Maciej K Obryk, Ph.D.
I am a Research Hydrologist with the Cascades Volcano Observatory.
Research Interests
My research is generally focused on hydroclimatology and spans from the Antarctic to Cascade volcanoes. I’m interested in the response of the cryosphere, such as icy debris fields or perennially ice-covered lakes, to changing climate. I currently manage a large-scale experimental debris flow flume facility and my primary research is on the initiation and rapid movement of icy/rocky debris flows, which occur on the volcanoes’ flanks.
My ad hoc projects are:
-assessing landslide inventory completeness
-testing off-the-shelf technologies for debris flow detection
Professional Experience
Research Hydrologist, USGS, Cascades Volcano Observatory, 2019-present
Hydrologist, USGS, Cascades Volcano Observatory, 2017-2019
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Geology, Portland State University, 2014-2017
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Geology and Geophysics, Louisiana State University, 2014-2017
Education and Certifications
B.S., Earth and Environmental Science, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2008
Ph.D., Earth and Environmental Science, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2014
Science and Products
Sensor data from natural release experiments conducted in May, 2017, at the USGS debris-flow flume, HJ Andrews Experimental Forest, Blue River, Oregon
The files consist of six .csv files, with two files for each of three experiments (2017_05_16, 2017_05_17, 2017_05_18). One of the two files contain high-resolution data (1000 Hz) collected during the period of slope failure only, and the other files contain low-resolution data (10 Hz) for the entire duration of an experiment. Each of these files contains multiple columns of data, with each column
Sensor data from debris-flow experiments conducted in May, 2017, at the USGS debris-flow flume, HJ Andrews Experimental Forest, Blue River, Oregon
The files consist of two types: tabulated data files and graphical map files. Data files consist of three .csv files, representing three experiment dates (2017_05_23, 2017_05_24, 2017_05_25). Each of these files contains multiple columns of data, with each column representing either a time measurement or the value of a physical quantity measured at that time (e.g., flow depth, pore pressure, norma
Debris-flow monitoring on volcanoes via a novel usage of a laser rangefinder
Mount Rainier has had at least 11 large lahars over the last 6,000 years, including one occurring without evidence of eruptive activity. This prompted the creation of a lahar detection system that uses a combination of seismic, infrasound, and tripwires. We test a laser rangefinder placed on a river channel bank for detecting and confirming mass movements flowing past a station as an alternative t
Authors
Alexandra M. Iezzi, Emily H Bryant, Weston Thelen, Craig Gabrielson, Seth C. Moran, Matthew R. Patrick, Edward F. Younger, Maciej Obryk
Physical controls on the hydrology of perennially ice-covered lakes, Taylor Valley, Antarctica (1996-2013)
The McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, are a polar desert populated with numerous closed-watershed, perennially ice-covered lakes primarily fed by glacial melt. Lake levels have varied by as much as 8 m since 1972 and are currently rising after a decade of decreasing. Precipitation falls as snow, so lake hydrology is dominated by energy available to melt glacier ice and to sublimate lake ice. To und
Authors
Julian Cross, Andrew Fountain, Matthew Hoffman, Maciej Obryk
A new era of debris flow experiments in the Oregon woods
No abstract available.
Authors
Maciej Krzysztof Obryk, David L. George, Benjamin B. Mirus
Using high sample rate lidar to measure debris-flow velocity and surface geometry
Debris flows evolve in both time and space in complex ways, commonly starting as coherent failures but then quickly developing structures such as roll waves and surges. These processes are readily observed but difficult to study or quantify because of the speed at which they evolve. Many methods for studying debris flows consist of point measurements (e.g., flow height or basal stresses), which ar
Authors
Francis K. Rengers, Thomas D Rapstine, Michael Olsen, Kate E. Allstadt, Richard M. Iverson, Ben Leshchinsky, Maciej Obryk, Joel B. Smith
Measuring basal force fluctuations of debris flows using seismic recordings and empirical green's functions
We present a novel method for measuring the fluctuating basal normal and shear stresses of debris flows by using along‐channel seismic recordings. Our method couples a simple parameterization of a debris flow as a seismic source with direct measurements of seismic path effects using empirical Green's functions generated with a force hammer. We test this method using two large‐scale (8 and 10 m3) e
Authors
Kate E. Allstadt, Maxime Farin, Richard M. Iverson, Maciej Obryk, Jason W. Kean, Victor C. Tsai, Thomas D Rapstine, Matthew Logan
Reconstructing the velocity and deformation of a rapid landslide using multiview video
Noncontact measurements of spatially varied ground surface deformation during landslide motion can provide important constraints on landslide mechanics. Here, we present and test a new method for extracting measurements of rapid landslide surface displacement and velocity (accelerations of approximately 1 m/s2) using sequences of stereo images obtained from a pair of inexpensive, stationary 4K vid
Authors
Thomas D Rapstine, Francis K. Rengers, Kate E. Allstadt, Richard M. Iverson, Joel B. Smith, Maciej Obryk, M. Logan, M. J. Olsen
Climate from the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, 1986 – 2017: Surface air temperature trends and redefined summer season
The weather of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, the largest ice‐free region of the Antarctica, has been continuously monitored since 1985 with currently 14 operational meteorological stations distributed throughout the valleys. Because climate is based on a 30‐year record of weather, this is the first study to truly define the contemporary climate of the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Mean air temperatu
Authors
Maciej Obryk, P. T. Doran, A. G. Fountain, Monique Myers, C. P. McKay
Real-time monitoring of debris-flow velocity and mass deformation from field experiments with high sample rate lidar and video
Debris flows evolve in both time and space in complex ways, commonly starting as coherent failures but then quickly developing structures such as roll waves and surges. This process is readily observed, but difficult to study or quantify because of the speed at which it occurs. Many methods for studying debris flows consist of point measurements (e.g., of flow height or basal stresses), which are
Authors
Francis K. Rengers, Thomas Rapstine, Kate E. Allstadt, Michael Olsen, Michael Bunn, Richard M. Iverson, Jason W. Kean, Ben Leshchinsky, Matthew Logan, Mahyar Sharifi-Mood, Maciej Obryk, Joel B. Smith
Prediction of ice‐free conditions for a perennially ice‐covered Antarctic lake
Although perennially ice‐covered Antarctic lakes have experienced variable ice thicknesses over the past several decades, future ice thickness trends and associated aquatic biological responses under projected global warming remain unknown. Heat stored in the water column in chemically stratified Antarctic lakes that have middepth temperature maxima can significantly influence the ice thickness tr
Authors
Maciej Obryk, P. T. Doran, J. C. Priscu
Decadal topographic change in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica: Thermokarst subsidence, glacier thinning, and transfer of water storage from the cryosphere to the hydrosphere
Recent local-scale observations of glaciers, streams, and soil surfaces in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica (MDV) have documented evidence for rapid ice loss, glacial thinning, and ground surface subsidence associated with melting of ground ice. To evaluate the extent, magnitude, and location of decadal-scale landscape change in the MDV, we collected airborne lidar elevation data in 2014–2015
Authors
J.S. Levy, A.G. Fountain, Maciej Obryk, J. Telling, C. Glennie, R. Pettersson, M. Gooseff, D.J. van Horn
Drivers of solar radiation variability in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica
Annually averaged solar radiation in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica has varied by over 20 W m−2 during the past three decades; however, the drivers of this variability are unknown. Because small differences in radiation are important to water availability and ecosystem functioning in polar deserts, determining the causes are important to predictions of future desert processes. We examine the
Authors
Maciej Obryk, Andrew G. Fountain, Peter Doran, Berry Lyons, Ryan Eastman
Video documentation of experiments at the USGS debris-flow flume 1992–2017
This set of videos presents about 18 hours of footage documenting the 163 experiments conducted at the USGS debris-flow flume from 1992 to 2017. Owing to improvements in video technology over the years, the quality of footage from recent experiments generally exceeds that from earlier experiments.Use the list below to access the individual videos, which are mostly grouped by date and subject matte
Authors
Matthew Logan, Richard M. Iverson
Non-USGS Publications**
Spigel, R. H., Priscu, J. C., Obryk, M. K., Stone, W., Doran, P. T., 2018. The physical limnology of a permanently ice-covered and chemically stratified Antarctic lake using high resolution spatial data from an autonomous underwater vehicle. Limnology and Oceanography, doi: 10.1002/lno.10768.
Fountain, A. G., Fernandez-Diaz, J. C., Obryk, M. K., Levy, J., Gooseff, M., van Horn, D., Morin, P., Shrestha, R., 2017. High-resolution elevation mapping of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, and surrounding regions. Earth System Science Data, doi: 10.5194/essd-9-435-2017.
Obryk, M. K., Doran, P. T., Waddington, E. D., McKay, C. P., 2017. The influence of foehn winds on Glacial Lake Washburn and paleotemperatures in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, during the Last Glacial Maximum. Antarctic Science, doi: 10.1017/S0954102017000062.
Sudman, Z., Gooseff, M., Fountain, A. G., Levy, J. S., Obryk, M. K., van Horn, D., 2017. Impacts of permafrost degradation on a stream in Taylor Valley, Antarctica. Geomorphology, doi: 10.1016/j.geomorph.2017.02.009.
Obryk, M. K., Doran, P. T., Friedlaender, A. S., Gooseff, M. N., Li, W., Morgan-Kiss, R. M., Priscu, J. C., Schofield, O., Stammerjohn, S., Steinberg, D. K., Ducklow, H. W., 2016. Responses of Antarctic marine and freshwater ecosystems to changing ice conditions. BioScience, doi: 10.1093/biosci/biw109.
Fountain, A. G., Saba, G., Adams, B., Doran, P. T., Fraser, W., Gooseff, M., Obryk, M. K., Priscu, J. C., Stammerjohn, S., Virginia, R. A., 2016. The impact of a large-scale climate event on Antarctic ecosystem processes. BioScience, doi: 10.1093/biosci/biw110.
Castendyk, D., Obryk, M. K., Leidman, S. Z., Gooseff, M., Hawes, I., 2016. Lake Vanda: a sentinel for climate change in the McMurdo Sound region of Antarctica. Global and Planetary Change, doi: 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2016.06.007.
Obryk, M. K., Doran, P. T., Hicks, J. A., Priscu, J. C., 2016. Modeling the thickness of perennial ice covers on stratified lakes of the Taylor Valley, Antarctica. Journal of Glaciology, doi: 10.1017/jog.2016.69.
Hawes, I., Jungblut, A. D., Obryk, M. K., Doran, P. T., 2016. Growth dynamics of laminated microbial mats in response to variable irradiance in an Antarctic lake. Freshwater Biology, doi: 10.1111/fwb.12715.
Dugan, H. A., Arcone, S. A., Obryk, M. K., Doran, P. T., 2016. High-resolution ground penetrating radar profiles of perennial lake ice in the McMurdo Dry Valleys: Horizon attributes, unconformities and subbottom penetration. Geophysics, doi:10.1190/geo2015-0159.1.
Allen, P. P., Hewitt, R., Obryk, M. K., Doran, P. T., 2015. Sediment transport dynamics on an ice-covered lake: the “floating” boulders of Lake Hoare, Antarctica. Antarctic Science, doi:10.1017/S0954102014000558.
Obryk, M. K., Doran, P. T., Priscu, J. C., 2014. The permanent ice-cover of Lake Bonney, Antarctica: The influence of thickness and sediment distribution on photosynthetically available radiation and chlorophyll-a distribution in the underlying water column, JGR Biogeoscience, doi:10.1002/2014JG002672.
Obryk, M. K., 2014. Hydrological and Biogeochemical Modeling of Taylor Valley Lakes, East Antarctica. Ph.D. thesis. Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Illinois at Chicago.
Dugan, H. D., Obryk, M. K., and Doran, P. T., 2013. Lake ice ablation rates from permanently ice-covered Antarctic lakes. Journal of Glaciology, doi:10.3189/2013JoG12J080.
**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
Sensor data from natural release experiments conducted in May, 2017, at the USGS debris-flow flume, HJ Andrews Experimental Forest, Blue River, Oregon
The files consist of six .csv files, with two files for each of three experiments (2017_05_16, 2017_05_17, 2017_05_18). One of the two files contain high-resolution data (1000 Hz) collected during the period of slope failure only, and the other files contain low-resolution data (10 Hz) for the entire duration of an experiment. Each of these files contains multiple columns of data, with each column
Sensor data from debris-flow experiments conducted in May, 2017, at the USGS debris-flow flume, HJ Andrews Experimental Forest, Blue River, Oregon
The files consist of two types: tabulated data files and graphical map files. Data files consist of three .csv files, representing three experiment dates (2017_05_23, 2017_05_24, 2017_05_25). Each of these files contains multiple columns of data, with each column representing either a time measurement or the value of a physical quantity measured at that time (e.g., flow depth, pore pressure, norma
Debris-flow monitoring on volcanoes via a novel usage of a laser rangefinder
Mount Rainier has had at least 11 large lahars over the last 6,000 years, including one occurring without evidence of eruptive activity. This prompted the creation of a lahar detection system that uses a combination of seismic, infrasound, and tripwires. We test a laser rangefinder placed on a river channel bank for detecting and confirming mass movements flowing past a station as an alternative t
Authors
Alexandra M. Iezzi, Emily H Bryant, Weston Thelen, Craig Gabrielson, Seth C. Moran, Matthew R. Patrick, Edward F. Younger, Maciej Obryk
Physical controls on the hydrology of perennially ice-covered lakes, Taylor Valley, Antarctica (1996-2013)
The McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, are a polar desert populated with numerous closed-watershed, perennially ice-covered lakes primarily fed by glacial melt. Lake levels have varied by as much as 8 m since 1972 and are currently rising after a decade of decreasing. Precipitation falls as snow, so lake hydrology is dominated by energy available to melt glacier ice and to sublimate lake ice. To und
Authors
Julian Cross, Andrew Fountain, Matthew Hoffman, Maciej Obryk
A new era of debris flow experiments in the Oregon woods
No abstract available.
Authors
Maciej Krzysztof Obryk, David L. George, Benjamin B. Mirus
Using high sample rate lidar to measure debris-flow velocity and surface geometry
Debris flows evolve in both time and space in complex ways, commonly starting as coherent failures but then quickly developing structures such as roll waves and surges. These processes are readily observed but difficult to study or quantify because of the speed at which they evolve. Many methods for studying debris flows consist of point measurements (e.g., flow height or basal stresses), which ar
Authors
Francis K. Rengers, Thomas D Rapstine, Michael Olsen, Kate E. Allstadt, Richard M. Iverson, Ben Leshchinsky, Maciej Obryk, Joel B. Smith
Measuring basal force fluctuations of debris flows using seismic recordings and empirical green's functions
We present a novel method for measuring the fluctuating basal normal and shear stresses of debris flows by using along‐channel seismic recordings. Our method couples a simple parameterization of a debris flow as a seismic source with direct measurements of seismic path effects using empirical Green's functions generated with a force hammer. We test this method using two large‐scale (8 and 10 m3) e
Authors
Kate E. Allstadt, Maxime Farin, Richard M. Iverson, Maciej Obryk, Jason W. Kean, Victor C. Tsai, Thomas D Rapstine, Matthew Logan
Reconstructing the velocity and deformation of a rapid landslide using multiview video
Noncontact measurements of spatially varied ground surface deformation during landslide motion can provide important constraints on landslide mechanics. Here, we present and test a new method for extracting measurements of rapid landslide surface displacement and velocity (accelerations of approximately 1 m/s2) using sequences of stereo images obtained from a pair of inexpensive, stationary 4K vid
Authors
Thomas D Rapstine, Francis K. Rengers, Kate E. Allstadt, Richard M. Iverson, Joel B. Smith, Maciej Obryk, M. Logan, M. J. Olsen
Climate from the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, 1986 – 2017: Surface air temperature trends and redefined summer season
The weather of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, the largest ice‐free region of the Antarctica, has been continuously monitored since 1985 with currently 14 operational meteorological stations distributed throughout the valleys. Because climate is based on a 30‐year record of weather, this is the first study to truly define the contemporary climate of the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Mean air temperatu
Authors
Maciej Obryk, P. T. Doran, A. G. Fountain, Monique Myers, C. P. McKay
Real-time monitoring of debris-flow velocity and mass deformation from field experiments with high sample rate lidar and video
Debris flows evolve in both time and space in complex ways, commonly starting as coherent failures but then quickly developing structures such as roll waves and surges. This process is readily observed, but difficult to study or quantify because of the speed at which it occurs. Many methods for studying debris flows consist of point measurements (e.g., of flow height or basal stresses), which are
Authors
Francis K. Rengers, Thomas Rapstine, Kate E. Allstadt, Michael Olsen, Michael Bunn, Richard M. Iverson, Jason W. Kean, Ben Leshchinsky, Matthew Logan, Mahyar Sharifi-Mood, Maciej Obryk, Joel B. Smith
Prediction of ice‐free conditions for a perennially ice‐covered Antarctic lake
Although perennially ice‐covered Antarctic lakes have experienced variable ice thicknesses over the past several decades, future ice thickness trends and associated aquatic biological responses under projected global warming remain unknown. Heat stored in the water column in chemically stratified Antarctic lakes that have middepth temperature maxima can significantly influence the ice thickness tr
Authors
Maciej Obryk, P. T. Doran, J. C. Priscu
Decadal topographic change in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica: Thermokarst subsidence, glacier thinning, and transfer of water storage from the cryosphere to the hydrosphere
Recent local-scale observations of glaciers, streams, and soil surfaces in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica (MDV) have documented evidence for rapid ice loss, glacial thinning, and ground surface subsidence associated with melting of ground ice. To evaluate the extent, magnitude, and location of decadal-scale landscape change in the MDV, we collected airborne lidar elevation data in 2014–2015
Authors
J.S. Levy, A.G. Fountain, Maciej Obryk, J. Telling, C. Glennie, R. Pettersson, M. Gooseff, D.J. van Horn
Drivers of solar radiation variability in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica
Annually averaged solar radiation in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica has varied by over 20 W m−2 during the past three decades; however, the drivers of this variability are unknown. Because small differences in radiation are important to water availability and ecosystem functioning in polar deserts, determining the causes are important to predictions of future desert processes. We examine the
Authors
Maciej Obryk, Andrew G. Fountain, Peter Doran, Berry Lyons, Ryan Eastman
Video documentation of experiments at the USGS debris-flow flume 1992–2017
This set of videos presents about 18 hours of footage documenting the 163 experiments conducted at the USGS debris-flow flume from 1992 to 2017. Owing to improvements in video technology over the years, the quality of footage from recent experiments generally exceeds that from earlier experiments.Use the list below to access the individual videos, which are mostly grouped by date and subject matte
Authors
Matthew Logan, Richard M. Iverson
Non-USGS Publications**
Spigel, R. H., Priscu, J. C., Obryk, M. K., Stone, W., Doran, P. T., 2018. The physical limnology of a permanently ice-covered and chemically stratified Antarctic lake using high resolution spatial data from an autonomous underwater vehicle. Limnology and Oceanography, doi: 10.1002/lno.10768.
Fountain, A. G., Fernandez-Diaz, J. C., Obryk, M. K., Levy, J., Gooseff, M., van Horn, D., Morin, P., Shrestha, R., 2017. High-resolution elevation mapping of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, and surrounding regions. Earth System Science Data, doi: 10.5194/essd-9-435-2017.
Obryk, M. K., Doran, P. T., Waddington, E. D., McKay, C. P., 2017. The influence of foehn winds on Glacial Lake Washburn and paleotemperatures in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, during the Last Glacial Maximum. Antarctic Science, doi: 10.1017/S0954102017000062.
Sudman, Z., Gooseff, M., Fountain, A. G., Levy, J. S., Obryk, M. K., van Horn, D., 2017. Impacts of permafrost degradation on a stream in Taylor Valley, Antarctica. Geomorphology, doi: 10.1016/j.geomorph.2017.02.009.
Obryk, M. K., Doran, P. T., Friedlaender, A. S., Gooseff, M. N., Li, W., Morgan-Kiss, R. M., Priscu, J. C., Schofield, O., Stammerjohn, S., Steinberg, D. K., Ducklow, H. W., 2016. Responses of Antarctic marine and freshwater ecosystems to changing ice conditions. BioScience, doi: 10.1093/biosci/biw109.
Fountain, A. G., Saba, G., Adams, B., Doran, P. T., Fraser, W., Gooseff, M., Obryk, M. K., Priscu, J. C., Stammerjohn, S., Virginia, R. A., 2016. The impact of a large-scale climate event on Antarctic ecosystem processes. BioScience, doi: 10.1093/biosci/biw110.
Castendyk, D., Obryk, M. K., Leidman, S. Z., Gooseff, M., Hawes, I., 2016. Lake Vanda: a sentinel for climate change in the McMurdo Sound region of Antarctica. Global and Planetary Change, doi: 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2016.06.007.
Obryk, M. K., Doran, P. T., Hicks, J. A., Priscu, J. C., 2016. Modeling the thickness of perennial ice covers on stratified lakes of the Taylor Valley, Antarctica. Journal of Glaciology, doi: 10.1017/jog.2016.69.
Hawes, I., Jungblut, A. D., Obryk, M. K., Doran, P. T., 2016. Growth dynamics of laminated microbial mats in response to variable irradiance in an Antarctic lake. Freshwater Biology, doi: 10.1111/fwb.12715.
Dugan, H. A., Arcone, S. A., Obryk, M. K., Doran, P. T., 2016. High-resolution ground penetrating radar profiles of perennial lake ice in the McMurdo Dry Valleys: Horizon attributes, unconformities and subbottom penetration. Geophysics, doi:10.1190/geo2015-0159.1.
Allen, P. P., Hewitt, R., Obryk, M. K., Doran, P. T., 2015. Sediment transport dynamics on an ice-covered lake: the “floating” boulders of Lake Hoare, Antarctica. Antarctic Science, doi:10.1017/S0954102014000558.
Obryk, M. K., Doran, P. T., Priscu, J. C., 2014. The permanent ice-cover of Lake Bonney, Antarctica: The influence of thickness and sediment distribution on photosynthetically available radiation and chlorophyll-a distribution in the underlying water column, JGR Biogeoscience, doi:10.1002/2014JG002672.
Obryk, M. K., 2014. Hydrological and Biogeochemical Modeling of Taylor Valley Lakes, East Antarctica. Ph.D. thesis. Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Illinois at Chicago.
Dugan, H. D., Obryk, M. K., and Doran, P. T., 2013. Lake ice ablation rates from permanently ice-covered Antarctic lakes. Journal of Glaciology, doi:10.3189/2013JoG12J080.
**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.