Study on the improvement of disaster resistance against tsunamis at Taiwan’s Keelung Port

Natural Hazards - Keelung Port is one of the international commercial ports in Northern Taiwan. In 1867, a tsunami hit the Port, causing hundreds of casualties. In order to minimize the impact of...     

Enhancing the capacities of natural hazard mitigation: a study on a typhoon curriculum module in high school earth science

This study is part of the hazards mitigation education program “research on teaching resources development and curriculum promotion on natural hazards mitigation at high school level.” This study demonstrated the implementation of a newly developed earth science curriculum module of typhoon hazards mitigation in a 10th grade high school classroom in Taiwan. The curriculum module design is a response to the calls for better natural hazards mitigation education in the school systems in Taiwan. Findings show that the curriculum module has resulted in the positive learning outcomes in both students’ learning achievement and attitude toward typhoon hazards mitigation. Findings also suggest that group discussion activities could enhance students’ thinking and experience sharing on the perceptions about typhoon hazards preparedness and mitigation. This study suggests that the hazards mitigation curriculum module to be added as a topic in the national high school curriculum guidelines.     

Disaster risk assessment of ports based on the perspective of vulnerability

Global environmental changes have led to frequent occurrences of climatic extremes. The increasingly frequent and high-magnitude natural disasters in Taiwan have caused significant mortality, injury, and property damage. In response, there have been requests to improve the capacity to cope with extreme climatic conditions through increased awareness and identification of vulnerability. Disruptions to transportation systems affect the resilience for sustaining daily operations. Among the various types of transportation systems, ports provide substantial employment and industrial activity, contributing to national and regional development. In addition, ports integrate the functions of supply chains such as services in logistics, information, and business, becoming the location of industrial clusters. Therefore, this study examines the risk of port failures from the perspective of vulnerability. Specifically, seven vulnerable factors derived from the extant literature and lessons learned from the previous disaster cases are evaluated using geographic information systems. The results reveal that port capacity and efficiency have a significant effect on port vulnerability in which the efficiency of gantry cranes, labor productivity, free trade zone business volume, and ground access networks play crucial roles in port failure. Moreover, the risks associated with port operation are evaluated by overlapping a hazard map of areas prone to debris flows and tsunami inundation. The risk maps can assist decision makers in understanding the vulnerability and adopting appropriate strategies to minimize disaster risks.     

Peripherality in the global container shipping network: the case of the Southern African container port system

Regional trade co-operation, economic growth and greater political stability have enabled increased container throughput and container port capacity development. Earlier academic work has indicated that the functional position of this port region in the global maritime network might be shifting from a remote region in the periphery of the network to a more intermediate position. This paper aims to analyze the changing level of peripherality and remoteness of the Southern African container port system as part of the global container shipping network. The central hypothesis is that Southern Africa has moved from a remote shipping region to a more central shipping region in the global network. The methodology consists of the calculation of network measures for Southern African ports. The changing geographical distribution of flows among the main container ports in South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique, Mauritius and Madagascar will also be explored in terms of their respective shipping services, port calling patterns, market structure (in terms of the number of active carriers) and the up-scaling of vessel and port capacity. The overall result is a mapped port hierarchical structure with a clear indication of the shifted maritime centrality of Southern African ports from 1996 to the present decade.     

Regional economic impact analysis of earthquakes in northern Taiwan and its implications for disaster reduction policies

The direct damage caused by earthquakes, such as impaired buildings, may interfere with normal business operations and disrupt the function of the industrial chain. Such economic impacts can be evaluated using the input–output analysis developed by Leontief. In this paper, two scenario earthquakes in northern Taiwan both with a return period of 475 years—the Hsinchu Hsincheng and the Yilan Nan-ao earthquakes—are simulated. The results show that the economic impact caused by the Hsincheng earthquake is greater than that resulting from the Nan-ao earthquake, which should be the major scenario considered for the disaster reduction plan. The industries affected the most are the manufacturing, food services and entertainment, storage and retail trade, and public and construction industries. The Nan-ao earthquake causes relatively more losses in the food services and entertainment industries. Most of the repercussion effects of these industries are in the central and southern parts of Taiwan. The loss to the manufacturing sector and its repercussion effects are enormous. Therefore, the government should make it a first priority to encourage the manufacturing sector to implement earthquake mitigations, such as a seismic retrofit, or to provide a seismic evaluation, which can enable firms to engage in mitigation voluntarily. The measure needed to reduce the loss in agriculture is that the government can purchase agricultural products in central and southern Taiwan following the disaster and offer them to survivors in northern Taiwan.     

Following things of rubbish value: End-of-life ships, ‘chock-chocky’ furniture and the Bangladeshi middle class consumer

There has been an upsurge of geographical work tracing globalised flows of commodities in the wake of Appadurai’s (1986) call to ‘follow the things’. This paper engages with calls to follow the thing but argues that work thus far has been concentrated, first, on global flows from developing world producers to developed world consumers, and, second, on things that remain stable as they circulate. This paper instead argues that ‘follow the thing’ research needs to also attend to flows ‘down’ the value chain, from developed to less developed worlds, and to things that are either coming apart or being disassembled. The case presented here is end-of-life ships, sent to be broken in less developed countries, as most are, in this case in Bangladesh. It looks at how the arts of transience re-work materials from rubbish value ships into new forms and objects in the household furnishing sector, which are then appropriated by Bangladeshi middle class consumers. Far from being a minor feature this is shown to be empirically a significant component of the Bangladeshi economy. Theoretically the paper challenges many habitual assumptions about global flows of commodities and urges ‘follow the thing’ research to rethink the thing. Paying attention to the back-end of the value chain shows that things are but temporary configurations of material. At best partially stable, things are argued to be endlessly being assembled, always becoming something else somewhere else.     

台湾海峡隧道地质与地震条件条件

“台湾海峡隧道”这一伟大工程，由构想到正式调研，历经许多过程，存在许多疑难。台湾海峡的海底地质情况较复杂，且是一个多地震地区，在当前技术条件下，到底能不能修海底隧道，引起两岸许多学者的关注。根据当前已经获得的各种科技成果，在海峡北部的台湾桃园县沿海地区，分布着厚度较大、岩层水平、并已固结的第四纪砂页岩，形成良好的承力层和隔水层。海峡西端的福建平潭岛是大片的花岗岩分布区，场地开阔，是理想的隧道终端。因此，可以初步认为，从平潭到新竹一线，地质及地震条件较为稳定单一，可以考虑作为首选海底隧道线路。     

Assessment of climate change impacts on flooding vulnerability for lowland management in southwestern Taiwan

Taiwan suffers from losses of economic property and human lives caused by flooding almost every year. Flooding is an inevitable, reoccurring, and the most damaging disaster in Taiwan since Taiwan is located in the most active tropic cyclone formation region of the Western Pacific. Flooding problem is further worse in land subsidence areas along southwestern coast of Taiwan due to groundwater overdraft. Increasing number of people is threatened with floods owing to climate change since it would induce sea level rise and intensify extreme rainfall. Assessments of flooding vulnerability depend not only on flooding severity, possible damage of assets exposed to floods should also be simultaneously considered. This paper aims at exploring how climate change might impact the flooding vulnerability of lowland areas in Taiwan. A flooding vulnerability evaluation scheme is proposed in this study which incorporates flooding severity (the maximum inundation depth determined by a two-dimensional model) and potential economic losses for various land uses. Effects of climate change on flooding vulnerability focus on alterations of rainfall depth for various recurrence intervals. The flood-prone Yunlin coastal area, located in southwestern Taiwan, is chosen to illustrate the proposed methodology. The results reveal that reducing flooding vulnerability can be achieved by either reducing flooding severity (implementation of flood-mitigation measures) or decreasing assets exposed to floods (suspension of land uses for flood-detention purpose). Performance of currently implemented flood-mitigation measures is insufficient to reduce flooding vulnerability when facing with climate change. However, the scenario suggested in this study to sustain room for floods efficiently reduces flooding vulnerability in both without- and with climate change situations. The suggestions provided in this study could support decision processes and help easing flooding problems of lowland management in Taiwan under climate change.     

Expanding a network of public facilities with some fixed supply points

Conclusions In general terms, this paper has demonstrated how the expansion of public facilities can be phased and implemented within the framework of certain policy objectives. Given an existing network of hospitals, for instance, it is possible to plan and implement the provision of additional facilities in a manner that enhances the spatial efficiency of the expanded network. The expansion can be executed in such a way that with the addition of each new facility, not only is aggregate travel minimized, but also a specified proportion of the population can be brought within easy reach of hospital services. This method is a particularly useful one because in planning the location of facilities, authorities hardly ever start off with a clean slate. Usually some facilities of the same kind might already be occupying some locations which may or may not be optimal. But whether or not the already existing network is optimal, the overall efficiency of the expanded network can be enhanced by proceeding in the manner outlined above.This method can be applied to a wide range of public facilities, like schools for instance. But its application depends, among other things, on the clear definition of locational and policy objectives. Different objectives could produce different locational patterns. Even variations in the measures of distance used can produce different locational patterns.     

应用MODIS卫星遥感资料进行地震预测的初步研究

利用MODIS卫星遥感资料的亮温异常变化信息应用于地震预测研究,虽然目前还处于探索研究阶段,但根据该资料在台湾地区几次中强地震前的异常信息分析认为,其亮温异常信息可作为台湾地区中强地震前的一种较可靠、有效的短临预测方法。其基本原理是构造块体在破裂或错动前,因地壳岩石受挤压时应力应变的增强而引起了震源区及其周边区域的异常增温现象。     

基于无线传感网的煤层气排采实时监测监控系统设计

针对煤层气排采现场分散、实时通信和生产数据采集困难等问题,提出用无线传感网技术实现对现场数据采集、数据传输、实时监测监控、指令下达、指令执行等管理工作的系统设计。针对无线传感器网络通信易受干扰、通信距离受限、无线传感器节点寿命有限等问题,提出采用我国自主研发的龙芯CPU、C-MAC协议及基于该技术的通用无线传感器节点、无线网关、中继器等产品作为本设计的主选产品,解决无线传感网络应用存在的问题。针对排采现场需采集的数据较多且各异,设计时在叶节点无线传感器中配置串口、并口、USB口等通信接口。在设计后台管理系统时引用冗余技术和概率统计理论算法提高系统可靠性。     

Spatio-temporal analysis of markets for groundwater irrigation services in India: 1976–1977 to 1997–1998

Using secondary data generated from three rounds (31st, 48th and 54th) of the National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) of India, a macro-level estimate of the spread of markets for groundwater supported pump irrigation services in India was derived for two periods of time, 1976–1977 and 1997–1998. This estimate is the first of its kind that presents a spatio-temporal analysis of the markets for pump rental and irrigation services at an all-India level. The results, computed using simple statistics, show that the area irrigated through pump irrigation services has increased from an estimated 1.0 million ha in 1976–1977 to an estimated 20.0 million ha in 1997–1998. The analyses also calls into question two myths prevalent in literature, that these markets were under-developed in eastern India in the 1970s and 1980s, and that in recent times they are shrinking in southern peninsular India due to groundwater depletion. The policy implication is that there is a need for re-orientation in the way irrigation statistics are collected in India so as to include a category of hired irrigation services and establish a comparable survey design for future use.     

Detailed surface co-seismic displacement of the 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake in western Taiwan and implication of fault geometry in the shallow subsurface

The northern segment of the Chelungpu Fault shows an unusually large co-seismic displacement from the event of the Mw 7.6 Chi-Chi earthquake in western Taiwan. Part of the northern segment near the Fengyuan City provides an excellent opportunity for characterizing active thrust-related structures due to a dense geodetic-benchmark network. We reproduced co-seismic deformation patterns of a small segment of this Chelungpu Fault using 924 geodetic benchmarks. According to the estimated displacement vectors, we identified secondary deformations, such as local rigid-block rotation and significant shortening within the hanging wall. The data set also allows us to determine accurately a 3D model of the thrust fault geometry in the shallow subsurface by assuming simple relations between the fault slip, and the horizontal and vertical displacements at the surface. The predicted thrust geometry is in good agreement with borehole data derived from two drilling sites close to the study area. The successful prediction supports our assumptions of rigid displacement and control of displacement in the hanging wall by the fault geometry being useful first approximations.     

Plan for a groundwater monitoring network in Taiwan

 In Taiwan, rapid economic growth, rising standards of living, and an altered societal structure have in recent years put severe demands on water supplies. Because of its stable quantity and quality, groundwater has long been a reliable source of water for domestic, agricultural, and industrial users, but the establishment of a management program that integrates groundwater and surface-water use has been hampered by the lack of groundwater data. In 1992, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) initiated a program entitled "Groundwater Monitoring Network Plan in Taiwan." Under this program, basic groundwater data, including water-level and water-quality data, are being collected, and a reliable database is being established for the purpose of managing total water resources. This paper introduces the goals, implementation stages, and scope of that plan. The plan calls for constructing 517 hydrogeologic survey stations and 990 groundwater monitoring wells within 17 years. Under this program, water-level fluctuations are continuously monitored, whereas water-quality samples are taken for analysis only at the initial drilling stage and, subsequently, at the time when a monitoring well is being serviced. In 1996, the DWR and the Water Resources Planning Commission were merged to form today's Water Resources Bureau. Received, July 1997 · Revised, February 1998 · Accepted, January 1998     

汰内井水氡年变异常与台湾地区强震的关系

通过对汰内井水氡多年年变动态的分析,发现台湾地区强震前后汰内井水氡测值表现出持续高值的异常,这些异常多为中期与中短期异常,有时也有短临异常和震后效应。研究结果表明,汰内井水氡对台湾地区的强震有一定的映震能力,可为台湾地区的强震预测服务。     

A research on the three-year performance of the regional emergency operation centers in Taiwan

For a smooth lateral integration between Taiwan’s regional emergency operation centers (EOCs) and with local health, fire, and medical units, the operating performance of the emergency medical care law (EMCL) needs to be enhanced throughout the emergency medical service system. In this article, a 3-year comprehensive evaluation was adopted to analyze the performance evaluation of six regional EOCs and to initiate a proposed framework with an appropriate coordinated operation and notification mode for the regional EOCs with above three units. The study discovered that establishing a closer coordinated operation and notification model relationship for the EOCs with above three units was a key factor to provide real-time information delivery and query services. A common disaster information and medical resource exchange platform should be established in the future, and the EMCL that allows EOCs to be the official dedicated units should be amended. In addition, EOCs must be given a regulatory power and responsibility to execute their services, which allows them to play an active role rather than a passive role. This would effectively help to integrate the fire, health, and medical units uniformly in the rescue response operation of disaster incidents.     

The challenge of peripheral ports: an Asian perspective

The growth of ports peripheral to the dominant container hubs has been well documented in North America and Europe, and has led to the elaboration of several theoretical models. This paper applies these models to the situation in South East Asia where much of the growth in containerisation is taking place. While confirming the emergence of several peripheral ports that are mounting challenges to the major hubs, we demonstrate that the factors behind the challenges are different to those postulated in the literature. Issues of governance arising out of the complex restructuring of the global ports industry are singled out. We suggest that a new geography of container terminals based on management and operational strategies of private and public bodies involved in the port industry needs to be fashioned.     

From St. John's to Miami: Containerisation at Eastern Seaboard Ports

The North American Eastern Seaboard is one of the major container handling regions of the world. However, since 1975 it has declined relative to the world development of containerisation. Whereas in 1975, 20.4% of the world's containers passed through Eastern Seaboard ports, in 1995 the figure was 7.2%. In the period 1975 to 1995, ports in Canada and the Mid Atlantic range have held their own relatively in the proportion of containers handled in the Eastern Seaboard. Ports in the North East, primarily New York, have lost ground; ports in the South have gained. Rank size analysis and the Gini coefficient show a deconcentration of container handling away from New York to middle ranked ports, especially Hampton Roads, Charleston, SC and Montreal. Global factors – universal adoption of containerisation, changing trade routes brought about by post-Panamax ships and intermodality, and cargo sharing among alliances – explain the relative decline of the Eastern Seaboard ports as a group. Individual port development is largely accounted for by how well ports respond to the global factors. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Subsurface imaging,TAIGER experiments and tectonic models of Taiwan

The seismicity, deformation rates and associated erosion in the Taiwan region clearly demonstrate that plate tectonic and orogenic activities are at a high level. Major geologic units can be neatly placed in the plate tectonic context, albeit critical mapping in specific areas is still needed, but the key processes involved in the building of the island remain under discussion. Of the two plates in the vicinity of Taiwan, the Philippine Sea Plate (PSP) is oceanic in its origin while the Eurasian Plate (EUP) is comprised partly of the Asian continental lithosphere and partly of the transitional lithosphere of the South China Sea basin. It is unanimously agreed that the collision of PSP and EU is the cause of the Taiwan orogeny, but several models of the underlying geological processes have been proposed, each with its own evolutionary history and implied subsurface tectonics.TAIGER (TAiwan Integrated GEodynamics Research) crustal- and mantle-imaging experiments recently made possible a new round of testing and elucidation. The new seismic tomography resolved structures under and offshore of Taiwan to a depth of about 200 km. In the upper mantle, the steeply east-dipping high velocity anomalies from southern to central Taiwan are clear, but only the extreme southern part is associated with seismicity; toward the north the seismicity disappears. The crustal root under the Central Range is strongly asymmetrical; using 7.5 km/s as a guide, the steep west-dipping face on the east stands in sharp contrast to a gradual east-dipping face on the west. A smaller root exists under the Coastal Range or slightly to the east of it. Between these two roots lies a well delineated high velocity rise spanning the length from Hualien to Taitung. The 3-D variations in crustal and mantle structures parallel to the trend of the island are closely correlated with the plate tectonic framework of Taiwan. The crust is thickest in the central Taiwan collision zone, and although it thins toward the south, the crust is over 30 km thick over the subduction in the south; in northern Taiwan, the northward subducting PSP collides with Taiwan and the crust thins under northern Taiwan where the subducting indenter reaches 50 km in depth. The low Vp/Vs ratio of around 1.6 at a mid-crustal depth of 25 km in the Central Range indicates that current temperatures could exceed 700 °C. The remarkable thickening of the crust under the Central Range, its rapid uplift without significant seismicity, its deep exhumation and its thermal state contribute to make it the core of orogenic activities on Taiwan Island.The expanded network during the TAIGER deployment captured broadband seismic data yielding enhanced S-splitting results with mainly SKS/SKKS data. The polarization directions of the fast S-waves follow very closely the structural trends of the island, supporting the concept of a vertically coherent Taiwan orogeny in the outer few hundred kilometers of the Earth.     

Routes of Soviet timber to world markets

The USSR is the largest producer of roundwood and sawn wood in the world and 4–5% of production is exported, for the most part to Europe and Japan. This paper analyses the areal distribution of roundwood and sawnwood production and the spatial pattern of exports. Over 60% of the timber destined for export is delivered to ports or border stations by train: the rest moves by river. The major export ports for wood products and the character of their hinterlands are described. The economic problems arising from long-distance rail movements are examined and the impact of the areal shift in production towards the eastern regions is discussed. White Sea and Baltic ports may decline in importance, while the Pacific ports are likely to expand when Siberian wood starts flowing there on the new BAM railway.