USGS Landslide Hazards Program

USGS Landslide Hazards Program
Name	USGS Landslide Hazards Program
Formation	1970s
Headquarters	Reston, Virginia
Parent organization	United States Geological Survey

USGS Landslide Hazards Program The USGS Landslide Hazards Program is a scientific effort within the United States Geological Survey focused on understanding, monitoring, and reducing landslide risk across the United States and its territories. It combines field investigations, remote sensing, numerical modeling, and community engagement to support hazard mitigation for municipalities, state agencies, and federal partners such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Work under the Program informs planning and response for events tied to Hurricane Katrina, California floods, Seattle urban landslides, and infrastructure impacts to systems like the Interstate Highway System and the Alaska Railroad.

Overview

The Program integrates geologic mapping, geotechnical studies, and geospatial analysis to characterize landslide processes affecting regions including California, Oregon, Washington (state), Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Its multidisciplinary teams draw on expertise linked to institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, and academic partners including Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, University of Washington, University of Alaska Fairbanks, and University of Puerto Rico. Methods use datasets from programs like Landsat, Sentinel-1, Global Positioning System, and the National Elevation Dataset to produce products for decision-makers in agencies such as the Department of Transportation (United States), Army Corps of Engineers, and state departments of geology.

History and development

Origins trace to post-event studies following major incidents linked with Hurricane Camille, Great Flood of 1993, and the San Francisco Bay Area landslides of the 1980s, with formalization alongside broader USGS initiatives including the Seismic Hazards Program and the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. Influences included landmark works by geologists associated with U.S. Geological Survey figures who collaborated with scholars at Columbia University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and California Institute of Technology. Over decades the Program adopted technologies pioneered in projects involving Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Earth Observing System, and international efforts such as International Association for Engineering Geology and the Environment studies. Legislative and policy drivers included inputs from the Stafford Act-era emergency frameworks and recommendations by panels like the National Research Council.

Research and monitoring

Research spans process studies of earthflows, debris flows, rockslides, and complex mass movements in terrains like the Sierra Nevada, Rocky Mountains, Appalachian Mountains, and Cascades. Monitoring employs instruments and techniques connected to the Global Navigation Satellite System, Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar, real-time inclinometers, and telemetry networks used in projects with the U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Field campaigns often coordinate with scientists from Purdue University, University of Colorado Boulder, University of California, Santa Cruz, Oregon State University, University of Kentucky, and international partners such as British Geological Survey. Case studies referenced include events like the Oso landslide, Point Reyes storms, and historic rock avalanches affecting the Alaska Pipeline corridor.

Hazard assessment and mapping

Hazard assessment combines susceptibility mapping, inventory mapping, and quantitative risk analysis for infrastructure assets including railroads, bridges, and pipelines managed by entities like Amtrak and Union Pacific Railroad. Products support local planning in jurisdictions such as Los Angeles County, King County, Washington, Multnomah County, and San Mateo County. Mapping leverages inputs from the National Map, US Topo, and collaborative efforts with the Federal Highway Administration and state geological surveys such as the California Geological Survey, Washington State Department of Natural Resources, and Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys. Assessments inform regulations and standards used by agencies including the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Early warning and forecasts

The Program develops early warning systems and event forecasts integrating precipitation forecasts from National Weather Service, runoff models used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and landslide susceptibility thresholds derived from studies by universities and centers such as the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado Boulder. Warning tools have been trialed in regions affected by storms like Hurricane Maria and episodic rainfall events impacting Puerto Rico and Hawaii. Forecasting research collaborates with modelers from NOAA National Weather Service, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts partners in comparative studies, and hydrologists from USGS Water Mission Area teams to refine lead times and false alarm rates for debris-flow alerts.

Partnerships and collaborations

Collaborative networks include federal partners—FEMA, NOAA, NASA—as well as state geological surveys, metropolitan planning organizations, and academic consortia like the National Science Foundation-funded research networks. International collaborations have linked the Program with agencies such as the Geological Survey of Canada, Australian Geological Survey Organisation, and European research institutes connected to European Space Agency missions. Non-profit and professional society partners include the American Geophysical Union, Geological Society of America, International Association for Engineering Geology and the Environment, and local organizations engaged in community resilience like the Red Cross chapters.

Applications and public outreach

Applications of Program outputs include guiding land-use decisions, emergency response planning for incidents comparable to Hurricane Katrina impacts on levee systems, engineering design for projects by the Federal Highway Administration and Bureau of Reclamation, and public education initiatives in collaboration with museums such as the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and outreach via platforms associated with USGS Publications Warehouse. Outreach tools target stakeholders ranging from county planners in Santa Clara County to tribal governments and utilities such as Pacific Gas and Electric Company, providing training, workshops, and data portals used by emergency managers and the public. The Program’s synthesis of mapping, monitoring, and modeling therefore supports resilience efforts across a spectrum of partners including state offices, federal agencies, academic institutions, and international organizations.

Category:United States Geological Survey