Rapid evacuation of suspended sediment loads during landslides in steep gradient rivers

Mass wasting events, such as channelized debris flows, can result in heavy sediment fluxes in river systems. On July 30, 2024, a catastrophic debris flow in Wayanad, India, resulted in over 252 fatalities, and deposited approximately 5 million m ^3 of sediments into the Chaliyar River Valley. We mea...

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Main Authors: Ali P Yunus, Adin Ishan, N S Magesh, K S Sajinkumar, Gianvito Scaringi, Srikrishnan Siva Subramanian, Thomas Oommen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IOP Publishing 2025-01-01
Series:Environmental Research Communications
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/adb8a7
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author Ali P Yunus
Adin Ishan
N S Magesh
K S Sajinkumar
Gianvito Scaringi
Srikrishnan Siva Subramanian
Thomas Oommen
author_facet Ali P Yunus
Adin Ishan
N S Magesh
K S Sajinkumar
Gianvito Scaringi
Srikrishnan Siva Subramanian
Thomas Oommen
author_sort Ali P Yunus
collection DOAJ
description Mass wasting events, such as channelized debris flows, can result in heavy sediment fluxes in river systems. On July 30, 2024, a catastrophic debris flow in Wayanad, India, resulted in over 252 fatalities, and deposited approximately 5 million m ^3 of sediments into the Chaliyar River Valley. We measured sediment fluxes in Chaliyar before, during, and after the event through in situ water sample analysis. Suspended sediment concentrations (SSC's) during June and July 2024, prior to the debris flow, were highly variable, with peak values reaching 71.72 mg l ^−1 . On the day of the event, the debris flow perturbed the river channel, resulting in a rapid, two-order-of-magnitude spike in SSC compared to June–July averages. Within 48 h post-event, the SSC levels returned to background levels, underscoring the transient nature of this intense geomorphic activity. Our research provides valuable insights into the rapid sediment evacuation processes of small, steep rivers following major landslide events.
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spelling doaj-art-24b8c697b0364e5bb1839b04a6a883912025-08-20T03:16:26ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Communications2515-76202025-01-017303100210.1088/2515-7620/adb8a7Rapid evacuation of suspended sediment loads during landslides in steep gradient riversAli P Yunus0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9545-0714Adin Ishan1https://orcid.org/0009-0004-3532-8329N S Magesh2K S Sajinkumar3Gianvito Scaringi4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3505-7456Srikrishnan Siva Subramanian5https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4004-0894Thomas Oommen6Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali, Mohali 140306, Punjab, IndiaDepartment of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali, Mohali 140306, Punjab, IndiaCentre for Water Resources Development and Management, Kozhikode, Kerala 673571, IndiaDepartment of Geology, University of Kerala , Thiruvananthapuram 695581, Kerala, IndiaInstitute of Hydrogeology, Engineering Geology and Applied Geophysics, Faculty of Science, Charles University , Prague 12800, Czech RepublicCentre of Excellence in Disaster Mitigation and Management, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, 247667, Uttarakhand, IndiaDepartment of Geology and Geological Engineering, University of Mississippi , University, MS 38677, United States of AmericaMass wasting events, such as channelized debris flows, can result in heavy sediment fluxes in river systems. On July 30, 2024, a catastrophic debris flow in Wayanad, India, resulted in over 252 fatalities, and deposited approximately 5 million m ^3 of sediments into the Chaliyar River Valley. We measured sediment fluxes in Chaliyar before, during, and after the event through in situ water sample analysis. Suspended sediment concentrations (SSC's) during June and July 2024, prior to the debris flow, were highly variable, with peak values reaching 71.72 mg l ^−1 . On the day of the event, the debris flow perturbed the river channel, resulting in a rapid, two-order-of-magnitude spike in SSC compared to June–July averages. Within 48 h post-event, the SSC levels returned to background levels, underscoring the transient nature of this intense geomorphic activity. Our research provides valuable insights into the rapid sediment evacuation processes of small, steep rivers following major landslide events.https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/adb8a7suspended sedimentsfluvial evacuationdebris flowssediment budgetWayanad
spellingShingle Ali P Yunus
Adin Ishan
N S Magesh
K S Sajinkumar
Gianvito Scaringi
Srikrishnan Siva Subramanian
Thomas Oommen
Rapid evacuation of suspended sediment loads during landslides in steep gradient rivers
Environmental Research Communications
suspended sediments
fluvial evacuation
debris flows
sediment budget
Wayanad
title Rapid evacuation of suspended sediment loads during landslides in steep gradient rivers
title_full Rapid evacuation of suspended sediment loads during landslides in steep gradient rivers
title_fullStr Rapid evacuation of suspended sediment loads during landslides in steep gradient rivers
title_full_unstemmed Rapid evacuation of suspended sediment loads during landslides in steep gradient rivers
title_short Rapid evacuation of suspended sediment loads during landslides in steep gradient rivers
title_sort rapid evacuation of suspended sediment loads during landslides in steep gradient rivers
topic suspended sediments
fluvial evacuation
debris flows
sediment budget
Wayanad
url https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/adb8a7
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