Post-fire Slope Stability in the Wake of the Palisades and Eaton Fires
Credit: UCLA Samueli civil and environmental engineering associate professor Idil Akin
In light of the devastation caused by wildfires across Los Angeles County, UCLA Samueli civil and environmental engineering associate professor Idil Akin shares her insights in this article about potential debris flows and landslides. Akin’s research looks at how wildfires affect stability of slopes (i.e., post-wildfire erosion, landslides and debris flows), soil water retention, and regional water quality. She also studies methods to stabilize wildfire-burnt slopes to reduce soil loss. Her group is working on time-sensitive data collection and analysis to explore causes for an increased likelihood of landslides and debris flows after wildfires, effects of wildfires on soil mechanical and hydrologic behavior that result in unstable conditions, precipitation’s impact on landslides and debris flows, as well as ways to estimate landslides and debris flows, etc.