Is Prediction of Future Landslides Possible with a GIS?

This contribution explores a strategy for landslide hazard zonation inwhich layers of spatial data are used to represent typical settings inwhich given dynamic types of landslides are likely to occur. Theconcepts of assessment and prediction are defined to focus on therepresentation of future hazardous events and in particular on themyths that often provide obstacles in the application of quantitativemethods. The prediction rate curves for different applications describethe support provided by the different data layers in experiments inwhich the typical setting of hazardous events is approximated bystatistically integrating the spatial information.     

Validation of Landslide Susceptibility Maps; Examples and Applications from a Case Study in Northern Spain

A procedure for validating landslide susceptibility maps wasapplied in a study area in northern Spain and the results obtained compared. Validationwas used to carry out sensitivity analysis for individual variables and combinationsof variables. The validity of different map-making methods was tested, as well as theutility of different types of Favourability Functions. The results obtained show thatvalidation is essential to determine the predictive value of susceptibility maps. Italso helps to better select the most suitable function and significant variables, thus improving the efficiency of the mapping process. Validation based on a temporal strategy makes it possible to derive hazard maps from susceptibility maps.     

An approach for quantifying geomorphological impacts for EIA of transportation infrastructures: a case study in northern Spain

A methodological proposal for the assessment of impacts due to linear infrastructures such as motorways, railways, etc. is presented. The approach proposed includes a series of specific issues to be addressed for each geomorphological feature analysed—both ‘static’ and ‘dynamic’—as well as a series of steps to be followed in the process.Geomorphic characteristics potentially affected were initially identified on the basis of a conceptual activities/impacts model that helps to single out geomorphic impacts related to environmental concerns for the area. The following issues were addressed for each individual impact: nature of potential effects; indicators that can be used to measure impacts; criteria of ‘geomorphologic performance’; procedure for measurement/prediction of changes; translation of geomorphologic impacts into significant terms from the viewpoint of human concerns; possible mitigation and/or compensation measures.The procedure has been applied to a case study corresponding to a new motorway in the Basque Country, northern Spain. Geomorphological impacts considered in this analysis included: (1) consumable resources; (2) sites of geomorphological interest; (3) land units with high potential for use, high productivity or value for conservation; (4) visual landscape; (5) slope instability processes. The procedure has been designed for implementation in a Geographic Information System (GIS) environment. Details are given on the application of the method to each individual impact analysed and results are presented in both numerical and map form.Impacts assessed were initially expressed by means of heterogeneous magnitudes, depending on the geomorphological feature considered. Those geomorphological impacts were then translated into significant terms and homogeneous magnitudes. Integration was carried out on the basis of impact values thus obtained. Final integrated results were also expressed in numerical and map form.The method proposed enables comparison of alternatives as well as ‘prediction’ and assessment of impacts in terms directly related to geomorphic characteristics. It also facilitates the expression of those impacts in terms that allow integration with other types of environmental impacts.     

Shape analysis and multispectral classification in geological remote sensing

This paper discusses the usage of mathematical morphology in image processing of remotely-sensed data for geologic interpretation. Particular attention is given to noise-reducing transformations of spectral bands before and after different methods of classification, and to the usage of textural context. The development of a viable processing strategy requires a multidisciplinary approach and expert knowledge in different areas: (a) geology, geomorphology, and vegetation in a study area, (b) properties of the sensor for imagery photointerpretation, (c) spectral/spatial properties of the digital data within an integrated dataset (remote sensing and ancillary data), and (d) data-processing tools including mathematical morphology theory. Examples of geometric characterization of Canadian LANDSAT scenes are described in which shape measurements are obtained using a PC-based hybrid image-processing and geographic information system, termed ILWIS, which was developed at ITC, in the Netherlands. Classes from supervised and unsupervised classification are compared to guide in geological mapping. Classes over individual occurrences of broad vegetation-landform units are studied to aid in environmental mapping. Field knowledge is the context necessary to construct expert procedures to drive sequences of data-processing steps toward a target result such as optimal classification, enhancement, or feature extraction. The interaction between expert rules and the image-processing steps can be based on synthetic measurements of shape to quantize the information either spatially or spectrally. Many useful geometrical transformations of spatially-distributed data are extensions or generalizations of spatial analysis functions typical of geographic information systems.     

Geomorphological and historical changes on the Argentina delta,Ligurian coast,Italy

A preliminary investigation of the geomorphological evolution of the small delta of the Argentina river (Riviera di Ponente, Italy) shows that it has largely been affected by anthropic processes. Erosion is undermining land and structural developments not only in the delta, but also along the nearby shores and a thorough knowledge of them seems necessary prior to management applications. In fact, processes affecting the evolution of the investigated area could well be regarded as a good example of the evolution of many other deltaic areas in the Northern Mediterranean.     

一个高分辨对流层物质交换模式

在区域酸沉积模式(RADM)基础上,设计了一个高分辨对流层(TL)物质交换模式(EM3)。EM3在以下五个方面明显不同于RADM:第一,增加行星边界层(PBL)的垂直网格层次;第二、TL内考虑分层的垂直涡旋扩散系数型;第三,使用TL内分层的水平涡旋扩散系数型;第四,采用包含有植物冠层垂直结构影响的新干沉积速度型;第五,使用数值扩散小的二阶矩守恒平流格式.用EM3和RADM对OSCAR Ⅳ实例作对比模拟,结果表明EM3能更好地预测出TL内的三维物质分布规律,在同样条件下,两模式预测的PBL低层中心浓度比值均大于1.8,最大值可大于3。     

Probabilistic Assessment of Temperature in the Euganean Geothermal Area (Veneto Region, NE Italy)

In the geothermal Euganean area (Veneto region, NE Italy) water temperatures range from 60 to 86°C. The aquifer considered is rocky and the production wells in this study have a depth ranging from 300 to 500 m. For exploitation purposes, it is important to identify zones with a high probability that the temperature is more than 80°C and zones with a high probability that the temperature is less than 70°C. First, variographic analysis was conducted from 186 temperature data of thermal ground waters. This analysis gave results that are consistent with the main regional tectonic structure, the NW-SE trending Schio-Vicenza fault system. Then indicator variograms of the second, fifth, and eighth decile were compared to identify the spatial continuity at different thresholds. The unacceptability of a multigaussian hypothesis of the random function and the necessity to know the cumulative distribution function in any location, suggested the use of a nonparametric geostatistical procedure such as indicator kriging. Thus, indicator variograms at the cutoffs of 65, 70, 73, 75, 78, 80, 82, and 84°C were analyzed, fitted, and used during the indicator kriging procedure. Finally, probability maps were derived from postprocessing indicator kriging results. These maps identified scarcely exploited areas with a high probability of the temperature being higher than 80°C, between 70 and 80°C and areas with high probability of the temperature being below 70°C.     

Numerical study on dry deposition processes in canopy layer

A coupling model between the canopy layer (CL) and atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) for the study of dry deposition velocity is developed. The model consists of six parts: chemical species conservation equation including absorptive factor; the species uptake action including detailed vertical variation of absorptive element in CL; momen-tum exchange in CL which is represented by a first-order closure momentum equation with an additional larger-scale diffusive term; momentum exchange in ABL which is described by a complete set of the ABL turbulent statistic parameters; absorptivity (or solubility or reflection) at the surface including effects of the physical and chemi-cal characters of the species, land type, seasonal and diurnal variations of the meteorological variables; and deposition velocity derived by distributions of the species with height in CL. Variational rules of the concentration and deposi-tion velocity with both height and time are simulated with the model for both corn and forest canopies. Results pre-dicted with the bulk deposition velocity derived in the paper consist well with experimental data.