Amy East
I study how landscapes change over time, focusing on response to hydroclimatic and anthropogenic disturbances. These studies inform resource management as well as fundamental understanding of earth-surface processes. I am also interested in how sediment moves from source to sink, and how the sedimentary record reflects changes in sediment supply and transport.
Research Topics
Landscape Response to Climate Change
Climatic changes associated with modern global warming have been documented widely, but physical landscape responses are poorly understood. Landscape signals of modern climate change relate to human health and safety, infrastructure, water security, and ecosystems. Our project investigates landscape responses to modern climate change, primarily in the western US, focusing on slope failures, watershed sediment yields, river morphology, and aeolian (wind-blown) sediment mobilization.
Post-Fire Sediment Mobilization
Watershed sediment yields increase after fire, but by how much and with what driving factors is not well understood for some regions. Our group studies several CA wildfires, monitoring sediment yield and related processes. We have studied landscape change after seven California fires spanning 2016 to 2022.
Effects of Large Dam Removal
Colleagues and I have studied river response to large dam removals on the Elwha River, WA, and Carmel River, CA, and study the Klamath River (CA and OR) preparing for dam removals there. I helped lead a USGS Powell Center working group on the state of dam-removal science.
Landscape Response to Hydroclimatic Extremes
Western US landscapes export large sediment fluxes, due to steep terrain, tectonic activity, and potential for extreme rain. I study landscape response to hydroclimatic disturbances—drought and extreme rain. We studied sediment export from the San Lorenzo River, CA, from record rainfall in 2017; and debris flows caused by intense rain in 2018 over the Tuolumne basin. Understanding such disturbances is critical to constraining effects of extreme events on landscapes and sediment budgets.
Landscape Evolution in the Colorado River Ecosystem
From 2003 to 2017 I studied connectivity among fluvial, aeolian, and hillslope processes in the Colorado River corridor, AZ. Since 1963, dam operations have altered flows and sediment supply in the Colorado River, Grand Canyon National Park. Loss of sandbars in the dammed river reduces windblown sand supply to aeolian dunes, affecting archaeological-site stability and ecosystem properties.
Aeolian Landscape Stability
Our work quantified sediment accumulation and landscape stability in areas of the California desert considered for solar-energy projects. I also studied aeolian landscapes on the Navajo Nation, where during drought wind-blown sand mobility has destabilized ground surfaces, endangering housing and transportation, jeopardizing grazing lands, and impacting air quality.
Professional Experience
Research Geologist, 2006-present: USGS Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Santa Cruz, CA, Principal Investigator of Landscape Response to Disturbance project
Editor-in-Chief, January 2019-December 2024: Journal of Geophysical Research, Earth Surface
Postdoctoral Researcher, 2003-2006: USGS/UC Santa Cruz
Education and Certifications
Professional Geologist, State of California, License #10475
Ph.D., Geology and Geophysics, 2003: MIT/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
B.S., Geological Sciences, 1997: Tufts University
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 36
Rain measurements in and near the CZU Lightning Complex Fire area, Santa Cruz Mountains, California, 2020 to 2021 Rain measurements in and near the CZU Lightning Complex Fire area, Santa Cruz Mountains, California, 2020 to 2021
The CZU Lightning Complex Fire (hereafter, "CZU Fire") ignited in the Santa Cruz Mountains, California, on August 16, 2020. By the time of full containment on September 22, 2020, the fire had burned 350 km2 (86,510 acres) in Santa Cruz and San Mateo Counties. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) installed four rain gages in and near the CZU Fire burn area to measure rainfall during the post...
Sediment grain-size data from the Klamath estuary, California Sediment grain-size data from the Klamath estuary, California
This data release includes grain-size measurements of sediment samples collected from the substrate surface and uppermost 10 cm of sediment deposits in the Klamath estuary, northern California. Samples were collected using a BMH-60 bed-material sampler deployed from a boat, or by hand trowel from subaerial or shallow-water (less than 0.5 m water depth) regions along the estuary margins...
Luminescence, weather, and grain-size data from eastern Chuckwalla Valley, Riverside County, California Luminescence, weather, and grain-size data from eastern Chuckwalla Valley, Riverside County, California
This data release contains luminescence, weather, and sediment grain-size data from eastern Chuckwalla Valley, Riverside County, California. This study investigates sedimentary and geomorphic processes in eastern Chuckwalla Valley, Riverside County, California, a region of arid, basin-and-range terrain where extensive solar-energy development is planned. The objectives were to (1)...
Bathymetry, topography and orthomosaic imagery for Whiskeytown Lake, northern California (ver. 2.0, July 2021) Bathymetry, topography and orthomosaic imagery for Whiskeytown Lake, northern California (ver. 2.0, July 2021)
The Carr Fire ignited in northern California on July 23, 2018, and over the following six weeks burned almost 300,000 acres (approximately half on federal lands), resulting in a federal major-disaster declaration (DR-4382). Approximately 93 percent of the area within Whiskeytown National Recreation Area was burned extensively during the Carr Fire, including all of the landscape...
Grain-size data for sediment samples collected in Whiskeytown Lake, northern California, in 2018 and 2019 Grain-size data for sediment samples collected in Whiskeytown Lake, northern California, in 2018 and 2019
The Carr Fire ignited in northern California in July 2018, and ultimately burned almost 300,000 acres (approximately half on federal lands), resulting in a federal major-disaster declaration (DR-4382). Approximately 93% of the area within Whiskeytown National Recreation Area was burned extensively during the Carr Fire, including all of the landscape surrounding and draining into...
Chirp sub-bottom data collected in 2019 in Whiskeytown Lake, California during USGS field activity 2018-686-FA Chirp sub-bottom data collected in 2019 in Whiskeytown Lake, California during USGS field activity 2018-686-FA
High-resolution chirp sub-bottom data were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in May of 2019 in Whiskeytown Lake, California using an Edgetech SB-512i sub-bottom profiler. These data were collected to measure possible debris flows into the lake during the 2018-2019 rainy season following the July-August 2018 Carr fire that burned vegetation...
Filter Total Items: 66
Linking mesoscale meteorology with extreme landscape response: Effects of narrow cold frontal rainbands (NCFR) Linking mesoscale meteorology with extreme landscape response: Effects of narrow cold frontal rainbands (NCFR)
Landscapes evolve in response to prolonged and/or intense precipitation resulting from atmospheric processes at various spatial and temporal scales. Whereas synoptic (large‐scale) features (e.g., atmospheric rivers and hurricanes) govern regional‐scale hydrologic hazards such as widespread flooding, mesoscale features such as thunderstorms or squall lines are more likely to trigger...
Authors
Brian D. Collins, N. S. Oakley, Jonathan P. Perkins, Amy E. East, Skye C. Corbett, Benjamin J. Hatchett
Managing sand along the Colorado River to protect cultural sites downstream of Glen Canyon Dam Managing sand along the Colorado River to protect cultural sites downstream of Glen Canyon Dam
The construction of Glen Canyon Dam in northern Arizona has greatly reduced the supply of sand to the Colorado River corridor through Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Grand Canyon National Park, hereafter referred to as Glen Canyon and Grand Canyon, respectively. This deficit has strongly affected the natural sediment cycle in this iconic landscape and has lowered the...
Authors
Terri Cook, Amy E. East, Helen Fairley, Joel B. Sankey
Commentary: Variability in shelf sedimentation in response to fluvial sediment supply and coastal erosion over the past 1,000 Years in Monterey Bay, CA, United States Commentary: Variability in shelf sedimentation in response to fluvial sediment supply and coastal erosion over the past 1,000 Years in Monterey Bay, CA, United States
A commentary on: Variability in Shelf Sedimentation in Response to Fluvial Sediment Supply and Coastal Erosion Over the Past 1,000 Years in Monterey Bay, CA, United States. by Carlin J., Addison J., Wagner A., Schwartz V., Hayward J., Severin V. (2019) Front. Earth Sci., 7:113. doi: 10.3389/feart.2019.00113
Authors
Jonathan A. Warrick, Amy E. East, Curt D. Storlazzi, James E. Conrad
Case study: Thomas Fire Case study: Thomas Fire
No abstract available.
Authors
Jason R. Kreitler, Amy E. East, Joel B. Sankey, Christina (Naomi) Tague
Refining the Baseline Sediment Budget for the Klamath River, California Refining the Baseline Sediment Budget for the Klamath River, California
Four dams in the Klamath River Hydroelectric Project (KHP) in Oregon and California (Figure 1) are currently scheduled to be removed over a period of a few weeks or months, beginning in January 2021. The Klamath dam removal will be the largest in the world by almost all measures, and is an unprecedented opportunity to advance science of river responses to such events. The KHP contains
Authors
Chauncey W. Anderson, Scott Wright, Liam N. Schenk, Katherine Skalak, Jennifer A. Curtis, Amy E. East, Adam Benthem
Conceptualizing ecological responses to dam removal: If you remove it, what's to come? Conceptualizing ecological responses to dam removal: If you remove it, what's to come?
One of the desired outcomes of dam decommissioning and removal is the recovery of aquatic and riparian ecosystems. To investigate this common objective, we synthesized information from empirical studies and ecological theory into conceptual models that depict key physical and biological links driving ecological responses to removing dams. We define models for three distinct spatial...
Authors
J. Ryan Bellmore, George R. Pess, Jeffrey J. Duda, Jim E. O'Connor, Amy E. East, Melissa M. Foley, Andrew C. Wilcox, Jon J. Major, Patrick B. Shafroth, Sarah A. Morley, Christopher S. Magirl, Chauncey W. Anderson, James E. Evans, Christian E. Torgersen, Laura S. Craig
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Species Management Research Program, Arizona Water Science Center, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis, Oregon Water Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Western Fisheries Research Center
Non-USGS Publications**
East, Amy E; Harrison, Lee R; Smith, Douglas P; Logan, Joshua B; Bond, Rosealea M, Six years of fluvial response to a large dam removal on the Carmel River, California, USA: Earth surface processes and landforms : the journal of the British Geomorphological Research Group, 2023
ISSN: 0197-9337 , 1096-9837 (online) , 1096-9837; DOI: 10.1002/esp.5561
Draut, A.E., and Clift, P.D., 2001, Geochemical evolution of arc magmatism during arc-continent collision, South Mayo, Ireland: Geology v. 29 (6): 543–546. doi: 10.1130/0091-7613(2001)029<0543:GEOAMD>2.0.CO;2
ISSN: 0197-9337 , 1096-9837 (online) , 1096-9837; DOI: 10.1002/esp.5561
Draut, A.E., and Clift, P.D., 2001, Geochemical evolution of arc magmatism during arc-continent collision, South Mayo, Ireland: Geology v. 29 (6): 543–546. doi: 10.1130/0091-7613(2001)029<0543:GEOAMD>2.0.CO;2
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Filter Total Items: 21
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 36
Rain measurements in and near the CZU Lightning Complex Fire area, Santa Cruz Mountains, California, 2020 to 2021 Rain measurements in and near the CZU Lightning Complex Fire area, Santa Cruz Mountains, California, 2020 to 2021
The CZU Lightning Complex Fire (hereafter, "CZU Fire") ignited in the Santa Cruz Mountains, California, on August 16, 2020. By the time of full containment on September 22, 2020, the fire had burned 350 km2 (86,510 acres) in Santa Cruz and San Mateo Counties. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) installed four rain gages in and near the CZU Fire burn area to measure rainfall during the post...
Sediment grain-size data from the Klamath estuary, California Sediment grain-size data from the Klamath estuary, California
This data release includes grain-size measurements of sediment samples collected from the substrate surface and uppermost 10 cm of sediment deposits in the Klamath estuary, northern California. Samples were collected using a BMH-60 bed-material sampler deployed from a boat, or by hand trowel from subaerial or shallow-water (less than 0.5 m water depth) regions along the estuary margins...
Luminescence, weather, and grain-size data from eastern Chuckwalla Valley, Riverside County, California Luminescence, weather, and grain-size data from eastern Chuckwalla Valley, Riverside County, California
This data release contains luminescence, weather, and sediment grain-size data from eastern Chuckwalla Valley, Riverside County, California. This study investigates sedimentary and geomorphic processes in eastern Chuckwalla Valley, Riverside County, California, a region of arid, basin-and-range terrain where extensive solar-energy development is planned. The objectives were to (1)...
Bathymetry, topography and orthomosaic imagery for Whiskeytown Lake, northern California (ver. 2.0, July 2021) Bathymetry, topography and orthomosaic imagery for Whiskeytown Lake, northern California (ver. 2.0, July 2021)
The Carr Fire ignited in northern California on July 23, 2018, and over the following six weeks burned almost 300,000 acres (approximately half on federal lands), resulting in a federal major-disaster declaration (DR-4382). Approximately 93 percent of the area within Whiskeytown National Recreation Area was burned extensively during the Carr Fire, including all of the landscape...
Grain-size data for sediment samples collected in Whiskeytown Lake, northern California, in 2018 and 2019 Grain-size data for sediment samples collected in Whiskeytown Lake, northern California, in 2018 and 2019
The Carr Fire ignited in northern California in July 2018, and ultimately burned almost 300,000 acres (approximately half on federal lands), resulting in a federal major-disaster declaration (DR-4382). Approximately 93% of the area within Whiskeytown National Recreation Area was burned extensively during the Carr Fire, including all of the landscape surrounding and draining into...
Chirp sub-bottom data collected in 2019 in Whiskeytown Lake, California during USGS field activity 2018-686-FA Chirp sub-bottom data collected in 2019 in Whiskeytown Lake, California during USGS field activity 2018-686-FA
High-resolution chirp sub-bottom data were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in May of 2019 in Whiskeytown Lake, California using an Edgetech SB-512i sub-bottom profiler. These data were collected to measure possible debris flows into the lake during the 2018-2019 rainy season following the July-August 2018 Carr fire that burned vegetation...
Filter Total Items: 66
Linking mesoscale meteorology with extreme landscape response: Effects of narrow cold frontal rainbands (NCFR) Linking mesoscale meteorology with extreme landscape response: Effects of narrow cold frontal rainbands (NCFR)
Landscapes evolve in response to prolonged and/or intense precipitation resulting from atmospheric processes at various spatial and temporal scales. Whereas synoptic (large‐scale) features (e.g., atmospheric rivers and hurricanes) govern regional‐scale hydrologic hazards such as widespread flooding, mesoscale features such as thunderstorms or squall lines are more likely to trigger...
Authors
Brian D. Collins, N. S. Oakley, Jonathan P. Perkins, Amy E. East, Skye C. Corbett, Benjamin J. Hatchett
Managing sand along the Colorado River to protect cultural sites downstream of Glen Canyon Dam Managing sand along the Colorado River to protect cultural sites downstream of Glen Canyon Dam
The construction of Glen Canyon Dam in northern Arizona has greatly reduced the supply of sand to the Colorado River corridor through Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Grand Canyon National Park, hereafter referred to as Glen Canyon and Grand Canyon, respectively. This deficit has strongly affected the natural sediment cycle in this iconic landscape and has lowered the...
Authors
Terri Cook, Amy E. East, Helen Fairley, Joel B. Sankey
Commentary: Variability in shelf sedimentation in response to fluvial sediment supply and coastal erosion over the past 1,000 Years in Monterey Bay, CA, United States Commentary: Variability in shelf sedimentation in response to fluvial sediment supply and coastal erosion over the past 1,000 Years in Monterey Bay, CA, United States
A commentary on: Variability in Shelf Sedimentation in Response to Fluvial Sediment Supply and Coastal Erosion Over the Past 1,000 Years in Monterey Bay, CA, United States. by Carlin J., Addison J., Wagner A., Schwartz V., Hayward J., Severin V. (2019) Front. Earth Sci., 7:113. doi: 10.3389/feart.2019.00113
Authors
Jonathan A. Warrick, Amy E. East, Curt D. Storlazzi, James E. Conrad
Case study: Thomas Fire Case study: Thomas Fire
No abstract available.
Authors
Jason R. Kreitler, Amy E. East, Joel B. Sankey, Christina (Naomi) Tague
Refining the Baseline Sediment Budget for the Klamath River, California Refining the Baseline Sediment Budget for the Klamath River, California
Four dams in the Klamath River Hydroelectric Project (KHP) in Oregon and California (Figure 1) are currently scheduled to be removed over a period of a few weeks or months, beginning in January 2021. The Klamath dam removal will be the largest in the world by almost all measures, and is an unprecedented opportunity to advance science of river responses to such events. The KHP contains
Authors
Chauncey W. Anderson, Scott Wright, Liam N. Schenk, Katherine Skalak, Jennifer A. Curtis, Amy E. East, Adam Benthem
Conceptualizing ecological responses to dam removal: If you remove it, what's to come? Conceptualizing ecological responses to dam removal: If you remove it, what's to come?
One of the desired outcomes of dam decommissioning and removal is the recovery of aquatic and riparian ecosystems. To investigate this common objective, we synthesized information from empirical studies and ecological theory into conceptual models that depict key physical and biological links driving ecological responses to removing dams. We define models for three distinct spatial...
Authors
J. Ryan Bellmore, George R. Pess, Jeffrey J. Duda, Jim E. O'Connor, Amy E. East, Melissa M. Foley, Andrew C. Wilcox, Jon J. Major, Patrick B. Shafroth, Sarah A. Morley, Christopher S. Magirl, Chauncey W. Anderson, James E. Evans, Christian E. Torgersen, Laura S. Craig
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Species Management Research Program, Arizona Water Science Center, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis, Oregon Water Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Western Fisheries Research Center
Non-USGS Publications**
East, Amy E; Harrison, Lee R; Smith, Douglas P; Logan, Joshua B; Bond, Rosealea M, Six years of fluvial response to a large dam removal on the Carmel River, California, USA: Earth surface processes and landforms : the journal of the British Geomorphological Research Group, 2023
ISSN: 0197-9337 , 1096-9837 (online) , 1096-9837; DOI: 10.1002/esp.5561
Draut, A.E., and Clift, P.D., 2001, Geochemical evolution of arc magmatism during arc-continent collision, South Mayo, Ireland: Geology v. 29 (6): 543–546. doi: 10.1130/0091-7613(2001)029<0543:GEOAMD>2.0.CO;2
ISSN: 0197-9337 , 1096-9837 (online) , 1096-9837; DOI: 10.1002/esp.5561
Draut, A.E., and Clift, P.D., 2001, Geochemical evolution of arc magmatism during arc-continent collision, South Mayo, Ireland: Geology v. 29 (6): 543–546. doi: 10.1130/0091-7613(2001)029<0543:GEOAMD>2.0.CO;2
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Filter Total Items: 21