Loughborough University
Browse

A coupled hydrological and hydrodynamic modeling approach for estimating rainfall thresholds of debris-flow occurrence

Download (9.39 MB)
journal contribution
posted on 2025-05-06, 09:23 authored by Zhen Lei Wei, Yue Quan Shang, Qiuhua LiangQiuhua Liang, Xi Lin Xia
Abstract. Rainfall-induced hydrological processes and surface-water flow hydrodynamics may play a key role in initiating debris flows. In this study, a new framework based on an integrated hydrological and hydrodynamic model is proposed to estimate the intensity–duration (ID) rainfall thresholds that trigger debris flows. In the new framework, intensity–duration–frequency (IDF) analysis is carried out to generate design rainfall to drive the integrated models and calculate grid-based hydrodynamic indices (i.e., unit-width discharge). The hydrodynamic indices are subsequently compared with hydrodynamic thresholds to indicate the occurrence of debris flows and derive rainfall thresholds through the introduction of a zone threshold. The capability of the new framework in predicting the occurrence of debris flows is verified and confirmed by application to a small catchment in Zhejiang Province, China, where observed hydrological data are available. Compared with the traditional statistical approaches to derive intensity–duration (ID) thresholds, the current physically based framework can effectively take into account the hydrological processes controlled by meteorological conditions and spatial topographic properties, making it more suitable for application in ungauged catchments where historical debris-flow data are lacking.

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant nos. 42230702 and 42307262)

Web-Based Natural Dam-Burst Flood Hazard Assessment and ForeCasting SysTem (WeACT)

Natural Environment Research Council

Find out more...

State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection Independent Research Project (grant no. SKLGP2021Z024)

Natural Science Foundation of Sichuan Province (grant nos. 2022NSFSC1129 and 2022NSFSC0003

History

School

  • Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering

Published in

Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences

Volume

24

Issue

10

Pages

3357 - 3379

Publisher

Copernicus Publications

Version

  • VoR (Version of Record)

Rights holder

© The Author(s)

Publisher statement

This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Acceptance date

2024-08-07

Publication date

2024-10-01

Copyright date

2024

ISSN

1561-8633

eISSN

1684-9981

Language

  • en

Depositor

Prof Qiuhua Liang. Deposit date: 4 December 2024

Usage metrics

    Loughborough Publications

    Licence

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC