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New Technologies in Geo-Hazards Analysis, Hydrogeology and River Restoration

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Earth Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 June 2023) | Viewed by 11875

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Department of Geography, PRODIG Laboratory, University of Paris, F-75205 Paris, France
Interests: hydrogeomorphology; geoarcheology; geomorphological mapping; field data; hydro-geo-hazard analysis; river restoration

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Strong societal pressures are now seeking to restore balance to environments that have been destabilized by many years of poor practices in valley bottoms, geological subsoil, and slopes. The task is enormous to put back into good order watersheds that are increasingly frequented and inhabited but also subject to risks linked to the disharmony between society and nature. The scientific community, whether from the hydro-geosciences or the social sciences, is very involved in these issues, which concern the analysis of geo-hazards, hydrogeology, and river restoration. This is helped by the global context: landslides are recurrent in the world, causing many serious events every year; groundwater is facing serious pollution problems (water quality), as well as serious scarcity problems, both in cities and in the countryside (water quantity); riverbeds have never been as much of an issue as they are today, as many countries want to reverse the centuries-old trend of damming and enclosing rivers by renaturation or rewilding while limiting flood risk.

The consideration of natural risks and their management on a watershed scale require a good understanding of not only physical but also human processes. More and more, the populations are asked to give their opinion on the way to manage their territory, which can influence the main orientations of the restoration works, whether it is about the slopes, the subsoil, or the rivers. Solving major environmental issues requires technological development, which includes the renewal of conceptual approaches, development of new methods, and the formalization of new societal paradigms, fully embodying what the population living in the watershed wants today and tomorrow.

The Special Issue New Technologies in Geo-Hazards Analysis, Hydrogeology, and River Restoration intends to echo this state of ongoing research, concerned both with technical progress but also listening to societal expectations, by answering three questions: (i) What are the new concepts, methods and techniques (field measurements, geomatics, modeling, etc.) to better understand the functioning of slopes, subsoil waters, and alluvial plains, separately and/or in combination? (ii) How can these new scientific contributions help to reduce the risk of floods, water shortages, pollution, and landslides, in order to bring environments more in line with sustainable development expectations? (iii) How can these new technologies proposed by researchers be used and integrated by watershed managers to improve bio-hydro-morpho-ecological conditions and human/nature harmonization?

In this Special Issue, we invite authors to submit original research papers, reviews, and viewpoint articles related to recent advances at all levels of the applications and technologies of geo-hazards analysis, hydrogeology, and river restoration. We are particularly interested in presenting emerging technologies related to coupled or separate approaches that may have a significant impact on this research field. We are open to papers addressing a broad range of topics, from foundational topics regarding theoretical issues of hydro-geo-hazards to novel algorithms improving classical vision problems, advanced and technological systems for interesting applications, and innovative approaches from the perspective of a coupled or separate approach to environmental restoration.

Topics of interest for this Special Issue dealing with geo-hazard analysis, hydrogeology, and river restoration include (but are not limited to):

  • New mapping techniques;
  • Machine learning, deep learning, and artificial intelligence;
  • New methods for automatic extraction of environmental data from images;
  • Three-dimensional imaging, analysis, and applications;
  • Design, acquisition, analysis, processing, and perspective of field data;
  • Ecology, hydrology, hydraulics, geomorphology, geology, hydrogeology, sedimentology, and geochemistry;
  • Water quality and water resources;
  • Sediment budgets and water balance;
  • River rehabilitation and river conservation;
  • Managing sediment (dis)connectivity in watersheds;
  • Natural risks and technological risks;
  • Environment and risk management;
  • Environmental dynamics, behavior, trajectory, and event analysis using imagery, statistics, and modeling;   
  • Environmental governance and education;
  • Human impacts on river systems, slopes, and subsoils;
  • Participatory science;
  • Quantification of physical and/or human processes;
  • Combined analysis of quantitative and qualitative data;
  • Multi-criteria and multi-disciplinary data analysis;
  • Decision support;
  • New methods for annual tracking of changes
  • Management, use and development of large databases;
  • Geohistory and environmental restoration;
  • Spatialization and temporality;
  • Trend vs. catastrophism vs. uniformitarism.

Prof. Dr. Gilles Arnaud-Fassetta
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Editorial

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2 pages, 172 KiB  
Editorial
New Technologies in Geo-Hazards Analysis, Hydrogeology and River Restoration
by Gilles Arnaud-Fassetta
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(19), 10773; https://doi.org/10.3390/app131910773 - 28 Sep 2023
Viewed by 679
Abstract
Strong societal pressures are now seeking to restore balance to environments that have been destabilized by many years of poor practices in valley bottoms, geological subsoil and slopes [...] Full article

Research

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25 pages, 8458 KiB  
Article
The Taconnaz Rockfall (Mont-Blanc Massif, European Alps) of November 2018: A Complex and At-Risk Rockwall-Glacier-Torrent Morphodynamic Continuum
by Ludovic Ravanel, Pierre-Allain Duvillard, Laurent Astrade, Thierry Faug, Philip Deline, Johan Berthet, Maëva Cathala, Florence Magnin, Alexandre Baratier and Xavier Bodin
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(17), 9716; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13179716 - 28 Aug 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3572
Abstract
The glacial and torrential basin of Taconnaz (Mont-Blanc massif, France) dominates the Chamonix valley. It is one of the major paths for snow avalanches in the Alps, often triggered by serac falls from the Taconnaz glacier. On 24 November 2018, the basin’s multi-risk [...] Read more.
The glacial and torrential basin of Taconnaz (Mont-Blanc massif, France) dominates the Chamonix valley. It is one of the major paths for snow avalanches in the Alps, often triggered by serac falls from the Taconnaz glacier. On 24 November 2018, the basin’s multi-risk nature was further accentuated by a new type of hazard with a rockfall triggered at c. 2700 m a.s.l. It travelled down over a distance of 1.85 km and stopped 165 m away from the construction site of a micro-hydroelectric power station. We studied the triggering conditions at the permafrost lower limit, the effects of the supra-glacial path on the flow patterns, and the fate of the scar and the deposit on torrential activity. By comparing a pre-event Structure from Motion model with a post-event LiDAR model, we estimated the volume of the scar to be 42,900 m3 (±5%). A numerical model was employed to simulate the rapid runout. It revealed the complexity of the flow, attributed to the sequestration of a part of the deposit in crevasses, the incorporation of a significant volume of ice resulting in a transition from a dry granular flow to a mud-like flow, and the presence of numerous deposit zones. Subsequent monitoring of the area after the event allowed for the documentation of the scar’s evolution, including a landslide, as well as the progressive degradation and evacuation of the deposit by the torrent without producing debris flow. The study of the triggering factors indicated glacial retreat as the probable main cause, assisted by the melting of ice lenses left by the permafrost disappearance. Finally, we present replicable methods for managing risks at the site following the event. This event improves the understanding of cascading processes that increasingly impact Alpine areas in the context of climate change. Full article
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19 pages, 7247 KiB  
Article
Removal of Riprap within Channelized Rivers: A Solution for the Restoration of Lateral Channel Dynamics and Bedload Replenishment?
by Anaïs Arfeuillère, Johannes Steiger, Emmanuèle Gautier, Stéphane Petit, Erwan Roussel, Franck Vautier, Olivier Voldoire and Julien Saillard
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(5), 2981; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13052981 - 25 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1771
Abstract
Riverbank erosion is an essential morphodynamic process for the improvement of river health and the ecohydrogeomorphological functioning of alluvial rivers. Lateral channel dynamics and sediment supply caused by bank erosion largely create and maintain heterogeneous in-channel habitats for fauna and aquatic or riparian [...] Read more.
Riverbank erosion is an essential morphodynamic process for the improvement of river health and the ecohydrogeomorphological functioning of alluvial rivers. Lateral channel dynamics and sediment supply caused by bank erosion largely create and maintain heterogeneous in-channel habitats for fauna and aquatic or riparian plant species. However, humans very early started to stabilize riverbanks in order to favour navigation or to prevent valuable land and infrastructures close to the channel from eroding. During the 20th century, bank protection works such as riprap considerably increased and blocked lateral channel erosion, causing a loss of local sediment supply, which in turn resulted in a decrease in local bedload transport and channel incision. The aim of the article is to evaluate to what extent riprap removal may be an efficient restoration measure in terms of the reactivation of bank erosion and the replenishment of the local bedload in gravel-bed floodplain rivers with a sufficient amount of freedom space. An experimental in situ restoration approach was chosen. First, riprap was removed at two geomorphologically contrasting sites on the Allier River, France. Second, bank retreat was monitored, and the volumes eroded were quantified using photogrammetric and LiDAR surveys. Third, in the case of post-restoration bank erosion, grain size and morphological channel evolution analyses were carried out. Our results suggested that the removal of riprap is an effective measure for certain but not all channelized floodplain reaches. The geomorphological and sedimentary contexts are two criteria that should be considered when selecting sites for restoration. Thus, this study helps river managers to better target the criteria to be taken into account for the selection of sites with high potential for the restoration of lateral channel dynamics. Full article
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22 pages, 14750 KiB  
Article
Agent-Based Modelling of the Evolution of Hydro-Sedimentary Connectivity: The Case of Flash Floods on Arable Plateaus
by Mahefa Mamy Rakotoarisoa, Romain Reulier and Daniel Delahaye
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(5), 2967; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13052967 - 25 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1317
Abstract
Land use and landscape structure play an important role in the functioning of flash floods on the arable plateaus of northern France. Landscape structures have changed considerably over the last decades with an increase in runoff-producing surfaces and an enlargement of the plots. [...] Read more.
Land use and landscape structure play an important role in the functioning of flash floods on the arable plateaus of northern France. Landscape structures have changed considerably over the last decades with an increase in runoff-producing surfaces and an enlargement of the plots. This evolution results in an increase in runoff volumes accompanied by an increasingly easy diffusion of runoff on the slopes. There is therefore potentially an increasingly frequent and important spatial connectivity from the plots to the thalwegs, which can lead to the formation of flash floods. This study proposes to model this diachronic evolution of connectivity in a small agricultural basin of Seine Maritime using a multiagent system (MAS) and to develop synthetic indicators characterising these spatial links in the flow processes. The model outputs show that spatial connectivity has been steadily increasing over the past 70 years due to the enlargement of the parcel grid and the growth of runoff surfaces. For example, for the same 20 mm/h rainfall, the connectivity indicator increases from 40.99% (in 1947) to 78.33% (in 2015). This observation is observed for all levels of rainfall intensity, including the lowest. This modelling, carried out for a 116 ha basin in arable farming, can be transposed to all small agricultural basins. Full article
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9 pages, 1701 KiB  
Article
An Observation of the Changing Trends of a River Channel Pattern in Bangladesh Using Satellite Images
by Md Wahiduzzaman and Alea Yeasmin
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(22), 11604; https://doi.org/10.3390/app122211604 - 15 Nov 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1890
Abstract
The shifting pattern of the Ganges-Padma River in Bangladesh is examined using satellite images. The meandering Ganges-Padma River has recently transformed into a braided river. Satellite imageries from 1973–2016 are used to compute the sinuosity ratio and braiding index (two measures that allow [...] Read more.
The shifting pattern of the Ganges-Padma River in Bangladesh is examined using satellite images. The meandering Ganges-Padma River has recently transformed into a braided river. Satellite imageries from 1973–2016 are used to compute the sinuosity ratio and braiding index (two measures that allow for the trend analysis). It turns out that both the sinuosity ratio and the braiding index went up with time, surpassing the cut-off for meandering. Overall, the braiding index variation exceeds the sinuosity variation. Full article
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Review

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26 pages, 2741 KiB  
Review
Improving Grain Size Analysis to Characterize Sedimentary Processes in a Low-Energy River: A Case Study of the Charente River (Southwest France)
by Amélie Duquesne and Jean-Michel Carozza
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(14), 8061; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13148061 - 10 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1503
Abstract
The recognition and quantification of fluvial transport and depositional processes has widely been studied. However, few works have focused on the interpretation and quantification of sedimentary processes in low-energy fluvial environments. This paper features and compares the results of five methods of grain [...] Read more.
The recognition and quantification of fluvial transport and depositional processes has widely been studied. However, few works have focused on the interpretation and quantification of sedimentary processes in low-energy fluvial environments. This paper features and compares the results of five methods of grain size data processing (statistic moments, textural analysis, multivariate statistics combining Principal Component Analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis, and CM image and end-member modeling analysis) and discusses their efficiencies in characterizing low-energy alluvial plain deposits. These environments are characterized by fine grain size, high-homogeneity deposits at the macroscopic scale, and low grain size variability, hence presenting a difficulty in identifying and splitting an apparently homogeneous sedimentary record into sedimentary sequences. These statistical methods are applied on a ~9 m long core extracted from the fluvial island of la Baine located in the downstream section of the Charente River (Chaniers, Charente-Maritime, France). In the light of these results, elementary statistical parameters (statistical moments, modes, and sorting index) have limited interest in the sedimentary description and interpretation of fine fluvial deposits. Textural analyses are more informative but highly dependent on the classification scheme. Only the multivariate statistics approach and end-member modeling analysis present interesting results and allow the robust identification of sub-units. However, multivariate statistics results are dependent on the choice of input variables and do not support non-zero values, while the second method, the most recent and complex one, needs further developments to clearly connect end-member classes to sedimentary processes. Full article
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