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Carl S Carlson

Carl Carlson is a Hydrologist in the New England Water Science Center.

Carl S. Carlson is a Hydrologist concentrating mostly on groundwater modeling for the New England Water Science Center. Since year 2000, Carl has either led or contributed to the development of various numerical groundwater models of glacial aquifers constructed to answer questions about groundwater flow. These questions include: the simulated size of contributing areas to streams, ponds, coastal water bodies, and production wells; simulated responses of streams and ponds to groundwater withdrawals and wastewater return flows; and simulated effects of future water-use and land-use scenarios on streamflows. More recently under the NAWQA program, Carl has contributed to the "General Models" series of Python Jupyter notebooks developed to quickly make a generalized groundwater model based on national-scale datasets.

Between 1995 and 2000, Carl worked as a Hydrologist in the California District of the USGS, mainly on various groundwater projects in the Antelope Valley groundwater basin. One summer however, while on loan to the Cascades Volcano Observatory, there was an opportunity to hold a surveying rod in the Mammoth Lakes region as part of a team tasked with measuring potential magmatic uplift.

Education and Certifications

  • M.S. Hydrology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2002

  • B.S. Industrial Engineering with minors in Geology and Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 1993

Science and Products

Filter Total Items: 22

Three-dimensional distribution of residence time metrics in the glaciated United States using metamodels trained on general numerical models

Residence time distribution (RTD) is a critically important characteristic of groundwater flow systems; however, it cannot be measured directly. RTD can be inferred from tracer data with analytical models (few parameters) or with numerical models (many parameters). The second approach permits more variation in system properties but is used less frequently than the first because large‐scale numeric
By
Water Resources Mission Area, National Water Quality Program

Development of simulated groundwater-contributing areas to selected streams, ponds, coastal water bodies, and production wells in the Plymouth-Carver region and Cape Cod, Massachusetts

IntroductionThe U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in support of the Massachusetts Estuaries Project (MEP), delineated groundwater-contributing areas to various hydrologic receptors including ponds, streams, and coastal water bodies throughout southeastern Massachusetts, including portions of the Plymouth-Carver aquifer system and all of Cape Cod. These contributing areas were delineated over a 6-year
By
Water Resources Mission Area, New England Water Science Center

Groundwater and surface-water interaction and effects of pumping in a complex glacial-sediment aquifer, phase 2, east-central Massachusetts

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Town of Framingham, Massachusetts, has investigated the potential of proposed groundwater withdrawals at the Birch Road well site to affect nearby surface water bodies and wetlands, including Lake Cochituate, the Sudbury River, and the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in east-central Massachusetts. In 2012, the U.S. Geological Survey develo
By
Water Resources Mission Area, New England Water Science Center

Simulated responses of streams and ponds to groundwater withdrawals and wastewater return flows in southeastern Massachusetts

Water use, such as withdrawals, wastewater return flows, and interbasin transfers, can alter streamflow regimes, water quality, and the integrity of aquatic habitat and affect the availability of water for human and ecosystem needs. To provide the information needed to determine alteration of streamflows and pond water levels in southeastern Massachusetts, existing groundwater models of the Plymou
By
Water Resources Mission Area, New England Water Science Center

Simulation of nitrogen attenuation in a subterranean estuary, representative of the southern coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts

A two-dimensional model was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, to assess flow and chemical reaction associated with groundwater discharge through the subterranean estuary representative of coastal salt ponds of southern Cape Cod. The model simulated both the freshwater and saltwater flow systems and accounted for density-dependent
By
Water Resources Mission Area, New England Water Science Center

Geohydrology, geochemistry, and groundwater simulation (1992-2011) and analysis of potential water-supply management options, 2010-60, of the Langford Basin, California

Groundwater withdrawals began in 1992 from the Langford Basin within the Fort Irwin National Training Center (NTC), California. From April 1992 to December 2010, approximately 12,300 acre-feet of water (averaging about 650 acre-feet per year) has been withdrawn from the basin and transported to the adjacent Irwin Basin. Since withdrawals began, water levels in the basin have declined by as much as
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Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center

Development of a numerical model to simulate groundwater flow in the shallow aquifer system of Assateague Island, Maryland and Virginia

A three-dimensional groundwater-flow model was developed for Assateague Island in eastern Maryland and Virginia to simulate both groundwater flow and solute (salt) transport to evaluate the groundwater system response to sea-level rise. The model was constructed using geologic and spatial information to represent the island geometry, boundaries, and physical properties and was calibrated using an
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Earth Resources Observation and Science Center, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center , New England Water Science Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Coastal Changes and Impacts

Simulation of groundwater and surface-water interaction and effects of pumping in a complex glacial-sediment aquifer, east central Massachusetts

The effects of groundwater pumping on surface-water features were evaluated by use of a numerical groundwater model developed for a complex glacial-sediment aquifer in northeastern Framingham, Massachusetts, and parts of surrounding towns. The aquifer is composed of sand, gravel, silt, and clay glacial-fill sediments up to 270 feet thick over an irregular fractured bedrock surface. Surface-water b
By
New England Water Science Center

Effects of water use and land use on streamflow and aquatic habitat in the Sudbury and Assabet River Basins, Massachusetts

Water withdrawals from surface-water reservoirs and groundwater have affected streamflow in the Sudbury and Assabet River Basins. These effects are particularly evident in the upper Sudbury River Basin, which prompted the need to improve the understanding of water resources and aquatic habitat in these basins. In 2004, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Massachusetts Department of
By
New England Water Science Center

Hydrogeology and numerical simulation of the unconsolidated glacial aquifer in the Pootatuck River Basin, Newtown, Connecticut

A study of the groundwater and stream-aquifer interaction in the Pootatuck River Basin, Newtown, Connecticut, was conducted to analyze the effect of production wells on the groundwater levels and streamflow in the Pootatuck River as part of a cooperative program between the U.S. Geological Survey and Newtown, Connecticut. This study will help address concerns about the increasing competition for w
By
New England Water Science Center

Hydrogeology and Simulation of Groundwater Flow in the Plymouth-Carver-Kingston-Duxbury Aquifer System, Southeastern Massachusetts

The glacial sediments that underlie the Plymouth-Carver-Kingston-Duxbury area of southeastern Massachusetts compose an important aquifer system that is the primary source of water for a region undergoing rapid development. Population increases and land-use changes in this area has led to two primary environmental effects that relate directly to groundwater resources: (1) increases in pumping that
By
Water Resources Mission Area, New England Water Science Center

Characteristics of the April 2007 Flood at 10 Streamflow-Gaging Stations in Massachusetts

A large 'nor'easter' storm on April 15-18, 2007, brought heavy rains to the southern New England region that, coupled with normal seasonal high flows and associated wet soil-moisture conditions, caused extensive flooding in many parts of Massachusetts and neighboring states. To characterize the magnitude of the April 2007 flood, a peak-flow frequency analysis was undertaken at 10 selected streamfl
By
New England Water Science Center
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Screenshot of the Flood Insurance Map

Development of Flood Insurance Maps in New England

FEMA has requested USGS expertise in hydraulics, hydrology, and mapping to generate flood insurance maps for New England.
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New England Water Science Center
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Development of Flood Insurance Maps in New England

FEMA has requested USGS expertise in hydraulics, hydrology, and mapping to generate flood insurance maps for New England.
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Center pivot irrigation system watering a cornfield in Arizona

Science to Examine the Interactions Between Climate, Agriculture, and Water Quality

The purpose of the project was to conduct an extensive search for compelted and ongoing research that deals with climate change and agriculture in the context of water quality, for the Eastern Tallgrass Prairie and Big Rivers Landscape Conservation Cooperative (LCC) and the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes LCC. The search to acquire this information was two-fold. One portion of the search dealt wit
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Climate Adaptation Science Centers
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Science to Examine the Interactions Between Climate, Agriculture, and Water Quality

The purpose of the project was to conduct an extensive search for compelted and ongoing research that deals with climate change and agriculture in the context of water quality, for the Eastern Tallgrass Prairie and Big Rivers Landscape Conservation Cooperative (LCC) and the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes LCC. The search to acquire this information was two-fold. One portion of the search dealt wit
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Data for Three-dimensional distribution of groundwater residence time metrics in the glaciated United States using metamodels trained on general numerical simulation models

Residence time distribution (RTD) is a critically important characteristic of groundwater flow systems; however, it cannot be measured directly. RTD can be inferred from tracer data with analytical models (few parameters) or with numerical models (many parameters). The second approach permits more variation in system properties but is used less frequently than the first because large-scale numeric
By
Water Resources Mission Area
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