HR: 1330h
AN: H42G-1157    [PDF]
TI: Development of an Air Permeameter for Monitoring Changes in Hydraulic Conductivity of Surface Soils due to Fire: Measurements Made Following the 2003 Aspen Fire in Sabino Canyon, Arizona
AU: * Chief, K
EM: kchief@hwr.arizona.edu
AF: Department of Hydrology and Water Resources, P.O. Box 210011 The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0011 United States
AU: Nijssen, B
EM: nijssen@u.arizona.edu
AF: Department of Hydrology and Water Resources, P.O. Box 210011 The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0011 United States
AU: Nijssen, B
EM: nijssen@u.arizona.edu
AF: Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, P.O. Box 210072 The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0072 United States
AU: Ferre, P A
EM: ty@hwr.arizona.edu
AF: Department of Hydrology and Water Resources, P.O. Box 210011 The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0011 United States
AU: Ekwurzel, B
EM: ekwurzel@hwr.arizona.edu
AF: Department of Hydrology and Water Resources, P.O. Box 210011 The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0011 United States
AB: In the Southwest, severe fires can destroy as much as 90% of the vegetation and litter cover. Exposed, burned soils are highly vulnerable to intense monsoon rains, leading to increases in surface runoff, peak flows, and erosion rates. The Aspen Fire in the Coronado National Forest north of Tucson burned in excess of 80,000 acres and destroyed more than 300 structures. As part of an integrated investigation of the hydrologic impacts of this fire, we have developed an air permeameter to rapidly measure the hydraulic conductivity of burned and unburned soils. Results are shown that demonstrate the ability of the air permeameter to rapidly characterize changes in average permeability and spatial variability of permeability over large areas in rocky terrain.
DE: 1860 Runoff and streamflow
DE: 1875 Unsaturated zone
DE: 1894 Instruments and techniques
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting