Process of Housing Damage Assessment: The 1995 Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Disaster Case

Rebuilding of victims' livelihoods was a crucial issue in the restoration process in the1995 Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Disaster. Housing damage assessment influencedmost of the rebuilding of the livelihood in the long term, because the Victim Certificatesissued by the local governments based on the results of the Housing damage assessmentwas required to receive most of the individual assistance measures. In the process ofHousing damage assessment, many complex problems arose, leading to extensivework on the part of the disaster responders. Consequently, a considerable number ofvictims were dissatisfied with the assessment and applied for a resurvey. Due to a floodof requests for resurvey, disaster responders had to work on damage assessment, leavingrelief activities aside.In order to facilitate Housing damage assessment, this paper discusses thefollowing five points: (1) the processes and the problems of assessments performedin the Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Disaster, (2) the changes in the nature of informationneeded by the victims, (3) the improvements over the present damage assessment, (4)the housing situation in Japan, and (5) the international situation on damage assessment.It is obvious from the results that a poor damage assessment system and the size ofthe disaster produced a very large work load. Differences in appreciation among theinvestigators also contributed to unfair assessments and led to the victims beingincreasingly dissatisfied by the survey results. Finally, a design concept for acomprehensive damage assessment system, which has been derived from theabove five points, is proposed for post-disaster management.     

Groundwater-wetland ecosystem interaction in the semiarid glaciated plains of North America

The prairie wetlands of northern USA and Canada exist in numerous topographical depressions within the glaciated landscape. The wetlands are disconnected from each other most of the time with respect to surface-water drainage. The wetland water balance is controlled by snowmelt runoff and snowdrift from the surrounding uplands, precipitation, evapotranspiration, groundwater exchange, and occasional “fill-spill” connections to other wetlands. Salinity of water and the seasonal variability of water level in these wetlands have a strong influence on the ecosystem. Clay-rich glacial tills, covering much of the region, have very low (0.001–0.01 m/yr) hydraulic conductivity, except for the top several meters where the factures and macropores increase conductivity up to 1,000 m/yr. Transpiration in the wetland margin induces infiltration and lateral flow of shallow groundwater from wetland ponds through the high-conductivity zone, which strongly affects the water balance of wetlands. In contrast, groundwater flow in the deeper low-conductivity till has minor effects on water balance, but has a strong influence on salinity because the flow direction determines if the salts accumulate in wetlands (upward flow) or are leached out (downward flow) under wetlands. Understanding of the roles of shallow and deep groundwater systems will improve the hydrological conceptual framework for the management of wetland ecosystems.     

Observational aspects on a dominant spectral frequency in an airflow over a weeping-lovegrass stand

Mean and fluctuating wind velocities were measured above a flexible stand (weeping-lovegrass). A waving phenomenon Honami appeared over the stand during the observation period. Some spectral parameters were derived from the vertical wind fluctuations. A dependency of frequency on mean horizontal wind velocity was found. The result, n _m = 0.66u, was obtained under the range of wind speeds from 0.9 m s^-1 to 3.1 m s^-1 just above the canopy.     

Geological,mineralogical, and oxygen isotope studies of the Chandmani Uul iron oxide–copper–gold deposit in Dornogobi Province,Southeastern Mongolia

The Chandmani Uul deposit is located in Dornogovi province, Southeastern Mongolia. Iron oxide ores are hosted in the andesitic rocks of the Shar Zeeg Formation of Neoproterozoic to Lower‐Cambrian age. Middle‐ to Upper‐Cambrian bodies of granitic rocks have intruded into the host rocks in the western and southern regions of the deposit. The wall rocks around the iron oxide ore bodies were hydrothermally altered to form potassic, epidote, and sericite–chlorite alteration zones, and calcite and quartz veinlets are ubiquitous in the late stage. Since granitic rocks also underwent potassic alteration, the activity of the granitic rocks must have a genetic relation to the ore deposit. The ore mineral assemblage is dominated by iron oxides such as mushketovite, euhedral magnetite with concentric and/or oscillatory zoning textures, and cauliflower magnetite. Lesser amounts of chalcopyrite and pyrite accompany the iron oxides. Among all these products, mushketovite is dominant and is distributed throughout the deposit. Meanwhile, euhedral magnetite appears in limited amounts at relatively shallow levels in the deposit. By contrast, cauliflower magnetite appears locally in the deeper parts of the deposit, and is associated with green‐colored garnet and calcite. Sulfide minerals are ubiquitously associated with these iron oxides. The oxygen isotope (δ¹⁸O) values of all types of magnetite, quartz, and epidote were found to be ?5.9 to ?2.8‰, 10.5 to 14.9‰, and 3.6 to 6.6‰, respectively. The δ¹⁸O values of quartz–magnetite pairs suggest an equilibrium isotopic temperature near 300°C. The calculated values of δ¹⁸O for the water responsible for magnetite ranged from 2 to 10‰. All the data obtained in this study suggest that the iron oxide deposit at the Chandmani Uul is a typical iron oxide–copper–gold deposit, and that this deposit was formed at an intermediate depth with potassic and sericite–chlorite alteration zones under the oxidized conditions of a hematite‐stable environment. The δ¹⁸O range estimated implies that the ore‐forming fluid was supplied by a crystallizing granodioritic magma exsolving fluids at depth with a significant contribution of meteoric water.     

Experimental Study of Factors Controlling Sorption of Heavy Metals on Ariake Clay and Implication for Practice

A series of batch tests have been presented to investigate the effects of solid-solution contact time, solid:solution ratio, and pH of solution on sorption of Cd²⁺ and Pb²⁺ on Ariake clay from Kyushu region of Japan. The results show that, among the three investigated factors, solid:solution ratio (SD/SN) seems to be the crucial controlling factor. The Freundlich sorption parameters determined from the batch tests were applied to a typical field landfill in which the Ariake clay was used as soil barrier. The impacts of the landfill were assessed by numerical analysis. Based on the analysis result, the significance of selecting proper solid:solution ratio for determining sorption parameters from batch test has been discussed.     

Effects of frozen soil and snow cover on cold‐season soil water dynamics in Tokachi,Japan

Despite the potential impact of winter soil water movements in cold regions, relatively few field studies have investigated cold‐season hydrological processes that occur before spring‐onset of snowmelt infiltration. The contribution of soil water fluxes in winter to the annual water balance was evaluated over 5 years of field observations at an agricultural field in Tokachi, Hokkaido, Japan. In two of the winters, soil frost reached a maximum depth of 0·2 m (‘frozen’ winters), whereas soil frost was mostly absent during the remaining three winters (‘unfrozen’ winters). Significant infiltration of winter snowmelt water, to a depth exceeding 1·0 m, occurred during both frozen and unfrozen winters. Such infiltration ranged between 126 and 255 mm, representing 28–51% of total annual soil water fluxes. During frozen winters, a substantial quantity of water (ca 40 mm) was drawn from deeper layers into the 0–0·2 m topsoil layer when this froze. Under such conditions, the progression and regression of the freezing front, regulated by the thickness of snow cover, controlled the quantity of soil water flux below the frozen layer. During unfrozen winters, 13–62 mm of water infiltrated to a depth of 0·2 m, before the spring snowmelt. These results indicate the importance of correctly evaluating winter soil water movement in cold regions. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Application of the Spatial Auto-Correlation Method for Shear-Wave Velocity Studies Using Ambient Noise

Ambient seismic noise or microtremor observations used in spatial auto-correlation (SPAC) array methods consist of a wide frequency range of surface waves from the frequency of about 0.1 Hz to several tens of Hz. The wavelengths (and hence depth sensitivity of such surface waves) allow determination of the site S-wave velocity model from a depth of 1 or 2 m down to a maximum of several kilometres; it is a passive seismic method using only ambient noise as the energy source. Application usually uses a 2D seismic array with a small number of seismometers (generally between 2 and 15) to estimate the phase velocity dispersion curve and hence the S-wave velocity depth profile for the site. A large number of methods have been proposed and used to estimate the dispersion curve; SPAC is the one of the oldest and the most commonly used methods due to its versatility and minimal instrumentation requirements. We show that direct fitting of observed and model SPAC spectra generally gives a superior bandwidth of useable data than does the more common approach of inversion after the intermediate step of constructing an observed dispersion curve. Current case histories demonstrate the method with a range of array types including two-station arrays, L-shaped multi-station arrays, triangular and circular arrays. Array sizes from a few metres to several-km in diameter have been successfully deployed in sites ranging from downtown urban settings to rural and remote desert sites. A fundamental requirement of the method is the ability to average wave propagation over a range of azimuths; this can be achieved with either or both of the wave sources being widely distributed in azimuth, and the use of a 2D array sampling the wave field over a range of azimuths. Several variants of the method extend its applicability to under-sampled data from sparse arrays, the complexity of multiple-mode propagation of energy, and the problem of precise estimation where array geometry departs from an ideal regular array. We find that sparse nested triangular arrays are generally sufficient, and the use of high-density circular arrays is unlikely to be cost-effective in routine applications. We recommend that passive seismic arrays should be the method of first choice when characterizing average S-wave velocity to a depth of 30 m (V_s30) and deeper, with active seismic methods such as multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW) being a complementary method for use if and when conditions so require. The use of computer inversion methodology allows estimation of not only the S-wave velocity profile but also parameter uncertainties in terms of layer thickness and velocity. The coupling of SPAC methods with horizontal/vertical particle motion spectral ratio analysis generally allows use of lower frequency data, with consequent resolution of deeper layers than is possible with SPAC alone. Considering its non-invasive methodology, logistical flexibility, simplicity, applicability, and stability, the SPAC method and its various modified extensions will play an increasingly important role in site effect evaluation. The paper summarizes the fundamental theory of the SPAC method, reviews recent developments, and offers recommendations for future blind studies.     

Morphological changes in branchial mitochondria-rich cells of the teleost Paralichthys olivaceus as a potential indicator of CO2 impacts

We studied the morphological and biochemical changes of mitochondria-rich cells (MRCs) of a demersal teleost, Paralichthys olivaceus, during exposure to 0.98, 2.97 and 4.95 kPa pCO₂. The apical opening area of MRCs increased 2.2 and 4.1 times by 24 h exposure to 2.97 and 4.95 kPa pCO₂, respectively, while the cross-sectional area or density of MRCs did not change. Gill Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase activity more than doubled at 72 h and then returned to the pre-exposure level at 168 h in 0.98 kPa pCO₂, while it increased 1.7 times at 24 h at 4.95 kPa. These results indicate that the apical opening area of MRCs and the gill Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase activity may be used as an indicator of acute (up to 72 h), but not chronic, impacts of high (>1 kPa) seawater CO₂ conditions in P. olivacues. Limitations of those parameters as indices of CO₂ impacts are discussed.     

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.