8 research outputs found

    The biogeography of the Amazonian tree flora

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    We describe the geographical variation in tree species composition across Amazonian forests and show how environmental conditions are associated with species turnover. Our analyses are based on 2023 forest inventory plots (1 ha) that provide abundance data for a total of 5188 tree species. Withinplot species composition reflected both local environmental conditions (especially soil nutrients and hydrology) and geographical regions. A broader-scale view of species turnover was obtained by interpolating the relative tree species abundances over Amazonia into 47,441 0.1-degree grid cells. Two main dimensions of spatial change in tree species composition were identified. The first was a gradient between western Amazonia at the Andean forelands (with young geology and relatively nutrient-rich soils) and central–eastern Amazonia associated with the Guiana and Brazilian Shields (with more ancient geology and poor soils). The second gradient was between the wet forests of the northwest and the drier forests in southern Amazonia. Isolines linking cells of similar composition crossed major Amazonian rivers, suggesting that tree species distributions are not limited by rivers. Even though some areas of relatively sharp species turnover were identified, mostly the tree species composition changed gradually over large extents, which does not support delimiting clear discrete biogeographic regions within Amazonia

    Towards p-Adaptive Spectral/hp Element Methods for Modelling Industrial Flows

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    There is an increasing requirement from both academia and industry for high-fidelity flow simulations that are able to accurately capture complicated and transient flow dynamics in complex geometries. Coupled with the growing availability of high-performance, highly parallel computing resources, there is therefore a demand for scalable numerical methods and corresponding software frameworks which can deliver the next-generation of complex and detailed fluid simulations to scientists and engineers in an efficient way. In this article we discuss recent and upcoming advances in the use of the spectral/hp element method for addressing these modelling challenges. To use these methods efficiently for such applications, is critical that computational resolution is placed in the regions of the flow where it is needed most, which is often not known a priori. We propose the use of spatially and temporally varying polynomial order, coupled with appropriate error estimators, as key requirements in permitting these methods to achieve computationally efficient high-fidelity solutions to complex flow problems in the fluid dynamics community

    Image resection and heat transfer measurements by IR thermography in hypersonic flows

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    This study describes a data reduction technique to estimate heat fluxes in hypersonic flows based on measurements of the temperature distribution on the surface of the model by means of infrared (IR) thermography. IR images are registered using a camera model based on perspective projection approach taking into account lens distortion. Relative displacements between model and IR camera, due to sting mechanical vibrations, can increase the noise. An approach to reduce it, based on single-step discrete Fourier transform and Speed-Up Robust Features methods, is presented. Heat flux is computed with an inverse heat transfer problem applying the trust region reflective algorithm. The proposed data reduction technique is numerically validated and applied to an experimental test carried out in the Hypersonic Test Facility Delft (HTFD) at Mach number equal to 7.5

    The biogeography of the Amazonian tree flora

    Get PDF
    We describe the geographical variation in tree species composition across Amazonian forests and show how environmental conditions are associated with species turnover. Our analyses are based on 2023 forest inventory plots (1 ha) that provide abundance data for a total of 5188 tree species. Within-plot species composition reflected both local environmental conditions (especially soil nutrients and hydrology) and geographical regions. A broader-scale view of species turnover was obtained by interpolating the relative tree species abundances over Amazonia into 47,441 0.1-degree grid cells. Two main dimensions of spatial change in tree species composition were identified. The first was a gradient between western Amazonia at the Andean forelands (with young geology and relatively nutrient-rich soils) and central–eastern Amazonia associated with the Guiana and Brazilian Shields (with more ancient geology and poor soils). The second gradient was between the wet forests of the northwest and the drier forests in southern Amazonia. Isolines linking cells of similar composition crossed major Amazonian rivers, suggesting that tree species distributions are not limited by rivers. Even though some areas of relatively sharp species turnover were identified, mostly the tree species composition changed gradually over large extents, which does not support delimiting clear discrete biogeographic regions within Amazonia

    The biogeography of the Amazonian tree flora

    No full text
    International audienceWe describe the geographical variation in tree species composition across Amazonian forests and show how environmental conditions are associated with species turnover. Our analyses are based on 2023 forest inventory plots (1 ha) that provide abundance data for a total of 5188 tree species. Within-plot species composition reflected both local environmental conditions (especially soil nutrients and hydrology) and geographical regions. A broader-scale view of species turnover was obtained by interpolating the relative tree species abundances over Amazonia into 47,441 0.1-degree grid cells. Two main dimensions of spatial change in tree species composition were identified. The first was a gradient between western Amazonia at the Andean forelands (with young geology and relatively nutrient-rich soils) and central–eastern Amazonia associated with the Guiana and Brazilian Shields (with more ancient geology and poor soils). The second gradient was between the wet forests of the northwest and the drier forests in southern Amazonia. Isolines linking cells of similar composition crossed major Amazonian rivers, suggesting that tree species distributions are not limited by rivers. Even though some areas of relatively sharp species turnover were identified, mostly the tree species composition changed gradually over large extents, which does not support delimiting clear discrete biogeographic regions within Amazonia

    The biogeography of the Amazonian tree flora

    No full text
    We describe the geographical variation in tree species composition across Amazonian forests and show how environmental conditions are associated with species turnover. Our analyses are based on 2023 forest inventory plots (1 ha) that provide abundance data for a total of 5188 tree species. Within-plot species composition reflected both local environmental conditions (especially soil nutrients and hydrology) and geographical regions. A broader-scale view of species turnover was obtained by interpolating the relative tree species abundances over Amazonia into 47,441 0.1-degree grid cells. Two main dimensions of spatial change in tree species composition were identified. The first was a gradient between western Amazonia at the Andean forelands (with young geology and relatively nutrient-rich soils) and central–eastern Amazonia associated with the Guiana and Brazilian Shields (with more ancient geology and poor soils). The second gradient was between the wet forests of the northwest and the drier forests in southern Amazonia. Isolines linking cells of similar composition crossed major Amazonian rivers, suggesting that tree species distributions are not limited by rivers. Even though some areas of relatively sharp species turnover were identified, mostly the tree species composition changed gradually over large extents, which does not support delimiting clear discrete biogeographic regions within Amazonia
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