Jason Kean
My research focuses on the processes controlling debris-flow initiation and growth, particularly after wildfire, but also in unburned areas.
This research includes a field component that obtains direct measurements of debris flows in natural settings, a modeling component that seeks to explain the observations, and an applied component that focuses on assessment of debris-flow hazards. My previous research at the USGS focused on river mechanics, including bank erosion and the development of model-based approaches to gage streams and rivers.
Education and Certifications
University of Colorado, Ph.D., 2003, Civil Engineering
University of Colorado, M.S., 1998, Civil Engineering
Cornell University, B.S., 1994, Civil Engineering
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 22
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Test of a method to calculate near-bank velocity and boundary shear stress
No abstract available.
Authors
Jason W. Kean, Roger A. Kuhnle, J. Dungan Smith, Carlos V. Alonso, Eddy J. Langendoen
Modeling the evolution of channel shape: Balancing computational efficiency with hydraulic fidelity
The cross-sectional shape of a natural river channel controls the capacity of the system to carry water off a landscape, to convey sediment derived from hillslopes, and to erode its bed and banks. Numerical models that describe the response of a landscape to changes in climate or tectonics therefore require formulations that can accommodate evolution of channel cross-sectional geometry. However, f
Authors
C.W. Wobus, J. W. Kean, G.E. Tucker, R. Scott Anderson
Field Reconnaissance of Debris Flows Triggered by a July 21, 2007, Thunderstorm in Alpine, Colorado, and Vicinity
On the evening of July 21, 2007, a slow-moving thunderstorm triggered about 45 debris flows on steep mountainsides near the community of Alpine, Colorado. Most of the debris flows were initiated by surface-water runoff that eroded and entrained loose sediment in previously existing channels. About 12 of the debris-flow channels were located in the lower half of Weldon Gulch upslope from Alpine, wh
Authors
Jeffrey A. Coe, Jonathan W. Godt, T.C. Wait, Jason W. Kean
Form drag in rivers due to small-scale natural topographic features: 1. Regular sequences
Small-scale topographic features are commonly found on the boundaries of natural rivers, streams, and floodplains. A simple method for determining the form drag on these features is presented, and the results of this model are compared to laboratory measurements. The roughness elements are modeled as Gaussian-shaped features defined in terms of three parameters: a protrusion height, H; a streamwis
Authors
J. W. Kean, J.D. Smith
Form drag in rivers due to small-scale natural topographic features: 2. Irregular sequences
The size, shape, and spacing of small-scale topographic features found on the boundaries of natural streams, rivers, and floodplains can be quite variable. Consequently, a procedure for determining the form drag on irregular sequences of different-sized topographic features is essential for calculating near-boundary flows and sediment transport. A method for carrying out such calculations is devel
Authors
J. W. Kean, J.D. Smith
Modeling effects of bank friction and woody bank vegetation on channel flow and boundary shear stress in the Rio Puerco, New Mexico
[1] We have applied a physically based model for steady, horizontally uniform flow to calculate reach-averaged velocity and boundary shear-stress distributions in a natural stream with woody vegetation on the channel banks. The model calculates explicitly the form drag on woody plant stems and includes the effects of vegetation on the boundary shear stress, velocity, and turbulence fields. Average
Authors
E.R. Griffin, J. W. Kean, K.R. Vincent, J.D. Smith, J. M. Friedman
Generation and verification of theoretical rating curves in the Whitewater River basin, Kansas
[1] A new method for generating stage-discharge relations (rating curves) for geomorphically stable channels is presented and applied to two streams in the Whitewater River basin, Kansas. The approach converts measurements of stage into discharge using a fluid mechanically based model. The model does not use empirical roughness coefficients, such as Manning coefficients, but rather determines chan
Authors
J. W. Kean, J.D. Smith
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 22
No Result Found
Filter Total Items: 91
Test of a method to calculate near-bank velocity and boundary shear stress
No abstract available.
Authors
Jason W. Kean, Roger A. Kuhnle, J. Dungan Smith, Carlos V. Alonso, Eddy J. Langendoen
Modeling the evolution of channel shape: Balancing computational efficiency with hydraulic fidelity
The cross-sectional shape of a natural river channel controls the capacity of the system to carry water off a landscape, to convey sediment derived from hillslopes, and to erode its bed and banks. Numerical models that describe the response of a landscape to changes in climate or tectonics therefore require formulations that can accommodate evolution of channel cross-sectional geometry. However, f
Authors
C.W. Wobus, J. W. Kean, G.E. Tucker, R. Scott Anderson
Field Reconnaissance of Debris Flows Triggered by a July 21, 2007, Thunderstorm in Alpine, Colorado, and Vicinity
On the evening of July 21, 2007, a slow-moving thunderstorm triggered about 45 debris flows on steep mountainsides near the community of Alpine, Colorado. Most of the debris flows were initiated by surface-water runoff that eroded and entrained loose sediment in previously existing channels. About 12 of the debris-flow channels were located in the lower half of Weldon Gulch upslope from Alpine, wh
Authors
Jeffrey A. Coe, Jonathan W. Godt, T.C. Wait, Jason W. Kean
Form drag in rivers due to small-scale natural topographic features: 1. Regular sequences
Small-scale topographic features are commonly found on the boundaries of natural rivers, streams, and floodplains. A simple method for determining the form drag on these features is presented, and the results of this model are compared to laboratory measurements. The roughness elements are modeled as Gaussian-shaped features defined in terms of three parameters: a protrusion height, H; a streamwis
Authors
J. W. Kean, J.D. Smith
Form drag in rivers due to small-scale natural topographic features: 2. Irregular sequences
The size, shape, and spacing of small-scale topographic features found on the boundaries of natural streams, rivers, and floodplains can be quite variable. Consequently, a procedure for determining the form drag on irregular sequences of different-sized topographic features is essential for calculating near-boundary flows and sediment transport. A method for carrying out such calculations is devel
Authors
J. W. Kean, J.D. Smith
Modeling effects of bank friction and woody bank vegetation on channel flow and boundary shear stress in the Rio Puerco, New Mexico
[1] We have applied a physically based model for steady, horizontally uniform flow to calculate reach-averaged velocity and boundary shear-stress distributions in a natural stream with woody vegetation on the channel banks. The model calculates explicitly the form drag on woody plant stems and includes the effects of vegetation on the boundary shear stress, velocity, and turbulence fields. Average
Authors
E.R. Griffin, J. W. Kean, K.R. Vincent, J.D. Smith, J. M. Friedman
Generation and verification of theoretical rating curves in the Whitewater River basin, Kansas
[1] A new method for generating stage-discharge relations (rating curves) for geomorphically stable channels is presented and applied to two streams in the Whitewater River basin, Kansas. The approach converts measurements of stage into discharge using a fluid mechanically based model. The model does not use empirical roughness coefficients, such as Manning coefficients, but rather determines chan
Authors
J. W. Kean, J.D. Smith