Amanda H Bell
(She/Her)Over the past 21 years working for the Survey, I have had the privilege to study aquatic ecosystems in the upper Midwest and across the country. The resilience of our natural systems to overcome chemical, physical and biological changes brought on by increasing human populations amazes me and is the main reason I love to study the aquatic ecosystem.
I have lived, studied, and worked in the Upper Midwest most of my life and I have been studying in the Lake Michigan Basin in some capacity my entire career. I have also conducted field work throughout the U.S. broadening my experience and expertise. The Upper Midwest Water Science Center (formerly Wisconsin Water Science Center) has been my home for over 21 years and I want the Center to continue to be a beacon of scientific ingenuity and advancement. Since the Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan offices merged in 2017, many unique challenges and opportunities have risen on combining the localized nuances of management, supervision and implementation of policies.
Over the last 3 years I have had the opportunity to serve as the Team Leader for the Integrated Ecosystems Studies and Groundwater Characterization Teams. This experience solidified my desire to be a leader in our organization. Since beginning my role as IES Team Leader and Supervisor, the team members have developed and lead projects from dozens of cooperators across multiple states and international boundaries, totaling over $2.6 million dollars per year.
Beginning in summer of 2021, I began duties pursuant to Center Operations and have been selected as the Center’s Operations Officer. These duties include leading the teams for moving offices, helping the safety teams find direction, perform clean-ups and find their stride, leading the IT team until the new supervisor joined the center, and leading the charge to overhaul the fleet management. As a member of the Executive Leadership Team, I helped resolve concerns related to facilities, operations, data management among other topics. This role was a huge undertaking while continuing to perform my duties as a Team Leader, however, I excelled and move the Center forward during this transition time of not having a permanent Operations Officer.
I enjoy working in a team environment where the personal dynamics foster a professional respect and conflicts are resolved through open communication and a judicial approach. I have a strong work ethic that is reflected in my productivity and dedication to detail. I am a natural-born leader that enjoys helping others develop projects that line with their passions and interests. Thriving on organizing logistics, I can find the people with the right experience and skill to fill the roles they best fit into. I am learning different techniques for personnel conflicts and how to accommodate personalities that differ from my own. I pride myself on clear, honest, and efficient communication in both praise and critique. I value open communication and above all else integrity in my work and personal life.
Professional Experience
April 2022 - Present - Center Operations Officer, GS-14, USGS Upper Midwest Water Science Center
March 2020 – April 2022 - Supervisory Hydrologist, GS-13, USGS Upper Midwest Water Science Center
May 2001 – February 2020 - Hydrologist, GS-12, USGS Upper Midwest Water Science Center
June 2021 – January 2022 - Acting Deputy Director For Operations, GS-13, USGS Upper Midwest Water Science Center
Education and Certifications
M.S. Natural Resources - 2005, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
B.S. Watershed Management - 2002, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Affiliations and Memberships*
Professional Organizations
Wisconsin Section of the American Water Resources Association
o Member 2005-present
o Past President 2019
o President 2018
o President Elect 2017
o Vice President 2016
o Director at Large 2013-2015Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame
o AWRA representative 2018-present
o Executive committee 2019-2021
o Vice President Nov. 2020-2021
Science and Products
Summary of fish communities along Underwood Creek, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 2004–2019
Benthos and plankton community data for selected rivers and harbors along Wisconsin's Lake Michigan shoreline, 2012
Effects of urban development on stream ecosystems in nine metropolitan study areas across the United States
Stream ecosystems change with urban development
Urban development results in stressors that degrade stream ecosystems
Temporal changes in aquatic-invertebrate and fish assemblages in streams of the north-central and northeastern U.S.
Variability in stream chemistry in relation to urban development and biological condition in seven metropolitan areas of the United States, 1999-2004
Representation of regional urban development conditions using a watershed-based gradient study design
Assessment of nutrient enrichment by use of algal-, invertebrate-, and fish-community attributes in wadeable streams in ecoregions surrounding the Great Lakes
Biological water-quality assessment of selected streams in the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District Planning Area of Wisconsin, 2007
Effects of urbanization on stream ecosystems along an agriculture-to-urban land-use gradient, Milwaukee to Green Bay, Wisconsin, 2003-2004
The Effects of Urbanization and Other Environmental Gradients on Algal Assemblages in Nine Metropolitan Areas across the United States
Selected Physical, Chemical, and Biological Data Used to Study Urbanizing Streams in Nine Metropolitan Areas of the United States, 1999-2004
Science and Products
- Publications
Summary of fish communities along Underwood Creek, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 2004–2019
Beginning in 2010, sections of Underwood Creek in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, have undergone reconstruction to allow for improved fish habitat and better management of storm flows. In addition, dam and drop structures were removed to help improve fish migration while reintroducing several native fish species. With the reconstruction of Underwood Creek underway, the Milwaukee Metropolitan SewerageAuthorsAmanda H. Bell, Daniel J. Sullivan, Barbara C. Scudder EikenberryFilter Total Items: 31Benthos and plankton community data for selected rivers and harbors along Wisconsin's Lake Michigan shoreline, 2012
Four river systems on the Wisconsin shoreline of Lake Michigan are designated Areas of Concern (AOCs) because of severe environmental degradation: the Lower Menominee River, Lower Green Bay and Fox River, Sheboygan River, and Milwaukee Estuary. Each AOC has one or more Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs) that form the basis of the AOC designation and that must be remediated or otherwise addressed beAuthorsBarbara C. Scudder Eikenberry, Amanda H. Bell, Daniel J. Burns, Hayley T. OldsEffects of urban development on stream ecosystems in nine metropolitan study areas across the United States
Urban development is an important agent of environmental change in the United States. The urban footprint on the American landscape has expanded during a century and a half of almost continuous development. Eighty percent of Americans now live in metropolitan areas, and the advantages and challenges of living in these developed areas—convenience, congestion, employment, pollution—are part of the dAuthorsJames F. Coles, Gerard McMahon, Amanda H. Bell, Larry R. Brown, Faith A. Fitzpatrick, Barbara C. Scudder Eikenberry, Michael D. Woodside, Thomas F. Cuffney, Wade L. Bryant, Karen Cappiella, Lisa Fraley-McNeal, William P. StackStream ecosystems change with urban development
The healthy condition of the physical living space in a natural stream—defined by unaltered hydrology (streamflow), high diversity of habitat features, and natural water chemistry—supports diverse biological communities with aquatic species that are sensitive to disturbances. In a highly degraded urban stream, the poor condition of the physical living space—streambank and tree root damage from alAuthorsAmanda H. Bell, F. Coles James, Gerard McMahonUrban development results in stressors that degrade stream ecosystems
In 2003, eighty-three percent of Americans lived in metropolitan areas, and considerable population increases are predicted within the next 50 years. Nowhere are the environmental changes associated with urban development more evident than in urban streams. Contaminants, habitat destruction, and increasing streamflow flashiness resulting from urban development have been associated with the disruptAuthorsAmanda H. Bell, James F. Coles, Gerard McMahon, Michael D. WoodsideTemporal changes in aquatic-invertebrate and fish assemblages in streams of the north-central and northeastern U.S.
Many management agencies seek to evaluate temporal changes in aquatic assemblages at monitoring sites, but few have sites with ecological time series that are long enough for this purpose. Trends in aquatic-invertebrate and fish assemblage composition were assessed at 27 long-term monitoring sites in the north-central and northeastern United States. Temporal changes were identified using serial trAuthorsJonathan Kennen, Daniel J. Sullivan, Jason T. May, Amanda H. Bell, Karen M. Beaulieu, Donald E. RiceVariability in stream chemistry in relation to urban development and biological condition in seven metropolitan areas of the United States, 1999-2004
Beginning in 1999, the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Assessment Program investigated the effects of urban development on stream ecosystems in nine metropolitan study areas across the United States. In seven of these study areas, stream-chemistry samples were collected every other month for 1 year at 6 to 10 sites. Within a study area, the sites collectively represented a gradient oAuthorsKaren M. Beaulieu, Amanda H. Bell, James F. ColesRepresentation of regional urban development conditions using a watershed-based gradient study design
As part of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment Program, the effects of urbanization on stream ecosystems (EUSE) have been intensively investigated in nine metropolitan areas in the United States, including Boston, Massachusetts; Atlanta, Georgia; Birmingham, Alabama; Raleigh, North Carolina; Salt Lake City, Utah; Denver, Colorado; Dallas–Fort Worth, Texas; Portland, OregonAuthorsSilvia Terziotti, Gerard McMahon, Amanda H. BellAssessment of nutrient enrichment by use of algal-, invertebrate-, and fish-community attributes in wadeable streams in ecoregions surrounding the Great Lakes
The algal, invertebrate, and fish taxa and community attributes that best reflect the effects of nutrients along a gradient of low to high nutrient concentrations in wadeable, primarily midwestern streams were determined as part of the U.S. Geological Suvey's National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. Nutrient data collected from 64 sampling sites that reflected reference, agricultural, anAuthorsJeffrey W. Frey, Amanda H. Bell, Julie A. Hambrook Berkman, David L. LorenzBiological water-quality assessment of selected streams in the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District Planning Area of Wisconsin, 2007
Changes in the water quality of stream ecosystems in an urban area may manifest in conspicuous ways, such as in murky or smelly streamwater, or in less conspicuous ways, such as fewer native or pollution-sensitive organisms. In 2004, and again in 2007, the U.S. Geological Survey sampled stream organisms—algae, invertebrates, and fish—in 14 Milwaukee area streams to assess water quality as part ofAuthorsBarbara C. Scudder Eikenberry, Amanda H. Bell, Daniel J. Sullivan, Michelle A. Lutz, David A. AlvarezEffects of urbanization on stream ecosystems along an agriculture-to-urban land-use gradient, Milwaukee to Green Bay, Wisconsin, 2003-2004
In 2003 and 2004, 30 streams near Milwaukee and Green Bay, Wisconsin, were part of a national study by the U.S. Geological Survey to assess urbanization effects on physical, chemical, and biological characteristics along an agriculture-to-urban land-use gradient. A geographic information system was used to characterize natural landscape features that define the environmental setting and the degreeAuthorsKevin D. Richards, Barbara C. Scudder, Faith A. Fitzpatrick, Jeffery J. Steuer, Amanda H. Bell, Marie C. Peppler, Jana S. Stewart, Mitchell A. HarrisThe Effects of Urbanization and Other Environmental Gradients on Algal Assemblages in Nine Metropolitan Areas across the United States
The U.S. Geological Survey conducted studies from 2000 to 2004 to determine the effects of urbanization on stream ecosystems in nine major metropolitan study areas across the United States. Biological, chemical, and physical components of streams were assessed at 28 to 30 sites in each study area. Benthic algae were sampled to compare the degree to which algal assemblages correlated to urbanizatioAuthorsJames F. Coles, Amanda H. Bell, Barbara C. Scudder, Kurt D. CarpenterSelected Physical, Chemical, and Biological Data Used to Study Urbanizing Streams in Nine Metropolitan Areas of the United States, 1999-2004
This report documents and summarizes physical, chemical, and biological data collected during 1999-2004 in a study titled Effects of Urbanization on Stream Ecosystems, undertaken as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment Program. Data-collection methods and data processing are described in this report for streamflow; stream temperature; instream chemistry; instreamAuthorsElise M. P. Giddings, Amanda H. Bell, Karen M. Beaulieu, Thomas F. Cuffney, James F. Coles, Larry R. Brown, Faith A. Fitzpatrick, James A. Falcone, Lori A. Sprague, Wade L. Bryant, Marie C. Peppler, Cory Stephens, Gerard McMahon - Data
- Multimedia
- News
*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