A role for AVIRIS in the Landsat and Advanced Land Remote Sensing Systems program

As a calibrated imaging spectrometer flying at a 20 km altitude, AVIRIS may contribute to the Landsat and the Advanced Land Remote Sensing System efforts. These contributions come in the areas of: (1) on-orbit calibration, (2) specification of new spectral bands, (3) validation of algorithms, and (4) investigation of an imaging spectrometer of the Advanced Land Remote Sensing System

Survey design and analysis procedures: a comprehensive review of good practice

This paper provides a major review of acoustic survey and-data analysis procedures, it has been prepared as a result of discussions in the FAST working group of ICES. A review of published literature is combined with an assessment of methodology. A consideration of information available a priori and its impact on the choice of survey area and survey design is presented. The subject of predetermined survey tracks using both systematic and random strategies is addressed, indicating the assumptions implied by these choices. Adaptive strategies that might be required for mobile or less predictable spatia1 distributions are discussed along with the advantages and the costs of an adaptive approach. The methods of determining of stock species composition are examined. The methods for assessing the degree of homogeneity species size and proportion are presented. The important choice of averaging method i.e. how the samples provide information on the true density within an area is examined. Sources of error within the estimate are discussed. Firstly, methods for computing the spatial sampling error are examined, and secondly, a summary of other sources of error is presented. A appraisal of these errors is presented and provides an intrinsic error analysis. Finally a brief comparison of the results of acoustic surveys with the results of other techniques is presented. Throughout the paper the assumptions implicit in each choice are discussed, and appropriate selections of survey design and analysis methods are presented in tabular form. The paper concludes with a summary of recommended procedures

Measurement crosstalk between two phase qubits coupled by a coplanar waveguide

We analyze the measurement crosstalk between two flux-biased phase qubits coupled by a resonant coplanar waveguide cavity. After the first qubit is measured, the superconducting phase can undergo damped oscillations resulting in an a.c. voltage that produces a frequency chirped noise signal whose frequency crosses that of the cavity. We show experimentally that the coplanar waveguide cavity acts as a bandpass filter that can significantly reduce the crosstalk signal seen by the second qubit when its frequency is far from the cavity's resonant frequency. We present a simple classical description of the qubit behavior that agrees well with the experimental data. These results suggest that measurement crosstalk between superconducting phase qubits can be reduced by use of linear or possibly nonlinear resonant cavities as coupling elements.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

ICES coordinated acoustic survey of ICES divisions IIIa, IVa, IVb AND Via (North) 2002 Results and long term trends

Six surveys were carried out during late June and July covering most of the continental shelf north of 54oN in the North Sea and to the west of Scotland to a northern limit of 62oN. The eastern edge of the survey area was bounded by the Norwegian and Danish, Swedish and German coasts, and to the west by the shelf edge between 200 and 400 m depth. The surveys are reported individually in the report of the planning group for herring surveys, and a combined report has been prepared from the data from all surveys. The combined survey results provide spatial distributions of herring abundance by number and biomass at age by statistical rectangle; and distributions of mean weight and fraction mature at age. The estimates of North Sea autumn spawning herring are consistent with previous years at 2.9 million tonnes and 17,200 million herring. The survey also shows two exceptional year classes of herring (the 1998 and 2000 year classes) in the North Sea, which is consistent with the observation of exceptionally large year classes observed in the MIK and IBTS surveys. The estimates of Western Baltic spring spawning herring SSB are 255,000 tonnes and 2.9 millions (Table 2) and show a large increase compared with the previous year. The Western Baltic survey produces a rather noisy signal but the indications are of a stock that is higher now than between 1996 to 2000. The West of Scotland survey estimates of 548,000 tonnes and 2,900 million and shows the high 1995 year class again this year. The 1998 year class now (3 ring) is also a large one. Total adult mortality shows much lower mortality than last year (0.1 compared to 0.5 ) but the mean mortality over the last 4 years has been 0.3: this is consistent with the 2002 assessment that the stock is lightly exploited. The overall time series of abundance by age from 1989 to 2002 are summarised by simple models describing the spatial distribution over time. The changes over time with latitude, longitude and area occupied are compared with changes in abundance

ICES coordinated acoustic survey of ICES divisions IIIa, IVa, IVb AND Via (North) 2002 Results and long term trends

Six surveys were carried out during late June and July covering most of the continental shelf north of 54oN in the North Sea and to the west of Scotland to a northern limit of 62oN. The eastern edge of the survey area was bounded by the Norwegian and Danish, Swedish and German coasts, and to the west by the shelf edge between 200 and 400 m depth. The surveys are reported individually in the report of the planning group for herring surveys, and a combined report has been prepared from the data from all surveys. The combined survey results provide spatial distributions of herring abundance by number and biomass at age by statistical rectangle; and distributions of mean weight and fraction mature at age. The estimates of North Sea autumn spawning herring are consistent with previous years at 2.9 million tonnes and 17,200 million herring. The survey also shows two exceptional year classes of herring (the 1998 and 2000 year classes) in the North Sea, which is consistent with the observation of exceptionally large year classes observed in the MIK and IBTS surveys. The estimates of Western Baltic spring spawning herring SSB are 255,000 tonnes and 2.9 millions (Table 2) and show a large increase compared with the previous year. The Western Baltic survey produces a rather noisy signal but the indications are of a stock that is higher now than between 1996 to 2000. The West of Scotland survey estimates of 548,000 tonnes and 2,900 million and shows the high 1995 year class again this year. The 1998 year class now (3 ring) is also a large one. Total adult mortality shows much lower mortality than last year (0.1 compared to 0.5 ) but the mean mortality over the last 4 years has been 0.3: this is consistent with the 2002 assessment that the stock is lightly exploited. The overall time series of abundance by age from 1989 to 2002 are summarised by simple models describing the spatial distribution over time. The changes over time with latitude, longitude and area occupied are compared with changes in abundance

Production and Analysis of Transgenic White Clover (\u3cem\u3eTrifolium Repens\u3c/em\u3e) Plants Over-Expressing Organic Acid Biosynthetic Genes

Aluminium (Al) toxicity is a major environmental limitation for plant production in acid soils, which represent more than one third of the world’s agricultural land. Al-induced secretion in roots of organic acids (OA), such as malate and citrate, chelates the toxic Al cation excluding it from the root. This mechanism of Al-tolerance appears also to be associated with enhanced P-use efficiency. The development of transgenic plants for enhanced synthesis and secretion of OA from roots is a promising approach to confer Al-tolerance and enhanced P-acquisition efficiency. In order to understand the association between OA biosynthesis and secretion from roots in white clover (Trifolium repens L.), the physiological consequences of over-expressing 3 key white clover OA biosynthetic genes, individually and in combination, were assessed in transgenic plants

A Review of Interacting Natural Hazards and Cascading Impacts in Scotland

Weather-driven interacting natural hazards (referred to as 'multi-hazards' or 'compound events') cause significant disruption and damage to environmental and human systems in Scotland every year. Commonly, natural hazards are considered individually; however, natural hazards often arise from a combination of contributing, interacting physical processes. Failure to consider the multiple causes and drivers behind an event and the associated cascading impacts can lead to an underestimation of risk. Due to our changing climate, it is expected that many weather-related hazards will increase in intensity, occur more widely and more often than before, thereby increasing exposure to emerging hazards. This report provides an overview for Scotland of the nascent research field of compound events and cascading impacts. It provides conclusions concerning how these events and impacts have and may affect Scotland with climate change in the coming decades. The literature review identified publications relating to compound events and cascading impacts, but highlighted a significant lack of Scottish multi-hazard studies. This gap in knowledge is despite strong evidence that interpreting Scottish natural hazards using the framework of compound events and cascading impacts would significantly improve our understanding of these hazards, and potentially lead to improved resilience. Natural hazards in Scotland were reassessed here using a recently proposed typology for compound events based on their characteristics. Events and publications were re-evaluated and re-categorised as one or more of the types: multivariate (combination of drivers); spatially compounding (hazards affecting multiple locations); preconditioned (enhancement/triggering from antecedent conditions); and temporally compounding (succession of hazards). From this, a portfolio of case studies was created, providing initial evidence on each type and their significant impacts in Scotland. The events include: the concurrence of hot and dry conditions in North European spring/summer 2018; UK flooding from rain on saturated soil in 2019/2020; debris flows from rain on saturated soils in 2015/2016; and successive UK droughts to floods in 2012. This storytelling approach helps elucidate the complexities of compound events. Finally, a narrative of compound hazard events in Scotland was presented based on literature, the case studies, climate projections and an initial analysis of near future (2031-2060) multi-hazard pairings. This highlighted potential cascading risks and impacts across sectors and the environment in a changing climate. The literature review exposed a significant gap in Scotland-focused multi-hazard research, even for those more commonly expected pairings of hazards like compound flooding. By revisiting notable, recent weather events in Scotland with a multi-hazard focus, evidence of vulnerability to types of compound hazards was elucidated. This showed how interactions between hazards cause impacts that cascade across human and natural environments in a complex, interconnected network. Many of our identified compound hazard risks correspond to the CCRA3 priority climate risks for UK adaptation. Climate change is projected to intensify and increase the occurrence of compound hazards across spatial and temporal scales. Combining climate projections, CCRA3 priority future risks and our initial multivariate pairing analysis with the information from our re-categorised multi-hazard case studies reinforces the need for a greater understanding of compound hazards and their cascading impacts to ensure resilience. To better understand multi-hazards in Scotland, we propose the following eight (non-prioritised) high-level recommendations: 1.Re-categorise and reconsider notable single hazards as compound events; 2.Conduct Scotland-focused studies into the compound impacts of: hot and dry conditions, intense rainfall on saturated soil resulting in flooding and landslides, snowfall patterns resulting in changes to streamflows, winter windstorms, and wildfires; 3.Assess temporal sequencing across multiple compound event types; 4.Undertake research to better understand the drivers of compound events; 5.Improve the understanding of multi-sectoral cascading impacts and risks; 6.Assess indicative thresholds and feedback loops for critical infrastructure; 7.Apply storyline approaches to different adaptation and resilience scenarios; and 8.Develop a holistic, multi-sectoral impact-based multi-hazard approach