Abstract
In 2003, the Three Gorges Project (TGP, China), currently the world’s largest hydroelectric power plant by total capacity, went into operation. Due to large-scale impoundment of the Yangtze River and its tributaries and also due to resettlement, extensive environmental impacts like land use change and increase of geohazards are associated with the TGP. Within the Yangtze Project, we investigate these effects for the Xiangxi (香溪) catchment which is part of the Three Gorges Reservoir. The aim of this study is to evaluate the susceptibility for mass movement within the Xiangxi River backwater area using geographic information system (GIS). We used existing mass movements and the conditioning factors (geology, elevation, slope, curvature, land use, and land use change) for analyzing mass movement susceptibility. Mass movements and geology were mapped in the field to establish a mass movement inventory and a geological map. Land use and digital elevation model (DEM) were obtained from remote-sensing data. We determined the relation between mass movements and the conditioning factors by using the frequency ratio method and found strong relation between mass movements and both natural and human-influenced conditioning factors.
References Cited
Akgun, A., Dag, S., Bulut, F., 2008. Landslide Susceptibility Mapping for a Landslide-Prone Area (Findikli, NE of Turkey) by Likelihood-Frequency Ratio and Weighted Linear Combination Models. Environmental Geology, 54(6): 1127–1143
Baxter, R. M., 1977. Environmental Effects of Dams and Impoundments. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 8: 255–283
Brardinoni, F., Slaymaker, O., Hassan, M. A., 2003. Landslide Inventory in a Rugged Forested Watershed: A Comparison between Air-Photo and Field Survey Data. Geomorphology, 54(3–4): 179–196
Cruden, D. M., Varnes, D. J., 1996. Landslide Types and Processes. In: Turner, A. K., Schuster, R. L., eds., Landslides: Investigation and Mitigation. Spec. Rep. 247, Transport Research Board. National Academy Press, Washington. 36–75
Donati, L., Turrini, M. C., 2002. An Objective Method to Rank the Importance of the Factors Predisposing to Landslides with the GIS Methodology: Application to an Area of the Apennines (Valnerina; Perugia, Italy). Engineering Geology, 63(3–4): 277–289
Ferreira, A. J. D., Coelho, C. O. A., Ritsema, C. J., et al., 2008. Soil and Water Degradation Processes in Burned Areas: Lessons Learned from a Nested Approach. Catena, 74(3): 273–285
Fourniadis, I. G., Liu, J. G., 2007. Landslides in the Wushan-Zigui Region of the Three Gorges, China. Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology, 40: 115–122
Fourniadis, I. G., Liu, J. G., Mason, P. J., 2006. Landslide Hazard Assessment in the Three Gorges Area, China, Using ASTER Imagery: Wushan-Badong. Geomorphology, 84(1–2): 126–144
Glade, T., 2003. Landslide Occurrence as a Response to Land Use Change: A Review of Evidence from New Zealand. Catena, 51(3–4): 297–314
Hartmann, H., 2005. Location of Xiangxi Catchment. In: Scholten, T., Rohn, J., King, L., et al., eds., Project Application in the Subject Area Land Use Change, Erosion, and Mass Movements in the Collaborative Research Project Sustainable Use of the New Eco-systems at Yangtze River, China. 36 (in German)
He, K. Q., Li, X. R., Yan, X. Q., et al., 2008. The Landslides in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region, China and the Effects of Water Storage and Rain on Their Stability. Environmental Geology, 55(1): 55–63
Huang, B. L., Chen, X. T., 2007. Deformation Failure Mechanism of Baijiabao Landslide in Xiangxi River Valley. Chinese Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, 29(6): 938–942 (in Chinese with English Abstract)
Jarvis, A., Reuter, H. I., Nelson, A., et al., 2008. Hole-Filled Seamless SRTM Data V4, International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT). http://srtm.csi.cgiar.org
Jiang, J. W., Ehret, D., Xiang, W., et al., 2010. Numerical Simulation of Qiaotou Landslide Deformation Caused by Drawdown of the Three Gorges Reservoir, China. Environmental Earth Sciences, doi: 10.1007/s12665-010-0536-0
Kallen, D., Xiang, W., Ehret, D., et al., 2006. Landslides at Qingjiang River in the Downstream Area of Shuibuya Dam Site, China. Journal of China University of Geosciences, 17(2): 158–162
Karsli, F., Atasoy, M., Yalcin, A., et al., 2009. Effects of Land-Use Changes on Landslides in a Landslide-Prone Area (Ardesen, Rize, NE Turkey). Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 156(1–4): 241–255
Krejcí, O., Baron, I., Bíl, M., et al., 2002. Slope Movements in the Flysch Carpathians of Eastern Czech Republic Triggered by Extreme Rainfalls in 1997: A Case Study. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, 27(36): 1567–1576
Lee, S., Dan, N., 2005. Probabilistic Landslide Susceptibility Mapping in the Lai Chau Province of Vietnam: Focus on the Relationship between Tectonic Fractures and Landslides. Environmental Geology, 48(6): 778–787
Lee, S., Min, K., 2001. Statistical Analysis of Landslide Susceptibility at Yongin, Korea. Environmental Geology, 40(9): 1095–1113
Lee, S., Pradhan, B., 2006. Probabilistic Landslide Hazards and Risk Mapping on Penang Island, Malaysia. J. Earth Syst. Sci., 115(6): 661–672
Lee, S., Pradhan, B., 2007. Landslide Hazard Mapping at Selangor, Malaysia Using Frequency Ratio and Logistic Regression Models. Landslides, 4(1): 33–41
Lee, S., Sambath, T., 2006. Landslide Susceptibility Mapping in the Damrei Romel Area, Cambodia Using Frequency Ratio and Logistic Regression Models. Environmental Geology, 50(6): 847–855
Lee, S., Talib, J. A., 2005. Probabilistic Landslide Susceptibility and Factor Effect Analysis. Environmental Geology, 47(7): 982–990
Liu, J. G., Mason, P. J., Clerici, N., et al., 2004. Landslide Hazard Assessment in the Three Gorges Area of the Yangtze River Using ASTER Imagery: Zigui-Badong. Geomorphology, 61(1–2): 171–187
Mantovani, F., Soeters, R., van Westen, C. J., 1996. Remote Sensing Techniques for Landslide Studies and Hazard Zonation in Europe. Geomorphology, 15(3–4): 213–225
Mather, A. E., Griffiths, J. S., Stokes, M., 2003. Anatomy of a ‘Fossil’ Landslide from the Pleistocene of SE Spain. Geomorphology, 50(1–3): 135–149
Metternicht, G., Hurni, L., Gogu, R., 2005. Remote Sensing of Landslides: An Analysis of the Potential Contribution to Geo-spatial Systems for Hazard Assessment in Moun tainous Environments. Remote Sensing of Environment, 98(2–3): 284–303
Regmi, N. R., Giardino, J. R., Vitek, J. D., 2010. Assessing Susceptibility to Landslides: Using Models to Understand Observed Changes in Slopes. Geomorphology, 122(1–2):25–38
Ruff, M., Czurda, K., 2008. Landslide Susceptibility Analysis with a Heuristic Approach in the Eastern Alps (Vorarlberg, Austria). Geomorphology, 94(3–4): 314–324
Ruff, M., Rohn, J., 2008. Susceptibility Analysis for Slides and Rockfall: An Example from the Northern Calcareous Alps (Vorarlberg, Austria). Environmental Geology, 55(2): 441–452
Schönbrodt, S., Ehret, D., Seeber, C., et al.. Geo-risks in the Highly Dynamic Three Gorges Reservoir Ecosystem: Interactions of Soil Erosion, Mass Movements, and Land Use. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms (Submitted)
Seeber, C., Hartmann, H., Xiang, W., et al., 2010. Land Use Change and Causes in the Xiangxi Catchment, Three Gorges Area Derived from Multispectral Data. Journal of Earth Science, 21(6): 846–855
Talebi, A., Troch, P. A., Uijlenhoet, R., 2008. A Steady-State Analytical Slope Stability Model for Complex Hillslopes. Hydrological Processes, 22(4): 546–553
van Beek, L. P. H., van Asch, T. W. J., 2004. Regional Assessment of the Effects of Land-Use Change on Landslide Hazard by Means of Physically Based Modelling. Natural Hazards, 31(1): 289–304
van den Eeckhaut, M., Poesen, J., Verstraeten, G., et al., 2005. The Effectiveness of Hillshade Maps and Expert Knowledge in Mapping Old Deep-Seated Landslides. Geomorphology, 67(3–4): 351–363
van Westen, C. J., 2000. The Modelling of Landslide Hazards Using GIS. Surveys in Geophysics, 21(2–3): 241–255
van Westen, C. J., Rengers, N., Soeters, R., 2003. Use of Geomorphological Information in Indirect Landslide Susceptibility Assessment. Natural Hazards, 30(3): 399–419
Vijith, H., Madhu, G., 2007. Application of GIS and Frequency Ratio Model in Mapping the Potential Surface Failure Sites in the Poonjar Sub-watershed of Meenachil River in Western Ghats of Kerala. Photonirvachak, 35(3): 275–285
Vijith, H., Madhu, G., 2008. Estimating Potential Landslide Sites of an Upland Sub-watershed in Western Ghat’s of Kerala (India) through Frequency Ratio and GIS. Environmental Geology, 55(7): 1397–1405
Wang, F. W., Wang, G. H., Sassa, K., et al., 2005. Deformation Monitoring and Exploration on Shuping Landslide Induced by Impoundment of the Three Gorges Reservoir, China. Disaster Prevention Research Institute Annuals, 48(B): 405–412
Wang, F. W., Zhang, Y. M., Huo, Z. T., et al., 2004. The July 14, 2003 Qianjiangping Landslide, Three Gorges Reservoir, China. Landslides, 1(2): 157–162
Wang, F. W., Zhang, Y. M., Huo, Z. T., et al., 2008a. Movement of the Shuping Landslide in the First Four Years after the Initial Impoundment of the Three Gorges Dam Reservoir, China. Landslides, 5(3): 321–329
Wang, F. W., Zhang, Y. M., Huo, Z. T., et al., 2008b. Mechanism for the Rapid Motion of the Qianjiangping Landslide during Reactivation by the First Impoundment of the Three Gorges Dam Reservoir, China. Landslides, 5(4): 379–386
Yilmaz, I., 2009. Landslide Susceptibility Mapping Using Frequency Ratio, Logistic Regression, Artificial Neural Networks and Their Comparison: A Case Study from Kat Landslides (Tokat-Turkey). Computers & Geosciences, 35(6): 1125–1138
Zhang, Z. J., Bai, Z. M., Mooney, W. D., et al., 2009. Crustal Structure across the Three Gorges Area of the Yangtze Platform, Central China, from Seismic Refraction/Wide-Angle Reflection Data. Tectonophysics, 475(3–4): 423–437
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
This study was supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ehret, D., Rohn, J., Dumperth, C. et al. Frequency ratio analysis of mass movements in the Xiangxi catchment, Three Gorges Reservoir area, China. J. Earth Sci. 21, 824–834 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12583-010-0134-9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12583-010-0134-9