Spatiotemporal variation of the loose deposits in Baisha River Basin after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake

Extensive landslides were triggered by the Wenchuan earthquake(in China) on 12 May 2008,causing a tremendous amount of loose material suspended on the hillslopes, likely to be eroded and transported by rain. It is of great significance to study the long-term variation of the quantity and spatiotemporal distribution of loose deposits after a great earthquake in order to understand the restoration process, to assess the risk of future soil erosion, including geological hazards, and to further deve...     

Annual discharge and sediment load variation in Jialing River during the past 50 years

Annual discharge and annual suspended sediment loads of Beipei Hydrological Station of the Jialing River catchment were analyzed to describe the trend of Jialing River over the last five decades (1956-2006). These loads were also analyzed to ascertain the influential factors associated with its variation with the help of Kendall's Tau-b correlation analysis and regression analysis. The results indicated that the Jialing River annual discharge showed no significant trend at >95% confidence level while the an...     

Spatio-temporal trends and causes of variations in runoff and sediment load of the Jinsha River in China

The Jinsha River Basin is an important basin for hydropower in China and it is also the main runoff and sediment source area for the Yangtze River,which greatly influence the runoff and sediment in the Three Gorges Reservoir.This study aims to characterize the spatial distribution,inter-annual variation of runoff and sediment load in the Jinsha River Basin,and to analyze the contribution of rainfall and human activities to the runoff and sediment load changes.The monitoring data on runoff,sediment load and precipitation were collected from 11hydrological stations in the Jinsha River Basin from1966 to 2016.The data observed at the outlet of the basin showed that 71.4%of the runoff is from the upper reaches of the Jinsha River Basin and the Yalong River,while 63.3%of the sediment is from the lower reaches(excluding the Yalong River).There is no significant increase in runoff on temporal scale in the Jinsha River Basin,while it has an abrupt change in runoff in both upstream and midstream in 1985,and an abrupt change in downstream in 1980 and2013.The sediment load demonstrated a significantincreasing trend in the upstream,no significant reducing trend in the midstream,but significant reducing trend in the downstream.The sediment load in upstream showed abrupt change in 1987,in midstream in 1978 and 2014,in downstream in 2012.Rainfall dominated runoff variation,contributing more than 59.0%of the total variation,while human activity,including reservoirs construction,the implementation of soil and water conservation projects,is the major factor to sediment load variation,contributing more than 87.0%of the total variation.     

Potentials of community-based tourism in transformations towards green economies after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in West China

This study investigates the contrasting sceneries of community-based tourism after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake and focuses on the potentials of tourism in transformations towards green economies. How are tourism and environment linked in a sustainable relationship? And how can potentials of community-based tourism be directed in transformations towards green economies? A qualitative research design is used to examine contrasting sceneries and specific green elements of community-based tourism in a Qiang people's fortress village in Mao County, Sichuan Province, West China and further discuss how tourism can be compatible with human wellbeing through demonstrating a commitment to sustainable development. The study argues that potential economic, social and environmental costs of tourism need to be considered when evaluating the loss of community benefits toward sustainability. The green elements suggest the potential of community-based tourism in transformations towards green economies, involving green agricultural, green building, and green energy, green governance, green service and green consumption. This study will contribute to the debate about the relationship between tourism and environment sustainability in the green economies, as well as the critique of what can be learned for community development from green tourism in mountainous regions after the inevitable natural disasters.     

Temporal variations of water discharge and sediment load of Huanghe River, China

Based on the data from gauging stations,the changes in water discharge and sediment load of the Huanghe (Yellow)River were analyzed by using the empirical mode decomposition(EMD)method.The results show that the periodic oscillation of water discharge and sediment load of the Huanghe River occurs at the interannual,decadal,and multi-decadal scales,caused by the periodic oscillations of precipitation,and El Nio/Southern Oscillation(ENSO)affects water discharge by influencing precipitation distribution and contributes to periodic varations in precipitation and water discharge at interannual timescale.The water discharge and sediment load of the Huanghe River have decreased since the 1960s under the influence of precipitation and huamn activities,and human activities attribute more than precipitation to the reduction in the water discharge and sediment load,furthermore,water abstraction and water-soil conservation practices are the main causes of the decrease in water discharge and sediment load,respectively.The reduction in sediment load has directly impacted on the lower reaches of the Huanghe River and the river delta, causing considerable erosion of the river channel in the lower reaches since the 1970s along with River Delta changing siltation into erosion around 2000.     

Characteristics of clustering debris flows in Wenchuan earthquake zone

Clustering debris-flow events, namely many debris flows simultaneously triggered by a regional rainstorm in a large-scale mountainous area, occurred in four regions of Wenchuan earthquake stricken areas in 2008 and 2010. The characteristics of the clustering debris flows are examined with regard to triggering rainfall, formation process, and relationship with the earthquake by field survey and remote sensing interpretation. It is found that the clustering events occurred nearly at the same time with the local peak rainstorms, and the rainfall intensity-duration bottom limit line for clustering debris flows is higher than the worldwide line. It means that more rainfall is needed for the occurrence of the clustering debris flows. Four kinds of major formation processes for these debris flows are summarized： tributary-dominated, mainstream- dominated, transformation from slope failures, and mobilization or liquefaction of landslide. The four regions has a spatial correlation with the strong- quake-influenced zone with the peak ground acceleration = 0.2 g and the seismic intensity 〉 X.     

Activity evolution of landslides and debris flows after the Wenchuan earthquake in the Qipan catchment,Southwest China

The Wenchuan earthquake that occurred on 12 May 2008 induced numerous landslides. Loose landslide materials were deposited on hillslopes, and deep channels were easily remobilized and transformed into debris flows by extreme rainstorms. Twelve years after the Wenchuan earthquake, debris flows were still active in the Qipangou Ravine in the quake-hit area. In this paper, we continuously tracked the spatiotemporal evolution of the landslides and vegetation restoration and evaluated the evolution of debris flow activity in the Qipan catchment with the aid of a GIS platform and field investigations from 2008 to 2019. We observed that the area with active landslides increased sharply immediately following the earthquake, and then decreased with time; however, the total area of landslides continued to increase from 6.93 km2 in 2008 to 10.55 km2 in 2019. The active landslides shifted towards lower angles and higher elevations after 2013. Since 2009, the vegetation coverage has been gradually increasing and approaching the coverage present before the earthquake as of 2019. The landslide activity was high and the vegetation recovery rates were rapidly rising during the first five years after the earthquake; the recovery rates then slowed over time. Therefore, we divided the evolution that occurred during the post landslide period into an active period(2008-2013), a self-adjustment period(2013-2026) and a stable period(after 2026). We then proposed a quantitative model to determine the trends of landslide activity rates and NDVI values in the catchment, which indicated that the landslide activities and postseismic vegetation restoration rates in this catchment will return to preseismic levels within approximately two decades. We also analysed the runout volumes of the debris flows after the earthquakes(Diexi and Wenchuan) and the standard deviation of the vegetation coverage and predicted that the debris flow activities will last for an additional 50 years or more.     

近30年来长江源区土地覆被变化特征分析

长江源区是我国重要的水源涵养地。本文利用20世纪70年代中后期、90年代初期、2004年和2008年共4期土地覆被数据,通过土地覆被转类途径与幅度、土地覆被状况指数和土地覆被转类指数,分析评价了长江源区近30年来土地覆被与生态状况的时空变化特征。结果表明：草地是长江源区主要的土地覆被类型,2008年草地面积占该区总面积的66.93%。在70年代中后期-90年代初期、90年代初期-2004年和2004-2008年的3个时段内,土地覆被状况指数变化率分别为-0.15、-0.24和0.01;土地覆被转类指数分别为-0.20、-0.66和0.08。近30年来,长江源区土地覆被和生态状况总体经历了变差-显著变差-略有好转的过程。2004-2008年,长江源区年平均温度比前期（70年代中后期-2004年）升高了0.57℃,年平均降水量比前期增加了17.63mm。区域气候变化有助于自然生态系统的恢复。后期生态保护与建设工程的实施,对植被恢复产生了一定的积极作用。     

A new formula of recovery factor for non-equilibrium transport of graded suspended sediment in the Middle Yangtze River

Suspended sediment concentrations in the Middle Yangtze River(MYR) reduced greatly after the Three Gorges Project operation, causing the composition of bed material to coarsen continuously.However, little is known about the non-equilibrium transport of graded suspended sediment owing to different bed material compositions(BMCs) along the MYR, and it is necessary to determine the magnitude of recovery factor. Using the Markov stochastic process in conjunction with the hiding-exposure effect of no...     

气候变化和人类活动对长江流域水储量变化的影响研究

利用2002-08～2016-12 GRACE数据扣除泄漏影响得到的长江流域陆地水储量（TWS）变化,分析其时空变化特征和趋势。结果表明,在此期间长江流域TWS增速为0.13±0.12 cm/a;TWS变化大的区域,如泄漏改正后三峡库区TWS变化由约10 mm/a变为15~20 mm/a,并呈现更大的空间异质性。利用多种气象数据,从气候变化和人类活动角度深入研究长江流域水循环变化。结果表明,降水量与TWS变化在时间和空间上都具有较高的相关性,TWS变化延迟1~2个月;上游源头处温度是影响TWS变化的主导因素,温度升高加速了上游高山冰川融化,使TWS具有增长趋势;三峡工程的蓄水也导致TWS变化;ENSO是长江流域TWS变化的主要影响因素。     

Seismic damage of mountain tunnels during the 5.12 Wenchuan earthquake

A number of mountain tunnels suffered significant damage to various extent during the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in China. Damage ranging from small to heavy cracking was observed both at the portal and inside the tunnels, while some sections close to the faults completely collapsed. A summary of qualitative data collected from reports and papers is presented regarding the behavior of the 55 mountain tunnels near the epicenter during the earthquake. Based on the seismic investigation and data collection of mountain tunnels, the tunnel damage is classified into six most common damage models involving cracking, spalling, shear failure, dislocation, pavement uplift and collapse. Detailed study and discussion are then carried out on the damage models. In order to examine the influencing factors of the damage magnitude of the mountain tunnels, the correlations between epicentral distance, earthquake intensity, overburden depth, geological condition and damage levels are analyzed. The relationships between earthquake parameters and different damage models are developed and discussed. Also, suggestions are provided to improve the seismic resistance of mountain tunnels.     

Identification of potential sites of debris flows in the upper Min River drainage,following environmental changes caused by the Wenchuan earthquake

The Wenchuan earthquake caused numerous landslides and collapses that provide abundant unconsolidated material for future mobilization as debris flows.Debris flows will be very active and cause considerable damage for some time in the affected area.Because of environmental changes related to the earthquake,many potentially dangerous debris flow gullies have yet to be identified.This paper selects the upper Min River from Yinxiu to Wenchuan as the study area,interprets the unconsolidated deposits,and discusses their relationship to distance from the fault.Then,applying that information and the values of other factors relating to debris flow occurrence,the locations of potential debris flows are analyzed by multi-factor comprehensive identification and rapid identification.The multi-factor comprehensive identification employs fuzzy matter-element extension theory.The volume of unconsolidated material in the study area is about 3.28 × 108 m3.According to the analysis by multi-factor comprehensive identification,47 gullies have a high probability for potential debris flow,8 gullies have a moderate probability,and 1 gully has a low probability.     

Influences of the Wenchuan Earthquake on sediment supply of debris flows

The 5.12 Wenchuan Earthquake and the subsequent rainstorms induced a large number of landslides, which later were transformed into debris flows. To evaluate the effect of the earthquake on the sediment supply of debris flows, eight debris flow basins near Beichuan City, Sichuan Province, China were chosen as the study area. The area variations of the debris flow source after the Wenchuan Earthquake and the subsequent rainstorm are analyzed and discussed in this paper. Interpretations of aerial photographs (after the 5.12 Wenchuan Earthquake) and SPOT5 images (after the rainstorm event of September 24, 2008) as well as field investigations were compared to identify the transformation of landslide surface in the study area, indicating that the landslide area in the eight debris flow basins significantly increased. The loose sediment area on the channel bed increased after the rainstorm event. In order to estimate the relationship of the landslide area with the rainfall intensity in different return periods, a model proposed by Uchihugi was adopted. Results show that new landslide area induced by heavy rainfall with 50-year and 100-year return period will be 0.87 km2 and 1.67 km2, respectively. The study results show the Wenchuan earthquake had particular influences on subsequent rainfall-induced debris flow occurrence.     

Changes in runout distances of debris flows over time in the Wenchuan earthquake zone

A large number of debris flows occurred in the Wenchuan earthquake zone after the 12 May 2008 earthquake.The risks posed by these debris flows were rather high.An appropriate model is required to predict the possible runout distance and impacted area.This paper describes a study on the runout characteristics of the debris flows that occurred in the Wenchuan earthquake zone over the past four years.A total of 120 debris flows are analyzed.Separate multivariate regression models are established for the runout distances of hill-slope debris flows and channelized debris flows.The control variables include type of debris flow,debris flow volume,and elevation difference.Comparison of the debris flows occurring before and after the earthquake shows that the runout distance increased after the earthquake due to sufficient material supply and increased mobility of the source materials.In addition,the runout distances of annual debris flow events in 2008,2010 and 2011 are analyzed and compared.There is a tendency that the runout distance decreases over time due to the decreasing source material volume and possible changes of debris flow type.Comparison between the debris flows in the earthquake zone and the debris flows in Swiss Alps,Canada,Austria,and Japan shows that the former have a smaller mobility.     

顾及开发强度的长江中下游土地变化模拟及规划对策

土地变化模拟能够判断不同规划政策对当前土地空间格局的影响.传统土地变化模拟侧重于从土地利用/覆盖类型预测土地变化情况,较少关注土地的开发强度.本文以长江中下游为例,在土地利用/覆盖的基础上构建一套考虑开发强度的土地系统,聚焦长江中下游价值突出的两种土地类型提供的服务,在共享社会经济路径下实现同时满足两种土地服务需求的土地变化模拟,并对结果进行对比分析.模拟结果显示,未来人口增加会使当前建设用地面积扩张,向着更加集约的方向变化;同时,人口的增加会带来粮食需求,农业用地中开发强度最高的高利用率耕地面积扩张.模拟结果可为区域规划提供对策和建议.     

Risk assessment of highways affected by debris flows in Wenchuan earthquake area

Since the Wenchuan earthquake in China on May 12^th, 2008, highways in earthquake-affected areas have been frequently interrupted by debris flows. We analyzed the hazard effect modes and damage processes along highways and developed three key indexes, scale of debris flows, deposits on highways and river blockage, to describe quantitatively the highway disasters. By combining the empirical methods and the actual terrain conditions, we proposed new methods to determine the value of hazard indexes. In addition, we used the economic value and resistance of highway as vulnerability assessment indexes, then determined the specific subindexes for the subgrade, bridges and culverts, and developed a way for the quantified vulnerability zoning. Moreover, we proposed the assessment and mapping methods for highway risk. The risk is described into 5 grades: extremely low risk, low risk, middle risk, high risk and extremely high risk. We applied these methods in a case study carried out on provincial highway S303 from Yingxiu Town to Wolong Town, in Wenchuan County. Analysis of debris flow risk for the whole highway, showed that the total length of highway in extremely low risk area was 28.26 km, 4.83 km in low risk area, 8.0 km in middle risk area, 3.65 km in high risk area, and 3.06 km in extremely high risk area. The assessment results are consistent with the field survey data which reflected the disaster situation. This risk method can be used objectively to evaluate the debris-flow risk along highways, and is useful for highway reconstruction in mountainous areas suffering from active debris flows.     

Slope seismic response monitoring on the aftershocks of the Wenchuan earthquake in the Mianzhu section

Previous investigations have shown that the seismic response of slopes during the Wenchuan earthquake was highly variable.The present study tries to give an answer to the question:Which are the main factors affecting the seismic response degree of slopes? With the support of the China Geological Survey Bureau,we set 3 monitoring sections in Jiulong slope,Mianzhu city,China with the aim to record the site response of the slope during the aftershocks of the Wenchuan earthquake.After the Wenchuan earthquake,which happened on 12 May 2008,30 aftershocks have been recorded in these monitoring points.We analyzed 11 records,with magnitudes ranging from ML = 4.6 to ML = 3.1.The amplification factors of the horizontal compound PGA and 3D compound PGA have been determined for the 3 points at different elevations on the slope.Results showed that the dynamic response of the slope on the earthquake was controlled by factors such as topography and the thickness of the Quaternary overburden.     

Ecological species groups and interspecific association of vegetation in natural recovery process at Xiejiadian landslide after 2008 Wenchuan earthquake

Wenchuan earthquake on 12 May 2008 triggered numerous landslides, which disturbed vast areas of vegetation in northwest Sichuan. However, based on our primary field investigation at Xiejiadian landslide in July 2009, we found an obvious increase of the number of plant species and then we made a hypothesis that, after earthquake, vegetation at this landslide might recover by itself. In this paper, we conduct a newly field investigation at Xiejiadian landslide during November 2014 to verify this hypothesis. We investigated plant species composition at total 56 sites (trees 4, shrubs 16 and herbs 36, respectively), and calculated the Schluter’s variance ratio, important values, x² test, association coefficient, Ochiai index, Pearson’s and Spearman’s correlation coefficients, and Ecological species groups. Species sharply increased to 84 species belonging to 66 genera and 54 families, forming a complete life form containing trees, shrubs, herbs, and ground layers while only herbs detected in 2009. Moreover, an overall positive and moderately related interspecies association was detected for most of species pairs. Of total 84 species, twenty five were identified as dominant species and could be divided into four positive ecological species groups. This study verified our proposed hypothesis of self-recovery of vegetation in landslide triggered by the earthquake, and found Alnus cremastogyne, Rhus chinensis, Litsea cubeba, Vitis piasezkii and Anemone vitifolia would play a constructive role during the continuing succession of vegetation at Xiejiadian landslide.     

The spatial distribution characteristics of shallow fissures of a landslide in the Wenchuan earthquake area

Shallow fissures, being the main infiltration paths of fluid on the surface of a slope, played an important role in the whole process of a landslide. However, the spatial distribution characteristics of fissures in the slope are difficult to be determined. In this study, we attempted to characterize the variation pattern of slope fissures along depth in the Wenchuan earthquake area in Sichuan Province by combining engineering geological investigation, geomorphologic analysis and geophysical investigation. The geophysical methods that were used in this study include Multichannel Analysis of Surface Wave (MASW), Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT). The results suggested that geophysical parameters (shear wave velocity, electromagnetic signals attenuation and resistivity) could provide valuable information for the spatial network of shallow fissures. Through the verification by engineering geological survey and geophysical sensitivity analysis, this work highlighted that MASW was the most appropriate technique to delineate the propagation of shallow fissures in a gravel soil slope.     

三江源生态工程实施前后长江源区宏观生态状况变化分析

基于NDVI时空序列数据,利用GLOPEM-CEVSA模型,本文估算并分析了长江源区1997-2012年植被覆盖度及植被净初级生产力时空变化特征,并在此基础上评估了生态工程实施前、后长江源区宏观生态状况变化。结果表明：工程实施后,长江源区宏观生态状况显著好转,植被覆盖度及植被净初级生产力明显增加。从多年平均值来看,工程实施后,植被覆盖度好转区域面积占植被区总面积的72.10%,净初级生产力增加区域面积占植被区总面积的73.82%;从变化趋势来看,植被覆盖度好转区域面积净增加13.02%,植被净初级生产力好转区域面积净增加24.62%。工程实施前后相比,各流域宏观生态状况恢复程度具有差异,其中楚玛尔河源头植被覆盖度上升最明显,通天河流域植被净初级生产力上升最明显。长江源区宏观生态状况的好转受益于气候的湿润化及生态工程的共同影响,若要全面有效改善仍需持续努力。