Invasive species detection in Hawaiian rainforests using airborne imaging spectroscopy and LiDAR

Remote sensing of invasive species is a critical component of conservation and management efforts, but reliable methods for the detection of invaders have not been widely established. In Hawaiian forests, we recently found that invasive trees often have hyperspectral signatures unique from that of native trees, but mapping based on spectral reflectance properties alone is confounded by issues of canopy senescence and mortality, intra- and inter-canopy gaps and shadowing, and terrain variability. We deployed a new hybrid airborne system combining the Carnegie Airborne Observatory (CAO) small-footprint light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system with the Airborne Visible and Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) to map the three-dimensional spectral and structural properties of Hawaiian forests. The CAO-AVIRIS systems and data were fully integrated using in-flight and post-flight fusion techniques, facilitating an analysis of forest canopy properties to determine the presence and abundance of three highly invasive tree species in Hawaiian rainforests.

The LiDAR sub-system was used to model forest canopy height and top-of-canopy surfaces; these structural data allowed for automated masking of forest gaps, intra- and inter-canopy shadows, and minimum vegetation height in the AVIRIS images. The remaining sunlit canopy spectra were analyzed using spatially-constrained spectral mixture analysis. The results of the combined LiDAR-spectroscopic analysis highlighted the location and fractional abundance of each invasive tree species throughout the rainforest sites. Field validation studies demonstrated < 6.8% and < 18.6% error rates in the detection of invasive tree species at  7 m² and  2 m² minimum canopy cover thresholds. Our results show that full integration of imaging spectroscopy and LiDAR measurements provides enormous flexibility and analytical potential for studies of terrestrial ecosystems and the species contained within them.     

Combining watershed models and knowledge-based models to predict local-scale impacts of climate change on endangered wildlife

Climate change is expected to have significant impacts on native, threatened and endangered wildlife. Understanding and modeling these impacts useful for wildlife managers, however, remain difficult due to complex climate change, and costly and high data requirements. Consequently, we proposed an easily-interpretable and data-efficient decision support approach to understand climate change impacts on the abundance of three endangered wetland birds (Hawaiian Stilt, Hawaiian Coot and Hawaiian Moorhen). We coupled a watershed model, AnnAGNPS, and ecological models using fuzzy-cognitive mapping software, Mental Modeler, in Hanalei watershed, Kauaʻi. Results suggested that increased precipitation would increase Stilt abundance, but decrease Coot and Moorhen abundance. Decreasing precipitation might have negative effects for all three species. Moreover, decision-makers should pay equal attention to controlling components (water depth, food availability and disease) with system-wide influence. Finally, besides being adaptable to similar environmental contexts, our approach captured both direct and indirect climate change impacts through ecological connectivity.     

Substrate age and precipitation effects on Hawaiian forest canopies from spaceborne imaging spectroscopy

We used spaceborne imaging spectroscopy provided by the Earth Observing-1 Hyperion sensor to quantify the relative importance of precipitation and substrate age that control ecosystem development and functioning in Metrosideros polymorpha rainforests of Hawaii. Four hyperspectral vegetation indices provided metrics of forest canopy structure, biochemistry and physiology to compare along gradients of annual rainfall (750 to > 6000 mm year^− 1) and substrate age (0 to 250,000 years). The canopy greenness index NDVI increased with annual precipitation and substrate age, but saturated in forests with rainfall of 3000 mm year^− 1. Precipitation and substrate age were roughly equal contributors to the observed greenness of the forests. A canopy water content index (NDWI) also increased with precipitation and substrate age, but did not reach a maximum until very wet (> 5000 mm year^− 1) forest conditions were encountered on the oldest substrates. The water index appears superior to the NDVI in capturing spatial and climate-substrate driven variations in canopy structure. The photochemical reflectance index (PRI) indicated highest light-use efficiency levels in canopies on the most developed substrates and at annual precipitation levels of 3-4500 mm year^− 1. A leaf carotenoid index (CRI) suggested a maximum canopy photosynthetic capacity at ∼ 4000 mm rainfall year^− 1 on the oldest substrates. These results quantify the sensitivity of rainforest canopies to changing precipitation and soil conditions, and they corroborate plot-scale analyses in native Hawaiian forests ecosystems. Structural and functional studies of remote rainforest regions are possible with spaceborne imaging spectroscopy, and could be used to understand the dynamics of rainforests with climate change.     

21世纪的临终关怀医院

本文以临终关怀医院的重要功能组成——“住区”为切入点，结合具体案例，从色彩、空间、环境等方面解析21世纪临终关怀医院的设计。     

Modeling of hurricane damage for Hawaii residential construction

Past information on Hurricane Iniki damage to Hawaii buildings of residential, commercial, and resort occupancies has been gathered and geo-referenced on GIS. Comprehensive reconstruction cost documentation has been combined with post-hurricane aerial photography and linked to a robust property tax database of construction type attributes and property valuation. Using the data available in the property tax records to define construction attributes, residential building fragilities and loss functions have been developed along with risk relativity factors. The resultant Damage Curves estimate hurricane damage to a wide variety of Hawaii building types as a function of peak gust windspeed.     

Biomass system model estimates of short-rotation hardwood production in Hawaii

By coupling a short-rotation, intensive-culture (SRIC) biomass production model with a geographical information system and database, potential biomass supply (dry Mg) and delivered cost ($(dry Mg)⁻¹) of three promising tropical hardwoods, Eucalyptus grandis, E. saligna, and Leucaena leucocephala, were estimated at all locations identified as potentially available for tree plantations on the island of Maui. Analyses were performed at two scales-island-wide (10⁵ ha order of magnitude) for general land-use planning, and specific-site (10² ha order of magnitude) for field-level recommendations. The results are presented as yield and delivered cost maps and biomass supply curves for the entire island, and as management strategies depicted graphically as functions of growing space and rotation age that provide least-cost biomass feedstocks delivered from two specific field sites to a designated bioconversion facility on Maui. The methodology is a cost- and time-efficient means to provide useful information to land owners and other decision makers contemplating SRIC forestry as an alternative land use.     

Fluid-inclusion evidence for past temperature fluctuations in the Kilauea East Rift Zone geothermal area, Hawaii

Heating and freezing data were obtained for fluid inclusions in hydrothermal quartz, calcite, and anhydrite from several depths in three scientific observation holes drilled along the lower East Rift Zone of Kilauea volcano, Hawaii. Compositions of the inclusion fluids range from dilute meteoric water to highly modified sea water concentrated by boiling. Comparison of measured drill-hole temperatures with fluid-inclusion homogenization-temperature (T_h) data indicates that only about 15% of the fluid inclusions could have formed under the present thermal conditions. The majority of fluid inclusions studied must have formed during one or more times in the past when temperatures fluctuated in response to the emplacement of nearby dikes and their subsequent cooling. The fluid-inclusion data indicate that past temperatures in SOH-4 well were as much as 64°C hotter than present temperatures between 1000 and 1500 m depth and they were a maximum of 68°C cooler than present temperatures below 1500 m depth. Similarly, the data show that past temperatures near the bottoms of SOH-1 and SOH-2 wells were up to 45 and 59°C, respectively, cooler than the present thermal conditions; however, the remainder of fluid-inclusion T_h values for these two drill holes suggest that the temperatures of the trapped waters were nearly the same as the present temperatures at these slightly shallower depths. Several hydrothermal minerals (erionite, mordenite, truscottite, smectite, chlorite-smectite, chalcedony, anhydrite, and hematite), occurring in the drill holes at higher temperatures than they are found in geothermal drill holes of Iceland or other geothermal areas, provide additional evidence for a recent heating trend.     

Correlation between leaf age,shade levels,and characteristic beneficial natural constituents of tea (Camellia sinensis) grown in Hawaii

This study showed the relationship between tea leaf age, bud and first two leaves, and shade levels, on the relative concentrations of six major compounds of tea leaf, namely l-theanine, caffeine, and the major tea catechins; (−)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), (−)-epigallocatechin (EGC), (−)-epicatechin (EC), and (−)-epicatechin gallate (ECG), all of which are reported to have positive effects on human health, as well as at the ferric reducing antioxidant power of bud and leaf extracts. The concentration of l-theanine and caffeine decreased as leaf age increased moving from bud to first and then second leaf, while the concentration of the four catechins increased from the bud to first and second leaves. In most cases this increase was generally relatively small but in the case of EGC it was 7 to 10-fold. Certain chemical components of freshly picked, minimally processed and essentially unoxidised tea may potentially be used as markers for age, quality, authenticity and area of growth.     

微观移动协议的比较和评估

1.介绍 Internet的无线访问(即IP指出主机的移动)是目前计算机网络研究的一个热点,目前所提出的Mobile IP是为支持主机移动而提出的。它提出了一种简单的、可扩充性很强并且与现有的网络有很强兼容性的框架,但是它的提出是单纯地从计算机网络的角度去看主机的移动,并没有考虑到下层电信网络和移动主机的特点等方面的因索,因此Mobile IP存在着很多缺点需要解决。     

Personal,temporal and spatial characteristics of seriously injured crash-involved seat belt non-users in Hawaii

The characteristics of crash-involved seat belt non-users in a high use state (Hawaii) are examined in order to better design enforcement and education programs. Using police crash report data over a 10-year period (1986-1995), we compare belted and unbelted drivers and front seat occupants, who were seriously injured in crashes, in terms of personal (age, gender, alcohol involvement, etc.) and crash characteristics (time, location, roadway factors, etc.). A logistic regression model combined with the spline method is used to analyze and categorize the salient differences between users and non-users. We find that unbelted occupants are more likely to be male, younger, unlicensed, intoxicated and driving pickup trucks versus other vehicles. Moreover, non-users are more likely than users to be involved in speed-related crashes in rural areas during the nighttime. Passengers are 70 times more likely to be unbelted if the driver is also unbelted than passengers of vehicles with belted drivers. While our general findings are similar to other seat belt studies, the contribution of this paper is in terms of a deeper understanding of the relative importance of various factors associated with non-use among seriously injured occupants as well as demonstrating a powerful methodology for analyzing safety problems entailing the categorization of various groups. While the former has implication for seat belt enforcement and education programs, the latter is relevant to a host of other research questions.