Numerical simulation and geomorphic impact of the 2000 Yigong River outburst flood

Numerical simulation and geomorphic impact of the 2000 Yigong River outburst flood | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Numerical simulation and geomorphic impact of the 2000 Yigong River outburst flood Chaohua WU, Xianhui YANG, Shuai YANG, Mengshuang NI, Kaiheng HU, and 5 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9069496/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 8 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Currently, there is a shortage of research on modern outburst floods, which hinders our comprehension of the connection between the hydrological features of these events and their geomorphic and sedimentary characteristics. This lack of research also restricts our understanding of the impact of these extreme disasters on the long-term evolution of human survival and living environments. Nevertheless, the 2000 Yigong River outburst flood provides us an opportunity for studying the typical modern outburst floods. The peak discharge of the dammed lake outburst flood was recorded at 1.26×10 5 m 3 /s, leading to significant changes in the riverbed and valley gradient, ultimately causing the riverbed to shift. Moreover, it formed a large amount of gravel bars and slack water deposits downstream of the breach. These sediments are relatively well preserved and provide us with a complete chain of evidence to study modern outburst floods. The dynamics of the flood were simulated using the HEC-RAS 2D unsteady flow model. The relationship between the lateral migration of the channel and the shear stress of the river bed during peak discharge was determined. This reflected the direct control effect of the hydrodynamic conditions of the outburst flood on the lateral migration of the river bed. The sedimentary morphology, scale, and maximum gravel size of the boulder bar downstream of the breach were found to be closely related to the channel width and local hydrodynamic conditions.The relationship between the hydrological characteristics and sedimentary characteristics of the outburst flood was quantitatively analyzed. The slack water deposit in Jiazhong village was formed during the peak discharge, while the horizontally-bedded laminations containing coarse sand and fine gravel in the tributary valley were mainly formed during the flood decline after the peak discharge.The latest findings in this study provide valuable additions to the research on the devastating floods that have been investigated in the rugged terrain of the Yarlung Tsangpo River basin. outburst flood geomorphology deposition bar dynamics Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files D50bouldersStatisticsSort.xls Longaxisofthemaximumboulderinboulderbar.doc parameterofboulderbars.doc hydrologicprocessline.xlsx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviews received at journal 10 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 30 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 30 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 26 Mar, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 26 Mar, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 11 Mar, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 11 Mar, 2026 First submitted to journal 09 Mar, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9069496","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":613828341,"identity":"04affff3-6b09-439f-812a-8590dddf3ea9","order_by":0,"name":"Chaohua WU","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"School of Intelligent Built Environment and Architectural Engineering, Neijiang Normal University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Chaohua","middleName":"","lastName":"WU","suffix":""},{"id":613828342,"identity":"45b207f1-0934-4098-a71d-3a64052d0384","order_by":1,"name":"Xianhui YANG","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"School of Intelligent Built Environment and Architectural Engineering, Neijiang Normal University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Xianhui","middleName":"","lastName":"YANG","suffix":""},{"id":613828343,"identity":"13cc989e-740a-4692-b7fb-7fd5228d64dd","order_by":2,"name":"Shuai YANG","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"School of Intelligent Built Environment and Architectural Engineering, Neijiang Normal University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Shuai","middleName":"","lastName":"YANG","suffix":""},{"id":613828344,"identity":"4cb7ebc9-9278-4de6-b011-52af7f23d1a4","order_by":3,"name":"Mengshuang NI","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"School of Intelligent Built Environment and Architectural Engineering, Neijiang Normal University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mengshuang","middleName":"","lastName":"NI","suffix":""},{"id":613828345,"identity":"5512635e-ca11-4897-966e-a978787fea01","order_by":4,"name":"Kaiheng HU","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Key Laboratory of Mountain Hazards and Earth Surface Process, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Kaiheng","middleName":"","lastName":"HU","suffix":""},{"id":613828346,"identity":"dde73c4c-49e3-4e0b-833b-ede01b127652","order_by":5,"name":"Weiming LIU","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Key Laboratory of Mountain Hazards and Earth Surface Process, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Weiming","middleName":"","lastName":"LIU","suffix":""},{"id":613828347,"identity":"17c6e118-a5fa-4bde-93d2-f60e0d88ec4b","order_by":6,"name":"Li WEI","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Key Laboratory of Mountain Hazards and Earth Surface Process, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Li","middleName":"","lastName":"WEI","suffix":""},{"id":613828348,"identity":"e6fb5d5e-b8fd-4969-850d-354d67cb5c57","order_by":7,"name":"Qiyuan ZHANG","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Key Laboratory of Mountain Hazards and Earth Surface Process, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Qiyuan","middleName":"","lastName":"ZHANG","suffix":""},{"id":613828349,"identity":"4baa34b9-8aef-43ae-a275-d1e3b68e06dc","order_by":8,"name":"Hao LI","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Key Laboratory of Mountain Hazards and Earth Surface Process, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Hao","middleName":"","lastName":"LI","suffix":""},{"id":613828350,"identity":"a7b21d19-8c16-4626-8e05-ed167dfd6ea2","order_by":9,"name":"Xuemei LI","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA4ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACPmYIzcPPwJAAYjA2ENLCBtMi2cCQ2ECcFhjD4ABENRFa2HnMJD7m2MgY3254/uAHg43shgPMzx7gdxhbmuTMbWk8ZncOJDb2MKQZbzjAZm6AXwvzMWnebYd5zG4kJDYzMBxO3HCAh00CvxbGNum/2/7zGM8Aa/lPjBagLYzbDvAYSIC1HCBGC1uyZe+2ZB4JoMNm9hgkG888zGaGVws//xnDGz+32dnzz8hJ+PCjwk6273jzM7xakABPAjB2gDQzkeqBgP0A8WpHwSgYBaNgRAEAVf9CAB3kaSAAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Tuojiang River Basin High-quality Development Research Center, Neijiang Normal University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Xuemei","middleName":"","lastName":"LI","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-03-09 07:10:20","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9069496/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9069496/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":105906614,"identity":"4e1a82a2-9cd9-4f7a-bd58-7e4c6be8062f","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-04-01 10:23:36","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":2611524,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9069496/v1_covered_a595d584-297d-48d8-a551-dfb977f069f9.pdf"},{"id":105854072,"identity":"38a33719-c9ab-4088-8659-43f437f44c77","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-31 20:54:59","extension":"xls","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":51200,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"D50bouldersStatisticsSort.xls","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9069496/v1/519cc4029c41d0fe6f90aa39.xls"},{"id":105905484,"identity":"ce778c54-d92e-49b4-8f57-5650bcd66fdd","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-04-01 10:12:17","extension":"doc","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":26624,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Longaxisofthemaximumboulderinboulderbar.doc","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9069496/v1/f681802527000292288fd3d5.doc"},{"id":105854068,"identity":"ec1079d8-ab9c-411f-921b-7503040ff2ed","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-31 20:54:58","extension":"doc","order_by":2,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":36352,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"parameterofboulderbars.doc","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9069496/v1/381de7de58ad1b9fdca126e0.doc"},{"id":105904412,"identity":"467e9663-d78e-4448-b869-8ade2c581450","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-04-01 10:08:16","extension":"xlsx","order_by":3,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":95393,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"hydrologicprocessline.xlsx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9069496/v1/8a2a5d0c74c16ad32f55b0d0.xlsx"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Numerical simulation and geomorphic impact of the 2000 Yigong River outburst flood","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"environmental-earth-sciences","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"enge","sideBox":"Learn more about [Environmental Earth Sciences](https://www.springer.com/journal/12665)","snPcode":"12665","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/12665/3","title":"Environmental Earth Sciences","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"outburst flood, geomorphology, deposition, bar, dynamics","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9069496/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9069496/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eCurrently, there is a shortage of research on modern outburst floods, which hinders our comprehension of the connection between the hydrological features of these events and their geomorphic and sedimentary characteristics. This lack of research also restricts our understanding of the impact of these extreme disasters on the long-term evolution of human survival and living environments. Nevertheless, the 2000 Yigong River outburst flood provides us an opportunity for studying the typical modern outburst floods. The peak discharge of the dammed lake outburst flood was recorded at 1.26\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e5\u003c/sup\u003e m\u003csup\u003e3\u003c/sup\u003e/s, leading to significant changes in the riverbed and valley gradient, ultimately causing the riverbed to shift. Moreover, it formed a large amount of gravel bars and slack water deposits downstream of the breach. These sediments are relatively well preserved and provide us with a complete chain of evidence to study modern outburst floods. The dynamics of the flood were simulated using the HEC-RAS 2D unsteady flow model. The relationship between the lateral migration of the channel and the shear stress of the river bed during peak discharge was determined. This reflected the direct control effect of the hydrodynamic conditions of the outburst flood on the lateral migration of the river bed. The sedimentary morphology, scale, and maximum gravel size of the boulder bar downstream of the breach were found to be closely related to the channel width and local hydrodynamic conditions.The relationship between the hydrological characteristics and sedimentary characteristics of the outburst flood was quantitatively analyzed. The slack water deposit in Jiazhong village was formed during the peak discharge, while the horizontally-bedded laminations containing coarse sand and fine gravel in the tributary valley were mainly formed during the flood decline after the peak discharge.The latest findings in this study provide valuable additions to the research on the devastating floods that have been investigated in the rugged terrain of the Yarlung Tsangpo River basin.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Numerical simulation and geomorphic impact of the 2000 Yigong River outburst flood","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-03-31 20:54:48","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9069496/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-04-10T13:42:55+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"17504738657210014727224585389966347173","date":"2026-03-31T01:03:34+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"66991589201180498119900594459317029952","date":"2026-03-30T13:00:46+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"174274316426745909996046897144236620107","date":"2026-03-27T00:16:25+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2026-03-26T15:06:34+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2026-03-11T07:56:01+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2026-03-11T07:55:42+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Environmental Earth Sciences","date":"2026-03-09T06:57:42+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"environmental-earth-sciences","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"enge","sideBox":"Learn more about [Environmental Earth Sciences](https://www.springer.com/journal/12665)","snPcode":"12665","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/12665/3","title":"Environmental Earth Sciences","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"73352f71-ab73-4932-9f1f-7452b08a7533","owner":[],"postedDate":"March 31st, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-03-31T20:54:48+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-03-31 20:54:48","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-9069496","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-9069496","identity":"rs-9069496","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}