Jonathan Godt
Jonathan is the Program Coordinator for Landslide Hazards and leads the only federal program dedicated to landslide science and risk reduction.
As the Program Coordinator for Landslide Hazards, I am the principal voice for USGS landslide science for the public, media, Congress, states, and other partners. I am responsible for the scientific direction and priorities of the program and oversee its interactions with USGS Science Centers. I began my career with the USGS as a graduate student and until 2014 was a Research Physical Scientists focusing on understanding the physical processes controlling landslide initiation. I have led several technical assistance teams responding to disasters both domestically and abroad, helping inform emergency management and other decisions. I have acted in several other leadership positions in the Natural Hazards Mission Area.
Professional Experience
2014 to present – Program Coordinator, Landslide Hazards, U.S. Geological Survey Natural Hazards Mission Area, Golden, CO.
January 2023 to January 2024 – Acting Program Coordinator, Volcano Hazards, U.S. Geological Survey Natural Hazards Mission Area, Golden, CO.
July 2022 to December 2022 – Acting Associate Director U.S. Geological Survey Natural Hazards Mission Area, Golden, CO.
February 2019 to April 2020 – Acting Senior Science Advisor for Earthquake and Geologic Hazards, U.S. Geological Survey Natural Hazards Mission Area, Golden, CO.
1998 to 2014 – Research Physical Scientist, U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Hazards Science Center, Golden CO.
Education and Certifications
2004 – Ph.D. Geography, University of Colorado, Boulder
1998 – M.S. Environmental Science, University of Colorado, Denver
1990 – B.A. Political Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette
Honors and Awards
2022 Department of the Interior Meritorious Service Award for outstanding contributions to the USGS in improving the Nation’s preparedness for landslide and other geologic hazards.
Science and Products
Assessment of shallow landslide potential using 1-D and 3-D slope stability analysis
Natural hazards science strategy
Stability of infinite slopes under transient partially saturated seepage conditions
Comparison of soil thickness in a zero-order basin in the Oregon Coast Range using a soil probe and electrical resistivity tomography
Analysis of rainfall-induced slope instability using a field of local factor of safety
Direction of unsaturated flow in a homogeneous and isotropic hillslope
Entrainment of bed sediment by debris flows: results from large-scale experiments
Positive feedback and momentum growth during debris-flow entrainment of wet bed sediment
Early warning of rainfall-induced shallow landslides and debris flows in the USA
Estimating the timing and location of shallow rainfall-induced landslides using a model for transient, unsaturated infiltration
TRIGRS - A Fortran Program for Transient Rainfall Infiltration and Grid-Based Regional Slope-Stability Analysis, Version 2.0
Initiation conditions for debris flows generated by runoff at Chalk Cliffs, central Colorado
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 79
Assessment of shallow landslide potential using 1-D and 3-D slope stability analysis
No abstract available.AuthorsRex L. Baum, Jonathan W. Godt, Jeffrey A. Coe, Mark E. ReidNatural hazards science strategy
The mission of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in natural hazards is to develop and apply hazard science to help protect the safety, security, and economic well-being of the Nation. The costs and consequences of natural hazards can be enormous, and each year more people and infrastructure are at risk. USGS scientific research—founded on detailed observations and improved understanding of the resAuthorsRobert R. Holmes, Lucile M. Jones, Jeffery C. Eidenshink, Jonathan W. Godt, Stephen H. Kirby, Jeffrey J. Love, Christina A. Neal, Nathaniel G. Plant, Michael L. Plunkett, Craig S. Weaver, Anne Wein, Suzanne C. PerryStability of infinite slopes under transient partially saturated seepage conditions
Prediction of the location and timing of rainfall‐induced shallow landslides is desired by organizations responsible for hazard management and warnings. However, hydrologic and mechanical processes in the vadose zone complicate such predictions. Infiltrating rainfall must typically pass through an unsaturated layer before reaching the irregular and usually discontinuous shallow water table. This pAuthorsJonathan W. Godt, Başak Şener-Kaya, Ning Lu, Rex L. BaumComparison of soil thickness in a zero-order basin in the Oregon Coast Range using a soil probe and electrical resistivity tomography
Accurate estimation of the soil thickness distribution in steepland drainage basins is essential for understanding ecosystem and subsurface response to infiltration. One important aspect of this characterization is assessing the heavy and antecedent rainfall conditions that lead to shallow landsliding. In this paper, we investigate the direct current (DC) resistivity method as a tool for quickly eAuthorsMichael S. Morse, Ning Lu, Jonathan W. Godt, André Revil, Jeffrey A. CoeAnalysis of rainfall-induced slope instability using a field of local factor of safety
Slope-stability analyses are mostly conducted by identifying or assuming a potential failure surface and assessing the factor of safety (FS) of that surface. This approach of assigning a single FS to a potentially unstable slope provides little insight on where the failure initiates or the ultimate geometry and location of a landslide rupture surface. We describe a method to quantify a scalar fielAuthorsNing Lu, Başak Şener-Kaya, Alexandra Wayllace, Jonathan W. GodtDirection of unsaturated flow in a homogeneous and isotropic hillslope
The distribution of soil moisture in a homogeneous and isotropic hillslope is a transient, variably saturated physical process controlled by rainfall characteristics, hillslope geometry, and the hydrological properties of the hillslope materials. The major driving mechanisms for moisture movement are gravity and gradients in matric potential. The latter is solely controlled by gradients of moisturAuthorsNing Lu, Basak Sener Kaya, Jonathan W. GodtEntrainment of bed sediment by debris flows: results from large-scale experiments
When debris flows grow by entraining sediment, they can become especially hazardous owing to increased volume, speed, and runout. To investigate the entrainment process, we conducted eight largescale experiments in the USGS debris-flow flume. In each experiment, we released a 6 m3 water-saturated debris flow across a 47-m long, ~12-cm thick bed of partially saturated sediment lining the 31º flume.AuthorsMark E. Reid, Richard M. Iverson, Matthew Logan, Richard G. LaHusen, Jonathan W. Godt, Julie P. GriswoldPositive feedback and momentum growth during debris-flow entrainment of wet bed sediment
Debris flows typically occur when intense rainfall or snowmelt triggers landslides or extensive erosion on steep, debris-mantled slopes. The flows can then grow dramatically in size and speed as they entrain material from their beds and banks, but the mechanism of this growth is unclear. Indeed, momentum conservation implies that entrainment of static material should retard the motion of the flowsAuthorsRichard M. Iverson, Mark E. Reid, Matthew Logan, Richard G. Lahusen, Jonathan W. Godt, Julia P. GriswoldEarly warning of rainfall-induced shallow landslides and debris flows in the USA
The state of knowledge and resources available to issue alerts of precipitation-induced landslides vary across the USA. Federal and state agencies currently issue warnings of the potential for shallow, rapidly moving landslides and debris flows in a few areas along the Pacific coast and for areas affected by Atlantic hurricanes. However, these agencies generally lack resources needed to provide coAuthorsRex L. Baum, Jonathan W. GodtEstimating the timing and location of shallow rainfall-induced landslides using a model for transient, unsaturated infiltration
Shallow rainfall-induced landslides commonly occur under conditions of transient infiltration into initially unsaturated soils. In an effort to predict the timing and location of such landslides, we developed a model of the infiltration process using a two-layer system that consists of an unsaturated zone above a saturated zone and implemented this model in a geographic information system (GIS) frAuthorsRex L. Baum, Jonathan W. Godt, William Z. SavageTRIGRS - A Fortran Program for Transient Rainfall Infiltration and Grid-Based Regional Slope-Stability Analysis, Version 2.0
The Transient Rainfall Infiltration and Grid-Based Regional Slope-Stability Model (TRIGRS) is a Fortran program designed for modeling the timing and distribution of shallow, rainfall-induced landslides. The program computes transient pore-pressure changes, and attendant changes in the factor of safety, due to rainfall infiltration. The program models rainfall infiltration, resulting from storms thAuthorsRex L. Baum, William Z. Savage, Jonathan W. GodtInitiation conditions for debris flows generated by runoff at Chalk Cliffs, central Colorado
We have monitored initiation conditions for six debris flows between May 2004 and July 2006 in a 0.3 km2 drainage basin at Chalk Cliffs; a band of hydrothermally-altered quartz monzonite in central Colorado. Debris flows were initiated by water runoff from colluvium and bedrock that entrained sediment from rills and channels with slopes ranging from about 14° to 45°. The availability of channel maAuthorsJeffrey A. Coe, David Kinner, Jonathan W. Godt - Science
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