Mineralogy and geochemistry of the Texeo Cu–Co mine site (NW Spain): screening tools for environmental assessment

The Cu–Co–Ni Texeo mine has been the most important source of Cu in NW Spain since Roman times and now, approximately 40,000 m³ of wastes from mine and metallurgical operations, containing average concentrations of 9,263 mg kg⁻¹ Cu, 1,100 mg kg⁻¹ As, 549 mg kg⁻¹ Co, and 840 mg kg⁻¹ Ni, remain on-site. Since the cessation of the activity, the abandoned works, facilities and waste piles have been posing a threat to the environment, derived from the release of toxic elements. In order to assess the potential environmental pollution caused by the mining operations, a sequential sampling strategy was undertaken in wastes, soil, surface and groundwater, and sediments. First, screening field tools were used to identify hotspots, before defining formal sampling strategies; so, in the areas where anomalies were detected in a first sampling stage, a second detailed sampling campaign was undertaken. Metal concentrations in the soils are highly above the local background, reaching up to 9,921 mg kg⁻¹ Cu, 1,373 mg kg⁻¹ As, 685 mg kg⁻¹ Co, and 1,040 mg kg⁻¹ Ni, among others. Copper concentrations downstream of the mine works reach values up to 1,869 μg l⁻¹ and 240 mg kg⁻¹ in surface water and stream sediments, respectively. Computer-based risk assessment for the site gives a carcinogenic risk associated with the presence of As in surface waters and soils, and a health risk for long exposures; so, trigger levels of these elements are high enough to warrant further investigation.     

Landslide susceptibility and hazard mapping in Australia for land-use planning — with reference to challenges in metropolitan suburbia

This paper provides an overview of the history and current status of landslide susceptibility and hazard mapping for land-use zoning in Australia. It also describes a case study of landslide hazard mapping in a medium density, coastal, suburban residential area of metropolitan Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, with relatively steep terrain. Issues covered include identification and mapping of existing and potential landslides, and susceptibility and hazard zoning for regulatory management and land-use planning. The method involves application of the principles contained within the AGS (2000) guideline, and as updated by the AGS (2007 a,b,c,d,e) suite of guidelines.     

遥感在滑坡灾害研究中的应用进展

在对常用的光学遥感卫星影像、InSAR,LiDAR等遥感技术方法介绍的基础上,综述了这些方法在滑坡研究中的最新应用进展,从滑坡风险评估中的基础地形数据获取、滑坡编录与制图、监测、滑坡因素制图、承灾体制图等5个方面阐述遥感技术在滑坡风险中的支撑技术作用与应用前景。从遥感影像在滑坡风险评估中的作用、解译能力、影响解译的因素、精度评价和遥感数据源选择等角度阐述了常用遥感技术在滑坡风险评估应用中存在的问题,认为: ① 遥感技术在滑坡风险评估中的主要作用为数据、信息的获取与更新;② 滑坡的遥感影像解译能力取决于影像空间分辨率与待识别滑坡大小的相对关系,影像的时间分辨率、滑坡与其周边环境的对比度、立体影像的获取能力是利用遥感影像开展滑坡探测、识别与制图的关键要素;解译方法和解译员的专业素质是滑坡遥感解译的重要影响因素;③ 遥感影像与GIS空间分析、3D可视化的综合可有效增强滑坡识别与制图的效率和精度;④ 对于遥感解译滑坡的精度评价应针对具体影像的可解译性从有效解译,错误解译和遗漏解译三个方面予以客观评价;⑤ 滑坡风险评估应针对具体应用,从成本效益比的角度,本着“够用为止”原则合理选用遥感数据源。     

Methodology for preliminary assessment of Natech risk in urban areas

Concern for natural hazard-triggered technological disasters (Natech disasters) in densely populated and industrialized areas is growing. Residents living in urban areas subject to high natural hazard risk are often unaware of the potential for secondary disasters such as hazardous materials releases from neighboring industrial facilities, chemical storage warehouses or other establishments housing hazardous materials. Lessons from previous disasters, such as the Natech disaster during the Kocaeli earthquake in Turkey in 1999 call for the need to manage low frequency/high consequence events, particularly in today’s densely populated areas. However, there is little guidance available on how local governments and communities can assess Natech risk. To add to the problem, local governments often do not have the human or economic resources or expertise to carry out detailed risk assessments. In this article, we propose a methodology for preliminary assessment of Natech risk in urban areas. The proposed methodology is intended for use by local government officials in consultation with the public. The methodology considers possible interactions between the various systems in the urban environment: the physical infrastructure (e.g., industrial plants, lifeline systems, critical facilities), the community (e.g., population exposed), the natural environment (e.g., delicate ecosystems, river basins), and the risk and emergency management systems (e.g., structural and nonstructural measures). Factors related to vulnerability and hazard are analyzed and qualitative measures are recommended. Data from hazardous materials releases during the Kocaeli, Turkey earthquake of August 17, 1999 are used as a case study to demonstrate the applicability of the methodology. Limitations of the proposed methodology are discussed as well as future research needs.

Reducing hazard vulnerability through local government engagement and action

The concept of a natural hazard is a human construct. It is the interaction with human communities and settlements that defines a natural phenomenon as a natural hazard. Thus the end point of hazard mitigation and hazard vulnerability assessment must involve an attempt to reduce, or mitigate, the impact of the natural hazard on human communities. The responsibility to mitigate hazard impact falls primarily upon governments and closely connected non-government and private institutional agencies. In particular, it is most often local government that takes the responsibility for safeguarding its own communities, infrastructure and people. Hazard vulnerability of specific local communities is best assessed by the local government or council, which then faces the responsibility to translate that assessment into community education and infrastructural safeguards for hazard mitigation. This paper illustrates the process of local government engagement in hazard mitigation in Australia, through the Natural Disaster Risk Management Studies, as a first step towards natural disaster reduction.     

Risk-based decision-making for drilling waste discharges using a fuzzy synthetic evaluation technique

Offshore petroleum drilling wastes contain toxic substances that are potentially harmful to the marine ecosystem. Despite environmentally benign characteristics, wastes associated with synthetic-based fluids still contain a certain amount of pollutants due to contamination with formation oil and the presence of trace heavy metals in barite, which may pose risk when discharged into the marine environment. A framework is presented here for a decision support system for the selection of the best drilling waste discharge option. Uncertainties in the quantification of risk, cost and technical feasibility are expressed by fuzzy numbers. An analytical hierarchy process with a technique called fuzzy synthetic evaluation is employed to determine the best management alternative (discharge scenario).     

黄河三角洲沿岸海浪风暴潮耦合作用漫堤风险评估研究

海浪、风暴潮是重要的海洋灾害因子,过去人们主要对这些灾害因子本身进行研究,而对它们作用的承灾体研究甚少。实际上,只有它们作用的承灾体遭到破坏,才产生海洋灾害。本研究的目的就是要针对海浪风暴潮漫堤灾害,提出漫堤灾害的风险评估标准及风险评估方法和程式,为沿海防灾减灾提供科学依据。针对黄河三角洲示范区,根据漫堤程度,提出了漫堤灾害风险等级标准,并基于建立的海浪和风暴潮潮汐数值模式及长期预测结果,提出了风险评估方法和程式步骤。对黄河三角洲近岸海域主要堤段进行了多年一遇和典型台风过程漫堤灾害的风险评估。得到的结果是:该区沿岸海堤在风暴潮水位下一般都不能发生水位漫堤现象,只有加上波浪作用时,才会出现海水漫堤;当发生五十年一遇的风暴潮、浪时,多数的海堤的风暴潮、浪漫堤灾害风险在3—4级,即有效波高的浪已爬上或接近爬到堤顶;9216和9711号台风所产生的风暴潮、浪灾害约为150—200年一遇的情况。从实际情况看,本研究中提出的漫堤风险评估标准、评估方法是可行的,评估结果为有效防减海浪风暴潮漫堤灾害造成的损失提供了参考。     

Casualties in dry bulk shipping (1963–1996)

In recent years, bulk carriers have been identified with high risks of catastrophic structural failure and foundering, and with heavy loss of human life. This study, based upon Lloyd's of London casualty records, identified four risk factors that had significant, independent effect upon the likelihood of a bulk carrier foundering. The risk of foundering increased with the age of the ship, and was related to the ship's flag of registration. Most importantly, however, increased risks were found for heavy cargoes of iron ore and scrap steel or iron, and for trading routes to the Far East and from Europe to North America. Additional safety measures, in particular regarding ship design and high-risk trades, may well be necessary to reduce the high casualty rates.     

苏锡常地区地面沉降风险评价管理模型研究初探

平原区超采地下水引发的地面沉降地质灾害已成为影响这些地区经济可持续发展的重要制约因素,如何从收益、成本、风险三个方面为决策者提供制定地面沉降相关防治措施的综合支持,实现灾害防治从被动应对向主动防御转变,是地面沉降防治研究领域的新课题。在综合考虑苏锡常地区技术、经济、人类活动等因素基础上,从地面沉降总体风险和地区差异水平出发,提出构建地面沉降风险评价模型及决策支持系统的初步研究思路和方法,为实现地面沉降防治的科学化决策管理进行了探索。     

Damage risk assessment of breakwaters under tsunami attack

Turkey was struck by two major events on 17 August and 12 November 1999, named Izmit (M _w = 7.4) and Düzce (M _w = 7.2) earthquakes, respectively. Rubble mound breakwaters in Izmit Bay experienced little damage, as forecasted by the new risk assessment model in which tsunami occurrence risk was included in the damage estimations. In order to determine the occurrence probability of structural damage under design conditions, including the environmental loading parameters of tsunami and storm waves, tidal range and storm surge, the Conditional Expections Monte Carlo simulation was applied in the risk assessment model developed in this study for the Esenköy Fishery Harbour, Turkey. A tsunami was not the key design parameter when compared to storm waves for the main breakwater of the harbour, however, in places with great seismic activity, the tsunami risk should be important depending on the occurrence probability and magnitude of the tsunami.