The potential of multi-sensor satellite data for applications in environmental monitoring with special emphasis on land cover mapping, desertification monitoring and fire detection

Unprecedented pressure on the physical, chemical and biological systems of the Earth results in environment problems locally and globally, therefore the detection and understanding of environmental change based on long-term environmental data is very urgent. In developing countries/regions, because the natural resources are depleted for development while environmental awareness is poor, environment is changing faster. The insufficient environmental investment and sometimes infeasible ground access make the environment information acquisition and update inflexible through standard methods. With the main advantages of global observation, repetitive coverage, multispectral sensing and low-cost implementation, satellite remote sensing technology is a promising tool for monitoring environment, especially in the less developed countries. Multi-sensor satellite images may provide increased interpretation capabilities and more reliable results since data with different characteristics are combined and can achieve improved accuracies, better temporal coverage, and better inference about the environment than could be achieved by the use of a single sensor alone. The objective of this thesis is to demonstrate the capability and technique of the multi-sensor satellite data to monitor the environment in developing countries. Land cover assessment of Salonga national park in the democratic republic of Congo of Africa, desertification monitoring in North China and tropical/boreal wildland fire detection in Indonesia/Siberia were selected as three cases in this study for demonstrating the potential of multi-sensor application to environment monitoring. Chapter 2 demonstrates the combination of Landsat satellite images, Global Position System (GPS) signals, aerial videos and digital photos for assessing the land cover of Salonga national park in Congo. The purpose was to rapidly assess the current status of Salonga national park, especially its vegetation, and investigated the possible human impacts by shifting cultivation, logging and mining. Results show that the forests in the Salonga national park are in very good condition. Most of the area is covered by undisturbed, pristine evergreen lowland and swamp forests. No logging or mining activity could be detected. Chapter 3 demonstrates the one full year time series SPOT VEGETATION with coarse resolution of 1 km and the ASTER images with higher resolution of 15 meters as well as Landsat images for land cover mapping optimised for desertification monitoring in North-China. One point six million km2 were identified as risk areas of desertification. Results show within a satellite based multi-scale monitoring system SPOT VEGETATION imagery can be very useful to detect large scale dynamic environmental changes and desertification processes which then can be analysed in more detail by high resolution imagery and field surveys. Chapter 4 demonstrates the detection of tropical forest fire and boreal forest fire. Firstly, the ENVISAT ASAR backscatter dynamics and ENVISAT full resolution MERIS characteristics of fire scars were investigated in Siberian boreal forest, and results show these two sensors are very useful for fire monitoring and impact assessment. Secondly, the general capability and potential of ENVISAT multi-sensor of MERIS, AATSR, ASAR as well as NOAA-AVHRR and MODIS for tropical forest fire event monitoring and impact assessment in tropical Indonesia were investigated, and results show the capability of ENVISAT to acquire data from different sensors simultaneously or within a short period of time greatly enhances the possibilities to monitor fire occurrence and assess fire impact. Finally, the multi-sensor technology was applied to the disastrous boreal forest fire event of 2003 around East and West Lake Baikal in Siberia, and results show that 202,000 km2 burnt in 2003 within the study area of 1,300,000 km2, which is more than the total burnt area between 1996-2002. 71.4% of the burnt areas were forests, and 11.6% were wetlands or bogs. In total 32.2% of the forest cover has been burnt at least once from 1996 to 2003, 14% of the area has been affected at least twice by fire. These demonstrations show that in spite of the two disadvantages of indirect satellite measurements and the difficulty of detecting the cause of environment change, multi-sensor satellite technology is very useful in environment monitoring. However more studies on multi-sensor data fusion methods are needed for integrating the different satellite data from various sources. The lack of personnel skilled in remote sensing is a severe deficiency in developing countries, so the technology transfer from the developed countries is needed

Regionalization in Eastern and Central Europe: obstacles and perspectives

Regional policy depends on efficient administrative systems for designing and implementing strategies, and places considerable demands on Member States’ public administrations in terms of e.g. financial management and monitoring; project selection procedures; ex ante environmental impact assessments and cost-benefit analyses; and the monitoring and evaluation of outputs, results and impacts. EU member states have taken a range of different approaches to the administration of regional policy.The construction of regions in the countries of Eastern and Central Europe became one of the important debate topics for preparation for EU membership. Despite the numerous similarities in the changes that have taken place in the territorial structures of the Eastern and Central European countries, the differences in the responses individual countries gave to the challenges of regional development and the varied results of their development efforts demonstrate that the “Eastern European Bloc” is at least as heterogeneous as the former member states of the European Union. EU accession opened up a Pandora’s Box in the countries of Eastern and Central Europe. The fundamental issue of how unitarily structured states can be set on a decentralised path became the centre of debate. The paper introduces the Central and Eastern European achievements of region building processes and searches for an explanation of the reasons for the difficulties of Eastern and Central Europe in regional construction; it summarises the administrative and political development pre-requisites of the transition to a regional outline of the possible advantages of a regional institutional system in the creation of the Cohesion Policy ensuring a decrease in regional differences

Stable Isotopes in Tree Rings

This Open Access volume highlights how tree ring stable isotopes have been used to address a range of environmental issues from paleoclimatology to forest management, and anthropogenic impacts on forest growth. It will further evaluate weaknesses and strengths of isotope applications in tree rings. In contrast to older tree ring studies, which predominantly applied a pure statistical approach this book will focus on physiological mechanisms that influence isotopic signals and reflect environmental impacts. Focusing on connections between physiological responses and drivers of isotope variation will also clarify why environmental impacts are not linearly reflected in isotope ratios and tree ring widths. This volume will be of interest to any researcher and educator who uses tree rings (and other organic matter proxies) to reconstruct paleoclimate as well as to understand contemporary functional processes and anthropogenic influences on native ecosystems. The use of stable isotopes in biogeochemical studies has expanded greatly in recent years, making this volume a valuable resource to a growing and vibrant community of researchers

Northern timberline forests: environmental and socio-economic issues and concerns.

Arktisen Neuvoston Metsänrajahankkeen loppuraportti7 Preface 9 Introductory Remarks 14 Recommendations on Environmental and Socio-economic Issues and Concerns in Northern Timberline Forests (Ludger Mtiller-Wille) 19 Sustainable Development of the Lesotundra Zone in Russia: Problems and Opportunities (Tatiana Kouzminichna Vlassova) 40 Living at the Timberline - The Sami and the Mountain Birch Forests in Northernmost Europe (Maria Sofia Aikio and Ludger Miiller-Wille) 57 Modeling Forestry Resources with Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems (Shivanand Balram and John E. Lewis) 70 The World Reindeer Livelihood - Current Situation, Threats and Possibilities (Johan Mathis Turi) 76 Nordic Mountain Birch Forests (Frans-Emil Wielgolaski) 91 The Spatial Structure of the Timberline Landscape and Its Relation to Climate and Permafrost in the Usa Basin, NW Russia (Tarmo Virtanen, Kari Mikkola and Ari Nikula) 96 Russian Forest Industry and Its Threats to Timberline Forests (Alexander. I. Voropaev) 102 Assessment of Recent and Possible Future Forest Responses to Climate in Boreal Alaska (Valerie Barber, Glenn Patrick Juday, Ed Berg and Martin Wilmking) 106 Global Warming and Regional Tree-ring Growth Response in the Kola Peninsula, North-West Russia (Oleg M. Raspopov, Т. Kolström, O.L. Shumilov, I. Ju. Kirtsideli, V.A. Dergachev, M. Lindholm, J. Meriläinen, O. Eggertsson, E.A. Kasatkina, A.V. Kuzmin, G.G. Matishev, and S.L. Dzhenyuk) 113 Appendices 113 A: Paper and Poster Abstracts of the Northern Timberline Workshop in Rovaniemi, 23-25 May 2002 128 B: Northern Tree Line: The Location of the Tree Line and Its Implications for Humans 133 Russian language pages 272 С: List of Participant and Addresses / Список Участников и Адресы 279 D: Color Figures / Цветные рисунк