Assessing vulnerability to earthquake hazards through spatial multicriteria analysis of urban areas

Assessing urban vulnerability to natural hazards such as earthquakes can be regarded as an ill-structured problem (i.e. a problem for which there is no unique, identifiable, objectively optimal solution). A review of the literature indicates a number of contrasting definitions of what vulnerability means, as well as numerous conflicting perspectives on what should or should not be included within the broad assessment of vulnerability in cities. This paper reports on the findings from a project in which a GIS methodology has been developed to assess urban vulnerability through a spatial analytical procedure. First, we highlight the deficiencies of current GIS approaches to urban vulnerability analysis and discuss the ill-structured nature of the vulnerability problem. We then propose a working definition for vulnerability assessment in which vulnerability is thought of as a spatial decision problem under the conditions of uncertainty. Next, we present a methodology to incorporate this definition into a GIS framework that combines elements from the techniques of spatial multicriteria analysis and fuzzy logic. The application of this methodology is then illustrated with a case study from Los Angeles County. The results suggest that the proposed methodology may provide a new approach for analyzing vulnerability that can add to our understanding of human/hazards interaction.     

Suffusion evaluation of coarse-graded soils from Rhine dikes

Acta Geotechnica - An experimental study on internal erosion of coarse-grained soils collected from the Rhine River is presented. The tests performed on laboratory column aim to assess the...     

Evidence for reduced post-spill recovery by the halophyte Sporobolus iocladus (Nees ex Trin.) Nees in oil-contaminated sediments

The germination behavior of Sporobolus iocladus seeds including germination percentage, accumulated germination percentage, the average incubation period to germination and germination velocity was studied under laboratory conditions. Treatments included six salinity regimes (0, 70, 140, 210, 280 and 350 mM NaCI) and three sources of oil hydrocarbons; Light Arabian Crude, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) including diaromatic or triaromatic hydrocarbons (in crude oil equivalent concentrations, COEC). The average incubation period needed for seeds to germinate was significantly longer for seeds germinated in 350 mM NaCl (6 +/- 1.16 days) compared with the control (4 +/- 00 days). The accumulated germination percentage gradually decreased with increasing salinity (control: 90 +/- 10, while 350 mM NaCl: 63 +/- 8.8). Oil hydrocarbons significantly affected all germination parameters of S. iocladus seeds regardless of salinity levels. COEC of di- and triaromatic hydrocarbons suppressed seed germination more than crude oil. Seeds exposed to diaromatic hydrocarbons failed to germinate. Hydrocarbon's salinity interaction significantly reduced the number of germinated S. iocladus seeds. It is concluded that hydrocarbon pollutants adversely affect S. iocladus through reducing germination. It is also suggested that the toxic effect of hydrocarbons on seeds is not solely mediated through their interaction with salinity. The ecological implications of these findings are discussed in relation to other studies on the post-spill recovery of halophytes.     

The vein-type barite mineralization of the Draïssa ore field,Ougarta; SW- Algeria: mineralogy,trace elements and halogens

The Draïssa barite vein system in the Ougarta district is located in southwestern Algeria. It is the principal mineral deposit of economic interest of the area. The mineralization is hosted by Cambrian sedimentary rocks that unconformably overlie Precambrian formations. The mineralized structures consist mostly of barite and quartz with minor sulfide minerals and trend dominantly NE-SW, NW-SE, and E-W. Siliceous alteration zones are associated with the vein system. Samples of barite ore are characterized by low total REE contents ranging from 9 to 50 ppm and positive Eu (2–2.15 ppm) and Y (1.2–11.1 ppm) anomalies, indicating hydrothermal activity during mineralization. Halogen data of the barite show that the Cl/Br molar ratio is 189:571 and the Na/Br ratio is 34:376, indicating that the sulfur was derived from seawater. The Ba-enrichment trend in the volcanic rocks of Draïssa is interpreted as possible probable source of the Ba (424–3039 ppm Ba). It appears that the barite-quartz deposits were formed in two stages. Endogenous fluids deposited the primary vein materials, consisting of quartz associated with copper sulfides. Exogenous fluids (cold seawater) became heated during ascendant fluid movement. Mineralization was governed by convective motions and the barite and galena fillings were deposited in openings created by normal faulting.     

Automated numerical analysis tool for assessing potential bank failures during flooding

River embankments failure due to severe flooding is an extremely complex phenomena triggering permanent or temporary modification to the river morphology, river flow and sediment movement. Reliable and automatic prediction of these movements is crucial to properly identify the protective measures for residents living within the inundation flood zones. In this regard, BISHOP, a decision tool to automatically predict, at multiple river cross-sections, the slope failure circle with the minimum safety factor has been developed. In this paper, the computer tool BISHOP, named after the simplified Bishop method, is presented. Its applications have proven to be highly efficient in real case studies, where the stability of multiple slope profiles, at different river cross-sections, must be analyzed to establish spatial and temporal evolution of the river banks failures. The integration of the proposed methodology within a comprehensive flow hydrodynamic, sediment transport and landslide calculation has particularly enhanced the evaluation of the flood-risk zone during major flooding. Typical results demonstrating the effectiveness of the developed methodology are demonstrated during the analysis of the evolution of a river reach downstream of a dam a dam break scenario.