Kyle Blasch, Ph.D.
As the Associate Regional Director for the USGS Northwest-Pacific Islands Region, Kyle helps lead seven USGS Science Centers in the Pacific Northwest and Pacific Islands.
Kyle Blasch is the Associate Regional Director for the USGS Northwest-Pacific Islands region which encompasses Department of the Interior Regions 9 and 12. Kyle supports the Regional and Deputy Regional Director with planning, directing, and evaluating science and operational activities within 7 Ecosystems and Water Science Centers located in Hawaii, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Kyle is currently the USGS Wildfire Response Coordinator facilitating the optimal use of USGS resources to support wildfire incident response.
Prior to joining the Region, Kyle served as the Director of the Idaho Water Science Center Director, COVID19 Response Coordinator, Acting Deputy Regional Director, and Acting Deputy Director of the WMA Office of Planning and Programming.
Kyle started his career with the USGS in 1999 as a Research Hydrologist and has continued dabbling with stream permanence, ecodrought, remote sensing, vadose zone processes, and ground water processes.
Professional Experience
1994 - Present - United States Air Force Reserves, Bioenvironmental Engineer
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., Hydrology and Water Resources, University of Arizona
M.S., Meteorology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
B.S., Civil/Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
B.S., Earth Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Affiliations and Memberships*
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
American Water Resources Association (AWRA)
Science and Products
Monitoring Streamflow in Remote Headwater Streams
Probability of Streamflow Permanence (PROSPER)
Identifying Resilient Headwater Streams to Mitigate Impacts of Future Drought in the Northwest
Potential Impacts of Prospective Climate Change on Groundwater Recharge in the Western United States
U.S. Geological Survey data strategy 2023–33
A survey of non-USGS continuous streamflow gaging networks in the Pacific Northwest
Estimating streamflow permanence with the watershed erosion prediction project model: Implications for surface water presence modeling and data collection
Integration of distributed streamflow measurement metadata for improved water resource decision-making
Predictions and drivers of sub-reach-scale annual streamflow permanence for the upper Missouri River basin: 1989-2018
Evaluation of select velocity measurement techniques for estimating discharge in small streams across the United States
Precision of headwater stream permanence estimates from a monthly water balance model in the Pacific Northwest, USA
Use case development for earth monitoring, analysis, and prediction (EarthMAP)—A road map for future integrated predictive science at the U.S. Geological Survey
The influence of climate variability on the accuracy of NHD perennial and non-perennial stream classifications
A guidebook to spatial datasets for conservation planning under climate change in the Pacific Northwest
Laboratory assessment of alternative stream velocity measurement methods
Probability of streamflow permanence model (PROSPER): A spatially continuous model of annual streamflow permanence throughout the Pacific Northwest
Science and Products
Monitoring Streamflow in Remote Headwater Streams
Probability of Streamflow Permanence (PROSPER)
Identifying Resilient Headwater Streams to Mitigate Impacts of Future Drought in the Northwest
Potential Impacts of Prospective Climate Change on Groundwater Recharge in the Western United States
U.S. Geological Survey data strategy 2023–33
A survey of non-USGS continuous streamflow gaging networks in the Pacific Northwest
Estimating streamflow permanence with the watershed erosion prediction project model: Implications for surface water presence modeling and data collection
Integration of distributed streamflow measurement metadata for improved water resource decision-making
Predictions and drivers of sub-reach-scale annual streamflow permanence for the upper Missouri River basin: 1989-2018
Evaluation of select velocity measurement techniques for estimating discharge in small streams across the United States
Precision of headwater stream permanence estimates from a monthly water balance model in the Pacific Northwest, USA
Use case development for earth monitoring, analysis, and prediction (EarthMAP)—A road map for future integrated predictive science at the U.S. Geological Survey
The influence of climate variability on the accuracy of NHD perennial and non-perennial stream classifications
A guidebook to spatial datasets for conservation planning under climate change in the Pacific Northwest
Laboratory assessment of alternative stream velocity measurement methods
Probability of streamflow permanence model (PROSPER): A spatially continuous model of annual streamflow permanence throughout the Pacific Northwest
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government