SP&M News
UK landslide research expands to Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati
The Kentucky Geological Survey (KGS) received a $182,961 grant from the U.S. Geological Survey to advance geological understanding and hazard preparedness for Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati. The project will produce landslide inventory maps and landslide susceptibility maps for the region that will benefit city planners, local governments and landowners.
CLIMBS Researchers Go Global in Finding Hazard Solutions through NSF’s CLaSH Initiative
Geologic hazards are complicated, connected, and continuous. While extreme precipitation events can cause catastrophic flooding, the intense precipitation can also induce widespread landslide activity. The landslide deposits can block small streams or send pulses of materials into rivers, exacerbating the destructiveness of the flood by changing the nature of the flow and providing larger debris that can impact infrastructure. Similarly, wildfire burns vegetation, making hillslopes more susceptible to landsliding during intense precipitation. The positive feedback between one hazard exacerbating the severity of another hazard is referred to as a hazard cascade. Understanding hazard cascades and their impacts on infrastructure and people is difficult, and exactly the type of challenge addressed through the National Science Foundation’s new CLaSH – Center for Land Surface Hazards (CLaSH). Kentucky researchers are playing a key role.
SP&M Lab Updates: Exciting Developments in Landslide Research and Flood Modelling
The Surface Processes & Modelling Laboratory (SP&M) at the Kentucky Geological Survey (KGS) is making significant strides in research and collaboration, including welcoming an esteemed international scholar, publishing research, and securing new funding. The SP&M Lab is funded by the NSF EPSCoR 'Climate Resilience through Multidisciplinary Big Data Learning, Prediction & Building Response Systems (CLIMBS)' award, which aims to advance Kentucky's climate resiliency through hazard assessment based on Kentucky-specific scientific research.
KGS Unveils State-of-the-Art Lab for Flood Modeling Research
The Kentucky Geological Survey (KGS) opened a new computational lab on the third floor of the Mining and Mineral Resources Building in January 2025. The Surface Processes and Modelling Laboratory (SP&M Lab) was funded by the NSF EPSCoR ‘Climate Resilience through Multidisciplinary Big Data Learning, Prediction & Building Response Systems (CLIMBS)’ award, which aims to advance Kentucky’s climate resiliency through hazard assessment based on Kentucky-specific scientific research.