Hydraulic and numerical study on the generation of a subaqueous landslide-induced tsunami along the coast

By carrying out the hydraulic experiments in a one-dimensional open channel and two-dimensional basin, we clarified the process of how a landslide on a uniform slope causes the generation of a tsunami. The effect of the interactive force that occurs between the debris flow layer and the tsunami is significant in the generation of a tsunami. The continuous flow of the debris into the water makes the wave period of the tsunami short. The present experiments apply numerical simulation using the two-layer model with shear stress models on the bottom and interface, and the results are compared. The simulated debris flow shows good agreement with the measured results and ensures the rushing process into the water. We propose that the model use a Manning coefficient of 0.01 for the smooth slope and 0.015 for the rough slope, and a horizontal viscosity of 0.01 m²/s for the landslide; an interactive force of 0.2 for each layer is recommended. The dispersion effect should be included in the numerical model for the propagation from the shore.     

A simple procedure to approximate slip displacement of freestanding rigid body subjected to earthquake motions

A simple calculation procedure for estimating absolute maximum slip displacement of a freestanding rigid body placed on the ground or floor of linear/nonlinear multi‐storey building during an earthquake is developed. The proposed procedure uses the displacement induced by the horizontal sinusoidal acceleration to approximate the absolute maximum slip displacement, i.e. the basic slip displacement. The amplitude of this horizontal sinusoidal acceleration is identical to either the peak horizontal ground acceleration or peak horizontal floor response acceleration. Its period meets the predominant period of the horizontal acceleration employed. The effects of vertical acceleration are considered to reduce the friction force monotonously. The root mean square value of the vertical acceleration at the peak horizontal acceleration is used. A mathematical solution of the basic slip displacement is presented. Employing over one hundred accelerograms, the absolute maximum slip displacements are computed and compared with the corresponding basic slip displacements. Their discrepancies are modelled by the logarithmic normal distribution regardless of the analytical conditions. The modification factor to the basic slip displacement is quantified based on the probability of the non‐exceedence of a certain threshold. Therefore, the product of the modification factor and the basic slip displacement gives the design slip displacement of the body as the maximum expected value. Since the place of the body and linear/nonlinear state of building make the modification factor slightly vary, ensuring it to suit the problem is essential to secure prediction accuracy. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Using expert knowledge to map the level of risk of shallow landslides in Brazil

Shallow landslides are common in Brazil's urban areas. Geomorphology and land use are contributing factors, and rainfall is the triggering one. In these urban areas, anthropogenic activities that increase the level of landslide risk are common, such as cutting and filling or discharging wastewater onto the slopes. The Brazilian Government has developed a methodology to map the risk level in landslide-prone areas. The methodology is based on field observation and divides the risk into four main categories: low, moderate, high, and very high. Technicians in the field decide the sector's landslide risk level based on their professional and personal experiences, but without mathematical calculations or without using specific weights for the contributing factors. This study proposes a method for automatically computing the risk level by involving many experts for deriving each classifier weight, thereby reducing the subjectivity in selecting the final risk level. The weights were calculated using the Analytical Hierarchical Process based on 23 experts on landslides, and the standard deviation was used to define the risk level threshold. We validated the study using a prior risk mapping of São Paulo city. Finally, an application (app) that can be used on a tablet, computer, or smartphone was created to facilitate data collection during fieldwork and to automatically compute the risk level. Risk areas in Brazil are frequently changing as new residents move to the area or changes in the buildings or terrain are made. In addition, mapping the risk areas is expensive and time-demanding for municipalities. Therefore, an application that gathers the data easily and automatically computes the risk level can help municipalities rapidly update their risk sectors, allowing them to use updated risk mapping during the rainy season and be less dependent on rarely available financial resources to hire a risk mapping service.

     

Phytoremediation of shallow organically enriched marine sediments using benthic microalgae

We examined whether replantation of benthic microalgae (BMA) can remediate shallow organically enriched sediment. Nitzschia sp., the dominant species in the tested area (Hiroshima Bay, Japan), was isolated and mass cultured, then replanted in the same area. Changes in the condition of the sediment were monitored for five months. During the study period, we observed an increase in redox potential (ORP) and a decrease in acid-volatile sulfide (AVS) in the experimental area, indicating that the sediment condition changed from reduced to oxic. Organic matter in the sediment, represented by chemical oxygen demand (COD), ignition loss (IL) and organic nitrogen (ON) decreased significantly, while inorganic nutrients (ammonia and phosphate) increased in the interstitial water. These changes imply that oxygen produced by the replanted BMA may have enhanced aerobic bacterial activity, accelerating the decomposition of organic matter. Thus, replantation of BMA shows potential as a novel and promising "phytoremediation" method for organically enriched sediment.     

Could tsunami risk be underestimated using core‐based reconstructions? Lessons from ground penetrating radar

Where should we take cores for palaeotsunami research? It is generally considered that local depressions with low energy environments such as wetlands are one of the best places. However, it is also recognized that the presence or absence of palaeotsunami deposits (and their relative thickness) is highly dependent upon subsoil microtopography. In the beach ridge system of Ishinomaki Plain, Japan, several palaeotsunami deposits linked to past Japan Trench earthquakes have been reported. However, the number of palaeotsunami deposits reported at individual sites varies considerably. This study used ground penetrating radar (GPR) combined with geological evidence to better understand the relationship between palaeotopography and palaeotsunami deposit characteristics. The subsurface topography of the ~3000–4000 bp beach ridge was reconstructed using GPR data coupled with core surveys of the underlying sediments. We noted that the number (and thickness) of the palaeotsunami deposits inferred from the cores was controlled by the palaeotopography. Namely, a larger number of events and thicker palaeotsunami deposits were observed in depressions in the subsurface microtopography. We noted a total of three palaeotsunami deposits dated to between 1700 and 3000 cal bp , but they were only observed together in 11% of the core sites. This result is important for tsunami risk assessments that use the sedimentary evidence of past events because we may well be underestimating the number of tsunamis that have occurred. We suggest that GPR is an efficient and invaluable tool to help researchers identify the most appropriate places to carry out geological fieldwork in order to provide a more comprehensive understanding of past tsunami activity. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Depositional processes of impactites from the YAX-1 drill core in the Chicxulub impact structure inferred from vertical profiles of PDF orientations and grain size distributions of shocked quartz

Core samples from the Chicxulub impact structure provide insights into the formation processes of a shallow-marine-target, complex crater. Although previous studies investigated the impactites (generally suevitic and polymict breccias) of the Yaxcopoil-1 (YAX-1) drill core in the Chicxulub impact structure, the interpretation of its deposition remains controversial. Here, we analyze planar deformation features (PDFs), grain size, and abundance of shocked quartz throughout the YAX-1 impactite sequence (794–895 m in depth). PDF orientations of most quartz grains in YAX-1 impactites show a distribution of both low angles ({104}, {103}, {102}) and high angles (orientations higher than 55° to c-axis), while the lower part of the impactite sequence contains quartz showing only PDF orientations of low angles. High-abundance, coarse-grained shocked quartz is found from the lower to middle parts of the impactites, whereas it abruptly changes to low-abundance, fine-grained shocked quartz within the upper part. In the uppermost part of the impactites, repeated oscillations in contents of these two components are observed. PDF orientation pattern suggests most of the shocked quartz grains experienced a range of shock pressure, except two samples in the lower part of impactites, which experienced only a high level of shock. We suggest that the base and lower part of the impactite sequence were formed by ejecta curtain and melt surge deposits, respectively. Our results are also consistent with the interpretation that the middle part of the impactite sequence is fallback ejecta from the impact plume. Additionally, we support the contention that massive seawater resurges into the crater occurred during the deposition of the upper and uppermost part of the impactites.     

Geographical and seasonal variations in biomass and estimated production rates of net zooplankton in Yatsushiro Bay, Japan

The biomass and production rate of net zooplankton were studied at eight stations in Yatsushiro Bay, Japan, monthly from May 2002 to April 2003. Based on environmental conditions, the bay was divided into three regions, viz. northern (average depth, salinity and chlorophyll a concentration: 11 m, 31.8 and 6.5 μg l⁻¹, respectively), central (30 m, 32.8 and 3.2 μg l⁻¹, respectively) and southern (43 m, 33.4 and 1.9 μg l⁻¹, respectively). Net zooplankton biomass was high in warm months and low in cold ones, with annual averages of 20.2, 38.8 and 16.4 mg C m⁻³ in the northern, central and southern regions, respectively. Copepods were the most important constituent (>ca. 70% of net zooplankton biomass) in all regions. The northern region was characterized by the dominance of Oithona spp. in summer and Acartia spp. in winter-spring. In the central region, Microsetella norvegica was most pronounced in summer-fall. In both central and southern regions, Calanus sinicus and Eucalanus spp. dominated in winter-spring and fall, respectively. The annual average net zooplankton secondary production rate was 4.4, 7.5 and 3.9 mg C m⁻³d⁻¹ in the northern, central and southern region, respectively. Combining the results from the present study with those from other collaborative works on microzooplankton allowed us to determine the trophic interactions in Yatsushiro Bay. If the secondary producers depend entirely on phytoplankton for food, their daily carbon requirement is equivalent to 12.5, 21.6 and 19.1% of the phytoplankton biomass in the respective regions.     

Analyses of age and population genetic structure of the broadbanded thornyhead Sebastolobus macrochir in North Japan suggest its broad dispersion and migration before settlement

Body size, age, and population genetic structure of the broadbanded thornyhead Sebastolobus macrochir inhabiting areas off the Pacific coast of Tohoku and off Abashiri, the Sea of Okhotsk, Japan, were analyzed. On the basis of significant differences in body size (growth) between certain year classes at Tohoku and Abashiri, it appears that S. macrochir does not migrate extensively after settlement and subsists on food within the settled environment. Meanwhile, no genetic isolation was observed between the populations at these two sites. Thus, it is highly likely that its pelagic egg balloons, larvae, and juveniles widely disperse and migrate before settlement.     

A unified model for bedform development and equilibrium under unidirectional,oscillatory and combined‐flows

The development of bedforms under unidirectional, oscillatory and combined‐flows results from temporal changes in sediment transport, flow and morphological response. In such flows, the bedform characteristics (for example, height, wavelength and shape) change over time, from their initiation to equilibrium with the imposed conditions, even if the flow conditions remain unchanged. These variations in bedform morphology during development are reflected in the sedimentary structures preserved in the rock record. Hence, understanding the time and morphological development in which bedforms evolve to an equilibrium stage is critical for informed reconstruction of the ancient sedimentary record. This article presents results from a laboratory flume study on bedform development and equilibrium development time conducted under purely unidirectional, purely oscillatory and combined‐flow conditions, which aimed to test and extend an empirical model developed in past work solely for unidirectional ripples. The present results yield a unified model for bedform development and equilibrium under unidirectional, oscillatory and combined‐flows. The experimental results show that the processes of bedform genesis and growth are common to all types of flows, and can be characterized into four stages: (i) incipient bedforms; (ii) growing bedforms; (iii) stabilizing bedforms; and (iv) fully developed bedforms. Furthermore, the development path of bedform; growth exhibits the same general trend for different flow types (for example, unidirectional, oscillatory and combined‐flows), bedform size (for example, small versus large ripples), bedform shape (for example, symmetrical or rounded), bedform planform geometry (for example, two‐dimensional versus three‐dimensional), flow velocities and sediment grain sizes. The equilibrium time for a wide range of bed configurations was determined and found to be inversely proportional to the sediment transport flux occurring for that flow condition.