Digital image analysis of palaeoenvironmental records and applications

Environmental change signals in geological or biological records are commonly reflected on their reflecting or transmitting images. These environmental signals can be extracted through digital image analysis. The analysis principle involves section line selection, color value reading and calculating environmental proxy index along the section lines, layer identification, auto-chronology and investigation of structure evolution of growth bands. On detailed illustrations of the image technique, this note provides image analyzing procedures of coral, tree-ring and stalagmite records. The environmental implications of the proxy index from image analysis are accordingly given through application demonstration of the image technique.