Paul Alessio

Paul's research is focused on understanding how the Earth’s surface is sculpted by a suite of erosional processes that vary with land use, climate, tectonics, and time. He conducts fieldwork, uses remote sensing, and implements modeling to test theoretical relationships and understand the rates and mechanics of processes that transport rock and sediment from hillslopes, stream channels, and coastal cliffs over various timescales. He is interested in how these erosional processes contribute to the global carbon cycle and how to utilize this information to assess and mitigate the geologic hazard potential from storm-driven landslides, post-wildfire debris flows, and sea-level rise.