Monitoring subsurface hydrologic response for precipitation-induced shallow landsliding in the San Francisco Bay area, California, USA
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Abstract
Intense winter storms in the San Francisco Bay area (SFBA) of California, USA often trigger shallow landslides. Some of these landslides mobilize into potentially hazardous debris flows. A growing body of research indicates that rainfall intensity-duration thresholds are insufficient for accurate prediction of landslide occurrence. In response, we have begun long-term monitoring of the hydrologic response of land-slide-prone hillslopes to rainfall in several areas of the SFBA. Each monitoring site is equipped with sensors for measuring soil moisture content and piezometric pressure at several soil depths along with a rain gauge connected to a cell phone or satellite telemetered data logger. The data are transmitted in near-real-time, providing the ability to monitor hydrologic conditions before, during, and after storms. Results are guiding the establishment of both antecedent and storm-specific rainfall and moisture content thresholds which must be achieved before landslide-causative positive pore water pressures are generated. Although widespread shallow landsliding has not yet occurred since the deployment of the monitoring sites, several isolated land-slides have been observed in the area of monitoring. The landslides occurred during a period when positive pore water pressures were measured as a result of intense rainfall that followed higher-than-average season precipitation totals. Continued monitoring and analysis will further guide the establishment of more general-ized thresholds for different regions of the SFBA and contribute to the development and calibration of physi-cally-based predictive models.
Suggested Citation
Collins, B.D., Stock, J.D., Weber, L.C., Whitman, K., Knepprath, N., 2012, Monitoring subsurface hydrologic response for precipitation-induced shallow landsliding in the San Francisco Bay area, California, USA, in Landslides and engineered slopes: Protecting society through improved understanding, Proceedings of the 11th International Symposium on Landslides, p. 1249-1255.
| Publication type | Conference Paper |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Conference Paper |
| Title | Monitoring subsurface hydrologic response for precipitation-induced shallow landsliding in the San Francisco Bay area, California, USA |
| Year Published | 2012 |
| Language | English |
| Contributing office(s) | Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center |
| Description | 7 p. |
| Larger Work Type | Book |
| Larger Work Subtype | Conference publication |
| Larger Work Title | Landslides and engineered slopes: Protecting society through improved understanding, Proceedings of the 11th International Symposium on Landslides |
| First page | 1249 |
| Last page | 1255 |
| Conference Title | 11th International Symposium on Landslides |