Sediment delivery after a wildfire

Abstract

Research Article| February 01, 2007 Sediment delivery after a wildfire Steven L. Reneau; Steven L. Reneau 1Environmental Geology and Spatial Analysis Group, MS D452, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Danny Katzman; Danny Katzman 2Water Stewardship Program, MS M992, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Gregory A. Kuyumjian; Gregory A. Kuyumjian 3USDA Forest Service, 475 20th Street, Suite B, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87544, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Alexis Lavine; Alexis Lavine 4Geomatrix Consultants, Inc., 2101 Webster Street, 12th Floor, Oakland, California 94612, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Daniel V. Malmon Daniel V. Malmon 5Western Earth Surface Processes Team, 345 Middlefield Road, MS 973, U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Steven L. Reneau 1Environmental Geology and Spatial Analysis Group, MS D452, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA Danny Katzman 2Water Stewardship Program, MS M992, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA Gregory A. Kuyumjian 3USDA Forest Service, 475 20th Street, Suite B, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87544, USA Alexis Lavine 4Geomatrix Consultants, Inc., 2101 Webster Street, 12th Floor, Oakland, California 94612, USA Daniel V. Malmon 5Western Earth Surface Processes Team, 345 Middlefield Road, MS 973, U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 13 Aug 2006 Revision Received: 23 Sep 2006 Accepted: 26 Sep 2006 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (2007) 35 (2): 151–154. https://doi.org/10.1130/G23288A.1 Article history Received: 13 Aug 2006 Revision Received: 23 Sep 2006 Accepted: 26 Sep 2006 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Steven L. Reneau, Danny Katzman, Gregory A. Kuyumjian, Alexis Lavine, Daniel V. Malmon; Sediment delivery after a wildfire. Geology 2007;; 35 (2): 151–154. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G23288A.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract We use a record of sedimentation in a small reservoir within the Cerro Grande burn area, New Mexico, to document postfire delivery of ash, other fine-grained sediment carried in suspension within floods, and coarse-grained sediment transported as bedload over a five-year period. Ash content of sediment layers is estimated using fallout 137Cs as a tracer, and ash concentrations are shown to rapidly decrease through a series of moderate-intensity convective storms in the first rainy season after the fire. Over 90% of the ash was delivered to the reservoir in the first year, and ash concentrations in suspended sediment were negligible after the second year. Delivery of the remainder of the fine sediment also declined rapidly after the first year despite the occurrence of higher-intensity storms in the second year. Fine sediment loads after five years remained significantly above prefire averages. Deposition of coarse-grained sediment was irregular in time and was associated with transport by snowmelt runoff of sediment stored along the upstream channel during short-duration summer floods. Coarse sediment delivery in the first four years was strongly correlated with snowmelt volume, suggesting a transport-limited system with abundant available sediment. Transport rates of coarse sediment declined in the fifth year, consistent with a transition to a more stable channel as the accessible sediment supply was depleted and the channel bed coarsened. Maximum impacts from ash and other fine-grained sediment therefore occurred soon after the fire, whereas the downstream impacts from coarse-grained sediment were attenuated by the more gradual process of bedload sediment transport. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.