Thermal, hydraulic and mechanical stabilities of slopes covered with　Sasa nipponica

Following a comprehensive field studyevaluatingthermal, hydraulic, and mechanical stabili-ties of a slope covered with Sasa nipponica, a type of dwarf bamboo (known as Sasa), against slope failure in a cold region (eastern Hokkaido in Japan), it was found that thermal stability increases due to a decrease in freezing and frost heaving of the surface layer caused by the adiabatic effects of Sasa litter and the snow it retained. Further, Sasa plays a role in reducing the effect of rainfall due to the water retention by the Sasa rhizome layer in the surface soil, thereby increasing hydraulic stability. Through surveys of surface failures caused by an earthquake in places on wild slopes covered with Sasa, the mechanical stability was evaluated using the safety factor in a static condition expressed as a function of the leaf area index (LAI), which exceeds 1.37, owing to the reinforcing effect of the rhizomes.http://www.crcpress.com/utility_search/search_results.jsf?conversationId=93320