Prediction of Runoff Sediment Volume Using Stochastic Analysis of Debris Flows Peak Discharge

Author(s):  
Toshiyuki Horiguchi ◽  
Yoshiharu Ishikawa
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chuxuan Li ◽  
Alexander L. Handwerger ◽  
Jiali Wang ◽  
Wei Yu ◽  
Xiang Li ◽  
...  

Abstract. In steep wildfire-burned terrains, intense rainfall can produce large volumes of runoff that can trigger highly destructive debris flows. The ability to accurately characterize and forecast debris-flow hazards in burned terrains, however, remains limited. Here, we augment the Weather Research and Forecasting Hydrological modeling system (WRF-Hydro) to simulate both overland and channelized flows and assess postfire debris-flow hazards over a regional domain. We perform hindcast simulations using high-resolution weather radar-derived precipitation and reanalysis data to drive non-burned baseline and burn scar sensitivity experiments. Our simulations focus on January 2021 when an atmospheric river triggered numerous debris flows within a wildfire burn scar in Big Sur – one of which destroyed California’s famous Highway 1. Compared to the baseline, our burn scar simulation yields dramatic increases in total and peak discharge, and shorter lags between rainfall onset and peak discharge. At Rat Creek, where Highway 1 was destroyed, discharge volume increases eight-fold and peak discharge triples relative to the baseline. For all catchments within the burn scar, we find that the median catchment-area normalized discharge volume increases nine-fold after incorporating burn scar characteristics, while the 95th percentile volume increases 13-fold. Catchments with anomalously high hazard levels correspond well with post-event debris flow observations. Our results demonstrate that WRF-Hydro provides a compelling new physics-based tool to investigate and potentially forecast postfire hydrologic hazards at regional scales.


2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 709-719 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Lira ◽  
M. Lousada ◽  
A. P. Falcão ◽  
A. B. Gonçalves ◽  
S. Heleno ◽  
...  

Abstract. On 20 February 2010, an extreme rainfall episode occurred on Madeira Island, which caused an exceptionally strong flash flood and several soil slip-debris flows, producing 45 confirmed deaths and 6 persons declared missing, as well as extensive material damages. In order to understand and quantify the importance of landsliding in routing sediment through mountainous drainage, such as Madeira Island's landscape, it was essential to perform extensive landslide analysis. This study describes the methodology used to semi-automatically detect the landslides, produce the landslide inventory maps and estimate the sediment volume produced during this particular event which ranged from 217 000 m3 to 344 000 m3 and 605 000 m3 to 984 000 m3 for the Funchal and Ribeira Brava basins, respectively. These results contributed to the design and implementation of measures to prevent damages caused by landslides in Madeira Island.


2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 291-298
Author(s):  
Holly Brunkal ◽  
Paul Santi

Abstract Compilation of a database of debris-flow peak discharges (Q) allowed for a comparison with the expected basin discharge, as computed using the rational equation, Q=CIA. The observed values of Q for debris flows in unburned and burned areas were divided by the computed Q values of runoff using the rational method. This ratio is the bulking factor for that debris-flow event. Unburned and burned basins constitute two distinct populations; analysis shows that the bulking factors for burned areas are consistently higher than those for unburned basins. Previously published bulking factors for unburned areas fit the data set in about 50 percent of the observed cases in our compiled data set. Bulking factors for burned areas that were found in the published literature were well below the observed increases in peak discharge in over 50 percent of the cases investigated. If used for design purposes, these bulking factors would result in a significant underestimation of the peak discharge from a burned basin for the given rainfall intensity. Peak discharge bulking rates were found to be inversely related to basin area.


Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 1256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xing-Long Gong ◽  
Kun-Ting Chen ◽  
Xiao-Qing Chen ◽  
Yong You ◽  
Jian-Gang Chen ◽  
...  

On 8 August 2017, an Ms 7.0 earthquake struck Jiuzhaigou Valley, triggering abundant landslides and providing a huge source of material for potential debris flows. After the earthquake debris flows were triggered by heavy rainfall, causing traffic disruption and serious property losses. This study aims to describe the debris flow events in Zechawa Gully, calculate the peak discharges of the debris flows, characterize the debris flow disasters, propose mitigation countermeasures to control these disasters and analyse the effectiveness of countermeasures that were implemented in May 2019. The results showed the following: (1) The frequency of the debris flows in Zechawa Gully with small- and medium-scale will increase due to the influence of the Ms 7.0 Jiuzhaigou earthquake. (2) An accurate debris flow peak discharge can be obtained by comparing the calculated results of four different methods. (3) The failure of a check dam in the channel had an amplification effect on the peak discharge, resulting in a destructive debris flow event on 4 August 2016. Due to the disaster risk posed by dam failure, both blocking and deposit stopping measures should be adopted for debris flow mitigation. (4) Optimized engineering countermeasures with blocking and deposit stopping measures were proposed and implemented in May 2019 based on the debris flow disaster characteristics of Zechawa Gully, and the reconstructed engineering projects were effective in controlling a post-earthquake debris flow disaster on 21 June 2019.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor Carvalho Cabral ◽  
Fábio Augusto Gomes Vieira Reis ◽  
Fernando Mazo D’Affonseca ◽  
Ana Lucía ◽  
Claudia Vanessa dos Santos Corrêa ◽  
...  

AbstractDebris flows represent great hazard to humans due to their high destructive power. Understanding their hydrogeomorphic dynamics is fundamental in hazard assessment studies, especially in subtropical and tropical regions where debris flows have scarcely been studied when compared to other mass-wasting processes. Thus, this study aims at systematically analyzing the meteorological and geomorphological factors that characterize a landslide-triggered debris flow at the Pedra Branca catchment (Serra do Mar, Brazil), to quantify the debris flow’s magnitude, peak discharge and velocity. A magnitude comparison with empirical equations (Italian Alps, Taiwan, Serra do Mar) is also conducted. The meteorological analysis is based on satellite data and rain gauge measurements, while the geomorphological characterization is based on terrestrial and aerial investigations, with high spatial resolution. The results indicate that it was a large-sized stony debris flow, with a total magnitude of 120,195 m3, a peak discharge of 2146.7 m3 s−1 and a peak velocity of 26.5 m s−1. The debris flow was triggered by a 188-mm rainfall in 3 h (maximum intensity of 128 mm h−1), with an estimated return period of 15 to 20 years, which, combined with the intense accumulation of on-channel debris (ca. 37,000 m3), indicates that new high-magnitude debris flows in the catchment and the region are likely to occur within the next two decades. The knowledge of the potential frequency and magnitude (F–M) can support the creation of F–M relationships for Serra do Mar, a prerequisite for reliable hazard management and monitoring programs.


1983 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 85-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilfried Haeberli

Damage due to glacier floods in the Swiss Alps occurs about once every two years at present, despite the pronounced retreat of glaciers during the twentieth century and the installation of many water reservoirs, which act as flood retention basins. Over half (60 to 70%) of the observed floods are caused by outbursts of marginal glacier lakes or sudden breaks of ice dams, and 30 to 40% by ruptures of water pockets. In a glacierized mountain region as densely populated as the Swiss Alps, even debris flows triggered by outbursts of very small water masses may be dangerous. Historical information about glacier floods in the Swiss Alps, although incomplete and heterogeneous, is used as an empirical basis for an attempt to recognize potential hazards at an early stage by considering outburst processes, volumes of water involved, potential peak-discharge values, lithology and inclination within the reach of glacier streams.


2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 257-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satoshi Tsuchiya ◽  
◽  
Fumitoshi Imaizumi ◽  

The Ohya-kuzure landslide, one of three largest catastrophic landslides in Japan, is assumed to have been triggered by a strong earthquake and a large-scale debris terrace in a channel downstream from landslide. We verified the time of the landslide’s occurrence, its volume, and the amount of sediment supplied to the main river downstream. The landslide’s occurrence in 1707 was confirmed by historical documents and earthquake records of sediment disasters. The landslide’s size was estimated to be 94 million m3, from the geomorphic change in the debris terrace. Moreover, it was presumed that 33% of the sediment accumulating as a debris terrace (29 million m3) was eroded, and that a sediment volume of 17 million m3 was supplied to the upstream region of the main river. Small-scale debris flows have been triggered recently in the source head of the landslide during heavy annual rainfalls. In 2006, a debris flow in Ichinosawa tributary with the most vigorous debris production and transport in the landslide was recorded during a typhoon. Hydrographs of the debris flow quantified by ultrasonic sensor and hydraulic pressure sensor supplemented video images.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Schimmel ◽  
Matteo Cesca ◽  
Pierpaolo Macconi ◽  
Velio Coviello ◽  
Francesco Comiti

<p>With the rapid socio-economic development of European mountain areas, the automatic detection and identification of mass movements like landslides, debris flows, and avalanches become more and more important to mitigate related risks by means of early warning systems. Past studies showed that such processes induce characteristic seismic and acoustic signals, the latter mostly in the infrasonic spectrum which can thus be used for event detection. Several investigations have already addressed signal processing and detection methods based on seismic or infrasound sensors. However, for developing an efficient warning system, not only the detection of events is important but also the identification of the event type (e.g. debris flow vs debris flood) and the estimation of its magnitude. So far, no method for such objectives has been developed which is based on the combination of both seismic and infrasonic signals.</p><p>This work presents a first approach to identify debris flows and debris floods magnitude based on the integration of infrasound and seismic data. First analysis shows that, for peak discharge, the use of infrasound amplitudes with a power curve fitting offers a good approach for finding an initial relationship between the recorded signals and this event parameter. For an estimation of the total volume, the discharge calculated with the relationship for peak discharge is integrated over the entire detection time of an event. Calculation of the peak discharge based on infrasound data offers a good approximation, but, for the calculation of the total volume, this method shows still a wide variance.</p><p>The method will be applied to seismic and infrasound data collected on three different test sites in the Alps: Gadria (South Tyrol, Italy), Lattenbach (Tyrol, Austria), and Cancia (Belluno, Italy).</p>


2005 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 211-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Galgaro ◽  
P. R. Tecca ◽  
R. Genevois ◽  
A. M. Deganutti

Abstract. Monitoring of debris flows aimed to the assessment of their physical parameters is very important both for theoretical and practical purposes. Peak discharge and total volume of debris flows are crucial for designing effective countermeasures in many populated mountain areas where losses of lives and property damage could be avoided. This study quantifies the relationship between flow depth, acoustic amplitude of debris flow induced ground vibrations and front velocity in the experimental catchment of Acquabona, Eastern Dolomites, Italy. The analysis of data brought about the results described in the following. Debris flow depth and amplitude of the flow-induced ground vibrations show a good positive correlation. Estimation of both mean front velocity and peak discharge can be simply obtained monitoring the ground vibrations, through geophones installed close to the flow channel; the total volume of debris flow can be so directly estimated from the integral of the ground vibrations using a regression line. The application of acoustic technique to debris flow monitoring seems to be of the outmost relevance in risk reduction policies and in the correct management of the territory. Moreover this estimation is possible in other catchments producing debris flows of similar characteristics by means of their acoustic characterisation through quick and simple field tests (Standard Penetration Tests and seismic refraction surveys).


Author(s):  
Matthias Jakob ◽  
Michael Porter ◽  
K. Wayne Savigny ◽  
Eugene Yaremko

Several hydrological methods are available to determine flood discharge and scour of streams at pipeline crossings. These methods are appropriate for streams dominated by purely hydrological processes, but fail where other, more hazardous processes occur within the design recurrence interval. Several investigations have shown that scour, impact and aggradation associated with debris flows, outburst floods or related phenomena may fundamentally change the parameters needed for proper pipeline crossing design. Depending on the process type, the peak discharge of the hazardous process can exceed that of the design flood (typically 50 to 200 year return period) by a factor of 2 to 50. Similarly, scour or aggradation by a non-fluvial process can exceed the hydrologically-derived estimates by several factors. It is therefore recommended that a geomorphic approach be taken in recognizing and quantifying the potential for non-fluvial processes and that the findings be integrated in the design of pipeline crossings.


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