Ana Maria Garcia
Biography
EDUCATION
PhD, Agricultural Engineering, University of Illinois - 2001
Thesis: Hydrologic Modeling Of Irregular Tile Drainage Systems. : 2001. Print at UIUC
MS, Mechanical Engineering, University of Illinois - 1996
BS, Mechanical Engineering, Boston University - 1994
EXPERIENCE
Hydrologist, USGS North Carolina Water Science Center
08/2007 – Present
Since joining the USGS I have worked on projects that investigate how anthropogenic activities impact water quality and quantity in rivers and streams across the Southeastern US. Recent projects include a water quality and hydrodynamic model of the Roanoke River in support of protection and restoration of the riparian corridor. I have also worked on a regional-scale SPARROW model to analyze the transport of phosphorus across the landscape.
Agricultural Engineer, USDA-ARS Pasture Systems and Watershed Research Unit
03/2006 – 8/2007
While at USDA, I worked on best management practices related to field- and farm- scale phosphorus transport in manure amended soils.
Environmental Engineer, Tetra Tech Inc.
01/2001 – 03/2006
As an environmental consultant to US EPA and state agencies, I conducted water quality studies that led to approved Total Maximum Daily Loads. Responsibilities included technical oversight, application of watershed-scale water quality modeling and dissemination of results.
Science and Products
SPARROW Modeling for North Carolina Watersheds
In North Carolina, excessive nutrient and sediment loadings have contributed to the degradation of surface-water quality across the state as a result of agricultural activities and population growth increases. To further understand the influences of human activities and natural processes on surface-water quality, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) developed the SPARROW (SPAtially Referenced...
We've Got A Model - Why Do We Need Data?
Anne Hoos and Ana Garcia discuss why data is important for the USGS nutrient loading model SPARROW. To view the video click here.
Forecasting water demand across a rapidly urbanizing region
Urban growth and climate change together complicate planning efforts meant to adapt to increasingly scarce water supplies. Several studies have independently examined the impacts of urban planning and climate change on water demand, but little attention has been given to their combined impact. Here we forecast urban water demand using a...
Sanchez, Georgina M; Terando, Adam; Smith, Jordan W.; Garcia, Ana M.; Wagner, Chad R.; Meentemeyer, Ross K.Response of nitrogen loading to the Chesapeake Bay to source reduction and land use change scenarios: A SPARROW‐informed analysis
In response to concerns regarding the health of streams and receiving waters, the United States Environmental Protection Agency established a total maximum daily load for nitrogen in the Chesapeake Bay watershed for which practices must be in place by 2025 resulting in an expected 25% reduction in load from 2009 levels. The response of total...
Miller, Matthew; Capel, Paul D.; Garcia, Ana M.; Ator, Scott W.South Atlantic Water Science Center Strategic Science Plan: 2019–23
Executive SummaryThe South Atlantic Water Science Center Strategic Science Planning Team has developed a unified strategic science plan to guide the science vision of the South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC) in response to the merging of the Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina Water Science Centers. This plan proposes a path forward...
Cuffney, Thomas F.; Garcia, Ana M.; Horowitz, Arthur J.; LaFontaine, Jacob H.; Landmeyer, James E.; McKee, Anna M.; McSwain, Kristen Bukowski; Painter, Jaime A.; Shelton, John M.; Smith, Christopher A.Toward explaining nitrogen and phosphorus trends in Chesapeake Bay tributaries, 1992-2012
Understanding trends in stream chemistry is critical to watershed management, and often complicated by multiple contaminant sources and landscape conditions changing over varying time scales. We adapted spatially-referenced regression (SPARROW) to infer causes of recent nutrient trends in Chesapeake Bay tributaries by relating observed fluxes...
Ator, Scott; Garcia, Ana M.; Schwarz, Gregory E.; Blomquist, Joel; Sekellick, AndrewLeveraging big data towards functionally-based, catchment scale restoration prioritization
The persistence of freshwater degradation has necessitated the growth of an expansive stream and wetland restoration industry, yet restoration prioritization at broad spatial extents is still limited and ad-hoc restoration prevails. The River Basin Restoration Prioritization tool has been developed to incorporate vetted, distributed data models...
Lovette, John P.; Duncan, Jonathan M.; Smart, Lindsey S.; Fay, John P.; Urban, Dean L.; Daly, Nancy; Blackwell, Jamie; Hoos, Anne B.; Garcia, Ana M.; Band, Lawrence E.Application of SPARROW modeling to understanding contaminant fate and transport from uplands to streams
Understanding spatial variability in contaminant fate and transport is critical to efficient regional water-quality restoration. An approach to capitalize on previously calibrated spatially referenced regression (SPARROW) models to improve the understanding of contaminant fate and transport was developed and applied to the case of nitrogen in the...
Ator, Scott; Garcia, Ana M.Regional effects of agricultural conservation practices on nutrient transport in the Upper Mississippi River Basin
Despite progress in the implementation of conservation practices, related improvements in water quality have been challenging to measure in larger river systems. In this paper we quantify these downstream effects by applying the empirical U.S. Geological Survey water-quality model SPARROW to investigate whether spatial differences in conservation...
Garcia, Ana M.; Alexander, Richard B.; Arnold, Jeffrey G.; Norfleet, Lee; White, Michael J.; Robertson, Dale M.; Schwarz, Gregory E.A regional modeling framework of phosphorus sources and transport in streams of the southeastern United States
We applied the SPARROW model to estimate phosphorus transport from catchments to stream reaches and subsequent delivery to major receiving water bodies in the Southeastern United States (U.S.). We show that six source variables and five land-to-water transport variables are significant (p < 0.05) in explaining 67% of the variability...
Garcia, Ana M.; Hoos, Anne B.; Terziotti, SilviaA Regional Modeling Framework of Phosphorus Sources and Transport in Streams of the Southeastern United States
We applied the SPARROW model to estimate phosphorus transport from catchments to stream reaches and subsequent delivery to major receiving water bodies in the Southeastern United States (U.S.). We show that six source variables and five land-to-water transport variables are significant (p<0.05) in explaining 67% of the variability in long-term...
Garcia, A.M.; Hoos, A.B.; Terziotti, S.Mapping watershed potential to contribute phosphorus from geologic materials to receiving streams, southeastern United States
As part of the southeastern United States SPARROW (SPAtially Referenced Regressions On Watershed attributes) water-quality model implementation, the U.S. Geological Survey created a dataset to characterize the contribution of phosphorus to streams from weathering and erosion of surficial geologic materials. SPARROW provides estimates of total...
Terziotti, Silvia; Hoos, Anne B.; Harned, Douglas; Garcia, Ana MariaSimulation of Water Quality in the Tull Creek and West Neck Creek Watersheds, Currituck Sound Basin, North Carolina and Virginia
A study of the Currituck Sound was initiated in 2005 to evaluate the water chemistry of the Sound and assess the effectiveness of management strategies. As part of this study, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was used to simulate current sediment and nutrient loadings for two distinct watersheds in the Currituck Sound basin and to...
Garcia, Ana MariaAssessing manure management strategies through small-plot research and whole-farm modeling
Plot-scale experimentation can provide valuable insight into the effects of manure management practices on phosphorus (P) runoff, but whole-farm evaluation is needed for complete assessment of potential trade offs. Artificially-applied rainfall experimentation on small field plots and event-based and long-term simulation modeling were used to...
Garcia, A.M.; Veith, T.L.; Kleinman, P.J.A.; Rotz, C.A.; Saporito, L.S.Pre-USGS Publications
Land-use and water demand projections (2012 to 2065) under different scenarios of environmental change for North Carolina, South Carolina, and coastal Georgia
Land change and water demand projections were generated as part of the stakeholder-driven assessments of water availability supported by the National Water Census Coastal Carolinas Focus Area Study