Numerical simulation of dense clouds on steep slopes: application to powder-snow avalanches

• Published in: Annals of Glaciology
• Main Authors: Etienne, Jocelyn, Saramito, Pierre, Hopfinger, Emil J.
• Other Authors: Laboratoire de Modélisation et Calcul (LMC - IMAG), Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble (INPG)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire des Écoulements Géophysiques et Industriels Grenoble (LEGI), Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2005
• Subjects: [SDU.STU.GL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Glaciology; [PHYS.PHYS.PHYS-AO-PH]Physics [physics]/Physics [physics]/Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics [physics.ao-ph]; Annals of Glaciology
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-00222930; https://hal.science/hal-00222930/document; https://hal.science/hal-00222930/file/Etienne2004.pdf; https://doi.org/10.3189/172756404781815031

International audience In this paper, two-dimensional direct numerical simulations (DNS) of dense clouds moving down steep slopes are presented for the first time. The results obtained are in good agreement with the overall characteristics, i.e. the spatial growth rate and velocity variations, of clouds studied in the laboratory. In addition to the overall flow structure, DNS provide local density and velocity variations inside the cloud, not easily accessible in experiments. The validity of two-dimensional simulations as a first approach is confirmed by the dynamics of the flow and by comparison with experimental results. The interest of the results for powder-snow avalanches is discussed; it is concluded that two-dimensionality is acceptable and that large density differences need to be taken into account in future simulations.