessary to present accurately the design shape of a landscape formed on this site. It can be reached when all factors influencing architectural and landscape shape of a site, are revealed with sufficient completeness. There is a need of an assessment of ecological making planting and a separate tree at design and formation of a city landscape. Baseline data to determine the environmental productivity are: species, age, and height, diameter of the trunk (trunk), diameter and height of the crown, the area of leaf surface, growth, and nutrition area of the tree. It should be emphasized that further study is necessary to consider also the indicators of the sum of the quantities of climate-forming, water protection soil protection, sanitary, recreational settings. One of the main activities to increase the environmental efficiency of Parklands are landscaped logging is thinning the forests recreational purpose, aimed at the development of forest landscape restoration and enhancement of their aesthetic, recreational value and sustainability. Landscapes logging in the green zone of Ufa as noted Khayretdinov A.F. (2007) were applied as of the 60-ies of the last century, combined with cuttings, but, not having independent meaning.&#x0D;

Investigating different diffuse solar radiation models to analyse solar radiation on inclined surfaces in Oman

In this paper, a detailed analysis of the solar radiation on horizontal and tilted surfaces for six locations in Oman is presented. The locations are (from North to South): Majis/Sohar, Sur, Fahud, Masira, Marmul, and Salalah. These locations spread over Oman and cover different types of landscape. The method is validated through the use of measured data. The effect of tilt angle and orientation on the incident solar radiation is presented along with optimum surface tilt angles and directions for maximum solar radiation collection in these six locations. The solar radiation models used in this paper show good agreement with measured data. The results presented in this paper are extremely useful for quick estimation of solar radiation for calculations of buildings’ cooling load and solar collector system performance. This can be easily extended for other locations with similar landscapes and geographical conditions.