Ministry of Economic Affairs

In tectonically active mountain belts, earthquake-triggered landslides deliver large amounts of sediment to rivers. We quantify the geomorphic impact of the 1999 Mw 7.6 Chi-Chi earthquake in Taiwan, which triggered >20,000 landslides. Coseismic weakening of substrate material caused increased landsliding during subsequent typhoons. Most coseismic landslides remained confined to hillslopes. Downslope transport of sediment into the channel network occurred during later storms. The sequential processes have led to a factor-of-four increase in unit sediment concentration in rivers draining the epicentral area and increased the magnitude and frequency of hyperpycnal sediment delivery to the ocean. Four years after the earthquake, rates of hillslope mass wasting remain elevated in the epicentral area.

Author: Hilton, R.G. et al.; Genre: Journal Article; Finally published : 2011; Title: Efficient transport of fossil organic carbon to the ocean by steep mountain rivers: an organic carbon sequestration mechanism

Several approaches to strategic environmental assessment (SEA) have been developed recently, differing, for example, in openness, scope, intensity and duration. Differences stem from the specific contexts in which the SEA processes are meant to be used. This is illustrated with two current SEA processes in the Netherlands for drafting legislation (environmental test), and for plans and programmes (strategic environmental impact assessment). Although design for purpose enhances the effectiveness of SEA, the variety of approaches may also lead to confusion among non-SEA experts, such as politicians and other senior decision makers, about what SEA is. This could create an impediment to the acceptance and development of SEA in situations where currently no obligation for it exists. A set of principles is proposed as a starting point for further discussion.

The purpose of this paper is ask whether there is a minimum size that firms must achieve to take advantage of the benefits of exporting from the United States. An analysis of 2,822 firms in 49 different industries in South Carolina, a rapidly growing export–driven state, was conducted to address this question. This paper builds on the contributions of previous research in the areas of small to medium–sized enterprises (SMEs) and export success and SMEs in the export development process. Analysis of manufacturing exports from South Carolina indicates that firm size serves as a necessary as well as a sufficient condition for export success among small manufacturing firms. Reasons for this are discussed, and implications for managers and policymakers are offered.

Rivers draining the tectonically active island of Taiwan commonly discharge suspended sediment to the ocean at hyperpycnal concentrations (>40 kg m −3 ), typically during typhoon‐driven floods. During the period 1970–1999, between 99 and 115 Mt yr −1 of sediment was discharged at hyperpycnal sediment concentrations from Taiwan to the sea. This amount represents 30–42% of the total sediment discharge from Taiwan to the ocean. The spatial distribution of hyperpycnal discharge broadly mirrors the pattern of total sediment discharge, and rivers draining catchments having recent earthquakes and weak rocks, such as the Choshui and Erhjen, discharge up to 50–70% of their sediment at hyperpycnal concentrations. Following the Chi‐Chi earthquake, the frequency of hyperpycnal flows increased, because of an earthquake‐driven increase in sediment supply. Landslides triggered by the Chi‐Chi earthquake have resulted in an increase in the concentration of suspended sediment in rivers for a given water discharge. In turn, the threshold flood discharge required to generate hyperpycnal flow has decreased, and so hyperpycnal flows are occurring more frequently. Our findings suggest that if hyperpycnal plumes evolve into bottom‐hugging gravity currents descending to and ultimately debouching in the deep sea, earthquakes may be recorded as bundles of turbidites.

Abstract Patterns and rates of landsliding and fluvial sediment transfer in mountain catchments are determined by the strength and location of rain storms and earthquakes, and by the sequence in which they occur. To explore this notion, landslides caused by three tropical cyclones and a very large earthquake have been mapped in the Chenyoulan catchment in the Taiwan Central Range, where water and sediment discharges and rock strengths are well known. Prior to the M W 7·6 Chi‐Chi earthquake in 1999, storm‐driven landslide rates were modest. Landslides occurred primarily low within the landscape in shallow slopes, reworking older colluvial material. The Chi‐Chi earthquake caused wide‐spread landsliding in the steepest bedrock slopes high within the catchment due to topographic focusing of incoming seismic waves. After the earthquake landslide rates remained elevated, landslide patterns closely tracking the distribution of coseismic landslides. These patterns have not been strongly affected by rock strength. Sediment loads of the Chenyoulan River have been limited by supply from hillslopes. Prior to the Chi‐Chi earthquake, the erosion budget was dominated by one exceptionally large flood, with anomalously high sediment concentrations, caused by typhoon Herb in 1996. Sediment concentrations were much higher than normal in intermediate size floods during the first 5 years after the earthquake, giving high sediment yields. In 2005, sediment concentrations had decreased to values prevalent before 1999. The hillslope response to the Chi‐Chi earthquake has been much stronger than the five‐fold increase of fluvial sediment loads and concentrations, but since the earthquake, hillslope sediment sources have become increasingly disconnected from the channel system, with 90 per cent of landslides not reaching into channels. Downslope advection of landslide debris associated with the Chi‐Chi earthquake is driven by the impact of tropical cyclones, but occurs on a time‐scale longer than this study. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Climate controls landscape evolution, but quantitative signatures of climatic drivers have yet to be found in topography on a broad scale. Here we describe how a topographic signature of typhoon rainfall is recorded in the meandering of incising mountain rivers in the western North Pacific. Spatially averaged river sinuosity generated from digital elevation data peaks in the typhoon-dominated subtropics, where extreme rainfall and flood events are common, and decreases toward the equatorial tropics and mid-latitudes, where such extremes are rare. Once climatic trends are removed, the primary control on sinuosity is rock weakness. Our results indicate that the weakness of bedrock channel walls and their weakening by heavy rainfall together modulate rates of meander propagation and sinuosity development in incising rivers.

A new watermarking scheme which incorporates wavelet and spatial transformation has been developed for digital images. This algorithm utilizes the wavelet multiresolutional structure to construct the image frequency components and the chaotic transformation as two dimensional integer vector generators for spatial transform to select the location during the watermark embedding. To efficiently embed the watermark within the image without the loss of image quality and provide the robustness for the watermark detection under attacks, a modular based spatial threshold and adjustment scheme of the wavelet coefficients has been developed in this research. Unlike other watermarking schemes which usually rely on significantly large amount of side information for watermark detection, our algorithm need only few key parameters to detect the watermark with meaningful content. Compared with some known approaches of watermarking schemes, this algorithm results in superior robustness and information protection for keeping watermark intact under image processing attacks like image compression.

Erosion of particulate organic carbon (POC) occurs at very high rates in mountain river catchments, yet the proportion derived recently from atmospheric CO 2 in the terrestrial biosphere (POC non‐fossil ) remains poorly constrained. Here we examine the transport of POC non‐fossil in mountain rivers of Taiwan and its climatic and geomorphic controls. In 11 catchments we have combined previous geochemical quantification of POC source (accounting for fossil POC from bedrock), with measurements of water discharge (Q w ) and suspended sediment concentration over 2 years. In these catchments, POC non‐fossil concentration (mg L −1 ) was positively correlated with Q w , with enhanced loads at high flow attributed to rainfall driven supply of POC non‐fossil from forested hillslopes. This climatic control on POC non‐fossil transport was moderated by catchment geomorphology: the gradient of a linear relation of POC non‐fossil concentration and Q w increased as the proportion of steep hillslopes (>35°) in the catchment increased. The data suggest enhanced supply of POC non‐fossil by erosion processes which act most efficiently on the steepest sections of forest. Across Taiwan, POC non‐fossil yield was correlated with suspended sediment yield, with a mean of 21 ± 10 tC km −2 yr −1 . At this rate, export of POC non‐fossil imparts an upper bound on the time available for biospheric growth, of ∼800 yr. Over longer time periods, POC non‐fossil transferred with large amounts of clastic sediment can contribute to sequestration of atmospheric CO 2 if buried in marine sediments. Our results show that this carbon transfer should be enhanced in a wetter and stormier climate, and the rates moderated on geological timescales by the regional tectonic setting.

Abstract An increasing impervious area is quickly extending over the Wu‐Tu watershed due to the endless demands of the people. Generally, impervious paving is a major result of urbanization and more recently has had the potential to produce more enormous flood disasters than those of the past. In this study, 40 available rainfall–runoff events were chosen to calibrate the applicable parameters of the models and to determine the relationships between the impervious surfaces and the calibrated parameters. Model inputs came from the outcomes of the block kriging method and the non‐linear programming method. In the optimal process, the shuffled complex evolution method and three criteria were applied to compare the observed and simulated hydrographs. The tendencies of the variations of the parameters with their corresponding imperviousness were established through regression analysis. Ten cases were used to examine the established equations of the parameters and impervious covers. Finally, the design flood routines of various return periods were furnished through use of approaches containing a design storm, block kriging, the SCS model, and a rainfall‐runoff model with established functional relationships. These simulated flood hydrographs were used to compare and understand the past, present, and future hydrological conditions of the watershed studied. In the research results, the time to peak of flood hydrographs for various storms was diminished approximately from 11 h to 6 h in different decrements, whereas peak flow increased respectively from 127 m 3 s −1 to 629 m 3 s −1 for different storm intensities. In addition, this study provides a design diagram for the peak flow ratio to help engineers and designers to construct hydraulic structures efficiently and prevent possible damage to human life and property. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Abstract. For the interpretation of the storm event-induced landslide distribution for an area, deterministic methods are frequently used, while a region's landslide susceptibility is commonly predicted via a statistical approach based upon multi-temporal landslide inventories and environmental factors. In this study we try to use an event-based landslide inventory, a set of environmental variables and a triggering factor to build a susceptibility model for a region which is solved using a multivariate statistical method. Data for shallow landslides triggered by the 2002 typhoon, Toraji, in central western Taiwan, are selected for training the susceptibility model. The maximum rainfall intensity of the storm event is found to be an effective triggering factor affecting the landslide distribution and this is used in the model. The model is built for the Kuohsing region and validated using data from the neighboring Tungshih area and a subsequent storm event – the 2004 typhoon, Mindulle, which affected both the Kuohsing and the Tungshih areas. The results show that we can accurately interpret the landslide distribution in the study area and predict the occurrence of landslides in the neighboring region in a subsequent typhoon event. The advantage of this statistical method is that neither hydrological data, strength data, failure depth, nor a long-period landslide inventory is needed as input.

Recently, ionic liquids were verified to be combustible instead of nonflammable; the contrary was thought to be true due their extremely low vapor pressure. Flash point is one of the most important variables used to characterize the fire and explosion hazards of liquids. Because of extremely low vapor pressure and decomposition at elevated temperatures, the reason for ionic liquids to be combustible should be different from that of traditionally defined liquids. The flash point of ionic liquids in relation to their decomposition was investigated in this study by the estimation of vapor pressure and by use of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and flash point analyzer apparatus. The ionic liquids 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethylsulfate ([Emim][EtSO4]), 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([C6mim][Cl]) and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([Bmim][NTf2]), were selected as test examples. Results revealed that the flammability of ionic liquids was mainly attributed to the decomposition of the ionic liquids generating flammable substances instead of themselves vaporizing, as do traditionally defined combustible/flammable liquids. Lyon's method, applied by Fox et al. to estimate the flash point of ionic liquids from the TGA decomposition temperature, was assessed using our experimental data and the data from the published literature and resulted in substantial overestimation of the flash-point values of ionic liquids, which underestimates the fire and explosion hazards of ionic liquids. This deviation is attributed to flash-point values of ionic liquids located in the second temperature range of the TGA tracing, rather than in the third analogue, as predicted by Lyon's method.

Lateral variations along the Himalayan arc are suggested by an increasing number of studies and carry important information about the orogen's segmentation. Here we compile the hitherto most complete land gravity dataset in the region which enables the currently highest resolution plausible analysis. To study lateral variations in collisional structure we compute arc-parallel gravity anomalies (APaGA) by subtracting the average arc-perpendicular profile from our dataset; we compute likewise for topography (APaTA). We find no direct correlation between APaGA, APaTA and background seismicity, as suggested in oceanic subduction context. In the Himalayas APaTA mainly reflect relief and erosional effects, whereas APaGA reflect the deep structure of the orogen with clear lateral boundaries. Four segments are outlined and have disparate flexural geometry: NE India, Bhutan, Nepal &India until Dehradun, and NW India. The segment boundaries in the India plate are related to inherited structures, and the boundaries of the Shillong block are highlighted by seismic activity. We find that large earthquakes of the past millennium do not propagate across the segment boundaries defined by APaGA, therefore these seem to set limits for potential rupture of megathrust earthquakes.

Research Article| October 01, 2001 Stratigraphic architecture, magnetostratigraphy, and incised-valley systems of the Pliocene-Pleistocene collisional marine foreland basin of Taiwan Wen-Shan Chen; Wen-Shan Chen 1Department of Geology, National Taiwan University, 245 Choushan Road, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Kenneth D. Ridgway; Kenneth D. Ridgway 2Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-1397, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Chorng-Shern Horng; Chorng-Shern Horng 3Institute of Earth Sciences, Academica Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Yue-Gau Chen; Yue-Gau Chen 4Department of Geology, National Taiwan University, 245 Choushan Road, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Kai-Shuan Shea; Kai-Shuan Shea 5Central Geological Survey, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Ming-Guan Yeh Ming-Guan Yeh 6Taiwan Petroleum Exploration Division, Chinese Petroleum Corporation, P.O. Box 63, Miaoli, Taiwan, Republic of China Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Wen-Shan Chen 1Department of Geology, National Taiwan University, 245 Choushan Road, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China Kenneth D. Ridgway 2Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-1397, USA Chorng-Shern Horng 3Institute of Earth Sciences, Academica Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China Yue-Gau Chen 4Department of Geology, National Taiwan University, 245 Choushan Road, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China Kai-Shuan Shea 5Central Geological Survey, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China Ming-Guan Yeh 6Taiwan Petroleum Exploration Division, Chinese Petroleum Corporation, P.O. Box 63, Miaoli, Taiwan, Republic of China Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 21 Apr 2000 Revision Received: 07 Feb 2001 Accepted: 06 Mar 2001 First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 Geological Society of America GSA Bulletin (2001) 113 (10): 1249–1271. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(2001)113<1249:SAMAIV>2.0.CO;2 Article history Received: 21 Apr 2000 Revision Received: 07 Feb 2001 Accepted: 06 Mar 2001 First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Wen-Shan Chen, Kenneth D. Ridgway, Chorng-Shern Horng, Yue-Gau Chen, Kai-Shuan Shea, Ming-Guan Yeh; Stratigraphic architecture, magnetostratigraphy, and incised-valley systems of the Pliocene-Pleistocene collisional marine foreland basin of Taiwan. GSA Bulletin 2001;; 113 (10): 1249–1271. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(2001)113<1249:SAMAIV>2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract Lithofacies analysis, magnetostratigraphy, and seismic profiles of Pliocene-Pleistocene foreland basin deposits of Taiwan provide a framework to evaluate the stratigraphic development of a collisional marine foreland basin. We have recognized several scales of stratigraphic packages and unconformities in deposits of the Taiwan foreland basin. Small-scale (20 to 150 m thick) stratigraphic sequences contain upward-shallowing, marine lithofacies successions that are bracketed by thin coquina sandstones. We interpret the small-scale stratigraphic packages as "parasequences" in the traditional sequence stratigraphy model, the thin coquina sandstones representing marine-flooding intervals. The average duration of individual small-scale packages was in the range of 37.5 k.y., on the basis of our magnetostratigraphy. These sequences are interpreted as the product of eustatic sea- level change possibly related to the orbital time series of obliquity.Intermediate-scale stratigraphic sequences are 150 to 1000 m thick and are bounded by unconformities that are well exposed in outcrop and can be clearly identified in seismic sections. The unconformity surfaces have several hundred meters of relief and represent periods of major fluvial valley incision in the foreland basin. One of the unconformities is locally an angular one that we interpret as representing a growth structure that formed during structural uplift of the proximal margin of the foreland basin at ca. 1.25 Ma. Across this angular unconformity, there were marked increases in rates of sediment accumulation and tectonic subsidence in the foreland basin. Other major unconformities that bound intermediate-scale stratigraphic sequences are high-relief disconformities. These unconformities may be the product of eustatic changes, because there has been little change in rates of sediment accumulation and tectonic subsidence across these unconformities. The duration of individual, intermediate-scale packages ranges from ∼100 000 to 700 000 yr, on the basis of magnetostratigraphy and biostratigraphy. We interpret the intermediate-scale sequences as "sequences" in the traditional sequence stratigraphy model.Our analysis of the Pliocene-Pleistocene deposits of the Taiwan foreland basin has several implications for understanding the stratigraphic evolution of this collisional marine foreland basin. (1) Deposition in the Taiwan foreland basin appears to have been punctuated by at least five episodes of erosion and major fluvial valley incision. Large volumes of sediment were eroded from the proximal margin of the foreland basin and transported to more distal parts of the foreland basin or to depocenters outside the foreland basin system during all stages of basin development. (2) The presence of high-relief unconformities and growth structures in the Pliocene-Pleistocene foreland basin deposits suggests a well-developed wedge-top depozone in the foreland basin system. (3) The Pliocene- Pleistocene strata of the foreland basin of Taiwan record ∼2.3 m.y. of deposition, on the basis of our magnetostratigraphy. Sediment accumulation rate was on the order of ∼950 m/m.y. during the earlier stages of basin development. During the later stages of basin development, sediment accumulation rate increased to ∼1900 m/m.y. Sediment accumulation rates in the collisional marine foreland basin of Taiwan are much higher than previously published rates from more extensively studied retroarc foreland basins and collisional nonmarine foreland basins. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.

Three conceptual models are evaluated for estimating transmissivity ( T ) fields using data from sequential pumping tests at a field site and data from similar tests simulated in a synthetic aquifer. The three approaches are (1) an equivalent homogeneous approach, (2) a heterogeneous approach based on a single pumping test, and (3) a heterogeneous approach based on joint interpretation of the sequential pumping tests (i.e., hydraulic tomography, HT). They are evaluated on the basis of their abilities to obtain representative estimates of the T field of the aquifer and, more importantly, on the ability of their estimates to predict drawdown distributions in the aquifer induced by independent validation pumping tests. Results show that the first approach yields scenario‐dependent T estimates, which vary with the location of the pumping well. Independent validation tests show that the predicted drawdowns in both aquifers are biased and dispersed. While the second approach produces scenario‐dependent T spatial distributions capturing the general pattern of the aquifer, the T fields consistently yield better drawdown predictions than those based on the first approach. Lastly, the joint interpretation approach reduces the scenario dependence of the T estimates and improves the quality of the T estimates as more data sets from sequential pumping tests are included. More importantly, the resultant T estimates lead to the best prediction of different flow events. The robustness of the joint interpretation is then elucidated.

Abstract This study proposes a sediment‐budget model to predict the temporal variation of debris volume stored in a debris‐flow prone watershed. The sediment‐budget is dominated by shallow landslides and debris outflow. The basin topography and the debris volume stored in the source area of the debris‐flow prone watershed help evaluating its debris‐flow susceptibility. The susceptibility model is applied to the Tungshih area of central western Taiwan. The importance of the debris volume in predicting debris‐flow susceptibility is reflected in the standardized coefficients of the proposed statistical discriminant model. The high prediction rate (0·874) for the occurrence of debris flows justifies the capability of the proposed susceptibility models to predict the occurrence of debris flows. This model is then used to evaluate the temporal evolution of the debris‐flow susceptibility index. The analysis results show that the numbers of watershed which are classified as a debris‐flow group correspond well to storage of sediment at different time periods. These numbers are 10 before the occurrence of Chi‐Chi earthquake, 13 after the occurrence of Chi‐Chi earthquake, 16 after the occurrence of landslides induced by Typhoon Mindulle (Typhoon M), and 14 after the occurrence of debris flows induced by Typhoon M. It indicates that the occurrence of 7·6 Chi‐Chi earthquake had significant impact on the debris flow occurrence during subsequent typhoons. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

We detected 12 landquakes in Taiwan with collapse areas between 0.27 and 2.48 km2 associated with rock collapse, rockslide and debris and/or rock avalanche during the passage of Typhoon Morakot in 2009. These events were recorded by seismic stations of the Broadband Array in Taiwan for Seismology. Their locations were determined by a cross-correlation technique that maximizes the coherency of horizontal envelope function among seismic stations with a mean location error of 1.92 km. We applied time-frequency analysis to estimate the bandwidth of seismic energy generated by the landquakes. The predominant frequency ranges from 0.5 to 5.0 Hz, with higher-frequency signals likely caused by block impact. We extracted signal duration (SD), peak ground velocity, rise time (TR), area of velocity envelope function (AE) from the closest station and estimated the collapse area (AC) and run-out distance (DR) by mapping satellite images. Based on aforementioned seismic and geometrical parameters, we defined the potential of initial impact (PI), the frequency of rock impact signal (fI) and the mean quasi-front velocity (Vf) as indicators of landquake types, especially for events with dam formation (dam-formation-type events). We also derived an empirical linear relationship between the envelope area (AE) and collapse area (AC) with a high correlation coefficient of 0.83. Our automatic approach is very effective for rapid determination of landquake centroid location and collapse area, and for identifying dam-formation event using records from existing real-time broad-band seismic networks, thus providing an important alternative for landquake hazard mitigation.

Governments, environmental groups and industry associations are reducing greenhouse gas emissions to insure environmental sustainability. Manufacturing plays an important role in economic development but is a main cause of global warming since production requires energy consumption. The supply chain leadership coalition has requested all members to publish their carbon emission data and to reduce emissions. In addition, the International Standard Organization (ISO) has legislated and published ISO14064 as an industrial guideline to control global greenhouse gas emissions. The British Standards Institution developed PAS2050 as the world's first government regulation to control a product's carbon footprint. Providing carbon labelling on products increases product appeals and sales revenues, but also increases manufacturing costs. This research aims to minimise a product's carbon footprint, while controlling its manufacturing cost during collaborative green product design and production planning. An economic input–output life cycle assessment approach is used to evaluate the carbon emissions of new products. The life cycle assessment identifies problematic carbon emissions within the supply chain. Based on the input and output data, the research applies system dynamics modelling to simulate and identify green product redesigns with cost-effective carbon footprints during manufacturing. The purpose of this research is to derive optimal means to reduce the carbon footprint for green product development and production. Finally, the paper uses the case of an electronic image projector to demonstrate the application of the methodology.

Abstract Although the first‐order pattern of present‐day deformation is relatively well resolved across the Himalayas, irregular data coverage limits detailed analyses of spatial variations of interseismic coupling. We provide the first GPS velocity field for the Bhutan Himalaya. Combined with published data, these observations show strong east‐west variations in coupling between central and eastern Bhutan. In contrast with previous estimations of first‐order uniform interseismic coupling along the Himalayan arc, we identify significant lateral variations: In western and central Bhutan, the fully coupled segment is 135–155 km wide with an abrupt downdip transition, whereas in eastern Bhutan the fully coupled segment is 100–120 km wide and is limited updip and downdip by partially creeping segments. This is the first observation of decoupling on the upper ramp along the Himalayan arc, with important implications for large earthquake surface rupture and seismic hazard.

Flood disasters have had a great impact on city development. Early flood warning systems (EFWS) are promising countermeasures against flood hazards and losses. Machine learning (ML) is the kernel for building a satisfactory EFWS. This paper first summarizes the ML methods proposed in this special issue for flood forecasts and their significant advantages. Then, it develops an intelligent hydroinformatics integration platform (IHIP) to derive a user-friendly web interface system through the state-of-the-art machine learning, visualization and system developing techniques for improving online forecast capability and flood risk management. The holistic framework of the IHIP includes five layers (data access, data integration, servicer, functional subsystem, and end-user application) and one database for effectively dealing with flood disasters. The IHIP provides real-time flood-related data, such as rainfall and multi-step-ahead regional flood inundation maps. The interface of Google Maps fused into the IHIP significantly removes the obstacles for users to access this system, helps communities in making better-informed decisions about the occurrence of floods, and alerts communities in advance. The IHIP has been implemented in the Tainan City of Taiwan as the study case. The modular design and adaptive structure of the IHIP could be applied with similar efforts to other cities of interest for assisting the authorities in flood risk management.