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Daniel K Jones

Since joining the U.S. Geological Survey as a Geographer in 2012, Dan's work has focused on the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing data to solve watershed-scale questions associated with catastrophic storms, urban development, and resource protection.

Dan also serves as the lead of the Geospatial Analysis and Applications Core Technology Team, a group of geographers, programmers, and statisticians focused on questions related to contaminants and environmental health across spatial scales.

During his university studies, Dan's research focused on using LiDAR to track watershed-scale geomorphic changes associated with the suburbanization of small, historically agricultural watersheds in Montgomery County, MD. During his degrees, Dan worked as a research support specialist at the Baltimore Ecosystem Study Long Term Ecological Research station, assisting in the long-term data collection of water, sediment, and vegetation samples associated with the project.

Education and Certifications

  • M.S. Geography and Environmental Systems, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 2013

  • B.S. Environmental Science, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 2009

Science and Products

Filter Total Items: 21

Tracking geomorphic changes after suburban development with a high density of green stormwater infrastructure practices in Montgomery County, Maryland

Stream morphology is affected by changes on the surrounding landscape. Understanding the effects of urbanization on stream morphology is a critical factor for land managers to maintain and improve vulnerable stream corridors in urbanizing landscapes. Stormwater practices are used in urban landscapes to manage runoff volumes and peak flows, potentially mitigating alterations to the flow regime that
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Water Resources, Chesapeake Bay Activities, New Jersey Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), Utah Water Science Center

Addressing stakeholder science needs for integrated drought science in the Colorado River Basin

Stakeholders need scientific data, analysis, and predictions of how drought the will impact the Colorado River Basin in a format that is continuously updated, intuitive, and easily accessible. The Colorado River Basin Actionable and Strategic Integrated Science and Technology Pilot Project was formed to demonstrate the effectiveness of addressing complex problems through stakeholder involvement an
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Ecosystems, Water Resources, Arizona Water Science Center, California Water Science Center, Colorado Water Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Nevada Water Science Center, New Mexico Water Science Center, Southwest Biological Science Center, Utah Water Science Center, Washington Water Science Center, Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

Ephemeral stream network extraction from lidar-derived elevation and topographic attributes in urban and forested landscapes

Under-representations of headwater channels in digital stream networks can result in uncertainty in the magnitude of headwater habitat loss, stream burial, and watershed function. Increased availability of high-resolution (
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Water Resources, Chesapeake Bay Activities, Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), Utah Water Science Center

Arsenic in private well water and birth outcomes in the United States

BackgroundPrenatal exposure to drinking water with arsenic concentrations >50 μg/L is associated with adverse birth outcomes, with inconclusive evidence for concentrations ≤50 μg/L. In a collaborative effort by public health experts, hydrologists, and geologists, we used published machine learning model estimates to characterize arsenic concentrations in private wells—federally unregulated for dri
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Water Resources, New England Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC)

Elevation-area-capacity relationships of Lake Powell in 2018 and estimated loss of storage capacity since 1963

Lake Powell is the second largest constructed water reservoir by storage capacity in the United States and represents a critical component in management of water resources in the Colorado River Basin. The reservoir provides hydroelectric power generation at Glen Canyon Dam, banks water storage for the Upper Colorado River Basin, stabilizes water commitments downstream, and buffers the Lower Colora
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Water Resources, Utah Water Science Center

Lessons learned from 20 y of monitoring suburban development with distributed stormwater management in Clarksburg, Maryland, USA

Urban development is a well-known stressor for stream ecosystems, presenting a challenge to managers tasked with mitigating its effects. For the past 20 y, streamflow, water quality, geomorphology, and benthic communities were monitored in 5 watersheds in Montgomery County, Maryland, USA. This study presents a synthesis of multiple studies of monitoring efforts in the study area and new analysis o
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Water Resources, Energy Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, Chesapeake Bay Activities, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Water Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC)

A review of algal toxin exposures on reserved federal lands and among trust species in the United States

Associated health effects from algal toxin exposure are a growing concern for human and animal health. Algal toxin poisonings may occur from contact with or consumption of water supplies or from ingestion of contaminated animals. The U.S. Federal Government owns or holds in trust about 259 million hectares of land, in addition to the Trust species obligations. We completed the first comprehensive
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Ecosystems, Water Resources, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Kansas Water Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center

How will baseflow respond to climate change in the Upper Colorado River Basin?

Baseflow is critical to sustaining streamflow in the Upper Colorado River Basin. Therefore, effective water resources management requires estimates of baseflow response to climatic changes. This study provides the first estimates of projected baseflow changes from historical (1984 – 2012) to thirty-year periods centered around 2030, 2050, and 2080 under warm/wet, median, and hot/dry climatic condi
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Water Resources, Climate Research and Development Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Utah Water Science Center

Machine learning models of arsenic in private wells throughout the conterminous United States as a tool for exposure assessment in human health studies

Arsenic from geologic sources is widespread in groundwater within the United States (U.S.). In several areas, groundwater arsenic concentrations exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency maximum contaminant level of 10 μg per liter (μg/L). However, this standard applies only to public-supply drinking water and not to private-supply, which is not federally regulated and is rarely monitored. A
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Ecosystems, Water Resources, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, New England Water Science Center

Modeling estrogenic activity in streams throughout the Potomac and Chesapeake Bay watersheds

Endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs), specifically estrogenic endocrine-disrupting compounds, vary in concentration and composition in surface waters under the influence of different landscape sources and landcover gradients. Estrogenic activity in surface waters may lead to adverse effects in aquatic species at both individual and population levels, often observed through the presence of interse
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Ecosystems, Water Resources, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Chesapeake Bay Activities, Eastern Ecological Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science Center, Utah Water Science Center

Changing climate drives future streamflow declines and challenges in meeting water demand across the southwestern United States

Society and the environment in the arid southwestern United States depend on reliable water availability, yet current water use outpaces supply. Water demand is projected to grow in the future and climate change is expected to reduce supply. To adapt, water managers need robust estimates of future regional water supply to support management decisions. To address this need, we estimate future strea
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Water Resources, Climate Research and Development Program, Land Change Science Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Utah Water Science Center

Retrospective analysis of estrogenic endocrine disruption and land-use influences in the Chesapeake Bay watershed

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States and its watershed includes river drainages in six states and the District of Columbia. Sportfishing is of major economic interest, however, the rivers within the watershed provide numerous other ecological, recreational, cultural and economic benefits, as well as serving as a drinking water source for millions of people. Consequently,
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Ecosystems, Water Resources, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Chesapeake Bay Activities, Eastern Ecological Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center
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water glass filling in kitchen sink

Coproduced Science Linking Environmental and Public-Health Data to Evaluate Drinking Water Arsenic Exposure on Birth Outcomes

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists teamed up with public-health epidemiologists to probe for associations between arsenic in drinking water and human-birth outcomes. They reported a modest inverse relation between birth weight and arsenic exposure. Findings indicate that future research efforts using individual-level exposure data such as measured arsenic concentrations in tap water could...
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Ecosystems, Environmental Health Program
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Coproduced Science Linking Environmental and Public-Health Data to Evaluate Drinking Water Arsenic Exposure on Birth Outcomes

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists teamed up with public-health epidemiologists to probe for associations between arsenic in drinking water and human-birth outcomes. They reported a modest inverse relation between birth weight and arsenic exposure. Findings indicate that future research efforts using individual-level exposure data such as measured arsenic concentrations in tap water could...
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Location of study watersheds in Clarksburg, Maryland.

Understanding the Effects of Stormwater Management Practices on Water Quality and Flow

Urban development can have detrimental impacts on streams including altering hydrology, increasing nutrient, sediment, and pollutant loadings, and degrading biological integrity. Stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs) can be used to mitigate the effects of urban development by retaining large volumes of stormwater runoff and treating runoff to remove pollutants. This project focuses on...
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Ecosystems, Land Change Science Program, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC)
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Understanding the Effects of Stormwater Management Practices on Water Quality and Flow

Urban development can have detrimental impacts on streams including altering hydrology, increasing nutrient, sediment, and pollutant loadings, and degrading biological integrity. Stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs) can be used to mitigate the effects of urban development by retaining large volumes of stormwater runoff and treating runoff to remove pollutants. This project focuses on...
Learn More
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Attribution of storm-weighted potential contaminant hazard ranks to sampling locations

Geospatial Analyses and Applications — Salt Lake City, Utah

About the ResearchThe Environmental Health Program collaborates with scientists within the Geospatial Analyses and Applications Team to develop and apply geospatial analytical methods to answer broad-scale questions about source-sink and cause-effect relationships between contaminants and vulnerable communities. Multivariate statistics are used to identify connections between landscape gradients...
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Ecosystems, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology
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Geospatial Analyses and Applications — Salt Lake City, Utah

About the ResearchThe Environmental Health Program collaborates with scientists within the Geospatial Analyses and Applications Team to develop and apply geospatial analytical methods to answer broad-scale questions about source-sink and cause-effect relationships between contaminants and vulnerable communities. Multivariate statistics are used to identify connections between landscape gradients...
Learn More
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Attribution of storm-weighted potential contaminant hazard ranks to sampling locations

Geospatial Analyses and Applications — Salt Lake City, Utah

About the ResearchThe Environmental Health Program collaborates with scientists within the Geospatial Analyses and Applications Team to develop and apply geospatial analytical methods to answer broad-scale questions about source-sink and cause-effect relationships between contaminants and vulnerable communities. Multivariate statistics are used to identify connections between landscape gradients...
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Ecosystems, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology
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Geospatial Analyses and Applications — Salt Lake City, Utah

About the ResearchThe Environmental Health Program collaborates with scientists within the Geospatial Analyses and Applications Team to develop and apply geospatial analytical methods to answer broad-scale questions about source-sink and cause-effect relationships between contaminants and vulnerable communities. Multivariate statistics are used to identify connections between landscape gradients...
Learn More
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Attribution of storm-weighted potential contaminant hazard ranks to sampling locations

Geospatial Analyses and Applications — Salt Lake City, Utah

About the ResearchThe Environmental Health Program collaborates with scientists within the Geospatial Analyses and Applications Team to develop and apply geospatial analytical methods to answer broad-scale questions about source-sink and cause-effect relationships between contaminants and vulnerable communities. Multivariate statistics are used to identify connections between landscape gradients...
By
Ecosystems, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology
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Geospatial Analyses and Applications — Salt Lake City, Utah

About the ResearchThe Environmental Health Program collaborates with scientists within the Geospatial Analyses and Applications Team to develop and apply geospatial analytical methods to answer broad-scale questions about source-sink and cause-effect relationships between contaminants and vulnerable communities. Multivariate statistics are used to identify connections between landscape gradients...
Learn More
Filter Total Items: 13

Geomorphic metrics across four catchments in Clarksburg, Maryland, 2002-19

This dataset contains geomorphic metrics across 32 cross-sections at four catchments within the Clarksburg Special Protection Area in Montgomery County, Maryland. These data were derived from raw cross-sectional data collected by the Montgomery County, Maryland Department of Environmental Protection. Geomorphic metrics include channel area, bed location, channel depth, channel width, and bank move
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Chesapeake Bay Activities, New Jersey Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC)

Elevation-area-capacity tables for Lake Powell, 2018

This data release is associated with the following Scientific Investigations Report: Root, J.C. and Jones, D.K., 2022, Elevation-area-capacity relationships of Lake Powell in 2018 and estimated loss of storage capacity since 1963: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2022-5017, 21 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20225017. This dataset provides elevation-area-capacity relationshi
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Utah Water Science Center

Quality assessed and modified Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR) facility and outfall locations, 2007 - 2019

Each year the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports permit, location, and discharge information for facilities across the United States and its territories through the Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR). Because these data are cataloged through a variety of systems, including self-reporting, there are discrepancies that may lead to incorrect spatial interpretation of content in the dat
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New Jersey Water Science Center

Lidar-derived digital elevation models in Clarksburg, MD representing the years 2002, 2008, 2013, and 2018

This is a collection of 3 ft resolution digital elevation model derived from light detection and ranging (lidar). Lidar was collected in 2002, 2008, 2013, and 2018. Coverage includes a portion of Clarksburg, Maryland, focused around the Clarksburg Special Protection Area (CSPA). Overall extent varies between each dataset, but all digital elevation models are aligned together with consistent overla
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Chesapeake Bay Activities, Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Water Science Center

Ephemeral channel heads and digital elevation models used to extract stream networks in Clarksburg, MD (ver. 2.0, October 2021)

This dataset describes the location of channel heads survyed in two headwater watersheds in Clarksburg, Montgomery County, Maryland, and the digital elevation models derived from light detection and ranging (lidar) covering the two watersheds. The digital elevation models were used to derive topographic attributes used to delineate drainage networks that were then assessed for accuracy using the f
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Chesapeake Bay Activities, Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Water Science Center

A snapshot of stakeholder science needs related to drought in the Colorado River Basin

Stakeholder science needs were determined by reviewing more than 200 recently published literature items and web pages from Colorado River Basin (CRB) stakeholders. These stakeholder communications were used to characterize over 400 stakeholder science needs by reviewing their priorities, strategies, issues, missions, and concerns related to drought in the CRB. Members of the CRB Integrated Scienc
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Arizona Water Science Center, California Water Science Center, Colorado Water Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Nevada Water Science Center, New Mexico Water Science Center, Southwest Biological Science Center, Utah Water Science Center, Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

Modified topobathymetric elevation data for Lake Powell

This dataset provides a modified version of the previously published Lake Powell topobathymetric digital elevation model (TBDEM; Poppenga and others, 2020). The original TBDEM is comprised of four source datasets: (1) a 2017 1-meter multibeam bathymetric survey; (2) a 2018 topographic light detection and ranging (lidar) derived digital elevation model (DEM); (3) a historical topographic DEM that w
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Utah Water Science Center

Analytical inorganic chemistry results for samples collected for the Sediment-Bound Contaminant Resiliency and Response Strategy pilot study, northeastern United States, 2015

Coastal communities are uniquely vulnerable to sea-level rise (SLR) and severe storms such as hurricanes. These events enhance the dispersion and concentration of natural and anthropogenic chemicals and pathogenic microorganisms that could adversely affect the health and resilience of coastal communities and ecosystems in coming years. The U.S. Geological Survey has developed the Sediment-Bound Co
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Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center

Matrix inhibition PCR and Microtox 81.9% screening assay analytical results for samples collected for the Sediment-Bound Contaminant Resiliency and Response Strategy pilot study, northeastern United States, 2015

Coastal communities are uniquely vulnerable to sea-level rise (SLR) and severe storms such as hurricanes. These events enhance the dispersion and concentration of natural and anthropogenic chemicals and pathogenic microorganisms that could adversely affect the health and resilience of coastal communities and ecosystems in coming years. The U.S. Geological Survey has developed the Sediment-Bound Co
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Eastern Ecological Science Center

Exposure potential of salt marsh units in Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge to environmental health stressors

Natural and anthropogenic contaminants, pathogens, and viruses are found in soils and sediments throughout the United States. Enhanced dispersion and concentration of these environmental health stressors in coastal regions can result from sea level rise and storm-derived disturbances. The combination of existing environmental health stressors and those mobilized by natural or anthropogenic disaste
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Digital Polymerase Chain Reaction (dPCR) and Presence/Absence Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) Data From the Sediment-Bound Contaminant Resiliency and Response Strategy Pilot Study, Northeastern United States, 2015

The purpose of these data sets was to define which samples contained antibiotic resistance genes (screened antibiotic resistance gene targets) and Vibrio species, the number of detectable targets per sample and the quantity of those respective gene targets per gram of soil. These data were determined from samples collected in the NE US in support of the Sediment-bound Contaminant Resiliency and Re
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Toxic Substances Hydrology, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Location, sampling methods and field conditions of resiliency-mode soil and sediment sampling stations sampled, Sediment-Bound Contaminant Resiliency and Response Strategy pilot study, northeastern United States, 2015

Coastal communities are uniquely vulnerable to sea-level rise (SLR) and severe storms such as hurricanes. These events enhance the dispersion and concentration of natural and anthropogenic chemicals and pathogenic microorganisms that could adversely affect the health and resilience of coastal communities and ecosystems in coming years. The U.S. Geological Survey has developed the Sediment-Bound Co
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New Jersey Water Science Center

Science and Products