Submarine turbidity currents are caused by the dilution of fine sediments in water, making the density of the mixture greater than the density of the environment fluid (sea water). The investigation on submarine turbidity currents is important as they can modify the bathymetry of the sea bottom by means of erosion and deposition of sediments. In this work we propose a mathematical model for 3D submarine turbidity currents. Such a mathematical model accounts for the major issues: entrainment of environment fluid, sedimentation and deposition of sediments. Numerical results are compared with experiments. The agreement is fairly good and shows that the main features of the physical phenomenon are reproduced by the mathematical model.
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Turbidity currents are dense currents, consisting of a suspension of heavy particles in an environment fluid. Submarine turbidity currents and pyroclastic flows are two well known examples of turbidity currents (Bonnecaze and Lister, 1999). The former are caused by the dilution of fine sediments in water, making the density of the mixture greater than the density of the environment fluid (sea water), the latter consist of hot gases and fine particles erupted by a volcano. Due to their interaction with the external environment, the investigation on turbidity currents is important from many points of view: geological, oceanographical and environmental. An interesting example of interaction with the external environment is given by the submarine turbidity currents. Indeed, by means of sedimentation and erosion processes, such currents are able to modify the bathymetry of the sea bottom, creating dramatic deep-sea landscapes (Kostic and Parker, 2007). Submarine canyons, with depth of hundreds of metres, can be dug by turbidity currents on steep slopes, while on softer slopes they can deposit sediments over large distances (10÷100 km), forming underwater structures that look like deltas (submarine fans), mainly at the end of large rivers, such as the Nile or Mississippi Rivers.
