Debris flows are natural hazard triggered by intensive rainfall or snowmelt and represent rapid movement of water-saturated colluvial and proluvial earth masses. The propagation of this hazardous event could change ecosystems, increase the solid discharge in the rivers and dam siltation, and affect infrastructure and people. The compound character of debris flows requires collection and analysis of various information and for this purpose, the computer technology and geographic information systems provide great opportunity. The aim of the paper is to present a conceptual model of debris flow information system, which to be used for risk assessment and to support decision making. The study emphasizes to factors and prerequisites, debris flow data, analyses and visualization. А fuzzy logic model for integrated risk assessment of the debris flow due to the multiple natural factors (as rainfall duration, rainfall amount, slope, erosion etc.) is proposed. An example of geoinformation portal is presented.
Small erosional landforms are characterised by a dynamics closely related to the occurrence and changes in precipitation and water flowing down the slopes. Triggered by water, the erosion processes are controlled by the other environmental conditions like slope gradient, lithology, land cover and land use. Studying the changes in the topography gives information about the spatiotemporal dynamics of erosion and can contribute to a more effective assessment of erosion susceptibility and mitigation measures at the earliest stage of the process development. Usually in the initial stages, the changes in the topography are hardly noticeable and using high resolution digital terrain models (DTMs) is of high importance. In this relation, the aim of the current research is to determine to what extent the resolution of the models influences the results of delineating the flow lines, rills and gullies. For this purpose, a terrain survey was carried out and data was acquired by UAS (uncrewed aerial system) DJI Phantom 4RTK. DTMs in horizontal resolution of 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5 and 1 m are created and analysed. Special attention is given to the analysis of surface curvature as an indicator for flow convergence and divergence. The research is done on a slope area covered mainly by grass and some rare bushes and trees. Despite the observed variations, the results show a general trend of decrease in the flow length with decreasing DTMs resolution. Considering the plan curvature and concave areas, the differences are smallest between the models with cell size 0.1 and 0.2 m.
Erosion processes, triggered by water, occur and propagate on sloping surfaces and have a significant negative impact on the soil quality and vegetation, as well as cause a change of the topographic surface. In the long term, they can lead to an increase in sediment transport, siltation of dams, and higher flood hazard. The development of water erosion reflects on the slope profile and the specific landforms like rills and gullies. In this regard, the geomorphological features of the areas can be considered indicators of the spatial distribution of erosion and accumulation. The sediment properties give information about the conditions of the transport and the intensity of the hydrogeomorphic processes. The current study aims to analyse the short-term changes in erosion and deposition by application of morphometry and grain size analysis. Topographic wetness index (TWI) and cross-section profiles of two small gullies were analysed based on high-resolution digital terrain models (DTMs), generated from unmanned aerial system (UAS) data. Remote sensing was combined with field geomorphological research and sediment sampling. The results of the research show about average 2 cm change in erosion and deposition for the period October 2021 – November 2022. Despite TWI and cross-section profiles depending on the DTMs resolution, they are reliable indicators for erosion and deposition. The grain size analysis supports the morphometric analysis. Coarse to very fine sands are predominant in most cases of sediment sampling. The sorting coefficient shows very poorly to moderately sorted deposits which indicates transport in a more dynamic environment and temporary flow.
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