Reforestation Programs in Southwest China： Reported Success, Observed Failure, and the Reasons Why

Ever since the disastrous floods of 1998, the Chinese government has used the Natural Forest Protection and Sloping Land Conversion Programs to promote afforestation and reforestation as means to reduce runoff, control erosion, and stabilize local livelihoods. These two ambitious programs have been reported as large-scale successes, contributing to an overall increase in China’s forest cover and to the stated goals of environmental stabilization. A small-scale field study at the project level of the implementation of these two programs in Baiwu Township, Yanyuan County, Sichuan, casts doubt upon the accuracy and reliability of these claims of success; ground observations revealed utter failure in some sites and only marginal success in others. Reasons for this discrepancy are posited as involving ecological, economic, and bureaucratic factors. Further research is suggested to determine whether these discrepancies are merely local aberrations or represent larger-scale failures in reforestation programs.     

Sedimentary facies of Maastrichtian to Danian deposits in Amur River area, Russian Far East

Sedimentary facies of the Tsagayan Formation is distributed in the eastern Zeya-Bureya Basin has been analyzed. The formation is of the Maastrichtian to Danian in age and characterized by the cyclicity of the fining-upwards successions. Analysis of environmental changes during the K/T boundary is the focus of this study. Five facies have been identified: Facies A, thick and laterally extensive coarse-grained to medium-gained sandstone units, interpreted as channelfill deposits; Facies B, parallel-laminated to massive mudstone units interpreted as interchannel lakes and flood plain deposits; Facies C, sheet-like medium-grained to fine-grained sandstones interpreted as crevasse splay deposits; Facies D, coal to coaly mudstone beds interpreted as deposits of peatlands; Facies E, very poorly sorted sandy mudstone beds interpreted as debris flow deposits. Fluvial environments with the low-relief fiat topography was inferred. A channel transported large volumes of clasts, and a flood basin with interchannel lakes and peatlands was deciphered. Any distinct change of sedimentary environments has not been identified throughout the Tsagayan Formation (including the K/T boundary). However, two beds of debris flow deposits were identified. The one occurs at the uppermost part of the lower Tsagayan Subformation and contains dinosaur fossils. The other is intercalated in the upper Tsagayan Subformation.     

Prediction of Young’s modulus of weathered igneous rocks using GRNN,RVM,and MPMR models with a new index

Young’s modulus(YM)of intact rock is an important parameter in the assessment of engineering behaviours of rock masses,and it cannot always be obtained in an economical and practical manner in laboratory experiments.The main purpose of this study is to examine the capability of the minimax probability machine regression(MPMR),relevance vector machine(RVM),and generalised regression neural network(GRNN)models for the prediction of YM.The other aim is to determine the usefulness of a new index,the n-durability index(ndrb),which is based on porosity and the slake durability index.According to the regression analysis performed in this study,the n-durability index as an explanatory parameter performs better than the P-wave velocity(Vp),porosity,and slake durability index in the models,considering the results herein as well as the existing literature.According to regression error characteristic curves,Taylor diagrams,and performance indices,the best prediction model is MPMR,while the worst is the GRNN model.Although GRNN is the worst of the soft computing models,its performance is slightly better than that of the multiple linear regression(MLR)model.According to the results of the study,the MPMR and RVM models with ndrb and Vp are successful tools that can predict the YM of igneous rock materials to different degrees.     

Geomechanics of hazardous landslides

A catalogue of possible landslide initial failure mechanisms, taking into account the geological setting and the geometry of the slope, the joint structure, the habitus of the rock blocks, as well as the mechanical behaviour of the rocks and of the rock mass （deformation and strength parameters）, is presented. Its aim is to give geologists as well as engineers the opportunity to compare phenomena in the field and phenomena belonging to particular mechanisms and to find the mechanism occurring. The presented catalogue of initial landslide mechanisms only comprises the mechanisms having a clearly defined mechanical model that can be divided into empirical relations and into mechanical models, as well as an overview of run out models, which can be divided into empirical relations and into mechanical models.     

Interaction of Waves, Surface Currents, and Turbulence： the Application of Surface-Following Coordinate Systems

Surface waves comprise an important aspect of the interaction between the atmosphere and the ocean, so a dynamically consistent framework for modelling atmosphere-ocean interaction must take account of surface waves, either implicitly or explicitly. In order to calculate the effect of wind forcing on waves and currents, and vice versa, it is necessary to employ a consistent formula- tion of the energy and momentum balance within the airflow, wave field, and water column. It is very advantageous to apply sur- face-following coordinate systems, whereby the steep gradients in mean flow properties near the air-water interface in the cross-interface direction may be resolved over distances which are much smaller than the height of the waves themselves. We may account for the waves explicitly by employing a numerical spectral wave model, and applying a suitable theory of wave–mean flow interaction. If the mean flow is small compared with the wave phase speed, perturbation expansions of the hydrodynamic equations in a Lagrangian or generalized Lagrangian mean framework are useful: for stronger flows, such as for wind blowing over waves, the presence of critical levels where the mean flow velocity is equal to the wave phase speed necessitates the application of more general types of surface-following coordinate system. The interaction of the flow of air and water and associated differences in temperature and the concentration of various substances (such as gas species) gives rise to a complex boundary-layer structure at a wide range of vertical scales, from the sub-millimetre scales of gaseous diffusion, to several tens of metres for the turbulent Ekman layer. The bal- ance of momentum, heat, and mass is also affected significantly by breaking waves, which act to increase the effective area of the surface for mass transfer, and increase turbulent diffusive fluxes via the conversion of wave energy to turbulent kinetic energy.     

INTRODUCTION, SPAT REARING AND EXPERIMENTAL CULTURE OF BAY SCALLOP, ARGOPECTEN IRRADIANS LAMARCK

Bay scallops were introduced from the east coast of the U.S. into China to shorten the economic turn-over from 2 to 1 year. Parent scallops were carried to Qingdao on Dec. 20. 1982 and stocked in indoor tanks at controlled temperature and fed with a mixture of Phaeodictylum tricomutum, Pyrarnmonas sp. and Chhrella sp. They spawned on Jan. 26 of the next year. The larvae were reared at a temperature of 18 -21℃ and fed with Isochrysis galbana, Pyramimonas sp. and Chorella sp. In 4 weeks' growing, the spats averaged 827um. They attained a height of 6.9 mm on May 9. In the middle of May, the seed scallops were transferred to Luoyuan Bay in Fujian Province, and Jiaozhou Bay, as well as the area off Taiping Jiao Cape, Qingdao, Shandong Province for experimental culture in plastic netcages suspended on a single line raft.Bay scallops cultured in . Luoyuan Bay grew to an averaged shell height of 10.4 mm. In Jiaozhou Bay and the Taiping Jiao Cape culture area, they grew to SO mm in average shell height (marketa     

GROWTH PROMOTION OF RED SEA BREAM, PAGROSOMUS MAJOR, BY ORAL ADMINISTRATION OF RECOMBINANT EEL AND SALMON GROWTH HORMONE

Recombinant eel GH and yeast containing chinook salmon growth hormone (reGHand rcsGH) were incorporated into gelatin and sodium alginate (reGH-GS and rcsGH-GS) or polymer ma-trix (reGH-HP55) to protect the hormone from proteolytic cleavage in the stomach. The diets containin greGH-GS, rcsGH-GS, reGH-HP55 and free-reGH or uncoated-rcsGH were administered to red sea bream. Feeding of reGH-GS, reGH-HP55 and rcsGH-GS diets resulted in significant increases in body weight and fork length over those of controls. These results strongly suggest that gelatin and sodium algi-nate as well as polymer matrix protected the hormone from proteolytic enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract to allow the bioactive hormone to enter the circulation and eventually stimulato fish growth.     

PETROLEUM HYDROCARBON CONTAMINATION OF GROUND WATER IN TIVERTON, RHODE ISLAND, USA

Ground water samples from several private wells serving individual homes in Tiverton, Rhode Island were analyzed for petroleum contamination over a 19-month period. The hydrocarbon concentrations initially ranged from 68 to 2350 ppb and then gradually decreased to lower values, ranging from 6 to 1650 ppb, at the end of the study.Samples from the well with the highest hydrocarbon concentration (2350 to 1650 ppb) were investigated in some detail because this was considered a possible source of the petroleum contamination in the area. These studies indicated that most of the hydrocarbons were in the dissolved phase (< 1.0um) of the ground water and that it contained large amounts of naphthalene, methyl and dimethyl naphthalenes, and ethyl naphthalenes. In addition, the qualitative distribution of hydrocarbons changed as the concentration decreased over the course of the investigation. There appeared to be preferential loss of the more volatile and easily degraded components relative to the higher molecular     

Approach to Mountain Hazards in Tibet, China

Tibet is located at the southwest boundary of China. It is the main body of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the highest and the youngest plateau in the world. Owing to complicated geology, Neo-tectonic movements, geomorphology, climate and plateau environment, various mountain hazards, such as debris flow, flash flood, landslide, collapse, snow avalanche and snow drifts, are widely distributed along the Jinsha River (the upper reaches of the Yangtze River), the Nu River and the Lancang River in the east, and the Yarlungzangbo River, the Pumqu River and the Poiqu River in the south and southeast of Tibet. The distribution area of mountain hazards in Tibet is about 589,000 km^2, 49.3% of its total territory. In comparison to other mountain regions in China, mountain hazards in Tibet break out unexpectedly with tremendously large scale and endanger the traffic lines, cities and towns, farmland, grassland, mountain environment, and make more dangers to the neighboring countries, such as Nepal, India, Myanmar and Bhutan. To mitigate mountain hazards, some suggestions are proposed in this paper, such as strengthening scientific research, enhancing joint studies, hazards mitigation planning, hazards warning and forecasting, controlling the most disastrous hazards and forbidding unreasonable human exploring activities in mountain areas.     

Empirical Analysis of City Contact in Zhujiang （Pearl） River Delta,China

In traditional urban geography, city contact research is a classic study element in city research. In general, researchers use the traditional gravity model to characterize the contacts that exist between two cities. The traditional gravity model assumes ideal condi- tions, but these preconditions and their results often do not exist in realistic conditions. Thus, we used a modified gravity model to char- acterize the city contacts within a specific region. This model considers factors such as intercity complementarities, government inter- vention, and the diversity of the transportation infrastructure which is characterized as the transportation distance instead of the tradi- tional Euclidean distance. We applied this model to an empirical study of city contact in the Zhujiang （Pearl） River Delta （PRD） of China. The regression results indicated that the modified gravity model could measure city contact more accurately and comprehen- sively than the traditional gravity model, i.e., it yielded a higher adjusted R2 value （0.379） than the traditional gravity model result （0.259）. Our study also suggests that, in addition to urban-regional and metropolitan development, the complementarities of the basic functions of cities at the administrative and market levels, as well as the corporeal and immaterial levels, play very significant roles in the characterization of city contact. Given the complexity of city contact, it will be necessary to consider more relevant influential fac- tors in the modified gravity model to characterize the features of city contact in the future.     

Estimation of rainfall thresholds for shallow landslides in the Sierra Madre Oriental,northeastern Mexico

Landslides induced by prolonged rainfalls are frequent mass movements along the northeastern portion of the Sierra Madre Oriental in Mexico, causing significant damage to infrastructure. In this work, we have studied the connection between rainfall and landslides in the Santa Rosa Canyon, a catchment located in the northeastern Mexico. A landslide database triggered by major storms and hurricanes that have hit the region over the past 30 years was analyzed. A total of 92 rainfall events in the Santa Rosa Canyon were studied to determine the amount of precipitation needed to trigger shallow landslides. For each event the duration(D, in hours) and the cumulated rainfall event(E, in mm) were determined by using historical rainfall data from weather stations located near the study area. We have proposed an ED threshold for rainfall-induced landslides with durations 0.5 D 120 hours to address the conditions that trigger these events in the study area. On analyzing the obtained threshold, it has been established that almost 60 mm of a daily rainfall accumulation is required to trigger shallow landslides in the study area. This estimation is consistent with other calculations made for areas close to the Santa Rosa Canyon. Finally, we validated the predictive capability of the threshold with a different set of rainfall data that did not result in landslides performing a straightforward receiver operating characteristic analysis. A good approach was obtained, especially for rainfall events with daily measurements. Results could be used as input information in the design of a landslide early warning system for the northeastern Mexico, and replicated for other landslide prone areas in the region.     

台风-非台风降雨型滑坡的多时段临界雨量值预测模型

统计确定临界降雨量是滑坡早期预警常用的方法。东南沿海地区台风暴雨不同于一般降雨, 常引发滑坡灾害, 从而威胁沿海地区人民生命财产安全。为了建立台风和非台风降雨型滑坡临界降雨量预测模型, 以浙江丽水市为例, 基于2010-2020年台风暴雨、非台风降雨诱发滑坡与降雨量的统计, 构建了丽水市滑坡发生概率和有效降雨量的关系, 提出了多时长临界降雨量预测模型, 并开展了台风和非台风降雨型滑坡预测模型结果的对比分析。结果表明, 非台风降雨与台风暴雨之间雨型和雨量差异是导致丽水市内2类降雨滑坡预测模型差异的主要原因; 以多时长预测模型确定的临界雨量值法和有效降雨天数更加符合丽水市降雨型滑坡的预测预报, 且预测精度相比于传统相关性分析法更高。研究成果对于开发区域降雨型滑坡预测模型具有理论意义, 对我国东南沿海地区汛期滑坡早期预警具有重要实际意义。      

湖北省黄冈市降雨型滑坡气象预警判据

黄冈市是湖北省汛期地质灾害频发区之一, 地质灾害类型以滑坡为主, 其中75%为降雨型滑坡。通过统计分析黄冈市近10年滑坡与降雨的相关关系, 在考虑黄冈市地质灾害易发性分区基础上, 研究黄冈市降雨型滑坡的降雨阈值, 利用逻辑回归模型建立滑坡发生的概率预测模型, 再针对不同等级易发区提出对应的气象预警判据。最后以历史降雨及其滑坡事件检验预警判据的合理性与可信度。结果表明, 所建立的气象预警判据在时间尺度上由以往依托气象部门的中长期预警精细到了24 h的短临预警, 在空间尺度上确定了不同等级易发区的降雨型滑坡气象预警判据。预警准确率大幅提升, 显著提高了黄冈市降雨型滑坡气象预警精度, 可为临灾转移提供精细化的技术指导, 有效降低降雨型滑坡灾害带来的生命财产损失。      

Geometrical and Geotechnical Characteristics of Landslides in Korea under Various Geological Conditions

The goal of this study is to determine the geometrical and geotechnical characteristics of landslides under various geological conditions using detailed field surveys, laboratory soil tests and precipitation records. Three study areas are selected to consider different rocks, including gneiss in Jangheung, granite in Sangju and sedimentary rocks in Pohang, South Korea. Many landslides have occurred in these three areas during the rainy season.Precipitation records indicate that landslides occurring in the gneiss area of Jangheung and granite area of Sangju may be influenced by the hourly rainfall intensity rather than cumulative rainfall.However, landslides occurring in the sedimentary rock area of Pohang may be influenced by hourly rainfall intensity and cumulative rainfall. To investigate the factors that influence these types of landslides, a detailed landslide survey was performed and a series of laboratory soil tests were conducted.According to the detailed field survey, most landslides occurred on the flanks of mountain slopes, and the slope inclination where they occurred mostly ranged from 26 to 30 degrees, regardless of the geological conditions. The landslide in the gneiss area of Jangheung is larger than the landslides in the granite area of Sangju and sedimentary rock area of Pohang.Particularly, the landslide in the sedimentary rock area is shorter and shallower than the landslides in the gneiss and granite areas. Thus, the shape and size of the landslide are clearly related to the geological conditions. According to the integrated soil property and landslide occurrence analyses results, the average dry unit weight of the soils from the landslide sites is smaller than that of the soils obtained from the nonlandslide site. The average coefficient of permeability of soils obtained from the landslide sites is greater than that of soils obtained from the non-landslide sites with the same geology. These results indicate that the soils from the landslide sites are more poorly graded or looser than the soils from the non-landslide sites.     

Changing rainfall and its impact on landslides in Sri Lanka

Introduction Landslides, floods and droughts are the most destructive type of natural disasters that often occur in Sri Lanka causing severe negative effects on livelihood of the people and the national economy. Landslides and floods with their rapid onsetting feature are the natural hazards that cause significant number of deaths, severe damages of properties and infrastructure, disruption of livelihood, disruption of services. Essential relief works, setback to livelihood and need of repair…     

Insights into a giant landslide-prone area on the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau,China

A good understanding of giant landslide-prone areas could greatly enhance the understanding of the formation and failure mechanisms of giant landslides.In this study,a classic giant landslide-prone area named the Diexi area located along the upstream stretch of the Minjiang River on the eastern Tibetan Plateau is adopted to analyze the failure mechanism and evolution process by detailed field investigations,Unmanned Aerial Vehicle(UAV)images and a digital surface model(DSM).The results show that among the 37 giant landslides located in the Diexi area,18 landslides are transverse landslides(wedge failure),and the others are consequent landslides(buckling failure).All landslides blocked rivers,and some barrier lakes still remain.The Diexi area features special geological structural conditions related to the hinge section of the Jiaochang arc tectonic belt,the intersection of two active fault zones(the Songpinggou and Minjiang fault zones)and high levels of geostress.The numerous radial fissures induced by the Jiaochang arcuate belt provided lateral sliding boundaries for buckling deformation(consequent landslides)and head scarps for wedge failure(transverse landslides).The rapid incision(1.88 mm/yr)since the middle Pleistocene formed a deep gorge with steep slopes and strong lateral unloading.Frequent earthquakes and rainfall further reduced the rock mass integrity,and strong earthquakes or other factors triggered the landslides.     

降雨与开挖作用下黄土滑坡失稳过程分析: 以关中地区长武县杨厂村老庙滑坡为例

降雨入渗和人工开挖是诱发黄土滑坡的重要因素, 为了研究在这2种诱因作用下关中地区黄土滑坡失稳过程及其对稳定性的影响, 以陕西省长武县杨厂村老庙滑坡为研究对象, 通过现场调查、地质测绘和钻孔勘探, 查明了该滑坡变形特征, 定性分析了滑坡变形演变过程; 基于滑坡变形前15 d内日降雨量实测值, 采用有限元软件, 对坡脚开挖后连续降雨作用下滑坡形成过程进行了仿真模拟; 基于强度折减法对该滑坡稳定性变化规律进行了研究。结果表明: ①关中地区特殊的地层结构是滑坡变形的内因, 降雨是最主要的诱发因素; ②滑坡失稳演化过程表现为: 坡体处于蠕滑状态, 坡脚开挖后, 坡体前缘失稳, 牵引中后缘坡体向下错动而产生张拉裂缝, 在降雨作用下, 雨水沿裂缝渗入坡体深部, 滑坡中部岩土体浸水后抗剪强度降低, 从而导致黄土层与红黏土层接触面饱水形成贯通滑带, 诱发深层滑坡; ③滑坡开挖后较初始状态, 稳定性系数降幅为0.102, 此后受连续降雨影响, 稳定性系数在前10 d以平均0.010/d的速率缓慢下降, 第10~13 d以0.034/d的速率快速下降至最低, 第13 d以后开始回升。研究结果可以为该类滑坡防治提供有效依据。      

The disastrous 23 July 2009 debris flow in Xiangshui Gully, Kangding County, Southwestern China

On 23 July 2009, a catastrophic debris flows were triggered by heavy rainfall in Xiangshui gully, Kangding county, southwestern China. This debris flow originating shortly after a rainstorm with an intensity of 28 mm per hour transported a total volume of more than 480×103 m3 debris, depositing the poorly sorted sediment including boulders up to 2-3 m in diameter both onto an existing debris fans and into the river. Our primary objective for this study was to analyze the characteristics of the triggering ra...     

Stability characteristics of shallow landslide triggered by rainfall

Rainfall induced shallow landslides are known to be extremely dangerous since the sliding mass can propagate quickly and travel far from the source. Although the sliding mechanism in sloping ground is simple to understand, the problem may be complicated by unsaturated transient water flow. The flow behavior of rainwater in unsaturated sloping ground and the consequent factor of safety must be clearly understood to assess slope stability under rainfall conditions. A series of laboratory experiments was conducted to examine the critical hydrological states so that assessment of slope stability under rainfall condition can be performed. Based on the test results, a unique relationship between critical hydrological states, rainfall intensity, and soil properties was formulated. Sequential stability analysis provided insights into the stability of slopes subjected to variations in soil properties, slope angles and rainfall intensities, and the consequent variation in the depth of the failure plane, vital in landslide risk assessment, was determined through this analysis.The variation of rainfall intensity was found to strongly affect the depth of the failure plane in cohesionless sloping ground. Furthermore, the influence of rainfall intensity on the depth of the failure plane may be alleviated by a small magnitude of cohesive strength. The results of this study will reinforce knowledge of landslide behavior and help to improve mitigation measures in susceptible areas.     

Large-area Analysis of Soil Erosion and Landslides Induced by Rainfall: A Case of Unsaturated Shallow Deposits

Unsaturated shallow soil deposits may be affected by either superficial soil erosion or shallow landslides in adjacent or overlapping source areas and in different seasons when a different soil suction exists.The triggering analysis of both these processes is a relevant issue for the hazard analysis while the literature mostly provides specific approaches for erosion or for landslides.The paper proposes a largearea analysis for a case study of Southern Italy,consisting of unsaturated shallow deposits of loose pyroclastic(air-fall) volcanic soils that have been repeatedly affected by erosion and landslides in special seasons.For a past catastrophic event, the simulated source areas of shallow landslides are smaller than those observed in the field while the simulated eroded areas with thickness greater than 5cm are comparable with the in-situ evidences, if the analysis takes into account high rainfall intensity and a spatially variable soil cover use.More in general, the results of the paper are consistent with the previous literature and also provide a methodological contribution about the application of distinct tools over large area.The added value is that the paper shows how the combination of distinct large-area analyses may help with understanding the dominant slope instability mechanisms.Only once this goal is fully achieved, can specific physically-based analyses be confidently performed at detailed scales and for smaller specific areas.