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Simulating glacial lake outburst floods with a two-phase mass flow model

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 March 2016

Parameshwari Kattel ,
Khim B. Khattri ,
Puskar R. Pokhrel ,
Jeevan Kafle ,
Bhadra Man Tuladhar  and
Shiva P. Pudasaini
Parameshwari Kattel*
Affiliation:
School of Science, Kathmandu University, Dhulikhel, Kavre, Nepal Department of Mathematics, Tri-Chandra Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal
Khim B. Khattri
Affiliation:
School of Science, Kathmandu University, Dhulikhel, Kavre, Nepal
Puskar R. Pokhrel
Affiliation:
School of Science, Kathmandu University, Dhulikhel, Kavre, Nepal Department of Mathematics, R.R. Campus, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal
Jeevan Kafle
Affiliation:
School of Science, Kathmandu University, Dhulikhel, Kavre, Nepal Department of Mathematics, Valmiki Campus, Nepal Sanskrit University, Kathmandu, Nepal
Bhadra Man Tuladhar
Affiliation:
School of Science, Kathmandu University, Dhulikhel, Kavre, Nepal
Shiva P. Pudasaini
Affiliation:
Department of Geophysics, Steinmann Institute, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
*
Correspondence: Parameshwari Kattel, <pkattel@student.ku.edu.np>
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Abstract

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To simulate a glacial lake outburst flood, we employ a comprehensive physically based general two-phase mass flow model (Pudasaini, 2012). This model accounts for a strong interaction between the solid and fluid phases and incorporates buoyancy and other dominant physical aspects of the mass flows such as enhanced non-Newtonian viscous stress, virtual mass force and generalized drag. Our real two-phase mass flow simulation describes explicit evolution of the solid and fluid phases and the debris bulk as a whole, akin to torrential debris flows or debris floods during glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs). The emptying of a lake following rapid collapse of a restraining dam, the consequent downslope motion of a mixed solid–fluid mass, and the tendency of the mass to form extruding plumes are analyzed in detail for different flow configurations, volumes, conduit geometries and boundary conditions. The solid and fluid phases evolve completely differently and reveal fundamentally different dynamical behaviours. During the flow, the relatively long fluid tail follows the solid-rich dense frontal surge head. The bulk debris develops into a frontal and side levee as derived from the initial frontal moraine dam. Results show that our high-resolution, unified simulation strategies and the advanced model equations can be applied to study the flow dynamics of a wide range of geophysical mass flows such as snow and rock–ice avalanches, debris flows and flash floods as well as GLOFs. This may help substantially in forming a basis for appropriate mitigation measures against potential natural hazards in high mountain slopes and valleys.

Keywords

applied glaciologyjökulhlaups (GLOFs)
Type
Paper
Information
Annals of Glaciology , Volume 57 , Issue 71 , March 2016 , pp. 349 - 358
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2016

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