HydroMet: A New Code for Automated Objective Optimization of Hydrometeorological Thresholds for Landslide Initiation
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Dear author,
I have gone through the paper and found that It is an interesting research for the global researchers, empirically sound contribution to knowledge in a very important field of study. It is well written by taking care of novelties and presented, therefore, is suitable for publication with minor corrections in conclusion. Request author to re-write the conclusion fst paragraph in fruitful ways, plz.
All the best
Author Response
Comment:
Dear author,
I have gone through the paper and found that It is an interesting research for the global researchers, empirically sound contribution to knowledge in a very important field of study. It is well written by taking care of novelties and presented, therefore, is suitable for publication with minor corrections in conclusion. Request author to re-write the conclusion fst paragraph in fruitful ways, plz.
All the best
Response:
Thank you for the comment. I have edited the first paragraph of the conclusion to describe how this new program can be used in new ways compared to preexisting methods and discussed the benefits of a thresholds determined by both rainfall and soil saturation.
Reviewer 2 Report
Dear authors,
thank you for the possibilities you give to the scientific and professional community with your HydroMet tool.
The manuscript is well structured and presented, although I have some doubts about it.
Throughout the manuscript, there is never talk of lithologies of the study areas, which obviously influence in a very important way all the parameters that regulate the occurrence of landslides. With your method (relationship between rainfalls and landslides) you can recognize the various parameters to be inserted in a LEWS system even without knowing the lithologies that characterize the study area? I would like to see a better explanation of this aspect.
Furthermore, I’m not sure about what types of landslides your tool is designed for. Can it be used only for shallow landslides or is it designed to recognize the characteristic parameters of any type of landslide (even in rocky landslides)?
Finally (more a curiosity than a real review), this tool seems to be very effectively designated for areas where there is a detailed dataset of landslides that occurred in the area. Do you think it is possible to implement the structuring of LEWS and thresholds even in areas where there is no detailed dataset?
Minor comments:
Figure 1: In my opinion, it would be better to transform this image as a table.
Line 243: Remove the bracket
Line 275: Insert a comma after saturation
Line 304: (a) AS a percentage
Following the guidelines of the journal, there is no need for space after the text of each paragraph.
Insert references to the figures/tables in the text with the capital letter (i.e., Figure 1)
Best regards
Author Response
Comment 1:
Throughout the manuscript, there is never talk of lithologies of the study areas, which obviously influence in a very important way all the parameters that regulate the occurrence of landslides. With your method (relationship between rainfalls and landslides) you can recognize the various parameters to be inserted in a LEWS system even without knowing the lithologies that characterize the study area? I would like to see a better explanation of this aspect.
Response 1: The report has been updated to address the lack of lithology information. With this tool and data set, we decided to only look at simpler data to collect like rainfall and soil saturation as the contributor towards a landslide occurring. The lithologies within a location should be fairly consistent due to the relatively small area of data collection so there should not be much variation in lithologies at each site.
Comment 2:
Furthermore, I’m not sure about what types of landslides your tool is designed for. Can it be used only for shallow landslides or is it designed to recognize the characteristic parameters of any type of landslide (even in rocky landslides)?
Response 2:
Clarity has been added to describe the types of landslides ( which happens to be all types) that this tool can be used on.
Comment 3:
Finally (more a curiosity than a real review), this tool seems to be very effectively designated for areas where there is a detailed dataset of landslides that occurred in the area. Do you think it is possible to implement the structuring of LEWS and thresholds even in areas where there is no detailed dataset?
Response 3: While touched on briefly in the report, we also had a few datasets where positive pore pressure was used as a proxy for landslide occurrences and thresholds were found from that with the hope that once landslide data for the area is know, the thresholds can be tested for accuracy.
Minor comments 4:
Figure 1: In my opinion, it would be better to transform this image as a table.
Line 243: Remove the bracket
Line 275: Insert a comma after saturation
Line 304: (a) AS a percentage
Following the guidelines of the journal, there is no need for space after the text of each paragraph.
Insert references to the figures/tables in the text with the capital letter (i.e., Figure 1)
Response 4: All minor comments were revised as suggested.
Reviewer 3 Report
The technical note describes the HydroMet code developed to determine landslide thresholds based on cumulative precipitation and antecedent saturation data.
The research represents a significant implementation of the use of rainfall intensity-duration triggering thresholds, particularly for superficial landslides.
Based on personal experiences, only the correlation of data related to trigger thresholds and soil parameters in susceptible areas can offer improvements in forecasting, reducing uncertainties.
In areas that can be considered homogeneous from a geological viewpoint, the use of the code could help in forecasting, especially if local geomorphological and hydrogeological structures predisposing the landslide phenomena are known in detail. In surficial landsliding, the role of local micro-geomorphological settings in triggering landslide phenomena is evident (see as an example the Debris avalanches and debris Flows in Campania, Guadagno et al. 2005).
I think that when we will be able to in deep correlate triggering thresholds, local characteristics and data but also satellite data, we will have actively contributed to risk mitigation.
I will try to use and re-elaborate data relating to the Campania area in different geological environments!
Author Response
Comment 1:
I think that when we will be able to in deep correlate triggering thresholds, local characteristics and data but also satellite data, we will have actively contributed to risk mitigation.
I will try to use and re-elaborate data relating to the Campania area in different geological environments!
Response 1: Thank you for the suggestion of the use of satellite data. We hope this program can grow and we can use new and more data types to better predict thresholds.
Reviewer 4 Report
Dear Authors, I read you paper entitled: HydroMet: A new code for automated objective optimization of 2 hydrometeorological thresholds for landslide initiation. I believe that technical note is the appropriate category. The manuscript is clear and well made, I have only few comments about it. I would suggest the authors to create a GUI for their code, in this way it could be used by a broader audience. Best Regards
Comments for author File: 
Comments.pdf
Author Response
Comment 1: I would suggest the authors to create a GUI for their code, in this way it could be used by a broader audience
Response 1: While discussed breifly in the paper, we mention that a separate GUI was experimented with in the form of a Binder, but many complications arose with the compatibility of the Binder with the program. Future iterations might include a better GUI.
Minor comments in PDF: There were a few comments asking for clarity within the attached PDF
Response to minor comments: All comments within the PDF below left by the reviewer involved clarity within the report and clarity was given to answer the provided questions.
