Jason Kean
My research focuses on the processes controlling debris-flow initiation and growth, particularly after wildfire, but also in unburned areas.
This research includes a field component that obtains direct measurements of debris flows in natural settings, a modeling component that seeks to explain the observations, and an applied component that focuses on assessment of debris-flow hazards. My previous research at the USGS focused on river mechanics, including bank erosion and the development of model-based approaches to gage streams and rivers.
Education and Certifications
University of Colorado, Ph.D., 2003, Civil Engineering
University of Colorado, M.S., 1998, Civil Engineering
Cornell University, B.S., 1994, Civil Engineering
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 30
Modeling data for burn severity of the East Troublesome and Grizzly Creek for integration with post-fire debris flow in the upper Colorado River basin, USA Modeling data for burn severity of the East Troublesome and Grizzly Creek for integration with post-fire debris flow in the upper Colorado River basin, USA
These data were compiled for/to provide an example and assess methods and results of pre-fire estimation of predicted differenced normalized burn ration (dNBR) for predicting post-fire debris flow hazard classification. Objective(s) of our study were to develop predictive models for burn severity, using variables of pre-fire conditions, for two large wildfires from 2020 in Colorado, USA...
Field-verified inventory of postfire hydrologic response for the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex, River, Camel, and Dolan Fires following a 26-29 January 2021 atmospheric river storm sequence Field-verified inventory of postfire hydrologic response for the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex, River, Camel, and Dolan Fires following a 26-29 January 2021 atmospheric river storm sequence
This data release is a field-verified inventory of postfire hydrologic response for the 2020 CZU (San Mateo–Santa Cruz Unit) Lightning Complex, River Fire, Camel Fire, and Dolan Fire following a 26-29 January 2021 atmospheric river storm sequence. Postfire hydrologic response types include a) no response, b) minor response, and c) major response. A “minor” response was deemed capable of...
Field-verified inventory of postfire debris flows for the 2021 Dixie Fire following a 23-25 October 2021 atmospheric river storm and 12 June 2022 thunderstorm Field-verified inventory of postfire debris flows for the 2021 Dixie Fire following a 23-25 October 2021 atmospheric river storm and 12 June 2022 thunderstorm
Summary This data release is a field-verified inventory of postfire debris flows for the 2021 Dixie Fire following a 23-25 October 2021 atmospheric river storm and 12 June 2022 thunderstorm. The “README.txt” file describes the fields for the “Inventory.csv” file. The “Chambers” and “Chips” rain gage data referenced in the inventory are included as: “Chambers-Oct2021-Storm.csv”, “Chambers...
Debris-flow and Flood Video Files, Chalk Cliffs, Colorado, USA, 2019 Debris-flow and Flood Video Files, Chalk Cliffs, Colorado, USA, 2019
Chalk Cliffs, located 8 miles southwest of Buena Vista, Colorado, is a natural laboratory for research on runoff-initiated debris flows (Coe et al., 2010). In 2019, there were two monitoring stations operating at Chalk Cliffs. The Upper Station drains an area of 0.06 km2 and was used to monitor flow properties and triggering conditions in the headwaters of the study area. It was equipped...
Debris-flow and Flood Video Files, Chalk Cliffs, Colorado, USA, 2015 Debris-flow and Flood Video Files, Chalk Cliffs, Colorado, USA, 2015
Chalk Cliffs, located 8 miles southwest of Buena Vista, Colorado, is one of the most active debris-flow areas in the state (U.S. Geological Survey). Three stations were set up at Chalk Cliffs which are located sequentially along a channel draining the 0.3 km2 study area. These stations are equipped with rain gauges, laser distance meters, and data loggers to record rainfall and stage...
Debris-flow and Flood Video Files, Chalk Cliffs, Colorado, USA, 2016 Debris-flow and Flood Video Files, Chalk Cliffs, Colorado, USA, 2016
Chalk Cliffs located 8 miles southwest of Buena Vista, Colorado, is one of the most active debris-flow areas in the state (U.S. Geological Survey). Three stations were set up at Chalk Cliffs which are located sequentially along a channel draining the 0.3 km2 study area. These stations are equipped with rain gauges, laser distance meters, and data loggers to record rainfall and stage data...
Filter Total Items: 99
Post-wildfire debris flows Post-wildfire debris flows
Post-wildfire debris flows pose severe hazards to communities and infrastructure near and within recently burned mountainous terrain. Intense heat of wildfires changes the runoff characteristics of a watershed by combusting the vegetative canopy, litter, and duff, introducing ash into the soil and creating water repellant soils. Following wildfire, rainfall on bare ground is less able to
Authors
Joseph Gartner, Jason W. Kean, Francis K. Rengers, Scott W. McCoy, Nina S. Oakley, Gary J. Sheridan
How long do runoff-generated debris-flow hazards persist after wildfire? How long do runoff-generated debris-flow hazards persist after wildfire?
Runoff-generated debris flows are a potentially destructive and deadly response to wildfire until sufficient vegetation and soil-hydraulic recovery have reduced susceptibility to the hazard. Elevated debris-flow susceptibility may persist for several years, but the controls on the timespan of the susceptible period are poorly understood. To evaluate the connection between vegetation...
Authors
Andrew Paul Graber, Matthew A. Thomas, Jason W. Kean
Toward probabilistic post-fire debris-flow hazard decision support Toward probabilistic post-fire debris-flow hazard decision support
Post-wildfire debris flows (PFDF) threaten life and property in western North America. They are triggered by short-duration, high-intensity rainfall. Following a wildfire, rainfall thresholds are developed that, if exceeded, indicate high likelihood of a PFDF. Existing weather forecast products allow forecasters to identify favorable atmospheric conditions for rainfall intensities that...
Authors
Nina S. Oakley, Tao Liu, Luke McGuire, Matthew Simpson, Benjamin J. Hatchett, Alexander Tardy, Jason W. Kean, Christopher Castellano, Jayme L. Laber, Daniel Steinhoff
Bedrock erosion by debris flows at Chalk Cliffs, Colorado, USA: Implications for bedrock channel evolution Bedrock erosion by debris flows at Chalk Cliffs, Colorado, USA: Implications for bedrock channel evolution
Debris flow erosion into bedrock helps to set the pace of mountain denudation, but there are few empirical observations of this process. We studied the effects of debris flows on bedrock erosion using Structure-From-Motion photogrammetry and multiple real-time monitoring measurements. We found that the distribution of bedrock erosion across the channel cross-section could be generalized...
Authors
Francis K. Rengers, Jason W. Kean, Jeffrey A. Coe, Megan Hanson, Joel Smith
Forecasting the inundation of postfire debris flows Forecasting the inundation of postfire debris flows
In the semi-arid regions of the western United States, postfire debris flows are typically runoff generated. The U.S. Geological Survey has been studying the mechanisms of postfire debris-flow initiation for multiple decades to generate operational models for forecasting the timing, location, and magnitude of postfire debris flows. Here we discuss challenges and progress for extending...
Authors
Katherine R. Barnhart, Ryan P Jones, David L. George, Francis K. Rengers, Jason W. Kean
Runout model evaluation based on back-calculation of building damage Runout model evaluation based on back-calculation of building damage
We evaluated the ability of three debris-flow runout models (RAMMS, FLO2D and D-Claw) to predict the number of damaged buildings in simulations of the 9 January 2019 Montecito, California, debris-flow event. Observations of building damage after the event were combined with OpenStreetMap building footprints to construct a database of all potentially impacted buildings. At the estimated...
Authors
Katherine R. Barnhart, Jason W. Kean
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 30
Modeling data for burn severity of the East Troublesome and Grizzly Creek for integration with post-fire debris flow in the upper Colorado River basin, USA Modeling data for burn severity of the East Troublesome and Grizzly Creek for integration with post-fire debris flow in the upper Colorado River basin, USA
These data were compiled for/to provide an example and assess methods and results of pre-fire estimation of predicted differenced normalized burn ration (dNBR) for predicting post-fire debris flow hazard classification. Objective(s) of our study were to develop predictive models for burn severity, using variables of pre-fire conditions, for two large wildfires from 2020 in Colorado, USA...
Field-verified inventory of postfire hydrologic response for the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex, River, Camel, and Dolan Fires following a 26-29 January 2021 atmospheric river storm sequence Field-verified inventory of postfire hydrologic response for the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex, River, Camel, and Dolan Fires following a 26-29 January 2021 atmospheric river storm sequence
This data release is a field-verified inventory of postfire hydrologic response for the 2020 CZU (San Mateo–Santa Cruz Unit) Lightning Complex, River Fire, Camel Fire, and Dolan Fire following a 26-29 January 2021 atmospheric river storm sequence. Postfire hydrologic response types include a) no response, b) minor response, and c) major response. A “minor” response was deemed capable of...
Field-verified inventory of postfire debris flows for the 2021 Dixie Fire following a 23-25 October 2021 atmospheric river storm and 12 June 2022 thunderstorm Field-verified inventory of postfire debris flows for the 2021 Dixie Fire following a 23-25 October 2021 atmospheric river storm and 12 June 2022 thunderstorm
Summary This data release is a field-verified inventory of postfire debris flows for the 2021 Dixie Fire following a 23-25 October 2021 atmospheric river storm and 12 June 2022 thunderstorm. The “README.txt” file describes the fields for the “Inventory.csv” file. The “Chambers” and “Chips” rain gage data referenced in the inventory are included as: “Chambers-Oct2021-Storm.csv”, “Chambers...
Debris-flow and Flood Video Files, Chalk Cliffs, Colorado, USA, 2019 Debris-flow and Flood Video Files, Chalk Cliffs, Colorado, USA, 2019
Chalk Cliffs, located 8 miles southwest of Buena Vista, Colorado, is a natural laboratory for research on runoff-initiated debris flows (Coe et al., 2010). In 2019, there were two monitoring stations operating at Chalk Cliffs. The Upper Station drains an area of 0.06 km2 and was used to monitor flow properties and triggering conditions in the headwaters of the study area. It was equipped...
Debris-flow and Flood Video Files, Chalk Cliffs, Colorado, USA, 2015 Debris-flow and Flood Video Files, Chalk Cliffs, Colorado, USA, 2015
Chalk Cliffs, located 8 miles southwest of Buena Vista, Colorado, is one of the most active debris-flow areas in the state (U.S. Geological Survey). Three stations were set up at Chalk Cliffs which are located sequentially along a channel draining the 0.3 km2 study area. These stations are equipped with rain gauges, laser distance meters, and data loggers to record rainfall and stage...
Debris-flow and Flood Video Files, Chalk Cliffs, Colorado, USA, 2016 Debris-flow and Flood Video Files, Chalk Cliffs, Colorado, USA, 2016
Chalk Cliffs located 8 miles southwest of Buena Vista, Colorado, is one of the most active debris-flow areas in the state (U.S. Geological Survey). Three stations were set up at Chalk Cliffs which are located sequentially along a channel draining the 0.3 km2 study area. These stations are equipped with rain gauges, laser distance meters, and data loggers to record rainfall and stage data...
Filter Total Items: 99
Post-wildfire debris flows Post-wildfire debris flows
Post-wildfire debris flows pose severe hazards to communities and infrastructure near and within recently burned mountainous terrain. Intense heat of wildfires changes the runoff characteristics of a watershed by combusting the vegetative canopy, litter, and duff, introducing ash into the soil and creating water repellant soils. Following wildfire, rainfall on bare ground is less able to
Authors
Joseph Gartner, Jason W. Kean, Francis K. Rengers, Scott W. McCoy, Nina S. Oakley, Gary J. Sheridan
How long do runoff-generated debris-flow hazards persist after wildfire? How long do runoff-generated debris-flow hazards persist after wildfire?
Runoff-generated debris flows are a potentially destructive and deadly response to wildfire until sufficient vegetation and soil-hydraulic recovery have reduced susceptibility to the hazard. Elevated debris-flow susceptibility may persist for several years, but the controls on the timespan of the susceptible period are poorly understood. To evaluate the connection between vegetation...
Authors
Andrew Paul Graber, Matthew A. Thomas, Jason W. Kean
Toward probabilistic post-fire debris-flow hazard decision support Toward probabilistic post-fire debris-flow hazard decision support
Post-wildfire debris flows (PFDF) threaten life and property in western North America. They are triggered by short-duration, high-intensity rainfall. Following a wildfire, rainfall thresholds are developed that, if exceeded, indicate high likelihood of a PFDF. Existing weather forecast products allow forecasters to identify favorable atmospheric conditions for rainfall intensities that...
Authors
Nina S. Oakley, Tao Liu, Luke McGuire, Matthew Simpson, Benjamin J. Hatchett, Alexander Tardy, Jason W. Kean, Christopher Castellano, Jayme L. Laber, Daniel Steinhoff
Bedrock erosion by debris flows at Chalk Cliffs, Colorado, USA: Implications for bedrock channel evolution Bedrock erosion by debris flows at Chalk Cliffs, Colorado, USA: Implications for bedrock channel evolution
Debris flow erosion into bedrock helps to set the pace of mountain denudation, but there are few empirical observations of this process. We studied the effects of debris flows on bedrock erosion using Structure-From-Motion photogrammetry and multiple real-time monitoring measurements. We found that the distribution of bedrock erosion across the channel cross-section could be generalized...
Authors
Francis K. Rengers, Jason W. Kean, Jeffrey A. Coe, Megan Hanson, Joel Smith
Forecasting the inundation of postfire debris flows Forecasting the inundation of postfire debris flows
In the semi-arid regions of the western United States, postfire debris flows are typically runoff generated. The U.S. Geological Survey has been studying the mechanisms of postfire debris-flow initiation for multiple decades to generate operational models for forecasting the timing, location, and magnitude of postfire debris flows. Here we discuss challenges and progress for extending...
Authors
Katherine R. Barnhart, Ryan P Jones, David L. George, Francis K. Rengers, Jason W. Kean
Runout model evaluation based on back-calculation of building damage Runout model evaluation based on back-calculation of building damage
We evaluated the ability of three debris-flow runout models (RAMMS, FLO2D and D-Claw) to predict the number of damaged buildings in simulations of the 9 January 2019 Montecito, California, debris-flow event. Observations of building damage after the event were combined with OpenStreetMap building footprints to construct a database of all potentially impacted buildings. At the estimated...
Authors
Katherine R. Barnhart, Jason W. Kean