RAPID: Characterizing the response of a burned landscape to an unusual and extreme rain event

该项目将研究科罗拉多州在2012年High Park大火中被烧毁的地区如何受到2013年9月风暴的影响，这些风暴造成的降雨估计重复时间间隔为200至1000年以上。该项目的目标是1)描述在High Park火灾中被烧毁的两个研究流域的洪水后景观，2)描述研究流域的降雨量和由此产生的峰值流量，3)在不同的尺度上量化研究流域因洪水造成的侵蚀和沉积模式，以及4)将这些地形变化模式与洪水水力模式联系起来。该项目将利用在2013年9月活动之前和之后收集的激光雷达数据集，并将重点放在烧毁地区仪器齐全的集水区。激光雷达观测的地面验证是至关重要的，有必要在春季风暴覆盖或清除罕见的9月事件的证据之前进行实地测量。野火和随后的大降雨事件可能对景观演变和这些景观的居民造成重大的双重打击。该项目旨在让公众了解火灾和火灾后风暴对景观和区域水资源的影响。这项工作将通过在区域活动和研讨会上的陈述向社区传播。此外，该项目还将为研究生提供研究和教学经验。学生和PI将带领学生到学习地点进行本科生和研究生土木工程课程的实地考察。

The project will examine how the area of Colorado burned in the 2012 High Park Fire was affected by the September 2013 storms that caused rainfall with estimated recurrence intervals of 200 to 1000+ years. The goals of the project are to 1) characterize the post-flood landscape in two study watersheds burned in the High Park Fire, 2) characterize the magnitude of the precipitation and resulting peak discharge in the study watersheds, 3) quantify patterns of erosion and deposition resulting from the flood in the study watersheds at a variety of scales, and 4) relate these patterns of topographic change to patterns of flood hydraulic forces. The project will utilize LiDAR datasets collected prior to and after the September 2013 event, and will focus on well-instrumented catchments in the burned area. Ground-based validation of the LiDAR-based observations is critical, and it is necessary to make field measurements before spring storms overprint or remove evidence of the rare September event.Wildfires and subsequent large rainfall events can exact a major one-two punch to landscape evolution and to inhabitants of those landscapes. This project aims to inform public understanding of the effects of fire and the post-fire storm on the landscape and on regional water resources. The work will be communicated to the community through presentations at regional events and seminars. In addition, this project will provide a graduate student with research and teaching experience. The student and PI will lead field trips to the study sites for undergraduate and graduate civil engineering classes.