The use of digital technologies for landslide disaster risk research and disaster risk management: progress and prospects

Landslide is a serious natural disaster next only to earthquake and flood, which will cause a great threat to people’s lives and property safety. The traditional research of landslide disaster based on experience-driven or statistical model and its assessment results are subjective , difficult to quantify, and no pertinence. As a new research method for landslide susceptibility assessment, machine learning can greatly improve the landslide susceptibility model’s accuracy by constructing statistical models. Taking Western Henan for example, the study selected 16 landslide influencing factors such as topography, geological environment, hydrological conditions, and human activities, and 11 landslide factors with the most significant influence on the landslide were selected by the recursive feature elimination (RFE) method. Five machine learning methods [Support Vector Machines (SVM), Logistic Regression (LR), Random Forest (RF), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), and Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA)] were used to construct the spatial distribution model of landslide susceptibility. The models were evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic curve and statistical index. After analysis and comparison, the XGBoost model (AUC 0.8759) performed the best and was suitable for dealing with regression problems. The model had a high adaptability to landslide data. According to the landslide susceptibility map of the five models, the overall distribution can be observed. The extremely high and high susceptibility areas are distributed in the Funiu Mountain range in the southwest, the Xiaoshan Mountain range in the west, and the Yellow River Basin in the north. These areas have large terrain fluctuations, complicated geological structural environments and frequent human engineering activities. The extremely high and highly prone areas were 12043.3 km² and 3087.45 km², accounting for 47.61% and 12.20% of the total area of the study area, respectively. Our study reflects the distribution of landslide susceptibility in western Henan Province, which provides a scientific basis for regional disaster warning, prediction, and resource protection. The study has important practical significance for subsequent landslide disaster management.     

湖北潜江凹陷古近系深层富钾卤水成因及演化

地下深层富钾卤水是非常重要的钾盐资源,目前很少从区域尺度系统研究沉积盆地中富钾卤水水化学特征及成因.对潜江凹陷深层富钾卤水进行了主、微量元素分析.研究区卤水矿化度为125.70～347.00 g/L,K含量为0.32～6.83 g/L;富集Li、B、I、Na、Cl,亏损Mg、Br,Ca、SO4有富集也有亏损.储层岩石矿...     

A landslide inventory system as a base for automated process and risk analyses

Landslide research requires consistent and widespread data. Many countries within the European Union have national landslide inventories to fulfill these demands for their respective research. However, those inventories were usually not intended to provide the technical basis for automated process and risk analyses during their design phase. The ongoing development of Germany’s national landslide database offers the opportunity to do this differently. This paper introduces a landslide inventory system called WISL suitable for data handling as well as for novel automated process and risk analyses on a national scale. WISL is designated to form the technical infrastructure for a German national database. Its core consists of an open source relational database management system (PostgreSQL), standardized input and registration methods as well as integrated analyses modules, which avoid large data movement and allow for rapid risk analyses. We present proof-of-concept results of endangered infrastructure related to automated risk mappings based on topography and proximity of active landslides. The use of open source software and the application of a standardized input and data acquisition system for experts, coupled with custom analysis modules, constitutes a step toward automated risk maps by a mere ‘button-press’. Future developments for the inventory lie in the field of refining and inventing analysis modules and collecting data, for which WISL provides a firm technical base.     

Experimental Investigation on Coal Deterioration Deformation Mechanism and Energy Evolution Law after High Temperature Pre-damage

Geotechnical and Geological Engineering - Deep coals are generally in a high geothermal environment, and when UCG (underground coal gasification) is carried out, the long-term high temperature...     

A timescale decomposed threshold regression downscaling approach to forecasting South China early summer rainfall

A timescale decomposed threshold regression(TSDTR) downscaling approach to forecasting South China early summer rainfall(SCESR) is described by using long-term observed station rainfall data and NOAA ERSST data. It makes use of two distinct regression downscaling models corresponding to the interannual and interdecadal rainfall variability of SCESR.The two models are developed based on the partial least squares(PLS) regression technique, linking SCESR to SST modes in preceding months on both interannual and interdecadal timescales. Specifically, using the datasets in the calibration period 1915–84, the variability of SCESR and SST are decomposed into interannual and interdecadal components. On the interannual timescale, a threshold PLS regression model is fitted to interannual components of SCESR and March SST patterns by taking account of the modulation of negative and positive phases of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation(PDO). On the interdecadal timescale, a standard PLS regression model is fitted to the relationship between SCESR and preceding November SST patterns. The total rainfall prediction is obtained by the sum of the outputs from both the interannual and interdecadal models. Results show that the TSDTR downscaling approach achieves reasonable skill in predicting the observed rainfall in the validation period 1985–2006, compared to other simpler approaches. This study suggests that the TSDTR approach,considering different interannual SCESR-SST relationships under the modulation of PDO phases, as well as the interdecadal variability of SCESR associated with SST patterns, may provide a new perspective to improve climate predictions.     

Impact of spate irrigation of flood waters on agricultural drought and groundwater recharge: case of Sidi Bouzid plain,Central Tunisia

In Sidi Bouzid plain, rainfall alone is insufficient to satisfy crop water requirements. Within this framework, and in order to improve water resources in the region, the Tunisian State adopted non-conventional water mobilization techniques, among which artificial spate irrigation. The objective of the study is to evaluate the impact of spate irrigation of flood water on the mitigation of agricultural drought and the enhancement of groundwater recharge. Annual and monthly rainfall data as well as flood water volumes were monitored. The study focused on the groundwater drawdown monitoring. Results showed a high flood water contribution to crop water requirements that exceeded rainfall. This water prevented drought in the spate perimeters. The groundwater drawdown was found to fluctuate over time, with an average decreasing rate of 0.4 to 0.5 m/year. Groundwater recharge was found to be highly correlated with flood water contribution through spate irrigation (R ² = 84 %). Out of the spate zone, a high decrease in the groundwater level was noted. The lowest rate of 1 m/year was that of the farthest piezometer from the spate perimeters. This is influenced by the excessive pumping out of the spate zone. In 1980, groundwater flew from the west to the east. In 2015, the flow movement from the east to the center of the plain did not change due to the presence of the spate perimeters. Nevertheless, excessive pumping around sabkhas changed the flow directions at the outlet zone. A variation in groundwater salinity was observed in both space and time. In 1975, salinity was very low. The outlet zone was the most affected where the drawdown reached several meters, causing saltwater intrusion from the surrounding sabkhas.     

Contesting culture: a case study of commodification in Cuban music

After more than three decades of isolation from the West and a paralyzing economic crisis in the early 1990s, Cuba is increasingly globally active in both cultural and economic realms. In this paper I use Bourdieu’s (The fields of cultural production, 1993) fields of cultural production as a general frame through with to inspect the commercialization of Cuban music. Through a case study with Juan de Marcos Gonzalez, the creator of the Buena Vista Social Club, I explore the dialectical relationship of music as an expression of cultural and a cultural asset, and at the same time a commodity for the international market. I show that de Marcos uses his position between the international music industry and the local music scene in order to preserve cultural authenticity and survive economically. In doing so he challenges the all-to-typical place of the artist in the contested space of cultural production between the West and the Third World.

Application of Lithium Isotope Geochemistry to the Study of the Continental Geothermal System

The lithium-rich brine in salt lakes is the main raw material of the world’s lithium products, while the continental geothermal fluids with a high salinity often contain a high concentration of lithium. Continental geothermal system is the focus in the study of geothermal formation mechanism. However, less attention is paid to the system due to the complexity of lithology, and the application of lithium isotopes in this field has not been systematically recognized. The newest application and progress of lithium isotope geochemistry in continental geothermal research in recent years were discussed, the problems in this field were put forward, and future research methods and directions were expected. The study of continental geothermal fluids should attach great importance to the application of Li-B-Sr-U multi-isotopic method, and should also be combined with water-rock reaction experiments under different temperature conditions. Moreover, in the future, the research on continental geothermal system should pay more attention to the various sediment/rock lithium isotopic compositions and their spatio-temporal distribution characteristics in the regional or geothermal field’s scales, mineralogy of reservoir rock, and behaviors of lithium isotopes related to the formation of secondary minerals in the process of water-rock interaction, in order to reveal the complex process of fluid evolution in the geothermal system and provide scientific reference for the exploration, exploitation and utilization of lithium resources in the system.     

Evaluation of Subsurface Lithologic Units for Groundwater Exploration in the Barind Tract of Bangladesh

Barind Tract, located north western part of Bangladesh, is one of the most diversified physiographic units of the country. The surface water supply in this part is particularly limited, so the irrigation is almost entirely depends on groundwater. However, over exploitation indicates falling groundwater heads in this area. The objective of present study is to examine the nature of the aquifer system Barind Tract of Bangladesh in order to assess the sustainability of groundwater yield. Borehole lithology data were collected, processed and analyzed for this purpose. Representative panel diagram, 3-D stratigraphic and cross-sectional views were also prepared for necessary assessment of the variation of individual subsurface stratum in different locations. The study identified three subsurface geologic formations namely, a top clay layer, sand layer of different grain size and at the bottom an impermeable clay zone. Maps of formation thickness and index revealed that aquifer thickness is low in the north-western corner and in some places of middle of south-western corner. The thickness of sand formation in other places is recorded above 20 m. It is expect that the finding of the study will help groundwater resources development, planning and management in the area.