Approaches for tsunami risk assessment and application to the city of Cádiz, Spain

Tsunamis can represent a significant risk to the population and cause huge economic damage in many costal regions. In order to be able to identify risk hot spots and implement targeted risk reduction measures, decision makers need to have a clear picture of the risk situation in their countries or regions. This work reviews existing approaches for tsunami risk assessment and recommends a five-step process for assessing tsunami risk. As a case study, a qualitative risk assessment for a worst-case tsunami scenario was carried out to understand the tsunami risk to the population in Cádiz. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis of the tsunami hazard input parameters was performed as a strong influence of the variability of the input parameters on the resultant tsunami hazard and risk zonation maps was observed. The study shows that regardless of the assumptions made a non-negligible tsunami risk to Cádiz exists.     

A multi-component flood risk assessment in the Maresme coast (NW Mediterranean)

Coastal regions are the areas most threatened by natural hazards, with floods being the most frequent and significant threat in terms of their induced impacts, and therefore, any management scheme requires their evaluation. In coastal areas, flooding is a hazard associated with various processes acting at different scales: coastal storms, flash floods, and sea level rise (SLR). In order to address the problem as a whole, this study presents a methodology to undertake a preliminary integrated risk assessment that determines the magnitude of the different flood processes (flash flood, marine storm, SLR) and their associated consequences, taking into account their temporal and spatial scales. The risk is quantified using specific indicators to assess the magnitude of the hazard (for each component) and the consequences in a common scale. This allows for a robust comparison of the spatial risk distribution along the coast in order to identify both the areas at greatest risk and the risk components that have the greatest impact. This methodology is applied on the Maresme coast (NW Mediterranean, Spain), which can be considered representative of developed areas of the Spanish Mediterranean coast. The results obtained characterise this coastline as an area of relatively low overall risk, although some hot spots have been identified with high-risk values, with flash flooding being the principal risk process.     

Application of Species Distribution Models to Identify Estuarine Hot Spots for Juvenile Nekton

Modeling the distribution and habitat capacities of key estuarine species can be used to identify hot spots, areas where species density is significantly higher than surrounding areas. This approach would be useful for establishing a baseline for evaluating future environmental scenarios across a landscape. We developed species distribution models for early juvenile life stages of brown shrimp (Farfantepenaeus aztecus), white shrimp (Litopenaeus setiferus), blue crab (Callinectes sapidus), and spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) in order to delineate the current coastal hot spots that provide the highest quality habitat conditions for these estuarine-dependent species in Louisiana. Response curves were developed from existing long-term fisheries-independent monitoring data to identify habitat suitability for fragmented marsh landscapes. Response curves were then integrated with spatially explicit input data to generate species distribution models for the coastal region of Louisiana. Using spatial autocorrelation metrics, we detected clusters of suitable habitat across the Louisiana coast, but only 1% of the areas were identified as true hot spots with the highest habitat quality for nekton. The regions identified as hot spots were productive fringing marsh habitats that are considered the most vulnerable to natural and anthropogenic impacts. The species distribution models identify the coastal habitats which currently provide the greatest capacity for key estuarine species and will be used in the Louisiana coastal planning process to evaluate how species distributions may change under various environmental and restoration scenarios.     

Monitoring the temporal development of natural hazard risks as a basis indicator for climate change adaptation

The potential effects of climatic changes on natural risks are widely discussed. But the formulation of strategies for adapting risk management practice to climate changes requires knowledge of the related risks for people and economic values. The main goals of this work were (1) the development of a method for analysing and comparing risks induced by different natural hazard types, (2) highlighting the most relevant natural hazard processes and related damages, (3) the development of an information system for the monitoring of the temporal development of natural hazard risk and (4) the visualisation of the resulting information for the wider public. A comparative exposure analysis provides the basis for pointing out the hot spots of natural hazard risks in the province of Carinthia, Austria. An analysis of flood risks in all municipalities provides the basis for setting the priorities in the planning of flood protection measures. The methods form the basis for a monitoring system that periodically observes the temporal development of natural hazard risks. This makes it possible firstly to identify situations in which natural hazard risks are rising and secondly to differentiate between the most relevant factors responsible for the increasing risks. The factors that most influence the natural risks could be made evident and eventual climate signals could be pointed out. Only with this information can the discussion about potential increases in natural risks due to climate change be separated from other influencing factors and be made at an objective level.     

Ability of beach users to identify rip currents at Pensacola Beach, Florida

Quasi-permanent rip current hot spots at Pensacola Beach, Florida, pose a significant hazard to beach users, largely because the hot spots are located at or close to the primary access points. While an increase in the number of lifeguards has led to a decrease in the number of drownings since 2004, the number of rescues and contacts has increased to over a 30,000 year. Despite warning signs at access points along the beach, it is not clear whether beach users are able to identify a rip channel or an active rip current. To assess beach users’ knowledge of rip currents and their ability to identify rip channels and currents, 97 surveys were conducted between June and September of 2010 at Pensacola Beach. Beach users were asked to identify rip channels in oblique photographs taken on green, yellow and red flag days when the potential for rip currents is low, medium and high, respectively. A majority of participants suggested that they could identify a rip channel or current (if present), but less than 20 % of beach users were able to identify the rip channels and currents. The majority of participants identified heavy surf areas as the location of the rips versus the relatively flat water of the current or the darker color water of the channel. Results further suggest that most beach users, and particularly local participants, are overconfident in their ability to identify rip channels and currents. The focus of beach users on heavy surf as an indication of the rip current potential and the overconfidence in identifying a rip channel or current affects the spatial distribution of beach users and to some degree the location of rescues and drownings. While it can be quite difficult for the average beach user to identify rip channels and active rip currents, the results of the study suggest a need for further education efforts to reduce the rip hazard, particularly in areas where lifeguards are not permanently stationed.     

Hot spot analysis based on network spatial weights to determine spatial statistics of traffic accidents in Rize,Turkey

The increased numbers of vehicles using roads in the world today are cause of traffic-related problems, and in this respect, road traffic accidents are an important topic relating to public health. Especially on the road connecting two border provinces, traffic accidents are increasing substantially in parallel with the quantity of transport facilities. By determining areas where traffic accidents result in deaths or injuries, accident prevention strategies can be developed. This study applies the spatial statistics techniques using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to determine the intensity of traffic accidents (hot-spot regions) over 45 km of main routes in Rize Province, Turkey. Traffic accidents recorded in data spanning 5 years are combined with a geographical dataset for evaluation using hot spot statistical analysis. Unlike other studies, this study used hot spot analysis based on network spatial weights (an innovative review in the methods of determining traffic accident hot spots: “novel application of GIScience”) to identify black spots for traffic safety. To perform the analysis using Hot Spot Analysis: Getis-Ord Gi*, a generated network dataset and the spatial weights of the road data are used to generate network spatial weights. Then, Kernel Density method is used to define traffic accident black spots. Finally, these two methods are compared each other with visually.     

Arsenic in drinking and lung cancer mortality in Taiwan

The association between exposure to arsenic in drinking water and lung cancer has been observed in some epidemiology studies, but dose–response data are limited. To assess the dose–response relationship and identify hot spots, we analyzed the national death registry data of Taiwan from 1971 to 2000. We adopted data on 311 townships gathered by a nationwide survey of drinking water and divided arsenic levels into three groups: below 0.05 mg/L, 0.05–0.35 mg/L, and above 0.35 mg/L. Using the direct standardization method to adjust for the effects of age, we calculated the standardized mortality rates of lung cancer in both genders and evaluated their associations with arsenic levels. We also used the geographical information system to identify the hot spots. During the 30-year study period, we identified 64,954 male and 27,039 female lung cancer deaths in the study townships. We found significant increases in lung cancer mortality associated with arsenic levels above 0.35 mg/L in both genders, but the increases associated with levels between 0.05 and 0.35 mg/L were statistically significant in men only. Using both 0.05 and 0.35 mg/L as the cut-offs, we found most of the hot spots were in the southwestern coast and northeastern areas, but the southwestern coast area had some hot spots where the percentages of high risk population were higher than any hot spots in the northeastern area.     

甘肃定西地区地质灾害危险性评价

识别地质灾害聚集的热点区及驱动力对于区域灾害预警具有重要意义。以甘肃定西地区为研究区,选取坡度、坡向、土地利用等7个评价因子,利用确定系数与逻辑回归耦合模型、空间自相关方法分析地质灾害的空间集聚特征及驱动因素。结果表明:定西地区地质灾害危险性呈现中部高,南北两侧低的特征,其主要受降水、坡向、工程岩组等因子的影响;地质灾害与降水、坡向和工程岩组的空间关系为高高聚集;地质灾害危险性存在较强的空间自相关性,在3 km的空间尺度上呈显著正相关,且随距离阈值增加而降低;距离阈值为5 km时,正相关高高聚集与低低聚集以团块的形式存在,而高低聚集与低高聚集多以零星状分布。研究可为区域地质灾害监测与防控提供参考。     

中国海域灾害地质区划初步探讨

基于对现有调查研究成果资料的分析和认识,本文探讨了海洋灾害地质区划的原则,首次提出了我国全海域的海洋灾害地质区划方案,按大型构造地貌界线作为一级灾害地质分区,划分为海岸带、陆架、陆坡(岛坡)、海盆与海槽4个灾害地质区,然后根据地理位置及灾害地质环境特征划分出24个灾害地质亚区。此外,从灾害致灾因子和孕灾环境角度出发,定性的将中国海域的地质灾害风险(危险性)划分为4级,在24个灾害地质亚区中,较高风险区11个,约占近总数的一半;其次是较低风险区7个,占近三分之一;高风险区、低风险区分别仅4个、2个。     

A similarity-based quantitative model for assessing regional debris-flow hazard

Debris flows belong to sudden disasters which are difficult to forecast. Thus, a detailed and coherent hazard assessment seems a necessary step to prevent or relieve such disasters and mitigate the risk effectively. Previous researchers have proposed several methods, such as regression analysis, fuzzy mathematics, and artificial neural networks for debris-flow hazard assessment. However, these methods need further improvements to eliminate the high relativity existing in their results. The current study reported a similarity-based debris-flow hazard assessment model to determine hazard levels of debris flow in regions, with steps like determining hazard-level-type regions, selecting environmental factors and calculating the similarities between the assessment-pending regions and assessed hazard-level-type ones. This methodology was then employed to assess the regional debris hazard of Yunnan Province in China as a case study and was verified via comparison with field surveys. As the results indicate, the proposed similarity-based debris-flow risk assessment model is simple and efficient and can improve the comparability and reliability of the assessment to some degree.     

区域滑坡灾害预测预警与风险评价

区域滑坡灾害预测预警是滑坡灾害研究领域的难点和热点。过去10多年来在这方面的研究主要集中在区域降雨与地质环境的结合方面。文章总结了目前国内外滑坡灾害预测预报、预警和风险管理研究现状,认为把滑坡灾害预警预报与风险管理相结合是减灾防灾的需要,也是今后该领域研究的发展趋势。文章从区域滑坡灾害空间预测、时间预警预报的角度提出了滑坡灾害预测预报的分类和理论基础,并在此基础上,利用MapGIS软件平台进行二次开发,建立了基于WebGIS的滑坡灾害信息管理系统和实时预警发布系统。以2004年"云娜"台风期间浙江省永嘉县滑坡灾害预警预报为例,进行了滑坡危险性预测、人口易损性预测、经济易损性预测到风险预测的实例研究。     

安徽省地质灾害隐患点现状分析与研究

基于2015年安徽省地质灾害统计数据,对全省地质灾害隐患点的类型、数量、规模等进行了汇总与分析;总结了地质灾害隐患点的时空分布规律,初步探讨了灾害形成的原因;根据地质灾害隐患点评价指标体系,划分了安徽省地质灾害隐患点等级;提出了地质灾害防治工作方向与措施建议。     

滑坡风险评价的理论与方法研究

作为防灾减灾的重要措施之一,滑坡风险评价已经成为近年来国际上滑坡研究的热点,并形成了较为完备的滑坡风险管理体系。国内的滑坡风险研究则起步较晚,滑坡风险评价的关键支撑技术体系尚未建立。本文对滑坡风险评价中的关键理论和方法进行梳理,阐述了国际滑坡风险评价的理论框架和技术流程,介绍了国内外滑坡易发性、危险性和风险评价的最新进展,评述了滑坡易发性评价、扩展范围预测、频率分析以及承灾体易损性评价的主要方法,阐明了现阶段滑坡风险评价的重点领域和前沿科学问题,并对滑坡灾害的风险评价提出了三点展望。     

Seismic-event-based methodology to obtain earthquake-induced translational landslide regional hazard maps

A seismic-event-based methodology to generate earthquake-induced translational landslide maps using Newmark method is proposed. The steps are: (1) to construct a GIS-based geotechnical database; (2) to identify those areas that are susceptible to the occurrence of translational landslides based on available geological information; (3) to compute a static safety factor; (4) to compute the critical acceleration that defines the threshold acceleration required to cause a displacement; (5) to characterize the seismic hazard as a set of stochastic events, collectively exhaustive and mutually exclusive, that fully describes the hazard spatial distribution and annual frequency of occurrence (in accordance with the earthquake location, depth and magnitude) with the appropriate ground-motion prediction equations; (6) to compute the Newmark displacement; and finally, (7) to carry out a probabilistic translational landslide hazard analysis to estimate an exceedance rate of a given displacement. This methodology is applied to Mexico, and maps for return periods of 150 and 500 years are presented. Results shown in maps are estimations of where translational landslides may occur and should be useful to carry out local studies to elaborate recommendations of site specific hazard reduction plans as well as to calculate insurance rates. In addition, these results are useful to identify civil protection actions, risk management at regional and local level, and land use planning, as well as for promoting more detailed vulnerability and risk studies at different scales.     

Assessment of potential sediment disasters and resilience management of mountain roads using environmental indicators

In recent years, extreme rainfall events occur frequently, causing serious watershed sediment disasters, destroying mountain roads, and endangering the safety of residents' lives and property. This study aims to deal with the spatial change of potential sediment movement on the road slope pre-disaster and to screen disaster hot spots for early warning and control system. The conceptual model is used to simulate the distribution of primary and/or derived disasters on a watershed scale to assess the impact of sediment disasters caused by heavy rain event. Correlation analysis shows that the models in assessment of primary disaster and derived disaster are significantly correlated with the collapse ratio and disaster ratio, respectively. Since the primary disaster has been considered when calculating the derived disaster risk, the terrain subdivision along Provincial Highway 21 (Tai-21) is extracted to understand the derived sediment disaster on the road slope. The model can effectively evaluate the road sections prone to disasters. According to the risk level, the hot spot of road slope disasters and the management of disaster resilience are determined and can be the reference for disaster prevention and control.

     

基于Newmark模型的尼泊尔M_s8.1级地震滑坡危险性快速评估

在研究分析地震灾区地形地貌、地层岩性、地质构造、气象水文和典型地区滑坡的基础上,采用Newmark斜坡累积位移模型对2015年4月25日尼泊尔M_s8.1级地震诱发的滑坡危险性的空间分布状况进行了快速评估,通过典型地区的滑坡遥感解译结果验证表明评估结果具有较好的可信度,初步反映了尼泊尔地震诱发滑坡危险性分布的基本特征。然后考虑降雨作用对震后滑坡危险性的影响,对地震叠加降雨诱发滑坡危险性分布进行了快速预测。研究结果对地震应急救灾中的地质灾害防灾减灾具有重要的参考意义。     

Arsenicosis in Cambodia: Case studies and policy response

Naturally occurring As found in groundwaters has been identified to be a problem in at least 10 provinces of Cambodia with Kandal being one of the most heavily impacted. Estimates, using groundwater quality and population data for Kandal Province of Cambodia, suggest that over 100,000 people are at high risk of chronic As exposure. Levels in some areas approach 3500 μg/L, against the Cambodian Standard of 50 μg/L. Considerable work remains to adequately characterize the extent of As hazard and its possible health effects in Cambodia and the region. It is likely that additional populations will develop health problems attributed to As, of particular concern is arsenicosis. The symptoms of arsenicosis have been generally assumed to develop after 8–10 years of consumption of water with elevated As levels, however, new cases discovered in Cambodia have been identified with exposure times as short as 3 years. The rapid onset of arsenicosis may be attributed to contributing risk factors related to socioeconomic status, including malnutrition. It is thus imperative to develop strategies to rapidly identify possible regions of enrichment, to minimize exposure to As-rich waters, and to educate affected populations. To date the response to the As hazard has been led by the Ministry of Rural Development in cooperation with international organizations and NGOs, to identify at risk areas, and educate communities of the risk of As-rich water. However better coordination between government bodies, NGOs and donor agencies active in the field of water supply and treatment is essential to minimize future As exposure.     

Physical conditions in the hot spots of the radio galaxy Cygnus A

It is shown that composite radio spectra of the hot spots of the radio galaxy Cygnus A can be fully explained by assuming a nonuniform distribution of the magnetic fields inside the hot spots, without invoking any physical mechanisms other than synchrotron radiation. The magnetic fields are strong (B ?? 10^?2?10^?1 G) at the center of the hot spots, and decreases at the hot-spot edges to the level of the magnetic field of the radio lobes in which the hot spots are embedded (B ?? 10^?4?10^?5 G). The difference in the magnetic field between the hot-spot center and edge decreases during the evolution, while the average magnetic-field intensity increases.     

Multilayer-exposure maps as a basis for a regional vulnerability assessment for landslides: applied in Waidhofen/Ybbs,Austria

Assessments of natural hazards and risks are beneficial for sustainable planning and natural hazard risk management. On a regional scale, quantitative hazard and risk assessments are data intensive and methods developed are difficult to transfer to other regions and to analyse different periods in a given region. Such transfers could be beneficial regarding factors of global change influencing the patterns of natural hazard and risk. The aim of this study was to show the landslide exposure of different elements at risk in one map, e.g. residential buildings and critical infrastructure, as a solid basis for an in-depth analysis of vulnerability and consequent risk. This enables to overcome the data intensive assessments on a regional scale and highlights the potential hotspots for risk analysis. The study area is located in the alpine foreland in Lower Austria and comprises around 112 km². The results show the different levels of exposure, as well as how many layers of elements at risk are affected. Several exposure hotspots can be delineated throughout the study area. This allows a decision on in-depth analysis of hotspots not only by indicated locations but also by a rank resulting from the different layers of incorporated elements at risk.     

Economic risk maps of floods and earthquakes for European regions

Europe experiences different natural hazards and subsequent risks that have various effects on the development of its regions. The spatial significance of hazards can be expressed as an economic risk when combining hazard potential with vulnerability data. Two examples of European natural hazard maps on floods and earthquakes, as well as the resulting risk profiles of regions (combination of hazard potential and vulnerability) give a first impression on the spatial characters of hazards in Europe and their potential impact on further spatial development. The economic risk maps enable a view on the spatial dimension of the economic damage potential of flood and earthquakes, pointing out comparable situations across Europe with the aim to facilitate targeted responses and policies. The spatial character of a hazard is either defined by spatial effects that might occur in case of a disaster or by the possibility of spatial planning responses. The integration of the economic vulnerability of a region (regional GDP per capita, population density) leads to a classification of areas according to their economic risk or damage potential towards hazards. These synthetic risk profiles are presented as risk maps of European regions in administrative boundaries. Obtained information can be of interest for spatial planning and development strategies, e.g. economic risk profile of regions can influence the targets of investments and could thus be an important background for structural funding.