Brian Pellerin
Brian Pellerin is the Program Manager for the Next Generation Water Observing Systems (NGWOS) and Water Hazards Programs.
Professional Experience
2017- Branch Chief, Hydrologic Networks Branch, USGS, Observing Systems Division, Reston, Virginia
2016-2017 Research Physical Scientist (RGE), USGS, Office of Water Quality, Reston, Virginia
2009-2016 Research Soil Scientist (RGE), USGS, California Water Science Center, Sacramento
2007-2009 Soil Scientist, USGS, California Water Science Center, Sacramento
2004-2007 National Research Council Post-Doctoral Associate, USGS, California Water Science Center, Sacramento
2000-2004 Graduate Research Assistant, University of New Hampshire
1998-2000 Graduate Research Assistant, University of Maine
1996-1998 Technician Assistant, USDA-Forest Service, Durham, New Hampshire
Education and Certifications
2004 Ph.D., Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, University of New Hampshire, Durham. Dissertation: The influence of urbanization on runoff generation and stream chemistry in Massa
2000 M.S., Plant, Soil and Environmental Science, University of Maine, Orono. Thesis: Inferences from soil chemical properties on linkages between soil and surface water in Maine forested waters
1998 B.S., Environmental Science (Soil Science minor), University of New Hampshire, Durham
Science and Products
Determining sources of dissolved organic carbon and disinfection byproduct precursors to the McKenzie River, Oregon
Microbial degradation of plant leachate alters lignin phenols and trihalomethane precursors
Assessing the sources and magnitude of diurnal nitrate variability in the San Joaquin River (California) with an in situ optical nitrate sensor and dual nitrate isotopes
High-frequency in situ optical measurements during a storm event: Assessing relationships between dissolved organic matter, sediment concentrations, and hydrologic processes
The role of hydrologic regimes on dissolved organic carbon composition in an agricultural watershed
The application of electrical conductivity as a tracer for hydrograph separation in urban catchments
Diurnal variability in riverine dissolved organic matter composition determined by in situ optical measurement in the San Joaquin River (California, USA)
Does anthropogenic nitrogen enrichment increase organic nitrogen concentrations in runoff from forested and human-dominated watersheds?
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
- Science
Filter Total Items: 13
- Data
- Multimedia
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 44
Determining sources of dissolved organic carbon and disinfection byproduct precursors to the McKenzie River, Oregon
This study was conducted to determine the main sources of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and disinfection byproduct (DBP) precursors to the McKenzie River, Oregon (USA). Water samples collected from the mainstem, tributaries, and reservoir outflows were analyzed for DOC concentration and DBP formation potentials (trihalomethanes [THMFPs] and haloacetic acids [HAAFPs]). In addition, optical propertAuthorsTamara E.C. Kraus, Chauncey W. Anderson, Karl Morgenstern, Bryan D. Downing, Brian A. Pellerin, Brian A. BergamaschiMicrobial degradation of plant leachate alters lignin phenols and trihalomethane precursors
Although the importance of vascular plant-derived dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in freshwater systems has been studied, the role of leached DOC as precursors of disinfection byproducts (DBPs) during drinking water treatment is not well known. Here we measured the propensity of leachates from four crops and four aquatic macrophytes to form trihalomethanes (THMs)—a regulated class of DBPs—before anAuthorsBrian A. Pellerin, Peter J. Hernes, John Franco Saraceno, Robert G.M. Spencer, Brian A. BergamaschiAssessing the sources and magnitude of diurnal nitrate variability in the San Joaquin River (California) with an in situ optical nitrate sensor and dual nitrate isotopes
1. We investigated diurnal nitrate (NO3−) concentration variability in the San Joaquin River using an in situ optical NO3− sensor and discrete sampling during a 5‐day summer period characterized by high algal productivity. Dual NO3− isotopes (δ15NNO3 and δ18ONO3) and dissolved oxygen isotopes (δ18ODO) were measured over 2 days to assess NO3− sources and biogeochemical controls over diurnal time‐scAuthorsBrian A. Pellerin, Bryan D. Downing, Carol Kendall, Randy A. Dahlgren, Tamara E.C. Kraus, John Franco Saraceno, Robert G. M. Spencer, Brian A. BergamaschiHigh-frequency in situ optical measurements during a storm event: Assessing relationships between dissolved organic matter, sediment concentrations, and hydrologic processes
Dissolved organic matter (DOM) dynamics during storm events has received considerable attention in forested watersheds, but the extent to which storms impart rapid changes in DOM concentration and composition in highly disturbed agricultural watersheds remains poorly understood. In this study, we used identical in situ optical sensors for DOM fluorescence (FDOM) with and without filtration to contAuthorsJohn Franco Saraceno, Brian A. Pellerin, Bryan D. Downing, Emmanuel Boss, Philip A. M. Bachand, Brian A. BergamaschiThe role of hydrologic regimes on dissolved organic carbon composition in an agricultural watershed
Willow Slough, a seasonally irrigated agricultural watershed in the Sacramento River valley, California, was sampled weekly in 2006 in order to investigate seasonal concentrations and compositions of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Average DOC concentrations nearly doubled from winter baseflow (2.75 mg L-1) to summer irrigation (5.14 mg L-1), while a concomitant increase in carbon-normalized vanilAuthorsP.J. Hernes, R.G.M. Spencer, R.Y. Dyda, B.A. Pellerin, P.A.M. Bachand, B.A. BergamaschiThe application of electrical conductivity as a tracer for hydrograph separation in urban catchments
Two-component hydrograph separation was performed on 19 low-to-moderate intensity rainfall events in a 4.1-km2 urban watershed to infer the relative and absolute contribution of surface runoff (e.g. new water) to stormflow generation between 2001 and 2003. The electrical conductivity (EC) of water was used as a continuous and inexpensive tracer, with order of magnitude differences in precipitationAuthorsB.A. Pellerin, W. M. Wollheim, X. Feng, C.J. VororsmartyDiurnal variability in riverine dissolved organic matter composition determined by in situ optical measurement in the San Joaquin River (California, USA)
Dissolved organic matter (DOM) concentration and composition in riverine and stream systems are known to vary with hydrological and productivity cycles over the annual and interannual time scales. Rivers are commonly perceived as homogeneous with respect to DOM concentration and composition, particularly under steady flow conditions over short time periods. However, few studies have evaluated theAuthorsR.G.M. Spencer, B.A. Pellerin, B.A. Bergamaschi, B.D. Downing, T.E.C. Kraus, D.R. Smart, R.A. Dahlgren, P.J. HernesDoes anthropogenic nitrogen enrichment increase organic nitrogen concentrations in runoff from forested and human-dominated watersheds?
Although the effects of anthropogenic nitrogen (N) inputs on the dynamics of inorganic N in watersheds have been studied extensively, "the influence of N enrichment on organic N loss" is not as well understood. We compiled and synthesized data on surface water N concentrations from 348 forested and human-dominated watersheds with a range of N loads (from less than 100 to 7,100 kg N km-2 y-1) to evAuthorsB.A. Pellerin, S.S. Kaushal, W. H. McDowellNon-USGS Publications**
Oczkowski AJ, BA Pellerin, CW Hunt, WM Wollheim, CJ Vörösmarty and TC Loder III. 2006. The role of snowmelt and spring rainfall in inorganic nutrient fluxes from a large temperate watershed, the Androscoggin River basin (Maine and New Hampshire). Biogeochemistry, 80: 191-203.Wollheim WM, BA Pellerin, CJ Vörösmarty and CS Hopkinson. 2005. Nitrogen retention in urbanizing headwater catchments. Ecosystems, 8: 871-884.Pellerin BA, WM Wollheim, CS Hopkinson, WH McDowell, CJ Vörösmarty, MW Williams and ML Daley. 2004. Role of wetlands and developed land use on dissolved organic nitrogen concentrations and DON / TDN in northeastern U.S. rivers and streams. Limnology and Oceanography, 49: 910-918.Pellerin BA, IJ Fernandez, SA Norton and JS Kahl. 2002. Soil aluminum distribution in the near-stream zone at the Bear Brook Watershed in Maine. Water, Air and Soil Pollution, 134: 189-204.**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.