GIS-based numerical simulation of Amamioshima debris flow in Japan

Abstract

Debris flow is a rapid flow which could lead to severe flooding with catastrophic consequences such as damage to properties and loss of human lives. It is important to study the movement of debris flow. Since during a debris flow process, the erosion and deposition processes are important, the no entrainment assumption is not acceptable. In this study, first we considered the debris flow as equivalent fluid and adopted the depth-averaged govern equations to simulate the movements and evolution of river bed. Secondly, the set of partial differential equations was solved numerically by means of explicit staggered leap-frog scheme that is accurate in space and time. The grid of difference scheme was derived from GIS raster data. Then the simulation results can be displayed by GIS and easily used to form the hazard maps. Finally, the numerical model coupled with GIS is applied to simulate the debris flow occurred on Oct. 20th, 2010, in Amamioshima City, Japan. The simulation reproduces the movement, erosion and deposition. The results are shown to be consistent with the field investigation.