Ben Mirus
My research focuses on landslide hydrology and thresholds for landslide warning systems. My background is in hillslope hydrology and numerical modeling of surface and near-surface hydrological processes, which I apply to improve quantitative characterization of landslide initiation potential. I manage several real-time landslide monitoring sites and the national landslide inventory database.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2015-present Research Geologist, Landslides Hazards Program, USGS, Golden, CO
2013-2014 Assistant Professor, Department of Geological Sciences, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
2010-2013 Hydrologist, Unsaturated Zone Flow Project, USGS, Menlo Park, CA
2005-2009 Physical Scientist, Unsaturated Zone Flow Project, USGS, Menlo Park, CA
EDUCATION
2009 Ph.D. in Hydrogeology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
2001 B.A. in Geology, Pomona College, Claremont, CA
Science and Products
Evaluation of techniques for mitigating snowmelt infiltration-induced landsliding in a highway embankment
Rapid-response unsaturated zone hydrology: Small-scale data, small-scale theory, big problems
Numerical analysis of the effect of subgrid variability in a physically based hydrological model on runoff, soil moisture, and slope stability
Incorporating the effects of complex soil layering and thickness local variability into distributed landslide susceptibility assessments
In-situ monitoring of infiltration-induced instability of I-70 embankment west of the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels, phase III
A new era of debris flow experiments in the Oregon woods
Hillslopes in humid-tropical climates aren’t always wet: Implications for hydrologic response and landslide initiation in Puerto Rico, USA
The devastating impacts of the widespread flooding and landsliding in Puerto Rico following the September 2017 landfall of Hurricane Maria highlight the increasingly extreme atmospheric disturbances and enhanced hazard potential in mountainous humid‐tropical climate zones. Long‐standing conceptual models for hydrologically driven hazards in Puerto Rico posit that hillslope soils remain wet through
Deep Learning as a tool to forecast hydrologic response for landslide-prone hillslopes
Community for data integration 2018 funded project report
Temporal and spatial variability of shallow soil moisture across four planar hillslopes on a tropical ocean island, San Cristóbal, Galápagos
Landslides across the United States: Occurrence, susceptibility, and data limitations
The future of landslides’ past—A framework for assessing consecutive landsliding systems
Non-USGS Publications**
**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
Evaluation of techniques for mitigating snowmelt infiltration-induced landsliding in a highway embankment
Rapid-response unsaturated zone hydrology: Small-scale data, small-scale theory, big problems
Numerical analysis of the effect of subgrid variability in a physically based hydrological model on runoff, soil moisture, and slope stability
Incorporating the effects of complex soil layering and thickness local variability into distributed landslide susceptibility assessments
In-situ monitoring of infiltration-induced instability of I-70 embankment west of the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels, phase III
A new era of debris flow experiments in the Oregon woods
Hillslopes in humid-tropical climates aren’t always wet: Implications for hydrologic response and landslide initiation in Puerto Rico, USA
The devastating impacts of the widespread flooding and landsliding in Puerto Rico following the September 2017 landfall of Hurricane Maria highlight the increasingly extreme atmospheric disturbances and enhanced hazard potential in mountainous humid‐tropical climate zones. Long‐standing conceptual models for hydrologically driven hazards in Puerto Rico posit that hillslope soils remain wet through
Deep Learning as a tool to forecast hydrologic response for landslide-prone hillslopes
Community for data integration 2018 funded project report
Temporal and spatial variability of shallow soil moisture across four planar hillslopes on a tropical ocean island, San Cristóbal, Galápagos
Landslides across the United States: Occurrence, susceptibility, and data limitations
The future of landslides’ past—A framework for assessing consecutive landsliding systems
Non-USGS Publications**
**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.