Takashi Oguchi

Drainage Density and Relative Relief in Humid Steep Mountains with Frequent Slope Failure

Previous studies in Japanese mountains have shown that drainage density (D) correlates negatively with relief (R) and the erosion rate (E), whereas elsewhere both R and E correlate positively with D. To investigate the inconsistency, this paper compares two types of D–R relations for eight mountain river basins in central Japan. R is computed from a digital elevation model for 1109 morphometric samples of area 0·5 km × 0·5 km. Drainage networks in these cells were first constructed by map criteria applied previously in Japan — deeply notched V-shaped contours with an angle <53°. The resulting D correlates negatively with R, confirming preceding studies. When drainage lines along shallower hollows were added, however, the calculated D essentially constant. These relations arise from active landsliding in high-relief terrains, which has eroded steep channel banks into gentle ones. The decline of channel banks with increasing R is accelerated in terrains underlain by soft rocks, because of rapid erosion. The constant D for all the drainage lines indicates a uniform frequency or spacing of ridges and hollows on hillslopes in rugged humid mountains. Because the D–R and D–E relations for Japan reflect a uniquely Japanese physiographic setting characterized by frequent landsliding, they differ from those relations for other regions where channelization by gullying predominates.

Comparison of new and existing global digital elevation models: ASTER G-DEM and SRTM-3

[1]xa0A new global elevation dataset known as G-DEM, based on the ASTER satellite imagery, will be released in late 2008. G-DEM will be the best freely available global digital elevation model (DEM) at a horizontal resolution of 1 arc second. We assess the quality of G-DEM in comparison with 3-arc-second SRTM DEM, the best current global elevation dataset. Basic geomorphometric parameters (elevation, slope and curvature) were examined for a pre-release version of G-DEM and SRTM DEM for western Japan. G-DEM has fewer missing cells than SRTM DEM, particularly in steep terrain. Also, G-DEM gives smoother and more realistic representations of lowlands, valleys, steep slopes, and mountain ridges, whereas, SRTM DEM includes many local spikes and holes, and tends to overestimate valley-floor elevation and underestimate ridge elevation. G-DEM will be commonly used in geoscientific studies, because of its higher resolution, fewer missing data, and better topographic representation than SRTM DEM.

Fluvial geomorphology and paleohydrology in Japan

Abstract An introduction to fluvial geomorphology and paleohydrology in Japan is provided for researchers who are unfamiliar with these topics. Studies by Japanese geomorphologists are reviewed including those published only in Japanese-language journals. Emphasis is placed upon the following aspects: (1) abundant sediment yields from steep watersheds subjected to frequent heavy rains despite heavily vegetated conditions, (2) extensive sedimentation in mountain piedmonts and coastal fluvial plains especially during the Holocene, (3) catastrophic hydro-geomorphological events associated with earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, and (4) the impacts of the increased heavy rainfall during the Pleistocene–Holocene transition on the post glacial development of hillslopes and alluvial fans. These geomorphological characteristics differ from those in continental regions, such as Europe and North America, indicating that research on Japanese fluvial systems can contribute a great deal to the understanding of the global variety of fluvial geomorphology. Recent work on paleohydrological reconstruction in Japan is also reviewed.

Late Holocene slackwater deposits on the Nakagawa River, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan

A continuous succession of slackwater deposits was investigated on the Nakagawa River, Karasuyama Town in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. Forty-one and 32 flood events were estimated from two sedimentary cores. Minimum sedimentation rate is estimated at 4.6 mm/year and the calculated maximum flood recurrence interval is 14 years. The sedimentation rates are high compared to other published data and are thought to be the key reason as to why these deposits were preserved in Japan, previously considered too humid. High sediment accumulation rates are thought to compensate for any bioturbation activity that would disturb and homogenise the slackwater deposits. This study is important because it presents a new arena for palaeoflood analysis, suggesting that there is potential for slackwater preservation in similar humid settings.

Identification of an active fault in the Japanese Alps from DEM-based hill shading

Shaded-relief images created from digital elevation models (DEMs) are helpful in identifying faults in rugged mountains. Unlike airphoto interpretation, the method enhances lineaments by simulating topographic illumination under varied light directions. Interpretation of shaded-relief images of the Japanese Alps led to the discovery of a lineament unrelated to bedrock structure. Field surveys and analysis of large-scale maps and airphotos reveal the lineament to be a fault with high rates of vertical and lateral slip. The new fault is the southernmost segment of a known adjacent fault, and the rate and direction of its slip provide fresh insight into the late Quaternary history of the fault system. Because previous research mistook the fault scarp for a fluvial terrace scarp, discovery of the fault also changed the correlation of river terraces in the Northern Japanese Alps. The new corrections affect Pleistocene glacial chronology in the upstream area.

River water quality in the Humber catchment: an introduction using GIS-based mapping and analysis

The regional water quality of the Humber catchment was mapped for key inorganic chemical determinands using a GIS system and an extensive Environment Agency and LOIS monitoring database. The resultant maps revealed the major factors affecting the general characteristics of regional water quality. Sewage inputs from industrial and domestic sources account for the high concentration of many determinands in urban areas. The concentrations of particulate components increase in tidal zones because of sediment trapping and tidal re-suspension effects. Some determinands also exhibit localized high concentrations related to coal mine drainage, soil pollution caused by past ore mining, bedrock geology, the agricultural use of fertilizers and the ingression of seawater into the estuary.

Rainfall conditions, typhoon frequency, and contemporary landslide erosion in Japan

Dealing with predicted increases in extreme weather conditions due to climate change requires robust knowledge about controls on rainfall-triggered landslides. We explore relationships between rainfall and landslide size throughout the Japanese archipelago. We test whether the total volume of landslides can be predicted directly from rainfall totals, intensity, and duration using a nationwide inventory of 4744 rainfall-triggered landslides recorded from A.D. 2001 to 2011. We find that larger landslides were more abundant at the expense of smaller ones when total, maximum, and mean rainfall intensity exceeded ∼250 mm, ∼35 mm/h, and ∼4 mm/h, respectively. Frequency distributions of these rainfall parameters are peaked and heavily skewed. Yet neither the most frequent nor the most extreme values of these rainfall metrics coincide consistently with the maximum landslide volumes. A striking decrease of landslide volumes at both mean and maximum rainfall intensity, as well as duration, points to an exhaustion in hillslope geomorphic response regardless of sample size, landslide type, mobilized volume, dominant lithology, or reporting bias. Our results underscore substantial offsets between the peaks of rainfall metrics and maximum associated landslide volumes, thus complicating straightforward estimates of geomorphic work from metrics of rainstorm magnitude or frequency. Only the rainfall total appears to be a suitable monotonic predictor of landslide volumes mobilized during typhoons and frontal storms.

Rainfall intensity-duration conditions for mass movements in Taiwan

Mass movements caused by rainfall events in Taiwan are analyzed during a 7-year period from 2006 to 2012. Data from the Taiwan Soil and Water Conservation Bureau reports were compiled for 263 mass movement events, including 156 landslides, 91 debris flows, and 16 events with both landslides and debris flows. Rainfall totals for each site location were obtained from interpolated rain gauge data. The rainfall intensity–duration (I–D) relationship was examined to establish a rainfall threshold for mass movements using random sampling: Iu2009=u200918.10(±2.67)D−0.17(±0.04), where I is mean rainfall intensity (mm/h) and D is the time (h) between the beginning of a rainfall event and the resulting mass movement. Significant differences were found between rainfall intensities and thresholds for landslides and debris flows. For short-duration rainfall events, higher mean rainfall intensities were required to trigger debris flows. In contrast, for long-duration rainfall events, similar mean rainfall intensities triggered both landslides and debris flows. Mean rainfall intensity was rescaled by mean annual precipitation (MAP) to define a new threshold: IMAPu2009=u20090.0060(±0.0009)D−0.17(±0.04), where IMAP is rescaled rainfall intensity and MAP is the minimum for mountainous areas in Taiwan (3000xa0mm). Although the I–D threshold for Taiwan is high, the IMAP–D threshold for Taiwan tends to be low relative to other areas around the world. Our results indicate that Taiwan is highly prone to rainfall-induced mass movements. This study also shows that most mass movements occur in high rainfall-intensity periods, but some events occur before or after the rainfall peak. Both antecedent and peak rainfall play important roles in triggering landslides, whereas debris flow occurrence is more related to peak rainfall than antecedent rainfall.

Multidisciplinary cooperation in gis education: A case study of us colleges and universities

This paper examines the degree of multidisplinary cooperation for Geographic Information Science (GIS) education programs that award GIS-related degrees or certificates at US colleges and universities. We classified departments and courses into ten major disciplines using Dewey Decimal Classification. In the 2007–2008 academic year, approximately 40 per cent of GIS education programs related to multiple disciplines and nearly 20 per cent were involved with more than three disciplines. Geography was the major provider of GIS education programs, but the ratio between geography-related discipline and other disciplines combined was approximately 1:3. Fostering multidisciplinary GIS education programs should strengthen geography in general as well as GIS education.

Pollution regimes and variability in river water quality across the Humber catchment: interrogation and mapping of an extensive and highly heterogeneous spatial dataset

Water quality inter-relationships based on an extensive Environment Agency database are used to identify seven key types of clean and polluted riverine environments within the Humber catchment. These types were selected on the basis of linear separations between average concentrations of ammonium, chloride, dissolved nickel and chromium and acid-available particulate nickel and chromium. However, a more detailed analysis of determinand and flow relationships at each type locality revealed complex patterns due to the highly variable nature of pollutant sources at the local scale. The information presented contrasts systems at a larger scale, where simpler integrated features are observed, and which can be represented by two-component mixing models. Scale and hydrology seem to be important features in determining the simplicity or complexity of determinand inter-relationships, and the implications of these findings are discussed.