Impulsive force of debris flow on a curved dam

Although Sabo dams are an efficient method for river and basin management, traditional Sabo dams have a great impact on ecology and landscape. Moreover, such dams are hit and often damaged by great impulsive force when they block the debris flow. Therefore, alternative shapes for Sabo dam deserve thorough investigation. In this investigation, a curved dam was designed by changing the upstream-dam-surface geometric shape to reduce the impulsive force of the debris flow, with enhanced stability and reduced concrete mass being the anticipated outcomes. In this study, the flume and laboratory facilities simulated the impulsive force of the debris flow to the Sabo dams. Three geometric forms, including vertical, slanted and curved Sabo dams, were used to determine the impulsive force. Impulsive force theories of the debris flow were derived from the momentum equation and the Bernoulli equation. In these, the impulsive force was balanced by the friction force of the Sabo dam and the opposite force of the load cell behind the dam as it was hit by the debris flow. Positive correlations were found when comparing the experimental data with the theoretical results. These findings suggest that our impulsive force theory has predictive validity with regard to the experimental data. The results from both theory and experimental data clearly show that curved darns were sustained less force than the other darns under the same debris flow. This comparison demonstrates the importance of curved geometry for a well-designed Sabo dam.     

Variability in rainfall threshold for debris flow after the Chi-Chi earthquake in central Taiwan, China

The purpose of this study is to analyze variability in rainfall threshold for debris flow （critical rainfall for debris flow triggering） after the ML 7.3 Chi-Chi earthquake in central Taiwan in 1999. Two study sites with different geological conditions were surveyed in the earthquake area. Streambed surveys were conducted to continuously monitor debris flows between 1999 and 2006. During the 7-year study period, every debris flow event was identified, and the streambed characterized. Results show that the rainfall threshold for debris flow was remarkably lower just after the Chi-Chi Earthquake, but gradually recovered. To date, this rainfall threshold is still lower than the original level prior to the earthquake. This variability in rainfall threshold is closely related to the mount of sediment material in the initiation area of debris flow, which increased rapidly due to landslides resulting from the earthquake. With the increase in sediment material, the rainfall threshold was lowered severely during the first year following the Chi-Chi earthquake. However, heavy rainfalls mobilized the sediment material, causing debris flows and transporting sediment downstream. With the decrease in sediment material, the rainfall threshold recovered gradually over time. Furthermore, debris flows occurred only in the subbasins that had sufficient sediment material to cause significant movement. Hence, these results confirm that the sediment material in the initiation area of debris flow is a crucial component of the rainfall threshold for debris flow.     

EFFECTS OF SEDIMENT GRADATION ON THE GEOMETRY OF RIVER DELTAS

l INTRODUCTlONIn this study, formation of alluvial deltas was treated as a river-dominated type of topograPhy process,caused simply by sediment deposition from a channel into a wide basin. The influences of waves, tides,and density differences related to coastal effects were excluded. There have been numerous experimentalstUdies on river delta problems. For examPle, Shieh et al. (1988, 1997) used coarse sediment asexperimental material and revealed the development and the geometric simil…     

The application of range of variability approach to the assessment of a check dam on riverine habitat alteration

This report uses the intermediate disturbance hypothesis to assess the influence of constructing a check dam on river environment. HEC-HMS and HEC-RAS programs were used to generate hydraulic parameters such as flow discharge, water depth, velocity, water surface width and sediment discharge. Indicators of hydrologic alteration (IHA) and indicator of habitat alteration (IHabA) were used to evaluate the flow and habitat conditions before and after check dam construction. The range of variability approach was used to calculate the degree of hydrologic alteration for each IHA, degree of habitat alteration and overall alteration for IHabA. Variability of river habitats before and after check dam construction was contrasted. Alteration became larger the closer to the dam body. An assessment method for check dam construction is offered which does not require ecological investigation data and combines ecology concepts and hydraulics.     

Reflection of typhoon morakot �� the challenge of compound disaster simulation

Climate change has altered locally single-type disasters to large-scale compound disasters because of increasing intensity and frequency of extreme rainfall events. The compound disasters can combine small-scale floods, debris flows, shallow landslides, deep-seated landslides, and landslide lakes into a large-scale single disaster event. Although simulation models and evaluation tools are available for single-type disasters, no single model is well developed for compound disasters due to the difficulty of handling the interrelationship between two successive single-type disasters. This study proposes a structure for linking available single-type simulation models to evaluate compound disasters and provides a useful tool of decision making for warning and planning of disaster reduction.     

Quantity, distribution, and impacts of coastal driftwood triggered by a typhoon

Typhoon Morakot pounded Taiwan in 2009 with record-breaking rainfall, washing an unprecedented amount of driftwood into the sea that was partially deposited at the coastal areas. According to the satellite imagery analysis, more than three million trees fell and were washed away to occupy 83.2% of the Taiwanese coastline, including 52 fishing harbors. The amount cleaned-up was only 1/7 of the total coastal driftwood. It was found that the amount of coastal driftwood is not only related to the amount of precipitation but is also related to the distance from the location of the landslide to the river mouth and to the landslide area. The amount of accumulated coastal driftwood demonstrated log-profile declines with increasing distance to the river mouth. Nearshore current and wave motion are the critical factors for driftwood deposition. Much of the driftwood washed into the sea harmed the tourism and fishing industries, endangered navigation and oceanic activities, and impacted the marine environment and ecosystem.     

Sediment control function of river notches

The purpose of this study is to investigate the control function and mechanisms of natural river notches. Physical and numerical experiments are analyzed in this study for two representative types of sediment events: high intensity and short duration Type A sediment disaster events, and low intensity and long duration Type B moderate non-disaster events. Two dimensionless parameters, sediment trapping rate and reduction rate of peak sediment transport, are defined to evaluate the sediment control function of river notches. Study results indicate that the contraction ratio of the notch has a significant influence on sediment control function, with high contraction ratios resulting in both high sediment-trapping and high reduction rates. River notches provide better sediment control during Type A events than Type B events. The sediment control mechanism of river notches is the result of multiple interactions among river flow, sediment transport, and riverbed variation. Analysis of these interactions supports the significant protection role of river notches on sediment control for disaster events     

Analysis of landslide dam geometries

The geometry of a landslide dam is an important component of evaluating dam stability. However, the geometry of a natural dam commonly cannot be obtained immediately with field investigations due to their remote locations. A rapid evaluation model is presented to estimate the geometries of natural dams based on the slope of the stream, volume of landslides, and the properties of the deposit. The proposed model uses high resolution satellite images to determine the geometry of the landside dam. These satellite images are the basic information to a preliminary stability analysis of a natural dam. This study applies the proposed method to two case studies in Taiwan. One is the earthquake-induced Lung-Chung landslide dam in Taitung, and the second is the rainfall-induced Shih-Wun landslide dam in Pingtung.     

Movement of deep-seated rainfall-induced landslide at Hsiaolin Village during Typhoon Morakot

This study analyzes the mechanism of the landslide event at Hsiaolin Village during Typhoon Morakot in 2009. This landslide event resulted in 400 deaths. The extremely high intensity and accumulative rainfall events may cause large-scale and complex landslide disasters. To study and understand a landslide event, a combination of field investigations and numerical models is used. The landslide area is determined by comparing topographic information from before and after the event. Physiographic parameters are determined from field investigations. These parameters are applied to a numerical model to simulate the landslide process. Due to the high intensity of the rainfall event, 1,675 mm during the 80 h before the landslide event, the water content of soil was rapidly increased causing a landslide to occur. According to the survivors, the total duration of the landslide run out was less than 3 min. Simulation results indicated that the total duration was about 150 s. After the landslide occurrence, the landslide mass separated into two parts by a spur at EL 590 in about 30 to 50 s. One part passed the spur in about 30 to 60 s. One part inundated the Hsiaolin Village and the other deposited at a local river channel and formed a landslide dam. The landslide dam had height between 50 and 60 m and length between 800 and 900 m. The simulation result shows that the proposed model can be used to evaluate the potential areas of landslides induced by extremely high intensity rainfall events.     

Oxygen and Carbon Isotope Studies of Contact Metamorphism of Carbonate Rocks

O¹⁸/O¹⁶ and C¹²/C¹³ ratios have been determined for carbonaterocks and coexisting minerals from two contact metamorphic aureolesat Birch Creek, California and Marble Canyon, Texas. The peliticmetasediments and granitic intrusions of the Birth Creek localitywere also analyzed for their O¹⁸/¹⁶ and D/H ratios. Oxygen andcarbon isotope fractionations in coexisting dolomite and calciteare interrelated but show no obvious correlation with sampledistance from the intrusive contact. Small-scale oxygen isotopicexchange effects between rock units are observed within a fewfeet of the intrusive-country rock contacts and the marble-schistcontacts at Birch Creek. Oxygen isotopic temperatures obtainedfrom quartz—biotite fractionations in the biotite schistsof Birch Creek show a systematic decrease with increasing distanceaway from the intrusive contact; the isotopic contact temperatureis calculated to be 535–45°C. Low O¹⁸/¹⁶ and C¹³/¹²ratiosof the contact metamorphic marbles generally correlate wellwith presence of calc-silicate minerals, indicating that theCO₂ liberated during metamorphic decarbonation reactions isenriched in both O¹⁸and C¹² relative to the carbonates. Materialbalance calculations indicate that the liberated CO₂ is about5 per mille richer in O¹⁸ and about 6 per mille richer in C¹³than coexisting calcite.