GIS-based weights-of-evidence modelling of rainfall-induced landslides in small catchments for landslide susceptibility mapping

Landslide susceptibility mapping is a vital tool for disaster management and planning development activities in mountainous terrains of tropical and subtropical environments. In this paper, the weights-of-evidence modelling was applied, within a geographical information system (GIS), to derive landslide susceptibility map of two small catchments of Shikoku, Japan. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the importance of weights-of-evidence modelling in the generation of landslide susceptibility maps in relatively small catchments having an area less than 4 sq km. For the study area in Moriyuki and Monnyu catchments, northeast Shikoku Island in west Japan, a data set was generated at scale 1:5,000. Relevant thematic maps representing various factors (e.g. slope, aspect, relief, flow accumulation, soil depth, soil type, land use and distance to road) that are related to landslide activity were generated using field data and GIS techniques. Both catchments have homogeneous geology and only consist of Cretaceous granitic rock. Thus, bedrock geology was not considered in data layering during GIS analysis. Success rates were also estimated to evaluate the accuracy of landslide susceptibility maps and the weights-of-evidence modelling was found useful in landslide susceptibility mapping of small catchments.     

Influence of vegetation factors on biological soil crust cover on rehabilitated grassland in the hilly Loess Plateau, China

Biological soil crusts (BSCs) perform essential ecosystem functions in arid and semi-arid ecosystems worldwide. The formation, development, and distribution of BSCs are influenced by changes in multiple environmental factors, including changes in the vascular plant community. The influence of changes in vegetation factors on BSC cover in 8-, 12-, and 16-year-old rehabilitated grasslands were studied in the hilly area of the Chinese Loess Plateau. The rate of degradation of BSCs underneath litter (P < 0.01) and the degradation cover of BSCs (P < 0.05) differed significantly between the 8- and 16-year-old successions. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis showed that the main vegetation factors influencing the dynamics of BSC cover differed among the 8-, 12-, and 16-year-old rehabilitated grasslands. Basal cover, phytomass, and litter cover were the main vegetation factors influencing the dynamics of BSC cover on 8-year-old rehabilitated grassland. Phytomass, litter thickness, and litter cover were the main factors influencing the dynamics of BSC cover on 12-year-old rehabilitated grassland. On 16-year-old rehabilitated grassland, Pielou evenness index, litter thickness, and litter biomass were the main vegetation factors influencing degradation of BSC cover underneath litter, whereas basal cover, litter thickness, and litter biomass were the main vegetation factors influencing the degradation cover of BSCs. At particular stages of herbaceous succession, vegetation factors can have a large influence on changes in the community’s basal cover and litter, which are key factors influencing changes in BSC cover. The degradation of BSCs underneath litter may be a result of complicated eco-physiological processes.     

High-resolution terrestrial carbon isotope and planktic foraminiferal records of the Upper Cenomanian to the Lower Campanian in the Northwest Pacific

Making Upper Cretaceous biostratigraphic correlations between the Northwest Pacific and Tethyan–Atlantic sections have been difficult because of rare frequencies of age-diagnostic macro- and microfossils in the sequences in the Northwest Pacific region. In order to correlate these sections precisely, an integrated planktic foraminiferal and bulk wood carbon-isotope stratigraphy from the upper Cenomanian to the lower Campanian succession (the middle–upper part of the Yezo Group) of Hokkaido, northern Japan is established with an average resolution of 50 k.y. The δ¹³C curves from bulk wood of the Yezo Group and from bulk carbonate of English Chalk show remarkably similar patterns of isotopic fluctuation, allowing the correlation of 22 carbon isotopic events between these sections. This high-resolution correlation greatly improves the previous micro- and macrofossil biostratigraphic schemes in the Northwest Pacific region, and reveals that global events, such as the oxygen depletion at the OAE 2 horizon, the constant decrease in pCO₂ during the Late Cretaceous, and the eustatic sea-level falls in the late middle Turonian, Santonian/Campanian Boundary and early Campanian, are recorded in the Upper Cretaceous sequence of the Northwest Pacific.     

Ground motion spatial variability effects on seismic response control of cable-stayed bridges

The spatial variability of input ground motion at supporting foundations plays a key role in the structural response of cable-stayed bridges (CSBs); therefore, spatial variation effects should be included in the analysis and design of effective vibration control systems. The control of CSBs represents a challenging and unique problem, with many complexities in modeling, control design and implementation, since the control system should be designed not only to mitigate the dynamic component of the structural response but also to counteract the effects of the pseudo-static component of the response. The spatial variability effects on the feasibility and efficiency of seismic control systems for the vibration control of CSBs are investigated in this paper. The assumption of uniform earthquake motion along the entire bridge may result in quantitative and qualitative differences in seismic response as compared with those produced by uniform motion at all supports. A systematic comparison of passive and active system performance in reducing the structural responses is performed, focusing on the effect of the spatially varying earthquake ground motion on the seismic response of a benchmark CSB model with different control strategies, and demonstrates the importance of accounting for the spatial variability of excitations.     

Molecular dynamics study of the crystal structure and phase relation of the GeO2 polymorphs

A two-body interatomic potential model for GeO₂ polymorphs has been determined to simulate the structure change of them by semi-empirical procedure, total lattice energy minimization of GeO₂ polymorphs. Based on this potential, two polymorphs of GeO₂; α-quartz-type and rutile-type, have been reproduced using the molecular dynamics (MD) simulation techniques. Crystal structures, bulk moduli, volume thermal expansion coefficients and enthalpies of these polymorphs of GeO₂ were simulated. In spite of the simple form of the potential, these simulated structural values, bulk moduli and thermal expansivities are in excellent agreement with the reliable experimental data in respect to both polymorphs. Using this potential, MD simulation was further used to study the structural changes of GeO₂ under high pressure. We have investigated the pressure-induced amorphization. As reported in previous experimental studies, quartz-type GeO₂ undergoes pressure-induced crystalline-to-amorphous transformation at room temperature, the same as other quartz compounds; SiO₂, AlPO₄. Under hydrostatic compression, in this study, α-quartz-type GeO₂ transformed to a denser amorphous state at 7.4 GPa with change of the packing of oxygen ions and increase of germanium coordination. At higher pressure still, rutile-type GeO₂ transformed to a new phase of CaCl₂-type structure as a post-rutile candidate. Received: 29 July 1996 / Revised, accepted: 30 April 1997     

Ecological variations in diatom assemblages in the Paleo-Kathmandu Lake linked with global and Indian monsoon climate changes for the last 600,000 years

Variations in fossil diatom assemblages and their relationship with global and Indian monsoon climate changes for the last 600,000 yr were investigated using a core of ancient lake (Paleo-Kathmandu Lake) sediments drilled at the Kathmandu Basin, Nepal Himalaya. Chronological scales of the core were constructed by tuning pollen wet and dry index records to the SPECMAP δ¹⁸O stack record. Examinations of biogenic silica contents and fossil diatom assemblages revealed that variations in productivity and compositions of diatom assemblages were closely linked with global and Indian monsoon climate changes on glacial and interglacial time scales. When summer monsoonal rainfall increased during interglacials (interstadials), diatom productivity increased because of increased inputs of terrestrial nutrients into the lake. When summer monsoonal rainfall reduced and/or winter monsoonal aridification enhanced during glacials (stadials), productivity of the diatoms decreased and lake-level falling brought about changes in compositions of diatom assemblages. Monospecific assemblages by unique Cyclotella kathmanduensis and Puncticulata versiformis appeared during about 590 to 390 ka. This might be attributed to evolutionary fine-tuning of diatom assemblages to specific lake environmental conditions. Additionally, low-amplitude precessional variations in monsoon climate and less lake-level changes may have also allowed both species to dominate over the long periods.     

Electron density distribution of FeTiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> ilmenite under high pressure analyzed by MEM using single crystal diffraction intensities

Many of ilmenites ABO₃ compounds bearing transition elements have semiconductive, ferroelectric and antiferromagnetic properties. The high-pressure diffraction studies of FeTiO₃ have been conducted up to 8.2 GPa using synchrotron radiation in KEK at Tsukuba with diamond anvil cell. The compression mechanism of FeTiO₃ ilmenite has been investigated by the structure refinements converged to the reliable factors R = 0.05. The deformations of the FeO₆ and TiO₆ octahedra were reduced with increasing pressure. In order to elucidate the electric conductivity change with pressure, electron density distribution of ilmenite have been executed by maximum entropy method (MEM) using single-crystal diffraction intensity data. MEM based on F _obs(hkl) of FeTiO₃ clearly shows electron density in comparison with the difference Fourier synthesis based on F _obs(hkl) − F _calc(hkl). The radial distribution of the electron density indicates electron localization around the cation positions. The bonding electron density found in bond Fe–O and Ti–O is lowered with pressure. The isotropic temperature factors B _iso become smaller with increasing pressure. Nevertheless the thermal vibration is considerably restrained by the compression, the electric conductivity is enhanced with pressure. Neither charge transfer nor electron hopping between Fe and Ti along the c axis in FeTiO₃ is plausible under high pressure. But the electric conductivity due to electron super-exchange in Fe–Fe and Ti–Ti has been clarified by the MEM electron density distribution. The anisotropy in the electric conductivity has been clarified.     

OCTOPUS,an Octo parameter underwater sensor,for use in biological oceanography studies

A realtime monitoring system for observing physical, biological, and optical oceanographic parameters in shallow waters was developed. It consists of a CTD with oxygen sensor, anin situ fluorometer, anin situ transmissometer, and anin situ quanta meter together with an on-deck quanta meter. The system is also equipped with a water sampling device. Water sampling can be done during the upward cast on the basis of depth profiles of temperature, salinity, oxygen,in situ fluorescence, transmittance, and underwater irradiance taken during the downward cast.     

An Ecosystem Model Including Nitrogen Isotopes: Perspectives on a Study of the Marine Nitrogen Cycle

We have developed an ecosystem model including two nitrogen isotopes (¹⁴N and ¹⁵N), and validated this model using an actual data set. A study of nitrogen isotopic ratios (δ¹⁵N) using a marine ecosystem model is thought to be most helpful in quantitatively understanding the marine nitrogen cycle. Moreover, the model study may indicate a new potential of δ¹⁵N as a tracer. This model has six compartments: phytoplankton, zooplankton, particulate organic nitrogen, dissolved organic nitrogen, nitrate and ammonium in a two-box model, and has biological processes with/without isotopic fractionation. We have applied this model to the Sea of Okhotsk and successfully reproduced the δ¹⁵N of nitrate measured in seawater and the seasonal variations in δ¹⁵N of sinking particles obtained from sediment trap experiments. Simulated δ¹⁵N of phytoplankton are determined by δ ¹⁵N of nitrate and ammonium, and the nitrogen f-ratio, defined as the ratio of nitrate assimilation by phytoplankton to total nitrogenous nutrient assimilation. Detailed considerations of biological processes in the spring and autumn blooms have demonstrated that there is a significant difference between simulated δ¹⁵N values of phytoplankton, which assimilates only nitrate, and only ammonium, respectively. We suggest that observations of δ ¹⁵N values of phytoplankton, nitrate and ammonium in the spring and autumn blooms may indicate the ratios of nutrient selectivity by phytoplankton. In winter, most of the simulated biogeochemical fluxes decrease rapidly, but nitrification flux decreases much more slowly than the other biogeochemical fluxes. Therefore, simulated δ¹⁵N values and concentrations of ammonium reflect almost only nitrification. We suggest that the nitrification rate can be parameterized with observations of δ¹⁵N of ammonium in winter and a sensitive study varying the parameter of nitrification rate.