Jessica Z LeRoy, Ph.D.
Dr. Jessica Z LeRoy is interested in applying concepts and techniques from geomorphology and hydrodynamics to help solve real-world problems such as erosion hazards and aquatic invasive species in rivers and lakes.
Jessica's graduate research focused on chute cutoff events on meandering rivers and also included studies on the hydraulic geometry of channels in low gravity environments (e.g., submarine channels and Martian channel features) and the sedimentology of very fine-grained meandering rivers. Jessica joined the U.S. Geological Survey as a Pathways Student Trainee in September 2015 and became a full time Hydrologist in May 2016. Since joining the USGS, she has participated in applied research aimed at mitigating the spread of invasive carps (bighead, silver, and grass carp), as well as projects focusing on scour at bridge piers, beach replenishment, and reservoir sedimentation. She has expertise in using hydroacoustic methods to measure water velocities and bathymetry. She is also currently working on the River Corridors high-value data theme of the National Hydrologic Geospatial Fabric project and is the lead of the CDI Geomorphology Focus Group.
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. in Physical Geography, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Dissertation: "From meander bend to oxbow lake: Morphodynamics and sedimentology of chute cutoffs", 2016
M.S. in Physical Geography, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Thesis: "Extreme sediment pulses generated by bend cutoffs along a large meandering river", 2011
B.S. in Physics and B.S. in Earth Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 2009
Science and Products
Archive of Bank Stability and Toe Erosion Model (BSTEM) Simulations of Caulks Creek, Wildwood, Missour
Archive of hydrologic and hydraulic models used in the simulation of hydraulic characteristics of Caulks Creek, Wildwood, Missouri
Monitoring Data to Support the Operation of the Electric Dispersal Barrier System on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal at Romeoville, Illinois, October 1, 2018, to September 30, 2019 (ver 2.0, Level 5 rev)
Bathymetry and Water-Quality Data of Surface Water Bodies in Cook County, Illinois, 2023
Monitoring Data to Support the Operation of the Electric Dispersal Barrier System on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal at Romeoville, Illinois, October 1, 2017, to September 30, 2018
Water Surface Velocities in the Downstream Approach to Peoria Lock, near Peoria, Illinois, During Testing of an Automated Barge Clearing Deterrent, September 15, 2022
Calumet River and Calumet Sag Channel Bathymetry in Cook County, Illinois, August 2022
Bathymetry, Point Clouds, and Water Velocity in the Downstream Approach to Peoria Lock, near Peoria, Illinois, During Testing of an Automated Barge Clearing Deterrent, July–September 2022
Hydraulic Model Archive and Fluvial Egg Drift Simulator (FluEgg) Results for Simulations of Invasive Carp Egg and Larval Drift in the Maumee River, Ohio (ver. 1.1, July 2023)
The Vigil Network: long-term, broad spectrum data collected to observe landscape change in drainage basins
Multibeam bathymetry in Peoria Lock, near Peoria, Illinois, September 19, 2019
Bathymetric and water quality data on the Sandusky River between Tiffin and Fremont, Ohio, November 4-7, 2019
Bathymetric map and surface area and capacity table for Beaver Lake near Rogers, Arkansas, 2018
Geomorphic change, hydrology, and hydraulics of Caulks Creek, Wildwood, Missouri
Reproduction of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) in the Maumee River, Ohio: Part 2—Optimal river conditions for egg and larval drift
Effects of climate change on the hydrologic and hydraulic response of the Caulks Creek basin, Wildwood, Missouri
Hydrologic modeling and river corridor applications of HY_Features concepts
Historical hydrologic and geomorphic conditions on the Black River and selected tributaries, Arkansas and Missouri
Fluvial Egg Drift Simulator (FluEgg) user’s manual
Analysis of nearshore placement of sediments at Ogden Dunes, Indiana
Efficacy of increasing discharge to reduce tow-mediated fish passage across an electric dispersal barrier system in a confined channel
Effects of tow transit on the efficacy of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal Electric Dispersal Barrier System
Entrainment, retention, and transport of freely swimming fish in junction gaps between commercial barges operating on the Illinois Waterway
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
USGS Fluvial Erosion Hazards (FEH) Primer
Science and Products
Archive of Bank Stability and Toe Erosion Model (BSTEM) Simulations of Caulks Creek, Wildwood, Missour
Archive of hydrologic and hydraulic models used in the simulation of hydraulic characteristics of Caulks Creek, Wildwood, Missouri
Monitoring Data to Support the Operation of the Electric Dispersal Barrier System on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal at Romeoville, Illinois, October 1, 2018, to September 30, 2019 (ver 2.0, Level 5 rev)
Bathymetry and Water-Quality Data of Surface Water Bodies in Cook County, Illinois, 2023
Monitoring Data to Support the Operation of the Electric Dispersal Barrier System on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal at Romeoville, Illinois, October 1, 2017, to September 30, 2018
Water Surface Velocities in the Downstream Approach to Peoria Lock, near Peoria, Illinois, During Testing of an Automated Barge Clearing Deterrent, September 15, 2022
Calumet River and Calumet Sag Channel Bathymetry in Cook County, Illinois, August 2022
Bathymetry, Point Clouds, and Water Velocity in the Downstream Approach to Peoria Lock, near Peoria, Illinois, During Testing of an Automated Barge Clearing Deterrent, July–September 2022
Hydraulic Model Archive and Fluvial Egg Drift Simulator (FluEgg) Results for Simulations of Invasive Carp Egg and Larval Drift in the Maumee River, Ohio (ver. 1.1, July 2023)
The Vigil Network: long-term, broad spectrum data collected to observe landscape change in drainage basins
Multibeam bathymetry in Peoria Lock, near Peoria, Illinois, September 19, 2019
Bathymetric and water quality data on the Sandusky River between Tiffin and Fremont, Ohio, November 4-7, 2019
Bathymetric map and surface area and capacity table for Beaver Lake near Rogers, Arkansas, 2018
Geomorphic change, hydrology, and hydraulics of Caulks Creek, Wildwood, Missouri
Reproduction of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) in the Maumee River, Ohio: Part 2—Optimal river conditions for egg and larval drift
Effects of climate change on the hydrologic and hydraulic response of the Caulks Creek basin, Wildwood, Missouri
Hydrologic modeling and river corridor applications of HY_Features concepts
Historical hydrologic and geomorphic conditions on the Black River and selected tributaries, Arkansas and Missouri
Fluvial Egg Drift Simulator (FluEgg) user’s manual
Analysis of nearshore placement of sediments at Ogden Dunes, Indiana
Efficacy of increasing discharge to reduce tow-mediated fish passage across an electric dispersal barrier system in a confined channel
Effects of tow transit on the efficacy of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal Electric Dispersal Barrier System
Entrainment, retention, and transport of freely swimming fish in junction gaps between commercial barges operating on the Illinois Waterway
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.