(Press-News.org) In the wake of a wildfire, there’s often an assumption that burned landscapes will be more susceptible to landslides. But new research from the University of Oregon suggests it’s not always that simple.
An analysis of the Columbia River Gorge, which runs along the border between Oregon and Washington, shows that steep, rocky watersheds in that area have been prone to debris flows and rockfall for thousands of years. Those events didn’t measurably increase after the Eagle Creek Fire, which scorched 47,000 acres of the gorge over the course of three months in 2017.
UO geologist Josh Roering and members of his lab published their findings Aug. 8 in Science Advances, highlighting the importance of context and geological history in landslide risk assessments. The study also could help inform safety and hazards awareness projects in the gorge, in both burned and nonburned areas.
After the Eagle Creek Fire, Oregon land managers were concerned about landslides, especially in the vicinity of the Interstate 84 transportation corridor that runs through the gorge. Their fears were, in large part, informed by what’s transpired in places like Southern California, where post-fire slides have caused devastating casualties and millions of dollars in damage.
That phenomenon can happen because as wildfire destroys vegetation and groundcover, slopes become more prone to debris movement, erosion and rock fall, Roering said, which can be more easily triggered by rain and storm events.
“When Eagle Creek burned up such a massive area of the Columbia River Gorge, the natural question was: Is that going to happen here?” Roering said. “The gorge provided a great laboratory to examine how fire affects steep and rocky landscapes.”
In his lab’s latest project, Roering and doctoral student Maryn Sanders analyzed recent debris flows in the gorge to better understand the likelihood of slope movement after a fire and to explore how to predict when debris flows will occur. Debris flows occur when loose sediment — like mud, rocks and other debris — rapidly moves down a slope, often fueled by a storm or heavy rain.
Sanders and her team turned to a remote-sensing technology known as airborne lidar, or light detection and ranging, which allows them to see through the tree cover so they can analyze physical changes on the ground below, like where erosion has occurred. That tool, alongside field observations, helped them map out debris flows so they could assess movement across the study area.
As Sanders mapped the data, she found that many debris flows were concentrated in the watersheds near Dodson, just a few miles east of Multnomah Falls on the Oregon side of the gorge. Those are some of the steepest and fastest eroding watersheds in the state.
The debris flows in that region have been especially frequent and destructive. They’ve caused fatalities and threatened additional human lives, homes and infrastructure, which make them even more vital for state agencies to understand.
Sanders noticed a few interesting characteristics of the landscape as she studied the data, which suggested fire might not be the most significant cause of slope movement in that area. It also hinted that steep, rocky terrain behaves differently than slopes in a place like Southern California.
The researchers found massive amounts of sediment accumulation in fan-like formations at the base of the rocky catchments in gorge watersheds. At first glance, those features looked unassuming because they were covered in vegetation, but with lidar imaging it was clear something more notable was going on beneath the surface.
“The size and makeup of the fans suggest that frequent debris flows have been happening in these watersheds for a really long period of time, in the magnitude of thousands of years,” Sanders said.
She also observed that the slopes were collecting sediment much faster than more stable terrain does, likely through temperature fluctuations that cause rockfall. That sets them up to produce debris flows more frequently, typically every few decades.
Sanders took a closer look and analyzed the erosion rates in the area. She found frequent debris flows throughout its geological history and saw that the landscape had behaved in a consistent manner over thousands of years, something that remained relatively unchanged after the 2017 fire.
“Because we found similar rates of erosion before and after the fire, we believe the rocky environment was not as sensitive to fire,” she said. “Our analysis suggests that fire plays a relatively small role in triggering these events and emphasizes how important it is to consider the history of place.”
Still, the frequency, size and nature of debris flows in the gorge remains an ongoing cause for concern. The researchers are in the final stages of developing a tool that could help the Oregon Department of Transportation and other stakeholders predict debris flows in the gorge. That would help them make better use of safety features like roadside warning signs and closures, alerting travelers about the heightened risk of landslides during intense storms.
“These watersheds are highly active and inherently hazardous, irrespective of fire,” Sanders said. “We want our research to help agencies like ODOT better understand this geologically-complex landscape."
END
Debris slide risk doesn’t always rise after a wildfire, study finds
Researchers found no increase in landslides in the Columbia River Gorge after a major fire
2025-08-08
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Early challenges to the immune system disrupt oral health
2025-08-08
Once viewed only as infectious invaders, bacteria are now understood to play an important role in overall health. For example, the gut microbiome—the community of microorganisms that inhabit the human gastrointestinal tract—has garnered much attention recently as studies have explored its relationship with health and disease.
But what about the mouth? The mouth is the second most diverse human microbial system and, as the start of the digestive system, is directly and frequently exposed to the external environment. However, it has been vastly overshadowed by the focus on the gut.
Now, a collaborative team including Modupe O. Coker of Penn ...
Wildfire collaborative responds to community concerns about air quality
2025-08-08
When several wildfires ignited in Los Angeles in early January of 2025, Miriam Marlier’s friends and neighbors came to her with questions about how to find reliable air quality information.
Marlier is a UCLA scientist and a member of the Western Fire and Forest Resilience Collaborative (WFFRC), a program of Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies led by Cary forest ecologist Winslow Hansen. Guided by decision makers, the collaborative conducts research to inform solutions to the Western US fire crisis.
During the January fires, “people were urgently trying ...
Dual-function organic molecule may advance display technologies and medical imaging
2025-08-08
Fukuoka, Japan—Researchers at Kyushu University have developed a novel organic molecule that simultaneously exhibits two highly sought-after properties: efficient light emission suitable for advanced displays and strong light absorption for deep-tissue bioimaging. This breakthrough addresses a long-standing challenge in molecular design, paving the way for next-generation multifunctional materials. Their study, published online in the journal Advanced Materials on July 29, 2025, was conducted in collaboration with ...
North Atlantic faces more hurricane clusters as climate warms
2025-08-08
Tropical cyclone cluster events over the North Atlantic. This image from NOAA's GOES-16 satellite on September 14, 2020, shows five tropical systems spinning in the Atlantic basin at one time. From left to right: Hurricane Sally in the Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Paulette east of the Carolinas, the remnants of Tropical Storm Rene in the central Atlantic, and Tropical Storms Teddy and Vicky in the eastern Atlantic. A total of 10 named storms formed in September 2020 — the most for any month on record. (Image credit: NOAA)
Tropical cyclones, commonly known as typhoons or hurricanes, can form in clusters and impact coastal regions ...
How immune cells switch into attack mode
2025-08-08
Fighting off pathogens is a tour de force that must happen with speed and precision. A team of researchers at CeMM and MedUni Vienna led by Christoph Bock and Matthias Farlik has investigated how macrophages—immune cells that are the body’s first responders—master this challenge. Their study, published in Cell Systems (DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2025.101346), offers a time-resolved analysis of the molecular processes that unfold when these cells encounter various pathogens. They developed a new method that combines gene editing and machine learning, which identified key regulators of ...
Changes in cardiovascular risk factors and health care expenditures among patients prescribed semaglutide
2025-08-08
About The Study: In this cohort study of adults prescribed semaglutide, initiation was associated with reductions in weight and cardiovascular risk factors but increases in health care expenditures, excluding semaglutide costs. These findings suggest potential clinical benefits in routine practice, while highlighting the need to evaluate the long-term impact of semaglutide on economic outcomes.
Corresponding Authors: To contact the corresponding authors, email Jason Abaluck, PhD, (jason.abaluck@yale.edu) ...
Prescription drug utilization and spending by race, ethnicity, payer, health condition, and US state
2025-08-08
About The Study: In this cross-sectional study of 143 health conditions among persons in 50 states and Washington, DC, per capita pharmaceutical use was highest among white populations and lowest among Asian or Pacific Islander and Hispanic populations. However, after standardizing for age and disease prevalence (for 52 conditions with available data), prescription fills were substantially lower for Black populations relative to the all-population mean. These patterns varied by state, highlighting the need for local- and condition-specific ...
Mobile phone app reduced suicidal behavior among high-risk patients
2025-08-08
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A mobile phone app designed to deliver suicide-specific therapy reduced suicidal behavior among high-risk psychiatric inpatients, according to a new study by scientists at Yale School of Medicine and The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine.
The study, published Aug. 8, 2025 in JAMA Network Open, found that the app, OTX-202, reduced the recurrence of post-discharge suicide attempts by 58.3% among patients who had previously attempted suicide. This reduction is a critical achievement for a group that is particularly vulnerable to repeated suicidal behaviors, the researchers said.
Users of the app also experienced ...
SNU researchers develop wearable blood pressure monitor that attaches like a bandage for real-time continuous measurement
2025-08-08
Seoul National University College of Engineering announced that a research team led by Professor Seung Hwan Ko of the Wearable Soft Electronics Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, has developed a wearable electronic device that attaches to the skin like a bandage and enables real-time, continuous monitoring of blood pressure over extended periods.
Unlike conventional cuff-based blood pressure monitors that use an inflatable air bladder to apply pressure to the arm, this new technology continuously measures blood pressure with a compact, flexible electronic patch, garnering ...
How a rare cycad's wax crystals conjure blue without pigment
2025-08-08
The endangered South African cycad Encephalartos horridus may resemble a relic from the Jurassic age, but the species itself evolved long after dinosaurs disappeared. Still, it carries a biochemical legacy inherited from its distant ancestors—plants that once thrived alongside Jurassic fauna. A team led by Hiroshima University (HU) researchers found that its spiky, silvery-blue leaves owe their color not to pigment, but to a wax-based optical effect produced by a lipid compound that may date back to the dawn of land plants.
In ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Copper antimicrobials can drive antibiotic resistance in bacteria, but there’s a fix, scientists say
New class of protein misfolding simulated in high definition
Muscle’s master regulator moonlights as gene silencer
How steep does that hill look? Your height plays a role
Debris slide risk doesn’t always rise after a wildfire, study finds
Early challenges to the immune system disrupt oral health
Wildfire collaborative responds to community concerns about air quality
Dual-function organic molecule may advance display technologies and medical imaging
North Atlantic faces more hurricane clusters as climate warms
How immune cells switch into attack mode
Changes in cardiovascular risk factors and health care expenditures among patients prescribed semaglutide
Prescription drug utilization and spending by race, ethnicity, payer, health condition, and US state
Mobile phone app reduced suicidal behavior among high-risk patients
SNU researchers develop wearable blood pressure monitor that attaches like a bandage for real-time continuous measurement
How a rare cycad's wax crystals conjure blue without pigment
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute unveils groundbreaking blood test for multiple myeloma
Public data reveal extent of air quality impacts during 2025 Los Angeles wildfires
Towards better earthquake risk assessment with machine learning
Reducing the global burden of liver cancer: Recommendations from The Lancet commission
Researchers succeed in building a low temperature hydrogen fuel cell, thanks to a scandium superhighway
New UC Irvine survey reveals shifting work landscape
Quantum ‘Starry Night’: Physicists capture elusive instability and exotic vortices
Excessive ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) and poor nutrition tied to poor health
'One child called the robot "my little brother"': Can assistance tech become part of the family?
Small but mighty: A biomimetic idea takes flight
New hydrogel-based treatment accelerates infected wound healing and balances skin microbiota
New bioactive dressing promises faster diabetic wound healing
Japan launches fully domestically produced quantum computer
Home is where the airfields are: What happens when hawks are moved from Los Angeles airports
Study: Sylvester researchers uncover molecular drivers of cellular differentiation
[Press-News.org] Debris slide risk doesn’t always rise after a wildfire, study findsResearchers found no increase in landslides in the Columbia River Gorge after a major fire