Christopher A Curran
Christopher Curran is the Assistant Center Director for Hydrologic Data at the Pacific Islands Water Science Center in Honolulu Hawaiʻi.
Chris Curran started his USGS career as a Hydrologic Technician in 1997 in Ithaca, New York. In 2000, he transferred to the USGS Washington Water Science Center (WAWSC) in Tacoma, Washington where he worked as a Hydrologic Technician specializing in hydroacoustics. In 2007, Chris joined the WAWSC Studies Program as a Hydrologist and worked on a variety of surface-water and sediment studies. He became supervisor of the Watersheds and Fluvial Systems Section of WAWSC Studies in 2019. Chris joined the Pacific Islands Water Science Center as Assistant Center Director in 2021.
Chris earned BS degrees in Civil Engineering and Geology from Lehigh University in 1989, and a MS degree in Hydrogeology from Syracuse University in 1999. Chris also served as an Engineer Officer in the U.S. Army, 10th Mountain Division, and as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in Malawi, Central Africa.
Science and Products
Sediment load and distribution in the lower Skagit River, Skagit County, Washington
Suspended sediment delivery to Puget Sound from the lower Nisqually River, western Washington, July 2010–November 2011
Large-scale dam removal on the Elwha River, Washington, USA: fluvial sediment load
Transport and deposition of asbestos-rich sediment in the Sumas River, Whatcom County, Washington
Comparison of fluvial suspended-sediment concentrations and particle-size distributions measured with in-stream laser diffraction and in physical samples
Geomorphic analysis of the river response to sedimentation downstream of Mount Rainier, Washington
Analysis of low flows and selected methods for estimating low-flow characteristics at partial-record and ungaged stream sites in western Washington
Sediment load from major rivers into Puget Sound and its adjacent waters
Anticipated sediment delivery to the lower Elwha River during and following dam removal: Chapter 2 in Coastal habitats of the Elwha River, Washington--biological and physical patterns and processes prior to dam removal
Baseline hydrologic studies in the lower Elwha River prior to dam removal
Estimates of Sediment Load Prior to Dam Removal in the Elwha River, Clallam County, Washington
Estimating Low-Flow Frequency Statistics and Hydrologic Analysis of Selected Streamflow-Gaging Stations, Nooksack River Basin, Northwestern Washington and Canada
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Sediment load and distribution in the lower Skagit River, Skagit County, Washington
The Skagit River delivers about 40 percent of all fluvial sediment that enters Puget Sound, influencing flood hazards in the Skagit lowlands, critically important estuarine habitat in the delta, and some of the most diverse and productive agriculture in western Washington. A total of 175 measurements of suspended-sediment load, made routinely from 1974 to 1993, and sporadically from 2006 to 2009,AuthorsChristopher A. Curran, Eric E. Grossman, Mark C. Mastin, Raegan L. HuffmanSuspended sediment delivery to Puget Sound from the lower Nisqually River, western Washington, July 2010–November 2011
On average, the Nisqually River delivers about 100,000 metric tons per year (t/yr) of suspended sediment to Puget Sound, western Washington, a small proportion of the estimated 1,200,000 metric tons (t) of sediment reported to flow in the upper Nisqually River that drains the glaciated, recurrently active Mount Rainier stratovolcano. Most of the upper Nisqually River sediment load is trapped in AlAuthorsChristopher A. Curran, Eric E. Grossman, Christopher S. Magirl, James R. ForemanLarge-scale dam removal on the Elwha River, Washington, USA: fluvial sediment load
The Elwha River restoration project, in Washington State, includes the largest dam-removal project in United States history to date. Starting September 2011, two nearly century-old dams that collectively contained 21 ± 3 million m3 of sediment were removed over the course of three years with a top-down deconstruction strategy designed to meter the release of a portion of the dam-trapped sediment.AuthorsChristopher S. Magirl, Robert C. Hilldale, Christopher A. Curran, Jeffrey J. Duda, Timothy D. Straub, Marian M. Domanski, James R. ForemanTransport and deposition of asbestos-rich sediment in the Sumas River, Whatcom County, Washington
Heavy sediment loads in the Sumas River of Whatcom County, Washington, increase seasonal turbidity and cause locally acute sedimentation. Most sediment in the Sumas River is derived from a deep-seated landslide of serpentinite that is located on Sumas Mountain and drained by Swift Creek, a tributary to the Sumas River. This mafic sediment contains high amounts of naturally occurring asbestiform chAuthorsChristopher A. Curran, Scott W. Anderson, Jack E. Barbash, Christopher S. Magirl, Stephen E. Cox, Katherine K. Norton, Andrew S. Gendaszek, Andrew R. Spanjer, James R. ForemanComparison of fluvial suspended-sediment concentrations and particle-size distributions measured with in-stream laser diffraction and in physical samples
Laser-diffraction technology, recently adapted for in-stream measurement of fluvial suspended-sediment concentrations (SSCs) and particle-size distributions (PSDs), was tested with a streamlined (SL), isokinetic version of the Laser In-Situ Scattering and Transmissometry (LISST) for measuring volumetric SSCs and PSDs ranging from 1.8-415 µm in 32 log-spaced size classes. Measured SSCs and PSDs froAuthorsJonathan A. Czuba, Timothy D. Straub, Christopher A. Curran, Mark N. Landers, Marian M. DomanskiGeomorphic analysis of the river response to sedimentation downstream of Mount Rainier, Washington
A study of the geomorphology of rivers draining Mount Rainier, Washington, was completed to identify sources of sediment to the river network; to identify important processes in the sediment delivery system; to assess current sediment loads in rivers draining Mount Rainier; to evaluate if there were trends in streamflow or sediment load since the early 20th century; and to assess how rates of sediAuthorsJonathan A. Czuba, Christopher S. Magirl, Christiana R. Czuba, Christopher A. Curran, Kenneth H. Johnson, Theresa D. Olsen, Halley K. Kimball, Casey C. GishAnalysis of low flows and selected methods for estimating low-flow characteristics at partial-record and ungaged stream sites in western Washington
A regional low-flow survey of small, perennial streams in western Washington was initiated by the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission (NWIFC), NWIFC-member tribes, and Point-No-Point Treaty Council in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey in 2007 and repeated by the tribes during the low-flow seasons of 2008–09. Low-flow measurements at 63 partial-record and miscellaneous streamflow-measurAuthorsChristopher A. Curran, Ken Eng, Christopher P. KonradSediment load from major rivers into Puget Sound and its adjacent waters
Each year, an estimated load of 6.5 million tons of sediment is transported by rivers to Puget Sound and its adjacent waters—enough to cover a football field to the height of six Space Needles. This estimated load is highly uncertain because sediment studies and available sediment-load data are sparse and historically limited to specific rivers, short time frames, and a narrow range of hydrologicAuthorsJonathan A. Czuba, Christopher S. Magirl, Christiana R. Czuba, Eric E. Grossman, Christopher A. Curran, Andrew S. Gendaszek, Richard S. DinicolaAnticipated sediment delivery to the lower Elwha River during and following dam removal: Chapter 2 in Coastal habitats of the Elwha River, Washington--biological and physical patterns and processes prior to dam removal
During and after the planned incremental removal of two large, century-old concrete dams between 2011 and 2014, the sediment-transport regime in the lower Elwha River of western Washington will initially spike above background levels and then return to pre-dam conditions some years after complete dam removal. Measurements indicate the upper reaches of the steep-gradient Elwha River, draining the nAuthorsChristiana R. Czuba, Timothy J. Randle, Jennifer A. Bountry, Christopher S. Magirl, Jonathan A. Czuba, Christopher A. Curran, Christopher P. KonradBaseline hydrologic studies in the lower Elwha River prior to dam removal
After the removal of two large, long‑standing dams on the Elwha River, Washington, the additional load of sediment and wood is expected to affect the hydrology of the lower river, its estuary, and the alluvial aquifer underlying the surrounding flood plain. To better understand the surface-water and groundwater characteristics of the river and estuary before dam removal, several hydrologic data seAuthorsChristopher S. Magirl, Christopher A. Curran, Rich W. Sheibley, Jonathan A. Warrick, Jonathan A. Czuba, Christiana R. Czuba, Andrew S. Gendaszek, Patrick B. Shafroth, Jeffrey J. Duda, James R. ForemanEstimates of Sediment Load Prior to Dam Removal in the Elwha River, Clallam County, Washington
Years after the removal of the two dams on the Elwha River, the geomorphology and habitat of the lower river will be substantially influenced by the sediment load of the free-flowing river. To estimate the suspended-sediment load prior to removal of the dams, the U.S. Geological Survey collected suspended-sediment samples during water years 2006 and 2007 at streamflow-gaging stations on the ElwhaAuthorsChristopher A. Curran, Christopher P. Konrad, Johnna L. Higgins, Mark K. BryantEstimating Low-Flow Frequency Statistics and Hydrologic Analysis of Selected Streamflow-Gaging Stations, Nooksack River Basin, Northwestern Washington and Canada
Low-flow frequency statistics were computed at 17 continuous-record streamflow-gaging stations and 8 miscellaneous measurement sites in and near the Nooksack River basin in northwestern Washington and Canada, including the 1, 3, 7, 15, 30, and 60 consecutive-day low flows with recurrence intervals of 2 and 10 years. Using these low-flow statistics, 12 regional regression equations were developed fAuthorsChristopher A. Curran, Theresa D. Olsen