Wetness change detection in the upper Narew valley for 20 years using Tasseled Cap transformation and wetness indices

Wetness monitoring is very important issue especially on wetlands ecosystems, because they are very vulnerable to changes, particularly those made by human. The upper Narew valley with eminence was analyzed. Described area is in north-eastern Poland and covers the valley from Tykocin to Łazy. This area is unique wetland habitat in Europe. In natural part is an anastomosing river system, whereas second part is covered by agricultural areas (wetlands which were drained in ‘70 of XX century). The aim of this paper is to demonstrate quantitative multitemporal analyses of changes in this environment by using various wetness indices and comparing them. To investigate the amount of changes the images from Landsat were used: from TM and ETM+ scanner (available from http://glovis.usgs.gov/). They were from two time series: the end of XX century (1989, 1992, 1993 and 1994) and the beginning of XXI century (2006 and 2007). All of the images were from the beginning or the middle of the vegetation season. In addition, meteorological data were used (from www. tutiempo.es), to detect the precipitation influence on analyzed indices. NDVI was calculated using image from the 2006, then the mask was created to remove all apart from the vegetation (everything under 0,4). After that the Tasseled Cap transformation was made to obtain Wetness band (TCW). Values under -37 on image from 1993 were masked to eliminate cloudy areas. In next step two wetness indices were calculated: Normalized Difference Infrared Index (NDII) and Moisture Stress Index (MSI). TCW is based on visual, near-infrared and-middle infrared electromagnetic radiation, because of that it could depend on atmospheric conditions. NDII and MSI are calculated only from 4th and 5th Landsat bands. Scattering from aerosols in that part of wavelength is weaker and doesn’t have big impact on indices values. Three describing indices are used when atmospheric correction isn’t possible or needed. Values of the three parameters were mapped by dividing into four classes: higher, medium, lower and the lowest wetness. Maps were averaged in the two time series (end of XX and beginning of XXI century). They were reclassified into tree difference maps to show the differences in wetness conditions and between various indices. Three maps showing changes in wetness were classified into five categories: much more wet, more wet, no changes, drier and much drier. These set of data could be compared. The results show that about 55% of analyzing area is stable. Table 3 present that about 2% of all changes were big. About 30% of total amount of transformation are connected with drainage areas. Areas which were more wet cover about 10%. Drained areas are getting extremely wet based on TCW, but opposite tendency can be noted on MSI and NDII maps. Big discrepancy between the maps of changes was discovered. TCW showed that the natural valley is getting drier and eminences are getting wet, but the results are different for the other two analyzed indices. Apart from that, some of the results are different for the parameters. In further research this kind of analysis should be compared with land cover and field measurements

MODIS data in evaluation of orchards diseases prediction models

Choroby upraw sadowniczych rozwijają się w określonych warunkach pogodowych. Wyznaczanie terminów stosowania oprysków jest ściśle powiązane z sytuacją meteorologiczną na danym obszarze. Przedmiot badań to infekcja grzybem Venturia inaequalis, która stanowi najbardziej powszechną chorobę sadów głównie jabłoniowych. Istotne dla sadowników jest wykrycie momentu, w którym warunki stają się sprzyjające do wysiewu zarodników tego grzyba, by móc zastosować środki chemiczne. Od wielu lat podstawowym kryterium jego wyznaczania jest tabela Mills’a. Określa ona stopień zagrożenia na podstawie zależności pomiędzy temperaturą powietrza a długością zwilżenia liści. Informacje takiego typu są możliwe do pozyskania bazując na danych satelitarnych MODIS. Dane te charakteryzują się wysoką rozdzielczością czasową oraz spektralną. Model bazujący na takich danych może być innowacyjny dla sadownictwa w Polsce gdyż brak jest tu przestrzennego i kompleksowego systemu informującego o pojawiających się zagrożeniach. Niskorozdzielcze obrazy satelitarne, które są podstawą planowanej pracy zwiększają zarówno zasięg, precyzję jak i obiektywność pomiarów. Celem pracy jest modelowanie zagrożenia dla stanu zdrowotnego sadów poprzez infekcję grzybem Venturia inaequalis (tzw. parch jabłoni), wynikające z warunków pogodowych, na podstawie obrazów satelitarnych MODIS z dodatkowym uwzględnieniem danych o pokryciu terenu. W pracy wykorzystano algorytmy pozwalające na obliczenie zawartości wody w powietrzu (W) oraz temperatury powierzchni gruntu (LST) na podstawie obrazów MODIS (Sobrino i in., 2003). Uzyskane wartości skorelowano z temperaturą powietrza oraz wilgotnością bezwzględną, pomierzonymi w tym samym czasie przez naziemne stacje meteorologiczne. Uzyskano współczynnik determinacji na poziomie R2=0,59 w odniesieniu do temperatury i 0,67 dla wilgotności powietrza, jednak tylko dla terenów pokrytych zieloną roślinnością. Metoda regresji liniowej pozwoliła na obliczenie temperatury i wilgotności powietrza bezpośrednio z danych MODIS, dla wszystkich pikseli o wartości wskaźnika NDVI powyżej 0,4 w skali całego kraju. Na podstawie źródeł publikowanych oraz osobistego wywiadu wśród sadowników z regionu grójeckiego opracowano tabelę zależności ryzyka wystąpienia infekcji chorobą od temperatury powietrza i wilgotności względnej, czyli od dwóch parametrów możliwych do obliczenia z obrazów MODIS. Uzyskano dwie metody – dla okresów sprzyjających infekcji oraz gdy warunki pogodowe hamują rozwój patogenu. Końcowym efektem jest model umożliwiający obliczenie analizowanych parametrów oraz indeksu symulującego zagrożenie, gotowy do operacyjnego zaimplementowania. Apple scab, the most common orchard disease, develops in certain weather conditions. Application of pesticides can cause contamination of soils and waters. Therefore the information system, which will inform farmers about the need of spraying at the real time is very needed. In Poland there is no comprehensive management system for informing about the emerging fruit threats. Information for that issues are possible to obtain based on satellite data such MODIS. That images are characterized by high time resolution (up to 2 per day) and spectral (from visible light to thermal). Low-resolution multispectral data are not applicable in the analysis of symptoms or disease, however, allows to analyze the conditions under which it is developing. The study of meteorological parameters do not require large-scale studies, what is more, some degree of generalization is indicated. In apple scab prediction models relative humidity and air temperature are one of the main factors taking into account. This research is an attempt to extract such information directly from the MODIS data. It focused on finding the method based only from remotely acquired data to show spatial distribution of contagion risk. Research Institute of Pomology and Floriculture in Skierniewice released data for the period of May and June 2010 from seven meteorological ground station. Data were collected in a continuous manner, with an accuracy of 30 minutes or 1 hour. MODIS images were fitted with them with 15 or 30 min accuracy. Water Vapor and Land Surface Temperature were calculated using Sobrino at al., (2003) methods. Computed parameters were correlated with relative humidity and air temperature from ground measurements. Only for areas with NDVI higher than 0,4 and with homogenous type of land use statistics demonstrate strong relationship. New algorithms for humidity and temperature from MODIS images were tested and implemented for that kind of areas. Calculated parameters were used in elaboration of new apple scab prediction model. The result maps can inform growers about the degree of risk of the factors threatening the cultivation. Elaborated model were tested in near real time in Space Research Centre (CBK PAN) and then validated using Welte algorithm data for May and June 2014

TIG and laser beam welded joints – simplified numerical analyses

Regardless of the welding method, a new joint and the surrounding area are inevitably subjected to thermo-physical perturbation. The paper presents analyses of many different issues involved in welding and potential solutions including adoption of simplifying assumptions, application of numerical algorithms and development of reliable representative models. The Finite Element Method is used to determine residual stress distribution, using results from thermo-physical tests and widely known mechanical properties of metals subjected to welding processes. Experimental and numerical methods for determining residual stress are compared for welds generated using both TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas, Gas Tungsten Arc Welding) and a laser beam. This data reveals that it is necessary to precisely define location of the analyzed welded fragment to correctly determine thermal boundary conditions

Species Diversity of Oak Stands and Its Significance for Drought Resistance

Drought periods have an adverse impact on the condition of oak stands. Research on different types of ecosystems has confirmed a correlation between plant species diversity and the adverse effects of droughts. The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes that occurred in an oak stand (Krotoszyn Plateau, Poland) under the impact of the summer drought in 2015. We used a method based on remote sensing indices from satellite images in order to detect changes in the vegetation in 2014 and 2015. A positive difference was interpreted as an improvement, whereas a negative one was treated as a deterioration of the stand condition. The Shannon-Wiener species diversity was estimated using an iterative principal component analysis (PCA) algorithm based on aerial images. We observed a relationship between the species indices of the individual forest divisions and their response to drought. The highest correlation between the index differences and the Shannon-Wiener indices was found for the Green Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (GNDVI) index (+0.74). In addition, correlations were observed between the mean index difference and the percentage shares in the forest divisions of species such as Pinus sylvestris L. (P. sylvestris) (+0.67 ± 0.08) and Quercus robur L. (Q. robur) (−0.65 ± 0.10). Our results lead us to infer that forest management based on highly diverse habitats is more suitable to meet the challenges in the context of global climatic changes, characterized by increasingly frequent droughts

The impact of drought in 2015 on the health forest condition determined using Landsat-8 OLI images

The main aim of this research was to determine the impact of drought (in 2015) on forests stand condition using remote sensing and statistical techniques. The study was based on the analysis of vegetation indices calculated from a series of Landsat-8 OLI satellite images covering the 2014 and 2015 growing seasons. Various tree biophysical and physical parameters as well as forest habitat characteristics were tested in order to find the most significant factors affecting drought resistance. Three approaches were used: (i) index differences, (ii) PCA analysis, and (iii) ANOVA statistical analysis. All three approaches used in this study indicate that forest biodiversity is the most important factor determining habitat response to stress conditions. Coniferous and mixed tree habitats were less sensitive than deciduous ones. Statistical analysis revealed the relationship between stress and soil types, as those more permeable were less dependent on rainwater. The highest stress was found for precipitation-dependent gley soils. Undergrowth density and height were also indicated as important factors inducing habitat response to a changing weather situation. All the results confirmed the usefulness of mid-infrared based indices for water shortage monitoring in forests. They confirmed that habitat biodiversity has a positive effect on its resistance to stressful conditions. Also forest type (conifer/deciduous) determines it’s sensitivity. Precipitation and groundwater shortages have different effects on the forest condition depending on soil type

Silver Nanoparticles and Graphene Oxide Complex as an Anti-Inflammatory Biocompatible Liquid Nano-Dressing for Skin Infected with Staphylococcus aureus

Marlena Zielińska-Górska,1 Malwina Sosnowska-Ławnicka,1 Sławomir Jaworski,1 Agata Lange,1 Karolina Daniluk,1 Barbara Nasiłowska,2 Bartosz Bartosewicz,2 André Chwalibog,3 Ewa Sawosz1 1Department of Nanobiotechnology, Institute of Biology, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Warsaw, 02-787, Poland; 2Institute of Optoelectronics, Military University of Technology, Warsaw, 00-908, Poland; 3Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, 1870, DenmarkCorrespondence: Marlena Zielińska-Górska, Department of Nanobiotechnology, Institute of Biology, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Ciszewskiego 8 St., bldg. 23, room 110, Warsaw, 02-786, Poland, Tel +48225936665, Email [email protected]: Bacterial skin infections, including Staphylococcus aureus, are a powerful and still not fully resolved problem. The aim of this research was to determine the possibility of using a complex of graphene oxide (GO) encrusted with silver nanoparticles as an effective antibacterial agent against S. aureus and to assess its pro-inflammatory properties.Methods: The tests were carried out in vitro on EpiDerm™ Skin, an artificial skin model (MatTek in vitro Life Science Laboratories, Slovak Republic), and the fibroblast cell line (HFF-2 from ATCC, USA). Both models were infected with S. aureus bacteria (ATCC 25923) and then treated with antibiotics or our experimental factors: silver nanoparticles (AgNPs, Nano-koloid, Poland), graphene oxide (GO, NanoPoz, Poland), and complex AgNP-GO (hydrocolloid created by self-assembly).Results: The antibacterial effectiveness of the AgNP-GO complex was equivalent to that of the antibiotic. In addition, an increase in the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines was observed under the influence of antibiotic administration, in contrast to the effect of AgNP-GO, which showed very limited pro-inflammatory activity.Conclusion: Hydrocolloid of the AgNP-GO complex, administered in the form of a liquid dressing, may act as an antibacterial agent and also reduce inflammation induced by S. aureus infection.Keywords: human skin, inflammation state, nanomaterials, antibacterial propertie