Articles | Volume 26, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-26-1705-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-26-1705-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
14 Apr 2026
Research article |
| 14 Apr 2026
| 14 Apr 2026
Quantifying fire effects on debris flow runout using a morphodynamic model and stochastic surrogates
Elaine T. Spiller
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Luke A. McGuire
Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
Palak Patel
Data Intensive Studies Center, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, USA
Abani Patra
Data Intensive Studies Center, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, USA
E. Bruce Pitman
Department of Materials Design and Innovation, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA
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Short summary
Fire in steep landscapes increases the potential for debris flows that can develop during intense rainstorms. To explore possible debris flow hazards, we utilize a computational model of the physical processes of debris flow initiation and runout. Such process-based models are computationally intensive and of limited use in rapid hazard assessments. Thus we build statistical surrogate of these physical models to examine how inundation footprints vary with rainfall intensity and time since fire.
Fire in steep landscapes increases the potential for debris flows that can develop during...
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