Next Meeting January 26, 2011 in Denver

At the next CoGO meeting we will have Dr. Jason Keen from the U.S. Geological Survey to discuss cutting edge research on monitoring debris flows

Title:

Dirty jobs: the mud, sweat, and tears of debris-flow monitoring in southern California and central Colorado

Abstract:

Steep, sparsely vegetated watersheds are vulnerable to debris flows after intense rainfall. Debris flows in these types of basins are often generated by surface-water flow rather than by failure of a discrete landslide. To better understand this less-studied triggering mechanism, the USGS, together with the University of Colorado and East Carolina University, have started debris-flow monitoring programs in both recently burned areas of southern California and at a bedrock dominated basin in Chalk Cliffs, Colorado. Over the past year, these two monitoring programs have recorded more than 30 debris flows. This talk will present an overview of our monitoring efforts and highlight recent results.