Fig. 5
From: New flow relaxation mechanism explains scour fields at the end of submarine channels
Illustration of the flow relaxation model. a Flow confined in a channel. The channel side-walls counteract the near-bed lateral pressure differences within the flow, resulting in a lateral pressure gradient of zero. Note lateral and vertical variations in the flow velocity field after27. b A flow that relaxes upon leaving a confinement. The loss of lateral support by the channel flanks results in a lateral pressure gradient within the flow, and hence, lateral spreading triggers a lowering of the velocity maximum. This shifts the height of the maximum velocity bed-wards and increases the shear stress at the bed, resulting in erosion. Lateral to the incision, levee-shaped sediment bodies are deposited due to the lateral decrease in flow velocity
