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.
Science and Products
Postfire debris-flow hazards
Wildfires can significantly alter the way water interacts with the landscape to the extent that even modest rainstorms can produce dangerous flash floods and debris flows. Recent fires in the western U.S. have impacted hundreds of thousands of acres of steep land, much of it public, making it susceptible to increased erosion and debris-flow activity. With the risk of severe wildfires continuing to...
2009 Station Fire, Dunsmore Canyon, Glendale, California
In 2009, the Station Fire burned 160,000 acres in the San Gabriel Mountains. Vegetation has started to return, but it can take many years for a basin to fully recover from the effects of fire.
Reconstruction of an Avalanche: The West Salt Creek Rock Avalanche
Release Date: MAY 25, 2016 The West Salt Creek Rock Avalanche, Colorado, May 25, 2014
Rainfall and Landslides in Southern California
A summary of recent and past landslides and debris flows caused by rainfall in Southern California.
Science and Products
Postfire debris-flow hazards
Wildfires can significantly alter the way water interacts with the landscape to the extent that even modest rainstorms can produce dangerous flash floods and debris flows. Recent fires in the western U.S. have impacted hundreds of thousands of acres of steep land, much of it public, making it susceptible to increased erosion and debris-flow activity. With the risk of severe wildfires continuing to...
2009 Station Fire, Dunsmore Canyon, Glendale, California
In 2009, the Station Fire burned 160,000 acres in the San Gabriel Mountains. Vegetation has started to return, but it can take many years for a basin to fully recover from the effects of fire.
Reconstruction of an Avalanche: The West Salt Creek Rock Avalanche
Release Date: MAY 25, 2016 The West Salt Creek Rock Avalanche, Colorado, May 25, 2014
Rainfall and Landslides in Southern California
A summary of recent and past landslides and debris flows caused by rainfall in Southern California.