Brian A. Ebel
(He/him)Brian Ebel is a Research Hydrologist for the USGS Water Resources Mission Area.
Brian Ebel is a hydrologist who uses field measurements combined with numerical modeling to advance prediction and assessment for water resources through improved process representation. His work focuses on landscape disturbance impacts (e.g., wildfire, forestry, legacy mining) on water availability and water-related hazards to human lives and infrastructure. He was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) in 2019 for his contributions to understanding post-wildfire flooding and water availability issues. In 2023, Brian was selected as a Kavli Fellow by the National Academy of Sciences. Brian is currently in the Earth System Processes Division of the USGS Water Resources Mission Area.
Professional Experience
2014-present: Research Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Water Mission Area
2013-2014: Research Assistant Professor, Colorado School of Mines
2012-2013: Research Assistant Professor, University of Colorado-Boulder
2008-2012: Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Water Resources Mission Area
Education and Certifications
Stanford University, Ph.D. in Hydrogeology
Washington University in St. Louis, B.A. in Earth and Planetary Science
Science and Products
Thresholds and relations for soil‐hydraulic and soil‐physical properties as a function of burn severity 4 years after the 2011 Las Conchas Fire, New Mexico, USA
Field and laboratory hydraulic characterization of landslide-prone soils in the Oregon Coast Range and implications for hydrologic simulation
Fire, flood, and drought: Extreme climate events alter flow paths and stream chemistry
Postwildfire measurement of soil physical and hydraulic properties at selected sampling sites in the 2011 Las Conchas wildfire burn scar, Jemez Mountains, north-central New Mexico
The evolution of a colluvial hollow to a fluvial channel with periodic steps following two transformational disturbances: A wildfire and a historic flood
Disturbance hydrology: Preparing for an increasingly disturbed future
Quantifying the effects of wildfire on changes in soil properties by surface burning of soils from the Boulder Creek Critical Zone Observatory
Meta-analysis of field-saturated hydraulic conductivity recovery following wildland fire: Applications for hydrologic model parameterization and resilience assessment
Critical zone properties control the fate of nitrogen during experimental rainfall in montane forests of the Colorado Front Range
Synthesis of soil-hydraulic properties and infiltration timescales in wildfire-affected soils
Observed and simulated hydrologic response for a first-order catchment during extreme rainfall 3 years after wildfire disturbance
Finite-element modelling of physics-based hillslope hydrology, Keith Beven, and beyond
Non-USGS Publications**
**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.
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 56
Thresholds and relations for soil‐hydraulic and soil‐physical properties as a function of burn severity 4 years after the 2011 Las Conchas Fire, New Mexico, USA
Wildfire effects on soil‐physical and ‐hydraulic properties as a function of burn severity are poorly characterized, especially several years after wildfire. A stratified random sampling approach was used in 2015 to sample seven sites representing a spectrum of remotely sensed burn severity in the area impacted by the 2011 Las Conchas Fire in New Mexico, USA. Replicate samples from each site wereAuthorsBrian A. Ebel, Orlando C. Romero, Deborah A. MartinField and laboratory hydraulic characterization of landslide-prone soils in the Oregon Coast Range and implications for hydrologic simulation
Unsaturated zone flow processes are an important focus of landslide hazard estimation. Differences in soil hydraulic behavior between wetting and drying conditions (i.e., hydraulic hysteresis) may be important in landslide triggering. Hydraulic hysteresis can complicate soil hydraulic parameter estimates and impact prediction capability. This investigation focused on hydraulic property estimationAuthorsBrian A. Ebel, Jonathan W. Godt, Ning Lu, Jeffrey A. Coe, Joel B. Smith, Rex L. BaumFire, flood, and drought: Extreme climate events alter flow paths and stream chemistry
Extreme climate events—such as hurricanes, droughts, extreme precipitation, and wildfires—have the potential to alter watershed processes and stream response. Yet due to the destructive and hazardous nature and unpredictability of such events, capturing their hydrochemical signal is challenging. A 5‐year postwildfire study of stream chemistry in the Fourmile Creek watershed, Colorado Front Range,AuthorsSheila F. Murphy, R. Blaine McCleskey, Deborah A. Martin, Jeffrey H. Writer, Brian A. EbelPostwildfire measurement of soil physical and hydraulic properties at selected sampling sites in the 2011 Las Conchas wildfire burn scar, Jemez Mountains, north-central New Mexico
The generation of runoff and the resultant flash flooding can be substantially larger following wildfire than for similar rainstorms that precede wildfire disturbance. Flash flooding after the 2011 Las Conchas Fire in New Mexico provided the motivation for this investigation to assess postwildfire effects on soil-hydraulic properties (SHPs) and soil-physical properties (SPPs) as a function of remoAuthorsOrlando C. Romero, Brian A. Ebel, Deborah A. Martin, Katie W. Buchan, Alanna D. JorniganThe evolution of a colluvial hollow to a fluvial channel with periodic steps following two transformational disturbances: A wildfire and a historic flood
The transition of a colluvial hollow to a fluvial channel with discrete steps was observed after two landscape-scale disturbances. The first disturbance, a high-severity wildfire, changed the catchment hydrology to favor overland flow, which incised a colluvial hollow, creating a channel in the same location. This incised channel became armored with cobbles and boulders following repeated post-wilAuthorsFrancis K. Rengers, Luke McGuire, Brian A. Ebel, G. E. TuckerDisturbance hydrology: Preparing for an increasingly disturbed future
This special issue is the result of several fruitful conference sessions on disturbance hydrology, which started at the 2013 AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco and have continued every year since. The stimulating presentations and discussions surrounding those sessions have focused on understanding both the disruption of hydrologic functioning following discrete disturbances, as well as the subsequAuthorsBenjamin B. Mirus, Brian A. Ebel, Christian H. Mohr, Nicolas ZegreQuantifying the effects of wildfire on changes in soil properties by surface burning of soils from the Boulder Creek Critical Zone Observatory
Study regionThis study used intact soil cores collected at the Boulder Creek Critical Zone Observatory near Boulder, Colorado, USA to explore fire impacts on soil properties.Study focusThree soil scenarios were considered: unburned control soils, and low- and high-temperature burned soils. We explored simulated fire impacts on field-saturated hydraulic conductivity, dry bulk density, total organicAuthorsCeleste Wieting, Brian A. Ebel, Kamini SinghaMeta-analysis of field-saturated hydraulic conductivity recovery following wildland fire: Applications for hydrologic model parameterization and resilience assessment
Hydrologic recovery after wildfire is critical for restoring the ecosystem services of protecting of human lives and infrastructure from hazards and delivering water supply of sufficient quality and quantity. Recovery of soil-hydraulic properties, such as field-saturated hydraulic conductivity (Kfs), is a key factor for assessing the duration of watershed-scale flash flood and debris flow risks afAuthorsBrian A. Ebel, Deborah A. MartinCritical zone properties control the fate of nitrogen during experimental rainfall in montane forests of the Colorado Front Range
Several decades of research in alpine ecosystems have demonstrated links among the critical zone, hydrologic response, and the fate of elevated atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition. Less research has occurred in mid-elevation forests, which may be important for retaining atmospheric N deposition. To explore the fate of N in the montane zone, we conducted plot-scale experimental rainfall events acroAuthorsEve-Lyn S. Hinckley, Brian A. Ebel, Rebecca T. Barnes, Sheila F. Murphy, Suzanne P. AndersonSynthesis of soil-hydraulic properties and infiltration timescales in wildfire-affected soils
We collected soil-hydraulic property data from the literature for wildfire-affected soils, ash, and unburned soils. These data were used to calculate metrics and timescales of hydrologic response related to infiltration and surface runoff generation. Sorptivity (S) and wetting front potential (Ψf) were significantly different (lower) in burned soils compared with unburned soils, whereas field-satuAuthorsBrian A. Ebel, John A. MoodyObserved and simulated hydrologic response for a first-order catchment during extreme rainfall 3 years after wildfire disturbance
Hydrologic response to extreme rainfall in disturbed landscapes is poorly understood because of the paucity of measurements. A unique opportunity presented itself when extreme rainfall in September 2013 fell on a headwater catchment (i.e.,AuthorsBrian A. Ebel, Francis K. Rengers, Gregory E. TuckerFinite-element modelling of physics-based hillslope hydrology, Keith Beven, and beyond
Keith Beven is a voice of reason on the intelligent use of models and the subsequent acknowledgement/assessment of the uncertainties associated with environmental simula-tion. With several books and hundreds of papers, Keith’s work is widespread, well known, and highly referenced. Four of Keith’s most notable contributions are the iconic TOPMODEL (Beven and Kirkby, 1979), classic papers on macropoAuthorsKeith Loague, Brian A. EbelNon-USGS Publications**
Ebel, B. A., 2013, Simulated unsaturated flow processes after wildfire and interactions with slope aspect, Water Resources Research, 49, 8090–8107, doi: 10.1002/2013WR014129Loague, K., and , B. A. Ebel, 2013, Conceptualization in catchment modeling. In Treatise on Geomorphology, Edited by J. F. Shroder, Vol. 7, pp. 105-121. San Diego, Academic Press, doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-374739-6.00154-8Ebel, B. A., K. Loague, and R. I. Borja, 2010, The impacts of hysteresis on variably-saturated hydrologic response and slope failure, Environmental Earth Sciences, 61, 1215-1225, doi: 10.1007/s12665-009-0445-2BeVille, S. H., B. B. Mirus, B. A. Ebel, G. G. Mader, and K. Loague, 2010, Using simulated hydrologic response to revisit the 1973 Lerida Court landslide, Environmental Earth Sciences, 61, 1249-1257, doi: 10.1007/s12665-010-0448-zEbel, B. A., K. Loague, D. R. Montgomery, and W. E. Dietrich, 2008, Physics-based continuous simulation of long-term near-surface hydrologic response for the Coos Bay experimental catchment, Water Resources Research, 44, W07417, doi:10.1029/2007WR006442Ebel, B. A., and K. Loague, 2008, Rapid simulated hydrologic response within the variably saturated near surface, Hydrological Processes, 22, 464-471, doi:10.1002/hyp.6926
Ebel, B. A., K. Loague, W. E. Dietrich, D. R. Montgomery, R. Torres, S. P. Anderson, and T. W. Giambelluca, 2007, Near-surface hydrologic response for a steep, unchanneled catchment near Coos Bay, Oregon: 1. Sprinkling experiments, American Journal of Science, 307, 678-708, doi:10.2475/04.2007.02Ebel, B. A., K. Loague, J. E. VanderKwaak, W. E. Dietrich, D. R. Montgomery, R. Torres, and S. P. Anderson, 2007, Near-surface hydrologic response for a steep, unchanneled catchment near Coos Bay, Oregon: 2. Physics-based simulations, American Journal of Science, 307, 709-748, doi:10.2475/04.2007.03Mirus, B. B., B. A. Ebel, K. Loague, and B. C. Wemple, 2007, Simulated effect of a forest road on near-surface hydrologic response: Redux, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 32, 126–142, doi: 10.1002/esp.1387Ebel, B. A., and K. Loague, 2006, Physics-based hydrologic-response simulation: Seeing through the fog of equifinality, Hydrological Processes, 20, 2887–2900, doi:10.1002/hyp.6388
Borja, R. I., G. Oettl, B. Ebel, and K. Loague, 2006, Hydrologically driven slope failure initiation in variably saturated porous media. In Modern Trends in Geomechanics. Wu, W. and H.S. Yu (Eds.), pp. 303-311, Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg, doi: 10.1007/978-3-540-35724-7_18Loague, K., C. S. Heppner, B. B. Mirus, B. A. Ebel, Q. Ran, A. E. Carr, S. H. BeVille, and J. E. Vander Kwaak, 2006, Physics-based hydrologic-response simulation: foundation for hydroecology and hydrogeomorphology, Hydrological Processes, 20, 1231–1237, doi:10.1002/hyp.6388
Ehlmann, B. L., R. E. Arvidson, B. L. Jolliff, S. S. Johnson, B. Ebel, N. Lovenduski, J. D. Morris, J. A. Byers, N. O. Snider, and R. E. Criss, 2005, Hydrologic and Isotopic Modeling of Alpine Lake Waiau, Mauna Kea, Hawai‘i, Pacific Science, 59, 1–15, doi:10.1353/psc.2005.0005
Loague, K., C. S. Heppner, R. H. Abrams, A. E. Carr, J. E. VanderKwaak, and B. A. Ebel, 2005, Further testing of the Integrated Hydrology Model (InHM): event-based simulations for a small rangeland catchment located near Chickasha, Oklahoma, Hydrological Processes, 19, 1373–1398, doi:10.1002/hyp.5566**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.