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Cara L Peterman, Ph.D.

Welcome to Cara Peterman's profile.

Cara Peterman is a fluvial geomorphologist / hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, Kansas Water Science Center in Lawrence, Kansas. As a geomorphologist she has a wide range of fluvial geomorphological interests with an emphasis on understanding the effects that natural and or human-induced perturbations have on water-resources and soils. Understanding geomorphic and palaeohydrological processes, sediment dynamics of rivers as they relate to land cover land use changes, and habitat degradation are vital for any effective remediation and or mitigation efforts.

Areas of Interest

· Sedimentation and sediment mobility

· Surface water chemistry

· Flood hydrology

· Fluvial dynamics

· Soil conservation

· Soil erosion

· Reservoir sustainability

· Eutrophication with respects to nutrient fate and transport

· Geographical information system mapping

· programming and machine learning

Education and Certifications

  • Ph.D. in Geology with focus in Fluvial Geomorphology – University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky. Dissertation: “Tracing source contributions to assess spatial patterns of erosion in a mixed land us

  • M.S. in Environmental Science - University of Michigan-Dearborn, Dearborn, Michigan. Thesis: “Heavy Metal Contamination in an Urban Neighborhood, Detroit, Michigan,” 2011 – 2013.

  • B.S. in Earth Science, minor in Geology – University of Michigan-Dearborn, Dearborn, Michigan. 2008 – 2011.

  • Certificate: Geographical Information Systems (GIS), ArcGIS, University of Michigan-Dearborn, Dearborn, Michigan. 2008-2011.

  • A.S. in Chemistry – Monroe County College, Monroe, Michigan, 2005-2008.

Science and Products

A call for strategic water-quality monitoring to advance assessment and prediction of wildfire impacts on water supplies

Wildfires pose a risk to water supplies in the western U.S. and many other parts of the world, due to the potential for degradation of water quality. However, a lack of adequate data hinders prediction and assessment of post-wildfire impacts and recovery. The dearth of such data is related to lack of funding for monitoring extreme events and the challenge of measuring the outsized hydrologic and e
By
Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center, Colorado Water Science Center, Kansas Water Science Center, New Mexico Water Science Center, Oregon Water Science Center, Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center

Sediment concentrations and loads upstream from and through John Redmond Reservoir, east-central Kansas, 2010–19

Streambank erosion and reservoir sedimentation are primary concerns of resource managers in Kansas and throughout many regions of the United States and negatively affect flood control, water supply, and recreation. The Cottonwood and upper Neosho Rivers drain into John Redmond Reservoir, and since reservoir completion in 1964, there has been substantial conservation-pool sedimentation and storage
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Kansas Water Science Center

Science and Products