Monitoring post-fire runoff and erosion, Gap Fire, near Goleta, California

NOTE: Data collection at the Gap File has been discontinued.
See a time lapse movie of vegetation recovery

Rainfall in steep burned areas can quickly transform into potentially dangerous flash floods and debris flows. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), conducts detailed monitoring of the precipitation, runoff, and erosion within the Gap burn area near Goleta, CA. This fire burned over 9000 acres in July 2008. The monitoring effort is intended to provide advancement in the understanding of post-fire runoff and erosion processes, and the development of flash floods and debris flows.

This web page shows the data being collected by the component of the project focused on monitoring channel runoff and erosion. A network of channel monitoring stations has been established in a small drainage basin within the burned area.

Real Time Data

Data from one of the stations (Station 1) is transmitted from the site every four minutes and displayed on graphs.

• Rainfall
• Flow Stage and Bed Pore Pressure
• Soil Moisture
• Video Camera
• Battery Voltage

Other Data

• Ultra-high Resolution Topography

For more information

• Post-Wildfire Landslide Hazards
• NOAA/USGS Demonstration Flash-flood and debris-flow early warning system
• NOAA Shared Mobile Atmospheric and Teaching Radar (SMART-R)
• USGS webcam and stream gage on nearby San Pedro Creek
• USGS Hillslope Monitoring in Gap Fire (user: usgs_hillslope, password: gap)

Contact Information

• Jason Kean
  jwkean [at] usgs [dot] gov

• Dennis Staley
  dstaley [at] usgs [dot] gov

• Sue Cannon
  cannon [at] usgs [dot] gov

Mailing Address

U.S. Geological Survey
Geologic Hazards Team
Box 25046, MS 966
Denver, CO 80225