1,721,012 research outputs found
Subtidal seagrass and blue carbon mapping at the regional scale: a cloud-native multi-temporal Earth Observation approach
Full text linkThe seagrass ecosystems are among the most important organic carbon sinks on Earth, having a key role as climate change buffers. Among all seagrasses, Posidonia oceanica, an endemic seagrass species in the Mediterranean Sea, has been observed to feature the highest carbon stock and sequestration rate among all seagrasses. We developed a satellite-based workflow to complement in situ seagrass monitoring efforts in the Balearic Islands (Western Mediterranean), reducing field expenses while covering regional spatial scales. Our synoptic tool uses Sentinel-2 A/B satellite imagery at 10 m spatial resolution to generate a multi-temporal composite (2016–2022) of the Balearic Islands’ coastal waters within the Google Earth Engine cloud computing platform, optimizing image processing and highlighting the importance of a high-resolution bathymetric dataset to increase seagrass mapping accuracies. Machine learning algorithms have been applied to perform seagrass detection, obtaining a seagrass cartography up to 30 m of depth, estimating 505.6 km2 of seagrass habitat extent. Using existing in situ soil carbon stock (Cstock) data, we estimated a mean Cstock value of 12.27 ± 2.1 million megagram (Mg) Corg, while mapping a total annual C fixation (Cfix) and C sequestration (Cseq) rates of P. oceanica of 1,116.3 Mg Corg and 227 Mg Corg, according to depth. Our methodology highlights the key role of using a large image archive to generate the multi-temporal optical composite and an optimized bathymetry dataset to better map and account blue carbon in seagrass ecosystems across depth, showing the importance to integrate this Earth Observation approach to ensure a seagrass ecosystem monitoring at regional scales. This information aims to support the development of blue carbon strategies with synoptic time- and cost-efficient seagrass monitoring in the Mediterranean Sea
Subtidal seagrass and blue carbon mapping at the regional scale: a cloud-native multi-temporal Earth Observation approach [Dataset]
No full textThe seagrass ecosystems are among the most important organic carbon sinks on Earth, having a key role as climate change buffers. Among all seagrasses, Posidonia oceanica, an endemic seagrass species in the Mediterranean Sea, has been observed to feature the highest carbon stock and sequestration rate among all seagrasses. We developed a satellite-based workflow to complement in situ seagrass monitoring efforts in the Balearic Islands (Western Mediterranean), reducing field expenses while covering regional spatial scales. Our synoptic tool uses Sentinel-2 A/B satellite imagery at 10 m spatial resolution to generate a multi-temporal composite (2016–2022) of the Balearic Islands’ coastal waters within the Google Earth Engine cloud computing platform, optimizing image processing and highlighting the importance of a high-resolution bathymetric dataset to increase seagrass mapping accuracies. Machine learning algorithms have been applied to perform seagrass detection, obtaining a seagrass cartography up to 30 m of depth, estimating 505.6 km2 of seagrass habitat extent. Using existing in situ soil carbon stock (Cstock) data, we estimated a mean Cstock value of 12.27 ± 2.1 million megagram (Mg) Corg, while mapping a total annual C fixation (Cfix) and C sequestration (Cseq) rates of P. oceanica of 1,116.3 Mg Corg and 227 Mg Corg, according to depth. Our methodology highlights the key role of using a large image archive to generate the multi-temporal optical composite and an optimized bathymetry dataset to better map and account blue carbon in seagrass ecosystems across depth, showing the importance to integrate this Earth Observation approach to ensure a seagrass ecosystem monitoring at regional scales. This information aims to support the development of blue carbon strategies with synoptic time- and cost-efficient seagrass monitoring in the Mediterranean Sea.This research has been financially supported by the Grant CNS2023-143630 funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by European Union Next Generation EU/PRTR; the OAPN under Grant Observatory TIAMAT, [2715/2021]; the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities under the Grant [FPU20/01294]; the University of Cadiz under the Grant “Estancias para la obtención de la Mención de Doctorado Internacional del Plan Propio de estímulo y apoyo a la Investigación y Transferencia – UCA 2022–2023”; the Banco Santander under Grant Fundación Universia; and DLR-DAAD Scholarship under Grant nº 57478193.Peer reviewe
Development of seagrass monitoring techniques using remote sensing data
Full text linkOur planet is traversing the age of human-induced climate change and biodiversity loss. Projected global warming of 1.5 ºC above pre-industrial levels and related greenhouse gas emission pathways will bring about detrimental and irreversible impacts on the interconnected natural and human ecosystem. A global warming of 2 ºC could further exacerbate the risks across the sectors of biodiversity, energy, food, and water. Time- and cost-effective solutions and strategies are required for strengthening humanity’s response to the present environmental and societal challenges. Coastal seascape ecosystems including seagrasses, corals, mangrove forests, tidal flats, and salt marshes have been more recently heralded as nature-based solutions for mitigating and adapting to the climate-related impacts. This is due to their ability to absorb and store large quantities of carbon from the atmosphere. Focusing on seagrass habitats, although occupying only 0.2% of the world’s oceans, they can sequestrate up to 10% of the total oceanic carbon pool, all the while providing important food security, biodiversity, and coastal protection. But seagrass ecosystems, as all of their blue carbon seascape neighbors, are losing 1.5% of their extent per year due to anthropogenic activities. This has adverse implications for global carbon stocks, coastal protection, and marine biodiversity. Seagrass and seascape recession necessitates their science and policy-based management, protection, conservation which will ensure that our planet will remain within its sustainable boundaries in the age of climate change. The present PhD Thesis and research aim is to develop algorithms for seagrass mapping and monitoring leveraging the recent emergences in remote sensing technology―new satellite image archives, machine learning frameworks, and cloud computing―with field data from multiple sources. The main PhD findings are the demonstration of the suitability of Sentinel-2, RapidEye, and PlanetScope satellite imagery for regional to large-scale seagrass mapping; the introduction and incorporation of machine learning frameworks in the context of seagrass remote sensing and data analytics; the development of a semi-analytical model to invert the bottom reflectance of seagrasses; the design and implementation of multi-temporal satellite image approaches in coastal aquatic remote sensing; and the introduction, design and application of a scalable cloud-based tool to scale up seagrass mapping across large spatial and temporal dimensions. The approaches of the present PhD cover the gaps of the existing scientific literature of seagrass mapping in terms of the lack of spatial and temporal scalability and adaptability; the infancy in seagrass and seascape-related artificial intelligence endeavours; the restrictions of local server and mono-temporal approaches; and the absence of new methodological developments and applications using new (mainly open) satellite image archives. I anticipate and envisage that the near-future steps after the completion of my PhD will address the scalability of the designed cloud-native, data-driven mapping tool to standardise, automate, commercialise and democratise mapping and monitoring of seagrass and seascape ecosystems globally. The synergy of the developed momentum around the global seascape with the technological potential of Earth Observation can contribute to humanity’s race to adapt to and mitigate the climate change impacts and avoid cross tipping points in climate patterns, and biodiversity and ecosystem functions
Machine learning-based retrieval of benthic reflectance and Posidonia oceanica seagrass extent using a semi-analytical inversion of Sentinel-2 satellite data
Full text linkIn the epoch of the human-induced climate change, seagrasses can mitigate the resulting negative impacts due to their carbon sequestration ability. The endemic and dominant in the Mediterranean Posidonia oceanica seagrass contains the largest stocks of organic carbon among all seagrass species, yet it undergoes a significant regression in its extent. Therefore, suitable quantitative assessment of its extent and optically shallow environment are required to allow good conservation and management practices. Here, we parameterise a semi-analytical inversion model which employs above-surface remote sensing reflectance of Sentinel-2A to derive water column and bottom properties in the Thermaikos Gulf, NW Aegean Sea, Greece (eastern Mediterranean). In the model, the diffuse attenuation coefficients are expressed as functions of absorption and backscattering coefficients. We apply a comprehensive pre-processing workflow which includes atmospheric correction using C2RCC (Case 2 Regional CoastColour) neural network, resampling of the lower spatial resolution Sentinel-2A bands to 10m/pixel, as well as empirical derivation of water bathymetry and machine learning-based classification of the resulting bottom properties using the Support Vector Machines. SVM-based classification of benthic reflectance reveals ~300 ha of P. oceanica seagrass between 2 and 16 m of depth, and yields very high producer and user accuracies of 95.3% and 99.5%, respectively. Sources of errors and uncertainties are discussed. All in all, recent advances in Earth Observation in terms of optical satellite technology, cloud computing and machine learning algorithms have created the perfect storm which could aid high spatio-temporal, large-scale seagrass habitat mapping and monitoring, allowing for its integration to the Analysis Ready Data era and ultimately enabling more efficient management and conservation in the epoch of climate change
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
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