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U.S. Geological Survey natural hazards science strategy— Promoting the safety, security, and economic well-being of the Nation U.S. Geological Survey natural hazards science strategy— Promoting the safety, security, and economic well-being of the Nation

Executive Summary The mission of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in natural hazards is to develop and apply hazard science to help protect the safety, security, and economic well-being of the Nation. The costs and consequences of natural hazards can be enormous, and each year more people and infrastructure are at risk. USGS scientific research—founded on detailed observations and...
Authors
Robert Holmes, Lucile Jones, Jeffery Eidenshink, Jonathan Godt, Stephen Kirby, Jeffrey Love, Christina A. Neal, Nathaniel Plant, Michael Plunkett, Craig Weaver, Anne Wein, Suzanne Perry

Limiting the immediate and subsequent hazards associated with wildfires Limiting the immediate and subsequent hazards associated with wildfires

Wildfire is a unique natural hazard because it poses immediate threats to life and property as well as creating conditions that can lead to subsequent debris flows. In recent years, the immediate destructive force of wildfires has been decreased through better understanding of fire behavior. Lightning detection networks now identify the number and locations of this common ignition source
Authors
Jerome DeGraff, Susan Cannon, Mario Parise

Landslides and sediment budgets in four watersheds in eastern Puerto Rico: Chapter F in Water quality and landscape processes of four watersheds in eastern Puerto Rico Landslides and sediment budgets in four watersheds in eastern Puerto Rico: Chapter F in Water quality and landscape processes of four watersheds in eastern Puerto Rico

The low-latitude regions of the Earth are undergoing profound, rapid landscape change as forests are converted to agriculture to support growing population. Understanding the effects of these land-use changes requires analysis of watershed-scale geomorphic processes to better inform and manage this usually disorganized process. The investigation of hillslope erosion and the development...
Authors
Matthew Larsen

Landslides in Colorado, USA--Impacts and loss estimation for 2010 Landslides in Colorado, USA--Impacts and loss estimation for 2010

The focus of this study is to investigate landslides and consequent losses which affected Colorado in the year 2010. By obtaining landslide reports from a variety of sources, this report will demonstrate the feasibility of creating a profile of landslides and their effects on communities. A short overview of the current status of landslide-loss studies for the United States is introduced...
Authors
Lynn Highland

Large-area landslide detection and monitoring with ALOS/PALSAR imagery data over Northern California and Southern Oregon, USA Large-area landslide detection and monitoring with ALOS/PALSAR imagery data over Northern California and Southern Oregon, USA

Multi-temporal ALOS/PALSAR images are used to automatically investigate landslide activity over an area of ~ 200 km by ~ 350 km in northern California and southern Oregon. Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) deformation images, InSAR coherence maps, SAR backscattering intensity images, and a DEM gradient map are combined to detect active landslides by setting individual...
Authors
Chaoying Zhao, Zhong Lu, Qin Zhang, Juan de la Fuente

Deterministic estimation of hydrological thresholds for shallow landslide initiation and slope stability models: case study from the Somma-Vesuvius area of southern Italy Deterministic estimation of hydrological thresholds for shallow landslide initiation and slope stability models: case study from the Somma-Vesuvius area of southern Italy

Rainfall-induced debris flows involving ash-fall pyroclastic deposits that cover steep mountain slopes surrounding the Somma-Vesuvius volcano are natural events and a source of risk for urban settlements located at footslopes in the area. This paper describes experimental methods and modelling results of shallow landslides that occurred on 5–6 May 1998 in selected areas of the Sarno...
Authors
Rex Baum, Jonathan Godt, P. De Vita, E. Napolitano

Effects of soil-engineering properties on the failure mode of shallow landslides Effects of soil-engineering properties on the failure mode of shallow landslides

Some landslides mobilize into flows, while others slide and deposit material immediately down slope. An index based on initial dry density and fine-grained content of soil predicted failure mode of 96 landslide initiation sites in Oregon and Colorado with 79% accuracy. These material properties can be used to identify potential sources for debris flows and for slides. Field data suggest...
Authors
Jonathan McKenna, Paul Santi, Xavier Amblard, Jacquelyn Negri

Sediment entrainment by debris flows: In situ measurements from the headwaters of a steep catchment Sediment entrainment by debris flows: In situ measurements from the headwaters of a steep catchment

Debris flows can dramatically increase their volume, and hence their destructive potential, by entraining sediment. Yet quantitative constraints on rates and mechanics of sediment entrainment by debris flows are limited. Using an in situ sensor network in the headwaters of a natural catchment we measured flow and bed properties during six erosive debris-flow events. Despite similar flow...
Authors
S.W. McCoy, Jason Kean, Jeffrey Coe, G.E. Tucker, Dennis Staley, T.A. Wasklewicz
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