Michael L. Cline

Ph.D. Student, Geography & Regional Development

Minor, Department of Geosciences

M.A. University of Arizona 2006
Geography and Regional Development
Minor, Department of Geosciences

B.S. University of Maryland 1998
Major Geography
Minor Geology

Phone: (520) 465-9668
FAX: (520) 621-2889
E-mail: mcline@email.arizona.edu

Department of Geography and Regional Development
University of Arizona
Harvill Building, Box #2
Tucson, AZ 85721 USA

Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, 1040 E 4th St. Tucson, AZ 85721

Research

Understanding how climate shapes the earth’s surface is my broad interest. I am currently interested in how climate change (past, present and future), impacts extreme hydrologic events. My dissertation research is focused on paleoflood hydrology in the upper Colorado Watershed, where I am using fieldwork, geochronology techniques (optically stimulated luminescence and radiocarbon dating), hydrologic modeling and remote sensing to understand the timing and magnitude of paleofloods. Additionally, I am working to understand the hydroclimatic conditions and geomorphic constraints that lead to debris flows. This component of my research is motivated by the 240 debris flows in the Catalina Mountains near Tucson, AZ that were triggered during a ~6 hour period in the summer of 2006.

Past and current research topics include the following: modeling of bedload sediment transport; numerical modeling of desert pavement formation; diffusion modeling of hillslopes and diffusion modeling of radionuclides in desert soils.

Project Involvement

• Geomorphology group University of Arizona, Department of Geosciences
• Los Alamos National Laboratories, EES-9 igneous and volcanic hazards team for the Yucca Mountain Project