An Integrated Study to Evaluate Debris Flow Hazard in Alpine Environment
Debris flows are among the most dangerous natural processes affecting the alpine environment due to their magnitude (volume of transported material) and the long runout. The presence of structures and infrastructures on alluvial fans can lead to severe problems in terms of interactions between debri...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2018-05-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Earth Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/feart.2018.00060/full |
| _version_ | 1811239127610294272 |
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| author | Davide Tiranti Stefano Crema Marco Cavalli Chiara Deangeli |
| author_facet | Davide Tiranti Stefano Crema Marco Cavalli Chiara Deangeli |
| author_sort | Davide Tiranti |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Debris flows are among the most dangerous natural processes affecting the alpine environment due to their magnitude (volume of transported material) and the long runout. The presence of structures and infrastructures on alluvial fans can lead to severe problems in terms of interactions between debris flows and human activities. Risk mitigation in these areas requires identifying the magnitude, triggers, and propagation of debris flows. Here, we propose an integrated methodology to characterize these phenomena. The methodology consists of three complementary procedures. Firstly, we adopt a classification method based on the propensity of the catchment bedrocks to produce clayey-grained material. The classification allows us to identify the most likely rheology of the process. Secondly, we calculate a sediment connectivity index to estimate the topographic control on the possible coupling between the sediment source areas and the catchment channel network. This step allows for the assessment of the debris supply, which is most likely available for the channelized processes. Finally, with the data obtained in the previous steps, we modeled the propagation and depositional pattern of debris flows with a 3D code based on Cellular Automata. The results of the numerical runs allow us to identify the depositional patterns and the areas potentially involved in the flow processes. This integrated methodology is applied to a test-bed catchment located in Northwestern Alps. The results indicate that this approach can be regarded as a useful tool to estimate debris flow related potential hazard scenarios in an alpine environment in an expeditious way without possessing an exhaustive knowledge of the investigated catchment, including data on historical debris flow events. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T12:54:24Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-10945e0b831e4c25b4cdfd2cfbd9eae7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-6463 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T12:54:24Z |
| publishDate | 2018-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Earth Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-10945e0b831e4c25b4cdfd2cfbd9eae72022-12-22T03:32:22ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Earth Science2296-64632018-05-01610.3389/feart.2018.00060356666An Integrated Study to Evaluate Debris Flow Hazard in Alpine EnvironmentDavide Tiranti0Stefano Crema1Marco Cavalli2Chiara Deangeli3Department of Forecasting Systems, Regional Agency for Environmental Protection of Piemonte, Turin, ItalyNational Research Council, Research Institute for Geo-Hydrological Protection, Padua, ItalyNational Research Council, Research Institute for Geo-Hydrological Protection, Padua, ItalyDepartment of Environment, Land and Infrastructure Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Turin, ItalyDebris flows are among the most dangerous natural processes affecting the alpine environment due to their magnitude (volume of transported material) and the long runout. The presence of structures and infrastructures on alluvial fans can lead to severe problems in terms of interactions between debris flows and human activities. Risk mitigation in these areas requires identifying the magnitude, triggers, and propagation of debris flows. Here, we propose an integrated methodology to characterize these phenomena. The methodology consists of three complementary procedures. Firstly, we adopt a classification method based on the propensity of the catchment bedrocks to produce clayey-grained material. The classification allows us to identify the most likely rheology of the process. Secondly, we calculate a sediment connectivity index to estimate the topographic control on the possible coupling between the sediment source areas and the catchment channel network. This step allows for the assessment of the debris supply, which is most likely available for the channelized processes. Finally, with the data obtained in the previous steps, we modeled the propagation and depositional pattern of debris flows with a 3D code based on Cellular Automata. The results of the numerical runs allow us to identify the depositional patterns and the areas potentially involved in the flow processes. This integrated methodology is applied to a test-bed catchment located in Northwestern Alps. The results indicate that this approach can be regarded as a useful tool to estimate debris flow related potential hazard scenarios in an alpine environment in an expeditious way without possessing an exhaustive knowledge of the investigated catchment, including data on historical debris flow events.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/feart.2018.00060/fulltorrential mass movementsediment connectivitycellular automatahazard assessmentNorthwestern Italy |
| spellingShingle | Davide Tiranti Stefano Crema Marco Cavalli Chiara Deangeli An Integrated Study to Evaluate Debris Flow Hazard in Alpine Environment Frontiers in Earth Science torrential mass movement sediment connectivity cellular automata hazard assessment Northwestern Italy |
| title | An Integrated Study to Evaluate Debris Flow Hazard in Alpine Environment |
| title_full | An Integrated Study to Evaluate Debris Flow Hazard in Alpine Environment |
| title_fullStr | An Integrated Study to Evaluate Debris Flow Hazard in Alpine Environment |
| title_full_unstemmed | An Integrated Study to Evaluate Debris Flow Hazard in Alpine Environment |
| title_short | An Integrated Study to Evaluate Debris Flow Hazard in Alpine Environment |
| title_sort | integrated study to evaluate debris flow hazard in alpine environment |
| topic | torrential mass movement sediment connectivity cellular automata hazard assessment Northwestern Italy |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/feart.2018.00060/full |
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