Application of a Hydrologic Model Considering Rainwater Storage to Analyze Storm-induced Landslides in a Forest Catchment

In this study, a conceptual hydrologic model was applied for the analysis of storm-induced landslides, which were affected by typhoons in 2004, in the forest catchments of Ehime Prefecture, Japan. Through the model, hydrologic conditions such as rainfall intensity, rainwater storage, and soil moisture behavior in 2004 were obtained and compared with other 19 years (1985 ∼ 2003). Furthermore, the relationship between landslide occurrence and hydrologic phenomena in the catchments were assessed. Results of this study indicated that soil moisture, excess rainfall storage combined with rainfall intensity, and its duration in the forest were the key elements for the occurrence of landslides. The hydrologic model in this study was able to represent hydrologic phenomena reasonably and it can be used for the estimation of discharge, soil moisture content, and water storage in catchments. The concept of this model is available to be applied in other areas and can be expected to provide important information on soil moisture behavior for forecasting and preventing landslide disasters. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media, Inc. 2008