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Abstract
Evaluation of regional submarine debris flows is critical for quantitative assessment of vulnerable areas and reasonable design of geohazard mitigation measures. In this article, an efficient numerical model for kinematics of regional submarine debris flows is developed. The proposed model can simulate the runout process and morphological evolution of submarine debris flows over natural 3D terrain by solving 1D depth-averaged governing equations in a geographic information system (GIS). A strength softening equation is introduced to capture the degradation of sliding material strength during the runout process. The model is validated by a flume test, two slump tests, and a real case history of submarine debris flow (St Niklausen slide). Applications to Shenhu area, South China Sea, are presented to demonstrate the ability of the proposed model over complex natural terrain and the importance of considering material softening. Results show that the proposed model is capable of simulating the whole debris flow process and tracking the propagation of the sliding material. Simulation of submarine debris flow without material softening will underestimate the disaster consequences. In addition, the influences of the ambient fluid and the yield strength of the sliding material on its runout behavior are also discussed.
Disclosure statement
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.