Katherine Barnhart
Katy Barnhart is a Research Civil Engineer in the Landslide Hazards program.
Katy does research on the mechanisms and impacts of landslide runout, primarily using numerical simulation. Her current work focuses on postfire debris flows and landslide tsunamis.
Professional Experience
2020-present: Research Civil Engineer, Landslide Hazards Program, Geologic Hazards Science Center
2020-2021: Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellow
2018-2020: National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Colorado at Boulder, Cooperative Institute for Research in the Environment and Department of Geological Sciences
2016-2018: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Colorado, Cooperative Institute for Research in the Environment and Department of Geological Sciences
2015-2016: Postdoctoral Fellow, Annenberg Public Policy Center, University of Pennsylvania
Education and Certifications
University of Colorado, Ph.D., 2015, Geological Sciences
University of Colorado, M.S., 2010, Geological Sciences
Princeton University, B.S.E., 2008, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Honors and Awards
CSDMS Terrestrial Working Group Member Spotlight Award, 2020
USGS Mendenhall Fellowship, 2020
NSF-EAR Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2017
NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship, 2012-2015
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Honorable Mention, 2010
W. Taylor Thom Jr. Prize, Princeton Department of Civil Engineering, 2008
Arthur F. Buddington Award, Princeton Department of Geological Sciences, 2008
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 15
Simulated inundation extent and depth in Harriman Fjord and Barry Arm, western Prince William Sound, Alaska, resulting from the hypothetical rapid motion of landslides into Barry Arm Fjord, Prince William Sound, Alaska Simulated inundation extent and depth in Harriman Fjord and Barry Arm, western Prince William Sound, Alaska, resulting from the hypothetical rapid motion of landslides into Barry Arm Fjord, Prince William Sound, Alaska
Summary This data release contains postprocessed model output from a simulation of hypothetical rapid motion of landslides, subsequent wave generation, and wave propagation. A simulated displacement wave was generated by rapid motion of unstable material into Barry Arm fjord. We consider the wave propagation in Harriman Fjord and Barry Arm, western Prince William Sound (area of interest...
Simulated inundation extent and depth at Whittier, Alaska resulting from the hypothetical rapid motion of landslides into Barry Arm Fjord, Prince William Sound, Alaska Simulated inundation extent and depth at Whittier, Alaska resulting from the hypothetical rapid motion of landslides into Barry Arm Fjord, Prince William Sound, Alaska
This data release contains postprocessed model output from simulations of hypothetical rapid motion of landslides, subsequent wave generation, and wave propagation. A modeled tsunami wave was generated by rapid motion of unstable material into Barry Arm Fjord. This wave propagated through Prince William Sound and then into Passage Canal east of Whittier. Here we consider only the largest...
Select model results from simulations of hypothetical rapid failures of landslides into Barry Arm, Prince William Sound, Alaska Select model results from simulations of hypothetical rapid failures of landslides into Barry Arm, Prince William Sound, Alaska
This data release contains model output from simulations presented in the associated Open-File Report (Barnhart and others, 2021). In this report, we present model results from four simulations (scenarios C-290, NC-290, C-689, NC-689, Table 1) of hypothetical rapid movement of landslides into adjacent fjord water at Barry Arm, Alaska using the D-Claw model (George and Iverson, 2014...
Filter Total Items: 26
Steady-state forms of channel profiles shaped by debris flow and fluvial processes Steady-state forms of channel profiles shaped by debris flow and fluvial processes
Debris flows regularly traverse bedrock channels that dissect steep landscapes, but our understanding of bedrock erosion by debris flows and their impact on steepland morphology is still rudimentary. Quantitative models of steep bedrock channel networks are based on geomorphic transport laws designed to represent erosion by water-dominated flows. To quantify the impact of debris flow...
Authors
Luke McGuire, Scott W. McCoy, Odin Marc, William Struble, Katherine Barnhart
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 Barnhart, Ryan P Jones, David George, Francis Rengers, Jason 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 Barnhart, Jason Kean
Debris-flow process controls on steepland morphology in the San Gabriel Mountains, California Debris-flow process controls on steepland morphology in the San Gabriel Mountains, California
Steep landscapes evolve largely by debris flows, in addition to fluvial and hillslope processes. Abundant field observations document that debris flows incise valley bottoms and transport substantial sediment volumes, yet their contributions to steepland morphology remain uncertain. This has, in turn, limited the development of debris-flow incision rate formulations that produce...
Authors
William Struble, Luke McGuire, Scott W. McCoy, Katherine Barnhart, Odin Marc
The influence of large woody debris on post-wildfire debris flow sediment storage The influence of large woody debris on post-wildfire debris flow sediment storage
Debris flows transport large quantities of water and granular material, such as sediment and wood, and this mixture can have devastating impacts on life and infrastructure. The proportion of large woody debris (LWD) incorporated into debris flows can be enhanced in forested areas recently burned by wildfire, because wood recruitment into channels accelerates in burned forests. In this...
Authors
Francis Rengers, Luke McGuire, Katherine Barnhart, Ann Youberg, Daniel Cadol, Alexander Gorr, Olivia Hoch, Rebecca Beers, Jason Kean
User needs assessment for postfire debris-flow inundation hazard products User needs assessment for postfire debris-flow inundation hazard products
Debris flows are a type of mass movement that is more likely after wildfires, and while existing hazard assessments evaluate the rainfall intensities that are likely to trigger debris flows, no operational hazard assessment exists for identifying the areas where they will run out after initiation. Fifteen participants who work in a wide range of job functions associated with southern...
Authors
Katherine Barnhart, Veronica Romero, Katherine Clifford
Simulating debris flow and levee formation in the 2D shallow flow model D-Claw: Channelized and unconfined flow Simulating debris flow and levee formation in the 2D shallow flow model D-Claw: Channelized and unconfined flow
Debris flow runout poses a hazard to life and infrastructure. The expansion of human population into mountainous areas and onto alluvial fans increases the need to predict and mitigate debris flow runout hazards. Debris flows on unconfined alluvial fans can exhibit spontaneous self-channelization through levee formation that reduces lateral spreading and extends runout distances compared...
Authors
Ryan Jones, Francis Rengers, Katherine Barnhart, David George, Dennis Staley, Jason Kean
New model of the Barry Arm landslide in Alaska reveals potential tsunami wave heights of 2 meters, values much lower than previously estimated New model of the Barry Arm landslide in Alaska reveals potential tsunami wave heights of 2 meters, values much lower than previously estimated
The retreat of Barry Glacier has contributed to the destabilization of slopes in Barry Arm, creating the possibility that a landslide could rapidly enter the fjord and trigger a tsunami. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently released a report documenting potential tsunami wave heights in the event of a large, fast-moving landslide at the Barry Arm fiord near Prince William Sound...
Authors
Marisa Macias, Katherine Barnhart, Dennis Staley
Multi-model comparison of computed debris flow runout for the 9 January 2018 Montecito, California post-wildfire event Multi-model comparison of computed debris flow runout for the 9 January 2018 Montecito, California post-wildfire event
Hazard assessment for post-wildfire debris flows, which are common in the steep terrain of the western United States, has focused on the susceptibility of upstream basins to generate debris flows. However, reducing public exposure to this hazard also requires an assessment of hazards in downstream areas that might be inundated during debris flow runout. Debris flow runout models are...
Authors
Katherine Barnhart, Ryan Jones, David George, Brian McArdell, Francis Rengers, Dennis Staley, Jason Kean
Preliminary assessment of the wave generating potential from landslides at Barry Arm, Prince William Sound, Alaska Preliminary assessment of the wave generating potential from landslides at Barry Arm, Prince William Sound, Alaska
We simulated the concurrent rapid motion of landslides on an unstable slope at Barry Arm, Alaska. Movement of landslides into the adjacent fjord displaced fjord water and generated a tsunami, which propagated out of Barry Arm. Rather than assuming an initial sea surface height, velocity, and location for the tsunami, we generated the tsunami directly using a model capable of simulating...
Authors
Katherine Barnhart, Ryan Jones, David George, Jeffrey Coe, Dennis Staley
Postwildfire soil‐hydraulic recovery and the persistence of debris flow hazards Postwildfire soil‐hydraulic recovery and the persistence of debris flow hazards
Deadly and destructive debris flows often follow wildfire, but understanding of changes in the hazard potential with time since fire is poor. We develop a simulation‐based framework to quantify changes in the hydrologic triggering conditions for debris flows as postwildfire infiltration properties evolve through time. Our approach produces time‐varying rainfall intensity‐duration...
Authors
Matthew Thomas, Francis Rengers, Jason Kean, Luke McGuire, Dennis Staley, Katherine Barnhart, Brian A. Ebel
Offset channels may not accurately record strike-slip fault displacement: Evidence from landscape evolution models Offset channels may not accurately record strike-slip fault displacement: Evidence from landscape evolution models
Slip distribution, slip rate, and slip per event for strike‐slip faults are commonly determined by correlating offset stream channels—under the assumption that they record seismic slip—but offset channels are formed by the interplay of tectonic and geomorphic processes. To constrain offset channel development under known tectonic and geomorphic conditions, we use numerical landscape...
Authors
Nadine Reitman, Karl Mueller, Gregory Tucker, Ryan Gold, Richard Briggs, Katherine R. Barnhart
Non-USGS Publications**
Wickert, A.D., Barnhart, K.R., Armstrong, W.H., Romero, M., Schulz, B., Ng, G.-H.C., Sandell, C.T., La Frenierre, J., Penprase, S.B., Van Wyk de Vries, M., and MacGregor, K.R., 2023, Automated ablation stakes to constrain temperature-index melt models: Annals of Glaciology, v. 64, no. 92, p. 425–438, https://doi.org/10.1017/aog.2024.21.
Gasparini, N.M., Forte, A.M., and Barnhart, K.R., 2024, Short Communication: Numerically simulated time to steady state is not a reliable measure of landscape response time: Earth Surface Dynamics, v. 12, no. 6, p. 1227–1242, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1227-2024.
Nudurupati, S.S., Istanbulluoglu, E., Tucker, G.E., Gasparini, N.M., Hobley, D.E.J., Hutton, E.W.H., Barnhart, K.R., and Adams, J.M., On transient semi-arid ecosystem dynamics using Landlab: Vegetation shifts, topographic refugia, and response to climate. Water Resources Research, 59, e2021WR031179. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021WR031179.
Litwin, David G, Tucker, G.E., Barnhart, K.R., and Harman, C.J., Reply to comment by Anand et al. on ‘Groundwater affects the geomorphic and hydrologic properties of coevolved landscapes’: Journal of Geophysical Research—Earth Surface, 127, e2022JF006722. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JF006722.
Litwin, D.G., Tucker, G.E., Barnhart, K.R., and Harman, C.J., 2022, Groundwater Affects the Geomorphic and Hydrologic Properties of Coevolved Landscapes: Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, v. 127, no. 1, p. e2021JF006239, doi: 10.1029/2021JF006239.
Tucker, G.E., Hutton, E.W.H., Piper, M.D., Campforts, B., Gan, T., Barnhart, K.R., Kettner, A.J., Overeem, I., Peckham, S.D., McCready, L., and Syvitski, J., 2022, Community Surface Dynamics Modeling System: a community platform for numerical modeling of Earth surface processes: Geoscientific Model Development, v. 15, no. 4, p. 1413–1439, doi: 10.5194/gmd-15-1413-2022.
Wiens, A., Kleiber, W., Nychka, D., and Barnhart, K. R. “Nonrigid Registration Using Gaussian Processes
and Local Likelihood Estimation”. In: Mathematical Geosciences (2021). DOI: 10.1007/s11004-
020-09917-7.
and Local Likelihood Estimation”. In: Mathematical Geosciences (2021). DOI: 10.1007/s11004-
020-09917-7.
Anderson, S.P., Kelly, P.J., Hoffman, N., Barnhart, K., Befus, K. and Ouimet, W. (2021). Is This Steady State? Weathering and Critical Zone Architecture in Gordon Gulch, Colorado Front Range. In Hydrogeology, Chemical Weathering, and Soil Formation (eds A. Hunt, M. Egli and B. Faybishenko). https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119563952.ch13
K. R. Barnhart, G. E. Tucker, S. Doty, C. M. Shobe, R. C. Glade, M. W. Rossi, and M. C. Hill. “Projections of landscape evolution on a 10,000 year timescale with assessment and partitioning of uncertainty sources”. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface (2020), 2020JF005795. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JF005795.
A. M. Pfeiffer, K. R. Barnhart, J. A. Czuba, and E. W. H. Hutton. “NetworkSediment-Transporter: A Landlab component for bed material transport through river networks”. Journal of Open Source Software 5.53 (2020), p. 2341. https://doi.org/10.21105/joss.02341.
Barnhart, K. R., Hutton, E. W. H., Tucker, G. E., Gasparini, N. M., Istanbulluoglu, E., Hobley, D. E. J., Lyons, N. J., Mouchene, M., Nudurupati, S. S., Adams, J. M., and Bandaragoda, C.: Short communication: Landlab v2.0: a software package for Earth surface dynamics, Earth Surf. Dynam., 8, 379–397, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-379-2020, 2020.
K. R. Barnhart, G. E. Tucker, S. Doty, C. M. Shobe, R. C. Glade, M. W. Rossi, and M. C. Hill. “Inverting topography for landscape evolution model process representation: Part 1, conceptualization and sensitivity analysis”. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface (2020), e2018JF004961. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JF004961.
K. R. Barnhart, G. E. Tucker, S. Doty, C. M. Shobe, R. C. Glade, M. W. Rossi, and M. C. Hill. “Inverting topography for landscape evolution model process representation: Part 2, calibration and validation”. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface (2020), e2018JF004963. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JF004963.
K. R. Barnhart, G. E. Tucker, S. Doty, C. M. Shobe, R. C. Glade, M.W. Rossi, and M. C. Hill. “Inverting topography for landscape evolution model process representation: Part 3, Determining parameter ranges for select mature geomorphic transport laws and connecting changes in fluvial erodibility to changes in climate”. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface (2020), e2019JF005287. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JF005287.
D. Litwin, G. Tucker, K. R. Barnhart, and C. Harman. “GroundwaterDupuitPercolator: A Landlab component for groundwater flow”. Journal of Open Source Software 5.46 (2020), 1935. https://doi.org/10.21105/joss.01935.
K. R. Barnhart, R. C. Glade, C. M. Shobe, and G. E. Tucker. “Terrainbento 1.0: a Python package for multi-model analysis in long-term drainage basin evolution”. Geoscientific Model Development 12.4 (2019), pp. 1267–1297. https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-12-1267-2019.
K. R. Barnhart, E.W. H. Hutton, and G. E. Tucker. “umami: A Python package for Earth surface dynamics objective function construction”. Journal of Open Source Software 4.42 (2019). https://doi.org/10.21105/joss.01776.
C. J. Bandaragoda, A. Castronova, E. Istanbulluoglu, R. Strauch, S. S. Nudurupati, J. Phuong, J. M. Adams, N. M. Gasparini, K. R. Barnhart, E. Hutton, D. E. J. Hobley, N. J. Lyons, G. E. Tucker, D. G. Tarboton, R. Idaszak, and S. Wang. “Enabling collaborative numerical Modeling in Earth sciences using Knowledge Infrastructure”. Environmental Modelling and Software (2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2019.03.020.
A. Wiens, W. Kleiber, K. R. Barnhart, and D. Sain. “Surface Estimation for Multiple Misaligned Point Sets”. Mathematical Geosciences 39.2 (Apr. 2019), pp. 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11004-019-09802-y.
K. R. Barnhart, E. Hutton, N. Gasparini, and G. Tucker. “Lithology: A Landlab submodule for spatially variable rock properties”. Journal of Open Source Software 3.30 (2018), pp. 979–2. https://doi.org/10.21105/joss.00979.
M. Bendixen, L. L. Iversen, A. A. Bjork, B. Elberling, A.Westergaard-Nielsen, I. Overeem, K. R. Barnhart, S. A. Khan, J. E. Box, J. Abermann, K. Langley, and A. Kroon. “Delta progradation in Greenland driven by increasing glacial mass loss”. Nature 550.7674 (2017), pp. 101–104. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature23873.
C. M. Shobe, G. E. Tucker, and K. R. Barnhart. “The SPACE 1.0 model: a Landlab component for 2-D calculation of sediment transport, bedrock erosion, and landscape evolution”. Geoscientific Model Development 10.12 (2017), pp. 4577–4604. https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-4577-2017.
K. R. Barnhart, C. R. Miller, I. Overeem, and J. E. Kay. “Mapping the future expansion of Arctic open water”. Nature Climate Change (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2848.
R. C. Mahon, J. B. Shaw, K. R. Barnhart, D. E. Hobley, and B. McElroy. “Quantifying the stratigraphic completeness of delta shoreline trajectories”. Journal of Geophysical Research-Earth Surface 120.5 (2015), pp. 799–817. https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JF003298.
K. R. Barnhart, R. S. Anderson, I. Overeem, C. Wobus, G. D. Clow, and F. E. Urban. “Modeling erosion of ice-rich permafrost bluffs along the Alaskan Beaufort Sea coast”. Journal of Geophysical Research-Earth Surface 119.5 (2014), pp. 1155–1179. https://doi.org/10.1002/2013JF002845.
K. R. Barnhart, I. Overeem, and R. S. Anderson. “The effect of changing sea ice on the physical vulnerability of Arctic coasts”. The Cryosphere 8 (2014), pp. 1777–1799. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1777-2014.
K. R. Barnhart, K. H. Mahan, T. J. Blackburn, S. A. Bowring, and F. O. Dudas. “Deep crustal xenoliths from central Montana, USA: Implications for the timing and mechanisms of high-velocity lower crust formation”. Geosphere (2012). https://doi.org/10.1130/GES00765.1.
K. R. Barnhart, P. J. Walsh, L. S. Hollister, C. G. Daniel, and C. Andronicos. “Decompression during Late Proterozoic Al2SiO5 Triple-Point Metamorphism at Cerro Colorado, New Mexico”. The Journal of Geology (2012). https://doi.org/10.1086/665793.
T. J. Blackburn, S. A. Bowring, J. T. Perron, K. H. Mahan, F. O. Dudas, and K. R. Barnhart. “An Exhumation History of Continents over Billion-Year Time Scales”. Science 335.6064 (2012), pp. 73–76. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1213496.
**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
Filter Total Items: 15
Simulated inundation extent and depth in Harriman Fjord and Barry Arm, western Prince William Sound, Alaska, resulting from the hypothetical rapid motion of landslides into Barry Arm Fjord, Prince William Sound, Alaska Simulated inundation extent and depth in Harriman Fjord and Barry Arm, western Prince William Sound, Alaska, resulting from the hypothetical rapid motion of landslides into Barry Arm Fjord, Prince William Sound, Alaska
Summary This data release contains postprocessed model output from a simulation of hypothetical rapid motion of landslides, subsequent wave generation, and wave propagation. A simulated displacement wave was generated by rapid motion of unstable material into Barry Arm fjord. We consider the wave propagation in Harriman Fjord and Barry Arm, western Prince William Sound (area of interest...
Simulated inundation extent and depth at Whittier, Alaska resulting from the hypothetical rapid motion of landslides into Barry Arm Fjord, Prince William Sound, Alaska Simulated inundation extent and depth at Whittier, Alaska resulting from the hypothetical rapid motion of landslides into Barry Arm Fjord, Prince William Sound, Alaska
This data release contains postprocessed model output from simulations of hypothetical rapid motion of landslides, subsequent wave generation, and wave propagation. A modeled tsunami wave was generated by rapid motion of unstable material into Barry Arm Fjord. This wave propagated through Prince William Sound and then into Passage Canal east of Whittier. Here we consider only the largest...
Select model results from simulations of hypothetical rapid failures of landslides into Barry Arm, Prince William Sound, Alaska Select model results from simulations of hypothetical rapid failures of landslides into Barry Arm, Prince William Sound, Alaska
This data release contains model output from simulations presented in the associated Open-File Report (Barnhart and others, 2021). In this report, we present model results from four simulations (scenarios C-290, NC-290, C-689, NC-689, Table 1) of hypothetical rapid movement of landslides into adjacent fjord water at Barry Arm, Alaska using the D-Claw model (George and Iverson, 2014...
Filter Total Items: 26
Steady-state forms of channel profiles shaped by debris flow and fluvial processes Steady-state forms of channel profiles shaped by debris flow and fluvial processes
Debris flows regularly traverse bedrock channels that dissect steep landscapes, but our understanding of bedrock erosion by debris flows and their impact on steepland morphology is still rudimentary. Quantitative models of steep bedrock channel networks are based on geomorphic transport laws designed to represent erosion by water-dominated flows. To quantify the impact of debris flow...
Authors
Luke McGuire, Scott W. McCoy, Odin Marc, William Struble, Katherine Barnhart
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 Barnhart, Ryan P Jones, David George, Francis Rengers, Jason 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 Barnhart, Jason Kean
Debris-flow process controls on steepland morphology in the San Gabriel Mountains, California Debris-flow process controls on steepland morphology in the San Gabriel Mountains, California
Steep landscapes evolve largely by debris flows, in addition to fluvial and hillslope processes. Abundant field observations document that debris flows incise valley bottoms and transport substantial sediment volumes, yet their contributions to steepland morphology remain uncertain. This has, in turn, limited the development of debris-flow incision rate formulations that produce...
Authors
William Struble, Luke McGuire, Scott W. McCoy, Katherine Barnhart, Odin Marc
The influence of large woody debris on post-wildfire debris flow sediment storage The influence of large woody debris on post-wildfire debris flow sediment storage
Debris flows transport large quantities of water and granular material, such as sediment and wood, and this mixture can have devastating impacts on life and infrastructure. The proportion of large woody debris (LWD) incorporated into debris flows can be enhanced in forested areas recently burned by wildfire, because wood recruitment into channels accelerates in burned forests. In this...
Authors
Francis Rengers, Luke McGuire, Katherine Barnhart, Ann Youberg, Daniel Cadol, Alexander Gorr, Olivia Hoch, Rebecca Beers, Jason Kean
User needs assessment for postfire debris-flow inundation hazard products User needs assessment for postfire debris-flow inundation hazard products
Debris flows are a type of mass movement that is more likely after wildfires, and while existing hazard assessments evaluate the rainfall intensities that are likely to trigger debris flows, no operational hazard assessment exists for identifying the areas where they will run out after initiation. Fifteen participants who work in a wide range of job functions associated with southern...
Authors
Katherine Barnhart, Veronica Romero, Katherine Clifford
Simulating debris flow and levee formation in the 2D shallow flow model D-Claw: Channelized and unconfined flow Simulating debris flow and levee formation in the 2D shallow flow model D-Claw: Channelized and unconfined flow
Debris flow runout poses a hazard to life and infrastructure. The expansion of human population into mountainous areas and onto alluvial fans increases the need to predict and mitigate debris flow runout hazards. Debris flows on unconfined alluvial fans can exhibit spontaneous self-channelization through levee formation that reduces lateral spreading and extends runout distances compared...
Authors
Ryan Jones, Francis Rengers, Katherine Barnhart, David George, Dennis Staley, Jason Kean
New model of the Barry Arm landslide in Alaska reveals potential tsunami wave heights of 2 meters, values much lower than previously estimated New model of the Barry Arm landslide in Alaska reveals potential tsunami wave heights of 2 meters, values much lower than previously estimated
The retreat of Barry Glacier has contributed to the destabilization of slopes in Barry Arm, creating the possibility that a landslide could rapidly enter the fjord and trigger a tsunami. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently released a report documenting potential tsunami wave heights in the event of a large, fast-moving landslide at the Barry Arm fiord near Prince William Sound...
Authors
Marisa Macias, Katherine Barnhart, Dennis Staley
Multi-model comparison of computed debris flow runout for the 9 January 2018 Montecito, California post-wildfire event Multi-model comparison of computed debris flow runout for the 9 January 2018 Montecito, California post-wildfire event
Hazard assessment for post-wildfire debris flows, which are common in the steep terrain of the western United States, has focused on the susceptibility of upstream basins to generate debris flows. However, reducing public exposure to this hazard also requires an assessment of hazards in downstream areas that might be inundated during debris flow runout. Debris flow runout models are...
Authors
Katherine Barnhart, Ryan Jones, David George, Brian McArdell, Francis Rengers, Dennis Staley, Jason Kean
Preliminary assessment of the wave generating potential from landslides at Barry Arm, Prince William Sound, Alaska Preliminary assessment of the wave generating potential from landslides at Barry Arm, Prince William Sound, Alaska
We simulated the concurrent rapid motion of landslides on an unstable slope at Barry Arm, Alaska. Movement of landslides into the adjacent fjord displaced fjord water and generated a tsunami, which propagated out of Barry Arm. Rather than assuming an initial sea surface height, velocity, and location for the tsunami, we generated the tsunami directly using a model capable of simulating...
Authors
Katherine Barnhart, Ryan Jones, David George, Jeffrey Coe, Dennis Staley
Postwildfire soil‐hydraulic recovery and the persistence of debris flow hazards Postwildfire soil‐hydraulic recovery and the persistence of debris flow hazards
Deadly and destructive debris flows often follow wildfire, but understanding of changes in the hazard potential with time since fire is poor. We develop a simulation‐based framework to quantify changes in the hydrologic triggering conditions for debris flows as postwildfire infiltration properties evolve through time. Our approach produces time‐varying rainfall intensity‐duration...
Authors
Matthew Thomas, Francis Rengers, Jason Kean, Luke McGuire, Dennis Staley, Katherine Barnhart, Brian A. Ebel
Offset channels may not accurately record strike-slip fault displacement: Evidence from landscape evolution models Offset channels may not accurately record strike-slip fault displacement: Evidence from landscape evolution models
Slip distribution, slip rate, and slip per event for strike‐slip faults are commonly determined by correlating offset stream channels—under the assumption that they record seismic slip—but offset channels are formed by the interplay of tectonic and geomorphic processes. To constrain offset channel development under known tectonic and geomorphic conditions, we use numerical landscape...
Authors
Nadine Reitman, Karl Mueller, Gregory Tucker, Ryan Gold, Richard Briggs, Katherine R. Barnhart
Non-USGS Publications**
Wickert, A.D., Barnhart, K.R., Armstrong, W.H., Romero, M., Schulz, B., Ng, G.-H.C., Sandell, C.T., La Frenierre, J., Penprase, S.B., Van Wyk de Vries, M., and MacGregor, K.R., 2023, Automated ablation stakes to constrain temperature-index melt models: Annals of Glaciology, v. 64, no. 92, p. 425–438, https://doi.org/10.1017/aog.2024.21.
Gasparini, N.M., Forte, A.M., and Barnhart, K.R., 2024, Short Communication: Numerically simulated time to steady state is not a reliable measure of landscape response time: Earth Surface Dynamics, v. 12, no. 6, p. 1227–1242, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1227-2024.
Nudurupati, S.S., Istanbulluoglu, E., Tucker, G.E., Gasparini, N.M., Hobley, D.E.J., Hutton, E.W.H., Barnhart, K.R., and Adams, J.M., On transient semi-arid ecosystem dynamics using Landlab: Vegetation shifts, topographic refugia, and response to climate. Water Resources Research, 59, e2021WR031179. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021WR031179.
Litwin, David G, Tucker, G.E., Barnhart, K.R., and Harman, C.J., Reply to comment by Anand et al. on ‘Groundwater affects the geomorphic and hydrologic properties of coevolved landscapes’: Journal of Geophysical Research—Earth Surface, 127, e2022JF006722. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JF006722.
Litwin, D.G., Tucker, G.E., Barnhart, K.R., and Harman, C.J., 2022, Groundwater Affects the Geomorphic and Hydrologic Properties of Coevolved Landscapes: Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, v. 127, no. 1, p. e2021JF006239, doi: 10.1029/2021JF006239.
Tucker, G.E., Hutton, E.W.H., Piper, M.D., Campforts, B., Gan, T., Barnhart, K.R., Kettner, A.J., Overeem, I., Peckham, S.D., McCready, L., and Syvitski, J., 2022, Community Surface Dynamics Modeling System: a community platform for numerical modeling of Earth surface processes: Geoscientific Model Development, v. 15, no. 4, p. 1413–1439, doi: 10.5194/gmd-15-1413-2022.
Wiens, A., Kleiber, W., Nychka, D., and Barnhart, K. R. “Nonrigid Registration Using Gaussian Processes
and Local Likelihood Estimation”. In: Mathematical Geosciences (2021). DOI: 10.1007/s11004-
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and Local Likelihood Estimation”. In: Mathematical Geosciences (2021). DOI: 10.1007/s11004-
020-09917-7.
Anderson, S.P., Kelly, P.J., Hoffman, N., Barnhart, K., Befus, K. and Ouimet, W. (2021). Is This Steady State? Weathering and Critical Zone Architecture in Gordon Gulch, Colorado Front Range. In Hydrogeology, Chemical Weathering, and Soil Formation (eds A. Hunt, M. Egli and B. Faybishenko). https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119563952.ch13
K. R. Barnhart, G. E. Tucker, S. Doty, C. M. Shobe, R. C. Glade, M. W. Rossi, and M. C. Hill. “Projections of landscape evolution on a 10,000 year timescale with assessment and partitioning of uncertainty sources”. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface (2020), 2020JF005795. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JF005795.
A. M. Pfeiffer, K. R. Barnhart, J. A. Czuba, and E. W. H. Hutton. “NetworkSediment-Transporter: A Landlab component for bed material transport through river networks”. Journal of Open Source Software 5.53 (2020), p. 2341. https://doi.org/10.21105/joss.02341.
Barnhart, K. R., Hutton, E. W. H., Tucker, G. E., Gasparini, N. M., Istanbulluoglu, E., Hobley, D. E. J., Lyons, N. J., Mouchene, M., Nudurupati, S. S., Adams, J. M., and Bandaragoda, C.: Short communication: Landlab v2.0: a software package for Earth surface dynamics, Earth Surf. Dynam., 8, 379–397, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-379-2020, 2020.
K. R. Barnhart, G. E. Tucker, S. Doty, C. M. Shobe, R. C. Glade, M. W. Rossi, and M. C. Hill. “Inverting topography for landscape evolution model process representation: Part 1, conceptualization and sensitivity analysis”. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface (2020), e2018JF004961. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JF004961.
K. R. Barnhart, G. E. Tucker, S. Doty, C. M. Shobe, R. C. Glade, M. W. Rossi, and M. C. Hill. “Inverting topography for landscape evolution model process representation: Part 2, calibration and validation”. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface (2020), e2018JF004963. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JF004963.
K. R. Barnhart, G. E. Tucker, S. Doty, C. M. Shobe, R. C. Glade, M.W. Rossi, and M. C. Hill. “Inverting topography for landscape evolution model process representation: Part 3, Determining parameter ranges for select mature geomorphic transport laws and connecting changes in fluvial erodibility to changes in climate”. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface (2020), e2019JF005287. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JF005287.
D. Litwin, G. Tucker, K. R. Barnhart, and C. Harman. “GroundwaterDupuitPercolator: A Landlab component for groundwater flow”. Journal of Open Source Software 5.46 (2020), 1935. https://doi.org/10.21105/joss.01935.
K. R. Barnhart, R. C. Glade, C. M. Shobe, and G. E. Tucker. “Terrainbento 1.0: a Python package for multi-model analysis in long-term drainage basin evolution”. Geoscientific Model Development 12.4 (2019), pp. 1267–1297. https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-12-1267-2019.
K. R. Barnhart, E.W. H. Hutton, and G. E. Tucker. “umami: A Python package for Earth surface dynamics objective function construction”. Journal of Open Source Software 4.42 (2019). https://doi.org/10.21105/joss.01776.
C. J. Bandaragoda, A. Castronova, E. Istanbulluoglu, R. Strauch, S. S. Nudurupati, J. Phuong, J. M. Adams, N. M. Gasparini, K. R. Barnhart, E. Hutton, D. E. J. Hobley, N. J. Lyons, G. E. Tucker, D. G. Tarboton, R. Idaszak, and S. Wang. “Enabling collaborative numerical Modeling in Earth sciences using Knowledge Infrastructure”. Environmental Modelling and Software (2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2019.03.020.
A. Wiens, W. Kleiber, K. R. Barnhart, and D. Sain. “Surface Estimation for Multiple Misaligned Point Sets”. Mathematical Geosciences 39.2 (Apr. 2019), pp. 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11004-019-09802-y.
K. R. Barnhart, E. Hutton, N. Gasparini, and G. Tucker. “Lithology: A Landlab submodule for spatially variable rock properties”. Journal of Open Source Software 3.30 (2018), pp. 979–2. https://doi.org/10.21105/joss.00979.
M. Bendixen, L. L. Iversen, A. A. Bjork, B. Elberling, A.Westergaard-Nielsen, I. Overeem, K. R. Barnhart, S. A. Khan, J. E. Box, J. Abermann, K. Langley, and A. Kroon. “Delta progradation in Greenland driven by increasing glacial mass loss”. Nature 550.7674 (2017), pp. 101–104. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature23873.
C. M. Shobe, G. E. Tucker, and K. R. Barnhart. “The SPACE 1.0 model: a Landlab component for 2-D calculation of sediment transport, bedrock erosion, and landscape evolution”. Geoscientific Model Development 10.12 (2017), pp. 4577–4604. https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-4577-2017.
K. R. Barnhart, C. R. Miller, I. Overeem, and J. E. Kay. “Mapping the future expansion of Arctic open water”. Nature Climate Change (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2848.
R. C. Mahon, J. B. Shaw, K. R. Barnhart, D. E. Hobley, and B. McElroy. “Quantifying the stratigraphic completeness of delta shoreline trajectories”. Journal of Geophysical Research-Earth Surface 120.5 (2015), pp. 799–817. https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JF003298.
K. R. Barnhart, R. S. Anderson, I. Overeem, C. Wobus, G. D. Clow, and F. E. Urban. “Modeling erosion of ice-rich permafrost bluffs along the Alaskan Beaufort Sea coast”. Journal of Geophysical Research-Earth Surface 119.5 (2014), pp. 1155–1179. https://doi.org/10.1002/2013JF002845.
K. R. Barnhart, I. Overeem, and R. S. Anderson. “The effect of changing sea ice on the physical vulnerability of Arctic coasts”. The Cryosphere 8 (2014), pp. 1777–1799. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1777-2014.
K. R. Barnhart, K. H. Mahan, T. J. Blackburn, S. A. Bowring, and F. O. Dudas. “Deep crustal xenoliths from central Montana, USA: Implications for the timing and mechanisms of high-velocity lower crust formation”. Geosphere (2012). https://doi.org/10.1130/GES00765.1.
K. R. Barnhart, P. J. Walsh, L. S. Hollister, C. G. Daniel, and C. Andronicos. “Decompression during Late Proterozoic Al2SiO5 Triple-Point Metamorphism at Cerro Colorado, New Mexico”. The Journal of Geology (2012). https://doi.org/10.1086/665793.
T. J. Blackburn, S. A. Bowring, J. T. Perron, K. H. Mahan, F. O. Dudas, and K. R. Barnhart. “An Exhumation History of Continents over Billion-Year Time Scales”. Science 335.6064 (2012), pp. 73–76. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1213496.
**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.