MUCKE aims to mine a large volume of images, to structure them conceptually and to use this conceptual structuring in order to improve large-scale image retrieval. The last decade witnessed important progress concerning low-level image representations. However, there are a number problems which need to be solved in order to unleash the full potential of image mining in applications. The central problem with low-level representations is the mismatch between them and the human interpretation of image content. This problem can be instantiated, for instance, by the incapability of existing descriptors to capture spatial relationships between the concepts represented or by their incapability to convey an explanation of why two images are similar in a content-based image retrieval framework. We start by assessing existing local descriptors for image classification and by proposing to use co-occurrence matrices to better capture spatial relationships in images. The main focus in MUCKE is on cleaning large scale Web image corpora and on proposing image representations which are closer to the human interpretation of images. Consequently, we introduce methods which tackle these two problems and compare results to state of the art methods. Note: some aspects of this deliverable are withheld at this time as they are pending review. Please contact the authors for a preview.

http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/iel2/4524/12820/00592460.pdf

Image Processing

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Recycling sediments between source and sink during a eustatic cycle: Systems of late Quaternary northwestern Gulf of Mexico Basin

Coastal subsidence contributes to relative sea-level rise and exacerbates flooding hazards, with the at-risk population expected to triple by 2070. Natural processes of vertical land motion, such as tectonics, glacial isostatic adjustment and sediment compaction, as well as anthropogenic processes, such as fluid extraction, lead to globally variable subsidence rates. In this Review, we discuss the key physical processes driving vertical land motion in coastal areas. Use of space-borne and land-based techniques and the associated uncertainties for monitoring subsidence are examined, as are physics-based models used to explain contemporary subsidence rates and to obtain future projections. Steady and comparatively low rates of subsidence and uplift owing to tectonic processes and glacial isostatic adjustment can be assumed for the twenty-first century. By contrast, much higher and variable subsidence rates occur owing to compaction associated with sediment loading and fluid extraction, as well as large earthquakes. These rates can be up to two orders of magnitude higher than the present-day rate of global sea-level rise. Multi-objective predictive models are required to account for the underlying physical processes and socio-economic factors that drive subsidence. Measuring coastal subsidence is essential to evaluating hazards associated with sea-level rise. This Review discusses the processes driving coastal subsidence, space-borne and land-based measurement techniques, as well as models for simulating observed subsidence and predicting future trends.

/pdf/measuring-modelling-and-projecting-coastal-land-subsidence-40hc25px54.pdf

Measuring, modelling and projecting coastal land subsidence

From the highest to the deepest: The Gaoping River–Gaoping Submarine Canyon dispersal system

Accelerating sea‐level rise and decreasing riverine sediment supply are widely considered to lead to global losses of deltaic marshes and their valuable ecosystem services. However, little is known about the degree to which the related erosion of the seaward delta front can provide sediments to sustain salt marshes. Here, we present data from the mesomacrotidal Yangtze Delta demonstrating that marshes have continued to accrete vertically and laterally, despite rapid relative sea‐level rise (∼10 mm yr−1) and a > 70% decrease in the Yangtze River sediment supply. Marsh progradation has decelerated at a lower rate than fluvial sediment reduction, suggesting an additional source of sediment. We find that under favorable conditions (e.g., a mesomacrotidal range, strong tidal flow, flood dominance, sedimentary settling lag/scour lag effects, and increasing high‐tide level), delta‐front erosion can actually supply sediment to marshes, thereby maintaining marsh accretion rates in balance with relative sea‐level rise. Comparison of global deltas illustrates that the ability of sediment remobilization to sustain marshes depends on coastal processes and varies by more than an order of magnitude among the world's major deltas.

/pdf/role-of-delta-front-erosion-in-sustaining-salt-marshes-under-20oabihk5b.pdf

Role of delta-front erosion in sustaining salt marshes under sea-level rise and fluvial sediment decline

Investigating morphological and stratigraphic changes to the submarine shoreface of a transgressive barrier island: follets island, northern gulf of mexico

Evidence of recent flood deposits within a distal shelf depocenter and implications for terrestrial carbon preservation in non-deltaic shelf settings

Organic matter (OM) accumulation in marsh soils affects marsh survival under rapid sea-level rise (SLR). This work describes the changing organic geochemistry of a salt marsh located in the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge on the eastern shore of Chesapeake Bay that has transgressed inland with SLR over the past 35–75 years. Marsh soils and vegetation were sampled along an elevation gradient from the intertidal zone to the adjacent forest, representing a space-for-time substitution of the process of marsh transgression. Stable carbon isotope analysis of bulk OM gives evidence for a transition from C3 upland-sourced OM to C4-dominated marsh vegetation over time. The vegetative source of the OM changes along a marsh-upland mixing line from herbaceous angiosperm-sourced lignin in the lower elevation marsh to a woody gymnosperm signature at the upper border of the marsh. The results of stable isotope and lignin analyses illustrate that landward encroachment of marsh grasses results in deposition of herbaceous tissues exhibiting relatively little decay. This presents a possible mechanism for OM stabilization as marshes migrate inland. Regional index terms USA, Maryland, Chesapeake Bay, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge.

Changes in organic carbon source and storage with sea level rise-induced transgression in a Chesapeake Bay marsh

Tidal wetlands play an important role in global carbon cycling by storing carbon in sediment at millennial time scales, transporting dissolved carbon into coastal waters, and contributing significantly to global CH4 budgets. However, these ecosystems' greenhouse gas monitoring and predictions are challenging due to spatial heterogeneity and tidal flooding. We utilized eddy covariance and chamber measurements to quantify fluxes of CO2 and CH4 at a restored tidal saltmarsh across spatial and temporal scales. Eddy covariance data revealed that the site was a strong net sink for CO2 (−387 g C‐CO2 m−2 yr−1, SD = 46) and a small net source of CH4 (0.7 g C‐CH4 m−2 yr−1, SD = 0.4). After partitioning net ecosystem exchange of CO2 into gross primary production and ecosystem respiration, we found that high net uptake of CO2 was due to low respiration emissions rather than high photosynthetic rates. We also found that respiration rates varied between land covers with increased respiration in mudflats compared to vegetated areas. Daytime soil chamber measurements revealed that the greatest CO2 emission was from higher elevation mudflat soils (0.5 μmol m−2s−1, SE = 1.3) and CH4 emission was greatest from lower elevation Spartina foliosa soils (1.6 nmol m−2s−1, SD = 8.2). Overall, these results highlight the importance of the relationships between wetland plant community and elevation, and inundation for CO2 and CH4 fluxes. Future research should include the use of high‐resolution imagery, automated chambers, and a focus on quantifying carbon exported in tidal waters.

Combining Eddy Covariance and Chamber Methods to Better Constrain CO2 and CH4 Fluxes Across a Heterogeneous Restored Tidal Wetland

/pdf/holocene-hydroclimatic-variability-recorded-in-sediments-1klfkoyu.pdf

Joseph A. Carlin

Papers

Investigating morphological and stratigraphic changes to the submarine shoreface of a transgressive barrier island: follets island, northern gulf of mexico

Evidence of recent flood deposits within a distal shelf depocenter and implications for terrestrial carbon preservation in non-deltaic shelf settings

Changes in organic carbon source and storage with sea level rise-induced transgression in a Chesapeake Bay marsh

Combining Eddy Covariance and Chamber Methods to Better Constrain CO2 and CH4 Fluxes Across a Heterogeneous Restored Tidal Wetland

Holocene hydroclimatic variability recorded in sediments from Maddox Lake (northern California Coast Range)