A Dilatant Two-Fluid Debris Flow Model for Hazard Analysis in Changing Mountain Environments ...

• Main Author: Meyrat, Guillaume
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: ETH Zurich 2023
• Subjects: Debris flow modeling; infoeu-repo/classification/ddc/500; Natural sciences; FOS Natural sciences; Ice; permafrost
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000623278; http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/623278

Gravitationally driven flows of mud and sediment debris are causing a growing threat to mountain populations. Rock/ice avalanches, glacier lake outburst floods (GLOFs) and debris flows are in- creasingly a result of a global temperature rise, which is leading directly to the thawing of mountain permafrost and melting of glaciers. When coupled with extreme precipitation events, the mobiliza- tion of loose sediments leads to dangerous water-saturated flows that can cause human fatalities and severe infrastructure damage. Understanding the dynamics of debris flows is essential to develop land planning and technical measures to protect mountain communities. Numerical modeling of debris flows provides hazard engineers with a predictive tool to help plan and construct mitigation measures, including developing real-time warning systems. With the recent increase in computer power, it is now possible to simulate debris flow motion from initiation to run-out. Numerical modeling therefore links initial conditions, ...