Monitoring Debris Flow Propagation in Steep Erodible Channels

  • Coraline Bel
  • Oldrich Navratil
  • Frédéric Liébault
  • Firmin Fontaine
  • Hervé Bellot
  • Dominique Laigle
Conference paper
First Online:

Abstract

Debris flows mobilize high sediment loads especially during intense rainfall events. The volume of these surges is known to dramatically grow during propagation by scouring of the unconsolidated sediment stored in the channel before the event. The current prediction tools used by engineers to manage debris flow hazards are mostly based on empirical relationships with a high level of uncertainty. This situation arises in particular because of our insufficient understanding of interactions between the flow and the erodible bed of the torrent. In order to address this issue, field monitoring stations were deployed in 2010 in the Manival and the Réal Torrents, two very active sites in the French Alps. Several stations were installed in different locations along the same torrent to investigate the spatial variability of the measured parameters. Each station was equipped with rain gauges, flow stage sensors, set of geophones and camera. The collected information allows developing a data base including the rainfall duration-intensity-volume, the flow depth, the front velocity and the surge volume. The objective is to characterize the changing nature of the debris-flow properties along the torrents and then to analyse the effect of channel conditions on debris-flow scouring.

Keywords

Field monitoring Debris flow Bedload transport Geophones Flow propagation 
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

Notes

Acknowledgments

This investigation is part of the ongoing European project SedAlp (INTERREG Alpine Space Programme). It is carried out in collaboration with the RTM service of the National Forest Office (RTM06) and the Conseil Général des Alpes-Maritimes. The authors would like to thanks Kristian Royer for his help in the operational support of the stations.

References

  1. Chambon G, Richard D, Segel V (2010) Sci Eaux Territoires 2:140–150Google Scholar
  2. Huang CJ, Yin HY, Chen CY, Yeh CH, Wang CL (2007) J Geophys Res 112:F02014. doi: 10.1029/2005JF000437 Google Scholar
  3. Hürlimann M, Rickenmann D, Graf C (2003) Canadian Geotechnical J. 40:161–175. doi: 10.1139/T02-087 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  4. Itakura Y, Inaba H, Sawada T (2005) Nat Hazards Earth Syst Sci 5:971–977. doi: 10.5194/nhess-5-971-2005 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  5. Liébault F, Peteuil C, Remaitre A (2010) Sci Eaux Territoires 2:128–135Google Scholar
  6. Marchi L, Arattano M, Deganutti AM (2002) Geomorphology 46:1–17. doi: 10.1016/S0169-555X(01)00162-3 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  7. McArdell BW, Bartelt P, Kowalski J (2007) Geophys Res Lett 34:L07406. doi: 10.1029/2006GL029183 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  8. McCoy SW, Kean JW, Coe JA, Staley DM, Wasklewicz TA, Tucker GE (2010) Geology 38:735–738. doi: 10.1130/G30928.1 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  9. Navratil O, Liébault F, Bellot H, Theule JI, Travaglini E, Ravanat X, Ousset F, Laigle D, Segel V, Fiquet M (2012) Conference proceedings of the 12th congress interpraevent, Grenoble, France, 2012Google Scholar
  10. Navratil O, Liébault F, Bellot H, Travaglini E, Theule JI, Chambon G, Laigle D (2013) Geomorphology 201:157–171. doi: 10.1016/j.geomorph.2013.06.017 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  11. Theule JI (2012) Ph.D. thesis, Université de GrenobleGoogle Scholar

Copyright information

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015

Authors and Affiliations

  • Coraline Bel
    • 1
  • Oldrich Navratil
    • 2
  • Frédéric Liébault
    • 1
  • Firmin Fontaine
    • 1
  • Hervé Bellot
    • 1
  • Dominique Laigle
    • 1
  1. 1.IRSTEA Grenoble, UR ETGRSt Martin D’HèresFrance
  2. 2.University of Lyon 2, UMR 5600/IRGBronFrance

Personalised recommendations