Combining landslide susceptibility maps and rainfall thresholds using a matrix approach

Abstract

On the regional scale, investigations on future landslide can broadly be distinguished in spatial or temporal analyses, i.e. landslide susceptibility or hazard maps, and landslide triggering rainfall thresholds. Even though both approaches have its uses e.g. in spatial planning, risk management and early warning, they also have limitations. Susceptibility and hazard maps do not contain information on when landslides will be triggered, while rainfall thresholds give no detailed indication on where a landslide might take place. The combination of spatial and temporal landslide research remains a complex issue and no ready-to-use methodology for combined spatiotemporal landslide analyses is presently available. In our study, we present a simple matrix approach to combine spatial and temporal landslide probabilities and highlight its application for a case study in the Wudu region, China. Landslide susceptibility mapping is based on a previous study involving logistic regression; the analysis of rainfall threshold was carried out applying the daily rainfall model. A 4x4 matrix was used to combine and reclassify the spatial and temporal landslide information. The results are then plotted on a map to highlight the susceptibility for rainfall events with varying likelihood of triggering landslides.