Debris Flow

For this weeks reading I chose an article that discusses the hazard of landslides in areas around the world. More specifically it talks about areas where recent fires have denuded the landscape, the ash from the fires makes the soil more impenetrable to water infiltration which can increase runoff and potential slope failure. The research in this article is sited to be occurring in parts of California where recent fires have devastated national parks. USGS is packing equipment out into chosen and modeled basins where they are collecting data about infiltration rates and how much precipitation is falling in the area.

The second and end part of the article discusses warning systems that researchers are trying to get put into place. By identifying areas that are potential dangers of slope failure it becomes possible to monitor rainfall levels through weather forecasting and potentially warn of debris flows. They admit that this work isn't of the most dire nature but they have found that there were over 2000 deaths last year from slide related incidents. By collecting any kind of data concerning the slides it will help in the prevention and mitigation of future events.