Geomatics expert with the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory
Geomatics integrates geospatial science and technology disciplines such as photogrammetry, remote sensing, GIS, GNSS, and geodesy. These are fundamental tools for Volcano Science Center monitoring and research projects.
I specialize in quantitative fluvial geomorphology, which uses geomatics, field instrumentation, and sampling to study sediment transport in disturbed volcanic systems. My current research focus is developing innovative uses of camera systems, including high-precision photogrammetric models of vegetated river channels and a suspended-sediment surrogate based on close-range multispectral ‘SedCam’ imagery.
As the Volcano Hazards Program Lidar Coordinator, I leverage local and national partnerships to acquire topographic data needed for volcano hazard modeling, mapping, and eruption forecasting efforts.
Professional Experience
Lidar Coordinator, USGS Volcano Hazards Program, 2020–present
Geologist, USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory, 2017–present
Owner, JBC Geomatics, 2019–2023
Adjunct Professor, Portland State University Geography, 2014–2019
Hydrologic Technician, USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory, 2009–2017
Education and Certifications
FAA UAS Remote Pilot Certificate, 2019–present
GIS Professional (GISP) Certification, since 2013–present
Graduate Certificate, GIS, Portland State University Geography, 2012
B.S. Earth Science, Portland State University Geology, 2011
Science and Products
August, 2022, airborne lidar survey of Mount St. Helens crater, upper North Fork Toutle River, and South Fork Toutle River
The lateral blast, debris avalanche, and lahars of the May 18th, 1980, eruption of Mount St. Helens, Washington, dramatically altered the surrounding landscape. Lava domes were extruded during the subsequent eruptive periods of 1980-1986 and 2004-2008. During 2022, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contracted the acquisitions of airborne lidar surveys of Mount St. Helens crater and two primary drainage
SedCam Model Calibration Imagery Acquired June 2020 to September 2021 at East Branch Brandywine Creek (USGS 01480870)
Two empirical simple linear regression models were developed from SedCam imagery and concurrent physical sediment samples over a 20-month period at the East Branch Brandywine Creek gage (USGS 01480870). The image files included here are a subset, used in the calibration dataset for these regression models. Models relate the explanatory variable, Rmax (maximum digital number of the red band, whi
Digital elevation model of South Fork Toutle River, Mount St. Helens, based on June–July 1980 airborne photogrammetry
The lateral blast, debris avalanche, and lahars of the May 18th, 1980, eruption of Mount St. Helens, Washington, dramatically altered the surrounding landscape. The eruption produced mudflows in the South Fork Toutle River basin, which drains the western slopes of the volcano. Orthophotography was acquired shortly after the eruption (June 19 and July 1). Survey extent includes South Fork Toutle Ri
Digital elevation model of K?lauea Volcano, Hawaii, based on July 2019 airborne lidar surveys
The 2018 eruption of Kilauea Volcano on the Island of Hawaii saw the collapse of a new, nested caldera at the volcano?s summit, and the inundation of 35.5 square kilometers (13.7 square miles) of the lower Puna District with lava. Between May and August, while the summit caldera collapsed, a lava channel extended 11 kilometers (7 miles) from fissure 8 in Leilani Estates to Kapoho Bay, where it for
Geospatial database of the 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii
The 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kilauea Volcano began in the late afternoon of 3 May, with fissure 1 opening and erupting lava onto Mohala Street in the Leilani Estates subdivision, part of the lower Puna District of the Island of Hawaii. For the first week of the eruption, relatively viscous lava flowed only within a kilometer (0.6 miles) of the fissures within Leilani Estates, before a
High-resolution digital elevation model of Mount St. Helens and upper North Fork Toutle River basin, based on airborne lidar surveys of August-September, 2017
The lateral blast, debris avalanche, and lahars of the May 18th, 1980, eruption of Mount St. Helens, Washington, dramatically altered the surrounding landscape. Lava domes were extruded during the subsequent eruptive periods of 1980-1986 and 2004-2008. During 2017, U.S. Forest Service contracted the acquisitions of airborne lidar surveys of Mount St. Helens and upper North Fork Toutle River basin,
Digital terrain models of Spirit Lake blockage and Mount St. Helens debris avalanche, based on 1980-2018 airborne photogrammetry surveys
The lateral blast, debris avalanche, pyroclastic flows, and lahars of the May 18th, 1980, eruption of Mount St. Helens, Washington, dramatically altered the surrounding landscape. The debris avalanche and pyroclastic flows filled upper North Fork Toutle River valley and blocked the outlet of Spirit Lake. To mitigate the risk of a catastrophic breach, lake outflow was pumped over the blockage prior
Digital elevation models of Mount St. Helens crater and upper North Fork Toutle River basin, based on 1987 and 1999 airborne photogrammetry surveys
The lateral blast, debris avalanche, and lahars of the May 18th, 1980, eruption of Mount St. Helens, Washington, dramatically altered the surrounding landscape. Lava domes were extruded during the subsequent eruptive periods of 1980-1986 and 2004-2008. Nearly four decades after the emplacement of the 1980 debris avalanche, high sediment production persists in the North Fork Toutle River basin, whi
Digital elevation models of upper North Fork Toutle River near Mount St. Helens, based on 2006-2014 airborne lidar surveys
The lateral blast, debris avalanche, and lahars of the May 18th, 1980, eruption of Mount St. Helens, Washington, dramatically altered the surrounding landscape. Lava domes were extruded during the subsequent eruptive periods of 1980-1986 and 2004-2008. Nearly four decades after the emplacement of the 1980 debris avalanche, high sediment production persists in the North Fork Toutle River basin, whi
Bathymetric dataset for Castle Lake, Mount St. Helens, Washington, from survey on August 1-3, 2012
The May 18, 1980, eruption of Mount St. Helens produced a 2.5-cubic kilometer debris avalanche that dammed South Fork Castle Creek, causing Castle Lake to form behind a 20-meter-tall blockage. Risk of a catastrophic breach of the newly impounded lake drove aggressive monitoring programs, mapping efforts, and blockage stability studies. Despite relatively large uncertainty, early mapping efforts ad
Filter Total Items: 15
A 40-year story of river sediment at Mount St. Helens
The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington State unleashed one of the largest debris avalanches (landslide) in recorded history. The debris avalanche deposited 3.3 billion cubic yards of material into the upper North Fork Toutle River watershed and obstructed the Columbia River shipping channel downstream. From the eruption on May 18, 1980, to September 30, 2018, the Toutle River transpor
Authors
Mark A. Uhrich, Kurt R. Spicer, Adam R. Mosbrucker, Dennis R. Saunders, Tami S. Christianson
Effective hydrological events in an evolving mid‐latitude mountain river system following cataclysmic disturbance—A saga of multiple influences
Cataclysmic eruption of Mount St. Helens (USA) in 1980 reset 30 km of upper North Fork Toutle River (NFTR) valley to a zero‐state fluvial condition. Consequently, a new channel system evolved. Initially, a range of streamflows eroded channels (tens of meters incision, hundreds of meters widening) and transported immense sediment loads. Now, single, large‐magnitude or multiple moderate‐magnitude ev
Authors
Jon J. Major, Kurt R. Spicer, Adam R. Mosbrucker
A multidecade analysis of fluvial geomorphic evolution of the Spirit Lake blockage, Mount St. Helens, Washington
Volcanic eruptions can affect landscapes in many ways and consequently alter erosion and the fluxes of water and sediment. Hydrologic and geomorphic responses to volcanic disturbances are varied in both space and time, and, in some instances, can persist for decades to centuries. Understanding the broad context of how landscapes respond to eruptions can help inform how they may evolve, and therefo
Authors
Jon J. Major, Gordon E. Grant, Kristin Sweeney, Adam R. Mosbrucker
Toutle River debris flows initiated by atmospheric rivers: November 2006
In early November, 2006, an atmospheric river brought heavy rainfall and high freezing levels to the Pacific Northwest. Without snowpack to buffer the hydrologic response, the storm caused widespread landslides and debris flows in drainages sourced from every central Cascades volcano. At Mount St. Helens, in southwestern Washington State, intense rainfall in the crater of the volcano caused at lea
Authors
Adam R. Mosbrucker, Kurt R. Spicer, Jon J. Major
Multidecadal geomorphic evolution of a profoundly disturbed gravel-bed river system—a complex, nonlinear response and its impact on sediment delivery
A 2.5-km3 debris avalanche during the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens reset the fluvial landscape of upper North Fork Toutle River valley. Since then, a new drainage network has formed and evolved. Cross-section surveys repeated over nearly 40 years at 16 locations along a 20-km reach of river valley document channel evolution, geomorphic processes, and their impacts on sediment delivery. We ana
Authors
Jon J. Major, Shan Zheng, Adam R. Mosbrucker, Kurt R. Spicer, Tami Christianson, Colin R. Thorne
Sediment erosion and delivery from Toutle River basin after the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens: A 30-year perspective
Exceptional sediment yields persist in Toutle River valley more than 30 years after the major 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. Differencing of decadal-scale digital elevation models shows the elevated load comes largely from persistent lateral channel erosion across the debris-avalanche deposit. Since the mid-1980s, rates of channel-bed-elevation change have diminished, and magnitudes of lateral
Authors
Jon J. Major, Adam R. Mosbrucker, Kurt R. Spicer
Bathymetric map and area/capacity table for Castle Lake, Washington
The May 18, 1980, eruption of Mount St. Helens produced a 2.5-cubic-kilometer debris avalanche that dammed South Fork Castle Creek, causing Castle Lake to form behind a 20-meter-tall blockage. Risk of a catastrophic breach of the newly impounded lake led to outlet channel stabilization work, aggressive monitoring programs, mapping efforts, and blockage stability studies. Despite relatively large u
Authors
Adam R. Mosbrucker, Kurt R. Spicer
Camera system considerations for geomorphic applications of SfM photogrammetry
The availability of high-resolution, multi-temporal, remotely sensed topographic data is revolutionizing geomorphic analysis. Three-dimensional topographic point measurements acquired from structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry have been shown to be highly accurate and cost-effective compared to laser-based alternatives in some environments. Use of consumer-grade digital cameras to generate te
Authors
Adam R. Mosbrucker, Jon J. Major, Kurt R. Spicer, John Pitlick
Where is the hot rock and where is the ground water— Using CSAMT to map beneath and around Mount St. Helens
We have observed several new features in recent controlled-source audio-frequency magnetotelluric (CSAMT) soundings on and around Mount St. Helens, Washington State, USA. We have identified the approximate location of a strong electrical conductor at the edges of and beneath the 2004–08 dome. We interpret this conductor to be hot brine at the hot-intrusive-cold-rock interface. This contact can be
Authors
Jeff Wynn, Adam R. Mosbrucker, Herbert Pierce, Kurt R. Spicer
Digital database of channel cross-section surveys, Mount St. Helens, Washington
Stream-channel cross-section survey data are a fundamental component to studies of fluvial geomorphology. Such data provide important parameters required by many open-channel flow models, sediment-transport equations, sediment-budget computations, and flood-hazard assessments. At Mount St. Helens, Washington, the long-term response of channels to the May 18, 1980, eruption, which dramatically alte
Authors
Adam R. Mosbrucker, Kurt R. Spicer, Jon J. Major, Dennis R. Saunders, Tami S. Christianson, Cole G. Kingsbury
Evaluating turbidity and suspended-sediment concentration relations from the North Fork Toutle River basin near Mount St. Helens, Washington; annual, seasonal, event, and particle size variations - a preliminary analysis.
Regression of in-stream turbidity with concurrent sample-based suspended-sediment concentration (SSC) has become an accepted method for producing unit-value time series of inferred SSC (Rasmussen et al., 2009). Turbidity-SSC regression models are increasingly used to generate suspended-sediment records for Pacific Northwest rivers (e.g., Curran et al., 2014; Schenk and Bragg, 2014; Uhrich and Brag
Authors
Mark A. Uhrich, Kurt R. Spicer, Adam R. Mosbrucker, Tami S. Christianson
High-resolution digital elevation model of lower Cowlitz and Toutle Rivers, adjacent to Mount St. Helens, Washington, based on an airborne lidar survey of October 2007
The lateral blast, debris avalanche, and lahars of the May 18th, 1980, eruption of Mount St. Helens, Washington, dramatically altered the surrounding landscape. Lava domes were extruded during the subsequent eruptive periods of 1980–1986 and 2004–2008. More than three decades after the emplacement of the 1980 debris avalanche, high sediment production persists in the Toutle River basin, which drai
Authors
Adam R. Mosbrucker
Science and Products
- Data
August, 2022, airborne lidar survey of Mount St. Helens crater, upper North Fork Toutle River, and South Fork Toutle River
The lateral blast, debris avalanche, and lahars of the May 18th, 1980, eruption of Mount St. Helens, Washington, dramatically altered the surrounding landscape. Lava domes were extruded during the subsequent eruptive periods of 1980-1986 and 2004-2008. During 2022, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contracted the acquisitions of airborne lidar surveys of Mount St. Helens crater and two primary drainageSedCam Model Calibration Imagery Acquired June 2020 to September 2021 at East Branch Brandywine Creek (USGS 01480870)
Two empirical simple linear regression models were developed from SedCam imagery and concurrent physical sediment samples over a 20-month period at the East Branch Brandywine Creek gage (USGS 01480870). The image files included here are a subset, used in the calibration dataset for these regression models. Models relate the explanatory variable, Rmax (maximum digital number of the red band, whiDigital elevation model of South Fork Toutle River, Mount St. Helens, based on June–July 1980 airborne photogrammetry
The lateral blast, debris avalanche, and lahars of the May 18th, 1980, eruption of Mount St. Helens, Washington, dramatically altered the surrounding landscape. The eruption produced mudflows in the South Fork Toutle River basin, which drains the western slopes of the volcano. Orthophotography was acquired shortly after the eruption (June 19 and July 1). Survey extent includes South Fork Toutle RiDigital elevation model of K?lauea Volcano, Hawaii, based on July 2019 airborne lidar surveys
The 2018 eruption of Kilauea Volcano on the Island of Hawaii saw the collapse of a new, nested caldera at the volcano?s summit, and the inundation of 35.5 square kilometers (13.7 square miles) of the lower Puna District with lava. Between May and August, while the summit caldera collapsed, a lava channel extended 11 kilometers (7 miles) from fissure 8 in Leilani Estates to Kapoho Bay, where it forGeospatial database of the 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii
The 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kilauea Volcano began in the late afternoon of 3 May, with fissure 1 opening and erupting lava onto Mohala Street in the Leilani Estates subdivision, part of the lower Puna District of the Island of Hawaii. For the first week of the eruption, relatively viscous lava flowed only within a kilometer (0.6 miles) of the fissures within Leilani Estates, before aHigh-resolution digital elevation model of Mount St. Helens and upper North Fork Toutle River basin, based on airborne lidar surveys of August-September, 2017
The lateral blast, debris avalanche, and lahars of the May 18th, 1980, eruption of Mount St. Helens, Washington, dramatically altered the surrounding landscape. Lava domes were extruded during the subsequent eruptive periods of 1980-1986 and 2004-2008. During 2017, U.S. Forest Service contracted the acquisitions of airborne lidar surveys of Mount St. Helens and upper North Fork Toutle River basin,Digital terrain models of Spirit Lake blockage and Mount St. Helens debris avalanche, based on 1980-2018 airborne photogrammetry surveys
The lateral blast, debris avalanche, pyroclastic flows, and lahars of the May 18th, 1980, eruption of Mount St. Helens, Washington, dramatically altered the surrounding landscape. The debris avalanche and pyroclastic flows filled upper North Fork Toutle River valley and blocked the outlet of Spirit Lake. To mitigate the risk of a catastrophic breach, lake outflow was pumped over the blockage priorDigital elevation models of Mount St. Helens crater and upper North Fork Toutle River basin, based on 1987 and 1999 airborne photogrammetry surveys
The lateral blast, debris avalanche, and lahars of the May 18th, 1980, eruption of Mount St. Helens, Washington, dramatically altered the surrounding landscape. Lava domes were extruded during the subsequent eruptive periods of 1980-1986 and 2004-2008. Nearly four decades after the emplacement of the 1980 debris avalanche, high sediment production persists in the North Fork Toutle River basin, whiDigital elevation models of upper North Fork Toutle River near Mount St. Helens, based on 2006-2014 airborne lidar surveys
The lateral blast, debris avalanche, and lahars of the May 18th, 1980, eruption of Mount St. Helens, Washington, dramatically altered the surrounding landscape. Lava domes were extruded during the subsequent eruptive periods of 1980-1986 and 2004-2008. Nearly four decades after the emplacement of the 1980 debris avalanche, high sediment production persists in the North Fork Toutle River basin, whiBathymetric dataset for Castle Lake, Mount St. Helens, Washington, from survey on August 1-3, 2012
The May 18, 1980, eruption of Mount St. Helens produced a 2.5-cubic kilometer debris avalanche that dammed South Fork Castle Creek, causing Castle Lake to form behind a 20-meter-tall blockage. Risk of a catastrophic breach of the newly impounded lake drove aggressive monitoring programs, mapping efforts, and blockage stability studies. Despite relatively large uncertainty, early mapping efforts ad - Multimedia
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 15
A 40-year story of river sediment at Mount St. Helens
The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington State unleashed one of the largest debris avalanches (landslide) in recorded history. The debris avalanche deposited 3.3 billion cubic yards of material into the upper North Fork Toutle River watershed and obstructed the Columbia River shipping channel downstream. From the eruption on May 18, 1980, to September 30, 2018, the Toutle River transporAuthorsMark A. Uhrich, Kurt R. Spicer, Adam R. Mosbrucker, Dennis R. Saunders, Tami S. ChristiansonEffective hydrological events in an evolving mid‐latitude mountain river system following cataclysmic disturbance—A saga of multiple influences
Cataclysmic eruption of Mount St. Helens (USA) in 1980 reset 30 km of upper North Fork Toutle River (NFTR) valley to a zero‐state fluvial condition. Consequently, a new channel system evolved. Initially, a range of streamflows eroded channels (tens of meters incision, hundreds of meters widening) and transported immense sediment loads. Now, single, large‐magnitude or multiple moderate‐magnitude evAuthorsJon J. Major, Kurt R. Spicer, Adam R. MosbruckerA multidecade analysis of fluvial geomorphic evolution of the Spirit Lake blockage, Mount St. Helens, Washington
Volcanic eruptions can affect landscapes in many ways and consequently alter erosion and the fluxes of water and sediment. Hydrologic and geomorphic responses to volcanic disturbances are varied in both space and time, and, in some instances, can persist for decades to centuries. Understanding the broad context of how landscapes respond to eruptions can help inform how they may evolve, and therefoAuthorsJon J. Major, Gordon E. Grant, Kristin Sweeney, Adam R. MosbruckerToutle River debris flows initiated by atmospheric rivers: November 2006
In early November, 2006, an atmospheric river brought heavy rainfall and high freezing levels to the Pacific Northwest. Without snowpack to buffer the hydrologic response, the storm caused widespread landslides and debris flows in drainages sourced from every central Cascades volcano. At Mount St. Helens, in southwestern Washington State, intense rainfall in the crater of the volcano caused at leaAuthorsAdam R. Mosbrucker, Kurt R. Spicer, Jon J. MajorMultidecadal geomorphic evolution of a profoundly disturbed gravel-bed river system—a complex, nonlinear response and its impact on sediment delivery
A 2.5-km3 debris avalanche during the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens reset the fluvial landscape of upper North Fork Toutle River valley. Since then, a new drainage network has formed and evolved. Cross-section surveys repeated over nearly 40 years at 16 locations along a 20-km reach of river valley document channel evolution, geomorphic processes, and their impacts on sediment delivery. We anaAuthorsJon J. Major, Shan Zheng, Adam R. Mosbrucker, Kurt R. Spicer, Tami Christianson, Colin R. ThorneSediment erosion and delivery from Toutle River basin after the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens: A 30-year perspective
Exceptional sediment yields persist in Toutle River valley more than 30 years after the major 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. Differencing of decadal-scale digital elevation models shows the elevated load comes largely from persistent lateral channel erosion across the debris-avalanche deposit. Since the mid-1980s, rates of channel-bed-elevation change have diminished, and magnitudes of lateralAuthorsJon J. Major, Adam R. Mosbrucker, Kurt R. SpicerBathymetric map and area/capacity table for Castle Lake, Washington
The May 18, 1980, eruption of Mount St. Helens produced a 2.5-cubic-kilometer debris avalanche that dammed South Fork Castle Creek, causing Castle Lake to form behind a 20-meter-tall blockage. Risk of a catastrophic breach of the newly impounded lake led to outlet channel stabilization work, aggressive monitoring programs, mapping efforts, and blockage stability studies. Despite relatively large uAuthorsAdam R. Mosbrucker, Kurt R. SpicerCamera system considerations for geomorphic applications of SfM photogrammetry
The availability of high-resolution, multi-temporal, remotely sensed topographic data is revolutionizing geomorphic analysis. Three-dimensional topographic point measurements acquired from structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry have been shown to be highly accurate and cost-effective compared to laser-based alternatives in some environments. Use of consumer-grade digital cameras to generate teAuthorsAdam R. Mosbrucker, Jon J. Major, Kurt R. Spicer, John PitlickWhere is the hot rock and where is the ground water— Using CSAMT to map beneath and around Mount St. Helens
We have observed several new features in recent controlled-source audio-frequency magnetotelluric (CSAMT) soundings on and around Mount St. Helens, Washington State, USA. We have identified the approximate location of a strong electrical conductor at the edges of and beneath the 2004–08 dome. We interpret this conductor to be hot brine at the hot-intrusive-cold-rock interface. This contact can beAuthorsJeff Wynn, Adam R. Mosbrucker, Herbert Pierce, Kurt R. SpicerDigital database of channel cross-section surveys, Mount St. Helens, Washington
Stream-channel cross-section survey data are a fundamental component to studies of fluvial geomorphology. Such data provide important parameters required by many open-channel flow models, sediment-transport equations, sediment-budget computations, and flood-hazard assessments. At Mount St. Helens, Washington, the long-term response of channels to the May 18, 1980, eruption, which dramatically alteAuthorsAdam R. Mosbrucker, Kurt R. Spicer, Jon J. Major, Dennis R. Saunders, Tami S. Christianson, Cole G. KingsburyEvaluating turbidity and suspended-sediment concentration relations from the North Fork Toutle River basin near Mount St. Helens, Washington; annual, seasonal, event, and particle size variations - a preliminary analysis.
Regression of in-stream turbidity with concurrent sample-based suspended-sediment concentration (SSC) has become an accepted method for producing unit-value time series of inferred SSC (Rasmussen et al., 2009). Turbidity-SSC regression models are increasingly used to generate suspended-sediment records for Pacific Northwest rivers (e.g., Curran et al., 2014; Schenk and Bragg, 2014; Uhrich and BragAuthorsMark A. Uhrich, Kurt R. Spicer, Adam R. Mosbrucker, Tami S. ChristiansonHigh-resolution digital elevation model of lower Cowlitz and Toutle Rivers, adjacent to Mount St. Helens, Washington, based on an airborne lidar survey of October 2007
The lateral blast, debris avalanche, and lahars of the May 18th, 1980, eruption of Mount St. Helens, Washington, dramatically altered the surrounding landscape. Lava domes were extruded during the subsequent eruptive periods of 1980–1986 and 2004–2008. More than three decades after the emplacement of the 1980 debris avalanche, high sediment production persists in the Toutle River basin, which draiAuthorsAdam R. Mosbrucker