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Debris-Flow Runout and Deposition on the Fan

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Dating Torrential Processes on Fans and Cones

Part of the book series: Advances in Global Change Research ((AGLO,volume 47))

Abstract

Debris flows are at the interface of several research directions dealing with natural hazards processes. It is therefore not surprising that methods for the prediction of flow and runout of debris flows have similarities to approaches originally developed for snow or debris avalanches and streamflow hydraulics (Körner 1980; Lied and Bakkehoi 1980; Perla et al. 1980; Iverson 1997). However, debris-flow volume and bulk flow behaviour may change during travel through the channel, e.g. by entrainment of loose sediment and/or incorporation of water from a tributary. At present, no generally applicable model is able to cover the range of all possible material mixtures and event scenarios. This complexity results in different torrential processes and results in a large variety of approaches to predict debris-flow mobility.

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Acknowledgements

The study has been funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) project no. L 180-N10 on ‘Runout prediction of debris flows’. The Swiss Federal Office for Environment supported the analysis of the Swiss debris-flow events of 2005. Markus Zimmermann provided the original field data concerning the 1987 debris flows in the Swiss Alps.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, CH-8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland

    Dieter Rickenmann

  2. Institute of Mountain Risk Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering and Natural Hazards, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences-Vienna, A-1190, Vienna, Austria

    Christian Scheidl

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  1. Dieter Rickenmann
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Correspondence to Dieter Rickenmann .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Berne, Laboratory of Dendrogeomorphology, Institute of Geological Sciences, Baltzerstrasse 1+3, Berne, 3012, Bern, Switzerland

    Michelle Schneuwly-Bollschweiler

  2. University of Berne, Laboratory of Dendrogeomorphology, Institute of Geological Sciences, Baltzerstrasse 1+3, Berne, 3012, Bern, Switzerland

    Markus Stoffel

  3. Forestry Environment &Water Management, IV/5 – Torrent & Avalanche Control, Federal Ministry for Agriculture,, Marxergasse 5, Vienna, 1030, Wien, Austria

    Florian Rudolf-Miklau

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Rickenmann, D., Scheidl, C. (2013). Debris-Flow Runout and Deposition on the Fan. In: Schneuwly-Bollschweiler, M., Stoffel, M., Rudolf-Miklau, F. (eds) Dating Torrential Processes on Fans and Cones. Advances in Global Change Research, vol 47. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4336-6_5

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