The geomorphological signature of tropical glaciers has the potential to provide important information on the response of ice masses in high‐mountain environments to climate warming. This study investigates the glacial geomorphology of Charquini Sur, Bolivia. Detailed geomorphological mapping was conducted both in the field and from satellite imagery in order to produce a 1:4000 scale geomorphological map of the glacier foreland. Sedimentological analyses (description of physical characteristics, clast shape and roundness, particle‐size distribution) provided additional insight into the landform–sediment assemblage. Glacial landforms are well preserved and include up to 11 moraine ridge suites, seven of which are cross‐valley frontal moraine arcs. These can be linked to an existing lichenometric chronology from previous work and record glacier recession since the local Little Ice Age (LIA) maximum in the late‐1600s. Lateral moraine ridges also record continuous thinning of the glacier over this time period. Smaller groups of parallel ridges are interpreted as annual moraines formed during recession. Intermorainic areas consist of flutings and a typically thin sediment cover of subglacial, supraglacial and glaciofluvial origin, with prominent ice‐moulded bedrock protuberances in places. Analysis of the landform–sediment assemblage provides an insight into the main controls on landform genesis in the basin and implies there have been temporal changes in ice‐marginal dynamics since the LIA. We present the first landsystem model for a tropical cirque glacier, documenting its behaviour since the LIA and providing an indication of glacier response in rapidly‐warming high‐mountain environments. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The effective and rapid detection of Fire Blight, an important bacterial disease caused by the quarantine pest E.amylovora, is crucial for today’s horticulture. This study explored the application of non-invasive proximal hyperspectral remote sensing (RS) in order to differentiate the healthy (H), infected (I) and dry (D) leaves of apple trees. Analysis of variance was employed in order to determine which hyperspectral narrow spectral bands exhibited the most significant differences. Spectral signatures for the range of 400–2500 nm were acquired with Thermo Scientific Evolution 220 and iS50NIR spectrometers. The selected spectral bands were then used to evaluate several RS indices, including ARI (Anthocyanin Reflectance Index), RDVI (Renormalized Difference Vegetation Index), MSR (Modified Simple Ratio) and NRI (Nitrogen Reflectance Index), for Fire Blight detection in apple tree leaves. Furthermore, a new index was proposed, namely QFI. The spectral indices were tested on apple trees infected by Fire Blight in a quarantine greenhouse. Results indicated that the short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) band located at 1450 nm was able to distinguish (I) and (H) leaves, while the SWIR band at 1900 nm differentiated all three leaf types. Moreover, tests using the Pearson correlation indicated that ARI, MSR and QFI exhibited the highest correlations with the infection progress. Our results prove that our hyperspectral remote sensing technique is able to differentiate (H), (I) and (D) leaves of apple trees for the reliable and precise detection of Fire Blight.

The paper presents research on the near real-time atmospheric sounding system. The main objective of the research was the development and testing of the weather sounding system based on a weather balloon. The system contains a redundant system of radiosondes, a lifting platform containing weather balloon and a holding system as well as ground station. Several tests of the system were performed in August and September 2019. Altitude, reliability, resistance to weather conditions and data convergence were tested. During tests, new procedures for such missions were developed. The final test was performed for the ILR-33 Amber Rocket as a part of pre-launch procedures. The test was successful and allowed to use acquired atmospheric data for further processing. Several post-tests conclusions were drawn. The altitude of sounding by a weather balloon depends mostly on weather conditions, the amount of gas pumped and the weight of a payload. The launching place and experience of the crew play an important role in the final success of the mission, as well.