Impacts and Vulnerability Assessment of Landslides to Climate Change in Various Scales

Abstract

Republic of Korea has increasingly experienced extreme weather events such as typhoons or heavy rainfall because of climate change. Extreme weather events result in damage in different forms, among which damage caused by landslide occurs every year. Landslide not only damages property but also causes human loss and calls for imperative adaptive measures to prevent or reduce damage. Currently, studies that seek to identify landslide-prone regions and high-priority areas that need adaptive measures are becoming important field. Impact of climate change is found on a variety of scales and in many regions, and yet, adaptive measures have been taken in different forms at the levels of nation, province, and county. Data and evaluation of the impact of climate change can differ to the scales of study target. Thus, proper method also differ to scale when assessing the impact of climate change. The purpose of this study is, in this sense, to develop and apply a methodology for different scales—central government, province, and counties—to evaluate the impact of and vulnerability to climate change on the occurrence of landslides. The research developed a methodology and framework for finding vulnerable and hazard areas considering different scales and available data. At the national level, the study evaluated many items including landslide and found key vulnerable regions, which the central government needs to priority for support. At the provincial level, the study analyzed areas prone to landslide in Gangwon-do Province from the present to the future and found out specific regions that need adaptive measures. At the county level, Inje-gun of Gangwon-do Province was assessed by 10 models to investigate high-risk areas with uncertainties of models, and the uncertainties were quantified to assist establishing more effective adaptive measures. This study seeks to propose a method that can support decision-makers in establishing adaptation measures against climate change, by developing and applying a viable methodology and framework that can tailor to each users objective and available data for evaluating the impact of climate change. The results would be help for establishing adaptive measures to reduce damage from landslide and evaluating the impact of and vulnerability to climate change by governments of different scales.