Innovative Landslide Warning System for New Evolution of Disaster Mitigation Science

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K19311
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Agricultural economics and rural sociology, Agricultural Engineering, and related fields
• Research Institution: Saga University
• Principal Investigator: MIYAMOTO HIDEKI 佐賀大学, 農学部, 准教授 (10423584)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 中村 真也 琉球大学, 農学部, 教授 (30336359) ; 石川 洋平 有明工業高等専門学校, 創造工学科, 准教授 (50435476)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-06-30 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 土壌水分 / COSMOS / 高速中性子 / モニタリング

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Cosmic-ray soil moisture observing system (COSMOS), a method of measuring cosmic-ray neutrons (φ) near soil surface, was installed on a volcanic ash soil slope and examined to establish an innovative landslide warning system. Although the determination of near-surface soil moisture content (θ) based on φ-value was difficult due to the heterogeneity and uncertainty of water balance within sensing slope area, response of φ to soil water index (SWI) and/or θ was observed during the rainy season. We believe that the COSMOS presented here would be a unique method to monitor near surface soil moisture content of whole slope area if compatible soil moisture model considering the growth of plant communities and 3-dimentional topographic data are proposed.

Free Research Field

農業農村工学，土壌物理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

高速中性子数(φ)の測定に基づくCOSMOSを活用した新しい土砂災害警報システムを構築するために，火山灰土急斜面において，5地点×3深度の土壌水分量を連続測定し，それらのデータとCOSMOSによるφ値と経験的関係を見出した。COSMOSの実用化のためには，被覆植生や地形を考慮した校正に関する検討が必要であるものの，斜面の表層土壌水分量を連続測定できる唯一の方法として，COSMOSが有望であることを確認し，今後の土砂災害警報システム構築のための基礎的知見を得た。