An analytical study of turbidity current steady flow

An analytical study of turbidity current dynamics is presented. General governing equations of motion are derived and a one-dimensional model of the equations is established. Only the steady flow case is considered in detail in this paper. It is demonstrated that four stages can be distinguished during the history of a turbidity current according to the variation of the Froude number: stage of flow establishment, uniform flow stage, hydraulic jump stage, and stage of flow decay. The progress of the flow appears to be controlled by four parameters: sediment flux near the sea floor, the slope of the sea floor, turbulent entrainment of the overlying sea water, and the resistance force imposed on the flow by the sea floor. Some analytical solutions exhibiting the critical conditions for the existence of turbidity current flow are obtained.