Utilizing image texture to detect land-cover change in Mediterranean coastal wetlands

Land-use/cover change dynamics were investigated in a Mediterranean coastal wetland. Change Vector Analysis (CVA) without and with image texture derived from the co-occurrence matrix and variogram were evaluated for detecting land-use/cover change. Three Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) scenes recorded on July 1985, 1993 and 2005 were used, minimizing change detection error caused by seasonal differences. Images were geometrically, atmospherically and radiometrically corrected. CVA without and with texture measures were implemented and assessed using reference images generated by object-based supervised classification. These outputs were used for cross-classification to determine the ‘from–to’ change used to compare between techniques. The Landsat TM image bands together with the variogram yielded the most accurate change detection results, with Kappa statistics of 0.7619 and 0.7637 for the 1985–1993 and 1993–2005 image pairs, respectively

Sensing Sound Pressure in an Anechoic Chamber Using Backscattered Laser Light

Current standards for the measurement of the SI derived unit of sound-in-air pressure, the pascal, are based upon microphone reciprocity calibration and are achieved indirectly through microphone sensitivity. These methods require microphones of specific geometry and performance characteristics, effectively artefacts, and are traceable through standards for electrical and dimensional units. Measurement of acousto-optic interactions can provide a direct approach to measuring sound pressure. One acousto-optic interaction is the periodic scattering of photons caused by particles moving in a sinusoidal manner due to propagating sound across interference fringes formed at the intersection of two coherent laser beams. The sequence of these scattered photons, which is collected using telescopic optics and generated by a single photon counting device, can be autocorrelated to yield the periodicity of the photon events. Through mathematical analysis of the autocorrelation function it has been shown that acoustic particle velocity is inversely proportional to the time of the first minimum. This has effectively been shown for measurements in acoustic standing wave tubes and has been developed into a method which can be applied in an anechoic chamber. This paper describes the design and implementation of such a system which allows for a comparison of sound pressure measurements using optical and microphone based techniques

Adaptation to coastal flooding on household level: to what extent is it determined by nationality?

Household-level adaptation in coastal areas can effectively contribute to enhanced resilience to increased flood frequency and intensity due to sea-level rise. Nationality or characteristics of individuals may however influence coastal dwellers’ decisions on whether to adapt and to what extent. This study explores proactive adaptation of coastal dwellers to future changes in coastal flooding. Surveys using quantitative questionnaires were conducted in coastal areas with similar exposure in Greece and Denmark. Adaptation was assessed by a list of 21 single measures, which are feasible in both countries. Individual variables such as personal experience, fear and reliance in public protection were investigated. Results show that adaptation depends both on the nationality and on the characteristics of individuals