Equilibrium model of density flow (Q6182820)

A model for the propagation of underwater avalanches over a slope is studied. The model is a system of balance laws for three variables representing the thickness of the moving layer, the buoyancy and the average velocity. These variables depend on time and on the (one-dimensional) distance measured along the slope. Additionally, the model depends on a unique parameter which is a combination of the slope of the plane, the relation between vertical and horizontal scales, and the dissipation rate of small-scale motion. Special solutions of the model, namely traveling waves and self-similar solutions, are seeked and analyzed. The problem then reduces to systems of ordinary differential equations with suitable boundary conditions. Some explicit special solutions are exhibited. Discontinuous solutions are also considered. Nonstationary numerical solutions to the model are computed and compared at a large value of time with the constructed self-similar solutions.