Postwildfire debris flows hazard assessment for the area burned by the 2011 Track Fire, northeastern New Mexico and southeastern Colorado

Tillery, Anne C.; Darr, Michael J.; Cannon, Susan H.; Michael, John A.

doi:10.3133/ofr20111257

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…This re had devastating impacts on downstream communities such as signicant erosion of the burn scar, and the closure of drinking water treatment facilities for the cities of Albuquerque and Santa Fe due to the high turbidity of the water following storm events that created large debris ows. 12 Extensive quantities of ash produced from the Las Conchas wildre owed through smaller tributaries and into important drinking water sources. 13 Signicant sags in the dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations and pH level decreases were observed throughout the Rio Grande continuum, while turbidity spikes increased to levels above 1000 NTU.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wildfires and water chemistry: effect of metals associated with wood ash

Cerrato

Blake

Hirani

et al. 2016

Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts

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The reactivity of metals associated with ash from wood collected from the Valles Caldera National Preserve, Jemez Mountains, New Mexico, was assessed through a series of laboratory experiments. Microscopy, spectroscopy, diffraction, and aqueous chemistry measurements were integrated to determine the chemical composition of wood ash and its effect on water chemistry. Climate change has caused dramatic impacts and stresses that have resulted in large-scale increases in wildfire activity in semi-arid areas of the world. Metals and other constituents associated with wildfire ash can be transported by storm event runoff and negatively affect the water quality in streams and rivers. Differences among ash from six tree species based on total concentrations of metals such as Ca, Al, Mg, Fe, and Mn were identified using non-metric multidimensional analysis. Metal-bearing carbonate and oxide phases were quantified by X-ray diffraction analyses and X-ray spectroscopy analyses. These metal-bearing carbonate phases were readily dissolved in the first 30 minutes of reaction with 18 MΩ water and 10 mM HCO3(-) in laboratory batch experiments which resulted in the release of metals and carbonates in the ash, causing water alkalinity to increase. However, metal concentrations decreased over the course of the experiment, suggesting that metals re-adsorb to ash. Our results suggest that the dissolution of metal-bearing carbonate and oxide phases in ash and metal re-adsorption to ash are relevant processes affecting water chemistry after wildfire events. These results have important implications to better understand the impact of wildfire events on water quality.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wildfires and water chemistry: effect of metals associated with wood ash

Cerrato

Blake

Hirani

et al. 2016

Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts

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“…Cannon et al (2010b) and Gartner et al (2008) indicate that their V model is valid to within an order of magnitude of the predicted debris-flow V. These methods are most commonly used to evaluate hazards to within an order of magnitude by calculating P and V for a specific rainfall scenario, generalizing expected Vs and Ps into relative hazard classes, and identifying the relative hazard along a portion of a mountain front through combined P and V classes. Examples of this process can be seen in Cannon et al (2010a) and Tillery et al (2011). One reason for this generalized approach is the uncertainty inherent in the models, especially modeled Vs.…”

Section: Model Uncertainty and Alternative Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cannon et al, 2010a, Tillery et al, 2011 are commonly performed after a fire to help guide natural hazards management. The scope of these hazard assessments is often limited to estimating probability and volume of potential debris-flows.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rocky Mountain Geo-Conference 2014

Strickland¹,

Wiltshire²,

Goss³

2014

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“…We extracted archaeological fire effects and site severity data from assessment forms filled out by archaeologists during post-fire reconnaissance of archaeological sites. These assessments, conducted immediately after wildfires, provide fieldmeasured information on site condition, burn severity, fire effects to features and artifacts, potential erosion issues, and other fire effects information, and are conducted to determine need for follow-up action to reduce potential negative after-effects of fire (e.g., hazards associated with standing dead trees, flooding, or erosion) (Clark and McKinley 2011;Tillery et al 2011). All known (i.e., previously recorded) sites within four of the five fires were assessed.…”

Section: Archaeological Data Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting wildfire impacts on the prehistoric archaeological record of the Jemez Mountains, New Mexico, USA

et al. 2021

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Background Wildfires of uncharacteristic severity, a consequence of climate changes and accumulated fuels, can cause amplified or novel impacts to archaeological resources. The archaeological record includes physical features associated with human activity; these exist within ecological landscapes and provide a unique long-term perspective on human–environment interactions. The potential for fire-caused damage to archaeological materials is of major concern because these resources are irreplaceable and non-renewable, have social or religious significance for living peoples, and are protected by an extensive body of legislation. Although previous studies have modeled ecological burn severity as a function of environmental setting and climate, the fidelity of these variables as predictors of archaeological fire effects has not been evaluated. This study, focused on prehistoric archaeological sites in a fire-prone and archaeologically rich landscape in the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico, USA, identified the environmental and climate variables that best predict observed fire severity and fire effects to archaeological features and artifacts. Results Machine learning models (Random Forest) indicate that topography and variables related to pre-fire weather and fuel condition are important predictors of fire effects and severity at archaeological sites. Fire effects were more likely to be present when fire-season weather was warmer and drier than average and within sites located in sloped, treed settings. Topographic predictors were highly important for distinguishing unburned, moderate, and high site burn severity as classified in post-fire archaeological assessments. High-severity impacts were more likely at archaeological sites with southern orientation or on warmer, steeper, slopes with less accumulated surface moisture, likely associated with lower fuel moistures and high potential for spreading fire. Conclusions Models for predicting where and when fires may negatively affect the archaeological record can be used to prioritize fuel treatments, inform fire management plans, and guide post-fire rehabilitation efforts, thus aiding in cultural resource preservation.

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Postwildfire debris flows hazard assessment for the area burned by the 2011 Track Fire, northeastern New Mexico and southeastern Colorado

Cited by 6 publications

References 4 publications

Wildfires and water chemistry: effect of metals associated with wood ash

Wildfires and water chemistry: effect of metals associated with wood ash

Rocky Mountain Geo-Conference 2014

Predicting wildfire impacts on the prehistoric archaeological record of the Jemez Mountains, New Mexico, USA

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