Modelling landslides in unsaturated slopes subjected to rainfall infiltration using material point method

This paper presents a dynamic fully coupled formulation for saturated and unsaturated soils that undergo large deformations based on material point method. Governing equations are applied to porous material while considering it as a continuum in which the pores of the solid skeleton are filled with water and air. The accuracy of the developed method is tested with available experimental and numerical results. The developed method has been applied to investigate the failure and post‐failure behaviour of rapid landslides in unsaturated slopes subjected to rainfall infiltration using two different bedrock geometries that lie below the top soil. The models show different failure and post‐failure mechanisms depending on the bedrock geometry and highlight the negative effects of continuous rain infiltrations. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Impact of climate indicators on continental‐scale potential groundwater recharge in Africa

In the last decades, human activity has been contributing to climate change that is closely associated with an increase in temperatures, increase in evaporation, intensification of extreme dry and wet rainfall events, and widespread melting of snow and ice. Understanding the intricate linkage between climate warming and the hydrological cycle is crucial for sustainable management of groundwater resources, especially in a vulnerable continent like Africa. This study investigates the relationship between climate‐change drivers and potential groundwater recharge (PGR) patterns across Africa for a long‐term record (1960–2010). Water‐balance components were simulated by using the PCR‐GLOBWB model and were reproduced in both gridded maps and latitudinal trends that vary in space with minima on the Tropics and maxima around the Equator. Statistical correlations between temperature, storm occurrences, drought, and PGR were examined in six climatic regions of Africa. Surprisingly, different effects of climate‐change controls on PGR were detected as a function of latitude in the last three decades (1980–2010). Temporal trends observed in the Northern Hemisphere of Africa reveal that the increase in temperature is significantly correlated to the decline of PGR, especially in the Northern Equatorial Africa. The climate indicators considered in this study were unable to explain the alarming negative trend of PGR observed in the Sahelian region, even though the Standardized Precipitation‐Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) values report a 15% drought stress. On the other hand, increases in temperature have not been detected in the Southern Hemisphere of Africa, where increasing frequency of storm occurrences determine a rise of PGR, particularly in southern Africa. Time analysis highlights a strong seasonality effect, while PGR is in‐phase with rainfall patterns in the summer (Northern Hemisphere) and winter (Southern Hemisphere) and out‐of‐phase during the fall season. This study helps to elucidate the mechanism of the processes influencing groundwater resources in six climatic zones of Africa, even though modelling results need to be validated more extensively with direct measurements in future studies. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rainfall–runoff responses on Arctic hillslopes underlain by continuous permafrost,North Slope,Alaska, USA

The Arctic hydrologic cycle is intensifying, as evidenced by increased rates of precipitation, evapotranspiration, and riverine discharge. However, the controls on water fluxes from terrestrial to aquatic systems in upland Arctic landscapes are poorly understood. Upland landscapes account for one third of the Arctic land surface and are often drained by zero‐order geomorphic flowpath features called water tracks. Previous work in the region attributed rapid runoff response at larger stream orders to water tracks, but models suggest water tracks are hydrologically disconnected from the surrounding hillslope. To better understand the role of water tracks in upland landscapes, we investigated the surface and subsurface hydrologic responses of 6 water tracks and their hillslope watersheds to natural patterns of rainfall, soil thaw, and drainage. Between storms, both water track discharge and the water table in the hillslope watersheds exhibited diel fluctuations that, when lagged by 5 hr, were temporally correlated with peak evapotranspiration rate. Water track soils remained saturated for more of the summer season than soils in their surrounding hillslope watersheds. When rainfall occurred, the subsurface response was nearly instantaneous, but the water tracks took significantly longer than the hillslopes to respond to rainfall, and longer than the responses previously observed in nearby larger order Arctic streams. There was also evidence for antecedent soil water storage conditions controlling the magnitude of runoff response. Based on these observations, we used a broken stick model to test the hypothesis that runoff production in response to individual storms was primarily controlled by rainfall amount and antecedent water storage conditions near the water track outlet. We found that the relative importance of the two factors varied by site, and that water tracks with similar watershed geometries and at similar landscape positions had similar rainfall–runoff model relationships. Thus, the response of terrestrial water fluxes in the upland Arctic to climate change depends on the non‐linear interactions between rainfall patterns and subsurface water storage capacity on hillslopes. Predicting these interactions across the landscape remains an important challenge.     

Revised runoff curve number for runoff prediction in the Loess Plateau of China

The soil conservation service (now Natural Resources Conservation Service) Curve Number (SCS-CN), one of the most commonly used methods for surface runoff prediction. The runoff calculated by this method was very sensitive to CN values. In this study, CN values were calculated by both arithmetic mean (CN_C) and least square fit method (CN_F) using observed rainfall-runoff data from 43 sites in the Loess Plateau region, which are considerably different from the CN₂ values obtained from the USDA-SCS handbook table (CN_T). The results showed that using CN_C instead of CN_T for each watershed produce little improvement, while replacing CN_T with CN_F improves the performance of the original SCS-CN method, but still performs poorly in most study sites. This is mainly due to the SCS-CN method using a constant CN value and discounting of the temporal variation in rainfall-runoff process. Therefore, three factors—soil moisture, rainfall depth and intensity—affecting the surface runoff variability are considered to reflect the variation of CN in each watershed, and a new CN value was developed. The reliability of the proposed method was tested with data from 38 watersheds, and then applied to the remaining five typical watersheds using the optimized parameters. The results indicated that the proposed method, which boosted the model efficiencies to 81.83% and 74.23% during calibration and validation cases, respectively, performed better than the original SCS-CN and the Shi and Wang (2020b) method, a modified SCS-CN method based on tabulated CN value. Thus, the proposed method incorporating the influence of the temporal variability of soil moisture, rainfall depth, and intensity factors suggests an accurate runoff prediction for general applications under different hydrological and climatic conditions on the Loess Plateau region.     

Etude isotopique de la pluie et de la neige sur le Mont Liban: premiers résultats / Isotope study of snow and rain on Mount Lebanon: preliminary results

Résumé

Résumé Quelques analyses isotopiques préliminaires ont été réalisées sur les précipitations pluvio-neigeuses, sur un profil de neige et sur deux sources karstiques sur le Mont Liban. Elles confirment la variabilité saisonnière du signal atmosphérique et en particulier que l’excès en deutérium est en relation avec l’origine des masses d’air et avec les recharges de vapeur sur la Méditerranée. Elles montrent également une relative stabilité du signal isotopique du couvert neigeux, peu ou pas influencé par les phénomènes de sublimation, d’évaporation ou de fonte/regel. La participation progressive de la fonte du manteau neigeux à l’alimentation des sources karstiques est qualitativement observée.     

The Upstream “Strong Signals” of the Water Vapor Transport over the Tibetan Plateau during a Heavy Rainfall Event in the Yangtze River Basin

A heavy rainfall event that occurred over the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River Basin(YRB) during July11–13 2000 is explored in this study. The potential/stream function is used to analyze the upstream "strong signals" of the water vapor transport in the Tibetan Plateau(TP). The studied time period covers from 2000 LST 5 July to 2000 LST 15 July(temporal resolution: 6 hours). By analyzing the three-dimensional structure of the water vapor flux, vorticity and divergence prior to and during the heavy rainfall event, the upstream "strong signals" related to this heavy rainfall event are revealed. A strong correlation exists between the heavy rainfall event in the YRB and the convective clouds over the TP. The "convergence zone" of the water vapor transport is also identified, based on correlation analysis of the water vapor flux two days and one day prior to, and on the day of, the heavy rainfall. And this "convergence zone" coincides with the migration of the maximum rainfall over the YRB. This specific coupled structure actually plays a key role in generating heavy rainfall over the YRB. The eastward movement of the coupled system with a divergence/convergence center of the potential function at the upper/lower level resembles the spatiotemporal evolution of the heavy rainfall event over the YRB. These upstream "strong signals" are clearly traced in this study through analyzing the three-dimensional structure of the potential/stream function of upstream water vapor transport.     

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.     

中国东部城市土地利用变化对江南春雨影响的模拟研究

利用美国国家大气研究中心发布的较高分辨率大气环流模式CAM 5.1,进行了中国东部(20~50°N,100~125°E)城市土地利用变化对江南春雨影响的数值试验。结果显示:较中国东部无城市土地利用的试验相比,城市用地增加后,江南春雨推迟约3候建立而提前1候结束,持续时间缩短,同时降水强度减弱。进一步分析表明:东部城市土地利用增加可改变地表能量收支,使得东部大部分地区的地表增暖,导致地表感热增强,对大气的异常加热使得该区域上空等压面抬升,缩小了低层青藏高原东南侧至西太平洋间的位势梯度,使得形成江南春雨的直接原因——西南风减小,从而减少春季江南地区的降水。中国东部城市土地利用改变可能是影响近几十年江南春雨年代际变化的原因之一。     

闽西北5月雨量特多年份环流特征及其成因分析

利用闽西北三明市的11个县、市1961—2014年5月降雨量资料、常规气象观测资料和NCEP 2.5×2.5°再分析资料等对闽西北历史上5月雨量特多年的降雨量时空分布特征和大气环流特征及其成因进行了分析,结果表明:5月区域性、全区性雨量特多年的环流异常特征是500hPa欧亚中高纬度自西向东环流呈"+-+"的波列分布,鄂霍次克海北侧高度正距平区的稳定少动,起到阻挡冷空气东移的作用,冷空气沿乌拉尔山西侧高度正距平中心前的偏北气流不断南下,使萨彦岭一带高度负距平中心加强,其底部不断分裂小槽东移影响闽西北。925hPa华南北部维持一条稳定切变线;对于2014年5月特例的环流形势分析结果可知,500hPa东亚大槽明显偏东,引导冷空气南下与强大副高西北侧西南暖湿气流交绥在闽西北上空。925hPa闽西北处于气旋式辐合区内。北支槽、南支槽均非常活跃,东移影响闽西北,是导致该地5月区域性降雨量特多的主要原因。     

2007年夏季江淮强降水过程中10~30d低频变化及其与对流层上层波包活动的联系

利用NCEP/NCAR再分析和全国740站逐日降水资料,运用一点滞后相关等方法,对2007年夏季江淮流域强降水期间低频振荡的波动活动特征及其与降水低频变化的联系进行了分析。结果表明,在2007年夏季降水中,降水低频分量起着重要作用。降水的低频振荡主周期为10~30d,降水距平时间序列与10~30d低频分量具有较好的对应关系。低频扰动在对流层上层和低层都呈现波列状分布,且在降水活跃位相时,低频环流在高、低层具有斜压结构。在对流层上层,低频扰动有缓慢的东移倾向,相速度为每天2~3个经度。西风带中存在多次移动性波列向下游的传播,且在120°E以西以每天14经度的群速度向下游频散能量,表明10~30d低频波动具有明显的下游发展特征。在强降水开始5d前,低频波动与能量可起源于高纬的乌拉尔山附近,沿着西北-东南向的路径向下游传播。下游发展的低频波动为江淮流域带来了能量,为强降水的发生提供了条件。这些结果加深了人们对低频波动在江淮流域强降水过程中所起作用的认识,可为寻找江淮流域强降水过程预报线索提供科学依据。