China: Technologies help China weather through geological disasters during flood season.

Storyline Technologies help China weather through geological disasters during flood season The July and August months are a time of critical flood control in China's mountainous southwest. This year scientists and researchers are using a range of technologies to help spot geological disasters before they strike. The Wumeng mountain region is made up of a "sandwich-like" geological structure with hard rock layered on top of soft rock, which is prone to landslides. Traditional foot patrols often miss hidden danger spots, especially when dense vegetation or winter snow covers the terrain. To tackle this, researchers from the China Geological Survey have developed a thermal infrared-based detection system that combines satellites and drones to alert researchers to anomalies in the mountain. Tie Yongbo, chief expert on geological disasters, Chengdu Center, China Geological Survey: "If the entire mountain is covered in snow at zero degrees Celsius, but certain spots suddenly show ten degrees, that's an anomaly. These temperature anomalies appear in strips. Connected, they reveal cracks in the mountain, allowing us to assess slope stability." Another technology involves deep analysis tree rings. Scientists say the rings of a tree are a natural early detector because they show how the ground could be shifting. Tie Yongbo, chief expert on geological disasters, Chengdu Center, China Geological Survey: "When a tree's water absorption is affected, its annual ring becomes narrower. The exceptionally narrow rings in these sections, for instance, signal abnormalities, suggesting this slope has been undergoing deformation in recent years." Data gathering is a pillar of the new high-tech early detection system but analyzing it all has been a bottleneck. To manage data points from the region's 300,000 devices in more than 70,000 base stations, the China Institute of Geo-Environment Monitoring has created an AI agent to help. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]