Upper limits for post-wildfire floods and distinction from debris flows.

ABSTRACT: Upper magnitude limits and scaling with basin size for post-wildfire floods are unknown. An envelope curve was estimated defining post-wildfire flood upper limits as a function of basin area. We show the importance of separating peak flows by floods versus debris flows. Post-wildfire flood maxima are a constant 43 m³ s^-1 km^-2 for basins from 0.01 to 23 to 34 km² and then declining with added basin area according to a power law relation. Intense rainfall spatial scaling may cause the envelope curve threshold at 23 to 34 km². Post-wildfire flood maxima are smaller than unburned flood maxima for similar basin area. Rainstorm comparisons indicate that post-wildfire floods are triggered by smaller precipitation depths than unburned floods.

SUBMITTER: Ebel BA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10881031 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature