Arid geomorphology: emerging research themes and new frontiers

2009 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 251-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Tooth
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Planetary Science ◽  
Physical Geography ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
Short Channel ◽  
Climatic Regions ◽  
Landscape Studies ◽  
Rich Diversity ◽  
Research Themes ◽  
Physiographic Regions

Research conducted at the interfaces between traditionally disparate academic disciplines can provide fresh perspectives that catalyse novel research approaches and themes. With particular reference to publications from the last few years, this report focuses on a selection of emerging research themes that highlight the growing links between arid geomorphology and other disciplines, including ecology and soil science, sedimentology and petroleum geology, and planetary science. Three themes are addressed: (1) the role of fire in arid geomorphological systems, characterized by investigations that tend to focus on surface processes and landforms at relatively small spatial scales (plot to short channel reach) and short timescales (hours to years); (2) arid fluvial sedimentary systems, characterized by investigations that commonly focus on processes, landforms and sedimentary products at larger spatial scales (channel reach to basin) and longer timescales (years to millions of years); and (3) arid geomorphology on Mars, commonly characterized by process-landform investigations at very large spatial scales (entire physiographic regions to full planetary contexts) and yet longer timescales (millions to billions of years). For each theme, research gaps are identified, which provides an indication of where the research frontier currently lies. In particular, geomorphological research on Mars and other planetary bodies represents a new physical and intellectual frontier that offers great potential for further interplay with Earth landscape studies in arid and other climatic regions. While there are concerns about the present health and direction of geomorphology and physical geography, this rich diversity of themes provides evidence for vigorous and focused research in arid geomorphology.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Asian summer precipitation in different configurations of a high-resolution general circulation model in a range of decision-relevant spatial scales

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (12) ◽  
pp. 6381-6405
Author(s):  
Mark R. Muetzelfeldt ◽  
Reinhard Schiemann ◽  
Andrew G. Turner ◽  
Nicholas P. Klingaman ◽  
Pier Luigi Vidale ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Spatial Scale ◽  
Diurnal Cycle ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Summer Precipitation ◽  
Physical Geography ◽  
Simulated Precipitation ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Precipitation Bias

Abstract. High-resolution general circulation models (GCMs) can provide new insights into the simulated distribution of global precipitation. We evaluate how summer precipitation is represented over Asia in global simulations with a grid length of 14 km. Three simulations were performed: one with a convection parametrization, one with convection represented explicitly by the model's dynamics, and a hybrid simulation with only shallow and mid-level convection parametrized. We evaluate the mean simulated precipitation and the diurnal cycle of the amount, frequency, and intensity of the precipitation against satellite observations of precipitation from the Climate Prediction Center morphing method (CMORPH). We also compare the high-resolution simulations with coarser simulations that use parametrized convection. The simulated and observed precipitation is averaged over spatial scales defined by the hydrological catchment basins; these provide a natural spatial scale for performing decision-relevant analysis that is tied to the underlying regional physical geography. By selecting basins of different sizes, we evaluate the simulations as a function of the spatial scale. A new BAsin-Scale Model Assessment ToolkIt (BASMATI) is described, which facilitates this analysis. We find that there are strong wet biases (locally up to 72 mm d−1 at small spatial scales) in the mean precipitation over mountainous regions such as the Himalayas. The explicit convection simulation worsens existing wet and dry biases compared to the parametrized convection simulation. When the analysis is performed at different basin scales, the precipitation bias decreases as the spatial scales increase for all the simulations; the lowest-resolution simulation has the smallest root mean squared error compared to CMORPH. In the simulations, a positive mean precipitation bias over China is primarily found to be due to too frequent precipitation for the parametrized convection simulation and too intense precipitation for the explicit convection simulation. The simulated diurnal cycle of precipitation is strongly affected by the representation of convection: parametrized convection produces a peak in precipitation too close to midday over land, whereas explicit convection produces a peak that is closer to the late afternoon peak seen in observations. At increasing spatial scale, the representation of the diurnal cycle in the explicit and hybrid convection simulations improves when compared to CMORPH; this is not true for any of the parametrized simulations. Some of the strengths and weaknesses of simulated precipitation in a high-resolution GCM are found: the diurnal cycle is improved at all spatial scales with convection parametrization disabled, the interaction of the flow with orography exacerbates existing biases for mean precipitation in the high-resolution simulations, and parametrized simulations produce similar diurnal cycles regardless of their resolution. The need for tuning the high-resolution simulations is made clear. Our approach for evaluating simulated precipitation across a range of scales is widely applicable to other GCMs.

scholarly journals The (Evolving) Vineyard’s Age Structure in the Valencian Community, Spain: A New Demographic Approach for Rural Development and Landscape Analysis

Agriculture ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilaria Zambon ◽  
Artemi Cerdà ◽  
Sirio Cividino ◽  
Luca Salvati
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Rural Landscape ◽  
Basic Knowledge ◽  
Environmental Aspects ◽  
Local Economies ◽  
Eastern Area ◽  
Rural Landscapes ◽  
Landscape Studies ◽  
Landscape Degradation

Vineyards have assumed a key role as rural landmarks in recent decades. Investigating vineyard dynamics and contexts may reveal various economic, cultural, and environmental aspects of rural landscapes, which can be linked to land-use changes and major soil degradation processes, including soil erosion. As a contribution to rural landscape studies, the purpose of this work is to investigate the spatial distribution of vineyard plots in the Valencian community, located in the eastern area of the Iberian Peninsula, focusing on the final product, the type of vineyard and how long each vineyard has been settled over time. The work provides a comprehensive analysis of a wine-growing landscape, considering strategic (spatial) assets in present and past times. Vineyards were interpreted as a distinctive landmarks that give value to local economies; basic knowledge of how long different types of wine plots have been present in the Valencian community is useful when estimating their degree of sustainability and formulating suggestions, policies, and strategies to prevent processes of landscape degradation at various spatial scales.

scholarly journals Learning as a Machine. Crossovers Between Humans and Machines

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mireille Hildebrandt
Keyword(s):  
Learning Process ◽  
Learning Analytics ◽  
Active Participation ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Rich Diversity ◽  
Current Thinking ◽  
Multidisciplinary Nature ◽  
The Rich

This article introduces the special issue from SoLAR’s 2016 Learning Analytics and Knowledge conference. The field of learning analytics (LA) draws heavily on theory and practice from a range of diverse academic disciplines. In so doing, LA research embodies a rich integration of methodologies and practices, assumptions and theory to bring new insights into the learning process. Reflecting this rich diversity, the theme of LAK 2016 highlights the multidisciplinary nature of the field and embraces the convergence of these disciplines to provide theoretical and practical insights to challenge current thinking in the field.  This overview introduces six articles, each of which expands on an invited talk or paper from the conference, with the added goal of offering a small taste of the rich experience that comes from  active participation in the conference. 

HRSC-A data: a new high-resolution data set with multipurpose applications in physical geography

2007 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.-C. Otto ◽  
K. Kleinod ◽  
O. König ◽  
M. Krautblatter ◽  
M. Nyenhuis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Research Training ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Physical Geography ◽  
Vegetation Monitoring ◽  
Data Set ◽  
High Resolution Data ◽  
Resolution Data

The analysis and interpretation of remote sensing data facilitates investigation of land surface complexity on large spatial scales. We introduce here a geometrically high-resolution data set provided by the airborne High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC-A). The sensor records digital multispectral and panchromatic stereo bands from which a very high-resolution ground elevation model can be produced. After introducing the basic principles of the HRSC technique and data, applications of HRSC data within the multidisciplinary Research Training Group 437 are presented. Applications include geomorphologic mapping, geomorphometric analysis, mapping of surficial grain-size distribution, rock glacier kinematic analysis, vegetation monitoring and three-dimensional landform visualization. A final evaluation of the HRSC data based on three years of multipurpose usage concludes this presentation. A combination of image and elevation data opens up various possibilities for visualization and three-dimensional analysis of the land surface, especially in geomorphology. Additionally, the multispectral imagery of the HRSC data has potential for land cover mapping and vegetation monitoring. We consider HRSC data a valuable source of high-resolution terrain information with high applicability in physical geography and earth system science.

scholarly journals LAK16 Editorial

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolyn Penstein Rosé ◽  
Shane Dawson ◽  
Hendrik Drachsler
Keyword(s):  
Learning Process ◽  
Learning Analytics ◽  
Active Participation ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Rich Diversity ◽  
Current Thinking ◽  
Multidisciplinary Nature ◽  
The Rich

This article introduces the special issue from SoLAR’s 2016 Learning Analytics and Knowledge conference. The field of learning analytics (LA) draws heavily on theory and practice from a range of diverse academic disciplines. In so doing, LA research embodies a rich integration of methodologies and practices, assumptions and theory to bring new insights into the learning process. Reflecting this rich diversity, the theme of LAK 2016 highlights the multidisciplinary nature of the field and embraces the convergence of these disciplines to provide theoretical and practical insights to challenge current thinking in the field.  This overview introduces six articles, each of which expands on an invited talk or paper from the conference, with the added goal of offering a small taste of the rich experience that comes from  active participation in the conference.

How is HRD related to other disciplines? The analysis of 100 most frequently cited empirical articles published in three HRD journals

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaekyo Seo ◽  
Suhyung Lee ◽  
Alexandre Ardichvili
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Human Resource Development ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
Upward Trend ◽  
Content Type ◽  
New Information ◽  
Research Themes ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Theoretical Foundations

Purpose Human resource development (HRD) as an applied discipline is an example of a scholarly field that has emerged through the collaboration of scholars and practitioners with backgrounds in various foundational disciplines. This study interested in both the influence of other disciplines on HRD research and in HRD’s influence on other disciplines. The purpose of this study is to take stock of the relationships between HRD research and research in other academic disciplines affecting and affected by HRD research. Design/methodology/approach The study used content analysis of the top 100 most frequently cited empirical articles published in three HRD journals between 2000 and 2019 to identify disciplinary foundations of HRD research. The influence of HRD on other disciplines was scrutinized through citation analysis of work citing the top 100 articles. In addition, categorizing the 100 articles into six research themes, the influence of six research themes on citation patterns was explored. Findings The findings indicated that empirical research in HRD, as represented by the top 100 articles, relied mainly on theories and frameworks from two disciplines, management and psychology. Another important finding is that the top 100 HRD articles were cited most often in management publications and the rate of citation in management journals has been growing rapidly since 2005. The citation frequency of HRD articles in other disciplines including psychology, social sciences, education and medicine and nursing shows a general upward trend as well. In addition, there was a difference in disciplines providing theoretical foundations to the HRD articles and citing the articles depending on six predominant research themes, identified in HRD articles. Originality/value This study empirically identified theories and disciplines contributing to HRD research, considering the influence of cited research on the HRD articles through content analysis. In addition, the findings of this study broadened the understanding of the relationship between HRD research and other disciplines by examining the contributions of HRD articles to other disciplines. Finally, this research provided new information regarding the changes in dominant themes in HRD research over time.

scholarly journals Patterns of diversity on the Paleozoic shelf: implications for controls on clade history

1992 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 266-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. John Sepkoski ◽  
Arnold I. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Beta Diversity ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Alpha Diversity ◽  
Physical Geography ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Dominant Factor ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Alpha And Beta Diversity ◽  
Global Diversity ◽  
Local Ecology

Global diversity often is treated as a barometer of evolutionary success of clades without reference to their occurrence in ecological or biogeographical space. But global diversity is a composite of various spatial scales: alpha diversity, the number of taxa co-occurring in local communities; beta diversity, the distinction in taxonomic composition among local communities; and gamma diversity, the distinction, or degree of endemism, among geographic provinces, It has been argued by some workers that global diversity correlates strongly with alpha (and beta) diversity but by others that provinciality is the principal control of global patterns. The distinction is important, implicating either ecological processes (“adaptation”) or physical geography (“contingency”) as the major factor in expansion of clades.We have examined the ecological half of this problem with a data base comprising 505 fossil assemblages sampled from Paleozoic strata of Laurentian North America. On the basis of associated sedimentary characteristics, each assemblage has been assigned to one of six environmental categories, ranging from onshore peritidal situations to offshore basinal conditions. For each taxonomic order and class, average numbers of genera in each category have been determined for each of 18 time units. These average alpha diversities have been contoured on time-environment diagrams and compared to patterns of global diversity.Three major generalizations are derived from these diagrams:1. Major groups tend to be environmentally conservative, maintaining their life zones of maximum and minimum alpha diversity over vast stretches of time.2. Onshore-offshore shifts are most common during early expansion or late contraction of groups, when their global diversity is rapidly waxing or (more slowly) waning.3. Maxima and minima in global diversity within the groups through time, with few exceptions, are reflected in alpha diversity as fluctuations within the environments of maximum richness and/or as variations in the range of environments occupied.The last observation indicates a tight link between local ecology and global diversity, although the direction of causation is not unambiguous: alpha diversity could be reflecting only the global pool from which species can be recruited into local communities. However, in view of the onshore-offshore shifts during early and late histories of clades we conclude that local ecology is the dominant factor in controlling global diversity, and provinciality is secondary.

scholarly journals Continental-scale patterns of Cecropia reproductive phenology: evidence from herbarium specimens

2011 ◽  
Vol 278 (1717) ◽  
pp. 2437-2445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul-Camilo Zalamea ◽  
François Munoz ◽  
Pablo R. Stevenson ◽  
C. E. Timothy Paine ◽  
Carolina Sarmiento ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Field Survey ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Plant Phenology ◽  
Reproductive Phenology ◽  
Herbarium Specimens ◽  
Climatic Regions ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
Flowering Behaviour

Plant phenology is concerned with the timing of recurring biological events. Though phenology has traditionally been studied using intensive surveys of a local flora, results from such surveys are difficult to generalize to broader spatial scales. In this study, contrastingly, we assembled a continental-scale dataset of herbarium specimens for the emblematic genus of Neotropical pioneer trees, Cecropia , and applied Fourier spectral and cospectral analyses to investigate the reproductive phenology of 35 species. We detected significant annual, sub-annual and continuous patterns, and discuss the variation in patterns within and among climatic regions. Although previous studies have suggested that pioneer species generally produce flowers continually throughout the year, we found that at least one third of Cecropia species are characterized by clear annual flowering behaviour. We further investigated the relationships between phenology and climate seasonality, showing strong associations between phenology and seasonal variations in precipitation and temperature. We also verified our results against field survey data gathered from the literature. Our findings indicate that herbarium material is a reliable resource for use in the investigation of large-scale patterns in plant phenology, offering a promising complement to local intensive field studies.

The heyday of the Lviv School of Mountain Landscape Science (dedicated to the memory of Professor Anatoliy Melnyk)

2020 ◽  
Vol 99 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 73-84
Author(s):  
Mykola Karabiniuk ◽  
Olesya Burianyk ◽  
Zoriana Gostiuk ◽  
Lyudmyla Kostiv
Keyword(s):  
Physical Geography ◽  
General Development ◽  
Mountain Landscape ◽  
Landscape Studies ◽  
National University

The article is dedicated to the memory of A. Melnyk – a prominent geographer-landscape scientist, researcher of landscapes of the Ukrainian Carpathians and Ukraine in general, long-term head of the Department of Physical Geography and head of the Chornogirsky geographical station of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. His scientific path and contribution to the general development of the Lviv School of Landscape Studies are analyzed.

scholarly journals A Review of Small Farmer Land Use and Deforestation in Tropical Forest Frontiers: Implications for Conservation and Sustainable Livelihoods

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1113
Author(s):  
David López-Carr
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Forest Conversion ◽  
Ecological Change ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
Local Livelihoods ◽  
Political Economic

Forest conversion for agriculture is the most expansive signature of human occupation on the Earth’s surface. This paper develops a conceptual model of factors underlying frontier agricultural expansion—the predominant driver of deforestation worldwide—from the perspective of small farm households—the majority of farmers globally. The framework consists of four causal rubrics: demographic, socioeconomic, political–economic, and ecological. Following this approach, the article explores the current state of knowledge on tropical deforestation in tropical agricultural frontiers with a focus on Latin America, the region of greatest deforestation worldwide during recent decades. Neo-Malthusian arguments notwithstanding, in many tropical nations, deforestation has proceeded unabated in recent years despite declining rural populations. However, evidence from the global-to-household scale suggests that population size and composition are also related to farm forest conversion. Existing particularist or behaviorialist theories sometimes fail to capture key geographical and temporal dimensions, yet studies support the notion that certain cultural, individual, and household characteristics are crucial determinants of forest clearing. Conversely, while institutional arguments sometimes fail to emphasize that the ultimate land use change agents are local resource users, their livelihood decisions are shaped and constrained by policies governing economic subsidies, and market and infrastructure development. Further, although ecological change is usually modeled as an outcome in the deforestation literature, increasingly acute climate change and natural farm endowments form a dynamic tabula rasa on which household land use decisions are enabled. To more fully comprehend frontier forest conversion and to enhance protection and conservation while promoting vital local livelihoods, future research may fruitfully investigate the interaction of demographic, social, political, economic, and ecological factors across spatial scales and academic disciplines.

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