Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts ABC Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts ABC RSS feedThis is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.

Examining Trends of Hydro-Meteorological Extremes in the Shire River Basin in Malawi
This study, therefore, aimed at examining trends and frequency of these hydro-meteorological extremes in the Shire River Basin in Malawi. Daily scale data from 1961 to between 2005 to 2015 were collected from 22 rainfall stations, 12 temperature stations and 10 river discharge station within the study area. The hydro-meteorological extremes were analyzed using annual maximas and annual minimas of the daily hydro-meteorological data. Significance and direction of trends in these extreme indices were examined using the non-parametric Mann–Kendall test statistic. The Peak-Over-Threshold (POT) approach, applying the Generali...
Source: Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts ABC - February 20, 2019 Category: Science Source Type: research

Urban expansion in Shenzhen since 1970s: A retrospect of change from a village to a megacity from the space
Publication date: Available online 13 February 2019Source: Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts A/B/CAuthor(s): Wenjuan Yu, Yujia Zhang, Weiqi Zhou, Weimin Wang, Rong TangAbstractQuantifying the characteristic of urban expansion is the prerequisite of understanding its social and ecological outcomes. Here, using Shenzhen, a city that grew from a fishery village to a megacity in 40 years as a case study, we quantified the urban expansion at two scales, over the entire city and within the city, at district level. Twelve land cover maps from 1979 to 2017 were classified using Landsat TM/ETM+/OLI images. Based on the long...
Source: Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts ABC - February 14, 2019 Category: Science Source Type: research

Predicting pollutant concentrations in rivers exposed to alluvial gold mining in Mazowe Catchment, Zimbabwe
In this study, we assess the effect of alluvial gold mining on surface water quality at three sites located along the Mazowe and Mwenje rivers in northern Zimbabwe using a simple exponential decay model. The model predictions were regressed against measured in-situ Total Suspended Solids (TSS) and turbidity. Strong linear relationships were observed between the measured and predicted pollutant concentrations. Specifically, the results indicate that TSS concentrations can be predicted in the catchment, with high accuracy (R2 values of 82%, 88% and 93% and root mean square errors (RMSEs) of 5, 2 and 3 mg/ℓ across the three...
Source: Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts ABC - February 12, 2019 Category: Science Source Type: research

Used plastic materials as mulches: An alternative to conventional black plastic mulch for small and marginal farmers
Publication date: Available online 7 February 2019Source: Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts A/B/CAuthor(s): Jitendra Sinha, Radhika Sahu, R.K. Sahu, G.K. NigamAbstractThe return of ladies finger (okra) to the joint effect of drip irrigation and mulches is very encouraging. The most common types of mulch are the black plastic mulch (BPM), which is commercially produced by industry but does create environmental problems and increased cost of production particularly for small and marginal farmers. On the other hand, food materials and fertilizers etc. are available and sold in plastic bags. Can we make REUSE of these ...
Source: Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts ABC - February 7, 2019 Category: Science Source Type: research

Remote sensing of water use and water stress in the African Savanna ecosystem at local scale – development and validation of a monitoring tool.
In this study we develop a mechanism for monitoring the water used by African savanna from fine scale (meters) to watershed scale, integrating the effects of the water stress. Our hypothesis is that the Ecosystem Stress Index (ESI) is a valuable tool to downscale estimates of actual evapotranspiration at coarse scale, to high resolutions. To monitor savanna water fluxes in a semi-continuous way this study integrates two different ET-estimation approaches: KC-FAO56 model, integrating reflectance-based “crop” coefficients (SPOT 4 & 5 satellites), is used to derive unstressed savanna evapotranspiration (with high spatial ...
Source: Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts ABC - February 6, 2019 Category: Science Source Type: research

Characterization of rice agriculture in the Southern Province of Rwanda by means of microwave remote sensing
The objective our study is to contribute to this effort by using spaceborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data to retrieve phenological parameters of paddy rice in the Southern Province of Rwanda. High spatial resolution dual polarized Sentinel-1 SAR data were obtained for the time period covering Season B of the two rice cropping seasons of 2017. For the derivation of the selected phenological indicators (start, end, middle and length of season) time series analysis was performed. Based on the temporal pattern of radar backscatter values, the temporal and spatial distribution of SAR derived phenological indicators consid...
Source: Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts ABC - February 5, 2019 Category: Science Source Type: research

Assessing the potential of Sentinel-2 MSI sensor in detecting and mapping the spatial distribution of gullies in a communal grazing landscape
In this study, we evaluate the potential of the recently launched Sentinel-2 MSI multispectral sensor in mapping the spatial distribution of gullies in Okhombe valley, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The study further investigates possible environmental factors that contribute towards gully initiation and development. Analysis was done using a robust machine learning algorithm: Support Vector Machine (SVM). Additionally, possible environmental factors (i.e. slope steepness, percent vegetation cover, and Topographic Wetness Index, Stream Power Index, and hillslope profile and planform curvature) that could have an influence on...
Source: Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts ABC - February 5, 2019 Category: Science Source Type: research

Quantitative analysis of phenols and PAHs in the Nandoni Dam in Limpopo Province, South Africa: a preliminary study for dam water quality management
Publication date: Available online 5 February 2019Source: Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts A/B/CAuthor(s): Lebea N. Nthunya, Nomcebo P. Khumalo, Arne R. Verliefde, Bhekie B. Mamba, Sabelo D. MhlangaAbstractThis paper assesses the level of phenols and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the Nandoni dam situated in the Vhembe District, Limpopo Province, South Africa. About 55 villages are supplied with water sourced from the dam which is prone to contamination by different pollutants other than phenols and PAHs, due to its exposure to agricultural, human and animal activities around it. A quantitative determi...
Source: Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts ABC - February 5, 2019 Category: Science Source Type: research

Strategies FOR Coping and Adapting to flooDing AND their DETERMINANTS: A comparative study of cases from Namibia and Zambia
This study seeks to inform decision-makers and practitioners on how the disaster risks can be reduced and managed in the similar environments of the two countries, and to inform them of the status quo of flood adaptation. (Source: Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts ABC)
Source: Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts ABC - February 2, 2019 Category: Science Source Type: research

Localised human thermal discomfort assessment using high temporal resolution meteorological data: A case of University of Zimbabwe.
This study investigated the thermal discomfort patterns at the University of Zimbabwe in Harare, Zimbabwe; paying attention to the outdoor and indoor seasonal and diurnal variations. Temperature and relative humidity data from an automatic weather station located in the study area was incorporated into the temperature humidity index to retrieve outdoor human thermal discomfort patterns. Based on data availability, air temperature and humidity hourly data for the period 2014 to 2017 was used. The indoor human thermal discomfort patterns were then obtained using the linear relationship between outdoor temperatures and indoor...
Source: Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts ABC - January 26, 2019 Category: Science Source Type: research

Sensitivity Analysis and Optimum Design of a Hydronic Snow Melting System During Snowfall
Publication date: Available online 18 January 2019Source: Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts A/B/CAuthor(s): Hongwei Liu, Pooneh Maghoul, Hartmut M. HolländerAbstractSnow and ice accumulation induces hazardous driving conditions due to the effect of reduced friction on the road surface. A traditional chemical-based snow melting approach is not environmentally friendly and effective when the temperature is below −3.9∘ C. Thermal snow melting techniques, such as hydronic heating system, can be an alternative to chemical-based methods. In this paper, a new approach is proposed for sizing the hydronic snow melting ...
Source: Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts ABC - January 20, 2019 Category: Science Source Type: research

The higher, the cooler? Effects of building height on land surface temperatures in residential areas of Beijing
This study aims to fill this gap. We focused on the residential landscapes in the central area of Beijing, and quantified the relationships between the vertical structure of buildings and LST. We delineated the boundaries of residential neighborhoods based on high resolution imagery, which were latterly used as the unit of statistical analysis. Building height, and proportional cover of buildings and vegetation were also mapped from high resolution imagery, with aid of digital maps. LST was retrieved from thermal band of TM imagery. We used Pearson correlation, partial correlation and ordinary least squares(OLS) regression...
Source: Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts ABC - January 18, 2019 Category: Science Source Type: research

Mapping spatiotemporal variations of CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions using nighttime light data in Guangdong Province
This study corrected inconsistency and uncontinuity of nighttime light (NTL) data based on stable light value pixels, and performed a distribute model of CO2 emissions in Guangdong province during the period of 2005 to 2013. The model results clearly showed the spatial and temporal variations of CO2 emissions during 2005–2013 in Guangdong, with the Pearl River Delta region contributing the highest CO2 emissions. These results are relevant to understanding the spatiotemporal CO2 emission dynamics at a county level and establishing policies for carbon emission mitigation. This research highlights the importance of spatial ...
Source: Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts ABC - January 18, 2019 Category: Science Source Type: research

Numerical study of a local PM2.5 pollution event under the typhoon Neoguri (1408) background over a coastal metropolitan city, Shenzhen, China
This study demonstrated that air pollution can form over Shenzhen under the typhoon background, and the complex interaction between typhoon circulations and sea breezes development controls the spatiotemporal distribution of the air pollution in the coastal metropolitan city. (Source: Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts ABC)
Source: Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts ABC - January 16, 2019 Category: Science Source Type: research

Remote sensing equivalent water thickness of grass treated with different fertiliser regimes using resample HyspIRI and EnMAP data
Publication date: Available online 11 January 2019Source: Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts A/B/CAuthor(s): Mbulisi Sibanda, Onisimo Mutanga, Timothy Dube, Mologadi C. Mothapo, Paramu L. MafongoyaAbstractThe aim of this study was to test the spectral settings of the forthcoming EnMAP and HyspIRI hyperspectral imagers in estimating equivalent water thickness of native grass grown under different management practices, using two regression ensembles (partial least squares regression (PLSR) and sparse partial least squares regression (SPLSR). Results showed that the HyspIRI spectral settings better characterised Equiva...
Source: Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts ABC - January 11, 2019 Category: Science Source Type: research