Improvement of a quantitative framework for predicting catastrophic stream channel change on steep alluvial fans

2012年6月发生在阿尔伯塔的洪水事件是加拿大历史上损失最惨重的自然灾害， 估计损失达60亿美元。一些最壮观和最意想不到的破坏发生在 落基山脉西南部较小的河流系统，包括美洲狮溪，流经 坎莫尔市洪水造成了迅速和几乎无法控制的银行侵蚀，并导致 加拿大横贯公路关闭数天。伊顿博士的研究使用了一个比例实验室模型， 该小组已经开始测试一个假设模型，用于预测这些河流何时可能遇到这种情况。 灾难性的变化，并已找到证据，支持开发一种实用工具， 可用于预测显著的河道不稳定和河岸侵蚀的发生。关于Engage Plus 伊顿博士的团队将进行更多的实验，以明确评估管道的潜在风险 由于极端的洪水事件，实验将集中在沉积物输入的作用， 控制河床冲刷和河道迁移的规模和速度。他们将为正在进行的 洪水和侵蚀风险评估由BGC工程（BGC）进行。这项资助将 基金，以及BCG和Eaton博士的研究小组之间的持续合作关系， 将支持，将建立一个更全面的了解人类生命的风险， 与陡峭的山溪相连的基础设施。

The June 2012 flooding events in Alberta was the most costly natural disaster in Canadian history, resulting in an estimated $6 Billion dollars of damage. Some of the most spectacular and unanticipated damage occurred on the smaller river systems in the Southwestern Rocky Mountains, including Cougar Creek, which flows through the city of Canmore. Flooding there caused rapid and nearly uncontrollable bank erosion and resulted in the closure of the Trans Canada Highway for several days. Using a scaled laboratory model, Dr. Eaton's research group has begun testing a hypothetical model for predicting when such streams are likely to experience such catastrophic changes and has found evidence that supports the possibility of developing a practical tool that can be used to forecast the occurrence of significant channel instability and bank erosion. With the Engage Plus grant, Dr. Eaton's group will conduct additional experiments to explicitly assess the potential risk to pipeline crossings on fans due to extreme flood events. The experiments will focus on the role that sediment input has on controlling the magnitude and rate of bed erosion and channel migration. They will contribution to ongoing flood and erosion risk evaluations being conducted by BGC Engineering (BGC). The work that this grant will fund, and the continued collaborative relationship between BCG and Dr. Eaton's research group that this grant will support, will build towards a more comprehensive understanding of the risks to human life and to infrastructure associated with steep mountain streams.