How long do runoff-generated debris-flow hazards persist after wildfire?
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Abstract
Runoff-generated debris flows are a potentially destructive and deadly response to wildfire until sufficient vegetation and soil-hydraulic recovery have reduced susceptibility to the hazard. Elevated debris-flow susceptibility may persist for several years, but the controls on the timespan of the susceptible period are poorly understood. To evaluate the connection between vegetation recovery and debris-flow occurrence, we calculated recovery for 25 fires in the western United States using satellite-derived leaf area index (LAI) and compared recovery estimates to the timing of 536 debris flows from the same fires. We found that the majority (>98%) of flows occurred when LAI was less than 2/3 of typical prefire values. Our results show that total vegetation recovery is not necessary to inhibit runoff-generated flows in a wide variety of regions in the western United States. Satellite-derived vegetation data show promise for estimating the timespan of debris-flow susceptibility.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | How long do runoff-generated debris-flow hazards persist after wildfire? |
| Series title | Geophysical Research Letters |
| DOI | 10.1029/2023GL105101 |
| Volume | 50 |
| Issue | 19 |
| Year Published | 2023 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | American Geophysical Union |
| Contributing office(s) | Geologic Hazards Science Center - Landslides / Earthquake Geology |
| Description | e2023GL105101, 10 p. |
| Country | United States |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |