About me
Hi there! My name is Maryn Sanders (she/her), and I’m a Ph.D. candidate working with Josh Roering at the University of Oregon. I am currently studying how climate change is changing the frequency and magnitude of shallow landslides and debris flows in two regions: (1) Western Oregon, where fires are becoming more intense and frequent, and (2) Southeast Alaska, where rain events are becoming more intense and frequent. I received my undergraduate degree in Geophysics from the University of California, Berkeley, where my passion for hillslope geomorphology initiated. I had the opportunity to conduct an undergraduate research project with Bill Dietrich on rainfall-induced shallow landslide failure thresholds at a field site in the Northern California Coast Range. After graduating, I worked as a research assistant for the Eel River Critical Zone Observatory, where I collected data on vadose zone groundwater dynamics and soil moisture stable isotopes. The experience of working within a critical zone project instilled within me the importance of integrating processes of a system, rather than blindly isolating any one observation. Below is a link to my CV page, as well as current project descriptions.
Quantifying the contribution of wildfire to erosion rates in the Columbia River Gorge
The Eagle Creek Fire burned 50,000 acres in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, Oregon, USA, in September 2017. Of the regions this fire affected, it burned 10 catchments near Dodson, OR that are highly susceptible to destructive debris flows. Using high resolution aerial lidar, I mapped debris flow fans, catchments, streams, and post-fire debris flow events to constrain erosion rates and tease out the effects of fire in an already debris-flow-prone region.
Snowmelt- and springflow-initiated debris flow events
Using SNOTEL data, satellite-based products, and field measurements to constrain snowmelt, map springs, and model hydraulic conditions to better understand triggering mechanics of debris flows in alpine landscapes underlain by basalt with distinct horizontal and vertical hydraulic permeability variations
Contact me!
msander9 [at] uoregon.edu