• Wind and Structures
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.565-578
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• 2017

The meteorological model WRF is used to investigate the wind circulation in Valle Camonica, Italy, an alpine valley that includes a large subalpine lake. The aim was to obtain the information necessary to evaluate the wind potential of this area and, from a methodological point of view, to suggest how numerical modeling can be used to locate the most interesting spots for wind exploitation. Two simulations are carried out in order to analyze typical scenarios occurring in the valley. In the first one, the diurnal cycle of thermally-induced winds generated by the heating-cooling of the mountain range encircling the valley is analyzed. The results show that the mountain slopes strongly affect the low-level winds during both daytime and nighttime, and that the correct setting of the lake temperature improves the quality of the meteorological fields provided by WRF significantly. The second simulation deals with an event of strong downslope winds caused by the passage of a cold front. Comparisons between simulated and measured wind speed, direction and air temperature are also shown.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.95-104
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• 2023

The latest revision of AS/NZS 1170.2 incorporates some new research and knowledge on strong winds, climate change, and shape factors for new structures of interest such as solar panels. Unlike most other jurisdictions, Australia and New Zealand covers a vast area of land, a latitude range from 11° to 47°S climatic zones from tropical to cold temperate, and virtually every type of extreme wind event. The latter includes gales from synoptic-scale depressions, severe convectively-driven downdrafts from thunderstorms, tropical cyclones, downslope winds, and tornadoes. All except tornadoes are now covered within AS/NZS 1170.2. The paper describes the main features of the 2021 edition with emphasis on the new content, including the changes in the regional boundaries, regional wind speeds, terrain-height, topographic and direction multipliers. A new 'climate change multiplier' has been included, and the gust and turbulence profiles for over-water winds have been revised. Amongst the changes to the provisions for shape factors, values are provided for ground-mounted solar panels, and new data are provided for curved roofs. New methods have been given for dynamic response factors for poles and masts, and advice given for acceleration calculations for high-rise buildings and other dynamically wind-sensitive structures.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.579-586
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• 2022

Pile-supported structures are installed on saturated sloping grounds, where the ground stiffness may decrease due to liquefaction during earthquakes. Thus, it is important to consider saturated sloping ground and pile interactions. In this study, we conduct a centrifuge test of a pile-supported structure, and analyze the p-y_p loops, p-y_p loops provide the correlation between the lateral pile deflection (y_p) and lateral soil resistance (p). In the dry sand model (UV67), the p-y_p loops stiffness increased as ground depth increased, and the p-y_p loops stiffness was larger by approximately three times when the pile moved to the upslope direction, compared with when it moved to the downslope direction. In contrast, no significant difference was observed in the stiffness with the ground depth and pile moving direction in the saturated sand model (SV69). Furthermore, we identify the unstable zone based on the result of the lateral soil resistance (p). In the case of the SV69 model, the maximum depth of the unstable zone is five times larger than that of the dry sand model, and it was found that the saturated sand model was affected significantly by kinematic forces due to slope failure.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.143-147
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• 1999

Annual production and redistribution of leaf litter were compared among three distinct understory patches in a temperate hardwood forest dominated by Quercus mongolica, Kalopanax pictus, Acer pseudo-sieboldianum, and Carpinus cordata. Two patches were located on a southwest-facing slope: one with an understory dominated by herbaceous plants (Patch S), and the other covered with evergreen dwarf bamboo, Sasa borealis (patch SS). The third patch was on the opposite slope with an understory dominated by herbaceous plants (Patch N). Annual leaf litterfall was averaged 330 g m$^{-2} yr$^{-2}$ in the three patches from 1994 to 1998. From mid-September 1996 to mid-September 1997, net transport of leaf litter over patch bound-aries was 1,824g m$^{-1}$ from Patch S to SS, 1,465g m$^{-1}$ from Patch S to N, and 886 g m$^{-1}$ from Patch SS to N. The amounts moving downslope out of Patch S, SS, and N were 2,548, 471, and 588g m$^{-1}$, respectively. When a mass balance approach was employed for the data of leaf litter transport, the results were relatively consistent with 216, 631, and 724g m$^{-2}$ of leaf litter stores in Patch S, SS, and N, respectively, in April 1997. This study suggests that leaf litter redistribution is largely regulated by aspect and understory type and exerts a significant effect on carbon processes in the forest ecosystem.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.1-16
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• 2011

Piles passing through sloping liquefiable deposits are prone to lateral loading if these deposits liquefy and flow during earthquakes. These lateral loads caused by the relative soil-pile movement will induce bending in the piles and may result in failure of the piles or excessive pile-head displacement. Whilst the weak nature of the flowing liquefied soil would suggest that only small loads would be exerted on the piles, it is known from case histories that piles do fail owing to the influence of laterally spreading soils. It will be shown, based on dynamic centrifuge test data, that dilatant behaviour of soil close to the pile is the major cause of these considerable transient lateral loads which are transferred to the pile. This paper reports the results of geotechnical centrifuge tests in which models of gently sloping liquefiable sand with pile foundations passing through them were subjected to earthquake excitation. The soil close to the pile was instrumented with pore-pressure transducers and contact stress cells in order to monitor the interaction between soil and pile and to track the soil stress state both upslope and downslope of the pile. The presence of instrumentation measuring pore-pressure and lateral stress close to the pile in the research described in this paper gives the opportunity to better study the soil stress state close to the pile and to compare the loads measured as being applied to the piles by the laterally spreading soils with those suggested by the JRA design code. This test data shows that lateral stresses much greater than one might expect from calculations based on the residual strength of liquefied soil may be applied to piles in flowing liquefied slopes owing to the dilative behaviour of the liquefied soil. It is shown at least for the particular geometry studied that the current JRA design code can be un-conservative by a factor of three for these dilation-affected transient lateral loads.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.375-389
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• 2010

In order to investigate the rates and factors of slow mass movement on a subalpine slope of Mount Halla, two painted stone lines were monitored in a bare patch at 1,710 m a.s.l. The mean movement of surface gravels is 58.2 cm, equivalent to 0.24 cm/day. However, the rates of movement vary with seasons. Compared with 0.05 cm/day of a non-frozen season, a frozen season shows 0.3 cm/day. It implies that the movement of surface gravels could be largely controlled by periglacial processes during a frozen season. In particular, frost creep including needle ice creep plays a main role in the movement of gravels under the thermal and soil conditions which are favorable for needle ice development. Since line II is located at a steeper slope than line I, the movement of line II was always larger than that of line I. However, slope gradient is not the most dominant factor contributing the movement of gravels, which can be interrupted by downslope big gravels and vegetation patches. The size and specific weight of gravels also can influence the movement of gravels. Porous and light scoriae result in relatively quick movement of gravels on the subalpine slope of Mount Halla.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.41-51
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• 2005

Using three-dimensional non-hydrostatical numerical model with one way double nesting technique, atmo­spheric circulation in the mountainous coastal region in summer was investigated from August 13 through 15, 1995. During the day, synoptic westerly wind blows over Mt. Mishrung in the west of a coastal city, Sokcho toward the East Sea, while simultaneously, easterly upslope wind combined with both valley wind from plain (coast) toward mountain and sea-breeze from sea toward inland coast blows toward the top of the mountain. Two different directional wind systems confront each other in the mid of eastern slope of the mountain and the upslope wind goes up to the height over 2 km, becoming an easterly return flow in the upper level over the sea and making sea-breeze front with two kinds of sea-breeze circulations of a small one in the coast and a large one in the open sea. Convective boundary layer is developed with a thickness of about 1km over the ground in the upwind side of the mountain in the west and a thickness of thermal internal boundary layer from the coast along the eastern slope of the mountain is only confined to less than 200 m. On the other hand, after sunset, no prohibition of upslope wind generated during the day and downward wind combined with mountain wind from mountain towardplain and land-breeze from land toward under nocturnal radiative cooling of the ground surfaces should intensify westerly downslope wind, resulting in the formation of wind storm. As the wind storm moving down along the eastern slop causes the development of internal gravity waves with hydraulic jump motion in the coast, bounding up toward the upper level of the coastal sea, atmospheric circulation with both onshore and offshore winds like sea-breeze circulation forms in the coastal sea within 70 km until midnight and after that, westerly wind prevails in the coast and open seas.

• International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics Korean Journal of Geophysical Research
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.29-45
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• 1996

Before (March 26, 1994) or after the occurrence of a downslope windstorm (March 29), the NO, $NO_2$, and $SO_2$ at the ground level of Kangnung city were monitored with high concentrations in the afternoon, due to a large amount of gases emitted from combustion of motor vehicle and heating apparatus, especially near 1600-1800 LST and 2000-2100 LST, but at night, they had low concentrations, resulting from small consumptions of vehicle and heating fuels. When both moderate westerly synoptic-scale winds flow over Mt. Taegwallyang and easterly meso-scale sea breeze during the day, atmospheric pollutants should be trapped by two different wind systems, resulting in higher concentration at Kangnung city in the afternoon. At night, the association of westerly synoptic wind and land breeze can produce relatively strong winds and the dissipation by the winds cause these low concentrations to lower and lower, as nightime goes on. From March 27 through 28, an enforced localized windstorm could be produced along the lee side of the mountain near Kangnung, generating westerly internal gravity waves with hydraulic jump motions. Sea breeze toward inland appartantly confines to the bottom of the eastern side of the mountain, due to the interruption of eastward violent internal gravity waves. As the windstorm moves down toward the ground, an encountering point of two opposite winds approaches Kangnung, and a great amount of NO and $NO_2$ were removed by the strong surface winds. Thus, their maximum concentrations are found to be near 18 and 20 LST, 17 and 21 LST. In the nighttime, the more developed storm should produce very strong surface winds and the NO and $NO_2$ could be easily dissipated into other place. The $SO_2$ concentration had no maximum value, that is, almost constant one all day long, due to its removal by the strong surface winds. Especially, the CO concentrations were slightly lower during the strom period than both before or after the strom, but they were nearly constant without much changes during the during the daytime and nighttime.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2015.05a
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• pp.281-281
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• 2015

Shallow landslide often occurs in areas of this topography where subsurface soil water flow paths give rise to excess pore-water pressures downslope. Recent hillslope hydrology studies have shown that subsurface topography has a strong impact in controlling the connectivity of saturated areas at the soil-bedrock interface. In this study, the physically based SHALSTAB model was used to evaluate the effects of three soil thicknesses (i.e. average soil layer, soil thickness to weathered soil and soil thickness to bedrock soil layer) and subsurface flow reflecting three soil thicknesses on shallow landslide prediction accuracy. Three digital elevation models (DEMs; i.e. ground surface, weathered surface and bedrock surface) and three soil thicknesses (average soil thickness, soil thickness to weathered rock and soil thickness to bedrock) at a small hillslope site in Jinbu, Kangwon Prefecture, eastern part of the Korean Peninsula, were considered. Each prediction result simulated with the SHALSTAB model was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis for modelling accuracy. The results of the ROC analysis for shallow landslide prediction using the ground surface DEM (GSTO), the weathered surface DEM and the bedrock surface DEM (BSTO) indicated that the prediction accuracy was higher using flow accumulation by the BSTO and weathered soil thickness compared to results. These results imply that 1) the effect of subsurface flow by BSTO on shallow landslide prediction especially could be larger than the effects of topography by GSTO, and 2) the effect of weathered soil thickness could be larger than the effects of average soil thickness and bedrock soil thickness on shallow landslide prediction. Therefore, we suggest that using BSTO dem and weathered soil layer can improve the accuracy of shallow landslide prediction, which should contribute to more accurately predicting shallow landslides.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.269-281
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• 2021

Land creeping is the imperceptibly slow, steady, downward movement o f slope-forming soil or rock. Because creep-related failures occur frequently on a large scale without notice, they can be hazardous to both property and human life. Korea Forest Service has operated the prevention and response system from land creeping which has been on the rise since 2018. We categorized and proposed three survey steps (e.g., preliminary, regional, detailed) for investigation of creeping susceptibility site with a focus on geophysical mapping of a selected test site, Yongheung-dong, Pohang, Korea. The combination of geophysical (dipole-dipole electrical resistivity tomography and reciprocal seismic refraction technique, well-logging), geotechnical studies (standard penetrating test, laboratory tests), field mapping (tension cracks, uplift, fault), and comprehensive interpretation of their results provided the reliable information of the subsurface structures including the failure surface. To further investigate the subsurface structure including the sliding zone, we performed high-resolution geophysical mapping in addition to the regional survey. High-resolution seismic velocity structures are employed for stability analysis because they provided more simplified layers of weathering rock, soft rock, and hard rock. Curved slip plane of the land creeping is effectively delineated with a shape of downslope sliding and upward pushing at the apex of high resistive bedrock in high-resolution electrical resistivity model with clay-mineral contents taken into account. Proposed survey steps and comprehensive interpretation schemes of the results from geological, geophysical, and geotechnical data should be effective for data sets collected in a similar environment to land-creeping susceptibility area.