Climate Change in the Pacific Region
Pacific Region
 

Climate Change Nature Resources and Coastal Management

Presentation Title:
Climate Change Based Prediction of Coastal Cliff Landslides Near San Francisco, California

Desription of Presentation:
Coastal landslides in weakly lithified sediment are a common occurrence in many parts of the world, including the west coast of the United States. A comprehensive research study begun in 2001 documented and monitored the effects of winter storms on several sections of cliff south of San Francisco, California. The results of five seasons (2001-2006) of weekly observations of these cliffs indicate that both rainfall and wave action lead to cliff failures, with each correlating independently to cliff lithology. The correlations provide a method for performing both short- and long-term landslide scenario prediction including climate change effects. Conclusions from this study are used to make broader reaching statements concerning the use of empirical models such as these, and the need for addition data collection and monitoring for correlation extrapolation to other areas of the west coast.

Presenter Name & Contact Info:
Brian Collins Research Civil Engineer, U.S Geological Survey, Western Earth Surface Processes Team, Menlo Park, California

Presenter's Biography:
Brian Collins is a research civil engineer with the U.S. Geological Survey's Western Earth Surface Processes Team located in Menlo Park, California. His research areas include landslide geomorphology and geotechnics, coastal cliff and desert erosion, and the use of terrestrial lidar for imaging regional scale topography. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley in geotechnical engineering and is a licensed professional engineer in California.

Recommended Reading:

Download the Presentation: PDF File PDF File 940 KB

 
Last updated: February 4, 2009


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Title Climate Change Based Prediction of Coastal Cliff Landslides Near San Francisco, California
Presentation_description Coastal landslides in weakly lithified sediment are a common occurrence in many parts of the world, including the west coast of the United States. A comprehensive research study begun in 2001 documented and monitored the effects of winter storms on several sections of cliff south of San Francisco, California. The results of five seasons (2001-2006) of weekly observations of these cliffs indicate that both rainfall and wave action lead to cliff failures, with each correlating independently to cliff lithology. The correlations provide a method for performing both short- and long-term landslide scenario prediction including climate change effects. Conclusions from this study are used to make broader reaching statements concerning the use of empirical models such as these, and the need for addition data collection and monitoring for correlation extrapolation to other areas of the west coast.
name Brian Collins
contact_info Research Civil Engineer, U.S Geological Survey, Western Earth Surface Processes Team, Menlo Park, California
biography Brian Collins is a research civil engineer with the U.S. Geological Survey's Western Earth Surface Processes Team located in Menlo Park, California. His research areas include landslide geomorphology and geotechnics, coastal cliff and desert erosion, and the use of terrestrial lidar for imaging regional scale topography. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley in geotechnical engineering and is a licensed professional engineer in California.
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Presentation sessionc/Collins-ClimateSympSF2009.pdf