GIS-based estimation of flood hazard impacts on road network in Makkah city, Saudi Arabia

Makkah city, Saudi Arabia, is periodically exposed to flash floods that result in major human and economical damages. That is due to several factors including its rugged topography and geological structures. Hence, precise assessment of floods becomes a more vital demand in development planning. A GIS-based methodology has been developed for quantifying and spatially mapping the flood characteristics. The core of this new approach is integrating several topographic, metrological, geological, and land use data sets in a geographic information system (GIS) environment that utilizes the curve number method of flood modelling for ungauged arid catchments. Based on the estimated flood volume of sub-basins, a hazard factor has been developed to quantify the expected hazard level for each road. Applying this proposed approach reveals that 21?% of the road network in Makkah city is subjected to low flood hazards, 29?% is facing medium hazards, and 50?% of roads are exposed to harsh flood impacts. The developed approach may be considered a digital precise method that can be easily re-run, in other situations or regions, to estimate flood hazards on roads.     

Causes and extent of environmental impacts of landslide hazard in the Himalayan region: a case study of Murree, Pakistan

Pakistan is located at the cross-roads of plate boundaries, experiencing multiple hazards of earthquake, flood, drought, water-logging, salinization and recurrent landslides. This paper examines the causes and environmental impacts of frequently occurring landslide hazards in the Murree area of Pakistan??s Himalayan region. These are wide ranging in nature and in terms of the damage that result. The area under research was divided into eight blocks and randomly data collected. It was observed that landslides mostly occur along the road network and disturbed slopes. Immature geology, a wide variation in climate and degradation of the natural resource-base were found to be some of the causal factors responsible for the landslide hazards. During the past three decades, rapid expansion of urban zones contributed to the changing vulnerability of the area. The analysis revealed that a large majority of the households (75%) in the area have been directly or indirectly affected by landslide hazards. Damages to already scarce agricultural land, infrastructure and other properties are each year a regular and escalating phenomenon. Landslide size, frequency and consequent costs of damage have increased considerably.     

Impact of urbanization on storm response of White Rock Creek,Dallas, TX

This study documents hydrological changes resulting from urbanization of the upper sub-basin of White Rock Creek watershed in Collin and Dallas counties, Texas. The 172-km² watershed was transformed from 87% rural in 1961 to 95% urban in 2002, following construction of the Dallas suburbs of Richardson, Addison, Plano and Frisco. The objective of the study was to investigate changes in the storm response of White Rock Creek in terms of peak storm flow, storm flow volume and lag time. The approach employed to compare pre- and post-urbanization hydrology was to develop average unit hydrographs for each time period and use them to generate the creek’s storm flow response to a set of six hypothetical precipitation events. The results suggest that substantial hydrological changes have occurred. The average infiltration capacity of the watershed was reduced by about 60% so that storm flow was generated at lower precipitation intensities in the post-urbanization period. Storm flow peak discharge and volume were more than doubled for a hypothetical 10-year precipitation event. Average lag time was about 49 min shorter in the post-urbanization period. Urbanization has significantly impacted the storm response of the creek and increased the potential for flooding. It is anticipated that similar hydrological changes will occur in other rapidly urbanizing watersheds in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan region. Watershed managers should take likely changes in storm response into account when planning future storm water management needs.     

Physico-chemical,bacteriological and health hazard effect analysis of the water in Taladanda Canal,Paradip area,Odisha, India

The physico-chemical and bacteriological parameters of the water in Taladanda canal and associated water-borne diseases,from which the dwellers have suffered,were studied,by using statistical method. Overuse and the addition of the wastes with sources from urbane industrial sectors,as well as the decrease in water level have caused the canal water quality declined drastically and subsequently led to extensive eutrophication and bacterial contamination. According to the water sample analytical results,the water is lightly acidic with the pH value of 4.5~6.7. The measured indexes,such as total dissolved solid (TDS),electrical conductivity (EC),total suspended solid (TSS),Mn,Zn,Al,Fe,Cu,Cr,and Hg etc,mostly have very high concentrations which are higher than permissible limit,indicating that the canal water is completely unsuitable for human consumption. Furthermore,the biological analysis shows that the total coliform (TC) is in the range of 45.9~30.2 in per 100 mL water in April,30.5~25.3/100 mL in July and 52.9~35.4/100 mL in December,respectively. Similarly,fecal coliform (FC) ranges from 12.8 to 10.1,10.5~7.5 and 13.1~6.4 per 100 mL water in the months of April,July and December respectively. As a result,people who use the water have suffered from different water-borne diseases. On the basis of disease data derived from hospital observations in a period of three years,there had been 4 284 people affected by different water-borne diseases from 2016 to 2018.     

Simulation-optimization approach to assess groundwater availability in Refugio County, TX

Sustainable management of groundwater resources is critical for viable development of semi-arid regions. Refugio County, TX, is predominantly a rural community that is in close proximity to two large urban areas of Corpus Christi and San Antonio. Large-scale water supply projects are being planned to export surplus water available in Refugio County to nearby growing cities. Being a coastal county with several sensitive bays and estuaries, these projects have caused concerns with regard to decreases in freshwater inflows to coastal bodies and raised the possibility of saltwater intrusion. A simulation model characterizing groundwater flow in the shallower unconfined and the deeper semi-confined formations of the Gulf coast aquifer was calibrated and evaluated. The model results were used in conjunction with a mathematical programming scheme to estimate maximum available groundwater in the county. Stakeholder concerns were incorporated as constraints, which included prevention of saltwater intrusion in the aquifer, limiting the amount of allowable drawdown in shallow aquifers, as well as maintaining current flow gradients especially near baseflow-dependent streams and rivers. For the conditions assumed in this study, the model results indicate that roughly 4.93 × 10⁷ m³ of water can be extracted in a typical year. The management model was noted to be very sensitive to the imposed saltwater intrusion constraint.     

Natural hazard impacts in small island developing states: A review of current knowledge and future research needs

Small island developing states (or SIDS) are exposed to a large number of natural hazards and many characteristics of small island developing states make them particularly vulnerable to the impacts of natural hazards. In spite of this acknowledged vulnerability, there are relatively few studies which focus on the impacts of natural hazards in these countries. This paper presents a review of our current state of knowledge of impacts in small island developing states and highlights a number of research needs. Central to these is the need to integrate natural hazards research within a sustainable development context and the need to exploit existing procedures such as government coordinated disaster impact assessments to generate a detailed understanding of natural hazards impacts.     

Environmental fate and health exposures of the geogenic and anthropogenic contaminants in potable groundwater of Lower Ganga Basin,India

The study evaluated the sources and controlling factors of the groundwater contaminants in an agroeconomic region of Lower Ganga Basin using principal component analysis (PCA), multivariable linear regressions (MLR), correlation analysis, and hierarchical cluster analysis, and evaluated the public health risks using the Latin Hypercube Sampling, goodness-of-fit statistics, Monte Carlo simulation and Sobol sensitivity analysis based on the 1000 samples collected in two sampling cycles (N = 1000). The study reveals that the dissolution of fluoride-bearing minerals and semi-arid climate regulate the fluoride concentrations (0.10–18.25 mg/L) in groundwater. Extensive application of inorganic nitrogenous fertilizers and livestock manure mainly contributed to elevated nitrate levels (up to 435.0 mg/L) in groundwater. The health risks analysis indicates that fluoride exposure is more prevalent in the residents of each age group than the nitrate and both contaminants exhibited higher non-carcinogenic health risks on the infant and child (minor) age groups compared to adolescents and adults. Based on the cokriging interpolation mapping, the minor residents of 17.88%–23.15% of the total area (4545.0 km²) are vulnerable to methemoglobinemia whereas the residents of all age-groups in 38.47%–44.45% of the total area are susceptible to mild to severe dental/skeletal fluorosis owing to consumption of untreated nitrate and fluoride enriched groundwater. The Sobol sensitivity indices revealed contaminant levels, groundwater intake rate and their collective effects are the most influential factors to pose potential health risks on the residents. Artificial recharge and rainwater harvesting practices should be adopted to improve the groundwater quality and the residents are advised to drink purified groundwater.     

西藏贡觉县泥石流灾害研究

西藏自治区贡觉县境内对居民存在影响的泥石流沟有3条，即者龙洼Ⅰ沟，者龙洼Ⅱ沟，克西林沟，均位于该县东南部的高山峡谷区。泥石流沟长度均超过2km，沟床平均纵坡降130‰，地表松散物质的厚度都在6．5m以上，其来源有所不同，克西林沟泥石流的固体物质来源于沟谷两侧的也古、拉巴滑坡堆积物；者龙洼Ⅰ、Ⅱ泥石流的固体物质来源主要为岩石风化物质及崩、坡积物。固体物质颗粒粒径分布范围很广，分布曲线均呈三峰型。说明该区泥石流中固体物质含量较高。贡觉县境内泥石流的诱发因素是降雨，为降雨型泥石流。文章根据非饱和土强度理论对贡觉县降雨型泥石流的成因机理进行了研究，提出降雨型泥石流的形成过程可以划分为2个阶段，第1个阶段为基质吸力引起的抗剪强度丧失阶段，与前期实效降雨量有关；第2个阶段为泥石流发生阶段，与短历时强降雨有关。运用上述理论方法，对降雨型泥石流的预测模型进行了探讨。建议用临界雨量线模型框架来建立贡觉县泥石流的预测模型，并依据者龙洼Ⅱ沟泥石流爆发前20d的降雨量数据进行拟合分析，结果表明：文中建议的2个临界雨量线模型框架均适于用建立贡觉县降雨型泥石流暴发的预报模型。     

Environmental distribution and health impacts of As and Pb in crops and soils near Vinto smelter,Oruro, Bolivia

The Vinto Sb–Sn smelter (Oruro, Bolivia) has been linked to arsenic and heavy metal pollution in air, soils, residual waters of the smelter, and hair and urine of workers, but crop concentrations had not been assessed previously. In this article, alfalfa, onions, and carrots, separated into roots and shoots, were analyzed for As and Pb, together with corresponding soil samples. The aim was to assess the environmental distribution and potential health impacts of these toxic elements and to compare them to levels observed at other sites around the world. As and Pb concentrations in all analyzed crop samples exceed the FAO/WHO, UK or Chilean limits by 1.5–2 orders of magnitude and As health risk indices were 286 (carrot) and 651 (onion), showing that the potential health risk due to consumption of these products is extremely high. As and Pb soil–plant transfer factors are similar to other contaminated sites around the world, but daily intake and health risk index for As are much higher in Vinto area due to very high concentrations in soils. Arsenic and lead soil and crop concentrations suggest increasing trends toward VMC. Correlations are significant for Pb in some crop fractions, but not for As, possibly due to considerable geogenic contributions to soil As in the area. In future surveys, larger numbers of soil and crop samples should be analyzed, and additional analyses should be carried out to distinguish anthropogenic and geogenic sources of As and Pb in soils and crops in the area.     

ENSO impacts on salinity in Tampa Bay, Florida

Estuarine salinity distributions reflect a dynamic balance between the processes that control estuarine circulation. At seasonal and longer time scales, freshwater inputs into estuaries represent the primary control on salinity distribution and estuarine circulation. El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions influence seasonal rainfall and stream discharge patterns in the Tampa Bay, Florida region. The resulting variability in freshwater input to Tampa Bay influences its seasonal salinity distribution. During El Niño events, ENSO sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTAs) are significantly and inversely correlated with salinity in the bay during winter and spring. These patterns reflect the elevated rainfall over the drainage basin and the resulting elevated stream discharge and runoff, which depress salinity levels. Spatially, the correlations are strongest at the head of the bay, especially in bay sections with long residence times. During La Niña conditions, significant inverse correlations between ENSO SSTAs and salinity occur during spring. Dry conditions and depressed stream discharge characterize La Niña winters and springs, and the higher salinity levels during La Niña springs reflect the lower freshwater input levels.     

A systematized review exploring the map of publications on the health impacts of drought

Natural Hazards - Climate change is likely to increase the risk of drought which impacts on health are not quite known well due to its creeping nature. This study maps the publications on the...     

Fourth international symposium on land subsidence Houston,Texas, USA 12–15 May 1991

Fourth international symposium on land subsidence Houston, Texas, USA 12–15 May 1991     

贵州岑巩TX 1井牛蹄塘组页岩压裂效果评价

TX1井是四川盆地外围第一口针对牛蹄塘组页岩压裂的井,岩心现场解析含气量为1.00~3.06m3/t,含气性较好,展现了较好的勘探前景.但复杂构造以及下部含水层对后期储层改造提供了挑战.对TX1井进行了压裂改造,返排过程中气体点火2~3m,但后期一直出水,返排率大于100%.利用Meyer软件进行压裂拟合评价,结果显示TX1井在压裂过程中因沟通了底部高含水层,导致压后出水严重;压裂改造未形成复杂的裂缝网络,限制了储层改造的效果.因此认为直井压裂改造受体积的限制,只能作为对页岩储层含气性与产能的评价手段,页岩气商业性开发还需通过水平井钻井和大规模的分段压裂改造来实现.该井的钻探施工与压裂改造经验为本地区下一步勘探开发指明了方向.      

Estimation of seismic hazard in Gujarat region, India

The seismic hazard in the Gujarat region has been evaluated. The scenario hazard maps showing the spatial distribution of various parameters like peak ground acceleration, characteristics site frequency and spectral acceleration for different periods have been presented. These parameters have been extracted from the simulated earthquake strong ground motions. The expected damage to buildings from future large earthquakes in Gujarat region has been estimated. It has been observed that the seismic hazard of Kachchh region is more in comparison with Saurashtra and mainland. All the cities of Kachchh can expect peak acceleration in excess of 500?cm/s² at surface in case of future large earthquakes from major faults in Kachchh region. The cities of Saurashtra can expect accelerations of less than 200?cm/s² at surface. The mainland Gujarat is having the lowest seismic hazard as compared with other two regions of Gujarat. The expected accelerations are less than 50?cm/s² at most of the places. The single- and double-story buildings in Kachchh region are at highest risk as they can expect large accelerations corresponding to natural periods of such small structures. Such structures are relatively safe in mainland region. The buildings of 3?C4 stories and tall structures that exist mostly in cities of Saurashtra and mainland can expect accelerations in excess of 100?cm/s² during a large earthquake in Kachchh region. It has been found that a total of 0.11 million buildings in Rajkot taluka of Saurashtra are vulnerable to total damage. In Kachchh region, 0.37 million buildings are vulnerable. Most vulnerable talukas are Bhuj, Anjar, Rapar, Bhachau, and Mandvi in Kachchh district and Rajkot, Junagadh, Jamnagar, Surendernagar and Porbandar in Saurashtra. In mainland region, buildings in Bharuch taluka are more vulnerable due to proximity to active Narmada-Son geo-fracture. The scenario hazard maps presented in this study for moderate as well as large earthquakes in the region may be used to augment the information available in the probabilistic seismic hazard maps of the region.     

Seismic hazard in mega city Kolkata, India

The damages caused by recent earthquakes in India have been a wake up call for people to take proper mitigation measures, especially the major cities that lie in the high seismic hazard zones. Kolkata City, with thick sediment deposit (∼12 km), one of the earliest cities of India, is an area of great concern as it lies over the Bengal Basin and lies at the boundary of the seismic zones III and IV of the zonation map of India. Kolkata has been affected by the 1897 Shillong earthquake, the 1906 Calcutta earthquake, and the 1964 Calcutta earthquake. An analysis on the maximum magnitude and b-value for Kolkata City region is carried out after the preparation of earthquake catalog from various sources. Based on the tectonic set-up and seismicity of the region, five seismic zones are delineated, which can pose a threat to Kolkata in the event of an earthquake. They are broadly classified as Zone 1: Arakan-Yoma Zone (AYZ), Zone 2: Himalayan Zone (HZ), Zone 3: Shillong Plateau Zone (SPZ), Zone 4: Bay of Bengal Zone (BBZ), and Zone 5: Shield Zone (SZ). The maximum magnitude (m _max) for Zones 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 are 8.30 ± 0.51, 9.09 ± 0.58, 9.20 ± 0.51, 6.62 ± 0.43 and 6.61 ± 0.43, respectively. A probability of 10% exceedance value in 50 years is used for each zone. The probabilities of occurrences of earthquakes of different magnitudes for return periods of 50 and 100 years are computed for the five seismic zones. The Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) obtained for Kolkata City varies from 0.34 to 0.10 g.     

Flood hazard in Wadi Rahbaa area, Egypt

In the last decade, attention has been devoted to the southern part of the Egyptian Red Sea coast due to the large touristic and mining activities. Egypt spares no effort to develop it, to build new urban communities, and to create new job opportunities. Many comprehensive planning studies have been conducted. Many luxurious tourist spots, airports, and harbors have been constructed. These areas are subjected to flash floods, which represent a frequent threat to these urbanization activities that may cause losses in livelihood. By analyzing the geomorphologic features of the study area, intense stream networks are detected that, with the available metrological data, require flood management and analysis to mitigate the possible negative effects and to benefit from the estimation of flood water. Rahbaa basin is a sub-catchment of wadi Hodin. Flash floods within this area threaten the Red Sea coastal plain as well as the main coastal roads. It also directly drained out to the sea, which leads to a loss of huge amounts of flood water that is useful for arid regions. Using geographic information system and remote-sensing tools with the application of a comprehensive graphical modeling (watershed modeling system) supports the hydrological modeling of HEC-1. The total amount of runoff is calculated and the hydrograph of the 50-year return period is computed using rainfall historical data.     

基于震害统计的城市地下空间地震安全性评价

建筑物的地震安全性是城市规划和建设过程首先要回答的问题。我国城市地震安全性评价的方法理论多针对地上建筑物,而对地下空间的地震安全性研究较为薄弱,严重滞后于城市发展对地下空间的需求。活断层是诱发地震、导致建筑物破坏的的直接因素。考虑到空间关系上,地下空间与断层之间的交互关系为相交或相离。因此,本文将地下空间分为两类:与断层相交的地下空间称为跨断层地下空间,远离断层的地下空间称为远离断层地下空间。本文尝试将断裂带同震地表破裂、地震峰值加速度、地震烈度等地表地震安全性评价考量的要素与地下空间埋藏深度建立联系,并在此基础上总结基于震害统计的地下空间地震安全性评价方法。最后,本文选取地下空间利用需求较高的深圳和北京地区为实例进行介绍。     

基于GIS的北京市延庆县地质灾害易发性区域划分

随着灾害科学研究的深入，区域地质灾害已成为其重要的研究领域。文章利用遥感技术及GPS工具获取地质灾害的特征信息，在对地质灾害的成因背景分析基础上，运用GIS空间分析功能和地质灾害危险性评价、评估理论构建了地质灾害发育度模型。以北京市延庆县为实验区，采用ArcEngine＆．NET进行易发性分区程序的编写，计算研究区域内单元网格的发育度值。为了克服调查数据的局限性和人为因素，在计算发育度时引入修正系数，从延庆县DEM数据中提取单元格网内的地形坡度值，根据坡度值区间确定修正系数。将发育度计算结果按照一定规律、原则聚类。进行地质灾害易发性区域划分，取得了与实际情况较为一致的结果。基于“3S”技术及灾害地质条件，采用地质灾害发育度模型，可以较好地用于区域地质灾害易发性区域的划分，并能为防灾、减灾提供重要信息。     

Characterizing flood hazard risk in data-scarce areas,using a remote sensing and GIS-based flood hazard index

The frequency in occurrence and severity of floods has increased globally. However, many regions around the globe, especially in developing countries, lack the necessary field monitoring data to characterize flood hazard risk. This paper puts forward methodology for developing flood hazard maps that define flood hazard risk, using a remote sensing and GIS-based flood hazard index (FHI), for the Nyamwamba watershed in western Uganda. The FHI was compiled using analytical hierarchy process and considered slope, flow accumulation, drainage network density, distance from drainage channel, geology, land use/cover and rainfall intensity as the flood causative factors. These factors were derived from Landsat, SRTM and PERSIANN remote sensing data products, except for geology that requires field data. The resultant composite FHI yielded a flood hazard map pointing out that over 11 and 18% of the study area was very highly and highly susceptible to flooding, respectively, while the remaining area ranged from medium to very low risk. The resulting flood hazard map was further verified using inundation area of a historical flood event in the study area. The proposed methodology was effective in producing a flood hazard map at the watershed local scale, in a data-scarce region, useful in devising flood mitigation measures.