8 research outputs found

    Forest Fires in Europe Middle East and North Africa 2013

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    This is the 14th “Forest Fires in Europe” report published by the European Commission. The report contains a summary of the 2013 fire season in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa with official statistics on the number of fires and burnt areas compiled by the contributing countries. In addition to country reports with a summary of the past fire season provided by the countries, the report Forest Fires in Europe, Middle East and North Africa informs about the latest developments in terms of forest fire prevention and initiatives of the European Commission to support forest fires fire protection activities in the European Union. Furthermore it provides the results of the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) operating during the fire season, with special emphasis on the EFFIS Danger Forecast, providing daily maps of meteorological fire danger forecast of EU, and the EFFIS Rapid Damage Assessment, performing the daily mapping and assessment of main land cover and Natura2000 areas affected by fires of at least 40 ha during the fire season.JRC.H.3-Forest Resources and Climat

    Forest Fires in Europe, Middle East and North Africa 2011

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    This is the 12th “Forest Fires in Europe” report published by the European Commission. The area covered by the report has been enlarged to include also Middle East and North Africa countries, thus also the title of the report has been changed accordingly. The report contains a summary of the 2011 fire season in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa with official statistics on the number of fires and burnt areas compiled by the contributing countries. In addition to country reports with a summary of the past fire season provided by the countries, the report Forest Fires in Europe, Middle East and North Africa informs about the latest developments in terms of forest fire prevention and initiatives of the European Commission to support forest fires fire protection activities in the European Union. Furthermore it provides the results of the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) operating during the fire season, with special emphasis on the EFFIS Danger Forecast, providing daily maps of meteorological fire danger forecast of EU, and the EFFIS Rapid Damage Assessment, performing the daily mapping and assessment of main land cover and Natura2000 areas affected by fires of at least 40 ha during the fire season..JRC.H.3-Forest Resources and Climat

    Mineralogical mapping using airborne imaging spectrometry data

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    With the development of airborne, high spectral resolution imaging spectrometers, we now have a tool, that allows us to examine surface materials with enough spectral detail to identify them. Identification is based on the analysis of position and shape of absorption features in the material spectra in the visible and infrared (0.4µm to 2.5µm). These absorption features are caused by the interaction of Electro-Magnetic Radiation (EMR) with the atoms and molecules of the surface material. Airborne data were collected to evaluate these new high spectral resolution systems. The data quality was assessed prior to processing and analysis and several problems were noted for each data set (striping, geometric distortion, etc.). These problems required some preparation of the data. After data preparation, data processing methods were evaluated, concentrating primarily on the log residuals and hull quotients methods. The processing steps convert the data to a form suitable for analysis. The data was analysed using the Spectral Analysis Manager (SPAM) package, developed by JPL. Two Imaging spectrometers were evaluated. The AIS - 1 instrument was flown over an area in Queensland, Australia. Ground data and laboratory work confirmed the presence of anomalous areas detected by the instrument. The data quality was poor and only basic classification of the data was possible. Anomalies were classed as "GREEN VEGETATION", "DRY VEGETATION", "CLAY" or "CARBONATE" based on the position of the major absorptions observed. The second instrument, the GER - II was flown over an area of Nevada, USA. Ground data and laboratory work confirmed the presence of the anomalies detected by the instrument. The data quality was somewhat better. Identification of sericite, dolomite and illite was possible. However, most of the area could still only be classed in the broad groupings listed above. To conclude, the effectiveness of identification is limited to a large degree by the poor data quality. If the data quality can be improved, techniques can be applied to automatically locate and identify material spectra, from the airborne data alone

    Slovo.ru: Baltic accent 1/2022

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    Priming Projects for Production - A Three-Pronged Approach

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    In January 2012, SCDOT Secretary of Transportation created a Manpower Management Task Force team, for the purpose of determining the agency's manpower requirements, using a broad personnel-to-task or workload analysis across all work areas and functions of SCDOT. The overall goal of this effort was to determine the optimum number of employees and type of skills needed to perform the many tasks within SCDOT. This project represents the first phase of research to identify a proposed process improvement that, if implemented, would establish a systematic way of priming projects for production, using a three-pronged approach: 1. Project Categorization 2. Project Development 3. Project Distribution

    Vegetation and Landscape Dynamics in Eastern Taranaki Hill Country

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    An ecological study of hill country landscapes in eastern Taranaki, New Zealand, was undertaken as part of a project concerning the implications of long-term soil mantle changes for sustainable land use. The study was undertaken in a 417 km2 area comprising uplifted and steeply dissected soft Tertiary sediments with a predominantly sandstone lithology. Rapid European settlement in the 1890s modified the natural vegetation cover greatly, so that most remaining forest in the study area occurs in patches surrounded by a matrix of pastoral land. Vegetational and successional patterns and environmental variation : The pattern of woody vegetation was investigated by extensive reconnaissance sampling incorporating semi-quantitative analysis of canopy cover, followed by intensive, environmentally stratified sampling. The vegetation was classified on a structural and floristic basis into 19 units of forest, treeland, scrub and shrubland. The effect of environmental variation on vegetation composition was investigated by reciprocal averaging ordination (DECORANA). The first ordination axis was correlated to vegetation structure and canopy height and was interpreted as a complex disturbance gradient relating to time since disturbance. The second and third axes were related to soil fertility and topographical gradients. Forest plots were dominated by Beilschmiedia tawa and Weinmannia racemosa and had basal area values of up to >250 m2/ha. Basal area, stem and seedling density varied greatly between vegetation structural groups. Regeneration of woody vegetation following various types of disturbance: The disturbance regime was comprehensively documented. Main factors of natural disturbance are landslide erosion and windthrow; main factors of cultural disturbance are direct clearance by felling and burning, and introduced animals. A chronology is presented of successional pathways for about 400 years following major disturbance. Succession proceeds through shrubland and scrub stages dominated by treeferns, Leptospermwn scoparium or other broadleaved woody shrubs, through treeland, to broadleaved forest dominated firstly by W. racemosa or Knightia excelsa, then by B. tawa. Podocarp trees are generally only prominent after a long period of uninterrupted succession. Seedling recruitment, mortality and growth were monitored for 2 years. Seedling dynamics varied considerably between and within sampling plots, some of which contained small exclosures that excluded possums and goats. The effects of introduced animals on seedling recruitment and vegetation growth is strongly modified by microtopography. Most dominant species showed continuous regeneration at the scale of the whole study area, despite local discontinuities. This pattern was consistent with a model of interrpted gap-phase regeneration, which may be widely applicable to New Zealand lowland forests. The vegetation turnover time is in the order of 150-250 years, a period consistent with comparable temperate forest ecosystems. The successional pathway is primarily dependent on topography, previous site history and location and area of disturbance. The existence of residual-soils on landslide scars, variations in plant propagule supply, and rapid loss of soil from steep slopes cleared for agriculture, all suggest that a rigid distinction between primary and secondary succession in the study area is not appropriate. Hillslope processes underlying vegetation and landscape change: Hillslope processes were studied in five 0.1 ha plots in which slope profiles were measured, vegetation and microtopography mapped in detail, vegetation age assessed and soil properties investigated. Ground surface age was assessed as an interpretation of the above data. Mean surface age was c. 450 years, but some swales had a surface age of several thousand years. There was a significant correlation between surface age and soil depth, soil depth increase being faster and continuing for much longer under forest than under pasture. Observations were made of near-surface erosion processes such as soil creep. A model of hillslope erosion is outlined, involving periodic evacuation of swales by landslides and refilling of swales by near-surface erosion. Evidence of past environments supports a fluvial origin for swales in an early Ohakean (glacial maximum) or pre-Ohakean period of high erosion. A concluding synthesis of vegetation, topography and soils emphasises the importance of selecting appropriate temporal and spatial scales at which to study landscape processes
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