Inadequacy of fluvial energetics for describing gravity current autosuspension
Abstract Gravity currents, such as sediment-laden turbidity currents, are ubiquitous natural flows that are driven by a density difference. Turbidity currents have provided vital motivation to advance understanding of this class of flows because their enigmatic long run-out and driving mechanisms ar...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2023-04-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-37724-1 |
| _version_ | 1797840921491931136 |
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| author | Sojiro Fukuda Marijke G. W. de Vet Edward W. G. Skevington Elena Bastianon Roberto Fernández Xuxu Wu William D. McCaffrey Hajime Naruse Daniel R. Parsons Robert M. Dorrell |
| author_facet | Sojiro Fukuda Marijke G. W. de Vet Edward W. G. Skevington Elena Bastianon Roberto Fernández Xuxu Wu William D. McCaffrey Hajime Naruse Daniel R. Parsons Robert M. Dorrell |
| author_sort | Sojiro Fukuda |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Gravity currents, such as sediment-laden turbidity currents, are ubiquitous natural flows that are driven by a density difference. Turbidity currents have provided vital motivation to advance understanding of this class of flows because their enigmatic long run-out and driving mechanisms are not properly understood. Extant models assume that material transport by gravity currents is dynamically similar to fluvial flows. Here, empirical research from different types of particle-driven gravity currents is integrated with our experimental data, to show that material transport is fundamentally different from fluvial systems. Contrary to current theory, buoyancy production is shown to have a non-linear dependence on available flow power, indicating an underestimation of the total kinetic energy lost from the mean flow. A revised energy budget directly implies that the mixing efficiency of gravity currents is enhanced. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T16:22:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-51a5d64aae3b4ff8b8e77a938279ca02 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T16:22:44Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj.art-51a5d64aae3b4ff8b8e77a938279ca022023-04-23T11:21:56ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232023-04-0114111010.1038/s41467-023-37724-1Inadequacy of fluvial energetics for describing gravity current autosuspensionSojiro Fukuda0Marijke G. W. de Vet1Edward W. G. Skevington2Elena Bastianon3Roberto Fernández4Xuxu Wu5William D. McCaffrey6Hajime Naruse7Daniel R. Parsons8Robert M. Dorrell9Energy and Environment Institute, University of HullEnergy and Environment Institute, University of HullEnergy and Environment Institute, University of HullEnergy and Environment Institute, University of HullEnergy and Environment Institute, University of HullEnergy and Environment Institute, University of HullSchool of Earth and Environment, University of LeedsDepartment of Geology and Mineralogy, Division of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto UniversityEnergy and Environment Institute, University of HullEnergy and Environment Institute, University of HullAbstract Gravity currents, such as sediment-laden turbidity currents, are ubiquitous natural flows that are driven by a density difference. Turbidity currents have provided vital motivation to advance understanding of this class of flows because their enigmatic long run-out and driving mechanisms are not properly understood. Extant models assume that material transport by gravity currents is dynamically similar to fluvial flows. Here, empirical research from different types of particle-driven gravity currents is integrated with our experimental data, to show that material transport is fundamentally different from fluvial systems. Contrary to current theory, buoyancy production is shown to have a non-linear dependence on available flow power, indicating an underestimation of the total kinetic energy lost from the mean flow. A revised energy budget directly implies that the mixing efficiency of gravity currents is enhanced.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-37724-1 |
| spellingShingle | Sojiro Fukuda Marijke G. W. de Vet Edward W. G. Skevington Elena Bastianon Roberto Fernández Xuxu Wu William D. McCaffrey Hajime Naruse Daniel R. Parsons Robert M. Dorrell Inadequacy of fluvial energetics for describing gravity current autosuspension Nature Communications |
| title | Inadequacy of fluvial energetics for describing gravity current autosuspension |
| title_full | Inadequacy of fluvial energetics for describing gravity current autosuspension |
| title_fullStr | Inadequacy of fluvial energetics for describing gravity current autosuspension |
| title_full_unstemmed | Inadequacy of fluvial energetics for describing gravity current autosuspension |
| title_short | Inadequacy of fluvial energetics for describing gravity current autosuspension |
| title_sort | inadequacy of fluvial energetics for describing gravity current autosuspension |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-37724-1 |
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