Researchers Develop Framework to Predict Turbidity Currents

The findings, along with a framework the researchers have built for understanding the formation of turbidity currents, could help to better predict and manage these powerful flows, protecting underwater infrastructure and managing reservoirs.

“Self-accelerating turbidity currents are powerful, erosive gravity underflows that sever intercontinental telecommunication cables and reshape subaqueous landscapes,” they wrote in a paper published on May 26, by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“Despite success in small-scale set-ups, field observations of accelerating turbidity currents have been rare, with only a few cases primarily in submarine settings,” according to the peer-reviewed paper.

The team included researchers from the Yellow River Institute of Hydraulic Research, the University of Wyoming, the University of Illinois, Texas Tech University, Hokkaido University and Durham University.