Christopher Magirl
Chris Magirl is a Bureau Approving Official (BAO) in the USGS Office of Science Quality and Integrity, reviewing interpretive science products (that is, written reports, journal articles, book chapters, and other pieces for public release) on behalf of the U.S. Geological Survey to ensure quality and consistency with USGS Fundamental Science Practices.
From 2015–2020, Chris was the Associate Director for Investigations at the USGS Arizona Water Science Center, disseminating high-quality hydrologic data and scientific reports on water resources in Arizona and the Southwest. Chris worked closely with cooperating state, local, and federal agencies, tribes, and academic researchers. From 2000–2015, Chris was a hydrologist, research hydrologist, and project chief at the USGS, working on multiple projects involving fluvial geomorphology throughout the western United States. Chris researched rapids on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon and Cataract Canyon, the Elwha River dam-removal project, sediment production from Mount Rainier and other glaciated stratovolcanoes, and the interactions between geomorphology and aquatic ecology pertaining to salmon. Chris was closely involved with the USGS response to the March 22, 2014, Oso Landslide of Washington State.
Before joining the USGS, Chris was an engineer and R&D project manager with the Hewlett-Packard Company building color inkjet printers. As a youth, Chris was fascinated with fluid mechanics and thermodynamics, thunderstorms, flash floods, airplanes, rockets, and rivers. For over 25 years, Chris has been fortunate to enjoy fluid mechanics and thermodynamics in his professional research and engineering career. Chris is the inventor of 5 patents and has authored or co-authored over 50 peer-reviewed papers and reports on topics ranging from directional solidification, microscopic droplet ejection, landslides, debris flows, extreme rainfall events, extreme floods, to the hydraulics of rapids—it’s all fluid mechanics, just different scales and viscosities.
Professional Experience
US Geological Survey, Tucson, AZ, Studies Chief, 2015–present
US Geological Survey, Tacoma, WA, Research Hydrologist, 2008–2015
US Geological Survey, Tucson, AZ, Hydrologist, 2000–2008
Tetra Tech, Inc, Tucson, AZ, Hydrologist, 2000
Hewlett-Packard Company, San Diego, CA, Project Manager and Engineer, 1992–1999
Education and Certifications
The University of Arizona, PhD, Hydrology (minor in geology) 2006
Purdue University, MS, Mechanical Engineering, 1992
The University of Arizona, BS, Aerospace Engineering, 1990
Science and Products
Summary of Seepage Investigations in the Yakima River Basin, Washington
Navigability Potential of Washington Rivers and Streams Determined with Hydraulic Geometry and a Geographic Information System
Spatial distribution and frequency of precipitation during an extreme event: July 2006 mesoscale convective complexes and floods in southeastern Arizona
Water velocity and the nature of critical flow in large rapids on the Colorado River, Utah
Slopes fail, debris flows in extremis
Debris flows and floods in southeastern Arizona from extreme precipitation in July 2006 — Magnitude, frequency, and sediment delivery
Modeling Water-Surface Elevations and Virtual Shorelines for the Colorado River in Grand Canyon, Arizona
Modeling the Spatial and Temporal Variation of Monthly and Seasonal Precipitation on the Nevada Test Site and Vicinity, 1960-2006
Debris flows and record floods from extreme mesoscale convective thunderstorms over the Santa Catalina Mountains, Arizona
Impact of recent extreme Arizona storms
ADV point measurements within rapids of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon
Debris flow deposition and reworking by the Colorado River in Grand Canyon, Arizona
Science and Products
- Science
- Data
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 62
Summary of Seepage Investigations in the Yakima River Basin, Washington
Discharge data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey, Washington State Department of Ecology, and Yakama Nation for seepage investigations in the Yakima River basin are made available as downloadable Microsoft Excel files. These data were collected for more than a century at various times for several different studies and are now available in one location to facilitate future analysis by interesAuthorsC. S. Magirl, R. J. Julich, W.B. Welch, C.R. Curran, M. C. Mastin, J. J. VaccaroNavigability Potential of Washington Rivers and Streams Determined with Hydraulic Geometry and a Geographic Information System
Using discharge and channel geometry measurements from U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging stations and data from a geographic information system, regression relations were derived to predict river depth, top width, and bottom width as a function of mean annual discharge for rivers in the State of Washington. A new technique also was proposed to determine bottom width in channels, a parameterAuthorsChristopher S. Magirl, Theresa D. OlsenSpatial distribution and frequency of precipitation during an extreme event: July 2006 mesoscale convective complexes and floods in southeastern Arizona
An extreme, multiday rainfall event over southeastern Arizona during 27–31 July 2006 caused record flooding and a historically unprecedented number of slope failures and debris flows in the Santa Catalina Mountains north of Tucson. An unusual synoptic weather pattern induced repeated nocturnal mesoscale convective systems over southeastern Arizona for five continuous days, generating multiday rainAuthorsPeter G. Griffiths, Christopher S. Magirl, Robert H. Webb, Erik Pytlak, Peter A. Troch, Steve W. LyonWater velocity and the nature of critical flow in large rapids on the Colorado River, Utah
Rapids are an integral part of bedrock‐controlled rivers, influencing aquatic ecology, geomorphology, and recreational value. Flow measurements in rapids and high‐gradient rivers are uncommon because of technical difficulties associated with positioning and operating sufficiently robust instruments. In the current study, detailed velocity, water surface, and bathymetric data were collected withinAuthorsChristopher S. Magirl, Jeffrey W. Gartner, Graeme M. Smart, Robert H. WebbSlopes fail, debris flows in extremis
No abstract available.AuthorsRobert Webb, Christopher S. Magirl, Peter G. Griffiths, Ann M. Youberg, Philip A PearthreeDebris flows and floods in southeastern Arizona from extreme precipitation in July 2006 — Magnitude, frequency, and sediment delivery
From July 31 to August 1, 2006, an unusual set of atmospheric conditions aligned to produce record floods and an unprecedented number of slope failures and debris flows in southeastern Arizona. During the week leading up to the event, an upper-level low-pressure system centered over New Mexico generated widespread and locally heavy rainfall in southeastern Arizona, culminating in a series of stronAuthorsRobert H. Webb, Christopher S. Magirl, Peter G. Griffiths, Diane E. BoyerModeling Water-Surface Elevations and Virtual Shorelines for the Colorado River in Grand Canyon, Arizona
Using widely-available software intended for modeling rivers, a new one-dimensional hydraulic model was developed for the Colorado River through Grand Canyon from Lees Ferry to Diamond Creek. Solving one-dimensional equations of energy and continuity, the model predicts stage for a known steady-state discharge at specific locations, or cross sections, along the river corridor. This model uses 2,68AuthorsChristopher S. Magirl, Michael J. Breedlove, Robert H. Webb, Peter G. GriffithsModeling the Spatial and Temporal Variation of Monthly and Seasonal Precipitation on the Nevada Test Site and Vicinity, 1960-2006
The Nevada Test Site (NTS), located in the climatic transition zone between the Mojave and Great Basin Deserts, has a network of precipitation gages that is unusually dense for this region. This network measures monthly and seasonal variation in a landscape with diverse topography. Precipitation data from 125 climate stations on or near the NTS were used to spatially interpolate precipitation forAuthorsJoan B. Blainey, Robert H. Webb, Christopher S. MagirlDebris flows and record floods from extreme mesoscale convective thunderstorms over the Santa Catalina Mountains, Arizona
Ample geologic evidence indicates early Holocene and Pleistocene debris flows from the south side of the Santa Catalina Mountains north of Tucson, Arizona, but few records document historical events. On July 31, 2006, an unusual set of atmospheric conditions aligned to produce record floods and an unprecedented number of debris flows in the Santa Catalinas. During the week prior to the event, an uAuthorsChristopher S. Magirl, Craig Shoemaker, Robert H. Webb, Mike Schaffner, Peter G. Griffiths, Erik PytlakImpact of recent extreme Arizona storms
Heavy rainfall on 27–31 July 2006 led to record flooding and triggered an historically unprecedented number of debris flows in the Santa Catalina Mountains north of Tucson, Ariz. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) documented record floods along four watercourses in the Tucson basin, and at least 250 hillslope failures spawned damaging debris flows in an area where less than 10 small debris flows haAuthorsC. S. Magirl, R. H. Webb, Peter G. Griffiths, M. Schaffner, C. Shoemaker, E. Pytlak, S. Yatheendradas, S. W. Lyon, Peter A. Troch, S. L. E. Desilets, D.C. Goodrich, C.L. Unkrich, Ann Youberg, P. A. PearthreeADV point measurements within rapids of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon
Rapids on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon attract over 20,000 white-water enthusiasts a year and are considered one of the premiere collections of rapids in North America. While this collection of rapids is an important recreational resource, relatively little is known of the specific hydraulics of individual rapids. Flow measurements are occasionally made in the low-velocity reaches between raAuthorsChristopher S. Magirl, Peter G. Griffiths, Robert WebbDebris flow deposition and reworking by the Colorado River in Grand Canyon, Arizona
Flow regulation by large dams affects downstream flow competence and channel maintenance. Debris flows from 740 tributaries in Grand Canyon, Arizona, transport coarse‐grained sediment onto debris fans adjacent to the Colorado River. These debris fans constrict the river to form rapids and are reworked during river flows that entrain particles and transport them downstream. Beginning in 1963, floodAuthorsBrian J. Yanites, Robert H. Webb, Peter G. Griffiths, Christopher S. Magirl - News
- Multimedia