Quantitative assessment of the erosion and deposition effects of landslide-dam outburst flood, Eastern Himalaya
Abstract Both regular flow and infrequent outburst floods shape the mountain landscape, but their relative contributions have been widely debated, in part due to the paucity of quantitative data on historical outburst floods. In June 2000, an outburst flood was triggered by a landslide-dam failure i...
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| Format: | Article |
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Nature Portfolio
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-57894-2 |
| _version_ | 1797233646843723776 |
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| author | Xiaolu Dong Xianyan Wang Long Yang Zhijun Zhao Ronald Van Balen Xiaodong Miao Tao Liu Jef Vandenberghe Baotian Pan Martin Gibling Huayu Lu |
| author_facet | Xiaolu Dong Xianyan Wang Long Yang Zhijun Zhao Ronald Van Balen Xiaodong Miao Tao Liu Jef Vandenberghe Baotian Pan Martin Gibling Huayu Lu |
| author_sort | Xiaolu Dong |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Both regular flow and infrequent outburst floods shape the mountain landscape, but their relative contributions have been widely debated, in part due to the paucity of quantitative data on historical outburst floods. In June 2000, an outburst flood was triggered by a landslide-dam failure in a rapidly exhumed region of the Eastern Himalaya. To investigate the role of this kind outburst flood on landscape evolution, we employ topographic differencing, satellite imagery, and 2D hydraulic simulations to quantify the equivalent erosion and deposition within ~ 80 km flood route downstream of the breach. The flood lasted for ~ 10 h, with a peak discharge of 105 m3/s, leading to average erosion of 10 m, and contributed ~ 1–2 × 103 times more sediment than over long-term mean fluvial processes. The flood produced extensive lateral erosion, which triggered a threefold widening of the valley floor and abundant subsequent landslides. The ubiquitous boulder bars deposited in the channel inhibited incision, and facilitated lateral erosion after the flood. The resulting channel configuration and extensive bank erosion continue to affect fluvial dynamics until the next catastrophic flood that remobilizes the boulders. Our quantitative findings highlight the profound importance of recurrent outburst floods for gorge development and landscape evolution in Eastern Himalaya. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T16:19:29Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2218a125d5e443acaf10d8f6c44b2b2c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T16:19:29Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
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| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-2218a125d5e443acaf10d8f6c44b2b2c2024-03-31T11:15:17ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222024-03-0114111310.1038/s41598-024-57894-2Quantitative assessment of the erosion and deposition effects of landslide-dam outburst flood, Eastern HimalayaXiaolu Dong0Xianyan Wang1Long Yang2Zhijun Zhao3Ronald Van Balen4Xiaodong Miao5Tao Liu6Jef Vandenberghe7Baotian Pan8Martin Gibling9Huayu Lu10School of Geography and Ocean Science and Frontiers Science Center for Critical Earth Material Cycling, Nanjing UniversitySchool of Geography and Ocean Science and Frontiers Science Center for Critical Earth Material Cycling, Nanjing UniversitySchool of Geography and Ocean Science and Frontiers Science Center for Critical Earth Material Cycling, Nanjing UniversityCollege of Geography Science, Nanjing Normal UniversityDepartment of Earth Sciences, VU University AmsterdamHenan Key Laboratory of Earth System Observation and Modeling, School of Geography and Environmental Science, Henan UniversityDepartment of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences/Department of Geosciences, University of ArizonaDepartment of Earth Sciences, VU University AmsterdamCollege of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou UniversityDepartment of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Dalhousie UniversitySchool of Geography and Ocean Science and Frontiers Science Center for Critical Earth Material Cycling, Nanjing UniversityAbstract Both regular flow and infrequent outburst floods shape the mountain landscape, but their relative contributions have been widely debated, in part due to the paucity of quantitative data on historical outburst floods. In June 2000, an outburst flood was triggered by a landslide-dam failure in a rapidly exhumed region of the Eastern Himalaya. To investigate the role of this kind outburst flood on landscape evolution, we employ topographic differencing, satellite imagery, and 2D hydraulic simulations to quantify the equivalent erosion and deposition within ~ 80 km flood route downstream of the breach. The flood lasted for ~ 10 h, with a peak discharge of 105 m3/s, leading to average erosion of 10 m, and contributed ~ 1–2 × 103 times more sediment than over long-term mean fluvial processes. The flood produced extensive lateral erosion, which triggered a threefold widening of the valley floor and abundant subsequent landslides. The ubiquitous boulder bars deposited in the channel inhibited incision, and facilitated lateral erosion after the flood. The resulting channel configuration and extensive bank erosion continue to affect fluvial dynamics until the next catastrophic flood that remobilizes the boulders. Our quantitative findings highlight the profound importance of recurrent outburst floods for gorge development and landscape evolution in Eastern Himalaya.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-57894-2 |
| spellingShingle | Xiaolu Dong Xianyan Wang Long Yang Zhijun Zhao Ronald Van Balen Xiaodong Miao Tao Liu Jef Vandenberghe Baotian Pan Martin Gibling Huayu Lu Quantitative assessment of the erosion and deposition effects of landslide-dam outburst flood, Eastern Himalaya Scientific Reports |
| title | Quantitative assessment of the erosion and deposition effects of landslide-dam outburst flood, Eastern Himalaya |
| title_full | Quantitative assessment of the erosion and deposition effects of landslide-dam outburst flood, Eastern Himalaya |
| title_fullStr | Quantitative assessment of the erosion and deposition effects of landslide-dam outburst flood, Eastern Himalaya |
| title_full_unstemmed | Quantitative assessment of the erosion and deposition effects of landslide-dam outburst flood, Eastern Himalaya |
| title_short | Quantitative assessment of the erosion and deposition effects of landslide-dam outburst flood, Eastern Himalaya |
| title_sort | quantitative assessment of the erosion and deposition effects of landslide dam outburst flood eastern himalaya |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-57894-2 |
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