Thermal Landscape Research Articles

A spatial freshwater thermal resilience landscape for informing conservation planning and climate change adaptation strategies

Abstract Identifying thermal resilience hotspots in freshwater systems enables targeted conservation action, and defining relative ecosystem resilience is important for evaluating the potential consequences of climate change for aquatic ecosystems. The thermal resilience of a river is likely to be affected by variables such as stream order, groundwater depth, flow predictability, water yield (precipitation minus evaporation) and catchment transformation. A database of values for these variables indicating resilience against thermal stress was developed for all sub‐catchments in South Africa. Radar plots show the relative importance of the five variables potentially affecting system resilience. The resilience scores (from 0 to 1) for each variable were summed to generate a total resilience score for each sub‐catchment and used to generate a map of system resilience to thermal stress for South Africa. This was extended to show hotspots in South Africa where river systems were most likely to show high resilience. These areas, in association with other criteria such as conservation value, provide an additional metric for prioritizing freshwater focal areas for restoration and conservation intervention, and identifying climate change refugia.

Wind of change: a diurnal skink thermoregulates between cooler set-points and for an increased amount of time in the presence of wind.

ABSTRACTWind has the potential to dramatically alter the thermal landscape of habitats, and consequently, to affect how ectotherms thermoregulate. However, few studies have directly assessed if wind alters thermoregulation by ectotherms. We compared the thermoregulation of a heliothermic New Zealand skink under three treatments: no wind, wind at 2 m s−1 and wind at 6 m s−1. We provided captive skinks with housing in which their preferred body temperature was only achievable inside a wind tunnel. During experimental treatments with wind, airflow was generated through the wind tunnel while the maximum available operative temperature remained consistent among treatments. Skinks were able to move in and out of the wind tunnel. Using thermal bio-loggers, we recorded near-continuous skin temperatures of skinks over 90 min. Contrary to our expectations, more skinks tended to thermoregulate in the two wind treatments compared with the treatments without wind (P=0.062) and of the skinks that did thermoregulate, those in the two wind treatments thermoregulated for significantly longer than those in the treatment without wind. The set-point temperatures that skinks thermoregulated between became significantly cooler as windspeed increased, despite skinks having access to the same operative temperatures. Overall, our study suggests that wind has the potential to significantly change the temperatures selected by lizards, even when comparable temperatures are available; wind is therefore an important environmental parameter to consider when studying the thermal ecology of ectotherms, including in the context of climate change.

Role of phase change materials in backfilling of flat-panels ground heat exchanger

The behaviour of a multi-source heat pump system coupled with phase change materials (PCMs) is discussed in this manuscript, as based on selected data collected during one-year testing at the TekneHub Laboratory of the University of Ferrara (Italy), as a synergic prototype setup of two European projects: IDEAS, an H2020 project, and CLIWAX, an EFDR project. Three geothermal loops of novel shallow Flat-Panels ground heat exchangers (GHX) provide the coupling of a water-to-water heat pump with the ground, as backfilled with sand, a mixture of sand and granules with paraffins and containers filled in with hydrated salts. Furthermore, two hybrid photovoltaic panels and a dry-cooler complete the exploitable thermal sources landscape. Finally, a control unit manages all the elements for the exploitation of the different thermal sources. How the increased underground thermal energy storage is driven by PCMs has been investigated by means of specific tests, and compared with the standard case of backfilling sand. Results confirm that PCMs can compensate peak loads occurring during hard weather conditions. Good performances of the multi-source heat pump were found, with a winter coefficient of performance always higher than 5. Finally, the application of PCM in summer should be preferred in climatic zones with hot summers and cold winters, With evidence, latent heat, thermal conductivity and melting point of PCMs should be tuned accordingly to the energy requirements and the local ground thermal conditions.

The Extreme Heat Wave over Western North America in 2021: An Assessment by Means of Land Surface Temperature

In our current global warming climate, the growth of record-breaking heat waves (HWs) is expected to increase in its frequency and intensity. Consequently, the considerably growing and agglomerated world’s urban population becomes more exposed to serious heat-related health risks. In this context, the study of Surface Urban Heat Island (SUHI) intensity during HWs is of substantial importance due to the potential vulnerability urbanized areas might have to HWs in comparison to their surrounding rural areas. This article discusses Land Surface Temperatures (LST) reached during the extreme HW over Western North America during the boreal summer of 2021 using Thermal InfraRed (TIR) imagery acquired from TIR Sensor (TIRS) (30 m spatial resolution) onboard Landsat-8 platform and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) (1 km spatial resolution) onboard Terra/Aqua platforms. We provide an early assessment of maximum LSTs reached over the affected areas, as well as impacts in terms of SUHI over the main cities and towns. MODIS series of LST from 2000 to 2021 over urbanized areas presented the highest recorded LST values in late June 2021, with maximum values around 50 °C for some cities. High spatial resolution LSTs (Landsat-8) were used to map SUHI intensity as well as to assess the impact of SUHI on thermal comfort conditions at intraurban space by means of a thermal environmental quality indicator, the Urban Field Thermal Variance Index (UFTVI). The same high resolution LSTs were used to verify the existence of clusters and employ a Local Indicator of Spatial Association (LISA) to quantify its degree of strength. We identified the spatial distribution of heat patterns within the intraurban space as well as described its behavior across the thermal landscape by fitting a polynomial regression model. We also qualitatively analyze the relationship between both UFTVI and LST clusters with different land cover types. Findings indicate that average daytime SUHI intensity for the studied cities was typically within 1 to 5 °C, with some exceptional values surpassing 7 °C and 9 °C. During night, the SUHI intensity was reduced to variations within 1–3 °C, with a maximum value of +4 °C. The extreme LSTs recorded indicate no significant influence of HW on SUHI intensity. SUHI intensity maps of the intraurban space evidence hotspots of much higher values located at densely built-up areas, while urban green spaces and dense vegetation show lower values. In the same manner, UTFVI has shown “no” SUHI for densely vegetated regions, water bodies, and low-dense built-up areas with intertwined dense vegetation, while the “strongest” SUHI was observed for non-vegetated dense built-up areas with low albedo material such as concrete and pavement. LST was evidenced as a good marker for assessing the influence of HWs on SUHI and recognizing potential thermal environmental consequences of SUHI intensity. This finding highlights that remote-sensing based LST is particularly suitable as an indicator in the analysis of SUHI intensity patterns during HWs at different spatial resolutions. LST used as an indicator for analyzing and detecting extreme temperature events and its consequences seems to be a promising means for rapid and accurate monitoring and mapping.

Habitat thermal quality for Gopherus evgoodei in tropical deciduous forest and consequences of habitat modification by buffelgrass

Tortoises of the genus Gopherus evolved in North America and have survived major environmental challenges in the past 40 million years. However, this genus now faces multiple anthropogenic threats, such as the introduction of invasive plant species. Buffelgrass (Cenchrus ciliaris) is considered one of the greatest threats to arid and tropical ecosystems, where gopher tortoises inhabit, because the grass displaces native flora and fauna. Modification of the environment as a result of this invasive plant portends an alteration of the available thermal landscape. The aim of this paper is twofold: 1) to evaluate the thermal quality of the primary habitat of Gopherus evgoodei (tropical deciduous forest [TDF], and 2) determine the potential thermal changes due to habitat modification by buffelgrass. First, we obtained data on body temperature of active tortoises in semi-captivity. Second, we measured the operative environmental temperature during 5 years at three sites south of Sonora, Mexico that support G. evgoodei: a) a pristine TDF (Conserved-TDF); b) a forest patch surrounded by introduced buffelgrass pasture (Partial-TDF); and c) an introduced buffelgrass pasture area (Buffel-Pasture). Our results demonstrate that the intact microhabitats within the TDF provide G. evgoodei with high thermal quality at both spatial and temporal scales. However modified habitat by buffelgrass had higher operative temperatures for G. evgoodei than TDF. The thermal quality of the sites disturbed with buffelgrass can exceed the thermal requirements of G. evgoodei by up to 25 °C. Finally, we discussed potential collateral effects of habitat modification by invasion by buffelgrass.

On the Quantification of Local Climate Zone Change and its Impact on the Thermal and Urban Landscape Metrics in Kolkata

On the Quantification of Local Climate Zone Change and its Impact on the Thermal and Urban Landscape Metrics in Kolkata

Thermal boldness: Volunteer exploration of extreme temperatures in fruit flies

A dominant perception is that small and motile ectothermic animals must use behavior to avoid exposure to critical or sub-critical temperatures impairing physiological performance. Concomitantly, volunteer exploration of extreme environments by some individuals may promote physiological adjustments and enhance ecological opportunity. Here we introduce to the literature a Thermal Decision System (TDS) which is fully modular, thermally stable, versatile, and adaptable to study navigation through thermal landscapes in insects and other small motile animals. We used a specific setting of the TDS to investigate volunteer navigation through critical cold and hot temperatures in Drosophila melanogaster. We demonstrate that a thermally bold behavior (volunteer crossings through a Critical Temperature Zone, CTZ) characterized a fraction of flies in a sample, and that such a fraction was higher in an outbred population relative to isofemale lines. As set, the TDS generated a thermal gradient within the cold and hot CTZs, and the exploration of this gradient by flies did not relate simply with a tendency to be thermally bold. Mild fasting affected thermal exploration and boldness in complex manners, but thermal boldness was evident in both fasted and fed flies. Also, thermal boldness was not associated with individual critical temperatures. Finally, some flies showed consistent thermal boldness, as flies that performed an extreme thermal cross were more likely to perform a second cross compared with untested flies. We hypothesize that a simple “avoidance principle” is not the only behavioral drive for D. melanogaster facing extreme temperatures over space, and that this pattern may characterize other small motile ectothermic animals with analogous natural history. The physiological correlates, genetic architecture, and interspecific variation of thermal boldness deserve further consideration.

A thermal adaptation landscape related to virulence in Mucor irregularis transcriptional profiles

Our study aimed to better understand the different thermal adaptation in Mucor irregularis (M.irregularis) strains under high temperature and the involved virulence-related genes, and to offer more appropriate explanation for the diverse pathogenicity of M.irregularis in human infections. M.irregularis isolates were incubated at 30 and 35°C for Illumina HiSeq technology (RNA-seq), as well as the virulence difference detected through Galleria mellonella infection models. We verified their transcriptional profile with RT-PCR and analysed differentially expressed genes with GO and KEGG annotations. All 25 isolates formed the biggest colonies at 28°C and did not grow at 37°C, while were differently inhibited at 22 and 35°C. Six selected M.irregularis displayed virulence in sync with their growth condition at high temperature. From the outcomes of RNA-seq, a total of 1559 differentially expressed genes (FC≥2, FDR<0.05) were obtained, of which 1021 genes were upregulated, and 538 genes were downregulated. Cell wall structure genes related to Ras-like and GH16 proteins, influx-efflux pumps consist of transmembrane proteins as ABC and MFS proteins, and metabolic genes as DGKɛ and Hsfs, seem to be essential in thermal adaptation and virulence of M.irregularis. We found some common genes expressed at high temperature, while some others specifically related to M.irregularis isolates with different virulence and thermal adaptation. Further research of genes involved in the pathogenic process is needed for the development of potential targeted antifungal.

Fire management alters the thermal landscape and provides multi-scale thermal options for a terrestrial turtle facing a changing climate.

As effects of climate change intensify, there is a growing need to understand the thermal properties of landscapes and their influence on wildlife. A key thermal property of landscapes is vegetation structure and composition. Management approaches can alter vegetation and consequently the thermal landscape, potentially resulting in underappreciated consequences for wildlife thermoregulation. Consideration of spatial scale can clarify how management overlaid onto existing vegetation patterns affects thermal properties of landscapes relevant to wildlife. We examined effects of temperature, fire management, and vegetation structure on multi-scale habitat selection of an ectothermic vertebrate (the turtle Terrapene carolina triunguis) in the Great Plains of the central United States by linking time-since-fire data from 18 experimental burn plots to turtle telemetry locations and thermal and vegetation height data. Within three 60-ha experimental landscapes, each containing six 10-ha sub-blocks that are periodically burned, we found that turtles select time-since-fire gradients differently depending on maximum daily ambient temperature. At moderate temperatures, turtles selected sub-blocks with recent (<1year) time-since-fire, but during relatively hot and cool conditions, they selected sub-blocks with later (2-3year) time-since-fire that provided thermal buffering compared with recently burned sub-blocks. Within 10-ha sub-blocks, turtles selected locations with taller vegetation during warmer conditions that provided thermal buffering. Thermal performance curves revealed that turtle activity declined as temperatures exceeded ~24-29°C, and on "heat days" (≥29°C) 73% of turtles were inactive compared with 37% on non-heat days, emphasizing that thermal extremes may lead to opportunity costs (i.e., foregone benefits turtles could otherwise accrue if active). Our results indicate that management approaches that promote a mosaic of vegetation heights, like spatiotemporally dynamic fire, can provide thermal refuges at multiple spatial scales and thus be an actionable way to provide wildlife with multiple thermal options in the context of ongoing and future climate change.

Advancing Cave Detection Using Terrain Analysis and Thermal Imagery

Since the initial experiments nearly 50 years ago, techniques for detecting caves using airborne and spacecraft acquired thermal imagery have improved markedly. These advances are largely due to a combination of higher instrument sensitivity, modern computing systems, and processor-intensive analytical techniques. Through applying these advancements, our goals were to: (1) Determine the efficacy of methods designed for terrain analysis and applied to thermal imagery; (2) evaluate the usefulness of predawn and midday imagery for detecting caves; and (3) ascertain which imagery type (predawn, midday, or the difference between those two times) was most informative. Using forward stepwise logistic (FSL) and Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression analyses for model selection, and a thermal imagery dataset acquired from the Mojave Desert, California, we examined the efficacy of three well-known terrain descriptors (i.e., slope, topographic position index (TPI), and curvature) on thermal imagery for cave detection. We also included the actual, untransformed thermal DN values (hereafter “unenhanced thermal”) as a fourth dataset. Thereafter, we compared the thermal signatures of known cave entrances to all non-cave surface locations. We determined these terrain-based analytical methods, which described the “shape” of the thermal landscape, hold significant promise for cave detection. All imagery types produced similar results. Down-selected covariates per imagery type, based upon the FSL models, were: Predawn— slope, TPI, curvature at 0 m from cave entrance, as well as slope at 1 m from cave entrance; midday— slope, TPI, and unenhanced thermal at 0 m from cave entrance; and difference— TPI and slope at 0 m from cave entrance, as well as unenhanced thermal and TPI at 3.5 m from cave entrance. We provide recommendations for future research directions in terrestrial and planetary cave detection using thermal imagery.

Woody encroachment of grasslands: Near-surface thermal implications assessed through the lens of an astronomical event.

Temperature has long been understood as a fundamental condition that influences ecological patterns and processes. Heterogeneity in landscapes that is structured by ultimate (climate) and proximate (vegetation, topography, disturbance events, and land use) forces serve to shape thermal patterns across multiple spatio‐temporal scales. Thermal landscapes of grasslands are likely shifting as woody encroachment fragments these ecosystems and studies quantifying thermal fragmentation in grassland systems resulting from woody encroachment are lacking. We utilized the August 21st, 2017, solar eclipse to mimic a rapid sunrise/sunset event across a landscape characterized as a grassland to experimentally manipulate levels of solar radiation in the system. We then quantified changes in near‐surface temperatures resulting from changes in solar radiation levels during the eclipse. Temperatures were monitored across three grassland pastures in central Oklahoma that were characterized by different densities (low, medium, and high) of Juniperus virginiana to understand the impact of woody encroachment on diurnal temperature patterns and thermal heterogeneity in a grassland's thermal landscape. The largest temperature range across sites that occurred during the eclipse was in the mixed grass vegetation. Similarly, the largest change in thermal heterogeneity occurred in the grassland with the lowest amount of woody encroachment. Thermal heterogeneity was lowest in the highly encroached grassland, which also experienced the lowest overall change in thermal heterogeneity during the eclipse. Time series models suggested that solar radiation was the most influential factor in predicting changes in thermal heterogeneity as opposed to ambient temperature alone. These results suggest that highly encroached grasslands may experience lower diurnal variability of temperatures at the cost of a decrease in the overall thermal heterogeneity of that landscape. It appears that fine‐scale spatio‐temporal thermal variation is largely driven by solar radiation, which can be influenced by vegetation heterogeneity inherent within a landscape.

Spatiotemporal Differentiation of Land Surface Thermal Landscape in Yangtze River Delta Region, China

Advancements in the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta are changing the structure and function of the surface thermal landscape and triggering a series of ecological and environmental problems. Therefore, examining the spatiotemporal differentiation characteristics and evolution laws of this land surface thermal landscape has great theoretical and practical significance in the context of optimizing functional zoning and realizing the harmonious development of the economy, society and nature. The paper uses the LST (land surface temperature) data retrieved by MODIS (MOD11A2) remote sensing satellites in 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016 and 2019 to extract a land surface thermal rating map of the Yangtze River Delta region, and to analyze the spatiotemporal differentiation in the land surface thermal landscape, combining of the land surface thermal landscape strip profile and thermal landscape pattern indices. The results show that the LST in the Yangtze River Delta region has increased in the past 12 years, the proportion of middle-, sub-high- and high-temperature zones increased by 33.42%, and the high-temperature zone has gradually extended into inland areas. The high-temperature zones in the areas surrounding core cities such as Shanghai, Nanjing, and Hangzhou have expanded. The corridor effect of thermal changes on the surface is obvious. The degree of aggregation in the lower-temperature areas has gradually decreased. The degree of aggregation in the higher-temperature regions has increased. The patch types of thermal landscape pattern increase, and the distribution of landscape area among various types tends to be even. this trend is most significant in optimized development region.

Characteristics of land surface temperature clusters: Case study of the central urban area of Guangzhou

Land surface temperature (LST) clusters within cities are typical regions reflecting the spatial heterogeneity of the urban thermal environment. To explore the spatial heterogeneity of the urban thermal environment in the central urban area of Guangzhou, we used the localized contour tree method to identify high- and low-LST clusters. In addition, to understand the characteristics of LST clusters (characteristics of the thermal environment and landscape distribution within the LST cluster), we obtained thermal field value (TFV) data based on the rules of equal-area division and determined the urban functional grid (UFG) based on multi-source data. We found that the characteristics of the high- and low-LST clusters significantly differed. Compared with that of the low-LST clusters, the spatial distribution of the high-LST clusters is denser. The number and total area of low-LST clusters are smaller than that of high-LST clusters, although the average area of low-LST clusters is larger. The spatial heterogeneity of the 10 types of UFGs within the high- and low-LST clusters is significant. The developed and ecological UFGs classified from 10 types of UFGs affect the formation of LST clusters. In addition, there are main UFGs that affect the mean TFV of the LST clusters. This study provides a new approach for the identification of LST clusters and a new perspective for exploring the spatial heterogeneity of urban thermal environments.

Long-term Circumpolar Active Layer Monitoring (CALM) program observations in Northern Alaskan tundra

ABSTRACT The Circumpolar Active Layer Monitoring (CALM) network is an ongoing international effort to collect and disseminate standardized measurements of active-layer dynamics to monitor the response of near-surface permafrost parameters to climate change. This work presents a distillation of 25 years (1995–2019) of observations from three north–south transects of CALM sites in tundra environments of Alaska. Transects examined in this work bisect tundra regions of discontinuous permafrost on the Seward Peninsula, and the continuous permafrost zone on the western and eastern sections of the Arctic Foothills and Arctic Coastal Plain. These transects represent regional climatic gradients, several physiographic provinces, and regionally characteristic landcover associations. Total active-layer thickening at observed sites ranged from 7 to 26 cm; more significant thaw occurred in the foothills despite less pronounced warming air temperature trends. This summary highlights several regional active layer responses to climate warming, complicated by distinct thermal landscape sensitivities, landscape variability, and documented thaw subsidence. Data summarized in this report are publicly available and represent an important validation resource for earth-system models that include regions in the continuous and discontinuous permafrost zones of northern and western Alaska.

Cooling strategies for thermal comfort in cities: a review of key methods in landscape design.

Under the climate change scenario, the negative impacts of urban heat island (UHI) will exacerbate due to unsustainable urban planning and human activities. Thermal comfort has close relationships with UHI in urban areas. This paper is based on the studies of urban heat island, thermal comfort, microclimate, and urban planning in cities in the recent decade, combined with a method of research into design. The key topics include vegetation and water conditions, the albedo of materials, and urban morphology. By the comparative case studies in landscape projects, the results further reveal that the density of tree canopies, the natural structure and density of ground cover, the form of water features, the color and texture of materials, and the scale of shading structures have different cooling effect and performance in outdoor thermal comfort improvement with specific features in the landscape design. It is also found that there are some external conditions that can influence design determinations in real practices. The purpose of this study is to provide theoretical research methods and evaluation of thermal comfort landscape design elements and to provide guidance for future sustainable city research and landscape design.

The variability of soils and vegetation of hydrothermal fields in the Valley of Geysers at Kamchatka Peninsula

The picturesque and high conservation value thermal landscapes of the Valley of Geysers feature endothermal (heated by endogenous fluids) soils which support endangered and unique species. However, such soils have not been distinguished as a separate taxon within most classification systems. In this study, we described the soil morphology at macro-, meso- and micro-scales, chemistry, mineralogy and vegetation of these landscapes as they are affected by the steam-heated acid-sulfate waters. The studied catenary sequence from exothermal (non-heated) to endothermal soils was characterized by decreasing contents of soil organic carbon, sand fraction, essential nutrients (Ca, K, Mg, Mn and Si), increasing soil acidity, amounts of fine particle-size fractions and contents of trace elements (Al, As, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb, Ti and V) as well as the development of sodium-sulfate salinity, kaolinization and ferrugination. In phytocenoses supported by endothermal soils, species of order Rosales and Asparagales were overrepresented among obligate and facultative thermophytes respectively, and species of order Poales were underrepresented among facultative thermophytes in relation to the flora of the Valley of Geysers. Phytocenoses on the non-heated Andosols were enriched in Polypodiopsida species. The results of our comparative analysis of the thermally-induced variability in the soils and vegetation contribute to the general understanding of mineralogical, bio-abiotic and biological systems affected by steam-heated acid-sulfate waters. We hope that our findings will provide a basis for future transdisciplinary studies of the influence of steam-heated waters of a hot spring on the thermal landscapes.

Habitat structure mediates vulnerability to climate change through its effects on thermoregulatory behavior

AbstractTropical ectotherms are thought to be especially vulnerable to climate change because they are thermal specialists, having evolved in aseasonal thermal environments. However, even within the tropics, habitat structure can influence opportunities for behavioral thermoregulation. Open (and edge) habitats likely promote more effective thermoregulation due to the high spatial heterogeneity of the thermal landscape, while forests are thermally homogenous and may constrain opportunities for behavioral buffering of environmental temperatures. Nevertheless, the ways in which behavior and physiology interact at local scales to influence the response to climate change are rarely investigated. We examined the thermal ecology and physiology of two lizard species that occupy distinct environments in the tropics. The brown anole lizard (Anolis sagrei) lives along forest edges in The Bahamas, whereas the Panamanian slender anole (Anolis apletophallus) lives under the canopy of mature forests in Panama. We combined detailed estimates of environmental variation, thermoregulatory behavior, and physiology to model the vulnerability of each of these species. Our projections suggest that forest‐dwelling slender anoles will experience severely reduced locomotor performance, activity time, and energy budgets as the climate warms over the coming century. Conversely, the forest‐edge‐dwelling brown anoles may use behavioral compensation in the face of warming, maintaining population viability for many decades. Our results indicate that local habitat variation, through its effects on behavior and physiology, is a major determinant of vulnerability to climate change. When attempting to predict the impacts of climate change on a given population, broad‐scale characteristics such as latitude may have limited predictive power.

Environmental heterogeneity shapes physiological traits in tropical direct-developing frogs.

Tropical ectotherm species tend to have narrower physiological limits than species from temperate areas. As a consequence, tropical species are considered highly vulnerable to climate change since minor temperature increases can push them beyond their physiological thermal tolerance. Differences in physiological tolerances can also be seen at finer evolutionary scales, such as among populations of ectotherm species along elevation gradients, highlighting the physiological sensitivity of such organisms.Here, we analyze the influence of elevation and bioclimatic domains, defined by temperature and precipitation, on thermal sensitivities of a terrestrial direct‐developing frog (Craugastor loki) in a tropical gradient. We address the following questions: (a) Does preferred temperature vary with elevation and among bioclimatic domains? (b) Do thermal tolerance limits, that is, critical thermal maximum and critical thermal minimum vary with elevation and bioclimatic domains? and (c) Are populations from high elevations more vulnerable to climate warming?We found that along an elevation gradient body temperature decreases as environmental temperature increases. The preferred temperature tends to moderately increase with elevation within the sampled bioclimatic domains. Our results indicate that the ideal thermal landscape for this species is located at midelevations, where the thermal accuracy (db) and thermal quality of the environment (de) are suitable. The critical thermal maximum is variable across elevations and among the bioclimatic domains, decreasing as elevation increases. Conversely, the critical thermal minimum is not as variable as the critical thermal maximum.Populations from the lowlands may be more vulnerable to future increases in temperature. We highlight that the critical thermal maximum is related to high temperatures exhibited across the elevation gradient and within each bioclimatic domain; therefore, it is a response to high environmental temperatures.

Unidirectional spin wave propagation due to a saturation magnetization gradient

We demonstrate using micromagnetic simulations and a theoretical model that a gradient in the saturation magnetization ($M_s$) of a perpendicularly magnetized ferromagnetic film induces a non-reciprocal spin wave propagation and, consequently an asymmetric dispersion relation. The $M_s$ gradient adds a linear potential to the spin wave equation of motion consistent with the presence of a force. We consider a transformation from an inertial reference frame in which the $M_s$ is constant to an accelerated reference frame where the resulting inertial force corresponds to the force from the $M_s$ gradient. As in the Doppler effect, the frequency shift leads to an asymmetric dispersion relation. Additionally, we show that under certain circumstances, unidirectional propagation of spin waves can be achieved which is essential for the design of magnonic circuits. Our results become more relevant in light of recent experimental works in which a suitable thermal landscape is used to dynamically modulate the saturation magnetization.

Urban neighbourhood environment assessment based on street view image processing: A review of research trends

The urban neighbourhood is one of the most important places for public activities and behaviour spaces in cities, and the quantification of their environments is receiving increasing attention from researchers. In the era of big data, numerous urban data sources, represented by street view images, are documenting the evolution of people's lifestyles in various ways. With the rapid development of image processing technology, street view images have become an emerging data source for urban research. Street view image processing can be used to obtain spatial elements of large scale urban neighborhoods, thus enabling rapid urban neighbourhood evaluation. However, no systematic literature review has been conducted so far on the research of street view images application in urban neighbourhood environment. This paper systematically reviews the research trends of existing publications on the use of street view images for the quantitative analysis of urban neighbourhood environments. The number of publications began to grow rapidly in 2010. From 2010 to 2020, the number of publications increased from 6 to 341, with an annual growth rate of approximately 30.4%. Recent studies have focused on five areas: thermal environment, neighbourhood morphology, environmental perception, socio-economic factors, landscape design and environmental evaluation. The publications use experiment and simulation as the main research methods. Deep learning is the mainstream and advanced image processing method, and the data analysis models include numerical analysis and spatial analysis. Finally, the overall research framework and future research trends of street view images in the current quantitative research of urban streets are obtained.