Background Advances in earth observation and machine learning techniques have created new options for forest monitoring, primarily because of the various possibilities that they provide for classifying forest cover and estimating aboveground biomass (AGB). Methods This study aimed to introduce a novel model that incorporates the atom search algorithm (ASO) and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) into mangrove forest classification and AGB estimation. The Ca Mau coastal area was selected as a case study since it has been considered the most preserved mangrove forest area in Vietnam and is being investigated for the impacts of land-use change on forest quality. The model was trained and validated with a set of Sentinel-1A imagery with VH and VV polarizations, and multispectral information from the SPOT image. In addition, feature selection was also carried out to choose the optimal combination of predictor variables. The model performance was benchmarked against conventional methods, such as support vector regression, multilayer perceptron, random subspace, and random forest, by using statistical indicators, namely, root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and coefficient of determination (R 2). Results The results showed that all three indicators of the proposed model were statistically better than those from the benchmarked methods. Specifically, the hybrid model ended up at RMSE = 70.882, MAE = 55.458, R 2 = 0.577 for AGB estimation.

We use archival ALMA observations of the CO(2-1) and SiO(5-4) molecular line emissions of AGB star R Hya to illustrate the relative contributions of rotation, expansion and line broadening to the morphology and kinematics of the circumstellar envelope (CSE) within ~70 au (~0.5 arcsec) from the centre of the star. We give evidence for rotation and important line broadening to dominate the inner region, within ~ 14 au (~100 mas) from the centre of the star. The former is about an axis that projects a few degrees west of north and has a projected rotation velocity of a few km s−1 . The latter occurs within some 7-14 au (50-100 mas) from the centre of the star, the line width reaching two to three times its value outside this region. We suggest that it is caused by shocks induced by stellar pulsations and convective cell granulation. We show the importance of properly accounting for the observed line broadening when discussing rotation and evaluating the radial dependence of the rotation velocity.

We study the morpho-kinematics in the nascent wind of AGB star R Doradus in the light of high Doppler velocity wings observed in the spectral lines of several species. We probe distances from the star between ∼10 and ∼100 au using ALMA observations of the emission of five different molecular lines. High Doppler velocity enhancements of the line emission are observed in the vicinity of the line of sight crossing the star, reminiscent of those recently interpreted as gas streams in the nascent wind of a similar AGB star, EP Aqr. They are present in both blue-shifted and red- shifted hemispheres but are not exactly back-to-back. They are accelerated at a typical rate of 0.7 km s\(^{−1}\) au\(^{−1}\) up to some 20 km s\(^{−1}\). Important differences are observed between the emissions of different molecules. We exclude an effect of improper continuum subtraction. However, in contrast to EP Aqr, the line of sight plays no particular role in the R Dor morpho-kinematics, shedding doubt on the validity of a gas stream interpretation. We discuss possible interpretations in terms of stellar pulsations or of rotation of the gas in the environment of the star. We conclude that, in the state of current knowledge, no fully convincing picture of the physics governing the production of such high velocities, typically twice as large as the terminal velocity, can be reliably drawn. New high resolution analyses of observations of the nascent wind of oxygen-rich AGB stars are needed to clarify the issue.

e present a new study of archival ALMA observations of the CO(2-1) line emission ofthe host galaxy of quasar RX J1131. The quasar, at redshift z S ∼0.654, is lensed by a foreground galaxy at z L ∼0.30. Particular attention is paid to the mechanism of gravitational lensing. A simple lens model, shown to well reproduce the optical images obtained by the Hubble Space Telescope, is applied to the ALMA CO(2-1) images, providing a tool to understand the uncertainties attached to the evaluation of the source brightness and kinematics. Uncertainties attached to the process of data reduction are carefully evaluated. Evidence for the robustness of previously published results is obtained. A system of polar coordinates is introduced to better match the specificity ofthe imaging process. It provides particularly clear evidence for rotation of the gas contained in the galaxy. A simple rotating disc model is shown to give an excellent overall description of the morpho-kinematics of the source. It gives evidence for a hot spot of emission located near the quasar, overlapping the caustic and corresponding to an enhancement of emission by a factor ∼2.5. The possible presence of a companion galaxy suggested by some previous authors is not confirmed. The rotation curve is studied with reference to the predictions of the disc model. De-tailed comparison between model and observations gives evidence for a more complex dynamics than implied by the model. Doppler velocity dispersion within the beam size in the image plane is found to contribute 60±10 km s −1 to the line width. It accounts for the observed line width when a2- σ cut is applied to the data. However, when using a less severe cut, a significant amount of turbulence may be accommodated, preventing a reliable evaluation of the contribution of turbulence to the line width.