SentinelMap Blog: Posts tagged 'english'
urn:http-blog-sentinelmap-eu:-tags-english-html
2016-10-30T12:00:00Z
Earthquakes in Central Italy
urn:http-blog-sentinelmap-eu:-blog-2016-10-30-earthquakes-in-central-italy
2016-10-30T12:00:00Z
2016-10-30T12:00:00Z
SentinelMap
<h2 id="since-august-openstreetmap-community-helps-assessing-damage">Since August OpenStreetMap community helps assessing damage</h2>
<div class="container">
<div class="row">
<div class="col-md-3"><!--<h4> Damage to the buildings from the earthquake on August 24th: </h4>-->
<h4>Buildings by damage grade since the earthquake on August 24th:</h4>
<table class="table table-striped table-hover">
<tr>
<th>Damage</th>
<th>Buildings</th>
<th>%</th></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">collapsed</td>
<td align="right">426</td>
<td align="right">11.59</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">partially collapsed</td>
<td align="right">10</td>
<td align="right">0.27</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">severe</td>
<td align="right">304</td>
<td align="right">8.27</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">moderate</td>
<td align="right">346</td>
<td align="right">9.41</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">negligible</td>
<td align="right">240</td>
<td align="right">6.53</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">no</td>
<td align="right">2350</td>
<td align="right">63.93</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">Total</td>
<td align="right">3676</td>
<td align="right">100.00</td></tr></table> Last update:
<b>2016-11-02 04:52</b>*</div> <!--end of table column-->
<div class="col-md-9">
<p></p> <a href="/blog/2016/10/30/earthquakes-in-central-italy/"><img class="img-responsive img-rounded" alt="terremoto" src="/img/posts/2016/10/norcia-crop.jpg" /></a></div> <!--end of image column--></div> <!--end of row--></div>
<p> <!--end of container--></p>
<!-- more-->
<h5 id="note">*Note:</h5>
<p>Modified © <a href="https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright">OpenStreetMap contributors</a> data, kindly provided by <a href="http://download.geofabrik.de/europe/italy/centro.html">Geofabrik</a>.</p>
<p>Numbers about damage to the buildings were extracted by the tags <a href="https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Humanitarian_OSM_Tags/Humanitarian_Data_Background">earthquake:damage</a> in OpenStreetMap database (<a href="https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/438750118">example</a>).</p>
<p>This was possible thanks to the volunteers that contribute through <a href="http://osmit-tm.wmflabs.org/">OSM Tasking Manager of Wikimedia Italia</a>.</p>
<h2 id="a-list-of-important-buildings-affected-by-earthquakes">A list of important buildings affected by earthquakes</h2>
<div class="container">
<div class="row">
<div class="col-md-6">
<table class="table table-striped table-hover">
<tr>
<th></th>
<th>name</th>
<th>damage</th></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">1</td>
<td><a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/438744545/" target="_blank">Santa Croce</a></td>
<td>collapsed</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">2</td>
<td><a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/438754589/" target="_blank">palazzo rosso</a></td>
<td>collapsed</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">3</td>
<td><a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/438754590/" target="_blank">Palazzo Comunale</a></td>
<td>collapsed</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">4</td>
<td><a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/438758194/" target="_blank">Immacolata Concezione</a></td>
<td>collapsed</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">5</td>
<td><a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/438759246/" target="_blank">Santa Maria di Porta Ferrata</a></td>
<td>collapsed</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">6</td>
<td><a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/438772705/" target="_blank">Cinema Teatro Comunale Giuseppe Garibaldi</a></td>
<td>collapsed</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">7</td>
<td><a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/438785811/" target="_blank">Torre Civica</a></td>
<td>collapsed</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">8</td>
<td><a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/438794976/" target="_blank">San Giovanni</a></td>
<td>collapsed</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">9</td>
<td><a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/438866724/" target="_blank">San Lorenzo</a></td>
<td>collapsed</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">10</td>
<td><a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/439074103/" target="_blank">Porta Carbonara</a></td>
<td>collapsed</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">11</td>
<td><a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/438743996/" target="_blank">Chiesa di Sant'Agostino</a></td>
<td>severe</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">12</td>
<td><a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/438746921/" target="_blank">Santissimo Crocifisso</a></td>
<td>severe</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">13</td>
<td><a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/438746929/" target="_blank">San Giuseppe</a></td>
<td>severe</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">14</td>
<td><a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/438882341/" target="_blank">Madonna del Sole</a></td>
<td>severe</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">15</td>
<td><a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/73988262/" target="_blank">Basilica di San Benedetto</a></td>
<td>severe</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">16</td>
<td><a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/438746924/" target="_blank">Santa Maria del Suffragio</a></td>
<td>moderate</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">17</td>
<td><a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/438748246/" target="_blank">Museo civico Cola Filotesio</a></td>
<td>moderate</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">18</td>
<td><a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/438759237/" target="_blank">San Francesco</a></td>
<td>moderate</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">19</td>
<td><a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/438771868/" target="_blank">Ex Chiesa di San Fortunato</a></td>
<td>moderate</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">20</td>
<td><a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/438777058/" target="_blank">Mulino</a></td>
<td>moderate</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">21</td>
<td><a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/438788433/" target="_blank">Via della Marina</a></td>
<td>moderate</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">22</td>
<td><a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/438784233/" target="_blank">Madonna delle Coste</a></td>
<td>negligible</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">23</td>
<td><a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/438738660/" target="_blank">Orfanotrofio maschile</a></td>
<td>no</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">24</td>
<td><a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/438738661/" target="_blank">Santa Maria Assunta</a></td>
<td>no</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">25</td>
<td><a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/438739078/" target="_blank">Palazzetto CISOM</a></td>
<td>no</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">26</td>
<td><a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/438779981/" target="_blank">San Bartolomeo</a></td>
<td>no</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">27</td>
<td><a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/438833197/" target="_blank">Cimitero San Valentino</a></td>
<td>no</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">28</td>
<td><a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/438886419/" target="_blank">Torre Civica</a></td>
<td>no</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">29</td>
<td><a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/440014839/" target="_blank">Fontanile</a></td>
<td>no</td></tr></table></div></div> <!--end of row--></div>
<p> <!--end of container--></p>
Nearly 800 major wildfires recorded in Europe in 2016
urn:http-blog-sentinelmap-eu:-blog-2016-10-13-nearly-800-major-wildfires-recorded-in-europe-in-2016
2016-10-13T09:00:00Z
2016-10-13T09:00:00Z
SentinelMap
<p>
<cite>Davide Del Papa, Carlo Palermo</cite></p>
<h4 id="last-august-7-european-satellite-sentinel2-captured-images-of-vast-wildfire-in-elba-island-italy">Last August 7, european satellite Sentinel–2 captured images of vast wildfire in Elba Island, Italy.</h4>
<p><a href="/blog/2016/10/13/nearly-800-major-wildfires-recorded-in-europe-in-2016/"><img class="img-responsive img-rounded" alt="Elba" src="/img/posts/2016/10/elba.jpg" /></a></p>
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<p>
<cite>Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2016 - composite: SWIR(12–8–4) + RGB(4–3–2).</cite></p>
<p><a href="/img/posts/2016/10/elba.tif" class="btn btn-info" download="">DOWNLOAD HI-RES GEOTIFF</a></p>
<h2 id="wildland-fires-in-summer-2016">Wildland fires in summer 2016</h2>
<h4 id="wildfires-by-country-and-size-class¹">Wildfires by Country and Size Class¹:</h4>
<div class="col-md-5">
<table class="table table-striped table-hover">
<tr>
<th></th>
<th>Unknow</th>
<th>Small</th>
<th>Medium</th>
<th>Large</th>
<th>Major</th>
<th>Total</th></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">Italy</td>
<td align="right">87</td>
<td align="right">47</td>
<td align="right">63</td>
<td align="right">10</td>
<td align="right">8</td>
<td align="right">215</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">France</td>
<td align="right">7</td>
<td align="right">49</td>
<td align="right">46</td>
<td align="right">11</td>
<td align="right">6</td>
<td align="right">119</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">Turkey</td>
<td align="right">19</td>
<td align="right">44</td>
<td align="right">28</td>
<td align="right">8</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">99</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">Portugal</td>
<td align="right">84</td>
<td align="right">1</td>
<td align="right">1</td>
<td align="right">4</td>
<td align="right">3</td>
<td align="right">93</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">Greece</td>
<td align="right">49</td>
<td align="right">9</td>
<td align="right">16</td>
<td align="right">4</td>
<td align="right">5</td>
<td align="right">83</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">Bulgaria</td>
<td align="right">11</td>
<td align="right">11</td>
<td align="right">24</td>
<td align="right">6</td>
<td align="right">5</td>
<td align="right">57</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">Croatia</td>
<td align="right">5</td>
<td align="right">5</td>
<td align="right">9</td>
<td align="right">3</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">22</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">Sweden</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">11</td>
<td align="right">9</td>
<td align="right">1</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">21</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">Spain</td>
<td align="right">4</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">2</td>
<td align="right">3</td>
<td align="right">9</td>
<td align="right">18</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">Cyprus</td>
<td align="right">1</td>
<td align="right">8</td>
<td align="right">6</td>
<td align="right">1</td>
<td align="right">1</td>
<td align="right">17</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">Germany</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">4</td>
<td align="right">2</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">6</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">Morocco</td>
<td align="right">1</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">3</td>
<td align="right">2</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">6</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">Algeria</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">1</td>
<td align="right">4</td>
<td align="right">1</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">6</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">Bosnia & Herzegovina</td>
<td align="right">1</td>
<td align="right">1</td>
<td align="right">1</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">1</td>
<td align="right">4</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">Slovenia</td>
<td align="right">1</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">2</td>
<td align="right">1</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">4</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">Romania</td>
<td align="right">1</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">1</td>
<td align="right">1</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">3</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">Austria</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">1</td>
<td align="right">2</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">3</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">Estonia</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">3</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">3</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">Moldova</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">2</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">2</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">Slovakia</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">2</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">2</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">Tunisia</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">1</td>
<td align="right">1</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">2</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">Israel</td>
<td align="right">2</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">2</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">Jordan</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">1</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">1</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">Ukraine</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">1</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">1</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">Czech Republic</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">1</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">1</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">Total</td>
<td align="right">273</td>
<td align="right">194</td>
<td align="right">229</td>
<td align="right">56</td>
<td align="right">38</td>
<td align="right">790</td></tr></table>
<cite>Modified <a href="http://forest.jrc.ec.europa.eu/effis/applications/firenews/" target="_blank">EFFIS Firenews</a> data: April 1 - October 12, 2016.</cite>
<hr /></div>
<p> <!--end of table--></p>
<p>The European Forest Fire Information System, <a href="http://forest.jrc.ec.europa.eu/effis/">EFFIS</a>, keeps a record for public service which stores data concerning the location, the class, and the extent of the fires that devastate the European green surface. Moreover other countries of Mediterranean area are also monitored.</p>
<p>Through <a href="http://forest.jrc.ec.europa.eu/effis/applications/firenews/">Firenews</a> service, we have news about <strong>790</strong> wildfires this year, in the period between April 1 and October 12.</p>
<p>The statistics concerning countries and type of fire that affects them show that while some states had a few major fires, which caused massive loss of green surface, other nations instead were affected by many small and medium fires scattered throughout the country’s surface.</p>
<div class="col-md-7"><img class="img-responsive img-rounded" alt="Elba" src="/img/posts/2016/10/elba_crop.jpg" />
<cite>Elba Island, Italy, August 7 2016 - Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2016</cite>
<hr /></div>
<p>To understand this phenomenon, one should remember that any fire needs three things to occur: fuel, an oxidizing agent and sufficient heat. In a forest area surely the fuel is not lacking. The oxidizing agent too is not scarce at all: oxygen is abundantly released into the air by the trees during the day as an added dividend of the process of photosynthesis. In addition, during the course of the year there may be extra causes that favor a fire, some increasing the flammability of the fuel, others increasing the amount of oxygen in the air. In fact, during periods of drought the barks of the trees are more flammable, while the undergrowth can get completely dry sometimes, favoring fires just at the base of the trunks of the trees. A strong wind, or even the morning and evening breezes can facilitate the development of a forest fire by increasing air availability. The drafts also facilitate the spread of the flames. In fact, the fire that has reached the top of the trees tends to spread in an airborne way: hot embers and ashes tossed around by air currents can carry away burnt twigs and leaves, raining them on top of surrounding plants. Despite climatic conditions can promote the formation or the spread of a forest fire, one has to remember that the determining factor to trigger a fire lies in the way which heat is applied to the fuel. As a matter of fact, without sufficient heat provided in some way, the chain reaction needed for a fire would not start at all. In this department one should search for a culprit or a triggering cause for wildfires.</p>
<h4 id="¹size-class-burned-hectares"><strong>¹</strong>Size Class: burned Hectares</h4>
<ul>
<li>Small: <strong>< 11</strong></li>
<li>Medium: <strong>11 – 100</strong></li>
<li>Large: <strong>101 – 500</strong></li>
<li>Major: <strong>> 500</strong></li></ul>
<h2 id="an-example-forest-fires-in-marseille-france">An Example: Forest Fires in Marseille, France</h2>
<p><img class="img-responsive img-rounded" alt="Marseille" src="/img/posts/2016/10/france_diff-ndvi.jpg" />
<cite>Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2016 - composite: ( NDVI[2016/07/24] - NDVI[2016/08/13] ) + RGB(4–3–2)</cite></p>
<p><a href="/img/posts/2016/10/france_diff-ndvi.tif" class="btn btn-info" download="">DOWNLOAD HI-RES GEOTIFF</a></p>
<p><img class="img-responsive img-rounded" alt="Marseille" src="/img/posts/2016/10/france_swir-rgb.jpg" />
<cite>Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2016 - composite: SWIR(12–8–4) + RGB(4–3–2)</cite></p>
<p><a href="/img/posts/2016/10/france_swir-rgb.tif" class="btn btn-info" download="">DOWNLOAD HI-RES GEOTIFF</a></p>
<p>Satellite images from the Sentinel–2 show forest fires that hit the inland area of Marseille the first days of August, in the department of Bouches-du-Rhône, in the southeast of France. The image was obtained by the difference between two <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normalized_Difference_Vegetation_Index">NDVI</a> images of the area. The fire, which broke out in Rognac and spread enough to get near the town of Vitrolles has destroyed 350 hectares of land, of which more than 250 were formations of the Mediterranean Maquis shrub-land. The fire has left also 33 people injured and 25 properties destroyed. The forest fire in Marseilles has been favored by the great drought that from the beginning of summer 2016 has affected especially the south of France. The French forestry department, following the EFFIS directives, uses a scale of 1 to 6 to classify the areas that present a possible risk of fire: by August 11th nine out of twelve areas comprising the department of Bouches-du-Rhône had been classified level 4, while the remaining 3 where classified level 5. Despite the high alert, a forest fire is always difficult to control; in fact, when there are favorable conditions the flames can spread inside a forest advancing even 20 or 30 meters per minute. The fire in the inland of Marseille was favored both by a period of prolonged drought and by a strong Mistral wind that blew almost till the gates of Marseille, with gusts reaching up to 100 km/h.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>lexpress.fr</strong>: <a href="http://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/societe/fait-divers/incendie-pres-de-marseille-toujours-des-risques-de-reprises_1820424.html">Bouches-du-Rhône: trois incendies toujours en cours à Fos-sur-Mer</a></li>
<li><strong>nouvelobs.com</strong>: <a href="http://leplus.nouvelobs.com/contribution/1549073-incendies-pres-de-marseille-pourquoi-il-est-difficile-de-maitriser-un-feu-de-foret.html">Incendies près de Marseille : pourquoi il est difficile de maîtriser un feu de forêt</a></li></ul>
<hr />
<p>The effects of one of the wildfires in the area of Marseille:</p>
<div class="col-md-6"><img class="img-responsive img-rounded" alt="Marseille detail" src="/img/posts/2016/10/france_diff-ndvi_crop.jpg" />
<cite>Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2016</cite>
<hr /></div>
<div class="col-md-6"><img class="img-responsive img-rounded" alt="Marseille detail" src="/img/posts/2016/10/france_swir-rgb_crop.jpg" />
<cite>Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2016</cite>
<hr /></div>
A month of #Sentinel2 images - June 2016
urn:http-blog-sentinelmap-eu:-blog-2016-08-03-a-month-of-sentinel2-images-june-2016
2016-08-03T09:00:00Z
2016-08-03T09:00:00Z
SentinelMap
<h4 id="rio-ebro-near-the-mequinenza-dam-province-of-zaragoza-españa">Rio Ebro near the Mequinenza dam, province of Zaragoza, España.</h4>
<p><a href="/blog/2016/08/03/a-month-of-sentinel2-images-june-2016"><img class="img-responsive img-rounded" alt="Rio Ebro" src="/img/posts/2016/7/RioEbro-jun16_m.jpg" /></a></p>
<!-- more-->
<p>
<cite>Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2016 - <a href="http://www.sentinelmap.eu/#12/41.33/0.34" title="SentinelMap">sentinelmap.eu/#12/41.33/0.34</a></cite></p>
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<h4 id="the-city-of-lleida-and-its-hinterland-catalunya-españa">The city of Lleida and its hinterland, Catalunya, España.</h4>
<p><img class="img-responsive img-rounded" alt="Lleida" src="/img/posts/2016/7/Lleida_jun16_m.jpg" /></p>
<p>
<cite>Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2016 - <a href="http://www.sentinelmap.eu/#12/41.68/0.4" title="SentinelMap">sentinelmap.eu/#12/41.68/0.4</a></cite></p>
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<h4 id="forggensee-the-fifth-largest-lake-in-bavaria-germany-between-april-and-june">Forggensee, the fifth-largest lake in Bavaria, Germany, between April and June.</h4>
<p><img class="img-responsive img-rounded" alt="Forggensee" src="/img/posts/2016/7/forggensee_4-6_16.gif" /></p>
<p>
<cite>Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2016 - <a href="http://www.sentinelmap.eu/#13/47.61/10.75" title="SentinelMap">sentinelmap.eu/#13/47.61/10.75</a></cite></p>
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<h4 id="republic-of-san-marino-its-size-is-just-over-61-km²-and-has-an-estimated-population-of-about-32000">Republic of San Marino, its size is just over 61 km² and has an estimated population of about 32,000.</h4>
<p><img class="img-responsive img-rounded" alt="San Marino" src="/img/posts/2016/7/SanMarino_c_m.jpg" /></p>
<p>
<cite>Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2016 - <a href="http://www.sentinelmap.eu/#12/43.94/12.46" title="SentinelMap">sentinelmap.eu/#12/43.94/12.46</a></cite></p>
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<h4 id="various-phases-of-rice-cultivation-between-april-and-june-in-the-paddy-fields-located-in-the-vercellis-valley-in-northern-italy">Various phases of rice cultivation between April and June, in the paddy fields located in the Vercelli’s valley, in northern Italy.</h4>
<p><img class="img-responsive img-rounded" alt="Canale Cavour GIF" src="/img/posts/2016/7/canaleCavour_m.gif" /></p>
<p>
<cite>Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2016 - <a href="http://www.sentinelmap.eu/#13/45.43/8.3" title="SentinelMap">sentinelmap.eu/#13/45.43/8.3</a></cite></p>
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<h4 id="split-the-second-largest-city-of-croatia-and-the-largest-city-of-the-region-of-dalmatia">Split, the second-largest city of Croatia and the largest city of the region of Dalmatia</h4>
<p><img class="img-responsive img-rounded" alt="Canale Cavour GIF" src="/img/posts/2016/7/Split_jun16_m.jpg" /></p>
<p>
<cite>Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2016 - <a href="http://www.sentinelmap.eu/#12/43.5/16.45" title="SentinelMap">sentinelmap.eu/#12/43.5/16.45</a></cite></p>
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Paddy fields in the Vercelli's valley
urn:http-blog-sentinelmap-eu:-blog-2016-07-25-paddy-fields-in-the-vercelli-s-valley
2016-07-25T09:00:00Z
2016-07-25T09:00:00Z
SentinelMap
<p>
<cite>by
<en>Davide Del Papa</en></cite></p>
<p>The satellite images coming from the Sentinel–2 between April and June show the various phases of rice cultivation in the paddy fields located in the Vercelli’s valley, in northern Italy.</p>
<p><a href="/blog/2016/07/25/paddy-fields-in-the-vercelli-s-valley"><img class="img-responsive img-rounded" alt="Canale Cavour GIF" src="/img/posts/2016/7/canaleCavour_m.gif" /></a></p>
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<p>
<cite>Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2016 - <a href="http://www.sentinelmap.eu/#13/45.43/8.3" title="SentinelMap">sentinelmap.eu/#13/45.43/8.3</a></cite></p>
<h2 id="paddy-fields">Paddy fields</h2>
<p>The ears of rice ripen in September, but the work in the fields begins already at the end of winter. In fact, the rice paddies being submerged for much of the year, require often plowing to allow the aeration of the soils. There are two ways of planting rice: dry, before flooding the fields, and on a plot already flooded. In the latter case, rice seedlings are planted and grown in a dedicated parcel of land, and then transplanted on the final paddy; this operation takes place in June.</p>
<p>The paddy needs a stable water level maintained at about 10 cm above the roots. For this reason the soil needs to be leveled as accurately as possible and to have levees between 30 and 60 cm tall, in order to retain water to an acceptable level for the cultivations. Nowadays there is new technology to easy out the centuries old, painstaking work of building tanks and containment trays that follow the natural unevenness of the ground. Modern technology allows for a great accuracy, with error levels inferior to 0.5 cm every 500 meters, thanks to the advent of laser level meters mounted on tractors.</p>
<p><img class="img-responsive img-rounded" alt="Canale Cavour GIF" src="/img/posts/2016/7/NovaraRisaie.jpg" />
<cite>Source: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Novara_risaie.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a></cite></p>
<h2 id="cavour-canal">Cavour Canal</h2>
<p>Flooding is fundamental to a paddy, and it is made possible only by numerous canals. Among those present in the Po region of northern Italy, the Cavour Canal is an impressive work of hydraulic engineering: in fact, it employs more than 300 siphons, the largest of which, more than 250 m long, runs under the Sesia river. The work of construction of the canal was entrusted to the engineer Carlo Noè in 1852 by the then president of the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom of Sardinia, Camillo Benso, count of Cavour. The works of realization, however, did not begin until a decade later, in 1862, after the unification of Italy and the death of Cavour himself.</p>
<p><img class="img-responsive img-rounded" alt="Canale Cavour" src="/img/posts/2016/7/CanaleCavour_sottopassoSesia.jpg" />
<cite>Source: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:CanaleCavour_sottopassoSesia.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a></cite></p>
<h2 id="paddy-fields-as-a-military-resource">Paddy fields as a military resource</h2>
<p>Meanwhile, on April 28, 1859 the Emperor of Austria declared war on Piedmont. Surprisingly though, on May 19 the Austrian troops had to fold without a fight due to the flooding of the rice fields of Vercelli. The work of flooding was entrusted to Noè himself. Hence the rice fields of Vercelli turned into an important strategic asset: the capital in those years was Turin, and although the Austrian troops had already captured the city of Novara, less than 100km apart, the army had to abandon any hope of conquering Piedmont after 17 days spent in a futile attempt to wade the Vercelli’s rice fields which were completely flooded.</p>
<h2 id="the-paddy-fields-as-an-integrated-ecosystem">The paddy fields as an integrated ecosystem</h2>
<p>The rice field is a natural ecosystem, a little waterworld in itself. Herons, for example, prefer nesting around the paddy fields, in undergrowth or swampy reeds. Obviously, a large body of still water is always a fertile ground for the reproduction of mosquitoes; however, the paddy ecosystem has a place also for mosquitoes’ predators, frogs and fish, especially the Gambusia, commonly known as mosquitofish, that feeds on the larvae of this insect. This ecosystem is usually also a home for the black-winged stilt, a protected species in Italy. This little bird’s females often pretend to have a broken wing to distract potential predators from the nest, located on the edges of salt marshes, swamps and rice paddies.</p>
<p><img class="img-responsive img-rounded" alt="Canale Cavour" src="/img/posts/2016/7/RisaieVercellesi_Panorama2.jpg" />
<cite>Source: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RisaieVercellesi_Panorama2.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a></cite></p>
<p>All this ecosystem has almost disappeared from the sixties onwards, following a reckless use of chemical herbicides and pesticides. In recent years however, the enacting of strict laws on the part of the local government has enabled the reconstitution of the ecosystem. In fact the herons and the stilts which had almost disappeared, returned to enliven the Po plains. Nowadays, unlike the past, it is not difficult to meet fishermen in the paddy fields: the fish are back and there is less risk of poisoning due to the fact that chemicals are usually administered early on, before flooding the rice fields. There is also an increase in the presence of swallows that make good meal of mosquitoes in the paddy. The original ecosystem though is not yet fully reconstituted: the modern system, which consists of leaving for a long time the rice fields dry, presents a problem for the frogs. The new methods of rice cultivation in the area, while being more friendly to many other species, nonetheless have significantly reduced the reproductive ability of amphibians.</p>
<h5 id="april-2016">April 2016</h5>
<p><img class="img-responsive img-rounded" alt="Canale Cavour 4 2016" src="/img/posts/2016/7/canaleCavour_16-4_m.png" /></p>
<h5 id="may-2016">May 2016</h5>
<p><img class="img-responsive img-rounded" alt="Canale Cavour 5 2016" src="/img/posts/2016/7/canaleCavour_16-5_m.png" /></p>
<h5 id="june-2016">June 2016</h5>
<p><img class="img-responsive img-rounded" alt="Canale Cavour 6 2016" src="/img/posts/2016/7/canaleCavour_16-6_m.png" /></p>
<p>
<cite>Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2016 - <a href="http://www.sentinelmap.eu/#13/45.43/8.3" title="SentinelMap">sentinelmap.eu/#13/45.43/8.3</a></cite></p>
<p>References:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>Wikipedia (en): <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice">Rice</a></p></li>
<li>
<p>Wikipedia (en): <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddy_field">Paddy field</a></p></li></ul>