Abstract
The highland region forming the western slopes of the Western Ghats of
Kerala state, India, is increasingly affected by shallow landslides and consequent debris flows. Large volumes and high intensity rainfall, and the consequent perched water table development resulting in high pore water pressure conditions are considered as the principal trigger of these landslides. Many researchers suspected that the spatiotemporal probabilities of shallow landslide initiation in this area are dependent on the land use which in turn determines the mechanical and hydrological effects of vegetation on slope stability. The application of physically-based spatially distributed modelling was the most suitable approach to verify this hypothesis as it has the capability to not only estimate the spatio-temporal probabilities of shallow landslide initiation, but also quantitatively assess the influence of changes in environmental conditions on slope stability, for example those of land use changes.
Kerala state, India, is increasingly affected by shallow landslides and consequent debris flows. Large volumes and high intensity rainfall, and the consequent perched water table development resulting in high pore water pressure conditions are considered as the principal trigger of these landslides. Many researchers suspected that the spatiotemporal probabilities of shallow landslide initiation in this area are dependent on the land use which in turn determines the mechanical and hydrological effects of vegetation on slope stability. The application of physically-based spatially distributed modelling was the most suitable approach to verify this hypothesis as it has the capability to not only estimate the spatio-temporal probabilities of shallow landslide initiation, but also quantitatively assess the influence of changes in environmental conditions on slope stability, for example those of land use changes.
Original language | English |
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Qualification | Doctor of Philosophy |
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Award date | 13 Dec 2010 |
Place of Publication | Enschede |
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Print ISBNs | 978-90-6164-298-5 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 13 Dec 2010 |