Select model results from simulations of hypothetical landslides at Barry Arm, Prince William Sound, Alaska
Description
This data release contains model output from simulations presented in the associated Open-File Report (Barnhart and others, 2021). In this report, we present model results from four simulations (scenarios C-290, NC-290, C-689, NC-689, Table 1) of hypothetical rapid movement of landslides into adjacent fjord water at Barry Arm, Alaska using the D-Claw model (George and Iverson, 2014; Iverson and George, 2014). The basis for the four scenarios is described in Barnhart and others (2021).
D-Claw simulates the coupled evolution of fluid and solid phases of rapid landslide failures and tsunami generation, while satisfying mass and momentum conservation. Accordingly, the surface of the mobile material is not necessarily water but may reflect water, landslide material or a mixture between the two. We will use the term "wave height” to refer to the altitude of the mobile material surface.
Herein, we present six model result files. One file provides timeseries of the wave height for all four scenarios at eight hypothetical gage locations in comma separated value (csv) format. The location of these hypothetical gages is given in Table 2. Five files provide spatially distributed model output in GeoTiff format for scenario C-689 (Table 1). This scenario produced the largest tsunami wave of the considered scenarios. The five files contain the following variables: model grid cell classification, wave arrival time, maximum wave height, time of maximum wave height, and the maximum inundation depth for model grid cells which started dry (no inundation) and were inundated by water or landslide material at some point in the simulation.
The horizontal reference frame for all files is NAD 83 UTM Zone 6 N (EPSG 26906). The vertical reference frame is mean higher high water at Whittier, Alaska (NOAA Station 9454949). At this station, mean higher high water is defined as 3.395 m above the North American Vertical Datum of 1988. Altitude and height, as used in this data release, refer to distance above the vertical datum.
Wave height time series
The file "gages.csv" contains simulated wave height time series for eight locations and four scenarios.
The file "gages.csv" contains four columns:
1. The first column "scenario" contains a string representing each of the four scenarios ("C290", "NC290", "C689", or"NC689").
2. The second column "gage_id" contains an integer referring to the gage ID number (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8)
3. The third column "time_seconds" contains an integer indicating the simulation time in seconds.
4. The fourth column "wave_height_meters" contains a floating-point number indicating the simulated wave height in meters above a reference datum.
The following five files contain simulation results for scenario C-689. Latitude, longitude, easting, and northing coordinates for each of the eight hypothetical gage locations are provided in Table 2. The parameters used for each of the four considered scenarios are described in Table 1.
Grid cell class
The file "grid_cell_class.tif" contains a model grid cell classification. Model grid cells which were never inundated during the simulation are indicated with 0. Model grid cells which started as ocean water (solid volume fraction of zero) are indicated with 1. Model grid cells which started as landslide material (solid volume fraction greater than zero) are indicated with 2. Finally, model grid cells which started dry but were inundated by water or landslide material at some point in the simulation are indicated with 3.
Wave arrival time
The file "wave_arrival_time.tif" contains the wave arrival time in seconds. The wave arrival time was calculated by analyzing model output at 15 second increments. Simulations were conducted at a 50 m grid resolution. Wave arrival time was defined as the first timestep in which surface levels in a particular grid cell exceeded 1 cm in wave height. If surface levels never exceeded that altitude, or if no water or landslide material ever inundated a particular grid cell, the file indicates "no data".
Maximum wave height time
The file "maximum_wave_height_time.tif" contains the time of the maximum wave height. The time is given as seconds of simulated time. The maximum surface time was calculated by analyzing model output at 15 second increments and identifying the time when the maximum wave height occurred. Simulations were conducted at a 50 m grid resolution. Model grid cells which were never inundated by water or landslide material are indicated with "no data".
Inundated depth
The file “inundated_depth.tif” contains the maximum inundation depth for grid cells which started dry, but were inundated at some point in the simulation. These grid cells are identified in “grid_cell_class.tif” with class 3. The maximum inundation depth was calculated by analyzing model output at 15 second increments and identifying the maximum inundation depth over all output timesteps. Model grid cells which were not classified as class 3 in “grid_cell_class.tif” are indicated with “no data”.
Maximum wave height
The file "maximum_wave_height.tif" contains the maximum wave height. The wave height is given in meters relative to the vertical reference frame datum. The maximum wave height was calculated by analyzing model output at 15 second increments and identifying the maximum wave height over all output timesteps. Simulations were conducted at a 50 m grid resolution. Model grid cells which were never inundated by water or landslide material are indicated with "no data". Note that in grid cells which started dry but were inundated, this value does not reflect inundation depth.
References Cited
Barnhart, K. R., Jones, R. P., George, D. L., Coe, J. A., Staley, D. A., 2021, Preliminary assessment of the wave generating potential from landslides at Barry Arm, Prince William Sound, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report.
George, D. L., and Iverson, R. M., 2014, A depth-averaged debris-flow model that includes the effects of evolving dilatancy: II. Numerical predictions and experimental tests: Proceedings of the Royal Society A, 470, 2170, 20130820.
Iverson, R. M., and George, D. L., 2014, A depth-averaged debris-flow model that includes the effects of evolving dilatancy: I. Physical basis: Proceedings of the Royal Society A, 470, 2170, 20130819.