The nocturnal occurrence of debris flows: evidence from western China

Abstract Debris flow is a major hazard in mountainous areas, with a suspected tendency to occur at night. However, there is a lack of direct evidence supporting the nocturnal occurrence of debris flows. This study confirms the nocturnal occurrence using two independent datasets. Dataset 1 includes 2...

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Main Authors: Qian Chen, Dongri Song, Li Wei, Hu Jiang, Hui Tang, Yongsheng Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-07-01
Series:npj Natural Hazards
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s44304-025-00114-2
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author Qian Chen
Dongri Song
Li Wei
Hu Jiang
Hui Tang
Yongsheng Wang
author_facet Qian Chen
Dongri Song
Li Wei
Hu Jiang
Hui Tang
Yongsheng Wang
author_sort Qian Chen
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Debris flow is a major hazard in mountainous areas, with a suspected tendency to occur at night. However, there is a lack of direct evidence supporting the nocturnal occurrence of debris flows. This study confirms the nocturnal occurrence using two independent datasets. Dataset 1 includes 295 post-disaster events across nine provinces in western China, showing 74.9% occurred at night. This supports the general impression that debris flows are more likely to occur at night across China. Dataset 2 consists of 286 debris-flow events from the field observation at Jiangjia Ravine (Yunnan, China) from 1965 to 2023. For the Dataset 2, the frequency of occurrence at night reaches 58.4% and is statistically significant at the 95% confidence interval. This long-term observational record provides direct evidence for the nocturnal occurrence of debris flows. This study provides solid evidence for the nocturnal occurrence of debris flows, aiding risk mitigation strategies.
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id doaj-art-ff7a0f41de7c42fd8b4b6e262ba2858a
institution Kabale University
issn 2948-2100
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher Nature Portfolio
record_format Article
series npj Natural Hazards
spelling doaj-art-ff7a0f41de7c42fd8b4b6e262ba2858a2025-08-20T03:42:40ZengNature Portfolionpj Natural Hazards2948-21002025-07-012111510.1038/s44304-025-00114-2The nocturnal occurrence of debris flows: evidence from western ChinaQian Chen0Dongri Song1Li Wei2Hu Jiang3Hui Tang4Yongsheng Wang5Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of SciencesInstitute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of SciencesInstitute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of SciencesInstitute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of SciencesEarth Surface Process Modelling, German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ)School of Civil Engineering, Lanzhou University of TechnologyAbstract Debris flow is a major hazard in mountainous areas, with a suspected tendency to occur at night. However, there is a lack of direct evidence supporting the nocturnal occurrence of debris flows. This study confirms the nocturnal occurrence using two independent datasets. Dataset 1 includes 295 post-disaster events across nine provinces in western China, showing 74.9% occurred at night. This supports the general impression that debris flows are more likely to occur at night across China. Dataset 2 consists of 286 debris-flow events from the field observation at Jiangjia Ravine (Yunnan, China) from 1965 to 2023. For the Dataset 2, the frequency of occurrence at night reaches 58.4% and is statistically significant at the 95% confidence interval. This long-term observational record provides direct evidence for the nocturnal occurrence of debris flows. This study provides solid evidence for the nocturnal occurrence of debris flows, aiding risk mitigation strategies.https://doi.org/10.1038/s44304-025-00114-2
spellingShingle Qian Chen
Dongri Song
Li Wei
Hu Jiang
Hui Tang
Yongsheng Wang
The nocturnal occurrence of debris flows: evidence from western China
npj Natural Hazards
title The nocturnal occurrence of debris flows: evidence from western China
title_full The nocturnal occurrence of debris flows: evidence from western China
title_fullStr The nocturnal occurrence of debris flows: evidence from western China
title_full_unstemmed The nocturnal occurrence of debris flows: evidence from western China
title_short The nocturnal occurrence of debris flows: evidence from western China
title_sort nocturnal occurrence of debris flows evidence from western china
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s44304-025-00114-2
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