Abstract
The automatic detection and identification of alpine mass movements such as debris flows, debris floods, or landslides have been of increasing importance for devising mitigation measures in densely populated and intensively used alpine regions. Since these mass movements emit characteristic seismic and acoustic waves in the low-frequency range (<30 Hz), several approaches have already been developed for detection and warning systems based on these signals. However, a combination of the two methods, for improving detection probability and reducing false alarms, is still applied rarely. This paper presents an update and extension of a previously published approach for a detection and identification system based on a combination of seismic and infrasound sensors. Furthermore, this work evaluates the possible early warning times at several test sites and aims to analyze the seismic and infrasound spectral signature produced by different sediment-related mass movements to identify the process type and estimate the magnitude of the event. Thus, this study presents an initial method for estimating the peak discharge and total volume of debris flows based on infrasound data. Tests on several catchments show that this system can detect and identify mass movements in real time directly at the sensor site with high accuracy and a low false alarm ratio.
Highlights
As described by [1], debris flows are highly concentrated mixtures of water and fine and coarse sediments, often containing additional woody debris, with front velocities of up to 20 m/s
To categorize the different events, several methods such as video or flow-depth measuring are used, but the available data did not allow a reliable distinction to be made between debris flow and debris flood at all test sites, so these are found in the same group
This paper demonstrates the potential for combining seismic and infrasound measurements to promote the development of an automatic rapid detection and identification system for debris-flow-related disasters
Summary
As described by [1], debris flows are highly concentrated mixtures of water and fine and coarse sediments, often containing additional woody debris, with front velocities of up to 20 m/s. Monitoring debris flow torrents is essential for warning purposes and for gaining more knowledge about the processes The fact that such mass movements emit seismic and acoustic waves in the low-frequency range (
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