Francis Rengers
I investigate landslide and debris flow processes, primarily after wildfire.
General Research Statement:
My work leverages high-resolution topography from airborne and ground-based lidar, as well as drone-based structure-from-motion, to characterize the controls on mass movement after wildfire. I also use modeling and field-instrumentation to characterize how wildfire creates the hydrologic and soil conditions that lead to sedimentation hazards. My work is primarily focused in the semi-arid portions of the Western United States, and I have worked on projects in Australia, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka. In addition, I serve as an adjunct professor at the Colorado School of Mines, I advise USGS post-docs, and I am currently serving on Ph.D. thesis committees at several universities.
Education:
- Ph.D., Geology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO. 2014. The Influence of Transient Perturbations on Landscape Evolution: Exploring Gully Erosion and Post-Wildfire Erosion.
- M. S., Geology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO. 2005. Grain Size Trends of Gravel Bars on the Rio Chagres, Panama
- B. S., Geology, Summa Cum Laude, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV. 2003. Spatial Analysis of Landforms on Reclaimed Surface Mines of Monongalia County
- B. A., French, Summa Cum Laude, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV. 2003
Professional Appointments:
2016-present Research Geologist
2014-2016 Mendenhall Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Staley, D.M., Kean, J.W., Rengers, F.K. 2020. The recurrence interval of post-fire debris-flow generating rainfall in the southwestern United States. Geomorphology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2020.107392
Rengers, F.K., McGuire, L.A., Oakley, N.S., Tang, H., Kean, J.W., and Staley, D.M. 2020. Landslides after Wildfire: initiation, magnitude, and mobility after fire. Landslides. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-020-01506-3
Rengers, F.K., Kean, J.W., Reitman, N.G., Smith, J.B., Coe, J.A., McGuire, L.A., 2020. The Influence of Frost Weathering on Debris Flow Sediment Supply in an Alpine Basin. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface 125, e2019JF005369. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JF005369
Wall, S., Roering, J., Rengers, F.K., 2020. Runoff-initiated post-fire debris flow Western Cascades, Oregon. Landslides. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-020-01376-9
Rapstine, T.D., Rengers, F.K., Allstadt, K.E., Iverson, R.M., Smith, J.B., Obryk, M.K., Logan, M. Olsen, M.J. 2020. Reconstructing the velocity and deformation of a rapid landslide using multiview video. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JF005348
Kean, Jason W., Staley, D.M., Lancaster, J.T., Rengers, F.K., Swanson, B.J., Coe, J.A., Hernandez, J.L., Sigman, A.J., Allst
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 22
Soil moisture monitoring following the 2009 Station Fire, California, USA, 2016-2019
This data release includes 2016-2019 soil moisture timeseries for two drainage basins ("Arroyo Seco" and "Dunsmore Canyon") that burned during the 2009 Station Fire in Los Angeles County, California, USA. The Arroyo Seco (0.01 km2) and Dunsmore Canyon (0.5 km2) drainages include two soil pits, one located near the drainage divide and another near the basin outlet. Following the naming...
Data supporting an analysis of the recurrence interval of post-fire debris-flow generating rainfall in the southwestern United States
This data release supports the analysis of the recurrence interval of post-fire debris-flow generating rainfall in the southwestern United States. We define the recurrence interval of the peak 15-, 30-, and 60-minute rainfall intensities for 316 observations of post-fire debris-flow occurrence in 18 burn areas, 5 U.S. states, and 7 climate types. These data support the analysis described...
Inventory of landslides triggered by rainfall on 16-17 January 2019, Los Angeles County, CA
This dataset contains 286 landslide polygons mapped after a rainstorm on 16-17 January 2019. The majority of the landslides are located in the burn areas of the 2016 San Gabriel Complex fire, the 2014 Colby fire, and the 2009 Morris fire. A smaller number of additional landslides were located in nearby unburned areas. More information about the burn perimeters associated with this...
Lidar data for gate release experiment at the USGS Debris-Flow Flume 24 and 25 May 2017
Lidar data was collected on 24 and 25 May 2017 at the USGS debris-flow flume to monitor two gate-release debris flow experiments. A static prism of sediment was emplaced behind a gate at the top of the flume. Water was added via sprinklers to the surface and also via pipes to the subsurface, in order to saturate the sediment mass. The sediment mass moved down the flume as a debris flow...
Lidar data for natural release experiment at the USGS Debris Flow Flume 17 May 2017
Lidar data were collected on 17 May 2017 at the USGS debris-flow flume (44.215, -122.254) to monitor the movement of a constructed landslide experiment. A static prism of sediment was emplaced behind a retaining wall at the top of the flume. Water was added via sprinklers to the surface and also via pipes to the subsurface, in order to saturate the sediment mass. The sediment mass...
Chalk Cliffs Channel Surveys derived from Structure-from-Motion
This data release contains two point clouds derived from structure-from-motion photogrammetry. The first survey was conducted on 10 September 2015 and the second survey was conducted on 1 June 2016. Each survey was designed to capture a 35-meter channel reach using digital photos (1187 photos were taken in the first survey and 1085 photos were taken in the second survey). Twenty-five...
Post-wildfire debris-flow monitoring data, Las Lomas, 2016 Fish Fire, Los Angeles County, California, November 2016 to February 2017
This data release includes time-series data from a monitoring site located in a small (0.12 km2) drainage basin in the Las Lomas watershed in Los Angeles County, CA, USA. The site was established after the 2016 Fish Fire and recorded a series debris flows in the first winter after the fire. The station is located along the channel at the outlet of the study area (34 9'18.50"N, 117 56'41...
Debris-flow inundation and damage data from the 9 January 2018 Montecito Debris-Flow Event
On 9 January 2018, intense rain above Montecito, California triggered a series of debris flows from steep catchments in the Santa Ynez Mountains. These catchments were burned three weeks earlier by the 1140 km2 Thomas Fire. After exiting the mountain front, the debris flows traveled over 3 km down a series of alluvial fans, killing 23 people and damaging over 400 homes. To understand the...
Las Lomas Hillside Lidar
This data release contains point clouds obtained from three terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) surveys of a hillslope burned by the 2016 Fish Fire in the San Gabriel Mountains, CA, USA. The TLS surveys were completed with a Leica ScanStation C10. All point data are in local coordinates and the units are in meters. The first survey was made on 19 November 2016 prior to the first post...
Silverado California Thermoluminescence Data
This dataset represents thermoluminescence (TL) data that was obtained after a series of experiments to investigate how TL techniques can indicate the depth of soil heating. This project was attempted to ultimately predict changes in erosion properties in burned areas subject to debris flow hazards. The soil samples were obtained from an area burned by the Silverado wildfire (September...
Filter Total Items: 63
Postfire hydrologic response along the central California (USA) coast: Insights for the emergency assessment of postfire debris-flow hazards
The steep, tectonically active terrain along the Central California (USA) coast is well known to produce deadly and destructive debris flows. However, the extent to which fire affects debris-flow susceptibility in this region is an open question. We documented the occurrence of postfire debris floods and flows following the landfall of a storm that delivered intense rainfall across...
Authors
Matthew A. Thomas, Jason W. Kean, Scott W. McCoy, Donald N. Lindsay, Jaime Kostelnik, David B. Cavagnaro, Francis K. Rengers, Amy East, Jonathan Schwartz, Douglas G. Smith, Brian D. Collins
Importance of subsurface water for hydrological response during storms in a post-wildfire bedrock landscape
Wildfire alters the hydrologic cycle, with important implications for water supply and hazards including flooding and debris flows. In this study we use a combination of electrical resistivity and stable water isotope analyses to investigate the hydrologic response during storms in three catchments: one unburned and two burned during the 2020 Bobcat Fire in the San Gabriel Mountains...
Authors
Abra Atwood, Madeline Hille, Marin Clark, Francis K. Rengers, Dimitrios Ntarlagiannis, Kirk Townsend, A. Joshua West
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 K. Rengers, Luke A. McGuire, Katherine R. Barnhart, Ann M. Youberg, Daniel Cadol, Alexander Gorr, Olivia J. Hoch, Rebecca Beers, Jason W. Kean
Guidance for parameterizing post-fire hydrologic models with in situ infiltration measurements
Wildfire can alter soil-hydraulic properties, often resulting in an increased prevalence of infiltration-excess overland flow and greater potential for debris-flow hazards. Mini disk tension infiltrometers (MDIs) can be used to estimate soil hydraulic properties, such as field-saturated hydraulic conductivity (Kfs) and wetting front potential (Hf), and their spatial variability following...
Authors
T. Liu, Luke A. McGuire, Ann M. Youberg, Alexander Gorr, Francis K. Rengers
A review of common natural disasters as analogs for asteroid impact effects and cascading hazards
Modern civilization has no collective experience with possible wide-ranging effects from a medium-sized asteroid impactor. Currently, modeling efforts that predict initial effects from a meteor impact or airburst provide needed information for initial preparation and evacuation plans, but longer-term cascading hazards are not typically considered. However, more common natural disasters...
Authors
Timothy N. Titus, D. Ross Robertson, Joel B. Sankey, Larry G. Mastin, Francis K. Rengers
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 P. Jones, Francis K. Rengers, Katherine R. Barnhart, David L. George, Dennis M. Staley, Jason W. Kean
A progressive flow-routing model for rapid assessment of debris-flow inundation
Debris flows pose a significant hazard to communities in mountainous areas, and there is a continued need for methods to delineate hazard zones associated with debris-flow inundation. In certain situations, such as scenarios following wildfire, where there could be an abrupt increase in the likelihood and size of debris flows that necessitates a rapid hazard assessment, the computational...
Authors
Alexander Gorr, Luke A. McGuire, Ann M. Youberg, Francis K. Rengers
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 R. Barnhart, Ryan P. Jones, David L. George, Brian W. McArdell, Francis K. Rengers, Dennis M. Staley, Jason W. Kean
Hydrogeomorphic recovery and temporal changes in rainfall thresholds for debris flows following wildfire
Wildfire-induced changes to soil and vegetation promote runoff-generated debris flows in steep watersheds. Postfire debris flows are most commonly observed in steep watersheds during the first wet season following a wildfire, but it is unclear how long the elevated threat of debris flow persists and why debris-flow potential changes in recovering burned areas. This work quantifies how...
Authors
Olivia J. Hoch, Luke A. McGuire, Ann M. Youberg, Francis K. Rengers
Movement of sediment through a burned landscape: Sediment volume observations and model comparisons in the San Gabriel Mountains, California, USA
Post-wildfire changes to hydrologic and geomorphic systems can lead to widespread sediment redistribution. Understanding how sediment moves through a watershed is crucial for assessing hazards, developing debris flow inundation models, engineering sediment retention solutions, and quantifying the role that disturbances play in landscape evolution. In this study, we used terrestrial and...
Authors
Francis K. Rengers, Luke A. McGuire, Jason W. Kean, Dennis M. Staley, Mariana Dobre, Peter R. Robichaud, Tyson Swetnam
The timing and magnitude of changes to Hortonian overland flow at the watershed scale during the post-fire recovery process
Extreme hydrologic responses following wildfires can lead to floods and debris flows with costly economic and societal impacts. Process-based hydrologic and geomorphic models used to predict the downstream impacts of wildfire must account for temporal changes in hydrologic parameters related to the generation and subsequent routing of infiltration-excess overland flow across the...
Authors
Taojun Liu, Luke A. McGuire, Haiyan Wei, Francis K. Rengers, Hoshin Gupta, Lin Ji, David C. Goodrich
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 A. Thomas, Francis K. Rengers, Jason W. Kean, Luke A. McGuire, Dennis M. Staley, Katherine R. Barnhart, Brian Ebel
Non-USGS Publications**
Rengers, F., Lunacek, M., and Tucker, G. 2016. Application of an Evolutionary Algorithm for Parameter Optimization in a Gully Erosion Model, Environmental Modelling & Software. 80, 297-305. doi:10.1016/j.envsoft.2016.02.033
Rengers, F. and Tucker G. 2015. The evolution of gully headcut morphology: a case study using terrestrial laser scanning and hydrological monitoring. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. doi: 10.1002/esp.3721
Ebel, B., Rengers, F., Tucker, G. 2015. Aspect-dependent soil saturation and insight into debris-flow initiation during extreme rainfall in the Colorado Front Range. Geology. 43, 8, p. 659-652. doi: 10.1130/G36741.1
Rengers, F. and Tucker, G. 2014. Analysis and modeling of gully headcut dynamics, North American high plains. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface. 119, doi:10.1002/2013JF002962.
Rengers, F. and Tucker, G. 2013. Processes and rates of headcut migration in eastern Colorado gullies: West Bijou Creek field trip guide. Geological Society of America Field Guide 33.
Rengers, F. and Wohl, E. 2006. Trends of grain sizes on gravel bars in the Rio Chagres, Panama. Geomorphology. 83, 3-4, p. 282-293.
**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: 22
Soil moisture monitoring following the 2009 Station Fire, California, USA, 2016-2019
This data release includes 2016-2019 soil moisture timeseries for two drainage basins ("Arroyo Seco" and "Dunsmore Canyon") that burned during the 2009 Station Fire in Los Angeles County, California, USA. The Arroyo Seco (0.01 km2) and Dunsmore Canyon (0.5 km2) drainages include two soil pits, one located near the drainage divide and another near the basin outlet. Following the naming...
Data supporting an analysis of the recurrence interval of post-fire debris-flow generating rainfall in the southwestern United States
This data release supports the analysis of the recurrence interval of post-fire debris-flow generating rainfall in the southwestern United States. We define the recurrence interval of the peak 15-, 30-, and 60-minute rainfall intensities for 316 observations of post-fire debris-flow occurrence in 18 burn areas, 5 U.S. states, and 7 climate types. These data support the analysis described...
Inventory of landslides triggered by rainfall on 16-17 January 2019, Los Angeles County, CA
This dataset contains 286 landslide polygons mapped after a rainstorm on 16-17 January 2019. The majority of the landslides are located in the burn areas of the 2016 San Gabriel Complex fire, the 2014 Colby fire, and the 2009 Morris fire. A smaller number of additional landslides were located in nearby unburned areas. More information about the burn perimeters associated with this...
Lidar data for gate release experiment at the USGS Debris-Flow Flume 24 and 25 May 2017
Lidar data was collected on 24 and 25 May 2017 at the USGS debris-flow flume to monitor two gate-release debris flow experiments. A static prism of sediment was emplaced behind a gate at the top of the flume. Water was added via sprinklers to the surface and also via pipes to the subsurface, in order to saturate the sediment mass. The sediment mass moved down the flume as a debris flow...
Lidar data for natural release experiment at the USGS Debris Flow Flume 17 May 2017
Lidar data were collected on 17 May 2017 at the USGS debris-flow flume (44.215, -122.254) to monitor the movement of a constructed landslide experiment. A static prism of sediment was emplaced behind a retaining wall at the top of the flume. Water was added via sprinklers to the surface and also via pipes to the subsurface, in order to saturate the sediment mass. The sediment mass...
Chalk Cliffs Channel Surveys derived from Structure-from-Motion
This data release contains two point clouds derived from structure-from-motion photogrammetry. The first survey was conducted on 10 September 2015 and the second survey was conducted on 1 June 2016. Each survey was designed to capture a 35-meter channel reach using digital photos (1187 photos were taken in the first survey and 1085 photos were taken in the second survey). Twenty-five...
Post-wildfire debris-flow monitoring data, Las Lomas, 2016 Fish Fire, Los Angeles County, California, November 2016 to February 2017
This data release includes time-series data from a monitoring site located in a small (0.12 km2) drainage basin in the Las Lomas watershed in Los Angeles County, CA, USA. The site was established after the 2016 Fish Fire and recorded a series debris flows in the first winter after the fire. The station is located along the channel at the outlet of the study area (34 9'18.50"N, 117 56'41...
Debris-flow inundation and damage data from the 9 January 2018 Montecito Debris-Flow Event
On 9 January 2018, intense rain above Montecito, California triggered a series of debris flows from steep catchments in the Santa Ynez Mountains. These catchments were burned three weeks earlier by the 1140 km2 Thomas Fire. After exiting the mountain front, the debris flows traveled over 3 km down a series of alluvial fans, killing 23 people and damaging over 400 homes. To understand the...
Las Lomas Hillside Lidar
This data release contains point clouds obtained from three terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) surveys of a hillslope burned by the 2016 Fish Fire in the San Gabriel Mountains, CA, USA. The TLS surveys were completed with a Leica ScanStation C10. All point data are in local coordinates and the units are in meters. The first survey was made on 19 November 2016 prior to the first post...
Silverado California Thermoluminescence Data
This dataset represents thermoluminescence (TL) data that was obtained after a series of experiments to investigate how TL techniques can indicate the depth of soil heating. This project was attempted to ultimately predict changes in erosion properties in burned areas subject to debris flow hazards. The soil samples were obtained from an area burned by the Silverado wildfire (September...
Filter Total Items: 63
Postfire hydrologic response along the central California (USA) coast: Insights for the emergency assessment of postfire debris-flow hazards
The steep, tectonically active terrain along the Central California (USA) coast is well known to produce deadly and destructive debris flows. However, the extent to which fire affects debris-flow susceptibility in this region is an open question. We documented the occurrence of postfire debris floods and flows following the landfall of a storm that delivered intense rainfall across...
Authors
Matthew A. Thomas, Jason W. Kean, Scott W. McCoy, Donald N. Lindsay, Jaime Kostelnik, David B. Cavagnaro, Francis K. Rengers, Amy East, Jonathan Schwartz, Douglas G. Smith, Brian D. Collins
Importance of subsurface water for hydrological response during storms in a post-wildfire bedrock landscape
Wildfire alters the hydrologic cycle, with important implications for water supply and hazards including flooding and debris flows. In this study we use a combination of electrical resistivity and stable water isotope analyses to investigate the hydrologic response during storms in three catchments: one unburned and two burned during the 2020 Bobcat Fire in the San Gabriel Mountains...
Authors
Abra Atwood, Madeline Hille, Marin Clark, Francis K. Rengers, Dimitrios Ntarlagiannis, Kirk Townsend, A. Joshua West
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 K. Rengers, Luke A. McGuire, Katherine R. Barnhart, Ann M. Youberg, Daniel Cadol, Alexander Gorr, Olivia J. Hoch, Rebecca Beers, Jason W. Kean
Guidance for parameterizing post-fire hydrologic models with in situ infiltration measurements
Wildfire can alter soil-hydraulic properties, often resulting in an increased prevalence of infiltration-excess overland flow and greater potential for debris-flow hazards. Mini disk tension infiltrometers (MDIs) can be used to estimate soil hydraulic properties, such as field-saturated hydraulic conductivity (Kfs) and wetting front potential (Hf), and their spatial variability following...
Authors
T. Liu, Luke A. McGuire, Ann M. Youberg, Alexander Gorr, Francis K. Rengers
A review of common natural disasters as analogs for asteroid impact effects and cascading hazards
Modern civilization has no collective experience with possible wide-ranging effects from a medium-sized asteroid impactor. Currently, modeling efforts that predict initial effects from a meteor impact or airburst provide needed information for initial preparation and evacuation plans, but longer-term cascading hazards are not typically considered. However, more common natural disasters...
Authors
Timothy N. Titus, D. Ross Robertson, Joel B. Sankey, Larry G. Mastin, Francis K. Rengers
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 P. Jones, Francis K. Rengers, Katherine R. Barnhart, David L. George, Dennis M. Staley, Jason W. Kean
A progressive flow-routing model for rapid assessment of debris-flow inundation
Debris flows pose a significant hazard to communities in mountainous areas, and there is a continued need for methods to delineate hazard zones associated with debris-flow inundation. In certain situations, such as scenarios following wildfire, where there could be an abrupt increase in the likelihood and size of debris flows that necessitates a rapid hazard assessment, the computational...
Authors
Alexander Gorr, Luke A. McGuire, Ann M. Youberg, Francis K. Rengers
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 R. Barnhart, Ryan P. Jones, David L. George, Brian W. McArdell, Francis K. Rengers, Dennis M. Staley, Jason W. Kean
Hydrogeomorphic recovery and temporal changes in rainfall thresholds for debris flows following wildfire
Wildfire-induced changes to soil and vegetation promote runoff-generated debris flows in steep watersheds. Postfire debris flows are most commonly observed in steep watersheds during the first wet season following a wildfire, but it is unclear how long the elevated threat of debris flow persists and why debris-flow potential changes in recovering burned areas. This work quantifies how...
Authors
Olivia J. Hoch, Luke A. McGuire, Ann M. Youberg, Francis K. Rengers
Movement of sediment through a burned landscape: Sediment volume observations and model comparisons in the San Gabriel Mountains, California, USA
Post-wildfire changes to hydrologic and geomorphic systems can lead to widespread sediment redistribution. Understanding how sediment moves through a watershed is crucial for assessing hazards, developing debris flow inundation models, engineering sediment retention solutions, and quantifying the role that disturbances play in landscape evolution. In this study, we used terrestrial and...
Authors
Francis K. Rengers, Luke A. McGuire, Jason W. Kean, Dennis M. Staley, Mariana Dobre, Peter R. Robichaud, Tyson Swetnam
The timing and magnitude of changes to Hortonian overland flow at the watershed scale during the post-fire recovery process
Extreme hydrologic responses following wildfires can lead to floods and debris flows with costly economic and societal impacts. Process-based hydrologic and geomorphic models used to predict the downstream impacts of wildfire must account for temporal changes in hydrologic parameters related to the generation and subsequent routing of infiltration-excess overland flow across the...
Authors
Taojun Liu, Luke A. McGuire, Haiyan Wei, Francis K. Rengers, Hoshin Gupta, Lin Ji, David C. Goodrich
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 A. Thomas, Francis K. Rengers, Jason W. Kean, Luke A. McGuire, Dennis M. Staley, Katherine R. Barnhart, Brian Ebel
Non-USGS Publications**
Rengers, F., Lunacek, M., and Tucker, G. 2016. Application of an Evolutionary Algorithm for Parameter Optimization in a Gully Erosion Model, Environmental Modelling & Software. 80, 297-305. doi:10.1016/j.envsoft.2016.02.033
Rengers, F. and Tucker G. 2015. The evolution of gully headcut morphology: a case study using terrestrial laser scanning and hydrological monitoring. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. doi: 10.1002/esp.3721
Ebel, B., Rengers, F., Tucker, G. 2015. Aspect-dependent soil saturation and insight into debris-flow initiation during extreme rainfall in the Colorado Front Range. Geology. 43, 8, p. 659-652. doi: 10.1130/G36741.1
Rengers, F. and Tucker, G. 2014. Analysis and modeling of gully headcut dynamics, North American high plains. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface. 119, doi:10.1002/2013JF002962.
Rengers, F. and Tucker, G. 2013. Processes and rates of headcut migration in eastern Colorado gullies: West Bijou Creek field trip guide. Geological Society of America Field Guide 33.
Rengers, F. and Wohl, E. 2006. Trends of grain sizes on gravel bars in the Rio Chagres, Panama. Geomorphology. 83, 3-4, p. 282-293.
**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.