I work with partners to help identify and meet their coastal and climate science needs, so we can better understand, communicate, and address societal concerns.
Christopher (Chris) Schubert is a Hydrologist with the USGS New York Water Science Center where he serves as a Program Development Specialist. Chris has over 30 years of experience working with communities, Tribal Nations, and other stakeholders to help identify and meet their coastal and climate science needs. These include efforts to better understand, communicate, and address human and environmental health concerns, flooding from a variety of sources, and other natural hazards.
Currently, Chris serves as a member of the USGS Environmental Justice Task Force; Northeast Region Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Council; and Peer Support Worker Program. He has also served on the New York State Climate Impacts Assessment Water Resources Working Group and Sea Level Rise Task Force Natural Resources Working Group, Long Island Sound Study Sustainable and Resilient Communities Working Group, New York City Panel on Climate Change Flooding Working Group, Peconic Estuary Program and South Shore Estuary Reserve Technical Advisory Committees, and Long Island Commission for Aquifer Protection.
Professional Experience
2019-present: Hydrologist and Program Development Specialist, USGS New York Water Science Center, Coram, NY
2006-2019: Supervisory Hydrologist and Chief of Environmental & Hydrologic Investigations Section, USGS New York Water Science Center, Coram, NY
1992-2006: Hydrologist, USGS New York Water Science Center, Syosset/Coram, NY
1991-1992: Coastal Geologist, First Coastal Corporation, Westhampton Beach, NY
Education and Certifications
1991: M.S., Marine Environmental Sciences with a specialization in Geological Oceanography, Stony Brook University, Marine Sciences Research Center, Stony Brook, NY
1988: B.S., Geology (Major) and Marine Environmental Sciences (Minor), Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
Affiliations and Memberships*
2022-present: USGS Environmental Justice Task Force
2022-present: USGS Northeast Region Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Council
2020-present: USGS Peer Support Worker Program
Science and Products
An Analysis of Trends in the Magnitude of Floods in Urbanized Watersheds on Long Island, New York
Analysis of Factors Affecting Plume Remediation in a Sole-Source Aquifer System, Nassau County, New York (Northrup Grumman Plume)
Hurricane Sandy
The Use of Solute-transport Methods to Estimate Time-varying Nitrogen Loading Rates to the Peconic Estuary Resulting from Wastewater and Fertilizer Inputs to Groundwater in Suffolk County, New York (Peconic Solute Transport)
Sentinel Monitoring of Groundwater for Contaminants of Emerging Concern to Provide Advanced Warning for Supply Wells on Long Island, New York
New York Flood Information
Southeastern New York Coastal Monitoring
Using Microbial Source Tracking to Identify Pollution Sources in Pathogen Impaired Embayments in Long Island, New York
Sentinel Monitoring for New and Legacy Pesticides in the Shallow Groundwater of Long Island
Delineation of the Hydrogeologic Framework and Saltwater-Freshwater Interface and Determination of Water-Supply Sustainability of Long Island, New York
Coastal Storm Response Surge, Wave, and Tide Hydrodynamics Network (SWaTH)
South Shore Estuary Reserve Total Maximum Daily Load Monitoring
Geospatial datasets of AUV observations including bottom dissolved oxygen in Great South Bay, Long Island, New York, August 2016
Adjusting design floods for urbanization across groundwater-dominated watersheds of Long Island, NY
Managing water resources on Long Island, New York, with integrated, multidisciplinary science
Analysis of remedial scenarios affecting plume movement through a sole-source aquifer system, southeastern Nassau County, New York
The Surge, Wave, and Tide Hydrodynamics (SWaTH) network of the U.S. Geological Survey—Past and future implementation of storm-response monitoring, data collection, and data delivery
Analysis of storm-tide impacts from Hurricane Sandy in New York
The quality of our Nation's waters: water quality in the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain surficial aquifer system, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, and Virginia, 1988-2009
Concentrations of hormones, pharmaceuticals and other micropollutants in groundwater affected by septic systems in New England and New York
Nitrogen Loads in Groundwater Entering Back Bays and Ocean from Fire Island National Seashore, Long Island, New York
Analysis of the Shallow Groundwater Flow System at Fire Island National Seashore, Suffolk County, New York
Analysis of mid- and high-stage conditions for the Peconic River at the eastern boundary of Brookhaven National Laboratory, Suffolk County, New York
Hydrogeologic framework of the North Fork and surrounding areas, Long Island, New York
Simulated effects of pumping and drought on ground-water levels and the freshwater-saltwater interface on the north fork of Long Island, New York
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
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An Analysis of Trends in the Magnitude of Floods in Urbanized Watersheds on Long Island, New York
Summary: This study aims to do a thorough analysis of trends in peak streamflows on Long Island. Reliable information about the magnitude and frequency of floods is essential for flood insurance studies, flood-plain management, and the design of transportation and water-conveyance infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, culverts, dams, and levees. Federal, State, regional, and local officials needAnalysis of Factors Affecting Plume Remediation in a Sole-Source Aquifer System, Nassau County, New York (Northrup Grumman Plume)
Problem: Dissolved volatile-organic compounds (VOCs), including trichloroethylene (TCE), have been identified in a sole-source aquifer near the former Northrop Grumman Bethpage facility and Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant (NWIRP) in Nassau County, N.Y. The Northrop Grumman Bethpage facility and NWIRP are listed as Class II inactive hazardous waste disposal sites (Site Nos. HW130003A and HWHurricane Sandy
Gale- to storm-force winds associated with the passage of Sandy across central New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania that lasted 12 to 18 hours caused major to record coastal flooding in southeastern New York on October 29, 2012.The Use of Solute-transport Methods to Estimate Time-varying Nitrogen Loading Rates to the Peconic Estuary Resulting from Wastewater and Fertilizer Inputs to Groundwater in Suffolk County, New York (Peconic Solute Transport)
Problem The Peconic Estuary of eastern Long Island, New York, is undergoing development as the region transitions from a rural area dependent on agriculture and tourism to a suburban one with a larger year-round population. The glacial and coastal-plain sediments underlying Long Island comprise a sole-source aquifer system that supplies the region’s communities with potable water. The area surrouSentinel Monitoring of Groundwater for Contaminants of Emerging Concern to Provide Advanced Warning for Supply Wells on Long Island, New York
Problem The groundwater supply of Nassau and Suffolk Counties is prone to contamination from past and current land uses, including practices related to agriculture, industry, and residential development, because the soils and underlying sediments are generally composed of sandy, permeable materials that allow contaminants to move readily from the land surface into the groundwater below. Of increNew York Flood Information
For emergency situations, please contact Chris Gazoorian, Surface Water Specialist at the USGS New York Water Science Center or call our general number (518) 285-5600 and follow the directions to leave voicemail which will be immediately forwarded to a responsible party and responded to as quickly as possible.Southeastern New York Coastal Monitoring
USGS monitoring data for estuary and coastal-ocean sites in the southeastern New York region and links to related projects with more information about coastal flood hazards, water quality, and other topics. The USGS operates the most extensive satellite network of tide-gaging stations in the region, many of which form the backbone of flood-warning systems. The USGS provides current ("real-time")...Using Microbial Source Tracking to Identify Pollution Sources in Pathogen Impaired Embayments in Long Island, New York
Problem The presence of pathogens in Long Island marine embayments and the hazards they pose to marine resources and human health is of increasing concern. Many waterbodies on the New York State Section 303(d) List of Impaired Waters have pathogens listed as the primary pollutant that are suspected to originate from urban/storm runoff. There is neither a clear understanding of the relative magnitSentinel Monitoring for New and Legacy Pesticides in the Shallow Groundwater of Long Island
Problem The shallow groundwater of Nassau and Suffolk Counties is prone to contamination from current land-use, including agricultural, residential, and recreational. The aquifer system of Long Island is highly susceptible to human-derived contamination, in particular, because the soils and underlying sediments are generally composed of sandy, permeable materials that allow contaminants to moveDelineation of the Hydrogeologic Framework and Saltwater-Freshwater Interface and Determination of Water-Supply Sustainability of Long Island, New York
Problem Long Island’s sole-source aquifer system, which includes the Lloyd, Magothy, Jameco, and upper glacial aquifers, supplies groundwater to over 2.8 million people. As a coastal aquifer system, it is susceptible to saltwater intrusion. Past pumpage and sewering (fig. 1) resulted in increased salinity in most aquifers in all counties (Buxton and Shernoff, 1999; Misut and others, 2004; MisutCoastal Storm Response Surge, Wave, and Tide Hydrodynamics Network (SWaTH)
Following Hurricane Sandy, the USGS began construction of an overland Surge, Wave, and Tide Hydrodynamics (SWaTH) Network along the Northeastern Atlantic Coast from North Carolina to Maine. This network, developed collaboratively with numerous partners, features the integration of long-term tide gage networks, with real-time rapid-deployment gages (RDG) and mobile storm-tide sensors (STS). An elemSouth Shore Estuary Reserve Total Maximum Daily Load Monitoring
Introduction Ongoing efforts to improve the health of New York's South Shore Estuary Reserve (SSER) require continuously recorded water-quality data to understand the short-term effects of stormwater runoff and other pollution sources. To document the diel and tidal variability of water quality in the western bays of the SSER, the USGS monitors select physical and chemical parameters at - Data
Geospatial datasets of AUV observations including bottom dissolved oxygen in Great South Bay, Long Island, New York, August 2016
This dataset provides locations and values of water quality parameters from a four-day survey conducted between August 23, 2016 and August 26, 2016 using an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) in Great South Bay, New York. Measured parameters include bottom dissolved oxygen (DO), salinity, specific conductance, water temperature, and pH. During the four day period, data was collected along 15 tr - Multimedia
- Publications
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Adjusting design floods for urbanization across groundwater-dominated watersheds of Long Island, NY
The magnitude and variability of floods have increased for many nontidal streams on Long Island (LI), NY since the mid-20th century. One of the most densely populated regions of the United States, LI has experienced amplified floods in step with increases in impervious land cover, storm, and sanitary sewers that have accompanied urban development. To better understand the drivers of observed floodAuthorsRobin Lee Glas, Jory Seth Hecht, Amy E. Simonson, Christopher L. Gazoorian, Christopher E. SchubertManaging water resources on Long Island, New York, with integrated, multidisciplinary science
Nutrients, harmful algal blooms, and synthetic chemicals like per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and 1,4-dioxane threaten Long Island’s water resources by affecting the quality of drinking water and ecologically sensitive habitats that support the diverse wildlife throughout the island. Understanding the occurrence, fate, and transport of these potentially harmful chemicals is critical toAuthorsRobert F. Breault, John P. Masterson, Christopher E. Schubert, Liv M. HerdmanAnalysis of remedial scenarios affecting plume movement through a sole-source aquifer system, southeastern Nassau County, New York
A steady-state three-dimensional groundwater-flow model based on present conditions is coupled with the particle-tracking program MODPATH to assess the fate and transport of volatile organic-compound plumes within the Magothy and upper glacial aquifers in southeastern Nassau County, New York. Particles are forward tracked from locations within plumes defined by surfaces of equal concentration. ParAuthorsPaul E. Misut, Donald A. Walter, Christopher Schubert, Sarken DresslerThe Surge, Wave, and Tide Hydrodynamics (SWaTH) network of the U.S. Geological Survey—Past and future implementation of storm-response monitoring, data collection, and data delivery
After Hurricane Sandy made landfall along the northeastern Atlantic coast of the United States on October 29, 2012, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) carried out scientific investigations to assist with protecting coastal communities and resources from future flooding. The work included development and implementation of the Surge, Wave, and Tide Hydrodynamics (SWaTH) network consisting of more thaAuthorsRichard J. Verdi, R. Russell Lotspeich, Jeanne C. Robbins, Ronald Busciolano, John R. Mullaney, Andrew J. Massey, William S. Banks, Mark A. Roland, Harry L. Jenter, Marie C. Peppler, Thomas P. Suro, Christopher E. Schubert, Mark R. NardiAnalysis of storm-tide impacts from Hurricane Sandy in New York
The hybrid cyclone-nor’easter known as Hurricane Sandy affected the mid-Atlantic and northeastern United States during October 28-30, 2012, causing extensive coastal flooding. Prior to storm landfall, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) deployed a temporary monitoring network from Virginia to Maine to record the storm tide and coastal flooding generated by Hurricane Sandy. This sensor network augmenAuthorsChristopher E. Schubert, Ronald Busciolano, Paul P. Hearn, Ami N. Rahav, Riley Behrens, Jason S. Finkelstein, Jack Monti, Amy E. SimonsonThe quality of our Nation's waters: water quality in the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain surficial aquifer system, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, and Virginia, 1988-2009
The surficial aquifer system of the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain is made up of unconfined aquifers that underlie most of the area. This aquifer system is a critical renewable source of drinking water and is the source of most flow to streams and of recharge to underlying confined aquifers. Millions of people rely on the surficial aquifer system for public and domestic water supply, in particulaAuthorsJudith M. Denver, Scott W. Ator, Jeffrey M. Fischer, Douglas C. Harned, Christopher Schubert, Zoltan SzaboConcentrations of hormones, pharmaceuticals and other micropollutants in groundwater affected by septic systems in New England and New York
Septic-system discharges can be an important source of micropollutants (including pharmaceuticals and endocrine active compounds) to adjacent groundwater and surface water systems. Groundwater samples were collected from well networks tapping glacial till in New England (NE) and sandy surficial aquifer New York (NY) during one sampling round in 2011. The NE network assesses the effect of a singleAuthorsPatrick J. Phillips, Christopher E. Schubert, Denise M. Argue, Irene J. Fisher, Edward T. Furlong, William T. Foreman, James L. Gray, Ann T. ChalmersNitrogen Loads in Groundwater Entering Back Bays and Ocean from Fire Island National Seashore, Long Island, New York
Fire Island is a barrier island that lies south of central Long Island, N.Y. It is about 60 km (37 mi) long and 0.5 km (1/4 mi) wide and is bounded by the Great South Bay, Narrow Bay, and Moriches Bay estuaries to the north; by the Atlantic Ocean to the south; by Fire Island Inlet to the west; and by Moriches Inlet to the east (fig. 1). Fire Island National Seashore (FIIS) encompasses a 42-km (26-AuthorsChristopher Schubert, M. Peter deVries, Anne J. FinchAnalysis of the Shallow Groundwater Flow System at Fire Island National Seashore, Suffolk County, New York
Fire Island National Seashore (FIIS) occupies 42 kilometers of the barrier island for which it is named that lies off the southern shore of Suffolk County, N.Y. Freshwater in the highly permeable, sandy aquifer underlying Fire Island is bounded laterally by marine surface waters and at depth by saline groundwater. Interspersed throughout FIIS are 17 pre-existing residential communities that in sumAuthorsChristopher SchubertAnalysis of mid- and high-stage conditions for the Peconic River at the eastern boundary of Brookhaven National Laboratory, Suffolk County, New York
Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) has historically discharged sewage treatment plant (STP) effluent to the Peconic River, which runs through the BNL site in Suffolk County, N.Y. This effluent discharge has averaged about 700,000 gallons per day (about 1.1 cubic feet per second [ft3/s]) since 1962 and led to contamination of streambed sediments by radioactive and hazardous constituents. Large seAuthorsChristopher Schubert, Terrence M. Sullivan, William H. MedeirosHydrogeologic framework of the North Fork and surrounding areas, Long Island, New York
Ground water on the North Fork of Long Island is the sole source of drinking water, but the supply is vulnerable to saltwater intrusion and upconing in response to heavy pumping. Information on the area's hydrogeologic framework is needed to analyze the effects of pumping and drought on ground-water levels and the position of the freshwater-saltwater interface. This will enable water-resource manaAuthorsChristopher Schubert, Richard G. Bova, Paul E. MisutSimulated effects of pumping and drought on ground-water levels and the freshwater-saltwater interface on the north fork of Long Island, New York
Ground water is the sole source of freshwater on the North Fork of Long Island. Future demands for the limited freshwater supply during a prolonged drought could cause drawdowns that induce saltwater intrusion and render the supply unusable. The freshwater system on the North Fork contains several localized, hydraulically isolated aquifers bounded by salty water. The need for information on the abAuthorsPaul E. Misut, Christopher Schubert, Richard G. Bova, Steven R. ColabufoNon-USGS Publications**
Goldsmith, V., Bokuniewicz, H.J., and Schubert, C.E., 1992, Artificial reef breakwaters for shore protection: type descriptions and evaluation: New York Sea Grant Institute RESSAL Report 92/1, 29 p.Schubert, C.E., 1991, Observations of infragravity wave motion in a tidal inlet: M.S. Thesis, Marine Sciences Research Center, SUNY, Stony Brook, N.Y., 67 p.Schubert, C.E., and Bokuniewicz, H.J., 1991, Infragravity wave motion in a tidal inlet, in Coastal Sediments '91, Conference Proceedings, American Society of Civil Engineers, p. 1434-1446.Zimmerman, M.S., Bokuniewicz, H.J., and Schubert, C.E., 1991, Seasonal and long-term beach response at East Hampton, New York: October 1979 through December 1990, Appendix XVII of Special Report 38, Marine Sciences Research Center, SUNY, Stony Brook, N.Y., 31 p.Tanski, Jay, Bokuniewicz, H.J., and Schubert, C.E., 1990, An overview and assessment of the coastal processes data base for the south shore of Long Island : proceedings of a workshop held April 20-21, 1989: New York Sea Grant Institute Special Report 104, 77 p.Zimmerman, M.S., Bokuniewicz, H.J., McTiernan, L., and Schubert, C.E., 1990, Shoreline changes at East Hampton, New York: January through December 1989, Appendix XVI of Special Report 38, Marine Sciences Research Center, SUNY, Stony Brook, N.Y., 31 p.**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.
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*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government