Lake area changes and their influence on factors in arid and semi-arid regions along the Silk Road

In the context of global warming, the changes in major lakes and their responses to the influence factors in arid and semi-arid regions along the Silk Road are especially important for the sustainable development of local water resources. In this study, the areas of 24 lakes were extracted using MODIS NDVI data, and their spatial-temporal characteristics were analyzed. In addition, the relationship between lake areas and the influence factors, including air temperature, precipitation, evapotranspiration, land use and land cover change (LULCC) and population density in the watersheds, were investigated. The results indicated that the areas of most lakes shrank, and the total area decreased by 22,189.7 km2 from 2001 to 2016, except for those of the lakes located on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The air temperature was the most important factor for all the lakes and increased at a rate of 0.113 °C/a during the past 16 years. LULCC and the increasing population density markedly influenced the lakes located in the middle to western parts of this study area. Therefore, our results connecting lake area changes in the study region highlight the great challenge of water resources and the urgency of implementation of the green policy in the One Belt and One Road Initiative through international collaboration

Spatial-Temporal Characteristics and Climatic Responses of Water Level Fluctuations of Global Major Lakes from 2002 to 2010

As one of the most important geographical units affected by global climate change, lakes are sensitive to climatic changes and are considered “indicators” of climate and the environment. In this study, changes in the spatial-temporal characteristics of the water levels of 204 global major lakes are systematically analyzed using satellite altimetry data (Hydroweb product) from 2002 to 2010. Additionally, the responses of the major global lake levels to climatic fluctuations are analyzed using Global Land Surface Assimilation System (GLDAS) data (temperature and precipitation). The results show that the change rates of most global lakes exceed 0, which means that the lake levels of these lakes are rising. The change rates of the lake levels are between −0.3~0.3 m/a, which indicates that the rate of change in the water-level of most lakes is not obvious. A few lakes have a particularly sharp change rate, between −5.84~−2 m/a or 0.7~1.87 m/a. Lakes with increasing levels are mainly located in the mountain and plateau regions, and the change rates in the coastal highlands are more evident. The global temperatures rise by a change rate of 0.0058 °C/a, while the global precipitation decreases by a change rate of −0.6697 mm/a. However, there are significant regional differences in both temperature and precipitation. In addition, the impact of precipitation on the water level of lakes is significant and straightforward, while the impact of temperature is more complex. A study of lake levels on a global scale would be quite useful for a better understanding of the impact which climate change has on surface water resources

Erratum: Spatial–Temporal Characteristics and Climatic Responses of Water Level Fluctuations of Global Major Lakes from 2002 to 2010. Remote Sens. 2017, 9, 150

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Fiber Bragg Grating Displacement Sensor with High Abrasion Resistance for a Steel Spring Floating Slab Damping Track

This paper presents a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) displacement sensor with high abrasion resistance for displacement monitoring of a steel spring floating slab damping track. A wedge-shaped sliding block and an equal-strength beam form a conversion mechanism to transfer displacement to the deflection of the beam, and the deflection-induced strain is exerted on two FBGs. A special linear guide rail-slider and a precision rolling bearing have been adopted onto the conversion mechanism, which turned sliding friction into rolling friction and thus significantly reduced the friction during frequent alternating displacement measuring. Sensing principle and the corresponding theoretical derivation have been demonstrated. Experiment results show that the sensor has a sensitivity of 34.32 pm/mm and a high resolution of 0.0029 mm within a measurement range of 0~90 mm. Besides, the sensor has also a good measurement capability for micro-displacement within a range of 0~3 mm. The repeatability error and hysteresis error are 1.416% and 0.323%, respectively. Good creep resistance and high abrasion resistance for alternating displacement measurement have also been presented by a performance test. These excellent performances satisfy the requirements of high precision and long-term stability in structural health monitoring for machinery equipment and civil engineering, especially in the displacement monitoring of a floating slab damping track