Sarah Stackpoole
Sarah Stackpoole is a Research Ecologist for the USGS Water Resources Mission Area.
I am a Research Ecologist with the US Geological Survey in Denver. I completed my undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, my graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and I joined the USGS in 2009. I use field studies along with large-scale data assimilation and statistical approaches to document surface water quality status and trends. I also use a variety of methods to integrate water quality metrics with climate and land-use datasets to identify drivers of change in surface water quality and potential stressors on human and aquatic ecosystem health.
Current and Past Projects:
- National Scale Interpretation of Pesticides, PFAS, and Geogenic Constituents in Surface and Groundwater (2023 – Present) Project Leader, Quantify changes in surface and groundwater pesticides, PFAS, and geogenics and determine if the changes affect water availability for either human or ecological use.
- Harmful Algal Blooms (2020 - Present) Assess the vulnerability of river systems to harmful algal blooms at a regional to national scales.
- Integrated Water Availability Assessments (2020 - Present) Identify drivers of change in surface water quality and potential stressors on human and aquatic ecosystem health.
- National Water Quality Assessment - Surface Water Status and Trends (2018 - 2021) Document the impact of current and past anthropogenic phosphorus sources on soil saturation and water quality. Characterize the occurrence and distribution of pesticides in surface waters.
- USGS LandCarbon Team (2009 - 2017) Assimilate large-scale datasets and determine the best statistical models and extrapolation methods to provide an assessment of current rates of freshwater carbon storage, transport, and emissions for the conterminous United States and Alaska. LandCarbon (usgs.gov)
Science and Products
Data release: early warning indicators for harmful algal bloom assessments in the Illinois River, 2013 - 2020
Compilation of State-Level Freshwater Harmful Algal Bloom Recreational and Drinking Water Guidelines for the Conterminous United States as of 2022
Harmonized discrete and continuous water quality data in support of modeling harmful algal blooms in the Illinois River Basin, 2005 - 2020
Nutrient balances, river loads, and a counterfactual analysis to determine drivers of Mississippi River nitrogen and phosphorus loads between 1975 and 2017
Surface Water Pesticide Detection Frequency and Benchmark Exceedance Data for the Conterminous United States, 2013-2017
Pesticide Toxicity Index (PTI) and maximum Toxic Unit (TUmax) scores and information for fish, cladocerans, and benthic invertebrates from water samples collected at National Water Quality Network sites during Water Years 2013-2017
Water quality, quantity, and gas fluxes of the Upper Mississippi River basin (WY 2012-2016)
U.S. Geological Survey Mississippi River Science Forum—Summary of data and science needs and next steps
Interdisciplinary science approach for harmful algal blooms (HABs) and algal toxins—A strategic science vision for the U.S. Geological Survey
Evaluation of metrics and thresholds for use in national-scale river harmful algal bloom assessments
River control points for algal productivity revealed by transport analysis
Integrated water resources trend assessments: State of the science, challenges, and opportunities for advancement
Long-term Mississippi River trends expose shifts in the river load response to watershed nutrient balances between 1975 and 2017
Pesticides in US Rivers: Regional differences in use, occurrence, and environmental toxicity, 2013 to 2017
Pesticide mixtures show potential toxicity to aquatic life in U.S. streams, water years 2013-2017
Variable impacts of contemporary versus legacy agricultural phosphorus on US river water quality
Inland waters
Assessing historical and projected carbon balance of Alaska: A synthesis of results and policy/management implications
Inland waters and their role in the carbon cycle of Alaska
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.
Science and Products
Data release: early warning indicators for harmful algal bloom assessments in the Illinois River, 2013 - 2020
Compilation of State-Level Freshwater Harmful Algal Bloom Recreational and Drinking Water Guidelines for the Conterminous United States as of 2022
Harmonized discrete and continuous water quality data in support of modeling harmful algal blooms in the Illinois River Basin, 2005 - 2020
Nutrient balances, river loads, and a counterfactual analysis to determine drivers of Mississippi River nitrogen and phosphorus loads between 1975 and 2017
Surface Water Pesticide Detection Frequency and Benchmark Exceedance Data for the Conterminous United States, 2013-2017
Pesticide Toxicity Index (PTI) and maximum Toxic Unit (TUmax) scores and information for fish, cladocerans, and benthic invertebrates from water samples collected at National Water Quality Network sites during Water Years 2013-2017
Water quality, quantity, and gas fluxes of the Upper Mississippi River basin (WY 2012-2016)
U.S. Geological Survey Mississippi River Science Forum—Summary of data and science needs and next steps
Interdisciplinary science approach for harmful algal blooms (HABs) and algal toxins—A strategic science vision for the U.S. Geological Survey
Evaluation of metrics and thresholds for use in national-scale river harmful algal bloom assessments
River control points for algal productivity revealed by transport analysis
Integrated water resources trend assessments: State of the science, challenges, and opportunities for advancement
Long-term Mississippi River trends expose shifts in the river load response to watershed nutrient balances between 1975 and 2017
Pesticides in US Rivers: Regional differences in use, occurrence, and environmental toxicity, 2013 to 2017
Pesticide mixtures show potential toxicity to aquatic life in U.S. streams, water years 2013-2017
Variable impacts of contemporary versus legacy agricultural phosphorus on US river water quality
Inland waters
Assessing historical and projected carbon balance of Alaska: A synthesis of results and policy/management implications
Inland waters and their role in the carbon cycle of Alaska
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.