Catastrophic Flows Research Cluster
Investigating extreme physical flows with the potential for significant human hazard, that generate profound and wholesale changes on the environments within which they operate.
About the Catastrophic Flows Research Cluster
Researchers in the Catastrophic Flows research cluster work across a range of spatial scales (from grains of sand to entire catchments) and temporal scales (single events to geological epochs). Our expertise spans a wide range of processes – from pyroclastic density currents through air, to flows of water in rivers, to planetary scale flows in the submarine realm or on Mars. We work over time periods such as mass extinctions in the distant past to climate change impacts in the near future. Our particular focus at the moment is on catastrophic volcanic flows.
We share a number of common tools to model these environmental systems, including field quantification, physical models and numerical simulation. We use unique physical modelling capabilities such as the Total Environment Simulator (TES) and also distinctive numerical modelling expertise of landscape evolution such as the CAESAR-Lisflood catchment model. We strive to provide predictions for the future to plan adaptation strategies as well as giving us insight into the past from historical to geological timescales.
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