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In early December 2020, an atmospheric river (AR) and rain-on-snow (ROS) event impacted the Haines, Alaska area, resulting in record-breaking rainfall and snowmelt that caused flooding and dozens of mass movement events. We consider the AR—a one-in-500-year event—as the trigger for the devastating Beach Road Landslide (BRLS), which destroyed or damaged four residences and took the lives of two people. The BRLS started as a debris avalanche and transitioned into a debris flow, with a total approximate landslide volume of 187,100 m³. Geomorphic analysis using lidar data identified evidence of paleo-landslides and displaced masses of rock, one of which served as the source area for the BRLS. Significant structural features in the weak ultramafic bedrock defined the head scarp area and formed the failure plane. This study illustrates the importance of identifying pre-existing landslide features and source areas likely to produce future landslides. As an increase in ROS events is projected for Southeast Alaska with warmer and wetter winters, we recommend the development of an AR scale coupled with geological information for the region, to enhance warnings to residents in landslide-prone areas.

Wind flow and sediment transport across a northern California beach‐foredune system with two adjacent vegetation types are examined for the same incident wind conditions. The invasiveAmmophila arenariawas taller (c. 1 m) with denser coverage than the neighbouringElymus mollisalliance canopy (c. 0.65 m), which consisted of a variety of interspersed native plants. Wind flow was measured with rotating cup and sonic anemometry, while sediment transport was measured using laser particle counters. Wind speed profiles over the two canopies were significantly different because of differing vegetation height, coverage density, and stem stiffness. In both cases, there was a lower zone of semi‐stagnant air (below about 0.3 m) that transitioned upward to a shear zone comprising the upper part of the canopy and immediately above. The shear zone above theElymuscanopy was relatively thin (confined to 0.3–0.5 m above‐ground) whereas the shear zone in theAmmophilacanopy was thicker extending from a height of about 0.5h(his average plant height) to about 1.5h. Vertical profiles of Reynolds shear stress (RSS) and turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) are consistent with the shear layer structure over these two contrasting vegetation canopies. The degree of topographically‐forced and vegetation‐enhanced flow steering was significant, withAmmophilastrongly shifting the highly oblique (55°) incident wind to essentially shore‐perpendicular trajectories. In comparison, the shore‐perpendicular steering effect was not as pronounced for theElymuscanopy. Sediment transport intensity on the beach was continuous, but decreased progressively to the dune toe, and then dropped to essentially zero once the vegetation canopy was encountered (on the stoss slope). Overall, the study illustrates the significant differences in wind flow and turbulence conditions that may occur in contrasting plant canopies on foredunes, suggesting that greater attention needs to be placed on vegetation roughness characteristics in models of foredune morphodynamics and sediment transport potential.