Storm Surge Inundation Analysis with Consideration of Building Shape and Layout at Ise Bay by Maximum Potential Typhoon

Global warming is feared to cause sea-level rise and intensification of typhoons, and these changes will lead to an increase in storm surge levels. For that reason, it is essential to predict the inundation areas for the maximum potential typhoon and evaluate the disaster mitigation effect of seawalls. In this study, we analyzed storm surge inundation of the inner part of Ise Bay (coast of Aichi and Mie Prefecture, Japan) due to the maximum potential typhoon in the future climate with global warming. In the analysis, a high-resolution topographical model was constructed considering buildings’ shape and arrangement and investigated the inundation process inside the seawall in detail. The results showed that buildings strongly influence the storm surge inundation process inside the seawall, and a high-velocity current is generated in some areas. It is also found that closing the seawall door delays the inundation inside the seawall, but the evacuation after inundation is more difficult under the seawall doors closed condition than opened condition when the high tide level exceeds the seawall.

Investigation of Biofilms Formed on Steelmaking Slags in Marine Environments for Water Depuration

Steelmaking slags are a promising resource as artificial seaweed beds for the reconstitution of marine environments. To grow seaweed well, the formation of biofilms is an essential process in biofouling. This study focused on the formation of initial biofilms on steelmaking slag samples and analyzed the resulting bacterial communities using the next-generation sequencing technique. Three types of steelmaking slag were submerged in an area of Ise Bay in Mie Prefecture, Japan, for 3 and 7 days in the summer and winter seasons to allow the formation of biofilms. The bacterial communities of these biofilms were richer in sulfur-oxidizing bacteria compared to the biofilms formed on polyurethane sponges. It was found that Helicobacteraceae dominantly grew on the biofilms formed on the slag samples. This shows that steelmaking slags have potential to be used as artificial seaweed beds and marine water purifiers.