Loss Of Vegetation Research Articles

Impact of open-cast placer mining on sediment transport across Far Eastern rivers of Russia

This study examines patterns of sediment transport in Far Eastern rivers of Russia affected by open-cast placer mining—mostly for gold, rarely for silver, and in a few cases for platinum and diamonds. Long-term monitoring and remote-sensing data are used to determine the location of mining landscapes and to detect sediment concentrations and plumes originating from the mining sites. The current study suggests that catchments of the Amur, Kolyma, and Lena rivers are global mining hot spots accommodating up to 1.1%–3.8% of total mining-related vegetation losses. Here, ∼20,100 km of river valleys (0.48% of the river network length) are currently disturbed by mining, with the maximum density of disturbed river valleys being up to 200–300 m/km2 in the basins of the tributaries of the Upper Kolyma and Zeya rivers. To explore the potential mining impact on sediment load, these data were linked with the long-term sediment trends. Concentrations and discharges of mean annual, monthly, and daily suspended sediment decreased from the 1970s and 1980s to the present day at more than 40% of the 40 stream gauge sites assessed across the contiguous Far East. Increasing sediment trends were widespread across 20% of the sites localized in the cluster of greatest mining-related land disturbances. Up to 30% of the sites are characterized by sediment load growth up to the end of the 1980s and a subsequent decline due to the recent abandonment of mining activities. The current study highlights the non-linear relations between mining-related vegetation losses and sediment release into the river network, which is explained by diverse sources of sediment generation within mining areas and other drivers of sediment transport that interact and may attenuate or intensify the signal of mining impact.

Carbon Loss from Earthquake Induced Landslides in Fiordland

Landslides triggered by two earthquakes in Fiordland, New Zealand, were mapped using Google Earth Pro retro satellite imagery (eye altitude of 1.5-2.5 km, enabling ± 50 m precision), then catalogued and classified in a GIS inventory. Ground acceleration during the 2003 Mw 7.2 Secretary Island Earthquake resulted in at least 1852 landslides, but the larger Mw 7.8 2009 Dusky Sound Earthquake had lower accelerations and produced only 313. Both events dislodged large swaths of native forest, grassland vegetation and soil from Fiordland’s steep slopes in similar proportions, some landing in rivers and fiords. The landslide maps and magnitude-frequency distributions show close similarity to a published Global Forest Loss dataset derived from 2001-2022 satellite imagery. Assuming forest loss in this wilderness is predominantly landslide-related, it enables the more-precise earthquake-induced landslide mapping to be placed in a longer-term context of other vegetation loss, mostly rainfall-induced landslides, during the past two decades. The total area of forest loss during the 2003 earthquake was anomalous, whereas during 2009 the earthquake losses were similar to areas of forest loss assumed to be rainfall-induced landslides throughout Fiordland each year. Carbon concentrations of landslide vegetation and soil were calculated by defining vegetation types from a published Land Cover Database, and soil organic carbon concentration from a 1 km resolution raster dataset. Total carbon loss from earthquake-induced landslides amounts to 2.05E+06 tonnes for the 2003 Mw7.2 and 2.17E+05 tonnes for the 2009 Mw 7.8. By way of comparison, New Zealand’s total annual carbon sequestration was 6.3E+06 tonnes in 2020. Earthquake-induced and rainfall-induced landslides are shown to account for significant changes in stored carbon and available carbon sequestration, especially in areas of densely vegetated land, such as Fiordland. Processes of landscape disturbance should be included in carbon accounting and estimates of national greenhouse gas emissions.
 
 Supervised by: Caroline Orchiston
 Scholarship Project Funded by: Centre for Sustainability

The challenge of commodity-centric governance in sacrifice frontiers: Evidence from the Brazilian Cerrado's soy sector

Conservation governance is increasingly globalized, particularly supply chain polices implemented by multinational corporations. However, the ways that local elite narratives and power networks influence the design and implementation of policies is poorly understood. We examine the role that local agribusiness narratives have on producers’ resistance to supply chain policies through the concept of the “sacrifice frontier”. We theorize sacrifice frontiers are regions where reinforcing perceptions that conversion of native vegetation has high economic potential and low conservation importance combine with rapid processes of wealth and power consolidation by agribusiness interests. We posit that these dimensions of a sacrifice frontier make rapid land use change and ongoing social and ecological harm especially probable as they reinforce constraints on sustainability governance. Here, we build on existing theories of environmental sacrifice through the case of the Cerrado biome, Brazil’s most active deforestation frontier. We argue that in the Cerrado, and other sacrifice frontiers like it, interventions that seek to reduce native vegetation loss cannot rely on supply-chain led policies, but instead need to foster more territorial multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder discussions to alter the narrative of sociocultural and biodiversity sacrifice locally. We suggest this can be achieved by paying attention to local needs in a manner that is inclusive to all land users present within a targeted landscape.

Modeling the Brazilian Cerrado land use change highlights the need to account for private property sizes for biodiversity conservation

Simulating future land use changes can be an important tool to support decision-making, especially in areas that are experiencing rapid anthropogenic pressure, such as the Cerrado–Brazilian savanna. Here we used a spatially-explicit model to identify the main drivers of native vegetation loss in the Cerrado and then extrapolate this loss for 2050 and 2070. We also analyzed the role of property size in complex Brazilian environmental laws in determining different outcomes of these projections. Our results show that distance to rivers, roads, and cities, agricultural potential, permanent and annual crop agriculture, and cattle led to observed/historical loss of vegetation, while protected areas prevented such loss. Assuming full adoption of the current Forest Code, the Cerrado may lose 26.5 million ha (± 11.8 95% C.I.) of native vegetation by 2050 and 30.6 million ha (± 12.8 95% C.I.) by 2070, and this loss shall occur mainly within large properties. In terms of reconciling conservation and agricultural production, we recommend that public policies focus primarily on large farms, such as protecting 30% of the area of properties larger than 2500 ha, which would avoid a loss of more than 4.1 million hectares of native vegetation, corresponding to 13% of the predicted loss by 2070.

Postharvest Losses and Management of Horticultural Produce: A Review

Horticultural postharvest losses pose a significant challenge to the supply chain and economic growth, particularly in impoverished nations. This review paper explores the multifaceted issues surrounding postharvest losses in horticultural crops and emphasizes the critical role of technological innovations in mitigating these losses. Various stakeholders within the value chain, including farmers, handlers, and consumers, face substantial risks due to insufficient postharvest handling techniques. The study underscores the urgency of adopting advanced postharvest technologies, focusing on enhanced harvesting and packaging strategies. By using cutting-edge technologies, it is possible to lower losses after harvest and raise the general standard of fresh produce. The improper use of packing materials and inadequate packaging methods significantly contribute to these losses, making it imperative to address these aspects for sustainable solutions. This comprehensive review not only identifies the reason for fruit and vegetable losses after harvesting within the countries but also provides actionable insights into mitigating measures. This article intends to support the creation of a robust and successful horticulture supply chain by addressing the issues and offering workable solutions. The integration of technological advancements in harvesting, handling, and packaging processes emerges as a key element in the overall strategy to reduce postharvest losses and promote economic growth in resource-constrained regions.

How Effective Are Palm-Fiber-Based Erosion Control Blankets (ECB) against Natural Rainfall?

Rainfall-induced soil erosion is a significant environmental issue that can lead to soil degradation and loss of vegetation. The estimated global annual loss increased by 2.5% over 11 years, from 35 billion tons in 2001 to 35.9 billion tons in 2012, mainly due to spatial changes. Indonesia is predicted to be among the largest and most intensively eroded regions among countries with higher soil erosion, regarded as hot-spots higher than 20 Mg yr−1 ha−1. Due to climate change, natural rainfall patterns in the tropical regions have been subject to change, with a lower number of rainy days and increased intensity of precipitation. Such changes trigger more soil erosion due to heavier rainfall kicking up dried soil particles that are exposed in the bare embankments. Unfortunately, there is no prevention available in developing countries due to the lack of availability and high prices of mitigation techniques such as terraces and covering areas with geotextiles or blankets. Erosion control blankets (ECBs) have emerged as a potential solution to mitigate soil erosion. This research article aims to evaluate the effectiveness of sugar-palm-fiber-based ECB in reducing soil erosion caused by natural rainfall. The study investigates the effectiveness of sugar-palm-based ECB in protecting against erosion at the designated embankment. During the three months of typical rainy seasons (February to April 2023), total eroded mass (kg) was collected and measured from two adjacent microplots (10 m2 each), one covered with ECB and the other one left as uncovered soil (bare soil). The results indicate that eroded mass is proportional to rainfall, with coefficients of 0.4 and 0.04 for bare soil and ECB-covered embankments, respectively. The total soil loss recorded during the monitoring period was 154.6 kg and 16.7 kg for bare and ECB-covered soil, respectively. The significantly high efficiency of the up to 90% reduction in soil losses was achieved by covering the slope with sugar-palm-fiber-based ECB. The reason for this may be attributed to the intrinsic surface properties of sugar palm fiber ropes and the soil characteristics of the plot area. Sugar palm (Arenga pinnata) fiber has higher lignocellulosic contents that produce a perfect combination of strong mechanical properties (higher tensile strength and young modulus) and a higher resistance to weathering processes. Although the cost of production of handmade sugar-palm-fiber-based ECB is now as high as 4 EUR, further reductions in cost production can be achieved by introducing machinery. Compared to typical ECBs which have smaller openings, sugar-palm-based ECB has larger openings that allow for vegetation to grow and provide it with a lower density. As such, we recommend improvements in the quality of palm-fiber-based ECB via the introduction of further automation in the production process, so that the price can be reduced in line with other commercially available natural fibers such as jute and coir.

Utilizing Sentinel-2 Satellite Imagery for LULC and NDVI Change Dynamics for Gelephu, Bhutan

Gelephu, located in the Himalayan region, has undergone significant development activities due to its suitable topography and geographic location. This has led to rapid urbanization in recent years. Assessing land use land cover (LULC) dynamics and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) can provide important information about urbanization trends and changes in vegetation health, respectively. The use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) techniques based on various satellite products offers a unique opportunity to analyze these changes at a local scale. Exploring Bhutan’s mandate to maintain 60% forest cover and analyzing LULC transitions and vegetation changes using Sentinel-2 satellite imagery at 10 m resolution can provide important insights into potential future impacts. To examine these, we first performed LULC mapping for Gelephu for 2016 and 2023 using a Random Forest (RF) classifier and identified LULC changes. Second, the study assessed the dynamics of vegetation change within the study area by analysing the NDVI for the same period. Furthermore, the study also characterized the resulting LULC change for Gelephu Thromde, a sub-administrative municipal entity, as a result of the notable intensity of the infrastructure development activities. The current study used a framework to collect Sentinel-2 satellite data, which was then used for pre-and post-processing to create LULC and NDVI maps. The classification model achieved high accuracy, with an area under the curve (AUC) of up to 0.89. The corresponding LULC and NDVI statistics were analysed to determine the current status of the LULC and vegetation indices, respectively. The LULC change analysis reveals urban growth of 5.65% and 15.05% for Gelephu and Gelephu Thromde, respectively. The NDVI assessment shows significant deterioration in vegetation health with a 75.11% loss of healthy vegetation in Gelephu between 2016 and 2023. The results serve as a basis for strategy adaption required to examine the environmental protection and sustainable development management, and the policy interventions to minimize and balance the ecosystem, taking into account urban landscape.

Forest and Natural Vegetation Cover Loss Over 2000 to 2020 in Sri Lanka; A Canopy Density Base Analysis

As one of the most important biodiversity hotspot, forest and natural vegetation areas play an essential role in the global ecosystem. It provides an uncountable number of ecosystem services while controlling the adverse impacts of climatic changes. With the expansion of civilization and fulfilling the infinite needs of man, forests and natural vegetation areas were destroyed, especially for agricultural purposes, development projects and timber. Due to this, the accelerated growth of deforestation and loss of natural vegetation can be observed in Sri Lanka in the past few decades. This study aimed to identify the forest and natural vegetation area loss from 2000 to 2020 with a particular focus on the Canopy Density (CD) of tree cover (>25%, >50% and >75%) in Sri Lanka. The satellite estimated data (30 mx30 m resolution) was downloaded from the 2000 to 2020 time period from the Global Forest Watch (GFW) online platform conducted by the World Resource Institute were used. Spatial and temporal changing patterns of the forest and natural vegetation areas have been identified using descriptive analysis methods (percentage) using MS Excel 2019 software. Results of the study found that in 2000, 61.38 percent of the country was covered with above 25% tree cover CD, while 53.86 percent and 39.76 percent of areas have covered with the tree cover CD above 50% and 75%, respectively. However, when it has come to 2020, these areas have decreased by 52.78 percent (>25% CD), 44.27 percent (>50% CD) and 28.65 percent (>75% CD). During this period, 8.6 percent (>25% CD), 9.59 percent (>50% CD) and 11.11 percent (>75% CD) of the forest and natural vegetation areas of Sri Lanka have lost the country. Throughout this period, 2016 can be identified as a year at risk for deforestation due to its annual deforestation rate (>8.8 percent). The total area of forest cover lost in 2016 is 17799 ha (>25% CD), 15583 ha (>50% CD) and 9865 ha (>75% CD). This is nearly 13 percent of forest cover loss for all three types of CD tree cover areas. According to the calculations of the forest areas that have >75% of CD, Anuradhapura (12.06%), Kurunegala (9.82%), and Monaragala (8.49%) districts are the areas that contributed to forest cover loss in the country during 2000 to 2020. According to the study, the annual deforestation rate is still very high. Hence should be needed to monitor and take action to stop deforestation and achieve sustainability in natural resource management in Sri Lanka. 
 Keywords: Deforestation, Canopy density, Tree cover, Natural resource management, Sri Lanka

Post-Harvest Management and Value Addition in Vegetable Crops

Horticultural production is reaching new heights every passing year. Presently, India is the second largest producer of vegetables after China. However, humongous postharvest losses and waste occur due to improper management and handling. Postharvest loss has been one of the main global challenges towards ensuring food security. This waste seems inhumane especially when tens of millions of people worldwide are suffering from hunger, malnutrition, under-nutrition and other chronic diseases while the food waste contributes to global warming as well. Fresh vegetables are highly perishable. Lack of proper transportation, especially temperature management during transit and storage further reduces their storability and marketing window. United Nations sustainable developmental goal 2 aims to reduce food losses by 50% by 2030. Several approaches like value addition particularly drying technology, temperature and storage atmosphere control, using edible coatings and different anti-senescent molecules like salicylic acid, nitric oxide, 1-methylcyclopropene, methyl jasmonate, polyamines, etc. have been undertaken world-wide to enhance storability of fresh vegetables. This review is an attempt to present a bird’ eye view of postharvest losses and possible strategies for the management and reduction of losses in vegetables.

Emerging Insect Pests of Vegetable Crops under Changing Climate Scenario

Crop losses in vegetables vary greatly depending on plant variety, cropping season, geographical location, and pest damage potential. Vegetable crops are heavily impacted by insect pests and diseases due to their softness, fragility and short duration in comparison to other crops. An emerging insect pest is one that has been observed in a specific crop-infested area and has progressively increased in population over time. Emerging insect pests have the potential to cause economic harm. In other words, an emerging insect pest is a pest insect whose position has shifted from minor to major or secondary to primary pest. The number of existing minor pests is increasing, as is the arrival of new ones, such as mealybugs, fruit flies, stem borers, diamondback moths among phytophagous insects and red spider mites among acarine. Recent infestations, such as South American tomato pinworm and chili black flower thrips, have caused serious damage to tomato and chili harvests. This review envisages on the variables that contribute to the establishment of new invasive pests, the persistence of main pests, general pest management practices, and integrated pest management to achieve sustainable vegetable production.

Evaluating vegetation vulnerability under compound dry and hot conditions using vine copula across global lands

With global warming, climate extremes are intensifying, particularly compound dry and hot events (CDHEs), which would severely impact vegetation growth. However, quantitatively evaluating vegetation vulnerability to CDHEs remains challenging in global lands. A conditional probability model was constructed using the vine copula function to evaluate responses of vegetation to CDHEs based on the Standardized Moisture Anomaly Index (SZI), the Standardized Temperature Index (STI), and the kernel Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (kNDVI). The results show that vegetation growth is more susceptible to dry and hot conditions in arid and semi-arid regions than in sub-humid and humid regions. In terms of vegetation types, shrubs, savanna, grass, and crops are more susceptible to CDHEs than to individual dry or hot events, especially in water-limited regions. In arid regions, the vegetation vulnerability for open shrubs, closed shrubs, savanna, and grass under extreme CDHEs would correspondingly increase by 45%, 23%, 15%, and 12% compared with dry conditions, indicating the necessity to consider both dry and hot conditions simultaneously when evaluating vegetation dynamics to climatic extremes. In semi-arid and sub-humid regions, broadleaf forests show higher vulnerability to CDHEs than needleleaf forests. However, evergreen broadleaf forests show the lowest vulnerability and higher resistance to CDHEs in humid regions. The Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)-based uncertainty decomposition results show that copula combination sets in vine copula trees and vine copula structures are the two main uncertainty sources, accounting for about 60%. Despite with uncertainty, the modeling results show consistent vegetation loss probability patterns simulated with different structures of the vine copula model, indicating the robustness and reliability of the results. The findings provide a profound comprehension of ecosystems’ response mechanisms to compound extremes, which are essential to developing effective mitigation and adaptation strategies against the impact of future climate change.

Tedarik Zinciri Boyunca Sebze Kayıpları ve Atıkları, Geri Dönüşüm İçin Çiftçinin Ödeme İstekliliği: Yeşil Tedarik Zincirine Doğru

The aims of the study were (i) to determine amount of the vegetable losses and waste generated along the supply chain by production system such as under greenhouse and conventional system in open area, (ii) to explore the amount of willingness to pay for recycling vegetable losses and waste by composting and its determinants, (iii) to reveal the economic feasibility of composting vegetable losses and waste at district level and (iv) to calculate the individual and social cost of vegetable losses and waste along the supply chain by production system in Turkey. The farm level research data were collected from 81 conventional farms and 45 greenhouse farms in the Samsun province of Turkey by using questionnaires. In addition, 50 traders and 17 greengrocers, 13 supermarkets and 9 local marketers were interviewed. When quantifying vegetable losses and waste in mass, vegetable supply chain was examined in five different stages such as production, postharvest handling and storage, processing and packaging, distribution and retail. Contingent valuation method was used to asses willingness to pay of farmers, traders/merchants in wholesale market hall, greengrocer and super markets for composting of vegetable losses and waste. The economic feasibility of recycling of waste was revealed by using the net present value, cost-benefit analysis and internal rate of return. According to the research findings, the loss rates of vegetables produced per hectare in the greenhouse at the farm, wholesaler and retailer levels were respectively 2.2%; 1% and 20.3%. The loss rates of vegetables produced per hectare in the conventional farm at the farm, wholesaler and retailer levels were 3%, respectively; 0.9% and 16.8%. The individual loss of producers in the examined area was 0.67 thousand US $/year. The rates of individual loss of farms to annual agricultural income were 1.7% and 2.4% in greenhouse and conventional farms, respectively. Other individual losses in wholesales, retailer and consumers were 0.25, 4.89 and 1.02 thousand US $, respectively. The total social loss in the examined area was 6.83 thousand US $. When an assessment was made at the national level, the social loss was about 4% of the annual agricultural income. According to the research results, it has been concluded that depending on the amount of losses, the compost production facility to be established in the district can economically recycle vegetable losses and wastes.

Research on Vegetable Pricing and Replenishment Strategy Based on TOPSIS Method and Simulated Annealing Algorithm

By mining the relationship between categories and individual products, this paper puts forward enterprise replenishment and pricing strategies under different conditions. First of all, from the 49 kinds of vegetables sold, the TOPSIS method based on entropy weight is used to select the top 20 important items by taking the market demand and excess income as the first-level index, and taking the historical sales rate, average daily sales volume, variance of sales volume, vegetable loss rate and unit profit as the second-level index. Then, based on the concept of complementary and alternative goods, through the Spearman correlation coefficient, and using the weighted correlation coefficient method, select the top 9 items, such as ginger, garlic, millet pepper combination and so on. Using these selected items, taking the profit maximization of fresh merchants as the objective function and the demand of each category as constraints, a 0-1 integer nonlinear programming model is established. Then, the simulated annealing algorithm is used to simulate the planning for 1000000 times, and the pricing strategy and supply plan of the enterprise on July 1st are obtained, and the maximum profit on that day is 2098.17 yuan.

Activated Human Adipose Tissue Transplantation Promotes Sensorimotor Recovery after Acute Spinal Cord Contusion in Rats.

Traumatic spinal cord injuries (SCIs) often result in sensory, motor, and vegetative function loss below the injury site. Although preclinical results have been promising, significant solutions for SCI patients have not been achieved through translating repair strategies to clinical trials. In this study, we investigated the effective potential of mechanically activated lipoaspirated adipose tissue when transplanted into the epicenter of a thoracic spinal contusion. Male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into three experimental groups: SHAM (uninjured and untreated), NaCl (spinal cord contusion with NaCl application), and AF (spinal cord contusion with transplanted activated human fat). Pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α) were measured to assess endogenous inflammation levels 14 days after injury. Sensorimotor recovery was monitored weekly for 12 weeks, and gait and electrophysiological analyses were performed at the end of this observational period. The results indicated that AF reduced endogenous inflammation post-SCI and there was a significant improvement in sensorimotor recovery. Moreover, activated adipose tissue also reinstated the segmental sensorimotor loop and the communication between supra- and sub-lesional spinal cord regions. This investigation highlights the efficacy of activated adipose tissue grafting in acute SCI, suggesting it is a promising therapeutic approach for spinal cord repair after traumatic contusion in humans.

Google Earth Engine and Sentinel 1/2 data-based forest degradation monitoring of Sundarban Biosphere Reserve

Tropical cyclone was effect through biodiversity, environment-nature circumstances, mangrove deforestation; flood inundation and high salinity at worldwide landscape and regularly in coastal ecosystem. Indian coastal areas recorded numerous tropical cyclones were impact through nature-environment effects, like Titli, Fani, Amphan, Bulbul, and Yass. This analysis was to recognize flood inundation and LULC alteration regions because of tropical cyclones. The cloud computing-based Google Earth Engine (GEE) stage is applied for growth of the flood inundation regions assessment in the affected Indian coastal area. The Random Forest (RF) approach is applied for vegetation change monitoring and Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Rader (SAR) of the pre- and post-cyclone is applied for the monitoring and mapping of cyclonic result on landforms. In the outcome, vegetation loss is 238.34 km2 (2015/2016), 181.79 km2 (2016/2017), 443.00 km2 (2017/2018), 22.64 km2 (2018/2019), 34.39 km2 (2019/2020), 118.51 km2 (2020/2021) and 134.24 km2 (2021/2022) because of those years happens numerous cyclones Fani (2019), Bulbul (2019), Amphan (2022) and Yass (2021). The NDVI of the examining years are 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 highest values were 0.172, 0.726, 0.593, 0.831, 0.634, 0.568 and 0.387 respectively. South most parts of Ganga-delta were recording enormous alteration in certain periods; similarly, dynamics of mangrove forests are recorded. This analysis indicates that novel adaptation strategies, future disaster management and planning can help to reduce the mangrove deforestation. Mangrove plantation, river bank management and coastal planning is necessary to reducing the climate change effects. Those analyses can help to the future disaster management team, stakeholders and for awareness purpose.

Development of evaporative cooling mobile vending cart for vegetables

Post-harvest losses of fruits and vegetables are impacted by lack of adequate low-temperature storage and transportation facilities. The present traditional vending system of handling fruits and vegetables by street vendors causes loss of weight due to lack of cooling system. Solar powered evaporative cooling vending cart operating at reduced temperature was developed and evaluated for its performance loading vegetables namely spinach, fenugreek, brinjal, tomato, cucumber and chilly in the month of February, April and September. The mean drop in temperature was observed 10.21±0.41°C, 8.97±0.46°C and 3.37±1.21°C, whereas mean per cent-increase in relative humidity was 216.54±46.77%, 184.59±12.63% and 130.20±5% observed inside the storage chamber during the month of February, April and September, respectively. Per cent saving in physiological loss in weight (PLW) was highest (62.5%) in spinach, followed by tomato (57.27%), brinjal (53.62%), cucumber (51.97%), chilly (31.69%) and fenugreek (30.30%) as compared to ambient (control). Saving in weight was more than 0.14kg.kg-1 of vegetables over control.

Impact of Urban Vegetation Loss on Urban Heat Islands: A Case Study of Chennai Metropolitan Area

Impact of Urban Vegetation Loss on Urban Heat Islands: A Case Study of Chennai Metropolitan Area

Air Temperature Modeling Based on Land Surface Factors by the Cubist Method (Case Study of Hamoun International Wetland)

The drying up of Hamoun International Wetland (HIW) and the loss of vegetation in this area have led to an increase in ambient temperature. This research examines the changes in the surface of HIW and its role in air temperature (Tair) using data on land surface temperature (LST), vegetation, wind speed, and relative humidity. The Cubist regression model (CRM) is used to simulate the effects of land surface factors (LSFs) on Tair. Four microsites with different plant cover percentages were selected for this purpose. After data collection, 75% of the data were used for modeling and 25% of the data were used for model testing. The results showed that CRM has adequate performance for estimating Tair. The assessment of the relationship between land surface temperature (LST) and Tair at 2 meter height showed that there was a high correlation coefficient between 0.86 and 0.91 in the different microsites. The results of using CRM for estimating Tair showed that this model can estimate air temperature from independent parameters of LST, wind speed, vegetation percentage, and relative humidity with a correlation coefficient of 0.98. In this model, the LST, relative humidity, and vegetation percentage were entered with values of 100%, 93%, and 83% respectively. Wind speed was not included in the model because the measurements were constant and less than 4 m/s throughout the period (no changes).

EVALUATION OF SPECTRAL INDICES FOR DETECTION OF BURNED AREAS IN AN ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AREA USING SPOT-5 IMAGES

The Cerrado biome has great importance in ecological biodiversity, but deforestation has accelerated in recent decades. The Rio Preto-BA Environmental Preservation Area, known for the high agricultural activity of grains, continually suffers from forest fires and loss of native vegetation. Satellite remote sensing is proposed as an alternative to accurately locate and quantify fire-affected surfaces and their impacts on the landscape. With the recent free availability of SPOT-5 images, it has made it possible to detect burned areas with considerable spatial and spectral resolution. The objective of the present study was to determine the ideal spectral index for detection of the burned area inserted in the APA Rio Preto through two SPOT-5 scenes and the application of the Support Vector Machines (SVM) model. The burned areas detected were submitted to the calculation of five spectral indices, BAI, BAIM, NBR, NDVI and EVI2. The ability of each index to discriminate burned areas was estimated by comparing them with each other using a statistical separability index, SVM regression and accuracy analysis. BAIM was identified as the index with the greatest potential for discriminating burnt areas with maximum separability and classification accuracy above 90%, while the NDVI and EVI2 indices had low performance. It is hoped that these results can be used to evaluate and prioritize monitoring areas, contribute to the implementation of a fire management plan in the APA and to support subsequent studies on fire dynamics in forest systems integrated with advanced computational technologies.

Application of electrolysed water in post-harvest treatment of fruits and vegetables

Post-harvest losses in fruits and vegetables have triggered the interest of scientists to look for alternative methods for treatment of horticultural produce after harvest for inactivation of pathogens without causing any ill effects.