Determination and application of the weights for landslide susceptibility mapping using an artificial neural network

The purpose of this study is the development, application, and assessment of probability and artificial neural network methods for assessing landslide susceptibility in a chosen study area. As the basic analysis tool, a Geographic Information System (GIS) was used for spatial data management and manipulation. Landslide locations and landslide-related factors such as slope, curvature, soil texture, soil drainage, effective thickness, wood type, and wood diameter were used for analyzing landslide susceptibility. A probability method was used for calculating the rating of the relative importance of each factor class to landslide occurrence. For calculating the weight of the relative importance of each factor to landslide occurrence, an artificial neural network method was developed. Using these methods, the landslide susceptibility index (LSI) was calculated using the rating and weight, and a landslide susceptibility map was produced using the index. The results of the landslide susceptibility analysis, with and without weights, were confirmed from comparison with the landslide location data. The comparison result with weighting was better than the results without weighting. The calculated weight and rating can be used to landslide susceptibility mapping.     

A Closure Study of Aerosol Hygroscopic Growth Factor during the 2006 Pearl River Delta Campaign

Measurements of aerosol physical, chemical and optical parameters were carried out in Guangzhou, China from 1 July to 31 July 2006 during the Pearl River Delta Campaign. The dry aerosol scattering coefficient was measured using an integrating nephelometer and the aerosol scattering coefficient for wet conditions was determined by subtracting the sum of the aerosol absorption coefficient, gas scattering coefficient and gas absorption coefficient from the atmospheric extinction coefficient. Following this, the aerosol hygroscopic growth factor, f(RH), was calculated as the ratio of wet and dry aerosol scattering coefficients. Measurements of size-resolved chemical composition, relative humidity (RH), and published functional relationships between particle chemical composition and water uptake were likewise used to find the aerosol scattering coefficients in wet and dry conditions using Mie theory for internally- or externally-mixed particle species [(NH₄)₂SO₄, NH₄NO₃, NaCl, POM, EC and residue]. Closure was obtained by comparing the measured f(RH) values from the nephelometer and other in situ optical instruments with those computed from chemical composition and thermodynamics. Results show that the model can represent the observed f(RH) and is appropriate for use as a component in other higher-order models.     

内蒙古电网气象预警服务系统简介

应用气象多普勒雷达、卫星云图等现代化观测手段和自动化程度很高的地面自动气象站资料以及MM5中尺度预报产品,结合有线网络传输和基于Intranet、Internet的多层分布式技术搭建内蒙古电网气象预警与电力线路安全运行服务系统,开展电网气象预警预测和气象预报服务。系统建立了实时的地面自动气象站资料数据库和中尺度预报产品数据库,实现了多种气象要素的实时监测和预报,为内蒙古电网的运行安全提供了科学依据。     

Vertical distribution of giant jellyfish, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Nemopilema nomurai</Emphasis> using acoustics and optics

Nemopilema nomurai jellyfish, which are believed to complete their development in the East China Sea, have started migrating into the Yellow Sea in recent years. We obtained biomass estimates of this species in the Yellow Sea using bottom trawl fishing gear and sighting surveys over a 5-year period. These methods are effective for obtaining N. nomurai jellyfish density estimates and information about the community distribution near the bottom or surface of the sea. To verify the vertical distributions of giant jellyfish between, we used hydroacoustic equipment, including an optical stereo camera system attached to a towed sledge and an echo counting method with scientific echosounder system. Acoustic and optical data were collected while the vessel moved at 3 knots, from which the distribution and density of N. nomurai jellyfish were analyzed. Subsequently, the camera system was towed from a 7 m mean depth to sea level, with the detection range of the acoustic system extending from an 8 m depth to the bottom surface. The optical and acoustic methods indicated the presence of vertical distribution of 0.11³ (inds/m³) and 0.064 (inds/m3), respectively. However, the vertical distribution indicated that around 93% of individuals occurred at a depth range of 10–40 m; thus, a 2.4-fold greater density was estimated by acoustic echo counting compared to the optical method.     

Evaluation of heavy metal contamination and implication of multiple sources from Hunchun basin, northeastern China

Present concentrations and distributions of heavy metals through profiles, surface soil, and stream sediment samples in the Hunchun area, north-eastern China, were investigated to determine the elemental background values. This study also aims to characterize potentially toxic materials such as pulverized fly ash (PFA) from power stations or ash and slag from coal used domestically in urban areas, agrochemicals applied inappropriately, and urban sewage sludges from Hunchun City, as well as to ascertain the possibility of natural enrichment through site characterization by mineralogical and geochemical investigation. The distribution of contaminants in the alluvial soils (fluvisol) of this area has been influenced by several interacting factors. The parent alluvial materials from weathered products of amphiboles have made coatings such as ferrihydrite, goethite, and hematite. This natural inheritance factor is supported by the fact that the concentrations of weak acid-extractable (plant-available) heavy metals are very low, except for Fe and Mn. However, in agricultural soils and adjacent stream sediments, an anthropogenic input of Cd, Pb, Ni and Cr by agrochemicals is strongly suggested. Also, F contamination by coal combustion and the dissolution of F-bearing minerals could cause some future problems. Wide distribution and significantly high concentrations of Cd, Fe, Mn, and F in soils throughout the combination of pollutants originating from lithogenic and the anthropogenic sources pose potential problems in utilizing water resources. Received: 14 June 1999 · Accepted: 27 December 1999     

Abundance and distribution of Nemopilema nomurai (Scyphozoa,Rhizostomeae), in Korean waters in 2005–2013

Nemopilema nomurai have appeared massively since 2003 in Korean waters, and regular offshore monitoring has been performed since 2005 in the eastern Yellow Sea (YS), northwestern East China Sea (ECS), Korean southern waters (Ksw), and western East Sea (ES). Korea Jellyfish Monitoring Network (KoJEM) was established in 2006 for coastal jellyfish monitoring. From these, sight survey monitoring data were gathered and analyzed to extract the yearly and seasonal fluctuation of N. nomurai’s abundance and distribution. The first massive annual appearance of N. nomurai occurred in the northwestern ECS, off Shanghai, China, in mid May of 2005–2008 and of 2012–2013. In other years or concurrently with the appearance in the northwestern ECS in the same year, several individuals were found in the mid-eastern YS and Ksw, and southwestern ES. The population of N. nomurai at the northwestern ECS moved to the southeastern YS and Jeju Strait in June, and from the July to August it extended its distribution all around the Korean peninsula and persisted till October. Since October, the distribution was retracted into the southern YS and Ksw, and disappeared slowly. N. nomurai’s yearly abundance varied a lot, from nearly 0 inds 10^?4m^?2 in 2010 to 62.4 inds 10^?4m^?2 in 2005. The highest abundance was recorded in 2005, followed by 2007 and 2009, and the least abundance was in 2008 and 2010–2013. The results were compared with those of the Liaoning Bay, Bohai Sea, which led to speculation about a new seeding place of N. nomurai, and mortality during the early planktonic phase of N. nomurai was proposed as the determinant of the yearly variation in abundance.     

Composition of the phytoplankton pigments in the surface waters along a transect from the Northwestern to the southeastern Pacific Ocean

Multidisciplinary oceanic investigation was undertaken in Aug–Sep. 2003 along a transect from Northwestern (Busan, Korea) to Southeastern Pacific (Talcahuano, Chile) to understand the physical, chemical and biological features in the surface water, and to depict their interaction with the atmosphere. Among the twenty parameters measured, we describe the physical, chemical and biological features. Physico-chemical data were analyzed in conjunction with the geographic position and yielded 7 peculiar surface water masses. The first water mass (28.4°N, 130.8°E to 21.5°N, 139.5°E) was warm and low in phosphate and nitrate content, and high in silicate. The concentration of phytoplankton pigment was one of the lowest. The second (20.4°N, 140.7°E to 2.2°S, 162.9°E) was the warmest and the least saline. Nitrate and phosphate concentration were one of the lowest. Chlorophyll a (Chl a) concentration was the lowest among the surface waters. The third (3.4°S, 164.0°E to 14.5°S, 173.3°E) was warm. Nitrate concentration was the lowest. CHL-a, peridinin (Perid), violaxanthin (Viola), zeaxanthin (Zea), chlorophyll-b (Chl b) and β-CAR were abundant. The fourth (18.6°S, 177.5°E to 31.8°S, 123.9°W) was saline and poor in nutrient concentration. The contributions of 19′-butanoyloxyfucoxanthin (But-fuco), 19′-hexanoyloxyfucoxanthin (Hex-fuco), and CHL b to CHL a were non-negligible. The fifth (32.4°S, 122.1°W to 33.8°S, 117.2°W) was relatively cold and well oxygenated. Concentration of Fuco, But-fuco, Hex-fuco and Chl b was high. The sixth (34.2°S, 115.4°W to 37.4°S, 92.1°W) was cold, well oxygenated and enriched with phosphate and nitrate. Concentration of phytoplankton pigment was, however, one of the lowest. The seventh, located off the Chilean coast, from 37.2°S, 87.2°W to 36.1°S, 74.1°W was well oxygenated and highly enriched with nitrate and phosphate. Phytoplankton pigments such as Fuco, Perid, But-fico, and Hex-fuco were rich. The 7 surface water masses are partially attributed to Kuroshio Current, North Equatorial Current and North Equatorial Countercurrent, South Equatorial current, South Pacific Subtropical Gyre, South Pacific Current, Subtropical Front and Chilean coastal water. The differences in physicochemical characteristics and the history of the surface water resulted in difference in quantity and composition of the phytoplankton pigment.     

Carbon and nitrogen dynamics of the intertidal seagrass, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Zostera japonica</Emphasis>, on the southern coast of the Korean peninsula

Seagrasses require a large amount of nutrient assimilation to support high levels of production, and thus nutrient limitation for growth often occurs in seagrass habitats. Seagrasses can take up nutrients from both the water column and sediments. However, since seagrasses inhabiting in the intertidal zones are exposed to the air during low tide, the intertidal species may exhibit significantly different carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) dynamics compared to the subtidal species. To examine C and N dynamics of the intertidal seagrass, Zostera japonica, C and N content and stable isotope ratios of above- and below-ground tissues were measured monthly at the three intertidal zones in Koje Bay on the southern coast of Korea. The C and N content and stable isotope (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) ratios of seagrass tissues exhibited significant seasonal variations. Both leaf and rhizome C content were not significantly correlated with productivity. Leaf δ¹³C values usually exhibited negative correlations with leaf productivity. These results of tissue C content and δ¹³C values suggest that photosynthesis of Z. japonica in the study site was not limited by inorganic C supply, and sufficient inorganic C was provided from the atmosphere. The tissue N content usually exhibited negative correlations with leaf productivity except at the upper intertidal zone, suggesting that Z. japonica growth was probably limited by N availability during high growing season. In the upper intertidal zone, no correlations between leaf productivity and tissue elemental content and stable isotope ratios were observed due to the severely suppressed growth caused by strong desiccation stress.     

Three‐dimensional simulation of tsunami run‐up around conical island

At the circular Babi Island in the Flores tsunami (1992) and pear shaped island in the Okushiri event (1993), unexpectedly large tsunami run‐up heights in the lee of conic islands were observed. The flume and basin physical model studies were conducted in the Coastal Hydraulic Laboratory, Engineering Research and Development Center, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide a better understanding of the physical phenomena and verify numerical models used in predicting tsunami wave run‐up on beaches, islands, and vertical walls. Reasonably accurate comparison of run‐up height of solitary waves on a circular island has been obtained between laboratory experimental results and two‐dimensional computation model results. In this study we apply three‐dimensional RANS model to simulate wave run‐up on conical island. In the run‐up computation we obtain that 3D calculations are in very good comparison with laboratory and 2D numerical results. A close examination of the three‐dimensional velocity distribution around conical island to compare with depth‐integrated model is performed. It is shown that the velocity distribution along the vertical coordinate is not uniform: and velocity field is weaker in the bottom layer and higher on the sea surface. The maximum difference (about 40%) appears at the time when solitary wave reached the circular island.